„DNA barkodiranje“ za pouzdano utvrđivanje izvornosti morskih rakova, mekušaca i riba dostupnih na tržištu

Animal DNA barcoding allows researchers to identify different species by analyzing a short nucleotide sequence, typically the mitochondrial gene cox1. In this paper, we use DNA barcoding to genetically identify seafood samples that were purchased from various locations throughout Italy. We adopted a multi-locus approach to analyze the cob, 16S-rDNA and cox1 genes, and compared our sequences to reference sequences in the BOLD and GenBank online databases. Our method is a rapid and robust technique that can be used to genetically identify crustaceans, mollusks and fishes. This approach could be applied in the future for conservation, particularly for monitoring illegal trade of protected and endangered species. Additionally, this method could be used for authentication in order to detect mislabeling of commercially processed seafood.DNA barkodiranje“ omogućuje istraživačima identifikaciju različitih životinjskih vrsta analizom kratke sekvencije nukleotida, i to obično mitohondrijskog gena cox1. U ovom je radu „DNA barkodiranje“ primjenjeno za identifikaciju uzoraka morskih rakova, mekušaca i riba kupljenih na različitim lokacijama diljem Italije. Sekvencionirani su geni cob, cox1 i 16S-rDNA, a dobivene su sekvencije uspoređene s odgovarajućim sekvencijama u online bazama podataka BOLD i GenBank. Ova metoda omogućuje brzo i točno utvrđivanje genetičkog porijekla rakova, mekušaca i riba, što se može ubuduće primijeniti u svrhu zaštite ugroženih vrsta, te sprečavanje njihove ilegalne prodaje. Također se ovom metodom može utvrditi istinitost podataka na deklaracijama prehrambenih proizvoda od riba, rakova i mekušaca

„DNA barkodiranje“ za pouzdano utvrđivanje izvornosti morskih rakova, mekušaca i riba dostupnih na tržištu

Animal DNA barcoding allows researchers to identify different species by analyzing a short nucleotide sequence, typically the mitochondrial gene cox1. In this paper, we use DNA barcoding to genetically identify seafood samples that were purchased from various locations throughout Italy. We adopted a multi-locus approach to analyze the cob, 16S-rDNA and cox1 genes, and compared our sequences to reference sequences in the BOLD and GenBank online databases. Our method is a rapid and robust technique that can be used to genetically identify crustaceans, mollusks and fishes. This approach could be applied in the future for conservation, particularly for monitoring illegal trade of protected and endangered species. Additionally, this method could be used for authentication in order to detect mislabeling of commercially processed seafood.DNA barkodiranje“ omogućuje istraživačima identifikaciju različitih životinjskih vrsta analizom kratke sekvencije nukleotida, i to obično mitohondrijskog gena cox1. U ovom je radu „DNA barkodiranje“ primjenjeno za identifikaciju uzoraka morskih rakova, mekušaca i riba kupljenih na različitim lokacijama diljem Italije. Sekvencionirani su geni cob, cox1 i 16S-rDNA, a dobivene su sekvencije uspoređene s odgovarajućim sekvencijama u online bazama podataka BOLD i GenBank. Ova metoda omogućuje brzo i točno utvrđivanje genetičkog porijekla rakova, mekušaca i riba, što se može ubuduće primijeniti u svrhu zaštite ugroženih vrsta, te sprečavanje njihove ilegalne prodaje. Također se ovom metodom može utvrditi istinitost podataka na deklaracijama prehrambenih proizvoda od riba, rakova i mekušaca

Flooding Responses on Grapevine: A Physiological, Transcriptional, and Metabolic Perspective

