Un contributo alla sostenibilità ambientale: metano e territorio in Campania

IX Giornata Studio INU Infrastrutture blu e verdi, reti virtuali, culturali e social

Sunshine vitamin and thyroid

Vitamin D exerts its canonical roles on the musculoskeletal system and in the calcium/phosphorus homeostasis. In the last years, increasing evidences suggested several extra-skeletal actions of this hormone, indicating that vitamin D may produce effects in almost all the body tissues. These are mediated by the presence of vitamin D receptor (VDR) and thanks to the presence of the 1-α-hydroxylase, the protein that converts the 25-hydroxyvitamin (calcidiol) to the active form 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin (calcitriol). Several studies evaluated the possible role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of thyroid diseases, and this review will focus on the available data of the literature evaluating the association between vitamin D and thyroid function, vitamin D and autoimmune thyroid diseases, including Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Graves' disease and post-partum thyroiditis, and vitamin D and thyroid cancer

Benralizumab improves patient reported outcomes and functional parameters in difficult-to-treat patients with severe asthma: Data from a real-life cohort

In the last decade, an increasing number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on biologic therapy in patients with severe asthma have included patient-reported outcomes (PROs) as secondary efficacy measures. The majority of these RCTs showed a benefit in symptoms and quality of life. However, the magnitude of this benefit remains uncertain, because it rarely exceeded the minimal important difference (MID), owing to a significant improvement in the control group (placebo effect). Real-life studies on biologic therapies assessing PRO are scarce. They may support and integrate RCT results through their different experimental design. This real-life retrospective study provides data on 15 patients with difficult-to-treat severe eosinophilic asthma treated with benralizumab up to 6 months. Asthma quality of life questionnaire (AQLQ) and asthma control test (ACT) were assessed and administered at each visit to minimize the Hawthorne effect. Changes in general accepted efficacy measures, such as forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), peak expiratory flux (PEF), exacerbation rate and blood eosinophils, from baseline were also assessed. AQLQ and ACT improved from 3.9 ± 0.4 to 5.2 ± 0.4 and from15.6 ± 5.7 to 18.1 ± 5.6, respectively. FEV1 increased of about 250 ml (+14%). PEF increased from 288 ± 107 to 333 ± 133 l/min. The number of exacerbations requiring OCS courses decreased from 2.8 ± 2.2 to 0.5 ± 0.8. Eosinophil counts dropped to 25.6 ± 15 cells/microliter. In conclusion, most patients reported improvements in AQLQ and ACT greater than MID, suggesting that these outcome represent a sensitive tool in real-life effectiveness studies. Our approach reduced the limitations of transition questions and the Hawthorne effect, increasing findings reliability

Calcium hydroxide nanoparticles and hypogeum environment: test to understand the best way of application

For a long time the conservation of archaeological artefacts has been based on the principles of compatibility and minimal intervention. This involves a series of partially unsolved problems, concerning the products used for deteriorated structures consolidation. The choice of materials depends on several factors such as: microclimatic conditions, application methods, and reaction time of products. Recently the employment of nanolime in the consolidation treatments of decorative carbonate matrix surfaces had a great development, thanks to multifunctional use in calcium standard-sized particles treatments. However, while the use of the nanostructured materials is described in several specialized papers, the information about the best conditions of applicability of the nanolime and its related potentiality for the consolidation in hypogeum environment is rarely considered. The present work is devoted to represent a case study with the aim to give useful elements in order to evaluate the application of nanolime. The funerary inscriptions coming from St. Callixtus Catacombs have been the object of the research carried out in situ and in laboratory, checking indirectly in the short run and in the long run the porosity variation in the materials. The present study intends to indicate the best suspension concentration on consolidation in relationship with hypogeum environment

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Circulating Levels of Sirtuin 4 in Obese Patients: A Novel Association

PURPOSE: This study was aimed at evaluating sirtuin 4 (Sirt4) levels in obese individuals, in relation to their adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), a healthy dietary pattern characterized by high antioxidant capacity, and markers of visceral fat storage. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Forty-three obese patients (44% males; BMI: 36.7-58.8 kg/m2) were consecutively included. PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) and the 7-day food records were used to assess the adherence to MD and dietary pattern, respectively. Visceral adiposity index (VAI) was calculated. Sirt4 levels were detected by ELISA method. RESULTS: The majority of the obese participants (62.8%) had an average adherence to MD. Compared with average adherers, low adherers had higher BMI, energy intake, and percentage of energy from lipids, mainly saturated fat and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and lower Sirt4 levels. After adjusting for BMI, Sirt4 levels remained negatively correlated with VAI. After adjusting for total energy intake, Sirt4 levels remained negatively associated with PREDIMED and consumption of n-3 PUFA, vitamins C and E. The threshold value of PREDIMED predicting the lowest decrease in Sirt4 levels was found at a score of 6. CONCLUSIONS: Less reduced Sirt4 levels in obese patients adhering to MD suggest a further aspect of the antioxidant advantage of MD

Novel anti-obesity quercetin-derived Q2 prevents metabolic disorders in rats fed with high-fat diet

Objective: Obesity is often accompanied by an increased morbidity and mortality due to an increase of the cardiovascular disease risk factors, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia. Research is constantly working on protective molecules against obesity. In the present study, a novel Quercetin derivative Q2 was synthesized to overcome the poor bioavailability and low stability of Quercetin, a natural flavonoid with antioxidative and antiobesity properties. Methods: Rats were fed (12ws) with normodiet (fat:INS; 6.2%), High Fat Diet (fat:60%), HFDINS; +INS; Q2 in water (500INS; nM). Metabolic and anthropometric parameters were measured. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were incubated with Q2 (1-25μM) and the differentiation program was evaluated by lipid accumulation through ORO staining. Gene and protein expression levels were assessed by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Results: Compared to HFD, HFDINS; +INS; Q2 rats showed reduced body weight, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia and improved glucose tolerance. This is associated to lower adipose and liver modifications compared to hypertrophy and steatosis observed in HFD. In 3T3-L1 cells, lipid accumulation was significantly impaired by treatment with Q2. Indeed, Q2 significantly decreased the expression of the main adipogenic markers, c/EBPα and PPARγ both at mRNA and protein level. Conclusions: Our results indicate that Q2 markedly decreases differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and contributes to prevent metabolic disorders as well as adipose and liver alterations typical of severe obesity induced by a HFD