39 research outputs found
Il miglioramento delle funzioni esecutive in soggetti con adhd attraverso l’attività motoria
Lo studio riassume gli esiti di un lavoro di ricerca-azione interdisciplinare durato cinque anni con bambini e adolescenti con adhd, che ha coinvolto complessivamente circa un centinaio di soggetti, alcuni dei quali sono stati monitorati nel corso del loro sviluppo. I risultati della ricerca e le evidenze raccolte dalla letteratura mostrano in modo promettente i benefici dell’attività motoria, sia da un punto di vista genetico e per lo sviluppo delle funzioni esecutive, sia per la riduzione della sintomatologia che per la crescita complessiva della persona. L’articolo si completa con una rassegna degli sport adatti ai diversi bisogni di bambini, ragazzi ed adolescenti con disturbi del neurosviluppo
Reduction of colonic inflammation in HLA-B27 transgenic rats by feeding Marie MĂ©nard apples, rich in polyphenols
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are immunomediated ailments affecting millions of individuals. Although diet is regarded as an important factor influencing IBD, there are no accepted dietary recommendations presently available. We administered 7.6 % lyophilised apples obtained from two cultivars (Golden Delicious and Marie MĂ©nard, low and high in polyphenols, respectively) to HLA-B27 transgenic rats which develop spontaneous IBD. After 3 months feeding, rats fed Marie MĂ©nard apples had reduced myeloperoxidase activity (3.6 (sem 0.3) v. 2.2 (sem 0.2) U/g tissue; P <0.05) and reduced cyclo-oxygenase-2 (P <0.05) and inducible NO synthase gene expression (P <0.01) in the colon mucosa and significantly less diarrhoea (P <0.05), compared with control rats. Cell proliferation in the colon mucosa was reduced significantly by feeding Golden Delicious apples, with a borderline effect of Marie MĂ©nard apples. Gene expression profiling of the colon mucosa, analysed using the Whole Rat Genome 4 x 44 K Agilent Arrays, revealed a down-regulation of the pathways of PG synthesis, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling and TNFalpha-NF-kappaB in Marie MĂ©nard-fed rats. In the stools of the animals of this group we also measured a significant reduction of bacteria of the Bacteriodes fragilis group. In conclusion, the administration of Marie MĂ©nard apples, rich in polyphenols and used at present only in the manufacturing of cider, ameliorates colon inflammation in transgenic rats developing spontaneous intestinal inflammation, suggesting the possible use of these and other apple varieties to control inflammation in IBD patient
Assessment of the antibiotic resistance profile, genetic heterogeneity and biofilm production of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from the italian swine production chain
The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the level of antibiotic resistance, prevalence and virulence features of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from heavy swine at abattoir level and farming environments in Lombardy (Northern Italy). With this scope, 88 different heavy swine farms were surveyed, obtaining a total of n = 440 animal swabs and n = 150 environmental swabs. A total of n = 87 MRSA isolates were obtained, with an overall MRSA incidence of 17.50% (n = 77) among animal samples and a 6.67% (n = 10) among environmental. Molecular characterisation using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) plus spa-typing showed that sequence type ST398/t899 and ST398/t011 were the most commonly isolated genotypes, although other relevant sequence types such as ST1 or ST97 were also found. A lack of susceptibility to penicillins, tetracycline and ceftiofur was detected in >91.95, 85.05 and 48.28% of the isolates, respectively. Resistance to doxycycline (32.18%), enrofloxacin (27.59%) and gentamicin (25.29%) was also observed. Additionally, a remarkable level of antibiotic multiresistance (AMR) was observed representing a 77.01% (n = 67) of the obtained isolates. Genetic analysis revealed that 97.70% and 77.01% of the isolates harboured at least one antibiotic resistance or enterotoxin gene, respectively, pointing out a high isolate virulence potential. Lastly, 55.17% (n = 48) were able to produce measurable amounts of biofilm after 24 h. In spite of the current programmes for antibiotic reduction in intensively farming, a still on-going high level of AMR and virulence potential in MRSA was demonstrated, making this pathogen a serious risk in swine production chain, highlighting once more the need to develop efficient, pathogen-specific control strategies
Esbl/ampc-producing escherichia coli in wild boar: Epidemiology and risk factors
The complex health problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) involves many host species, numerous bacteria and several routes of transmission. Extended-spectrum β-lactamase and AmpC (ESBL/AmpC)-producing Escherichia coli are among the most important strains. Moreover, wildlife hosts are of interest as they are likely antibiotics free and are assumed as environmental indicators of AMR contamination. Particularly, wild boar (Sus scrofa) deserves attention because of its increased population densities, with consequent health risks at the wildlife–domestic–human interface, and the limited data available on AMR. Here, 1504 wild boar fecal samples were microbiologically and molecularly analyzed to investigate ESBL/AmpC-producing E. coli and, through generalized linear models, the effects of host-related factors and of human population density on their spread. A prevalence of 15.96% of ESBL/AmpC-producing E. coli, supported by blaCTX-M (12.3%), blaTEM (6.98%), blaCMY (0.86%) and blaSHV (0.47%) gene detection, emerged. Young animals were more colonized by ESBL/AmpC strains than older subjects, as observed in domestic animals. Increased human population density leads to increased blaTEM prevalence in wild boar, suggesting that spatial overlap may favor this transmission. Our results show a high level of AMR contamination in the study area that should be further investigated. However, a role of wild boar as a maintenance host of AMR strains emerged
Daily consumption of a high-phenol extra-virgin olive oil reduces oxidative DNA damage in postmenopausal women
Extra-virgin olive oils (EVOO), high in phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties, could be partly responsible for the lower mortality and incidence of cancer and CVD in the Mediterranean region. The present study aims to measure oxidative DNA damage in healthy human subjects consuming olive oils with different concentrations of natural phenols. A randomised cross-over trial of high-phenol EVOO (high-EVOO; 592 mg total phenols/kg) v. low-phenol EVOO (low-EVOO; 147 mg/kg) was conducted in ten postmenopausal women in Florence. Subjects were asked to substitute all types of fat and oils habitually consumed with the study oil (50 g/d) for 8 weeks in each period. Oxidative DNA damage was measured by the comet assay in peripheral blood lymphocytes, collected at each visit during the study period. Urine samples over 24 h were collected to measure the excretion of the olive oil phenols. The average of the four measurements of oxidative DNA damage during treatment with high-EVOO was 30 % lower than the average during the low-EVOO treatment (P=0.02). Urinary excretion of hydroxytyrosol and its metabolite homovanillyl alcohol were significantly increased in subjects consuming high-EVOO. Despite the small sample size, the present study showed a reduction of DNA damage by consumption of an EVOO rich in phenols, particularly hydroxytyrosol
"Itinera. Trajectoires de la forme Tragedia Endogonidia"
Tragedia Endogonidia est le titre d\u2019un cycle de onze spectacles compos\ue9
entre 2002 et 2004 par Romeo Castellucci avec la Soc\uecetas Raffaello
Sanzio, une des compagnies les plus repr\ue9sentatives de la sc\ue8ne th\ue9\ue2trale
internationale.
