Signal transduction pathways in the clinical approach: where are we going?

invited editoria

Green energy conservation practices in the five stars hotel in Malaysia

A study of 353 travellers both business and leisure were interviewed on the green energy conservation attributes that guests seek in the five star hotels in Malaysia. Using conjoint analysis of energy management, water management and waste management for green energy conservation in the five star hotels, the study found that the most influential green energy conservation on hotel green practices preference for this sample was energy management. These respondents were also supportive and agree that placing more green plant in the hotel area, allow more natural lighting and ventilation in the hotel area. Guests also appreciated the idea for green energy conservation practices in the hotel to be „green hotel‟ and it shows that they are strongly support this green practices in the hotel. However, the study found few differences between the level of importance of energy management, water management and waste management. Most of the respondents are supportive with the idea of energy management practices of LED light and the control of hotel air condition temperature with the waste management practices of using recycle amenities in the guest room and placing recycle waste bin around the hotel area due to the concern on hotel rating (five star hotels image). However, this study limitation is that only three green attributes were studied and the inclusion of additional attributes. These findings give five star hoteliers information about travellers‟ preferences of a green energy conservation practices in the hotel to be a green hotel in line with the ASEAN green standard

Ezrin-related phosphoinositide pathway modifies RhoA and Rac1 in human osteosarcoma cell lines

Selected Phosphoinositide-specific Phospholipase C (PI-PLC) enzymes occupy the convergence point of the broad range of pathways that promote Rho and Ras GTPase mediated signalling, which also regulate the activation of ezrin, a member of the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) proteins family involved in the metastatic osteosarcoma spread. Previous studies described that in distinct human osteosarcoma cell lines ezrin networks the PI-PLC with complex interplay controlling the expression of the PLC genes, which codify for PI-PLC enzymes. In the present study, we analyzed the expression and the sub-cellular distribution of RhoA and Rac1 respectively after ezrin silencing and after PI-PLC ε silencing, in order to investigate whether ezrin-RhoGTPAses signalling might involve one or more specific PI-PLC isoforms in cultured 143B and Hs888 human osteosarcoma cell lines. In the present experiments, both ezrin and PLCE gene silencing had different effects upon RhoA and Rac1 expression and sub-cellular localization. Displacements of Ezrin and of RhoA localization were observed, probably playing functional roles

Phosphoinositide signal transduction pathway and osteosarcoma metastases

Metastasis spreading confers worse prognosis to the clinical outcome in patients affected with osteosarcoma, the most common primary bone tumour in childhood and adolescence. The identification of the molecules involved in spreading might help to understand the mechanisms of tumour dissemination, opening the way to novel therapeutic strategies. The activation of ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) family proteins was suggested to occur after interaction with molecules belonging to Phosphoinositide signal transduction pathway. The Phosphatydil inositol (4,5) bisphosphate (PIP2), a crucial molecule in PI pathway, was indicated to be involved in the stabilization of ERM proteins or a more efficient receptor binding. The levels of PIP2 in the pathway represent a critical element for regulation of a number of cell events. PIP2 levels are regulated by means of enzymes, including the PI-specific Phospholipase C family. The reduction of PIP2 levels induces ERM protein dissociation from the membrane. PI-PLC enzymes contribute to regulate this event. The role of PI signal transduction molecules in osteosarcoma metastases will be discussed

Phosphoinositide-specific Phospholipases C in psychiatric diseases and suicide

Mood disorders represent a major medical need requiring chronic treatment. About one million people die by suicide worldwide each year, both as a consequence of major depression or not. Multiple deficits, including cell atrophy and loss, were described in the brains of mood disorders affected patients and in experimental animal models. Numerous changes in gene expression and activity were described in limbic and cortical brain regions. Available therapies probably regulate many of these changes. Different signal transduction pathways play a role in the pathogenesis of schizoaffective disorders, namely the cyclic‐AMP, phosphoinositides (PI), mitogen‐activated protein kinase, and glycogen synthase kinase cascades. Neurobiology studies focused upon abnormalities of signalling mechanisms with special regard to the serotonin system and related PI signalling system. Involvement of PI-specific Phospholipase C (PLC) enzymes was also described. In suicide brains the overall PLC expression was altered due to a complex reorganization of the isoforms, and PLC 1 isoform was suggested to be involved in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The knowledge of the complex network of neurobiological molecules and interconnected signal transduction pathways in the brain might help to understand the natural history and the pathogenesis of mood disorders, as well as of the suicidal behaviour. Moreover, it might widen the panel of available therapeutic tools, also gaining prognostic suggestions in order to prevent suicide

Effects of antioxidant supplementation on the aging process

The free radical theory of aging hypothesizes that oxygen-derived free radicals are responsible for the age-related damage at the cellular and tissue levels. In a normal situation, a balanced-equilibrium exists among oxidants, antioxidants and biomolecules. Excess generation of free radicals may overwhelm natural cellular antioxidant defences leading to oxidation and further contributing to cellular functional impairment. The identification of free radical reactions as promoters of the aging process implies that interventions aimed at limiting or inhibiting them should be able to reduce the rate of formation of aging changes with a consequent reduction of the aging rate and disease pathogenesis. Even if antioxidant supplementation is receiving growing attention and is increasingly adopted in Western countries, supporting evidence is still scarce and equivocal. Major limitations in literature are still needed to be addressed to better evaluate the potential benefits from antioxidant supplementation: 1) an improved understanding of oxidation mechanisms possibly at the basis of the aging process, 2) the determination of reliable markers of oxidative damage and antioxidant status, 3) the identification of a therapeutic window in which an eventual antioxidant supplementation may be beneficial, 4) a deeper knowledge of the antioxidant molecules which in several conditions act as pro-oxidants. In the present paper, after a preliminary introduction to the free radical theory of aging and the rationale of antioxidant supplementation as an anti-aging intervention, we will present an overview of evidence relating antioxidant supplementations with clinical conditions typical of older age (ie, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer). We will also discuss studies that have evaluated whether antioxidant supplementation might improve major outcomes of interest in older persons (ie, physical performance, muscle strength, longevity). Given the large amount of data available on the antioxidant supplementation topic, this overview is not intended to be exhaustive. The aim of this paper is to provide the main basis from which future studies should start and indicate which the main limitations that need to be addressed are

