Images de la famille italienne en mutation

Palomba (Rossella), Quattrociocchi (Luciana).- Images of the Changing Italian Family Changes in the structure of Italian families throughout the 1980s are assessed by comparing data from the ISTAT surveys of 1983 and 1990. The results are presented from the individual's point of view and we show how they fit into different familial configurations. Marriage remains the central element in Italian families, and the choice for young adults is easy : either they remain in their parental household, or they marry - most commonly in order to have children. Among those aged 30-39 the number of single parents has increased following a moderate increase in marriage breakdown. Diversity in family structures tends to appear primarily during the final stages of life at the time of widowhood. Family structures remain simpler in Italy than the neighbouring Western countries, but the strong continuity in family structure does not mean that there been no changes, only that it is more difficult to capture them by statistical methods.Palomba (Rossella), Quattrociocchi (Luciana).- Images de la famille italienne en mutation L'évolution de la famille italienne au cours des années quatre-vingt est mesurée par la comparaison de données d'enquêtes de PISTAT en 1983 et 1990. Les résultats sont présentés du point de vue des individus, selon la participation de ceux-ci à diverses configurations familiales. Le mariage reste l'élément central de la vie familiale italienne. Pour les jeunes adultes, le choix est simple : prolonger le séjour chez leurs parents ou former un mariage et, généralement, y avoir des enfants. Aux âges centraux de la vie, la part des familles monoparentales s'élargit, suite à la montée, modérée, des ruptures. La diversification des formes familiales n'apparaît guère qu'aux étapes ultimes de la vie, au moment du veuvage. Davantage que dans les pays occidentaux voisins, la structure des familles reste simple en Italie. Cette forte continuité n'exclut pas le changement mais le rend difficile à saisir statistiquement.Palomba (Rossella), Quattrociocchi (Luciana).- Imágenes de la familia italiana en mutación El articulo analiza la evolución de la familia italiana durante los aňos ochenta a partir de la comparación de datos de las encuestas del ISTAT de 1983 y 1990. Los resultados se presentan desde la perspectiva individual, según la participación de los individuos a distintas configuraciones familiares. El matrimonio sigue siendo el elemento central de la vida familiar italiana. Para los jóvenes adultos, la elección es simple : alargar la convivencia con los padres о formar un matrimonio y, en general, tener hijos. La proporción de familias monoparentales aumenta en edades adultas a causa del aumento moderado de las rupturas. La diversificación de formas familiares aparece especialmente en las ultimas etapas de la vida, en el momento de la viudedad. La estructura familiar sigue siendo más simple en Italia que en los parses occidentales vecinos. A pesar de la fuerte continuidad existen cambios pero son dificiles de aprehen- der estadisticamente.Palomba Rossella, Quattrociocchi Luciana. Images de la famille italienne en mutation. In: Population, 51ᵉ année, n°2, 1996. pp. 353-367

HOST DEFENSE TEMPORIN 1 PEPTIDES AND THEIR POTENTIAL AS ANTIVIRAL AGENTS

HOST DEFENSE TEMPORIN 1 PEPTIDES AND THEIR POTENTIAL AS ANTIVIRAL AGENTS antimicrobial activity on a large number of invading microorganisms. They represent the most ancient and fast-acting elements of the host’s innate defence system against microbial pathogens. Methods: In this scenario, AMPs have emerged as good candidates for the generation of new anti-infective agents. While the antibacterial activity has been deeply investigated, the notions available for antiviral activities are still underexplored. Furthermore, due to their chemical and biological instability only few AMPs are currently in clinical trials as antimicrobial agents. The amphibian temporins represent one of the largest families (more than 100 members) and are among the smallest-sized AMPs (10-16 amino acids) found in nature to date. Temporins are known to be active particularly against Gram-positive bacteria, with minimal inhibitory concentrations ranging from 2.5 μM to 20 μM. In details, we focused on Temporin 1 (TL1) analogues. Results: Those peptides have been modified in order to increase the peptide stability and antimicrobial activity. We then performed a structure-activity relationship study of these peptides with the aim to improve their antimicrobial efficacy without altering their nonhemolytic character. Conclusion: Among the peptides generated, several of them have shown higher in solution stability, low toxicity and a significant decrease of Herpes Simplex virus type 1 infectivity. Our results show novel possible applications of Temporin 1 peptides in the field of antivirals

Silver nanoparticles as potential antibacterial agents

Multi-drug resistance is a growing problem in the treatment of infectious diseases and the widespread use of broad-spectrum antibiotics has produced antibiotic resistance for many human bacterial pathogens. Advances in nanotechnology have opened new horizons in nanomedicine, allowing the synthesis of nanoparticles that can be assembled into complex architectures. Novel studies and technologies are devoted to understanding the mechanisms of disease for the design of new drugs, but unfortunately infectious diseases continue to be a major health burden worldwide. Since ancient times, silver was known for its anti-bacterial effects and for centuries it has been used for prevention and control of disparate infections. Currently nanotechnology and nanomaterials are fully integrated in common applications and objects that we use every day. In addition, the silver nanoparticles are attracting much interest because of their potent antibacterial activity. Many studies have also shown an important activity of silver nanoparticles against bacterial biofilms. This review aims to summarize the emerging efforts to address current challenges and solutions in the treatment of infectious diseases, particularly the use of nanosilver antimicrobials

