Assessing the evolution of territorial disparities in health

The paper investigates spatio-temporal trends in health disparities through an empirical example. We deal with geographical health pattern in Italy from 1991 to 2010, starting from infant mortality data available at the provincial level and assessing the existent disparity among macro-regions (the conventional Northern, Central and Southern macro-regions). After a discussion concerning suitable inequality indices and their decompositions when dealing with small area data, we propose a model-based approach that allows to properly tackle sampling variability. Results give evidences of persisting spatial disparity in infant mortality along time

Resiliencia en el ámbito escolar: estudio preliminar de la percepción de los aspectos familiares y escolares en niños de contextos socialmente vulnerables

El propósito de este trabajo fue analizar variables vinculadas a la percepción de la familia en una muestra de 61 escolares (30 con historia de fracaso escolar y 31 sin esa característica) pertenecientes a contextos de vulnerabilidad social de Mendoza, Argentina. Se evaluó la percepción de las interrelaciones familiares y se examinó la percepción de los docentes con respecto a las fortalezas y la valoración del rendimiento académico de sus alumnos. Los resultados señalaron que no hubo diferencias significativas entre los grupos en relación con la percepción de la familia. Sin embargo, se observó que los niños con antecedentes de fracaso escolar presentaron menor identificación de emociones positivas, expresaron un concepto confuso de familia y se identificaron con más personajes desvalorizados que los niños no repetidores. En los docentes se halló asociación entre la percepción de fortalezas y la valoración del rendimiento académico en el grupo de niños sin fracaso escolarThe purpose of this work is to analyze variables associate with perception of the family among a 61-stu- dent sample (30 with a history of school failure and 31 without), from vulnerable neighborhoods of Mendoza, Argentina. We evaluated the families’ interrelationship perception, and the evaluation of tea- chers’ perceptions of their students’ academic strength and performance. The results showed no signifi- cant differences between the two groups in terms of the perception of families’ positive and negative as- pects. However, it was evident that children with a history of school failure had fewer positive emotions, expressed a vague concept of the family and were more inclined to identify with low value characters than those who had never been left back. Regarding teachers’ perception, the study found an association between the perception of strength and academic performance evaluation among children who had no history of school failure.Fil: Canto, Daniela Belén. Universidad del Aconcagua. Facultad de Psicologia; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Mendoza. Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales; Argentina;Fil: Morelato, Gabriela Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Mendoza. Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales; Argentina;Fil: Greco, Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Mendoza. Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales; Argentina

Recovery of smell sense loss by mepolizumab in a patient allergic to dermatophagoides and affected by chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) frequently presents with dysfunction or loss of the sense of smell, resulting in a signifcant impairment in quality of life. The medical treatments currently available may improve the olfactory function in patients with CRSwNP, but such an outcome is generally only transitory. We report the case of a patient with CRSwNP who completely recovered from smell sense loss by treatment with mepolizumab. Case presentation: The patient was a 62-year-old female who has severe asthma induced by allergy to Dermatophagoides and concomitant CRSwNP. Any treatment for the latter, including oral and injective corticosteroids, was unsuccessful in the loss of smell. Due to the satisfaction of admission criteria to mepolizumab treatment for severe asthma, treatment was initiated on March 2018, resulting in good clinical control of both asthma and CRSwNP, and particularly in complete recovery of the smell loss after 4 months of treatment and still persisting. Conclusion: In this case report, the treatment with mepolizumab in a patient allergic to Dermatophagoides and afected by CRSwNP was associated with an improvement of anosmia. That fnding may be explained by a reduction of the nasal obstruction by nasal polyp

Effect of background color and shelters on female pigmentation in the ornamental red cherry shrimp Neocaridina davidi (Caridea, Atyidae)

Neocaridina davidi, the “red cherry” shrimp, is becoming popular in trade markets because of the reddish coloration of females. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of background substrate color, and the presence of shelters on N. davidi female pigmentation and astaxanthin content. In the first experiment juveniles were assigned to one of three treatments: white, red, or black background substrate. After 90 days, females exposed to the black background showed higher astaxanthin content and relative carapace colored area than those exposed to white and red backgrounds. The second experiment evaluated the presence of shelters with white or black backgrounds. Juveniles were assigned to one of four treatments: white background with shelters (WS), white background without shelters (WWS), black background with shelters (BS), and black background without shelters (BWS). After 90 days the presence of shelters did not influence either the color nor total astaxanthin content. Females exposed to BWS and BS had higher astaxanthin content and relative carapace colored area than those exposed to WWS and WS. Growing N. davidi with black substrates could be a low cost and easy method to improve its economic value. Furthermore, this species could be cultivated as a pigment-enriched food source for other aquatic species.Fil: Tomas, Ana Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Sganga, Daniela Eliana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: López Greco, Laura Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; Argentin