Studies on model plants have shown that temporary soil flooding exposes roots to a significant hypoxic stress resulting in metabolic re-programming, accumulation of toxic metabolites and hormonal imbalance. To date, physiological and transcriptional responses to flooding in grapevine are poorly characterized. To fill this gap, we aimed to gain insights into the transcriptional and metabolic changes induced by flooding on grapevine roots (K5BB rootstocks), on which cv Sauvignon blanc (Vitis vinifera L.) plants were grafted. A preliminary experiment under hydroponic conditions enabled the identification of transiently and steadily regulated hypoxia-responsive marker genes and drafting a model for response to oxygen deprivation in grapevine roots. Afterward, over two consecutive vegetative seasons, flooding was imposed to potted vines during the late dormancy period, to mimick the most frequent waterlogging events occurring in the field. Untargeted transcriptomic and metabolic profiling approaches were applied to investigate early responses of grapevine roots during exposure to hypoxia and subsequent recovery after stress removal. The initial hypoxic response was marked by a significant increase of the hypoxia-inducible metabolites ethanol, GABA, succinic acid and alanine which remained high also 1 week after recovery from flooding with the exception of ethanol that leveled off. Transcriptomic data supported the metabolic changes by indicating a substantial rearrangement of primary metabolic pathways through enhancement of the glycolytic and fermentative enzymes and of a subset of enzymes involved in the TCA cycle. GO and KEGG pathway analyses of differentially expressed genes showed a general down-regulation of brassinosteroid, auxin and gibberellin biosynthesis in waterlogged plants, suggesting a general inhibition of root growth and lateral expansion. During recovery, transcriptional activation of gibberellin biosynthetic genes and down-regulation of the metabolic ones may support a role for gibberellins in signaling grapevine rootstocks waterlogging metabolic and hormonal changes to the above ground plant. The significant internode elongation measured upon budbreak during recovery in plants that had experienced flooding supported this hypothesis. Overall integration of these data enabled us to draft a first comprehensive view of the molecular and metabolic pathways involved in grapevine\u2019s root responses highlighting a deep metabolic and transcriptomic reprogramming during and after exposure to waterlogging

Flooding Responses on Grapevine: A Physiological, Transcriptional, and Metabolic Perspective

Studies on model plants have shown that temporary soil flooding exposes roots to a significant hypoxic stress resulting in metabolic re-programming, accumulation of toxic metabolites and hormonal imbalance. To date, physiological and transcriptional responses to flooding in grapevine are poorly characterized. To fill this gap, we aimed to gain insights into the transcriptional and metabolic changes induced by flooding on grapevine roots (K5BB rootstocks), on which cv Sauvignon blanc (Vitis vinifera L.) plants were grafted. A preliminary experiment under hydroponic conditions enabled the identification of transiently and steadily regulated hypoxia-responsive marker genes and drafting a model for response to oxygen deprivation in grapevine roots. Afterward, over two consecutive vegetative seasons, flooding was imposed to potted vines during the late dormancy period, to mimick the most frequent waterlogging events occurring in the field. Untargeted transcriptomic and metabolic profiling approaches were applied to investigate early responses of grapevine roots during exposure to hypoxia and subsequent recovery after stress removal. The initial hypoxic response was marked by a significant increase of the hypoxia-inducible metabolites ethanol, GABA, succinic acid and alanine which remained high also 1 week after recovery from flooding with the exception of ethanol that leveled off. Transcriptomic data supported the metabolic changes by indicating a substantial rearrangement of primary metabolic pathways through enhancement of the glycolytic and fermentative enzymes and of a subset of enzymes involved in the TCA cycle. GO and KEGG pathway analyses of differentially expressed genes showed a general down-regulation of brassinosteroid, auxin and gibberellin biosynthesis in waterlogged plants, suggesting a general inhibition of root growth and lateral expansion. During recovery, transcriptional activation of gibberellin biosynthetic genes and down-regulation of the metabolic ones may support a role for gibberellins in signaling grapevine rootstocks waterlogging metabolic and hormonal changes to the above ground plant. The significant internode elongation measured upon budbreak during recovery in plants that had experienced flooding supported this hypothesis. Overall integration of these data enabled us to draft a first comprehensive view of the molecular and metabolic pathways involved in grapevine’s root responses highlighting a deep metabolic and transcriptomic reprogramming during and after exposure to waterlogging