Antibacterial and antiviral potential of neuropeptides

The emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria is a global health threat and the discovery of new antimicrobial agents is an absolute priority. In this context endogenous peptides are emerging as novel potential candidates. In this work, we assessed the antimicrobial effects of orexins and ghrelin neuropeptides against gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Orexin-B and ghrelin showed a potent bactericidal effect at concentration equal to or greater than 25 μg/ml. No antimicrobial activity has been observed for orexin-A. Furthermore, we investigated the antiviral proprieties of the three peptides against herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). We found that orexin-B, but not orexin-A is effective for HSV-1 infectivity inhibition

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic amides: new developments

A series of substituted N-cycloalkyl benzamides, cinnamamides, and indole-3-carboxamides were synthesized and evaluated for their analgesic, antiinflammatory activities as well as for their gastrointestinal irritation liability. Indomethacin was used as reference drug in both tests. Compounds 1k, 1b, 1h, 1j, and 1g were the most active in the antiinflammatory paw edema inhibition test, with a sharply dose-dependent effect. In terms of the analgesic activity (acetic acid writhing test), the most active compound was 5a followed by 3a, but many other compounds were found to have a non-negligible potency. Even in this case, the effect was dose dependent

Synthesis of <i>N</i>-[4-(propyl)cyclohexyl]-amides with anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities

Seventeen (un)substituted N-[4-(propyl)cyclohexyl]-amides (6a–h, 7a–h and 8) were synthesized and tested as anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents. The substituents on the aromatic ring were chosen in order to study the influence of electron-withdrawing or electron-donating residues, that change the electronic density on the aromatic moiety. The pharmacological results allow drawing some preliminary considerations on structure–activity relationships

Antidermatophytic action of new 1-naphthylmethyl and benzo[b]thiophen-7-ylmethyl hydrazones related to inhibitors of squalene epoxidase

Two series of hydrazonic compounds related to main classes of inhibitors of fungal squalene epoxidase (SE) were designed and prepared on the hypothesis of a pharmacophoric model. The antifungal activity of the new compounds was evaluated in vitro against dermatophytes, moulds and yeasts. Antidermatophytic activity resulted for several hydrazones, particularly for those containing a tett-butylacetylenic group, supporting the hypothesis that the introduction of a hydrazonic function in the model could retain the antimycotic activity

Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Activity of the Amphibian Antimicrobial Peptide Temporin L and Its Analogs

The COVID-19 pandemic has evidenced the urgent need for the discovery of broad-spectrum antiviral therapies that could be deployed in the case of future emergence of novel viral threats, as well as to back up current therapeutic options in the case of drug resistance development. Most current antivirals are directed to inhibit specific viruses since these therapeutic molecules are designed to act on a specific viral target with the objective of interfering with a precise step in the replication cycle. Therefore, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been identified as promising antiviral agents that could help to overcome this limitation and provide compounds able to act on more than a single viral family. We evaluated the antiviral activity of an amphibian peptide known for its strong antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, namely Temporin L (TL). Previous studies have revealed that TL is endowed with widespread antimicrobial activity and possesses marked haemolytic activity. Therefore, we analyzed TL and a previously identified TL derivative (Pro3, DLeu9 TL, where glutamine at position 3 is replaced with proline, and the D-Leucine enantiomer is present at position 9) as well as its analogs, for their activity against a wide panel of viruses comprising enveloped, naked, DNA and RNA viruses. We report significant inhibition activity against herpesviruses, paramyxoviruses, influenza virus and coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, we further modified our best candidate by lipidation and demonstrated a highly reduced cytotoxicity with improved antiviral effect. Our results show a potent and selective antiviral activity of TL peptides, indicating that the novel lipidated temporin-based antiviral agents could prove to be useful additions to current drugs in combatting rising drug resistance and epidemic/pandemic emergencies

Sonoporation by microbubbles as gene therapy approach against liver cancer

INTRODUCTION: An innovative method, known as sonoporation, was used to induce the expression of silenced genes, such as (but not restricted to) TRAIL and p53, in liver cancer cells (HepG2). The principal aim of the present study was the re-activation of silenced apoptotic pathways in liver cancer models, by using diagnostic synovial microbubble as plasmid gene delivery tools in combination with epigenetic treatments. MATERIAL AND METHODS: HepG2 cells were used as a liver cancer model. Microbubbles (Sonovue®) were chosen as gene deliver system in combination with the sonoporation approach. Plasmid pEGFP-TRAIL and pEGFP-p53 were selected and propagated in Escherichia coli grown in LB broth, in order to obtain the necessary amount. RESULTS: Sonoporation was induced by using transducer (Sonitron 2000) and, among the several conditions tested, 3 MHz, 51% Duty Cycle, and 5 W/cm2, 30 s resulted as the best parameters. Data collected showed a dose dependent effect in terms of output energy. A transfection efficacy of 30 - 50% was achieved and recombinant gene expression induced apoptotic effects. In order to increase efficacy, we used the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi, entinostat) MS-275, able to activate TRAIL and thus inducing a stronger pro-apoptotic effect in combination with TRAIL-gene re-expression. CONCLUSION: For the first time, it was shown the possibility to induce the exogenous expression of the pro-apoptotic gene TRAIL and p53 in a liver cancer HepG2 cells via a sonoporation procedure. The epigenetic treatment using HDACi was able to increase the pro-apoptotic effects of the gene therapy