Nordic walking increases circulating VEGF more than traditional walking training in postmenopause.

OBJECTIVES Nordic walking (NW) is widely practiced by postmenopausal women. Its effects are peculiar owing to the involvement of more muscle groups than in traditional walking training (WT). Since mechanical load promotes secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from both skeletal muscle and muscle endothelium, the aim of the study was to compare the effect of NW and WT on VEGF levels. METHOD Thirty postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to NW or WT. Both groups trained 40-50 min/day, three times per week, at a mean intensity of 12 on a 15-category scale of the ratings of perceived exertion. Since VEGF is also released from adipocytes, anthropometric parameters were assessed. RESULTS NW increased circulating VEGF more than WT (p = 0.041). Furthermore, both study groups exhibited an average decrease in weight (p = 0.023), body mass index (p = 0.024), hip circumference (p = 0.001), and arm fat index, although WT participants had higher values for this index at baseline (p < 0.001) and thus exhibited a greater net decrease compared with the NW participants (p < 0.011). CONCLUSIONS These data imply that NW increases the level of circulating VEGF more than does traditional walking when the intensity of training is equivalent

Applying the Disruption Index Procedure to Evaluate the Urban Seismic Risk in the Mt. Etna Area (Italy)

The Disruption Index is used here for the assessment of urban disruption in the Mt. Etna area after a natural disaster. The first element of the procedure is the definition of the seismic input, which is based on information about the historical seismicity and seismogenic faults. The second element is the computation of the seismic impact on the building stock and infrastructure in the region considered. Information on urban-scale vulnerability was collected and a geographic information system was used to organize the data relating to buildings and network systems (e.g., typologies, schools, strategic structures, lifelines). The central idea underlying the definition of the Disruption Index is the identification and evaluation of the impacts on a target community, considering the physical elements that contribute most to the severe disruption. The results of this study are therefore very useful for earthquake preparedness planning and for the development of strategies to minimize the risks from earthquakes. This study is a product of the European “Urban Disaster Prevention Strategies using Macroseismic Fields and Fault Sources” project (UPStrat-MAFA European project 2013)

Galilean symmetry in the effective theory of inflation: new shapes of non-Gaussianity

We study the consequences of imposing an approximate Galilean symmetry on the Effective Theory of Inflation, the theory of small perturbations around the inflationary background. This approach allows us to study the effect of operators with two derivatives on each field, which can be the leading interactions due to non-renormalization properties of the Galilean Lagrangian. In this case cubic non-Gaussianities are given by three independent operators, containing up to six derivatives, two with a shape close to equilateral and one peaking on flattened isosceles triangles. The four-point function is larger than in models with small speed of sound and potentially observable with the Planck satellite.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures. v2: minor changes to match JCAP published versio

A 350-MHz GBT Survey of 50 Faint Fermi Gamma-ray Sources for Radio Millisecond Pulsars

We have used the Green Bank Telescope at 350MHz to search 50 faint, unidentified Fermi Gamma-ray sources for radio pulsations. So far, these searches have resulted in the discovery of 10 millisecond pulsars, which are plausible counterparts to these unidentified Fermi sources. Here we briefly describe this survey and the characteristics of the newly discovered MSPs.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in AIP Conference Proceedings of Pulsar Conference 2010 "Radio Pulsars: a key to unlock the secrets of the Universe", Sardinia, October 201

1235psafety of immunotherapy in elderly patients a retrospective analysis of a phase i unit

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Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells cardiomyogenic potential: a preliminary study

The characterization of Amniotic Fluid-derived multipotent Stem Cells (AFSCs) open new paths in stem cell research. hAFSCs have characteristics intermediate between pluripotent embryonic- (ESCs) and lineage-restricted adult stem cells, and are non-tumorigenic and low immunogenic. Moreover, they are obtained without destroying human embryos, so that most of the ethical and social controversy could be prevented. We previously observed that human AFSCs express some genes specific of ESCs and primordial germ cells. We also shown hAFSCs ability to form in vitro three-dimensional aggregates of cells known as embryoid bodies (EBs), that express three germ layer markers. Recent studies reported the ability of hAFSCs to differentiate in vitro into adipocytes and osteocytes. Aim of our study was to analyse the cardiomyogenic potential of hAFSCs. EBs were obtained by modified hanging drops protocol from hAFSCs coltured in presence of ascorbic acid and 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine (differentiation medium: DM). RT-PCR and Western Blotting analysis conducted on AFSCs and EBs cells evidenced the gene and protein expression of the transcriptor factor Nkx2.5, the earliest marker of heart precursor cells. Immunofluorescence (IF) analysis performed on EBs after 10 days in DM evidenced the cytoplasmic presence of α-myosin heavy chain (α-MHC) organized in parallel, oriented filamets. Microscopical analysis evidenced beating cells mainly at the periphery of the EB. In conclusion, our results evidenced that hAFSCs cultured in permissive conditions give rise to EB able to terminally differentiate in cardiomyocytes

Evidence for a mixed mass composition at the `ankle' in the cosmic-ray spectrum

We report a first measurement for ultra-high energy cosmic rays of the correlation between the depth of shower maximum and the signal in the water Cherenkov stations of air-showers registered simultaneously by the fluorescence and the surface detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory. Such a correlation measurement is a unique feature of a hybrid air-shower observatory with sensitivity to both the electromagnetic and muonic components. It allows an accurate determination of the spread of primary masses in the cosmic-ray flux. Up till now, constraints on the spread of primary masses have been dominated by systematic uncertainties. The present correlation measurement is not affected by systematics in the measurement of the depth of shower maximum or the signal in the water Cherenkov stations. The analysis relies on general characteristics of air showers and is thus robust also with respect to uncertainties in hadronic event generators. The observed correlation in the energy range around the `ankle' at $\lg(E/{\rm eV})=18.5-19.0$ differs significantly from expectations for pure primary cosmic-ray compositions. A light composition made up of proton and helium only is equally inconsistent with observations. The data are explained well by a mixed composition including nuclei with mass $A > 4$. Scenarios such as the proton dip model, with almost pure compositions, are thus disfavoured as the sole explanation of the ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray flux at Earth.Comment: Published version. Added journal reference and DOI. Added Report Numbe

The Pierre Auger Observatory Status And Latest Results

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Astrophysical Interpretation Of Pierre Auger Observatory Measurements Of The Uhecr Energy Spectrum And Mass Composition

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Evidence For A Mixed Mass Composition At The ‘ankle’ In The Cosmic-ray Spectrum

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