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

Well-being, Landscape and Sustainability of Communication

AbstractThe paper deals with the concept of well-being and its relationship with landscape and agriculture.According to the literature, well-being is a multidimensional and subjective concept, it is related to happiness but it does not depend on mere economic welfare. In fact, the bond between material wealth and well-being is not causal: GDP is not the optimum way of assessing the level of well-being.On the contrary, there is a strict relationship between well-being, agriculture and rural development. The man/farmer, transforming the rural landscape, creates modifications that reverberate first on natural landscape, then on the whole territory, and finally back to the man itself. In this context, the generative communication arises as a model that best interprets the need to represent and promote the circular nature of the relationships between man and land. By doing this, it enhances and protects cultural diversity, social and natural environment of the territory itself. Hence, it strengthens the well-being of those who work and constantly transforms this landscape.The paper closes with the analysis of two case-studies, the “Comunicazione generativa per il Programma di Sviluppo Rurale 2014-2020 della Regione Toscana” project (in english: Generative Communication for the Tuscany Rural Development Programme, RDP, 2014-2020) and the “San Casciano Smart Place” project, both developed by the Communication Strategies Lab.The methodology used for the development of the projects is the generative communication (Toschi, 2011), with its recent specification towards the concept of sustainable communication

Nuevos superhéroes. La relación mediática entre los jóvenes y los médicos

The article introduces an ongoing research realized by the Lab Center for Generative Communication (CfGC), directed by Luca Toschi. The aim of this study is to define the impact of media in the evolution of imagery of children and young people regarding doctors. Today, in relation to COVID-19 emergency, doctors appear - through media exposition - as heroic figures, with peculiar characteristics in comparison to the classic superhero: from the various information and awareness campaigns to the streetBanksy’s art, in the media an idea of abstract super-heroism is abandoned, preferring a more concrete and real doctor-hero model. The first results that emerge from this study show how doctors were represented across the years: when medicine was still an uncertain science, the arrival of the doctor at home represented an unusual moment and, at the same time, crucial for the survival of the youngest and most fragile people. The seriousness and respectability of his role was often represented in pictures and illustrations in the late Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries and it changes progressively. In fact, later the doctor starts to show a nuance of attitudes between the vulnerable and the swindler and he relates to young people in precarious health conditions and leaves from their presence/absence in pictures - such as "The Doctor" by Luke Fildes (1891) or "The Sick Girl" by Edvard Munch (1885-1927) - to its uselessness in critical situations such as in Carlo Collodi’s "The Adventures of Pinocchio" (1881-1883). In more recent times, the figure of the doctor seems to come out of the juvenile imagery, given the scientific advances that have taken place over the years and that have allowed us to eradicate lethal diseases. While there were serious problems related to the health of young people and the limited availability of health professionals, the presence of the doctor was seen as an unusual event and, in the solution of a serious health problem, his intervention left indelible marks in children's perception. Therefore, the study will explore the ways in which, from the last century to the present, doctors are always more “human” and show empathy, changing the role of young patients and their families. Finally, the research introduces some information about the impact of COVID-19 in the perception of doctors, who become heroes in the imagery of children and young people.El artículo presenta una investigación en curso con la que el Center for Generative Communication (CfGC) de la Universidad de Florencia y el Lab CfGC - director: Luca Toschi - reconstruye el cambio en el imaginario infantil y juvenil en cuanto a la relación de los jóvenes con la figura del médico, determinado por la pandemia de COVID19. Hoy en día, el médico se presenta como una figura heroica, aunque con características peculiares en comparación con el superhéroe clásico: desde las diversas campañas de información y concienciación hasta el street-art de Banksy, en los medios de comunicación se abandona una idea de super-heroísmo abstracto, prefiriendo un modelo de médico-héroe más concreto y real. Los datos que surgen del trabajo de los investigadores del CfGC muestran una redefinición del estándar: a diferencia de la situación actual, de hecho, cuando la medicina aún era una ciencia incierta, la llegada del médico a casa representaba un momento inusual y, al mismo tiempo, crucial para la supervivencia de las personas más jóvenes y frágiles. La seriedad con la que se recibía al médico y su importancia crucial está bien representada por los productos mediáticos de finales del siglo XIX y XX. En estos productos el médico, mostrando un matiz de actitudes entre el vulnerable y el estafador, se relaciona con los jóvenes en condiciones de salud precarias, y se va desde su presencia / ausencia en cuadros - como "El doctor" de Luke Fildes (1891) o "La niña enferma" de Edvard Munch (1885-1927) - hasta su inutilidad en situaciones críticas como en "Las aventuras de Pinocho" de Carlo Collodi (1881-1883). En épocas más recientes, la figura del médico parece salir del imaginario juvenil, dados los avances científicos que se han ido produciendo a lo largo de los años y que nos han permitido erradicar enfermedades letales. Mientras estaban graves problemas relacionados con la salud de los jóvenes y la escasa disponibilidad de profesionales sanitarios, la presencia del médico se vislumbraba como un hecho insólito y, en la solución de un grave problema de salud, su intervención dejaba marcas imborrables en el imaginario de niños y chicos. La investigación, por tanto, pretende reconstruir las formas en las que, desde el siglo pasado hasta la actualidad, se formó el imaginario de los niños y jóvenes hacia la profesión médica y la relación con los profesionales de la salud. Resaltando cómo el COVID-19 ha contribuido a redefinir este imaginario