Guidance Note on Psychosocial Support: Facilitating psychosocial wellbeing and social and emotional learning

This INEE Guidance Note addresses a gap in the tools that are currently available to educators and professionals operating in emergency and crisis contexts. Although many resources specific to psychosocial programming exist, including the foundational guidance for the humanitarian sector referenced in this document, INEE members working in contexts as diverse as the Ebola crisis in West Africa, the aftermath of the Nepalese earthquake, and the ongoing Syrian crisis expressed a need for PSS guidance that was specifically oriented to the education sector. This INEE Guidance Note encourages more intentional and consistent implementation of practical, good-quality psychosocial interventions on the education frontlines by teachers, education administrators, parents, counselors, peers, ministries, and other education personnel in three concrete ways: •The Guidance Note clarifies the education sector’s importance in supporting the psychosocial wellbeing of children and youth. •The Guidance Note provides educators with practical tips and advice about how to integrate PSS into formal and non-formal education efforts. •The Guidance Note highlights linkages between PSS in education and other sectors

Invest in Your Mental Health, Support Your Career. Exploring the Impact of Mental Health Activities on Movement Capital and the Mediating Role of Flourishing and Career Engagement during the Transition to Work

The current theorising of career self-management advocates that personal resources that support an adaptive transition to work are bound to individual agency. Yet, research still needs to enrich the empirical exploration of how behaviours in personal life affect careers. For this reason, we explored the impact of mental-health activities—a group of self-help activities that people can perform to increase their mental health—on movement capital among Italian new entrants in the labour market. We also explored a mechanism underlying this relationship by testing the mediating role of flourishing and career engagement. We collected data from 229 Italian university students and recent graduates through an online questionnaire. Contrary to our expectations, we found no significant direct relationship between mental-health activities and movement capital, yet the results supported an indirect relationship. The findings contribute to existing evidence about how personal life behaviours affect career self-management and advance the understanding of the role of mental health activities. This work suggests ways to encourage engagement in self-help behaviours and implement public and higher education interventions to foster these behaviours’ benefits for an adaptive transition to work

La corruzione amministrativa: misure organizzative e semplificazioni per la prevenzione del fenomeno; profili nazionali, sovranazionali e internazionali

La corruzione è un fenomeno altamente insidioso che ostacola lo sviluppo economico, mina la democrazia e lede la giustizia sociale e lo Stato di diritto. Rispetto alle vicende degli anni Novanta - periodo nel quale la gravità del fenomeno ha suscitato livelli di allarme sociale analoghi a quelli odierni - si deve registrare nel nostro Paese un cambio di approccio nei tentativi di lotta alla corruzione. La sola repressione, affidata allo strumento sanzionatorio penale, non è parsa più sufficiente a contrastare un fenomeno > - che ha raggiunto, cioè, la sua massima espansione possibile - ma è emersa la necessità di strumenti di carattere preventivo. Questi ultimi si inseriscono all'interno di una strategia integrata e coordinata di contrasto - di cui alla L. n. 190 del 2012 (cd. legge anticorruzione) - basata non soltanto su misure repressive ma anche su misure amministrative, organizzative e strutturali, volte a combinare innovazione e semplificazione della P.A. con un rafforzamento a livello culturale ed etico del personale che compone l'apparato pubblico. Questo cambio di approccio va letto in concomitanza con l'emersione di una nozione di corruzione diversa e più ampia di quella penalistica: accanto alla corruzione come fattispecie di reato disciplinata dal Codice penale (artt. 318 e ss. c.p.) all'interno del Titolo dedicato ai "delitti contro la pubblica amministrazione", si tende a riconoscere l'esistenza di una nozione giuridicamente rilevante di corruzione che abbraccia un ventaglio ben più ampio di situazioni e comportamenti riconducibili non solo a fattispecie penalmente sanzionate ma anche a fatti apparentemente leciti e comunque riprovati dall'ordinamento giuridico. Vi rientrano fattispecie e relazioni giuridiche di vario genere, che a vario titolo si traducono in disfunzioni patologiche della pubblica amministrazione. A partire da tali premesse, la ricerca analizza la strategia amministrativistica di lotta al fenomeno ovvero le misure di semplificazione e i rimedi di carattere organizzativo messi in atto dal Legislatore in funzione di prevenzione e contrasto. Posto che qualsiasi settore d’intervento pubblico è vulnerabile alla corruzione, sono stati selezionati nell'analisi del fenomeno alcuni ambiti che per le loro caratteristiche sono maggiormente esposti a questo rischio (contratti pubblici, sanità, governo del territorio). L'ultima parte della ricerca è dedicata ai profili sovranazionali e internazionali di lotta alla corruzione, considerato che non si tratta di un problema limitato alla realtà locale-nazionale ma che trascende i confini dei singoli Stati e che, quindi, va combattuto attraverso strategie comuni a livello globale