Noggin induce un destino neurale corticale nelle cellule staminali embrionali murine antagonizzando Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) secrete in maniera autocrina.

Le cellule staminali embrionali (ESC) rappresentano uno strumento utile per lo studio in coltura del potenziale differenziativo di cellule pluripotenti. Il differenziamento di ESC in mezzi di coltura chimicamente definiti permette di individuare i fattori necessari e sufficienti all’induzione di specifici destini cellulari. Abbiamo studiato il differenziamento di ESC murine, coltivate come monostrato aderente, in un mezzo minimo privo di fattori di crescita. La coltura di ESC in queste condizioni porta al differenziamento di neuroni caratterizzati da un profilo di espressione genica tipico delle regioni prosencefalo-mesencefaliche. Il lavoro dimostra che le ESC durante il loro differenziamento secernono BMPs (Bone Morphogenetic Proteins) e che l’inibizione di questa via di segnale per mezzo di Noggin rafforza l’abilità delle ESC di generare neuroni con un repertorio genico corticale. Tali neuroni sono stati caratterizzati mediante l’analisi di espressione di marcatori antero-posteriori e dorso-ventrali dello sviluppo del sistema nervoso. Inoltre abbiamo comparato mediante microarray l’espressione genica globale delle cellule ottenute dal differenziamento di ESC con quella del prosencefalo, mesencefalo e romboencefalo embrionale murino. Nell’insieme i dati suggeriscono, per le ESC murine, la presenza di un programma differenziativo di default in senso neurale corticale

Wide intra- and inter-country variability in drug use and dosage in very-low-birth-weight newborns with severe infections

Purpose: To describe the use of ciprofloxacin and fluconazole for the treatment of sepsis in European neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in order to better orient research aimed at acquiring essential knowledge in this critical area. Methods: The survey consisted of an online questionnaire for all participating NICUs on treatment schemes employed, rationales behind drug choices and interest in participation in research involving the two drugs. Results: A total of 189 level II and III NICUs participated in the survey, representing 25 countries, with Italy, UK and France providing the greatest number of centres (54% of total). Ciprofloxacin is used in 25% of NICUs that responded, although the indications for administering it vary between centres and the dosage ranges vary considerably, with 25% of NICUs giving ≤10 mg/kg/day and another 25 % giving ≥21 mg/kg/day. Factors given as affecting the decision to use ciprofloxacin are uncertainty about its safety and pharmacokinetics and level of penetration in the cerebrospinal fluid. Among the 70% of responding units that use fluconazole to treat fungal infection, 45% administer 6 mg/kg unit doses while 33% administer 12 mg/kg; 41% of NICUs use a 24-h interval between administrations while 20% wait 72h. Among the responding NICUs, 57% were willing to participate in a project on ciprofloxacin and 59% would consider participating in a randomized controlled trial evaluating fluconazole versus micafungin. Conclusions: Great variability in therapies exists within and between countries. Numerous centres are interested in participating in research on these drugs, highlighting the need for further knowledge on sepsis treatment and European centres’ interest in off-patent medicine research

Licensed medicines, off-label use or evidence based: which is most important?

Medicines are licensed for use in humans by regulatory authorities. The concept of licensing is that it helps ensure that medicines are safe, effective and of an adequate quality for regular use.1 Licensing was introduced due to concerns about safety not to ensure that medicines are effective. It was a response to specific examples of drug toxicity, notably the grey baby syndrome in neonates following the use of the antibiotic chloramphenicol and phocomelia in the developing fetus following ingestion of thalidomide by pregnant women.2 Within the UK, the Medicines Act was passed in 1968. The licensing of medicines is both a control on products of public interest as well as an authorisation to sell for pharmaceutical companies. Pharmaceutical companies are only allowed to promote licensed medicines. Prescribers, however, are free to prescribe the most appropriate medicine for their patient. This should be based on the best available scientific evidence. Medicines can be licensed (authorised) by either national regulatory agencies (national route) or the European Medicines Agenc

Short Time Dynamic Interfacial Tension as Measured with Capillary Pressure Technique

Dynamic interfacial tension measurements in the short time range are a major request for controlling interfacial processes in modern, highly dynamic technologies. Capillary pressure measurements for growing and oscillating drops represent a good way to fulfil these requirements. The corresponding quantitative data analysis, however, requires the solution of rather complex theories on the hydrodynamics of growing drops and the adsorption dynamics at the drop surface and possible mass transfer across interfaces for liquid/liquid systems

Effect Of Priming On Seed Vigor Of Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.)

