Ecological Mapping for the Preventive Conservation of Prehistoric Mural Paintings in Rock Habitats: the Site of Filiano (Basilicata, Italy)

Biodeterioration phenomena are of great relevance in rock settlements, due to favourable environmental conditions, such as the infiltration of rainwaters, condensation phenomena and abundance of salts and organic nutrients. Rinaldi’s rock shelter in Filiano, which is located in a natural forest of mixed oaks is of great value due to the important traces of prehistoric paintings. It is an emblematic case of the delicate balance, achieved throughout the centuries, between the environment and artwork. During the plurimillenarian history of the site, a portion of the ceiling that covered the shelter collapsed, leaving signs that are still visible today, together with traces of blackening left by the fires of ancient settlements. Several of the biodeteriogens typical of rocky habitats have already been detected and include algae, cyanobacteria, mosses, lichens, vascular plants and fungi, which form macroscopic communities.Each community has an ecological preference and the mapping of their distribution is a suitable tool for understanding variations in the environmental factors that most affect them. Relating ecological data to the taxonomical characterization of the species and to the spatial distribution of each community, a site map of the humidity and of the nutrients was obtained. Among the various communities, microcolonial fungi (MCF), which appear as little black spots, here, represent the most critical risk factor, due to their low water needs. An evaluation of the biological risk for the possible future attack of such a biological community was made, suggesting indirect mitigation measures, through modification of the microclimatic and local ventilation conditions.I fenomeni di biodeterioramento causati da condizioni ambientali favorevoli, come infiltrazioni di acqua piovana, fenomeni di condensazione e abbondanza di sali e nutrienti organici, sono di grande importanza negli insediamenti rupestri. Il rifugio Rinaldi, all’interno di un habitat forestale naturale a querceto misto presente nella località di Filiano, rappresenta un sito di particolare importanza per la presenza di pitture preistoriche. Il sito costituisce un caso emblematico del delicato equilibrio raggiunto attraverso i secoli, tra ambiente e opera d’arte. Sono oggi visibili le tracce del collasso di parte della volta che copriva il rifugio e i segni di annerimento causati dai fuochi degli antichi insediamenti. Sono stati già individuati molti dei biodeteriogeni tipici dell’habitat roccioso, come alghe, cianobatteri, funghi, licheni, muschi e piante vascolari, che formano comunità individuabili macroscopicamente. Ogni comunità ha una propria preferenza ecologica e la mappatura della loro distribuzione è uno strumento utile per capire le variazioni dei fattori ambientali maggiormente incidenti. Applicando le informazioni ecologiche alla caratterizzazione tassonomica delle specie e alla distribuzione spaziale di ogni comunità, è stata costruita una mappatura dell’umidità e della presenza di nutrienti nel sito. Fra le varie comunità, i funghimicrocoloniali (MCF), che appaiono come piccoli spot neri, rappresentano il maggior fattore di rischio del sito a causa del loro scarso bisogno d’acqua. È stata effettuata anche una valutazione del rischio biologico legato alla loro presenza, suggerendo delle misure di mitigazione indiretta tramite la modificazione del microclima e delle condizioni di ventilazione locali

The feeling of anger: From brain networks to linguistic expressions.

This review of the neuroscience of anger is part of The Human Affectome Project, where we attempt to map anger and its components (i.e., physiological, cognitive, experiential) to the neuroscience literature (i.e., genetic markers, functional imaging of human brain networks) and to linguistic expressions used to describe anger feelings. Given the ubiquity of anger in both its normative and chronic states, specific language is used in humans to express states of anger. Following a review of the neuroscience literature, we explore the language that is used to convey angry feelings, as well as metaphors reflecting inner states of anger experience. We then discuss whether these linguistic expressions can be mapped on to the neural circuits during anger experience and to distinct components of anger. We also identify relationships between anger components, brain networks, and other affective research relevant to motivational states of dominance and basic needs for safety

