Mobile awareness: Design for connectedness

This article describes our ongoing research project about design for behavior change, which is facilitated by Ubiquitous Computing technologies. In particular in this paper we discuss the potentiality of mobile devices to facilitate the mobility behavior change among people who are currently living at Turin, Italy. To this aim we illustrate our conceptual design of a mobile game, which is designed to facilitate mobility behavior change

Genetic diversity and origin of the rare, narrow endemic Asperula crassifolia (Rubiaceae)

We examined the patterns of genetic variation in the narrow endemic Asperula crassifolia (Campania, southern Italy), taking into account the schizoendemic distribution of the Mediterranean members of Asperula sect. Cynanchicae. We obtained plastid DNA sequences of the rps16 intron and the trnC-petN intergenic spacer for several members of A. sect. Cynanchicae, for three living populations (48 individuals) and ten herbarium specimens of A. crassifolia. We also analysed nSSR data for A. crassifolia, to infer population diversity and differentiation. Our results suggest that the centre of diversity of A. crassifolia is the island of Capri, where A. crassifolia harbours four different ptDNA haplotypes, two of which are shared with other species of sect. Cynanchicae. Microsatellite analyses revealed low levels of genetic diversity for the mainland population (Nerano, Sorrentine Peninsula) and the neighbouring Sirenusae islets. Diversity in A. crassifolia is mainly explained by ancestral variation and recent divergence. Rarity in A. crassifolia is a natural condition; however, we express concern for the small census population size as it might trigger further rarefaction

Epipactis tremolsii seed diversity in two close but extremely different populations: Just a case of intraspecific variability?

Analysis of the seed morphology is a widely used approach in ecological and taxonomic studies. In this context, intraspecific variability with respect to seed morphology (size, weight, and density) was assessed in two close Epipactis tremolsii Pau. populations sharing the same ecological conditions, except for the soil pollution distinguishing one of them. Larger and heavier seeds were found in plants growing on the heavy metal polluted site, while no differences in seed density were detected between seeds produced by plants growing on the contaminated and the control site. Moreover, seed coats and embryos varying together in their dimensions were described in the control population, while coats varying in their size independently from embryos were described in plants growing on the polluted site. Seeds from the two studied populations significantly differed in several parameters suggesting that intraspecific seed variability occurred in the case study

Lost and found: Coffea stenophylla and C. affinis, the forgotten coffee crop species of west Africa

Two species, Coffea arabica and C. canephora, are used to produce the world’s coffee, and serve the coffee sector admirably. However, various challenges at the production (farm) level, including the increasing prevalence and severity of disease and pests and climate change, indicate that the coffee crop portfolio needs to be diversified in order to ensure resilience and sustainability. In this study we use a multidisciplinary approach (herbarium and literature review, fieldwork and DNA sequencing) to elucidate the taxonomic identities, agronomic attributes and whereabouts of two poorly known coffee crop species, C. affinis and C. stenophylla. We show that despite widespread, albeit small-scale, use as a coffee crop species across Upper West Africa, (and further afield) more than 100 years ago , these species are now rare in the wild and in cultivation. Fieldwork enabled us to rediscover C. stenophylla in Sierra Leone, which previously had not been recorded in the wild there since 1954. We confirm that C. stenophylla is an indigenous species in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast, and show that C. affinis is indigenous in Guinea and Ivory Coast. Both species are likely to be threatened with extinction in the wild, particularly in Guinea. DNA sequencing using plastid and ITS markers was used to: confirm the identity of museum and field collected samples of C. stenophylla; demonstrate the use of plastid and nuclear markers to identify F1 and early-generation interspecific hybrids; identify the hybrid C. liberica x C. stenophylla; and reveal that C. liberica is non-monophyletic and likely to represent more than one species. Contrary to contemporary opinion, we could find no evidence of hybrid status for C. affinis, although the taxonomic identity of this species remains unclear. Sequencing analyses also show that hybridization is possible across all the major short-styled Africa Coffea species, i.e. Coffee Crop Wild Relative Priority Groups I and II. Coffea affinis and C. stenophylla may possess traits useful for coffee crop plant development, including taste differentiation, disease resistance, and climate resilience; these attributes would be best accessed via breeding programmes although these two species may have potential as crops with minimal domestication

Loading into nanoparticles improves quercetin's efficacy in preventing neuroinflammation induced by oxysterols.

