Low-density lipoprotein-lowering medication and platelet function

Elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (LDL-C) levels represent one of the most important risk factors for atherosclerosis and therefore cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. LDL-C operates at different levels and through various classic and non-classic mechanisms. In particular, increased or modified LDL enhances platelet function and increases sensitivity of platelets to several naturally occurring agonists. Agents that lower LDL-C in hypercholesterolemic patients have been shown to interfere with platelet function. Several studies, in fact, suggested that statins exert anti-thrombotic effects largely as a result of an anti-platelet activity. Among the other LDL-C-lowering agents those acting by interfering with cholesterol reabsorption from the gut (cholestyramine, colestipol) do not appear to interfere with platelet function, whereas peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonists (such as fibrates) can inhibit platelet function. The full potential of these drugs in vascular protection is only just being realized. Further studies are still needed to elucidate the full therapeutic benefits of these agents in plaque stabilization and thrombosis. Copyright (c) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel

Dispersion-dissipation analysis of 3D continuous and discontinuous spectral element methods for the elastodynamics equation

In this paper we present a three dimensional dispersion and dissipation analysis for both the semi discrete and the fully discrete approximation of the elastodynamics equation based on the plane wave method. For space discretization we compare different approximation strategies, namely the continuous and the discontinuous spectral element method on both tetrahedral and hexahedral elements. For time discretization we employ a leapfrog time integration scheme. Several numerical results are presented and discussed

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The role of Embodied Cognition in action language comprehension in L1 and L2

In this study we carried out a behavioral experiment comparing action language comprehension in L1 (Italian) and L2 (English). Participants were Italian native speakers who had acquired the second language late (after the age of 10). They performed semantic judgments on L1 and L2 literal, idiomatic and metaphorical action sentences after viewing a video of a hand performing an action that was related or unrelated to the verb used in the sentence. Results showed that responses to literal and metaphorical L1 sentences were faster when the action depicted was related to the verb used rather than when the action depicted was unrelated to the verb used. No diferences were found for the idiomatic condition. In L2 we found that all responses to the three conditions were facilitated when the action depicted was related to the verb used. Moreover, we found that the diference between the unrelated and the related modalities was greater in L2 than in L1 for the literal and the idiomatic condition but not for the metaphorical condition. These fndings are consistent with the embodied cognition hypothesis of language comprehension

The Remapping of Peripersonal Space in a Real but Not in a Virtual Environment

One of the most surprising features of our brain is the fact that it is extremely plastic. Among the various plastic processes supported by our brain, there is the neural representation of the space surrounding our body, the peripersonal space (PPS). The effects of real-world tool use on the PPS are well known in cognitive neuroscience, but little is still known whether similar mechanisms also govern virtual tool use. To this purpose, the present study investigated the plasticity of the PPS before and after a real (Experiment 1) or virtual motor training with a tool (Experiment 2). The results show the expansion of the PPS only following real-world tool use but not virtual use, highlighting how the two types of training potentially rely on different processes. This study enriches the current state of the art on the plasticity of PPS in real and virtual environments. We discuss our data with respect to the relevance for the development of effective immersive environment for trainings, learning and rehabilitation

The consequences of COVID-19 on social interactions: an online study on face covering

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the nature of our social interactions. In order to understand how protective equipment and distancing measures influence the ability to comprehend others' emotions and, thus, to effectively interact with others, we carried out an online study across the Italian population during the first pandemic peak. Participants were shown static facial expressions (Angry, Happy and Neutral) covered by a sanitary mask or by a scarf. They were asked to evaluate the expressed emotions as well as to assess the degree to which one would adopt physical and social distancing measures for each stimulus. Results demonstrate that, despite the covering of the lower-face, participants correctly recognized the facial expressions of emotions with a polarizing effect on emotional valence ratings found in females. Noticeably, while females' ratings for physical and social distancing were driven by the emotional content of the stimuli, males were influenced by the "covered" condition. The results also show the impact of the pandemic on anxiety and fear experienced by participants. Taken together, our results offer novel insights on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social interactions, providing a deeper understanding of the way people react to different kinds of protective face covering

