Bergamot essential oil nanoemulsions: antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity.

Abstract Bergamot essential oil (BEO) is well-known for its food preservation activity, as well as anticancer efficacy. However, the poor BEO water solubility and deriving low bioaccessibility have limited its wider applications. The incorporation in nanoemulsions of BEO and its refined fractions was investigated to enhance its dispersibility in water to promote its antimicrobial activity, tested against Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and its cytotoxicity already at low concentrations. Different nanoemulsion formulations were tested based on food-grade ingredients, which were characterized in terms of hydrodynamic diameter and polydispersity index, and physical stability. The antimicrobial activity against all the tested micro-organisms was observed to be higher for BEO in its initial composition, than the light fraction, richer in d-limonene, ß-pinene, and γ-terpinene, or the heavy fraction, richer in linalyl acetate and linalool. Remarkably, the use of BEO nanoemulsions notably enhanced the antimicrobial activity for all the tested oils. BEO exhibited also a measurable cytotoxic activity against Caco-2 cells, which was also enhanced by the use of the different nanoemulsions tested, in comparison with free oil, which discourages the direct use of BEO nanoemulsions as a food preservative. Conversely, BEO nanoemulsions might find use in therapeutic applications as anticarcinogenic agents

O dispositivo das rodas de escuta no trabalho de educação infantil

Educators play a significant role in the constitution of subjectivity and child development. However, the literature points to the lack of attention given to these professionals when considering the relevance of their role in the care and education of children. Therefore, the present article aims to discuss the device of listening circles in practice with preschool educators from a research-extension project. As a methodology, a narrative literature review was assumed, which allowed the discussion about the crossovers of work between early childhood education. The listening wheels sustained by psychoanalysis constituted a powerful device for the circulation of the word and for the emergence of relations of alterity.Las educadoras desempeñan un papel significativo en la constitución de la subjetividad y el desarrollo infantil. Sin embargo, la literatura señala la falta de atención que se les da a estas profesionales al considerar la relevancia de su papel en el cuidado y la educación de los niños. Por ello, el presente artículo tiene como objetivo debatir el dispositivo de ruedas de escucha en la práctica con educadoras de una escuela de educación infantil a partir de un proyecto de investigación-extensión. Como metodología se asumió una revisión narrativa de la literatura que permitió la discusión sobre los cruces del trabajo con la educación infantil. Las ruedas de escucha sostenidas por el psicoanálisis se constituyeron como un dispositivo potente para la circulación de la palabra y para la emergencia de relaciones de alteridad.As educadoras desempenham um papel significativo na constituição da subjetividade e no desenvolvimento infantil. Contudo, a literatura aponta a carência da atenção voltada a essas profissionais ao considerar a relevância do seu papel no cuidado e educação de crianças. Por isso, o presente artigo tem como objetivo debater o dispositivo de rodas de escuta na prática com educadoras de uma escola de educação infantil a partir de um projeto de pesquisa-extensão. Como metodologia assumiu-se uma revisão narrativa de literatura que permitiu a discussão a respeito dos atravessamentos do trabalho com a educação infantil. As rodas de escuta sustentadas pela psicanálise, constituíram-se como um dispositivo potente de circulação da palavra e para a emergência de relações de alteridade.

Vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and management of major chronic diseases not related to mineral homeostasis in adults : research for evidence and a scientific statement from the European society for clinical and economic aspects of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis (ESCEO)

Introduction: Optimal vitamin D status promotes skeletal health and is recommended with specific treatment in individuals at high risk for fragility fractures. A growing body of literature has provided indirect and some direct evidence for possible extraskeletal vitamin D-related effects. Purpose and Methods: Members of the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis have reviewed the main evidence for possible proven benefits of vitamin D supplementation in adults at risk of or with overt chronic extra-skeletal diseases, providing recommendations and guidelines for future studies in this field. Results and conclusions: Robust mechanistic evidence is available from in vitro studies and in vivo animal studies, usually employing cholecalciferol, calcidiol or calcitriol in pharmacologic rather than physiologic doses. Although many cross-sectional and prospective association studies in humans have shown that low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (i.e., 50 nmol/L, did not simultaneously assess multiple outcomes, and did not report overall safety (e.g., falls). Thus, no recommendations can be made to date for the use of vitamin D supplementation in general, parental compounds, or non-hypercalcemic vitamin D analogs in the prevention and treatment of extra-skeletal chronic diseases. Moreover, attainment of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels well above the threshold desired for bone health cannot be recommended based on current evidence, since safety has yet to be confirmed. Finally, the promising findings from mechanistic studies, large cohort studies, and small clinical trials obtained for autoimmune diseases (including type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus), cardiovascular disorders, and overall reduction in mortality require further confirmation

Mari e monti: comunicare attraverso le immagini

Il lavoro presentato a questo convegno affronta l'analisi del messaggio turistico secondo due diversi approcci. Da una parte si intendono rintracciare quegli elementi espressivi che connotano un messaggio turistico, analizzando l'immagine di alcuni manifesti pubblicitari del turismo dal punto di vista semiologico. In un secondo momento si è voluto verificare come il messaggio viene organizzato a livello percettivo dal destinatario e a quali elementi significanti quest'ultimo attribuisce una priorità di decodifica in un contesto sperimentale

Unmet needs and current and future approaches for osteoporotic patients at high risk of hip fracture.