Frontotemporal dementia and its subtypes: a genome-wide association study

SummaryBackground Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a complex disorder characterised by a broad range of clinical manifestations, differential pathological signatures, and genetic variability. Mutations in three genes—MAPT, GRN, and C9orf72—have been associated with FTD. We sought to identify novel genetic risk loci associated with the disorder. Methods We did a two-stage genome-wide association study on clinical FTD, analysing samples from 3526 patients with {FTD} and 9402 healthy controls. To reduce genetic heterogeneity, all participants were of European ancestry. In the discovery phase (samples from 2154 patients with {FTD} and 4308 controls), we did separate association analyses for each {FTD} subtype (behavioural variant FTD, semantic dementia, progressive non-fluent aphasia, and {FTD} overlapping with motor neuron disease FTD-MND), followed by a meta-analysis of the entire dataset. We carried forward replication of the novel suggestive loci in an independent sample series (samples from 1372 patients and 5094 controls) and then did joint phase and brain expression and methylation quantitative trait loci analyses for the associated (p<5 × 10−8) single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Findings We identified novel associations exceeding the genome-wide significance threshold (p<5 × 10−8). Combined (joint) analyses of discovery and replication phases showed genome-wide significant association at 6p21.3, \{HLA\} locus (immune system), for rs9268877 (p=1·05 × 10−8; odds ratio=1·204 95% \{CI\} 1·11–1·30), rs9268856 (p=5·51 × 10−9; 0·809 0·76–0·86) and rs1980493 (p value=1·57 × 10−8, 0·775 0·69–0·86) in the entire cohort. We also identified a potential novel locus at 11q14, encompassing RAB38/CTSC (the transcripts of which are related to lysosomal biology), for the behavioural \{FTD\} subtype for which joint analyses showed suggestive association for rs302668 (p=2·44 × 10−7; 0·814 0·71–0·92). Analysis of expression and methylation quantitative trait loci data suggested that these loci might affect expression and methylation in cis. Interpretation Our findings suggest that immune system processes (link to 6p21.3) and possibly lysosomal and autophagy pathways (link to 11q14) are potentially involved in FTD. Our findings need to be replicated to better define the association of the newly identified loci with disease and to shed light on the pathomechanisms contributing to FTD. Funding The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and National Institute on Aging, the Wellcome/MRC Centre on Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's Research UK, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Mendelian randomization implies no direct causal association between leukocyte telomere length and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Funder: QingLan Research Project of Jiangsu for Outstanding Young TeachersFunder: Project funded by Postdoctoral Science Foundation of Xuzhou Medical UniversityFunder: Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD) for Xuzhou Medical UniversityAbstract: We employed Mendelian randomization (MR) to evaluate the causal relationship between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (n = ~ 38,000 for LTL and ~ 81,000 for ALS in the European population; n = ~ 23,000 for LTL and ~ 4,100 for ALS in the Asian population). We further evaluated mediation roles of lipids in the pathway from LTL to ALS. The odds ratio per standard deviation decrease of LTL on ALS was 1.10 (95% CI 0.93–1.31, p = 0.274) in the European population and 0.75 (95% CI 0.53–1.07, p = 0.116) in the Asian population. This null association was also detected between LTL and frontotemporal dementia in the European population. However, we found that an indirect effect of LTL on ALS might be mediated by low density lipoprotein (LDL) or total cholesterol (TC) in the European population. These results were robust against extensive sensitivity analyses. Overall, our MR study did not support the direct causal association between LTL and the ALS risk in neither population, but provided suggestive evidence for the mediation role of LDL or TC on the influence of LTL and ALS in the European population

Correction to: A nonsynonymous mutation in PLCG2 reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia, and increases the likelihood of longevity

The IPDGC (The International Parkinson Disease Genomics Consortium) and EADB (Alzheimer Disease European DNA biobank) are listed correctly as an author to the article, however, they were incorrectly listed more than once

Correction to: A nonsynonymous mutation in PLCG2 reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia, and increases the likelihood of longevity

The IPDGC (The International Parkinson Disease Genomics Consortium) and EADB (Alzheimer Disease European DNA biobank) are listed correctly as an author to the article, however, they were incorrectly listed more than once

Il biodeterioramento della cripta del Peccato Originale nella gravina di Matera e la sua analisi ecologica per il biomonitoraggio dei parametri ambientali.

Il biodeterioramento della cripta del Peccato Originale nella gravina di Matera e la sua analisi ecologica per il biomonitoraggio dei parametri ambientali

Problems of Biodeterioration in relation to particular types of environments.

A description of biodeterioration in relation to different kind of environment (Museums, churches, open air sites, etc

Circulating sclerostin levels and bone turnover in type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

CONTEXT: Previous observations showed a condition of low bone turnover and decreased osteoblast activity in both type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (DM1 and DM2). Sclerostin is a secreted Wnt antagonist produced by osteocytes that regulates osteoblast activity and thus bone turnover. Its levels increase with age and are regulated by PTH. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to evaluate circulating sclerostin levels in patients with DM1 or DM2 with normal renal function and to analyze its relationship with PTH, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and bone turnover markers. DESIGN, AND SETTING: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at a clinical research center. PARTICIPANTS: Forty DM2 and 43 DM1 patients were studied and compared with a reference control group (n = 83). RESULTS: In the overall cohort, sclerostin levels were higher in males than in females and significantly increased with age in both genders. The positive correlation between sclerostin and age was maintained in DM1 but not in DM2 patients. Moreover, sclerostin levels were higher in DM2 than in controls or DM1 patients, and this difference persisted when adjustments were made for age and body mass index. Consistent with previous clinical and experimental observations, sclerostin was negatively associated with PTH in nondiabetic patients (r = -0.30; P < 0.01), independently of age and gender. Conversely, an opposite but nonsignificant trend between PTH and sclerostin was observed in both DM1 (r = 0.26; P = 0.09) and DM2 (r = 0.32; P = 0.07) cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that sclerostin is increased in DM2. Moreover, the transcriptional suppression of sclerostin production by PTH might be impaired in both DM1 and DM2