Chronic inflammatory events appear to play a fundamental role in Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related neuropathological changes, and to result in neuronal dysfunction and death. The inflammatory responses observed in the AD brain include activation and proliferation of glial cells, together with up-regulation of inflammatory mediators and of free radicals. Along with glial cells, neurons themselves can also react and contribute to neuroinflammatory changes in the AD brain, by serving as sources of inflammatory mediators. Because excess cholesterol cannot be degraded in the brain, it must be excreted from that organ as cholesterol oxidation products (oxysterols), in order to prevent its accumulation. Among risk factors for this neurodegenerative disease, a mechanistic link between altered cholesterol metabolism and AD has been suggested; oxysterols appear to be the missing linkers between the two, because of their neurotoxic effects. This study shows that 24-hydroxycholesterol, 27-hydroxycholesterol, and 7β-hydroxycholesterol, the three oxysterols potentially implicated in AD pathogenesis, induce some pro-inflammatory mediator expression in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, via Toll-like receptor-4/cyclooxygenase-2/membrane bound prostaglandin E synthase (TLR4/COX-2/mPGES-1); this clearly indicates that oxysterols may promote neuroinflammatory changes in AD. To confirm this evidence, cells were incubated with the anti-inflammatory flavonoid quercetin; remarkably, its anti-inflammatory effects in SH-SY5Y cells were enhanced when it was loaded into β-cyclodextrin-dodecylcarbonate nanoparticles, versus cells pretreated with free quercetin. The goal of loading quercetin into nanoparticles was to improve its permeation across the blood-brain barrier into the brain, and its bioavailability to reach target cells. The findings show that this drug delivery system might be a new therapeutic strategy for preventing or reducing AD progression

Molecular evidence of species- and subspecies-level distinctions in the rare Orchis patens s.l. and implications for conservation

AbstractCharacterizing genetic diversity and structure of populations is essential for the effective conservation of threatened species.Orchis patenssensu lato is a narrowly distributed tetraploid species with a disjunct distribution (i.e., Northern Italy, North Africa and the Canary Islands), which is facing a severe decline. In this study, we evaluated levels of genetic diversity and population structuring using 12 new nuclear microsatellite markers. Our analyses of genetic differentiation based on multiple approaches (Structure analysis, PCA analysis, andF-statistics using the ploidy-independentRho-index) showed that gene flow is low across the range ofO. patens s.l., particularly in the Canary Islands. Clear differences in allele frequencies between Italy, Algeria and the Canary Islands underlie the genetic differentiation retrieved. Our study provides support for the recognition ofO. canariensisas a sister species toO. patensand the separation of the Italian populations as a new subspecies ofO. patens. Despite the high heterozygosity values found in all populations (ranging from 0.4 to 0.7), compatible with the tetraploid status of the species, small population sizes and reduced gene flow will be likely detrimental for the different populations in the long term, and we recommend immediate conservation actions to counteract further fragmentation and population decline

Phylogeography and post-glacial dynamics in the clonal-sexual orchid Cypripedium calceolus L.

Aim We investigated the phylogeographical history of a clonal-sexual orchid, to test the hypothesis that current patterns of genetic diversity and differentiation retain the traces of climatic fluctuations and of the species reproductive system. Location Europe, Siberia and Russian Far East. Taxon Cypripedium calceolus L. (Orchidaceae). Methods Samples (>900, from 56 locations) were genotyped at 11 nuclear microsatellite loci and plastid sequences were obtained for a subset of them. Analysis of genetic structure and approximate Bayesian computations were performed. Species distribution modelling was used to explore the effects of past climatic fluctuations on the species range. Results Analysis of genetic diversity reveals high heterozygosity and allele diversity, with no geographical trend. Three genetic clusters are identified with extant gene pools derived from ancestral demes in glacial refugia. Siberian populations exhibit different plastid haplotypes, supporting an early divergence for the Asian gene pool. Demographic results based on genetic data are compatible with an admixture event explaining differentiation in Estonia and Romania and they are consistent with past climatic dynamics inferred through species distribution modelling. Current population differentiation does not follow isolation by distance model and is compatible with a model of isolation by colonization. Main conclusions The genetic differentiation observed today in C. calceolus preserves the signature of climatic fluctuations in the historical distribution range of the species. Our findings support the central role of clonal reproduction in the reducing loss of diversity through genetic drift. The dynamics of the clonal-sexual reproduction are responsible for the persistence of ancestral variation and stability during glacial periods and post-glacial expansion.Peer reviewe

