Leptin system in obese dog skin: A pilot study

Obesity predisposes to several health problems including skin diseases. However, information on the relationship between obesity and skin disorders in pets is very scarce. Leptin (LEP) is mainly produced by adipose tissue and has a prominent role in skin biology. This study evaluated the LEP system in the skin of obese dogs compared to normal-weight animals. The investigation was carried out on 10 obese (Obese group) and 10 normal-weight (Normal-weight group) dogs through Real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. Cells of skin associated immune system were also evaluated. No differences were evidenced between the two groups as well as skin inflammation. LEP differences were no significant, while LEPR transcript appeared 10-fold higher in obesedogs than in normal-weight ones. Immunostaining for both molecules was observed in several skin structures such as the epidermis, hair follicles, and glands. No differences appeared in the skin associated immune system composition. This study is a preliminary report showing that LEP system changes in obese dog skin. The increased LEPR expression observed in the obese group suggests that the receptor plays a modulating role in the system control. However, the exact role of LEPin the skin under obesity conditions needs further elucidation

Effects of obesity on adiponectin system skin expression in dogs: A comparative study

Obesity is an important health issue in dogs since it influences a plethora of associated pathologies, including dermatological disorders. Considering the scarcity of information in pets, this work aimed to evaluate the localization and expression of adiponectin (ADIPOQ) and its two receptors (ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2) in the skin of 10 obese dogs, compared with serum ADIPOQ level. Through immunohistochemistry, ADIPOQ and ADIPOR2 were observed in the adipose tissue, sweat and sebaceous glands, endothelium, and some connective cells. Both receptors were observed in the epidermis and the hair follicles, other than in the sweat and sebaceous glands. Real-time PCR evidenced that the ADIPOQ and ADIPOR2 transcripts were expressed 5.4-fold (p < 0.01) and 2.3-fold less (p < 0.01), respectively, in obese than in normal weight dogs, while ADIPOR1 expression did not change. Obese dogs showed lower serum ADIPOQ levels than the normal weight group. Accordingly, ADIPOQ and ADIPOR2 expression in the skin appear negatively correlated with obesity in the same way as the serum ADIPOQ level. These findings evidence that ADIPOQ system changes in the skin of obese dogs and suggest that the ADIPOQ effect on the skin is at least in part regulated by the reduced expression of ADIPOR2

Introduzione della robotica in attivit&#224; di problem solving nella scuola primaria : Analisi dei livelli di focalizzazione sugli scopi del problema

L\u2019obiettivo della ricerca \ue8 quello di analizzare il primo utilizzo della robotica nella scuola primaria nell\u2019ottica di individuare i livelli di focalizzazione sul problema principale proposto didatticamente rispetto alla necessit\ue0 di dominare la complessit\ue0 del sistema composto dalla novit\ue0 di elementi tecnologici articolati quali i robot e la sua programmazione. A livello metodologico sono state previste l\u2019osservazione delle attivit\ue0, la somministrazione di prove di comprensione del problema e le interviste a un campione di bambini per individuare i livelli di attenzione sul problema principaleThe aim of the research is to analyze the first time use of robotics in primary schools, in order to assess student abilty to focus on the proposed core educational activities, over the need to focus on the complexity of the newly introduced technology: robotics and coding. The methodology applied included, observation of all the activities, the administration of problem solving comprehension tests and interviews to a cross-section of students to assess the levels of attention to the core (educational) issue(s

Apelin system in mammary gland of sheep reared in semi-natural pastures of the central apennines

Sheep are the most bred species in the Central Italy Apennine using the natural pastures as a trophic resource and grazing activity is fundamental to maintain the grassland biodiversity: this goal can be reached only ensuring an economical sustainability to the farmers. This study aimed to investigate the apelin/apelin receptor system in ovine mammary gland and to evaluate the differences induced by food supplementation, in order to shed light on this system function. A flock of 15 Comisana x Appenninica adult dry ewes were free to graze from June until pasture maximum flowering (MxF). From this period to pasture maximum dryness (MxD), in addition to grazing, the experimental group (Exp) was supplemented with 600 g/day/head of cereals. Apelin and apelin receptor were assessed by Real-Time PCR and immunohistochemistry on the mammary glands of subjects pertaining to MxF, MxD and Exp groups. They were detected in alveolar and ductal epithelial cells. The pasture maximum flowering group showed significant differences in apelin expression compared with experimental and MxD groups. Apelin receptor expression significantly differed among the three groups. The reduced apelin receptor expression and immunoreactivity levels during parenchyma involution enables us to hypothesize that apelin receptor plays a modulating role in the system control

