Beating the Odds: Teaching Italian Online In The Community College Environment

This study analyzes data collected from Italian language online classes during the course of four consecutive semesters at Bronx Community College in order to measure the impact that distance learning has on students’ retention and success rates in elementary courses. The results reveal that reconfiguring the online meetings to a lower percentage and implementing social pedagogies reduce course abandonment and favor the creation of strong learning communities. Furthermore, the data relative to the grade distribution shows no substantial difference between online courses and face-to-face instruction

The Cool Medium. The Global Pedagogy of ePortfolio in the Foreign Language Classroom

The student-centered and integrative pedagogy of ePortfolio finds perfect applicability in the foreign language classroom. In contrast, textbooks for Italian language elementary courses, for the most part, implement a traditional and grammatical based methodological approach which hiders the process of ePortfolio integration which instead places greater emphasis on global and integrative pedagogy. The study discusses the implications these factors hold in preparing foreign languages instructors to use ePortfolio technology underlining its role as a cool medium which provides meaningful impact on student learning and participatio

Numerical models of mass transfer during ripening and storage of salami

Ripening, in the dry sausages manufacturing process, has an influence over the main physical, chemical and microbiological transformations that take place inside these products and that define the final organoleptic properties of dry sausages. A number of study about the influence of ripening conditions on the main chemical and microbiological characteristics of dry sausages is available today. All these studies indicate that the final quality and safety standards achieved by the sausage manufacturing process can be considered to be strictly dependent from the specific ripening conditions. The water diffusion inside a seasoned sausage is surely an aspect of primary importance with regard to the quality of final product. As a consequence the aim of this research was to develop two parametric numerical models, concerning the moisture diffusion physics, describing salami ripening and storage. Mass transfer equations inside the sausage volume were numerically solved using a finite element technique. A first model describes diffusion phenomena occurring inside the salami and the exchange phenomena involving the surface of the product and the environment. After the ripening, the salami are stored in waterproof packaging, consequently an additional model able to describe also the evaporation and condensation phenomena occurring between the salami surface and the air in the package, was developed. The moisture equilibrium between salami surface and conservation atmosphere is mainly ruled by the temperature changes during storage. Both models allow to analyze the history of the moisture content inside the salami and are parametrised on product size and maturation/storage conditions. The models were experimentally validated, comparing the numerical outputs of the simulations with experimental data, showing a good agreement

Comparision of profile macro-estethic perception among orthodontists, dentistry students, orthodontic patients and surgical orthodontic patients

The patient?s needs should guide the orthodontist in choosing the most appropriate therapy. The purpose of the present survey was to compare the esthetic perception of the facial profile by orthodontists (O), dentistry students (DS), orthodontic patient

Immediate or delayed retrieval of the displaced third molar : A review

The displacement of a third molar is a rare occurrence, but it could lead to serious and/or life threatening complication. Aim of this review is to understand the most correlated causes of displacement and the possible solutions proposed in literature to avoid and solve this complication for maxillary and mandibular third molars at the appropriate time. A search for ?third molar displacement? was performed by using Pubmed database. Articles referred to soft tissues displacement, from 1957 to 2018, were included in the review. The references lists of all eligible articles were examined and additional studies were added to the review only if indexed on Pubmed. All the articles on maxillary sinus displacement and the dislocation of dental fragments or surgical equipment were excluded. From a total of 134 results, 68 articles were examined for satisfying inclusion criteria. 18 articles were excluded because not inherent with the topic; 19 articles on infratemporal space, 11 on sublingual space, 9 on submandibular space, 11 on lateral pharyngeal space displacement were considered congruent for the review and included. The displacement of the third molar in deeper tissues could be avoided by the use of proper surgical procedures and instrumentarium. If displacement occurs, and the operator could not reach the tooth in safe conditions, the patient should be immediately referred to a maxillo-facial surgeon, because of the possibility of further displacement or the onset of hazardous or potentially fatal infections in vital regions

Direct effects of estrogens on cholinergic primary neurons from the human fetal nucleus basalis of Meynert

Epidemiological studies have indicated that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is more common in females and that post-menopausal women are at increased risk than their male counterpart, thus suggesting that estrogens could play a protective role to counteract neurodegenerative processes (1). However, the mechanisms underlying this association remain to be clarified. Since the nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM) is the major source of cholinergic innervation selectively vulnerable to degeneration in AD, our study is aimed at investigating the effects of estrogens on human cholinergic primary neurons (hfCNs) isolated from the nbM of 12-week old fetuses. The primary culture obtained was immunophenotyped with flow cytometry and resulted almost totally positive (97±2 %) for the neuronal marker MAP2 and for the choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). We demonstrated that hfCNs express receptors for hormones of the reproductive axis (ERs, LHR, GnRHR). In particular, besides to classical estrogen receptors (ERa and ERb), hfCNs express the transmembrane receptor GPR30, which is known to mediate rapid non-genomic estrogen actions. Increasing concentrations of 17-β estradiol (E2, 0.1-100 nM) determined a dose-dependent significant increase in cell number after 24h exposure, which was antagonized by tamoxifen treatment. In addition, E2 exposure determined a significant increase in ChAT expression, thus indicating a direct positive effect of E2 on cholinergic phenotype. Given that substantial evidence now indicates that estrogens exert an anti-inflammatory activity even in the central nervous system (2), we exposed hfCN cells to the proinflammatory cytokine TNFα. E2 treatment (1nM) was able to significantly counteract the TNFα-induced nuclear NF-kB p65 translocation. Interestingly, this effect was mimicked by G1, a GPR30 agonist, and abolished by pretreating cells with the GPR30 antagonist G15, but not by tamoxifen, which usually antagonizes classical ERs. Overall, our results indicate that estrogens exert direct neuroprotective mechanisms on hfCNs through the activation of either classical (trophic) and non-classical (anti-inflammatory) receptors