Pleural mesothelioma risk in the construction industry: a case-control study in Italy, 2000-2018

Objectives Workers in the construction industry have been exposed to asbestos in various occupations. In Italy, a National Mesothelioma Registry has been implemented more than 20 years ago. Using cases selected from this registry and exploiting existing control data sets, we estimated relative risks for pleural mesothelioma (PM) among construction workers. DesignCase-control study. SettingCases from the National Mesothelioma Registry (2000-2018), controls from three previous case-control studies. MethodsWe selected male PM incident cases diagnosed in 2000-2018. Population controls were taken from three studies performed in six Italian regions within two periods (2002-2004 and 2012-2016). Age-adjusted and period-adjusted unconditional logistic regression models were fitted to estimate odds ratios (OR) for occupations in the construction industry. We followed two approaches, one (primary) excluding and the other (secondary) including subjects employed in other non-construction blue collar occupations for >5 years. For both approaches, we performed an overall analysis including all cases and, given the incomplete temporal and geographic overlap of cases and controls, three time or/and space restricted sensitivity analyses. ResultsThe whole data set included 15 592 cases and 2210 controls. With the primary approach (4797 cases and 1085 controls), OR was 3.64 (2181 cases) for subjects ever employed in construction. We found elevated risks for blue-collar occupations (1993 cases, OR 4.52), including bricklayers (988 cases, OR 7.05), general construction workers (320 cases, OR 4.66), plumbers and pipe fitters (305 cases, OR 9.13), painters (104 cases, OR 2.17) and several others. Sensitivity analyses yielded very similar findings. Using the secondary approach, we observed similar patterns, but ORs were remarkably lower. ConclusionsWe found markedly increased PM risks for most occupations in the construction industry. These findings are relevant for compensation of subjects affected with mesothelioma in the construction industry

Clinical assessment instruments validated for nursing practice in the Italian context: a systematic review of the literature

Aims. With the aim to identify the instruments validated for Italian nursing practice, a systematic review of the literature was undertaken.Results. A total of 101 instruments emerged. The majority (89; 88.1%) were developed in other countries; the remaining (14; 13.9%) were developed and validated in the Ital-ian context. The instruments were developed to measure patient’s problems (63/101; 62.4%), outcomes (27/101; 26.7%), risks (4/101; 4%) and others issues (7/101; 6.9%). The majority of participants involved in the validation processes were younger adults (49; 48.5%), older adults (40; 39.5%), children (4; 4%), adolescents (3; 3%), and children/adolescents (1; 1%). The instruments were structured primarily in the form of questionnaires (61; 60.4%), as a grid for direct observation (27; 26.7%) or in other forms (12; 11.9%). Among the 101 instruments emerged, there were 1 to 7 validation measures documented with on average 3.2 (95% CI 2.86-3.54) for each instrument.Conclusions. Developing validation studies giving priority to those instruments widely adopted in the clinical nursing practice is recommended.  

Archeozoologia dell'età Moderna in Alto Adige. I casi di Castel Prösels, Chiusa di Rio di Pusteria e Castel Rafenstein