Dancing With Parkinson's Disease: The SI-ROBOTICS Study Protocol

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most frequent causes of disability among older people, characterized by motor disorders, rigidity, and balance problems. Recently, dance has started to be considered an effective exercise for people with PD. In particular, Irish dancing, along with tango and different forms of modern dance, may be a valid strategy to motivate people with PD to perform physical activity. The present protocol aims to implement and evaluate a rehabilitation program based on a new system called “SI-ROBOTICS,” composed of multiple technological components, such as a social robotic platform embedded with an artificial vision setting, a dance-based game, environmental and wearable sensors, and an advanced AI reasoner module. Methods and Analysis: For this study, 20 patients with PD will be recruited. Sixteen therapy sessions of 50 min will be conducted (two training sessions per week, for 8 weeks), involving two patients at a time. Evaluation will be primarily focused on the acceptability of the SI-ROBOTICS system. Moreover, the analysis of the impact on the patients' functional status, gait, balance, fear of falling, cardio-respiratory performance, motor symptoms related to PD, and quality of life, will be considered as secondary outcomes. The trial will start in November 2021 and is expected to end by April 2022. Discussions: The study aims to propose and evaluate a new approach in PD rehabilitation, focused on the use of Irish dancing, together with a new technological system focused on helping the patient perform the dance steps and on collecting kinematic and performance parameters used both by the physiotherapist (for the evaluation and planning of the subsequent sessions) and by the system (to outline the levels of difficulty of the exercise). Ethics and Dissemination: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the IRCCS INRCA. It was recorded in ClinicalTrials.gov on the number NCT05005208. The study findings will be used for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presentations in scientific meetings

A sensorimotor control framework for understanding emotional communication and regulation

JHGW and CFH are supported by the Northwood Trust. TEVR was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellowship (1088785). RP and MW were supported by the the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Cognition and its Disorders (CE110001021)Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Parkinson Database

The population consisted of 16 patients with Parkinson&apos;s Desease. After recruitment and administration of the several clinical scales, each selected subject completed 10-treatment sessions, divided into 2 training sessions per week, for 5 weeks. The technological intervention consisted of 30 min of traditional therapy and 20 min of treatment with a robotic system (Tymo® system). Tymo® system is a wireless platform for the balance and the postural control training. Tymo® system is connected to a screen and provides virtual reality games, adaptable to the functional capacity of the patient. Clinical scales and gait analysis evaluation were performed during the recruitment and at the end of the treatment.THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV

COMPARISON OF sEMG ACTIVITY DURING REACHING MOVEMENTS

Identification of elderly at risk of fall should be a top medical priority. The Functional Reach (FR) Test was proposed as a measure of balance able to identify elderly subjects at risk of recurrent falls. It was defined as the maximal distance one can reach forward beyond arm’s length while maintaining a fixed base of support in the standing position [1]. A similar motor task, the Standing Reach (SR), was proposed too and differs from FR just because the reach movement is performed with both arms extended. Both tests were used to examine dynamic balance and joint kinematics [2]. The aim of this work was to analyse the muscular activity of several muscles by surface electromyography (sEMG) during these motor tasks in order to highlight similarities and differences between the two motor performances, focusing on the estimate of muscle effort as evaluated by integrated surface EMG signals

Access data

The older adults participants completed two data collection questionnaires. The first one related to: their previous-current experience with technology and eHealth literacy; socio-demographic information (i.e. gender, age, education level, civil status, employment status) and approach with technology; eHealth literacy self-assessment in Likert scale from 1 to 5, presented in the initial module of the training. The final questionnaire included the same eHealth literacy self-evaluation scale and learning quality assessment to ascertain the effectiveness of the pilot training, compared to the beginning of the learning process