Priming is a process that controls the process of hydration of seeds for the ongoing metabolic processes before germination. Research on priming was conducted at ICERI seed laboratory from May to September 2009 to evaluate the effect of different priming methods on wheat seed vigor. Physical properties and chemical composition of seed were evaluated before seeds were treated. The priming treatment were conducted by soaking 250 g of seed in 500 mL of solution for hydropriming and halopriming. Two seed lots of Nias and Dewata variety were subjected to heated and unheated distilled water for 12hours and subjected to KCl and CaCl2 at 10, 20, and 30 ppm and unprimed seed. The experiment were arranged in completely randomized design, replicated thrice. Vigor evaluation by observed seed germination, simultaneity growth, germination rate, seedling dry weight, electric conductivity of seed leakage and length of primary root. The results showed that highest germination, simultaneity growth, seedling dry weight, and length of primary root, were priming treatment with KCl 30 ppm and CaCl2 20 and 30 ppm. Priming with distilled water for 12 hours gave higher germination percentage and simultaneity growth

Off-label Utilization of Antihypertensive Medications in Children

Objective— To examine off-label utilization and costs of antihypertensive drugs in children using a national sample of prescription claims. Design— Cross-sectional study. Setting— 2002 Medstat MarketScan Database, a national sample of outpatient prescription claims of children ≥18 years old enrolled in private, employer-sponsored health plans. Main Outcome Measures— Off-label use of antihypertensive drugs by patient age and costs of antihypertensives calculated as mean cost per child per 30-day fill. Results— One-half of the index antihypertensive prescription claims were off-label, based on minimum age criteria. Boys were more likely (56%) than girls (46%) to be prescribed off-label antihypertensives (p<0.001). Children aged ≥12 years were more likely to be prescribed off-label antihypertensives (53%) compared with children aged ≥5 (46%) and 6–11 years (42%, p<0.001). Off-label use varied significantly by class of antihypertensive drugs (p<0.001). Overall, off-label antihypertensives were significantly more expensive than on-label antihypertensives. Conclusions— Despite availability of often less expensive on-label alternatives for the same class of antihypertensive drugs, off-label antihypertensive drugs were prescribed frequently in children. These findings underscore the potential clinical and economic implications of common off-label prescribing, for children, their parents, physicians and payers. Originally published Ambulatory Pediatrics, Vol. 7, No. 4, July 200

Narrating Cases: a Storytelling Approach to Case Study Analysis in the Field of Lifelong Learning Policies

The paper aims to discuss the narrative approach to case study analysis, drawing on the research carried out within the H2020 European Project YOUNG_ ADULLLT. It aimed to analyse Lifelong Learning (LLL) policies targeted to young adults in Europe, particularly those in situations of social exclusion, focusing on the different ways in which the policies are socially embedded in specific local contexts across Europe. By a multimethod and multilevel perspective, the research sought to explore the interplay between structural, institutional and individual levels to understand the relationship and complementarity between the LLL policies and the young people\u2019s social conditions, needs and expectations. The paper focuses on the narrative approach, namely the \u201cstorytelling strategy\u201d, adopted to examine the Lifelong Learning policies chosen as case studies in their social, political and economic realities. Different examples of storytelling and their contribution to analyse LLL policies are explored. Lastly, we critically discuss whether the narrative approach allowed to build a dense portrait able to yield the complexity and the specificity of the cases, reconstructing the story of the meaning of Lifelong Learning in different constellations. Epistemological and methodological considerations on the use of narrative approach in social science are provided, highlighting its opportunities and limits