Rap2, but not Rap1 GTPase is expressed in human red blood cells and is involved in vesiculation

AbstractRecent studies have suggested that Rap1 and Rap2 small GTP-binding proteins are both expressed in human red blood cells (RBCs). In this work, we carefully examined the expression of Rap proteins in leukocytes- and platelets-depleted RBCs, whose purity was established on the basis of the selective expression of the β2 subunit of the Na+/K+-ATPase, as verified according to the recently proposed “β-profiling test” [J.F. Hoffman, A. Wickrema, O. Potapova, M. Milanick, D.R. Yingst, Na pump isoforms in human erythroid progenitor cells and mature erythrocytes, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 99 (2002) 14572-14577]. In pure RBCs preparations, Rap2, but not Rap1 was detected immunologically. RT-PCR analysis of mRNA extracted from highly purified reticulocytes confirmed the expression of Rap2b, but not Rap2a, Rap2c, Rap1a or Rap1b. In RBCs, Rap2 was membrane-associated and was rapidly activated upon treatment with Ca2+/Ca2+-ionophore. In addition, Rap2 segregated and was selectively enriched into microvesicles released by Ca2+-activated RBCs, suggesting a possible role for this GTPase in membrane shedding

An Innovative Method for the Recycling of Waste Carbohydrate Based Flours

This work represents an innovative study that, for the first time, explores the possibility to use waste flours to produce thermoplastic polymeric bio-films. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that waste flours, derived from bakeries, pizzerias or pasta factories, have been proposed for the production of bio-polymers, as a replacement of neat starch. To this aim, durum waste flour derived from a pasta factory, soft waste flour derived from pizzerias and neat maize starch used as control material were firstly analyzed from dimensional, morphological and chemical points of view. Afterwards, waste flour films were produced by the addition of a nature-based plasticizer, glycerol. Mechanical characterization of the plasticized thermoplastic films, produced by compression molding, evidenced low performances, even in the case of the neat maize starch. In order to improve the mechanical properties, the possibility to include polylactic acid and cardanol based plasticizer was also investigated. Mass transport properties of all the produced bio-films were investigated by measuring their water vapor permeability and hygroscopic absorption. The durability properties of the bio-films were assessed by accelerated ageing tests, while the biodegradability of the waste-based films was evaluated by measuring the solubility and the degradation in water. The physicochemical analyses of the novel bio-films evidenced good mechanical properties; specifically, the waste-based films showed a lower hygroscopic absorption and water solubility than those of the blends containing neat starch

Resiliência no âmbito escolar: estudo preliminar da percepção dos aspectos familiares e escolares em crianças de contextos socialmente vulneráveis

The purpose of this work is to analyze variables associate with perception of the family among a 61-student sample (30 with a history of school failure and 31 without), from vulnerable neighborhoods of Mendoza, Argentina. We evaluated the families’ interrelationship perception, and the evaluation of teachers’ perceptions of their students’ academic strength and performance. The results showed no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the perception of families’ positive and negative aspects. However, it was evident that children with a history of school failure had fewer positive emotions, expressed a vague concept of the family and were more inclined to identify with low value characters than those who had never been left back. Regarding teachers’ perception, the study found an association between the perception of strength and academic performance evaluation among children who had no history of school failure.El propósito de este trabajo fue analizar variables vinculadas a la percepción de la familia en una muestra de 61 escolares (30 con historia de fracaso escolar y 31 sin esa característica) pertenecientes a contextos de vulnerabilidad social de Mendoza, Argentina. Se evaluó la percepción de las interrelaciones familiares y se examinó la percepción de los docentes con respecto a las fortalezas y la valoración del rendimiento académico de sus alumnos. Los resultados señalaron que no hubo diferencias significativas entre los grupos en relación con la percepción de la familia. Sin embargo, se observó que los niños con antecedentes de fracaso escolar presentaron menor identificación de emociones positivas, expresaron un concepto confuso de familia y se identificaron con más personajes desvalorizados que los niños no repetidores. En los docentes se halló asociación entre la percepción de fortalezas y la valoración del rendimiento académico en el grupo de niños sin fracaso escolar.O propósito deste trabalho foi analisar variáveis vinculadas à percepção da família em uma amostra de 61 escolares (30 com história de fracasso escolar e 31 sem essa característica) pertencentes a contextos de vulnerabilidade social de Mendoza, Argentina. Avaliou-se a percepção das inter-relações familiares e examinou-se a percepção dos docentes com respeito às fortalezas e à valorização do rendimento acadêmico de seus alunos. Os resultados indicam que não houve diferenças significativas entre os grupos em relação com a percepção da família. Contudo, observou-se que as crianças com antecedentes de fracasso escolar apresentaram menor identificação de emoções positivas, expressaram um conceito confuso de família e identificaram-se com mais personagens desvalorizados que as crianças não repetidoras. Nos docentes, constatou-se associação entre a percepção de fortalezas e a valorização do rendimento acadêmico no grupo de crianças sem fracasso escolar