ItI resti faunistici recuperati dai siti oggetto di questo studio offrono un quadro, seppur parziale, della situazione economica e ambientale in Alto Adige nell'età Moderna (XV-XVIII secolo). I siti si trovano a pochi chilometri di distanza tra loro e assolvevano una funzione di tipo residenziale (castelli) o di stazione doganale (Chiusa di Rio di Pusteria). L'analisi e la comparazione dei resti faunistici provenienti da queste strutture ha permesso di mettere in evidenza analogie e differenze legate alla diversa caratterizzazione sociale e funzionale dei siti. Le specie più presenti per numero dei resti in tutti i casi sono animali domestici, in particolare bue, ovicaprini, maiale e gallo. Seguono gatto, cane, tacchino, cavallo, mentre tra i selvatici, uccelli, volpe, micromammiferi, pesci, lepre, cinghiale, cervo, camoscio, orso. È attestata una caccia sistematica nei siti di Prösels e Chiusa, al contrario di Rafenstein dove essa è di fatto assente, coerentemente con la bassa estrazione degli affittuari cui i nobili diedero in locazione castello e sue proprietà nel XVI secolo. Due resti di coccodrillo del Nilo a Rafenstein testimoniano la presenza di una "Wunderkammer" (tardo XVI secolo) allestita nel castello dal Barone Marx Sittich von Wolkenstein.EnFaunal remains from the sites of Castle Prösels, Chiusa di Rio di Pusteria/Mühlbacher Klause and Castle Rafenstein can provide a preliminary and general description of the economy and the environment in South-Tyrol during the Modern era (15th-18th centuries). The sites are located few kilometres away from each other, and they was residential (castles) or probably a customs station (Chiusa). Through the study and the comparison of the faunal remains, similarities and differences regarding the social and functional aspects of the sites were brought to light. The majority of remains (NISP) in all case studies are from domestic animals such as cattle, caprines, pigs and chicken. The presence of cat, dog, turkey, horse, and, among the wild animals, birds, fox, micromammals, fish, hare, wild boar, deer, chamois and bear, is also attested. Systematic hunting is evidenced at Prösels and Chiusa, but not at Rafenstein where game is absent probably in connection with the lower social class of tenants who rented the castle and its properties (16th century). Two remains of Nile crocodile in Rafenstein testify the presence of a "Cabinet of curiosities" set up by Baron Marx Sittich von Wolkenstein in the late 16th century

Modeling clinical protocols using semantic MediaWiki: the case of the Oncocure project

A computerized Decision Support Systems (DSS) can improve the adherence of the clinicians to clinical guidelines and protocols. The building of a prescriptive DSS based on breast cancer treatment protocols and its integration with a legacy Electronic Patient Record is the aim of the Oncocure project. An important task of this project is the encoding of the protocols in computer-executable form \u2014 a task that requires the collaboration of physicians and computer scientists in a distributed environment. In this paper, we de- scribe our project and how semantic wiki technology was used for the encoding task. Semantic wiki technology features great \ufb02exibility, allowing to mix unstructured information and semantic annota- tions and automatically generate the \ufb01nal model with minimal adaptation cost. These features render semantic wikis natural candidates for small to medium scale modeling tasks, where the adaptation and training effort of bigger systems cannot be justi\ufb01ed. This approach is not constrained to a speci\ufb01c protocol modeling language, but can be used as a collaborative tool for other languages. When implemented, our DSS is expected to reduce the cost of care while improving the adherence to the guideline and the quality of the documentation

Modeling Clinical Protocols using Semantic MediaWiki: the Case of the Oncocure Project

A Computerized Decision Support Systems can improve the adherence of the clinicians to clinical guidelines and protocols. The building of a prescriptive Decision Support System based on breast cancer treatment protocols and its integration with a legacy Electronic Patient Record is the aim of the Oncocure project. An important task of this project is the encoding of the protocols in computer-executable form --- a task which requires the collaboration of physicians and computer scientists in a distributed environment. In this paper, we describe our project and how semantic wiki technology was used for the encoding task. Semantic wiki technology features great flexibility, allowing to mix unstructured information and semantic annotations and automatically generate the final model with minimal adaptation cost. These features render semantic wikis natural candidates for small to medium scale modeling tasks, where the adaptation and training effort of bigger systems cannot be justified. This approach is not constrained to a specific protocol modeling language, but can be used as a collaborative tool for other languages. When implemented, our DSS is expected to reduce the cost of care while improving the adherence to the guideline and the quality of the documentation