Percepción dispersa: Arquitectura y tactilidad en la sociedad de la comunicación

El tema de la tesis se centra en el pensamiento de Walter Benjamin y en el concepto de percepción distraída, desarrollado en el ensayo La obra de arte en la época de su reproducibilidad técnica (1936). El título percepción dispersa deriva de una profundización de los conceptos benjaminianos en términos lingüísticos, adoptando otros significados de la palabra distracción que relacionan este concepto a cuestiones de ámbito espacial y atmosférico. Benjamin sostiene que la arquitectura, en una época en la que se desarrollan y se difunden nuevas técnicas de reproducción/ comunicación, no se puede percibir solo de manera visual sino también táctil, interrelacionando la difusión de nuevas técnicas de reproducción, la tensión entre diferentes modalidades perceptivas y la arquitectura: según él, la dispersión de la vista a favor de la percepción táctil/háptica es un rasgo característico de una sociedad en la que se desarrollan y se difunden nuevas técnicas de reproducción. La tesis profundiza en estos temas, actualizando el concepto de distracción/dispersión para valorar las repercusiones de esta intuición en el ámbito de una parte de la producción arquitectónica contemporánea: se propone una contextualización histórica y una conceptual, relativas a los proyectos recientes de algunos de los autores que profundizan en el impacto de las nuevas tecnologías en el ámbito del proyecto de arquitectura. La hipótesis que se quiere demostrar es que se está desarrollando una tendencia que lleva proyectos o edificios de alto nivel tecnológico y informático desde un ámbito de (supuesto) predominio de la percepción visual, hasta una arquitectura que proporciona experiencias multisensoriales: espacios que se pueden medir con el movimiento, los músculos y el tacto, que desarrollan un conjunto de sensaciones táctiles/hápticas y no solo visuales. Finalmente se quiere verificar si, revertiendo siglos de evolución visual, la visión táctil y cercana siga siendo uno de los polos dialécticos que estructuran la experiencia de la arquitectura, como previsto por Benjamin hace 75 años. ABSTRACT The thesis focuses on the thought of Walter Benjamin and the concept of distracted perception, developed in the essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (1936). The title derives from a linguistic approach to this concept which further explores the meaning of the word distraction, finally relating this kind of perception to spatial and atmospheric issues. Benjamin argues that architecture, thanks to the development of new reproduction/communication technologies, cannot be perceived exclusively in a visual way but also in a tactile way, interrelating new technologies of reproduction, perceptual modalities and architecture: according to him, the dispersion of the view in favor of tactile/ haptic perception is a fundamental characteristic of a technologically developed society. The thesis explores these issues, updating the concept of distraction/dispersion to assess its implications in the works of some architects that are exploring with their buildings the impact of new communication technologies in the field of architectural design. The hypothesis at the base of this work is that we are facing a new trend in this particular field: many of the most advanced buildings provide multisensory experience, and define spaces that can be better perceived with the sense of touch (haptic sense), going beyond a mere visual perception. Finally the thesis wants to verify if, reversing centuries of visual evolution, tactile and close vision remains one of the dialectical poles that stay at the base of the experience of architecture, as foreseen by Benjamin 75 years ago. ABSTRACT La tesi si basa sul pensiero di Walter Benjamin e sul concetto di percezione distratta, sviluppato nel saggio La opera d’arte nell’epoca della sua riproducibilità tecnica (1936). Il titolo, percezione dispersa, deriva da un approfondimento dei concetti benjaminiani in termini linguistici, adottando ulteriori significati della parola che il filosofo utilizza per indicare la distrazione e che relazionano questo termine a questioni di ambito spaziale ed atmosferico. Benjamin sostiene che l’architettura, in un’epoca nella quale si sviluppano e si diffondono nuove tecniche di riproduzione (o meglio: nuove tecnologie di comunicazione), non possa essere percepita solamente in maniera visuale, ma anche tattile, mettendo in relazione la diffusione di nuove tecnologie, la tensione tra differenti modalità percettive e l’architettura: secondo Benjamin, la dispersione della vista a favore di una ricezione tattile/aptica della realtà è una caratteristica tipica di quei momenti storici nei quali si manifestano grandi trasformazioni di ambito sociale e culturale dovute allo sviluppo di nuove tecnologie di comunicazione. La tesi approfondisce questi temi, aggiornando il concetto di distrazione/dispersione per valutarne le ripercussioni su una certa parte della produzione architettonica contemporanea: si propone una contestualizzazione storica ed una concettuale, relative ai progetti di alcuni architetti che lavorano da tempo sull’impatto delle nuove tecnologie nell’ambito del progetto di architettura. La ipotesi che si dimostra con questa tesi è che si sta sviluppando una contro-tendenza tattile, a seguito della quale molti degli edifici tecnologicamente ed informaticamente più avanzati strutturano la relazione con i propri utenti sulla base di esperienze multisensoriali, definendo spazi che possono essere percepiti attraverso una percezione aptica, piuttosto che visuale. In definitiva la tesi verifica che, superando secoli di evoluzione visuale, la visione tattile e ravvicinata e - più in generale - una percezione di tipo aptico continuano ad essere uno dei poli dialettici che strutturano l’esperienza dell’architettura, come previsto da Benjamin più di 75 anni fa

Seedless Fruit Production by Hormonal Regulation of Fruit Set

Seed and fruit development are intimately related processes controlled by internal signals and environmental cues. The absence of seeds is usually appreciated by consumers and producers because it increases fruit quality and fruit shelf-life. One method to produce seedless fruit is to develop plants able to produce fruits independently from pollination and fertilization of the ovules. The onset of fruit growth is under the control of phytohormones. Recent genomic studies have greatly contributed to elucidate the role of phytohormones in regulating fruit initiation, providing at the same time genetic methods for introducing seedlessness in horticultural plants