Shared Sky, tutti sotto lo stesso cielo

Dall'Australia al Sudafrica, un viaggio tra arte e scienza. La mostra intitolata Shared Sky sarà aperta al pubblico dal 27 ottobre al 6 novembre presso la Sala della Grida nel Palazzo della Borsa di Genova nell'ambito della 14esima edizione del Festival della Scienza. Shared Sky nasce dall’idea di riunire artisti aborigeni della tribù Yamaji e artisti sudafricani discendenti dalla tribù /Xam in una mostra collaborativa che celebra l’antica saggezza del cielo notturno vista con gli occhi dell’uomo. Questa visione incorpora lo spirito di interazione internazionale, scientifica e ingegneristica del progetto Square Kilometre Array (SKA), che unisce diversi Paesi in tutto il mondo con lo scopo di costruire quello che sarà il più grande network di radiotelescopi del mondo tra Sudafrica e Australia. L'Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), che rappresenta l'Italia nel progetto della costruzione di SKA ha scelto di portare in Italia questa mostra con una lectio magistralis di Steven Tingay, ex direttore dell'INAF-Istituto di Radioastronomia (IRA) di Bologna, nonché da anni impegnato nel progetto

The significance of macrophage phenotype in cancer and biomaterials

The aim of this study was to evaluate the osteogenic response of human adipose-derived stromal cells (ADScs) to mesoporous titania (TiO2) coatings produced with evaporation-induced self-assembly method (EISA) and loaded with magnesium. Our emphasis with the magnesium release functionality was to modulate progenitor cell osteogenic differentiation under standard culture conditions. Osteogenic properties of the coatings were assessed for stromal cells by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging, colorimetric mitochondrial viability assay (MTT), colorimetric alkaline phosphates activity (ALP) assay and real time RT-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Using atomic force microscopy (AFM) it was shown that the surface expansion area (Sdr) was strongly enhanced by the presence of magnesium. From MTT results it was shown that ADSc viability was significantly increased on mesoporous surfaces compared to the non-porous one at a longer cell culture time. However, no differences were observed between the magnesium impregnated and non-impregnated surfaces. The alkaline phosphatase activity confirmed that ADSc started to differentiate into the osteogenic phenotype after 2 weeks of culturing. The gene expression profile at 2 weeks of cell growth showed that such coatings were capable to incorporate specific osteogenic markers inside their interconnected nano-pores and, at 3 weeks, ADSc differentiated into osteoblasts. Interestingly, magnesium significantly promoted the osteopontin gene expression, which is an essential gene for the early biomaterial-cell osteogenic interaction

Un questionario strutturato per gestire le richieste ricevute dall’Ufficio Stampa dell’Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica

A partire dal 2021, per ottimizzare il flusso di informazioni in entrata relativo alle richieste di comunicati stampa l’Ufficio stampa dell’Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica si è dotato di una nuova procedura: un questionario standard, amministrato mediante la piattaforma Google Formulari. Attraverso questo formulario, ricercatori e ricercatrici possono segnalare all’Ufficio stampa nuovi risultati scientifici, progetti tecnologici, eventi e altre attività di possibile interesse per i media e il grande pubblico: le domande del questionario, simile a quelli in uso presso istituzioni internazionali come ESA ed ESO, sono strutturate per valutare la rilevanza e notiziabilità della richiesta in oggetto – elementi essenziali per decidere se procedere o meno con un comunicato – offrendo all’Ufficio stampa uno strumento di facile e rapido uso per gestire queste richieste in maniera uniforme. Il questionario, in uso a pieno regime dal 2022, è stato utilizzato ad oggi per oltre 50 richieste di comunicati stampa

Altered self-recognition in patients with schizophrenia

Abstract Self-alienation is a common characterization of various disturbing experiences in patients with schizophrenia. A vivid example comes from patient reports of not recognizing themselves when inspecting their specular image in the mirror. By applying the multisensory paradigm of the Enfacement Illusion, this study empirically addresses the specular Self-Other discrimination in patients with schizophrenia. 35 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 35 healthy matched controls were enrolled in the study. Results found that the group of patients with schizophrenia had a significant skewed self-other discrimination towards the other at baseline. Furthermore, the effect of visuo-tactile stimulation on self-recognition in the schizophrenia patients was significantly altered after both synchronous and asynchronous stimulation compared to baseline. This contrasted with healthy controls which in line with earlier studies only had significantly different self-recognition after synchronous stimulation. The study thus suggests that patients with schizophrenia have deviations in their specular self-recognition compared to healthy controls. Moreover, that temporal factors in multisensory integration may contribute to alterations of self-related stimuli in patients with schizophrenia