Recherches sur la collection d’enfants et d’adolescents d’âge et de sexe connus de Bologne (Italie) : diagnose de l’âge sur la base du degré de maturation osseuse

Notre étude porte sur la diagnose de l’âge des enfants et adolescents à partir du degré de maturation du squelette, en particulier de l’apparition des centres d’ossification et de leur fusion successive. Une grande partie des standards actuellement utilisés proviennent d’enfants vivants ou de collections ostéologiques nord-américaines. Afin d’apporter une contribution dans ce domaine de recherche et d’élaborer des standards assez proches des caractéristiques des squelettes provenant des fouilles de nos régions, nous avons effectué une recherche sur deux échantillons de la collection de Bologne. Les individus analysés sont d’âge et sexe connus et datés du début du xxe s. : 137 squelettes d’enfants (de 0 à 8 ans) provenant de Bologne et 131 squelettes d’adolescents et jeunes adultes (15-25 ans) de Sardaigne.The purpose of this study is the assessment of age at death in immature human skeletons through observation of the degree of skeletal maturation, in particular the appearance of ossification centres and their successive fusion. Most of the methods employed are based on studies of living children or on American skeletal collections. Our aim was to shed light on the assessment of skeletal age maturation on European populations by analysing two samples from the Bologna collection dated to the beginning of the 20th c. AD. The skeletons analysed are those of immature individuals of known age and sex; 137 were children (0 to 8 years) from Bologna, and 131 were juvenile (15-25 years) from Sardinia

Age Determination on Long Bones in a Skeletal Subadults Sample (b-12 Years)

The skeletal age on the basis of the diaphyseal length of long bones was assessed. To this aim a sample of subadults skeleton, dated to last century, coming from the cemetery of Bologna was studied. The sample is composed by 79 males and 70 females between 0 and 12 years, whose chronological age and sex are known. Some information can be obtained by the means, standard deviation and graphs of the specimens grouped in age classes. The comparison with other studies confirms the interest of using standards based on direct measurements on long bones of known age and similar to the skeletal populations under study

Hydroxytyrosol Prevents Increase of Osteoarthritis Markers in Human Chondrocytes Treated with Hydrogen Peroxide or Growth-Related Oncogene \u3b1

Hydroxytyrosol (HT), a phenolic compound mainly derived from olives, has been proposed as a nutraceutical useful in prevention or treatment of degenerative diseases. In the present study we have evaluated the ability of HT to counteract the appearance of osteoarthritis (OA) features in human chondrocytes. Pre-treatment of monolayer cultures of chondrocytes with HT was effective in preventing accumulation of reactive oxidant species (ROS), DNA damage and cell death induced by H2O2 exposure, as well as the increase in the mRNA level of pro-inflammatory, matrix-degrading and hypertrophy marker genes, such as iNOS, COX-2, MMP-13, RUNX-2 and VEGF. HT alone slightly enhanced ROS production, but did not enhance cell damage and death or the expression of OA-related genes. Moreover HT was tested in an in vitro model of OA, i.e. three-dimensional micromass cultures of chondrocytes stimulated with growth-related oncogene \u3b1 (GRO\u3b1), a chemokine involved in OA pathogenesis and known to promote hypertrophy and terminal differentiation of chondrocytes. In micromass constructs, HT pre-treatment inhibited the increases in caspase activity and the level of the messengers for iNOS, COX-2, MMP-13, RUNX-2 and VEGF elicited by GRO\u3b1. In addition, HT significantly increased the level of SIRT-1 mRNA in the presence of GRO\u3b1. In conclusion, the present study shows that HT reduces oxidative stress and damage, exerts pro-survival and anti-apoptotic actions and favourably influences the expression of critical OA-related genes in human chondrocytes treated with stressors promoting OA-like features

Visual telerehabilitation in the Covid-19 era: tradition meets innovation

[EN] Visual telerehabilitation is crucial to rise to the challenges of Covid-19 in order to advocate impaired individuals’ adaptation and social inclusion. The present research aims at detecting the predictors of the visual telerehabilitation protocol’s best outcome, also exploring variables’ interactions. The protocol by Chiossone Institute (Italy, Genoa) was administered in 2020 (March-May). Patients weekly video-called the orthoptists (by tablet or PC) to follow a personalized program on residual vision and diagnosis. The sample included seventy-five visually impaired individuals, across different age ranges (n=46 children and n=29 adults), who had all begun in person rehabilitation before pandemic. To detect the predictors of visual telerehabilitation effectiveness, orthoptists completed a self-report sheet with evaluation of the reaction time, participants socio-demographical data, diagnosis, residual vision, telematic session time-length, compliance level.  Descriptive, linear regression, and moderation analyses were implemented. Children’s reaction time was predicted by age, sessions’ time-length, and compliance. Adults’ reaction time was predicted by sessions’ time length, without significant moderators. These findings encourage the combination of traditional setting elements and technological innovation.Perasso, G.; Baghino, C.; Capris, E.; Cocchi, E.; Dini, S.; Facchini, V.; Panizzi, A.... (2022). Visual telerehabilitation in the Covid-19 era: tradition meets innovation. En Proceedings INNODOCT/21. International Conference on Innovation, Documentation and Education. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 41-48. https://doi.org/10.4995/INN2021.2021.13321OCS414

Size-resolved aerosol composition at an urban and a rural site in the Po Valley in summertime: implications for secondary aerosol formation

