1,291 research outputs found
Conditional expression in corticothalamic efferents reveals a developmental role for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in modulation of passive avoidance behavior
Prenatal nicotine exposure has been linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and cognitive impairment, but the sites of action for these effects of nicotine are still under investigation. High-affinity nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) contain the .2 subunit and modulate passive avoidance (PA) learning in mice. Using an inducible, tetracycline-regulated transgenic system, we generated lines of mice with expression of high-affinity nicotinic receptors restored in specific neuronal populations. One line of mice shows functional .2 subunit-containing nAChRs localized exclusively in corticothalamic efferents. Functional, presynaptic nAChRs are present in the thalamus of these mice as detected by nicotine-elicited rubidium efflux assays from synaptosomes. Knock-out mice lacking high-affinity nAChRs show elevated baseline PA learning, whereas normal baseline PA behavior is restored in mice with corticothalamic expression of these nAChRs. In contrast, nicotine can enhance PA learning in adult wild-type animals but not in corticothalamic-expressing transgenic mice. When these transgenic mice are treated with doxycycline in adulthood to switch off nAChR expression, baseline PA is maintained even after transgene expression is abolished. These data suggest that high-affinity nAChRs expressed on corticothalamic neurons during development are critical for baseline PA performance and provide a potential neuroanatomical substrate for changes induced by prenatal nicotine exposure leading to long-term behavioral and cognitive deficits
Ischemic cardiovascular disease in workers occupationally exposed to urban air pollution – A systematic review
Introduction. Cardiovascular disease is the first cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Among several known risk factors, researchers also focus their attention on the chronic exposure to air pollution. There is much evidence that exposure to air pollution, especially to ultrafine particles, can damage the endothelium and can favour cardiovascular diseases in the general population. Occupational exposition could be an additive risk factor for the cardiovascular system. This article presents a scientific review of the linkage between occupational exposure to air pollution and ischemic heart disease. Materials and method. A scientific review was undertaken, followed by PRISMA Statements. Observational studies were selected from several scientific databases, likesuch as Pubmed, Google Scholar, Nioshtic-2 and Reserchgate, searching
for selected key words: police workers, professional drivers, mail carriers, filling station attendants, road cleaners, garage workers, motor vehicles and engine maintenance. All the key words were combined with “Boolean Operators” with the
following words: cardiovascular (or cardiac) disease, cardiovascular function, cardiovascular system, ischemic heart disease, coronary disease, myocardial infarction. During the systematic research, the focus was on retrospective and prospective studies from January 1990 – December 2014.
Results. Both the retrospective and prospective studies showed an increased risk of ischemic heart disease in occupationally occupied people exposed to air pollution. Only one study presented a ly minor risk.
Conclusions. The findings of this systematic review suggest a possible linkage between occupational exposure to urban air pollution, especially to motor exhaust and particulate, and ischemic heart disease
Avalanche boron fusion by laser picosecond block ignition with magnetic trapping for clean and economic reactor
After the very long consideration of the ideal energy source by fusion of the
protons of light hydrogen with the boron isotope 11 (boron fusion HB11) the
very first two independent measurements of very high reaction gains by lasers
basically opens a fundamental breakthrough. The non-thermal plasma block
ignition with extremely high power laser pulses above petawatt of picosecond
duration in combination with up to ten kilotesla magnetic fields for trapping
has to be combined to use the measured high gains as proof of an avalanche
reaction for an environmentally clean, low cost and lasting energy source as
potential option against global warming. The unique HB11 avalanche reaction is
are now based on elastic collisions of helium nuclei (alpha particles) limited
only to a reactor for controlled fusion energy during a very short time within
a very small volume.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, Submitted to Proceedings 2nd Symposium High
Power Laser Science and Engineering, 14-18 MARCH 2016, Suzhou/Chin
Circulating miR-22, miR-24 and miR-34a as Novel Predictive Biomarkers to Pemetrexed-Based Chemotherapy in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Pemetrexed has been widely used in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The clinical relevance of polymorphisms of folate pathway genes for pemetrexed metabolism have not been fully elucidated yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression levels of circulating miR-22, miR-24, and miR-34a, possibly involved in folate pathway, in NSCLC patients treated with pemetrexed compared with healthy controls and to investigate their impact on patient clinical outcomes. A total of 22 consecutive patients with advanced NSCLC, treated with pemetrexed-based chemotherapy and 27 age and sex matched healthy controls were included in this preliminary analysis. miR-22, miR-24, and miR-34a targets were identified by TargetScan 6.2 algorithm, validating the involvement of these microRNAs in folate pathway. MicroRNAs were isolated from whole blood and extracted with miRNAeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen). miRNA profiling was performed using Real-Time PCR. SPSS 17 was used to data analysis. miR-22, miR-24, and miR-34a were found upregulated (P<0.05) in NSCLC patients versus healthy controls. Higher expression levels were recorded for miR-34a. Nevertheless, significantly higher miR-22 expression was observed in patients developing progressive disease (P=0.03). No significant associations with clinical outcome were recorded for miR-24 and miR-34a. Albeit preliminary, these data support the involvement of miR-22, miR-24, and miR-34a in advanced NSCLC. The correlation between high expression of miR-22 in whole blood and the lack of response in pemetrexed treated NSCLC patients indicates that miR-22 could represent a novel predictive biomarker for pemetrexed-based treatment
Suspected cutaneous leishmaniasis in a sample of Western Sicily residents: what correlation with occupation?
