The effects of reduced physical activity on the lipid profile in patients with high cardiovascular risk during covid-19 lockdown

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global health problem. In Italy, to limit the infections, the government ordered lockdown from March 2020. This measure, designed to contain the virus, led to serious limitations on the daily life of the individuals it affected, and in particular in the limitation of physical exercise. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of reduced physical activity on the lipid profile in patients with high cardiovascular risk. Methods: We enrolled 38 dyslipidemic patients, 56% male, with an age range of 44–62 years, considered to be at high cardiovascular risk. All patients were prescribed statin drug therapy (atorvastatin 40 mg) and a vigorous physical activity program four times a week, 1 h per session. In addition, a personalized Mediterranean diet was prescribed to all the patients. Total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides were measured in patients at T0 before lockdown and at T1 during lockdown. Results: Data showed a significant increase (p < 0.01) in total cholesterol (+6,8%) and LDL (+15,8%). Furthermore, the analysis of the data revealed a reduction in HDL (−3%) and an increase in triglycerides (+3,2%), although both were not significant (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our study showed that the reduction in physical activity during lockdown led to an increase in LDL levels, and therefore, in the risk of ischemic heart disease in dyslipidemic patients with high cardiovascular risk

Degenerate PCR method for identification of an antiapoptotic gene in BHV-1

To investigate on the hypothetical presence of an antiapoptotic gene, we utilized the CODEHOP (COnsensus-DEgenerate Hybrid Oligonucleotide Primers) strategy amplifying unknown sequences from a background of genomic (bovine herpesvirus type-1) BHV-1 DNA. An alignment of carboxyl-terminal domains belonging to three proteins encoded by gamma 34.5, MyD116 and GADD34 genes, was carried out to design degenerate PCR primers in highly conserved regions. This allowed the amplification of a 110 bp fragment. This fragment was subjected to automatic sequencing and DNA sequence analysis revealed that its position resided between the nt 14363 and the nt 14438 in bovine herpesvirus type-1 (BHV-1) Cooper strain sharing an identity of 86% (UL14). Transient transfections showed that ULI 4 protein is efficient in protecting MDBK and K562 cells from sorbitol induced apoptosis. The protein's anti-apoptotic function may derive from its heat shock protein-like properties

Antioxidant Effects of a Hydroxytyrosol-Based Pharmaceutical Formulation on Body Composition, Metabolic State, and Gene Expression: A Randomized Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial

Hydroxytyrosol (HT) plays a significant role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) protection, and its metabolites are able to protect from the endothelial dysfunction commonly present in atherosclerosis. This randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover trial determined the effect in healthy volunteers of two gastroresistant capsules containing 15 mg/day of HT, for a 3-week period (HTT). Evaluation of nutritional status, serum metabolites, oxidative stress biomarkers, and gene expression of 9 genes related to oxidative stress, inflammation, and CVDs was performed. Oxidation biomarkers like thiol group (p = 0.001), total antioxidant status (TAS) (p = 0.001), superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) (2−ΔΔCt = 3.7), and plasma concentration of HT (2.83 μg·mL−1) were significantly increased,while nitrite (p = 0.001), nitrate (p = 0.001), and malondialdehyde (MDA) (p = 0.02), were drastically reduced after HTT. A significant reduction of body fat mass percentage (p = 0.01), suprailiac skinfold (p = 0.01), and weight (p = 0.04; Δ% = −0.46%) was observed after HTT. This study shows that regular intake of 15 mg/day of HT changed body composition parameters and modulated the antioxidant profile and the expression of inflammation and oxidative stress-related genes. However, it is advisable to personalize HT doses in order to exert its health benefits in CVD prevention and protection of LDL-C particles from oxidative damage. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01890070

The Protective Effect of a Unique Mix of Polyphenols and Micronutrients against Neurodegeneration Induced by an In Vitro Model of Parkinson’s Disease

: Parkinson's disease (PD) is second-most common disabling neurological disorder worldwide, and unfortunately, there is not yet a definitive way to prevent it. Polyphenols have been widely shown protective efficacy against various PD symptoms. However, data on their effect on physio-pathological mechanisms underlying this disease are still lacking. In the present work, we evaluated the activity of a mixture of polyphenols and micronutrients, named A5+, in the murine neuroblastoma cell line N1E115 treated with 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), an established neurotoxic stimulus used to induce an in vitro PD model. We demonstrate that a pretreatment of these cells with A5+ causes significant reduction of inflammation, resulting in a decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-6, TNF-α, and CXCL1), a reduction in ROS production and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2, and a decrease in apoptotic mechanisms with the related increase in cell viability. Intriguingly, A5+ treatment promoted cellular differentiation into dopaminergic neurons, as evident by the enhancement in the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase, a well-established dopaminergic neuronal marker. Overall, these results demonstrate the synergic and innovative efficacy of A5+ mixture against PD cellular pathological processes, although further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying its beneficial effect