The aerosol size-segregated chemical composition was analyzed at an urban (Bologna) and a rural (San Pietro Capofiume) site in the Po Valley, Italy, during June and July 2012, by ion-chromatography (major water-soluble ions and organic acids) and evolved gas analysis (total and water-soluble carbon), to investigate sources and mechanisms of secondary aerosol formation during the summer. A significant enhancement of secondary organic and inorganic aerosol mass was observed under anticyclonic conditions with recirculation of planetary boundary layer air but with substantial differences between the urban and the rural site. The data analysis, including a principal component analysis (PCA) on the size-resolved dataset of chemical concentrations, indicated that the photochemical oxidation of inorganic and organic gaseous precursors was an important mechanism of secondary aerosol formation at both sites. In addition, at the rural site a second formation process, explaining the largest fraction (22 %) of the total variance, was active at nighttime, especially under stagnant conditions. Nocturnal chemistry in the rural Po Valley was associated with the formation of ammonium nitrate in large accumulation-mode (0.42–1.2 µm) aerosols favored by local thermodynamic conditions (higher relative humidity and lower temperature compared to the urban site). Nocturnal concentrations of fine nitrate were, in fact, on average 5 times higher at the rural site than in Bologna. The water uptake by this highly hygroscopic compound under high RH conditions provided the medium for increased nocturnal aerosol uptake of water-soluble organic gases and possibly also for aqueous chemistry, as revealed by the shifting of peak concentrations of secondary compounds (water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and sulfate) toward the large accumulation mode (0.42–1.2 µm). Contrarily, the diurnal production of WSOC (proxy for secondary organic aerosol) by photochemistry was similar at the two sites but mostly affected the small accumulation mode of particles (0.14–0.42 µm) in Bologna, while a shift to larger accumulation mode was observed at the rural site. A significant increment in carbonaceous aerosol concentration (for both WSOC and water-insoluble carbon) at the urban site was recorded mainly in the quasi-ultrafine fraction (size range 0.05–0.14 µm), indicating a direct influence of traffic emissions on the mass concentrations of this range of particles

Antiapoptotic and Antiautophagic Effects of Eicosapentaenoic Acid in Cardiac Myoblasts Exposed to Palmitic Acid

Apoptosis is a programmed cell death that plays a critical role in cell homeostasis. In particular, apoptosis in cardiomyocytes is involved in several cardiovascular diseases including heart failure. Recently autophagy has emerged as an important modulator of programmed cell death pathway. Recent evidence indicates that saturated fatty acids induce cell death through apoptosis and this effect is specific for palmitate. On the other hand, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been implicated in the protection against cardiovascular diseases, cardiac ischemic damage and myocardial dysfunction. In the present study we show that n-3 PUFA eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) treatment to culture medium of H9c2 rat cardiomyoblasts protects cells against palmitate-induced apoptosis, as well as counteracts palmitate-mediated increase of autophagy. Further investigation is required to establish whether the antiautophagic effect of EPA may be involved in its cytoprotective outcome and to explore the underlying biochemical mechanisms through which palmitate and EPA control the fate of cardiac cells

Molecular Characterization of Cancer Associated Fibroblasts in Prostate Cancer

Background: Stromal components surrounding epithelial cancer cells seem to play a pivotal role during epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), tumor invasion, and metastases. To identify the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor–stroma interactions may yield novel therapeutic targets for prostate cancer. Methods: Gene expression profile of prostate-cancer associated fibroblast (PCAF) and prostate non-cancer associated fibroblast (PNAF) cells isolated from radical prostatectomy was performed by Illumina, analyzed, and further processed by Ingenuity®: IPA® software. qRT-PCR was performed on an independent set of 17 PCAF, 12 PNAF, and 12 fibroblast cell lines derived from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPHF). Results: Using microarray analysis, we found six upregulated genes and two downregulated genes in PCAFs compared to PNAFs. To validate microarray results, we performed qRT-PCR for the most significantly regulated genes involved in the modulation of proliferation and androgen resistance on an independent set of PNAF, PCAF, and BHPF samples. We confirmed the increased expression of SCARB1, MAPK3K1, and TGF-β as well as the decreased expression of S100A10 in PCAFs compared to PNAFs and BPHFs. Conclusions: These results provide strong evidence that the observed changes in the gene expression profile of PCAFs can contribute to functional alteration of adjacent prostate cancer cells

グリコシド結合形成反応を中心とした糖質化合物の化学変換

博士（理学）神戸大

Molecular Characterization of Cancer Associated Fibroblasts in Prostate Cancer

Background: Stromal components surrounding epithelial cancer cells seem to play a pivotal role during epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), tumor invasion, and metastases. To identify the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor-stroma interactions may yield novel therapeutic targets for prostate cancer. Methods: Gene expression profile of prostate-cancer associated fibroblast (PCAF) and prostate non-cancer associated fibroblast (PNAF) cells isolated from radical prostatectomy was performed by Illumina, analyzed, and further processed by Ingenuity (R) : IPA (R) software. qRT-PCR was performed on an independent set of 17 PCAF, 12 PNAF, and 12 fibroblast cell lines derived from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPHF). Results: Using microarray analysis, we found six upregulated genes and two downregulated genes in PCAFs compared to PNAFs. To validate microarray results, we performed qRT-PCR for the most significantly regulated genes involved in the modulation of proliferation and androgen resistance on an independent set of PNAF, PCAF, and BHPF samples. We confirmed the increased expression of SCARB1, MAPK3K1, and TGF-beta as well as the decreased expression of S100A10 in PCAFs compared to PNAFs and BPHFs. Conclusions: These results provide strong evidence that the observed changes in the gene expression profile of PCAFs can contribute to functional alteration of adjacent prostate cancer cells