Summary: This review provides a critical analysis of currently available approaches to increase bone mass, structure and strength through drug therapy and of possible direct intraosseous interventions for the management of patients at imminent risk of hip fracture. Purpose : Osteoporotic hip fractures represent a particularly high burden in morbidity-, mortality- and health care-related costs. There are challenges and unmet needs in the early prevention of hip fractures, opening the perspective of new developments for the management of osteoporotic patients at imminent and/or at very high risk of hip fracture. Amongst them, preventive surgical intervention needs to be considered. Methods: A European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO)/International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) working group reviewed the presently available intervention modalities including preventive surgical options for hip fragility. This paper represents a summary of the discussions. Results: Prevention of hip fracture is currently based on regular physical activity; prevention of falls; correction of nutritional deficiencies, including vitamin D repletion; and pharmacological intervention. However, efficacy of these various measures to reduce hip fractures is at most 50% and may need months or years before becoming effective. To face the challenges of early prevention of hip fractures for osteoporotic patients at imminent and/or at very high risk of hip fracture, preventive surgical intervention needs further investigation. Conclusion: Preventive surgical intervention needs to be appraised for osteoporotic patients at imminent and/or at very high risk of hip fracture

Older people with hip fracture and IADL disability require earlier surgery

Background: Hip fractures represent a major challenge for physicians as well as society as a whole. Both poor functional status and delay to surgery are well known risk factors for negative outcomes. We hypothesized that the timing of the operation is more important for frail older people than older people without functional limitations before fracture. Methods: We performed a prospective multicenter cohort study on 806 consecutive patients, 75 years of age or older, admitted with a fragility hip fracture to three hospitals in the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy). All three hospitals had a comanaged care model, and the patients were under the shared responsibility of an orthopedic surgeon and a geriatrician. Results: Functional status assessed as instrumental activities of daily living was an important predictor of survival after 1 year from fracture. After adjusting for confounders, the hazard ratios per 1 point score of increase from 0 to 8 was 1.30 (95% confidence interval 1.19-1.42, p =. 000). Time to surgery increased 1-year mortality in patients with a low instrumental activities of daily living score (hazard ratios per day of surgical delay 1.14, 95% confidence interval 1.06-1.22, p <. 001) and intermediate instrumental activities of daily living score (hazard ratios 1.21, 95% confidence interval 1.09-1.34, p <. 001) but was an insignificant risk factor in functionally independent patients (hazard ratios 1.05 95% confidence interval 0.79-1.41, p =. 706). Conclusions: Surgery delay is an independent factor for mortality in older patients after hip fracture but only for the frail older people with prefracture functional impairment. If our results are confirmed, a more intensive approach should be adopted for older people with hip fractures who have disabilities. © 2012 The Author

O papel dos frames na organização do tópico discursivo e na coesividade comunicacional na interação entre afásicos e não afásicos

Postulamos em nosso estudo que modelos cognitivos de tamanho e escopo diferentes, como contextos mentais e frames, base do envolvimento e do enquadramento das interpretações levadas a cabo pelos indivíduos em interação, funcionariam como face sociocognitiva da referência. Em outros termos, enquadres sociocognitivos são tão importantes quanto as expressões referenciais para a manutenção, a continuidade e a gestão do tópico, bem como para a coerência discursiva e a coesividade comunicacional. As perguntas teóricas que nortearam nosso estudo foram: (i) como a instauração e a mobilização de frames (re)organizam o desenvolvimento do tópico discursivo? (ii) como os frames atuam na construção da referenciação (sobretudo, mas não só) no contexto das afasias? Entre os resultados obtidos, ressaltamos que os interagentes afásicos e não afásicos realizam um percurso discursivo sociocognitivamente ancorado em construções referenciais, em processos de centração e de organicidade inter e intratópica, em frames localmente ativados e construídos

Ultrasonographic Investigation of Human Fetus Responses to Maternal Communicative and Non-communicative Stimuli

During pregnancy fetuses are responsive to the external environment, specifically to maternal stimulation. During this period, brain circuits develop to prepare neonates to respond appropriately. The detailed behavioral analysis of fetus’ mouth movements in response to mothers’ speech may reveal important aspects of their sensorimotor and affective skills; however, to date, no studies have investigated this response. Given that newborns at birth are capable of responding with matched behaviors to the social signals emitted by the caregiver, we hypothesize that such precocious responses could emerge in the prenatal period by exploiting infants’ sensitivity to their mother’s voice. By means of a two-dimensional (2D) ultrasonography, we assessed whether fetuses at 25 weeks of gestation, showed a congruent mouth motor response to maternal acoustic stimulation. Mothers were asked to provide different stimuli, each characterized by a different acoustic output (e.g. chewing, yawning, nursery rhymes, etc.) and we recorded the behavioral responses of 29 fetuses. We found that, when mothers sang the syllable LA in a nursery rhyme, fetuses significantly increased mouth openings. Other stimuli provided by the mother did not produce other significant changes in fetus’ behavior. This finding suggests that fetuses are sensitive only to specific maternal vocalizations (LA) and that fetal matched responses are rudimentary signs of early mirroring behaviors that become functional in the postnatal period. In conclusion, fetuses seem to be predisposed to respond selectively to specific maternal stimuli. We propose that such responses may play a role in the development of behavioral and emotional attunement with their mothers long before birth

Evaluation of quantitative fFn test in predicting the risk of preterm birth

To evaluate diagnostic accuracy of quantitative fetal fibronectin (qfFN) test in predicting preterm birth (PTB) risk <34 weeks' gestation or within 14 days from testing. We explored the predictive potential of the test in five-predefined PTB risk categories based on predefined qfFN thresholds (<10, 10-49, 50-199, 200-499 and ≥500 ng/mL)