The impact of biologic therapy for moderate-to-severe psoriasis on the immune responses to SARS-CoV2 infection and vaccination

Dear Editor, we explored the impact of biologics and conventional therapies for psoriasis on humoral and T-cellular responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccine. The study (EUDRA 2020-004965-37 Humanitas ICH Ethic Committee) was conducted at the Istituto Clinico Humanitas-Rozzano, Milan, and at the University of Verona, Italy. The enrolled patients were affected by moderate-to-severe psoriasis and were divided into two groups: those who had developed COVID-19 infection (group 1, n=95) and those who underwent COVID-19 vaccination (group 2, n=77

Impact of the number of comorbidities on cardiac sympathetic derangement in patients with reduced ejection fraction heart failure

Introduction Heart failure (HF) is frequently associated with comorbidities. 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (123I-mIBG) imaging constitutes an effective tool to measure cardiac adrenergic innervation and to improve prognostic stratification in HF patients, including the risk of major arrhythmic events. Although comorbidities have been individually associated with reduced cardiac adrenergic innervation, thus suggesting increased arrhythmic risk, very comorbid HF patients seem to be less likely to experience fatal arrhythmias. We evaluated the impact of the number of comorbidities on cardiac adrenergic innervation, assessed through 123I-mIBG imaging, in patients with systolic HF. Methods Patients with systolic HF underwent clinical examination, transthoracic echocardiography and cardiac 123I-mIBG scintigraphy. The presence of 7 comorbidities/conditions (smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral artery disease, atrial fibrillation, chronic ischemic heart disease and chronic kidney disease) was documented in the overall study population. Results The study population consisted of 269 HF patients with a mean age of 66±11 years, a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 31±7%, and 153 (57%) patients presented ≥3 comorbidities. Highly comorbid patients presented a reduced late heart to mediastinum (H/M) ratio, while no significant differences emerged in terms of early H/M ratio and washout rate. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the number of comorbidities was not associated with mIBG parameters of cardiac denervation, which were correlated with age, body mass index and LVEF. Conclusion In systolic HF patients, the number of comorbidities is not associated with alterations in cardiac adrenergic innervation. These results are consistent with the observation that very comorbid HF patients suffer lower risk of sudden cardiac death

Depression in Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction, an Undervalued Comorbidity: An Up-To-Date Review

Introduction: Depression is a common and severe comorbidity among individuals with heart failure (HF). Up to a third of all HF patients are depressed, and an even higher proportion have symptoms of depression. Aim: In this review, we evaluate the relationship between HF and depression, explain the pathophysiology and epidemiology of both diseases and their relationship, and highlight novel diagnostic and therapeutic options for HF patients with depression. Materials and Methods: This narrative review involved keyword searches of PubMed and Web of Science. Review search terms included ["Depression" OR "Depres*" OR "major depr*"] AND ["Heart Failure" OR "HF" OR "HFrEF" OR "HFmrEF" OR "HFpEF" OR "HFimpEF"] in all fields. Studies included in the review met the following criteria: (A) published in a peer-reviewed journal; (B) described the impact of depression on HF and vice versa; and (C) were opinion papers, guidelines, case studies, descriptive studies, randomized control trials, prospective studies, retrospective studies, narrative reviews, and systematic reviews. Results: Depression is an emergent HF risk factor and strongly relates with worse clinical outcomes. HF and depression share multiple pathways, including platelet dis-reactivity, neuroendocrine malfunction, inappropriate inflammation, tachi-arrhythmias, and frailty in the social and community setting. Existing HF guidelines urge evaluation of depression in all HF patients, and numerous screening tools are available. Depression is ultimately diagnosed based on DSM-5 criteria. There are both non-pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical treatments for depression. Regarding depressed symptoms, non-pharmaceutical treatments, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and physical exercise, have shown therapeutic results, under medical supervision and with an effort level adapted to the patient's physical resources, together with optimal HF treatment. In randomized clinical studies, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the backbone of antidepressant treatment, did not demonstrate advantage over the placebo in patients with HF. New antidepressant medications are currently being studied and could provide a chance to enhance management, treatment, and control of depression in patients with HF. Conclusions: Despite the substantial link between depression and HF, their combination is underdiagnosed and undertreated. Considering the hopeful yet unclear findings of antidepressant trials, further research is required to identify people who may benefit from antidepressant medication. The goal of future research should be a complete approach to the care of these patients, who are anticipated to become a significant medical burden in the future