Synthesis of Curcumin Derivatives and Analysis of Their Antitumor Effects in Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Cell Lines

We analyzed antitumor effects of a series of curcumin analogues. Some of them were obtained by reaction of substitution involving the two phenolic OH groups of curcumin while the analogues with a substituent at C-4 was prepared following an original procedure that regards the condensation of benzenesulfenic acid onto the nucleophilic central carbon of the curcumin skeleton. We analyzed cytotoxic effects of such derivatives on two TNBC (triple negative breast cancer) cell lines, SUM 149 and MDA-MB-231, but only three of them showed an IC50 in a lower micromolar range with respect to curcumin. We also focused on these three derivatives that in both cell lines exhibited a higher or at least equivalent pro-apoptotic effect than curcumin. The analysis of molecular mechanisms of action of the curcumin derivatives under study has highlighted that they decreased NF-κB transcriptional factor activity, and consequently the expression of some NF-κB targets. Our data confirmed once again that curcumin may represent a very good lead compound to design analogues with higher antitumor capacities and able to overcome drug resistance with respect to conventional ones, even in tumors difficult to treat as TNBC

Microcephaly and macrocephaly. A study on anthropometric and clinical data from 308 subjects

Head circumference is the auxological parameter that most correlates with developmental anomalies in childhood. Head circumference (HC) two standard deviations (SD) below or above the mean defines microcephaly and macrocephaly, respectively. The aim of this retrospective study was to explore anthropometric parameters and clinical characteristics among subjects with abnormalities in HC who had been referred for developmental assessment. One hundred and sixty four subjects with microcephaly and 144 subjects with macrocephaly were enrolled from birth to 18 months of age. Head circumference at birth and the association with variables related to maternal health status, gestational age, growth pattern, brain imaging and clinical characteristics were analyzed. In some cases, an etiological diagnosis was made. In the two considered conditions, we found different anthropometric and clinical associations, some of which were statistically significant, with implications for ongoing neurodevelopmental surveillance

MODELLI SINTATTICI E STRUMENTI VISIVI: LA GRAMMATICA PER STUDENTI CON BES

La grammatica come viene insegnata tradizionalmente non può essere inclusiva. Infatti essa fornisce un sapere astratto nel senso deteriore, perché richiede allo studente con BES un consistente sforzo cognitivo davanti a definizioni spesso non verificate dai dati e non univoche; né favorisce i processi di astrazione necessari al passaggio dagli aspetti più intuitivi alla conoscenza del sistema formale della lingua. Il testo propone alcune risposte al problema, maturate attraverso concrete esperienze didattiche con studenti con BES. I modelli formali sintattici di frase (la struttura argomentale e i gruppi sintattici) infatti aiutano la comprensione del funzionamento della lingua; gli strumenti visivi, come la rappresentazione grafica della frase attraverso il modello a ovali e rettangolo, aiutano a identificare la posizione e la funzione delle parole; le trasformazioni a parità di funzione aiutano a conoscere la struttura stabile della forma-frase nelle diverse formulazioni linguistiche.   Syntactic models and visual tools: the grammar for students with special educational needs As taught traditionally, grammar cannot be inclusive. In fact, it provides abstract knowledge, requiring students with special educational needs to exert cognitive effort to understand definitions that are often ambiguous and not empirically verifiable. In addition, it does not promote methods for fruitful abstractions necessary to appreciate the formal system of a language. This paper offers solutions to these limitations by based on the author’s practical experience. To facilitate the understanding of the functioning of a language, models for syntactical analysis, that is, valency syntax and syntagmatic structures of noun groups, are proposed. Visual tools and sentence transformations are suggested, in order to help identify the position and syntactic functioning of verbs and nouns

Essential oil of Cyphostemma juttae (Vitaceae): chemical composition and antitumor mechanism in triple negative breast cancer cells

The genus Cyphostemma (Planch.) Alston (Vitaceae) includes about 150 species distrib- uted in eastern and southern Africa and Madagascar. Some species are used in traditional medicine and their biological activities, including antiproliferative effects against cancer cell lines, have been demonstrated. To date no investigations on Cyphostemma essential oils have been carried out. Essential oils, which play important roles in plant defenses have been demonstrated to be active in the treatment of several human diseases and to enhance bioavability of other drugs. The aim of this paper was to identify the chemical composition of the essential oil of the leaves of Cyphostemma juttae (Dinter & Gilg) Desc. and to verify some biological activities on two triple negative breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, SUM 149), characterized by the over-expression of the transcription factor NF-κB. In the essential oil, obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, 39 compounds were detected and with phytol (30%) dominating the chemical composition. C. juttae essential oil reduced cell growth and showed a pro-oxidant activity in both cell lines. Moreover, C. juttae essential oil caused a substantial decrease of NF-κB activation and consequently a significant reduction of some NF-κB target genes. The present study shows for the first time the cytotoxic properties of C. juttae essential oil and highlight its avail- ability to interfere with NF-κB pathway, suggesting a potential therapeutic use in triple nega- tive breast cancers (TNBCs) of this essential oil