Novel mechanisms of neuroprotective effects of Quercetin on human striatal neuroblasts

Human striatal precursor (HSP) primary cell cultures were isolated from ganglionic eminence of 9-12 week old human fetuses and extensively characterized in vitro (1). Our studies demonstrated that these cultures consists of a mixed population of neural stem cells, neuronal-restricted progenitors and striatal neurons that express and are responsive to many trophic factors, as BDNF and FGF2, and possess an adaptive response to stress conditions as nutrient deprivation and hypoxia through mechanisms involving different factors and neurotrophins (1,2). In the last decades, several in vitro and in vivo studies have provided evidence for neuroprotective effects by Quercetin, a polyphenol widely present in nature, passively absorbed in the small intestine and able to traverse the blood brain barrier (3). However, the mechanisms through which Quercetin exerts its neuroprotective effects are not fully delucidated. Our study was aimed at investigating the effects of Quercetin on HSP cells and its contribution to cell survival in nutrient deprivation condition, obtained replacing culture medium with Phosphate Buffer Saline (PBS). Quercetin treatment significantly promoted cell survival and strongly decreased apoptosis induced by nutrient deprivation condition, as evaluated by MTT assay, Trypan Blue staining and western blot analysis of cell death and proliferation markers. Moreover, since the adhesive capacities of cells are essential for cell survival, we next analysed the expression of some adhesion molecules such as Pancadherin and Focal Adhesion Kinase; our results interestingly showed that PBS exposure determined a strong decrease in all the analysed adhesion molecules, while in presence of Quercetin the expression was significantly increased. Our results add new mechanicistic insights into the comprehension of neuroprotective action of Quercetin treatment, thus suggesting possible implications in sustaining striatal neuron survival during neurodegenerative disorders, such as Huntington Disease

Unacylated ghrelin normalizes skeletal muscle oxidative stress and prevents muscle catabolism by enhancing tissue mitophagy in experimental chronic kidney disease

Unacylated ghrelin (UnAG) may lower skeletal muscle oxidative stress, inflammation, and insulin resistance in lean and obese rodents. UnAG-induced autophagy activation may contribute to these effects, likely involving removal of dysfunctional mitochondria (mitophagy) and redox state maintenance. In chronic kidney disease (CKD) oxidative stress, inflammation and insulin resistance may negatively influence patient outcome by worsening nutritional state through muscle mass loss. Here we show in a 5/6 nephrectomy (Nx) CKD rat model that 4 d s.c. UnAG administration (200 \ub5g twice a day) normalizes CKD-induced loss of gastrocnemius muscle mass and a cluster of high tissue mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation, high proinflammatory cytokines, and low insulin signaling activation. Consistent with these results, human uremic serum enhanced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation and lowered insulin signaling activation in C2C12 myotubes while concomitant UnAG incubation completely prevented these effects. Importantly, UnAG enhanced muscle mitophagy in vivo and silencing RNA-mediated autophagy protein 5 silencing blocked UnAG activities in myotubes. UnAG therefore normalizes CKD-induced skeletal muscle oxidative stress, inflammation, and low insulin signaling as well as muscle loss. UnAG effects are mediated by autophagy activation at the mitochondrial level. UnAG administration and mitophagy activation are novel potential therapeutic strategies for skeletal muscle metabolic abnormalities and their negative clinical impact in CKD.-Gortan Cappellari, G., Semolic, A., Ruozi, G., Vinci, P., Guarnieri, G., Bortolotti, F., Barbetta, D., Zanetti, M., Giacca, M., Barazzoni, R. Unacylated ghrelin normalizes skeletal muscle oxidative stress and prevents muscle catabolism by enhancing tissue mitophagy in experimental chronic kidney disease

Physical activity modify skeletal muscle fiber types in an animal model of metabolic syndrome

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of clinical conditions, associated to an increased cardiovascular risk, as well as to hypogonadism in males. Lifestyle modification (including physical exercise, PhyEx) may be beneficial for the condition. Skeletal muscles (SkM) are some of the most highly plastic tissues, able of remodeling in response to use, disuse and disease. In particular, transformations of fiber type may occur in response to physiological milieu to induce functional adaptations. This study is aimed at investigating in experimental MetS, high fat diet-induced in male rabbits [1], the effect of PhyEx on hormonal and metabolic parameters, as well as on SkM composition. Control and MetS rabbits were exercise-trained to run on a treadmill for 12 weeks. Quadriceps femoris samples were collected for histomorphological and gene expression analyses. We found that exercise resistance was significantly reduced in MetS rabbits, as demonstrated by the significant reduction of both running time and distance, compared to control group. MetS rabbits also exhibited the lowest quadriceps mass. Fiber typing by PAS-staining showed a pronounced shift from slower type I to faster type II fibers in MetS group in response to PhysEx, suggesting that MetS condition addressed SkM function towards anaerobic metabolism. Accordingly, extracellular lactate levels were significantly increased and mitochondrial respiration-related genes reduced in SkM of MetS rabbits respect to controls. Interestingly, PhyEx significantly counteracted MetS-related testosterone deficiency and hypercholesterolemia. In conclusion, our results indicate that dysmetabolic milieu induces a reduced proportion of fatigue-resistant type I fibers in response to PhysEx, which however resulted beneficial for MetS condition