Benessere, paesaggio e comunicazione. La comunicazione generativa nel PSR ‘14-‘20 della Regione Toscana

This essay deals with the concepts of wellness and landscape, analyzing the role of landscape in defining the life quality of rural areas inhabitants on the base of the results of the “Scientific collaboration between Communication Strategies Lab (CSL) of the University of Florence and Tuscany Region for the introduction of generative communication in the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020”. The scientific collaboration represented a valuable opportunity to study and test communication strategies in order to improve life quality in rural areas, and to confirm the generative communication paradigm (Toschi 2011) as an operative model that is able to promote circular relations between man and its territory.This essay deals with the concepts of wellness and landscape, analyzing the role of landscape in defining the life quality of rural areas inhabitants on the base of the results of the “Scientific collaboration between Communication Strategies Lab (CSL) of the University of Florence and Tuscany Region for the introduction of generative communication in the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020”. The scientific collaboration represented a valuable opportunity to study and test communication strategies in order to improve life quality in rural areas, and to confirm the generative communication paradigm (Toschi 2011) as an operative model that is able to promote circular relations between man and its territory

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

The microRNA miR-21 Is a Mediator of FGF8 Action on Cortical COUP-TFI Translation

The morphogen FGF8 plays a pivotal role in neocortical area patterning through its inhibitory effect on COUP-TFI/Nr2f1 anterior expression, but its mechanism of action is poorly understood. We established an in vitro model of mouse embryonic stem cell corticogenesis in which COUP-TFI protein expression is inhibited by the activation of FGF8 in a time window corresponding to cortical area patterning. Interestingly, overexpression of the COUP-TFI 3′UTR reduces the inhibitory effect of FGF8 on COUP-TFI translation. FGF8 induces the expression of few miRNAs targeting COUP-TFI 3′UTR in silico. We found that the functional inhibition of miR-21 can effectively counteract the inhibitory effect of FGF8 in vitro and regulate COUP-TFI protein levels in vivo. Accordingly, miR-21 expression is complementary to COUP-TFI expression during corticogenesis. These data support a translational control of COUP-TFI gradient expression by FGF8 via miR-21 and contribute to our understanding of how regionalized expression is established during neocortical area mapping

Chemical Characterization of a Collagen-Derived Protein Hydrolysate and Biostimulant Activity Assessment of Its Peptidic Components

Protein hydrolysates (PHs) are plant biostimulants consisting of oligopeptides and free amino acids exploited in agriculture to increase crop productivity. This work aimed to fractionate a commercial collagen-derived protein hydrolysate (CDPH) according to the molecular mass of the peptides and evaluate the bioactivity of different components. First, the CDPH was dialyzed and/or filtrated and analyzed on maize, showing that smaller compounds were particularly active in stimulating lateral root growth. The CDPH was then fractionated through fast protein liquid chromatography and tested on in vitro grown tomatoes proving that all the fractions were bioactive. Furthermore, these fractions were characterized by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization- tandem mass spectrometry revealing a consensus sequence shared among the identified peptides. Based on this sequence, a synthetic peptide was produced. We assessed its structural similarity with the CDPH, the collagen, and polyproline type II helix by comparing the respective circular dichroism spectra and for the first time, we proved that a signature peptide was as bioactive as the whole CDPH

Longitudinal RNA-Seq Analysis of Vertebrate Aging Identifies Mitochondrial Complex I as a Small-Molecule-Sensitive Modifier of Lifespan.

Mutations and genetic variability affect gene expression and lifespan, but the impact of variations in gene expression within individuals on their aging-related mortality is poorly understood. We performed a longitudinal study in the short-lived killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, and correlated quantitative variations in gene expression during early adult life with lifespan. Shorter- and longer-lived individuals differ in their gene expression before the onset of aging-related mortality; differences in gene expression are more pronounced early in life. We identified mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I as a hub in a module of genes whose expression is negatively correlated with lifespan. Accordingly, partial pharmacological inhibition of complex I by the small molecule rotenone reversed aging-related regulation of gene expression and extended lifespan in N. furzeri by 15%. These results support the use of N. furzeri as a vertebrate model for identifying the protein targets, pharmacological modulators, and individual-to-individual variability associated with aging.We thank Sabine Matz, Christin Hahn, Ivonne Heinze, and Ivonne Goerlich for technical assistance and Giorgio Bianchini for drawing. This work was partially supported by the German Ministry for Education and Research (JenAge; BMBF, support codes: 0315581A and 0315581C) and by intramural grant of Scuola Normale Superiore.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cels.2016.01.01