Observations and radio tagging of Balaenoptera edeni near Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela

The 23 October to 13 November 1979 Venezuelan radio tagging and tracking experiments on whales (Balaenoptera edeni, Fig. 1) provided essential field tests of the new modifications to the WHOI radio whale tag (see list of tag reports), and the chance to try it on a new species. We found that we could approach and tag these whales from a slow (4 to 6 kt) vessel. Good radio tracking with automatic direction finding equipment was possible within 12 to 20 km, with longer ranges probable. In addition, the radio tags provided new information about the behavior of these whales.Prepared for the Office of Naval Research under Contract N00014-79-C-OO71; NR 083-004

CRITERI SINTATTICI NELLA CLASSIFICAZIONE DELLE PARTI DEL DISCORSO. ALCUNI QUESITI INVALSI SU PAROLE NON PROTOTIPICHE O POLIFUNZIONALI

L’articolo analizza i criteri di classificazione delle parti del discorso, in riferimento a parole non prototipiche (per esempio derivate) e a parole polifunzionali (che cioè possono avere più di una funzione sintattica); mostra quindi l’insufficienza delle definizioni presenti in molti manuali scolastici, le quali non offrono criteri certi. La parte iniziale, più teorica, evidenzia l’importanza dei criteri sintattici legati alla struttura compositiva della frase. Su questi presupposti teorici vengono poi analizzati quesiti proposti dall’Invalsi (Istituto nazionale per la valutazione del sistema educativo di istruzione e formazione) ai diversi livelli scolastici, che hanno alla base proprio parole non prototipiche o parole polifunzionali. Syntactic criteria for the classification of parts of speech. Some test items (Invalsi) with regards to non-prototypical and multifunctional wordsThis article analyzes classification criteria in order to identify parts of speech. Definitions given in many school textbooks are insufficient, because they do not offer clear criteria. The article discusses this problem with reference to non-prototypical words (e.g. derived words) and multifunctional words (which belong to more than one part of speech). It first introduces the importance of syntactic criteria linked to sentence structure. It then analyses some items selected from Invalsi (Istituto nazionale per la valutazione del sistema di istruzione), where non-prototypical and multifunctional words are tested

Inclusão produtiva rural: a experiência de assistência técnica e transferência de renda do Ceará, Brasil

O 4º Estudo de Caso WWP detalha os desafios e lições aprendidas na implementação do Programa de Fomento às Atividades Produtivas Rurais no estado do Ceará, no Nordeste brasileiro. O programa foi capitaneado pela Empresa de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural do Ceará, que teve de adaptar sua estrutura para atender 20 mil famílias em extrema pobreza. O Fomento incentiva o aprimoramento no manejo de animais ou na produção agrícola por parte de pequenos produtores rurais. Para isso, oferece repasses de recursos não reembolsáveis e assistência técnica e extensão rural (ATER).Número de páginas: 30 p.Políticas Públicas e SociaisEsta publicação faz parte de uma série de estudos de caso da Iniciativa Brasileira de Aprendizagem por um Mundo sem Pobreza (WWP, por seu acrônimo em inglês)

Cetaceans of Venezuela: Their distribution and conservation status.

Sighting, stranding, and capture records of whales and dolphins for Venezuela were assembled and analyzed to document the Venezuelan cetacean fauna and its distribution in the eastern Caribbean. An attempt was made to confirm species identification for each of the records, yielding 443 that encompass 21 species of cetaceans now confirmed to occur in Venezuelan marine, estuarine, and freshwater habitats. For each species, we report its global and local distribution, conservation status and threats, and the common names used, along with our proposal for a Spanish common name. Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni) is the most commonly reported mysticete. The long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis) is the most frequent of the odontocetes in marine waters. The boto or tonina (Inia geoffrensis) was found to be ubiquitous in the Orinoco watershed. The distribution of marine records is consistent with the pattern of productivity of Venezuelan marine waters, i.e., a concentration at 63°07′W through 65°26′W with records declining to the east and to the west. An examination of the records for all cetaceans in the Caribbean leads us to conclude that seven additional species may be present in Venezuelan waters. (PDF file contains 61 pages.