Background: Leishmaniasis is a widespread infectious disease, but there is not much information about its prevalence in high risk occupational categories. Objectives: Te aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of Leishmania
immunological positivity in human skin tissues collected from subjects living in Western Sicily, with suspected cutaneous Leishmania infection, in order to explore the risk possibly related to occupation. Methods: 318 consecutive
subjects (M/F ratio=1.0, mean age=40\ub125.4 years), attending the Dermatology Department of the University of Palermo Hospital from 2013 to 2015, without any previous history of Leishmania infection and performing various
occupations, were included. Parasite isolation and PCR-RT test on skin scrapings were performed to evaluate the immunological status; all data were analyzed by the chi square test, comparing all positive results from the di\ufb00erent
provinces. Results: 81 (50.9%) out of 159 females and 79 (49.7%) out of 159 males were found PCR-RT positive to Leishmania infantum, with a higher risk in the Agrigento district (p<0.001) and in subjects living in rural areas (p=0.0038), regardless of the type of work performed. Te observed animal leishmaniasis prevalence in the same areas shows the endemic status of the disease in Sicily. Conclusions: Although based on a relatively small sample, our study shows that cutaneous leishmaniasis represents a health care problem with a medical and social impact in Western Sicily. An active surveillance system and the establishment of diagnosis and treatment centres could be useful
in controlling this public health problem
The X-Gamma Imaging Spectrometer (XGIS) onboard THESEUS
A compact and modular X and gamma-ray imaging spectrometer (XGIS) has been
designed as one of the instruments foreseen on-board the THESEUS mission
proposed in response to the ESA M5 call. The experiment envisages the use of
CsI scintillator bars read out at both ends by single-cell 25 mm 2 Silicon
Drift Detectors. Events absorbed in the Silicon layer (lower energy X rays) and
events absorbed in the scintillator crystal (higher energy X rays and
Gamma-rays) are discriminated using the on-board electronics. A coded mask
provides imaging capabilities at low energies, thus allowing a compact and
sensitive instrument in a wide energy band (~2 keV up to ~20 MeV). The
instrument design, expected performance and the characterization performed on a
series of laboratory prototypes are discussed.Comment: To be published in the Proceedings of the THESEUS Workshop 2017
(http://www.isdc.unige.ch/theseus/workshop2017.html), Journal of the Italian
Astronomical Society (Mem.SAIt), Editors L. Amati, E. Bozzo, M. Della Valle,
D. Gotz, P. O'Brien. Details on the THESEUS mission concept can be found in
the white paper Amati et al. 2017 (arXiv:171004638) and Stratta et al. 2017
(arXiv:1712.08153
Theory of suppressed shot-noise at
We study the edge states of fractional quantum Hall liquid at bulk filling
factor with being an even integer and . We
describe the transition from a conductance plateau to
another plateau in terms of chiral Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid
theory. It is found that the fractional charge which appears in the
classical shot-noise formula is on the
conductance plateau at whereas on the plateau at
it is given by . For and an alternative hierarchy
constructions is also discussed to explain the suppressed shot-noise experiment
at bulk filling factor .Comment: Typos in Eqs. (5-7) correcte
Direct Observation of a Fractional Charge
We performed measurements of Quantum Shot Noise in order to determine the
quasiparticle charge in the Fractional Quantum Hall regime. The noise is
generated by a current flow through a partially transmitting Quantum Point
Contact in a 2DEG. The noise is directly proportional to the charge of the
quasiparticles, thus allowing direct determination of the charge. We measured
Quantum Shot Noise at a filling factor of 1/3 and found that the charge is e/3;
as predicted by Laughlin.Comment: 3 pages, PostScript, 4 figures. Submitted to Natur
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