Assessment of linear and nonlinear/complex heartbeat dynamics in subclinical depression (dysphoria)

Objective: Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Most previous studies have focused on major depression, and studies on subclinical depression, such as those on so-called dysphoria, have been overlooked. Indeed, dysphoria is associated with a high prevalence of somatic disorders, and a reduction of quality of life and life expectancy. In current clinical practice, dysphoria is assessed using psychometric questionnaires and structured interviews only, without taking into account objective pathophysiological indices. To address this problem, in this study we investigated heartbeat linear and nonlinear dynamics to derive objective autonomic nervous system biomarkers of dysphoria. Approach: Sixty undergraduate students participated in the study: according to clinical evaluation, 24 of them were dysphoric. Extensive group-wise statistics was performed to characterize the pathological and control groups. Moreover, a recursive feature elimination algorithm based on a K-NN classifier was carried out for the automatic recognition of dysphoria at a single-subject level. Main results: The results showed that the most significant group-wise differences referred to increased heartbeat complexity (particularly for fractal dimension, sample entropy and recurrence plot analysis) with regards to the healthy controls, confirming dysfunctional nonlinear sympatho-vagal dynamics in mood disorders. Furthermore, a balanced accuracy of 79.17% was achieved in automatically distinguishing dysphoric patients from controls, with the most informative power attributed to nonlinear, spectral and polyspectral quantifiers of cardiovascular variability. Significance: This study experimentally supports the assessment of dysphoria as a defined clinical condition with specific characteristics which are different both from healthy, fully euthymic controls and from full-blown major depression

Microscale thermophoresis and docking studies suggest lapachol and auraptene are ligands of IDO1.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is a key target for the development of small molecule immunotherapies in oncology. In this framework, the screening of chemotherapeutic agents to identify compounds binding to IDO1 represents a valuable strategy for the development of multitarget drug candidates that combine synergic immunoregulatory properties to cytotoxic activity. In this study, we report that two natural compounds endowed with anticancer activity, namely lapachol and auraptene, act as IDO1 ligands with dissociation constant (Kd) in the micromolar range of potency. Docking studies provide plausible binding modes of these compounds to the catalytic cleft of IDO1. Our results support the notion that lapachol and auraptene may be considered interesting lead compounds in the immuno-oncology setting

Microclimate of Grape Bunch and Sunburn of White Grape Berries: Effect on Wine Quality.

This research aimed to evaluate the composition of wines made with white grapes which are particularly susceptible to sunburn symptoms due to the absence of anthocyanin. Sunburn is a complex physiological dysfunction leading to browning or necrosis of berry tissues. In vintage 2021, the canopy of ‘Verdeca’ grapevines grown in Salento, South Italy, was differently managed by sun exposing or shading the bunches. Micrometeorological conditions were studied at different levels. Grapes were vinified, comparing the winemaking with and without skin maceration. The vegetative-productive balance of plants was not substantially modified. On the contrary, a significant effect was observed on the quality and quantity of grapes produced: smaller berries with sunburn symptoms were found on unshaded bunches. This influenced the percentage distribution among skin, pulp and seeds, causing a decrease in must yield of up to 30%. The pH was significantly higher in macerated wines made using shaded grapes, due to a lower titratable acidity and to significant impacts on the acid profile. Obviously, maceration produced a higher extraction of phenolics in wines, which reached their maximum in wines made with sunburned grapes. The absorbance at 420 nm, index of yellow color, was also significantly higher in sunburned grapes, indicating greater oxidation. Even though excessive grape sun-exposure could negatively affect the perception of white wines made without maceration (resulting in more oxidative character), the sensory quality of orange/amber wines was not significantly impacted by the presence of sunburned grapes. Thus, this winemaking technique could be particularly interesting to set up a production strategy adapted to viticultural regions strongly affected by climate change