Comme un petit th\ue9\ue2tre de la m\ue9moire, Itinera est une strat\ue9gie d\u2019approche,
un moyen de p\ue9n\ue9trer \ue0 l\u2019int\ue9rieur du syst\ue8me, une mani\ue8re
d\u2019interroger le processus des travaux de la Tragedia Endogonidia. Il en
r\ue9sulte une g\ue9ographie de sensations, d\u2019espaces, de visions, de forces et
de formes, qui ont travers\ue9 comme un courant le processus de composition
des \ue9pisodes du cycle.
Les chapitres approfondissent les th\ue9matiques qui s\u2019entrecroisent d\u2019un
spectacle \ue0 l\u2019autre. Par le biais des photographies de Luca Del Pia,
Enrico Pitozzi et Annalisa Sacchi proposent ici une sismographie de la
Tragedia Endogonidia, la possibilit\ue9 de faire surgir de la page, pour
un instant, la trace m\ue9morielle du mouvement de son corps en fuite
Par le prisme des sens: m\ue9diation et nouvelles r\ue9alit\ue9s du corps dans les arts performatifs.Technologies, cognition et m\ue9thodologies \ue9mergentes de recherche-cr\ue9ation
Au cours de la derni\ue8re d\ue9cennie, les nouvelles technologies ont influenc\ue9 la rupture \ue9pist\ue9mologique fondamentale qui a transform\ue9 les notions de \uab\u2009performativit\ue9\u2009\ubb et de \uab\u2009repr\ue9sentation\u2009\ubb dans les arts. La m\ue9diation a remis en question les conventions de la corpor\ue9it\ue9, de l\u2019embodiment, de la cognition et de la perception des spectateurs et des interpr\ue8tes. Centr\ue9 sur les \u153uvres contemporaines synesth\ue9tiques et multimodales, Par le prisme des sens examine les nouvelles th\ue9ories et pratiques des arts corporels et de la performance contemporaine. Trois chapitres principaux pr\ue9sentent des volets distincts de la recherche m\ue9thodologique, chacun tissant un lien transdisciplinaire avec les autres chapitres, cr\ue9ant ainsi une \u153uvre qui r\ue9sonne avec la recherche artistique et philosophique. Le pr\ue9sent ouvrage est une contribution essentielle aux discussions autour de la recherche-cr\ue9ation et du corps en relation avec les m\ue9dias num\ue9riques, soulignant les fa\ue7ons dont les nouvelles technologies touchent le corps sensoriel et somatique et r\ue9v\ue8lent le nouveau statut contemporain du corps
Androgen receptor mRNA under-expression in poorly differentiated human hepatocellular carcinoma
Many studies suggest that hepatocellular
carcinoma (HCC) is an androgen-dependent tumor with
an incidence five times higher in males, but few data are
available on the androgen receptor (AR) mRNA levels in
different physiological classes of human liver specimens.
In this study 108 human hepatic samples have been
analyzed for AR mRNA expression by a comparative
RT-PCR assay. These consisted of 35 non-tumoral
hepatic samples (3 normal parenchymas, 4 steatosis, 10
hepatitis, 18 cirrhosis), 38 tumoral specimens derived
from uninodular and multinodular HCCs and 35
peritumoral hepatic tissues.
Normalized AR mRNA levels in tumoral and
peritumoral liver tissues spanned from 0 to 146% and
from 7 to 125% respectively. Only in a relatively small
percentage of HCCs, the levels of expression of AR
mRNA were higher than in the corresponding
peritumoral tissues (16% of total HCCs). Although
extremely variable, the AR mRNA levels were related to
histological tumoral differentiation and proved to be
lower in the highly dedifferentiated HCCs as compared
to the well differentiated ones.
Therefore, the evaluation of AR expression in HCC
patients might be relevant for the planning of clinical
studies on anti-androgen therapies, which might be
useful only in the cases in which a high level of AR
mRNA is detected, considering the high heterogeneity of
AR mRNA levels which characterizes HCC samples. It
is likely that the HCCs, expressing low or undetectable levels of AR mRNA, would not benefit by the antiandrogen
therapy