The role of MTHFR polymorphisms in the risk of lipedema

Objective: This study examines the role of MTHFR gene polymorphism (rs1801133) in women with lipedema (LIPPY) body composition parameters compared to a control group (CTRL). Subjects and methods: We carried out a study on a sample of 45 LIPPY and 50 women as a CTRL. Body composition parameters were examined by Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA). A genetic test was performed for the MTHFR polymorphism (rs1801133, 677C>T) using a saliva sample for LIPPY and CTRL groups. Mann-Whitney tests evaluated statistically significant differences between four groups (carriers and non-carriers of the MTHFR polymorphism for LIPPY and CTRL groups) on anthropometric/body composition parameters to identify patterns. Results: LIPPY showed significantly higher (p<0.05) anthropometric parameters (weight, BMI, waist, abdominal, hip circumferences) and lower waist/hip ratio (p<0.05) compared to the CTRL group. The association between the polymorphism alleles related to the rs1801133 MTHFR gene and the body composition values LIPPY carriers (+) showed an increase in fat tissue of legs and fat region of legs percentage, arm's fat mass (g), leg's fat mass (g), and leg's lean mass (g) (p<0.05) compared to CTRL (+). Lean/fat arms and lean/fat legs were lower (p<0.05) in LIPPY (+) than in CTRL (+). In the LIPPY (+), the risk of developing the lipedema disease was 2.85 times higher (OR=2.85; p<0.05; 95% confidence interval = 0.842-8.625) with respect to LIPPY (-) and CTRL. Conclusions: The presence or absence of MTHFR polymorphism offers predictive parameters that could better characterize women with lipedema based on the association between body composition and MTHFR presence

Tyrosol may prevent obesity by inhibiting adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes

Tyrosol (TR), a major polyphenol found in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), exerts several antioxidant effects. However, only scarce evidences are present regarding its activity on adipocytes and obesity. This study evaluated the role of TR in adipogenesis. Murine 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were incubated with TR (300 and 500 μM), and TR administration inhibited adipogenesis by downregulation of several adipogenic factors (leptin and aP2) and transcription factors (C/EBPα, PPARγ, SREBP1c, and Glut4) and by modulation of the histone deacetylase sirtuin 1. After complete differentiation, adipocytes treated with 300 and 500 μM TR showed a reduction of 20% and 30% in lipid droplets, respectively. Intracellular triglycerides were significantly reduced after TR treatment (p < 0.05). Mature adipocytes treated with TR at 300 and 500 μM showed a marked decrease in the inflammatory state and oxidative stress as shown by the modulation of specific biomarkers (TNF, IL6, ROS, and SOD2). TR treatment also acted on the early stage of differentiation by reducing cell proliferation (~40%) and inducing cell cycle arrest during Mitotic Expansion Clonal (first 48 h of differentiation), as shown by the increase in both S1 phase and p21 protein expression. We also showed that TR induced lipolysis by activating the AMPK-ATGL-HSL pathway. In conclusion, we provided evidence that TR reduces 3T3-L1 differentiation through downregulation of adipogenic proteins, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Moreover, TR may trigger adipose tissue browning throughout the induction of the AMPK-ATGL-UCP1 pathway and, subsequently, may have promise as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment and prevention of obesity

Influence of FTO rs9939609 and Mediterranean diet on body composition and weight loss: a randomized clinical trial

Background The Mediterranean diet (MeD) plays a key role in the prevention of obesity. Among the genes involved in obesity, the Fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) is one of the most known, but its interaction with MeD remained uncertain so far. Methods We carried out a study on a sample of 188 Italian subjects, analyzing their FTO rs9939609 alleles, and the difference in body composition between the baseline and a 4-weeks nutritional intervention. The sample was divided into two groups: the control group of 49 subjects, and the MeD group of 139 subjects. Results We found significant relations between MeD and both variation of total body fat (ΔTBFat) (p = 0.00) and gynoid body fat (p = 0.04). ∆TBFat (kg) demonstrated to have a significant relation with the interaction diet-gene (p = 0.04), whereas FTO was associated with the variation of total body water (p = 0.02). Conclusions MeD demonstrated to be a good nutritional treatment to reduce the body fat mass, whereas data about FTO remain uncertain. Confirming or rejecting the hypothesis of FTO and its influence on body tissues during nutritional treatments is fundamental to decide whether its effect has to be taken into consideration during both development of dietetic plans and patients monitoring. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Id: NCT01890070. Registered 01 July 2013, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT0189007

E-PICENTRO. Cantiere di riflessioni sull'avvenire delle citt\ue0 vulnerabili

Dall'instabilità all'equilibrio: un progetto di rigenerazione urbana. Cantieri di riflessioni sull'avvenire delle città vulnerabili

Esperienze internazionali a confronto

Tra i modelli alternativi ai laboratori progettuali tradizionali, il workshop internazionale può essere utilizzato per simulare, attarverso la sperimentazione progettuale, la pratica reale, comprendendo in sé anche i temi più interessanti dell’insegnamento. Un momento in cui mettere alla prova la propria capacità di elaborazione del sapere in una situazione molto vicina al reale, in cui, a partire dal lavorare in un paese che non è il proprio, si hanno contatti con amministrazioni locali, stakeholder, imprese, altre figure professionali, ambienti naturali e antropizzati completamente diversi da quelli conosciuti

Epicentro - Cantieri di riflessioni sull'avvenire delle città vulnerabili

Dall'instabilità all'equilibrio: un progetto di rigenerazione urbana. Cantieri di riflessioni sull'avvenire delle città vulnerabili