Sleeve Gastrectomy-Induced Body Mass Index Reduction Increases the Intensity of Taste Perception’s and Reduces Bitter-Induced Pleasantness in Severe Obesity

Background: The sense of taste is involved in food behavior and may drive food choices, likely contributing to obesity. Differences in taste preferences have been reported in normal-weight as compared to obese subjects. Changes in taste perception with an increased sweet-induced sensitivity have been reported in surgically treated obese patients, but data regarding the perception of basic tastes yielded conflicting results. We aimed to evaluate basic taste identification, induced perception, and pleasantness in normal-weight controls and obese subjects before and after bariatric surgery. Methods: Severe obese and matched normal weight subjects underwent a standardized spit test to evaluate sweet, bitter, salty, umami, and sour taste identification, induced perception, and pleasant-ness. A subset of obese subjects were also studied before and 12 months after sleeve gastrectomy. Results: No significant differences in basic taste-induced perceptions were observed, although a higher number of controls correctly identified umami than did obese subjects. Sleeve-gastrectomy-induced weight loss did not affect the overall ability to correctly identify basic tastes but was associated with a significant increase in taste intensities, with higher scores for sour and bitter, and a significantly reduced bitter-induced pleasantness. Conclusions: The perception of basic tastes is similar in normal-weight and severely obese subjects. Sleeve-gastrectomy-induced weight loss significantly increases basic taste-induced intensity, and selectively reduces bitter-related pleasantness without affecting the ability to identify the tastes. Our findings reveal that taste perception is influenced by body mass index changes, likely supporting the hypothesis that centrally mediated mechanisms modulate taste perception in severe obesity

Resonance phenomena in asymmetric superconducting quantum interference devices

Theory of self induced resonances in asymmetric two-junction interferometer device is presented. In real devices it is impossible to have an ideal interferometer free of imperfections. Thus, we extended previous theoretical approaches introducing a model which contains several asymmetries: Josephson current $\epsilon$, capacitances $\chi$ and dissipation $\rho$ presented in an equivalent circuit. Moreover, non conventional symmetry of the order parameter in high temperature superconducting quantum interference devices forced us to include phase asymmetries. Therefore, the model has been extended to the case of $\pi$-shift interferometers, where a phase shift is present in one of the junctions.Comment: accepted to PRB, low quality figure

Temperature-dependent electric noise level in different iron-based superconductors

A detailed characterization of the voltage-noise properties has been performed in FeTe0.5Se0.5 epitaxial thin films and Co-doped BaFe2As2 bilayers, deposited by pulsed laser deposition. In all the samples analyzed, the experimental voltage-spectral density has a 1/f noise component. Different behaviors are observed for the bias current and temperature dependencies of this 1/f noise, and are related to specific structural and electric transport properties of the two materials

Cannabidiol inhibits SARS-Cov-2 spike (S) protein-induced cytotoxicity and inflammation through a PPARγ-dependent TLR4/NLRP3/Caspase-1 signaling suppression in Caco-2 cell line

Given the abundancy of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptors density, beyond the lung, the intestine is considered as an alternative site of infection and replication for severe acute respiratory syndrome by coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Cannabidiol (CBD) has recently been proposed in the management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) respiratory symptoms because of its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity exerted in the lung. In this study, we demonstrated the in vitro PPAR-γ-dependent efficacy of CBD (10−9-10−7 M) in preventing epithelial damage and hyperinflammatory response triggered by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SP) in a Caco-2 cells. Immunoblot analysis revealed that CBD was able to reduce all the analyzed proinflammatory markers triggered by SP incubation, such as tool-like receptor 4 (TLR-4), ACE-2, family members of Ras homologues A-GTPase (RhoA-GTPase), inflammasome complex (NLRP3), and Caspase-1. CBD caused a parallel inhibition of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and IL-18 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay. By immunofluorescence analysis, we observed increased expression of tight-junction proteins and restoration of transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) following CBD treatment, as well as the rescue of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)–dextran permeability induced by SP. Our data indicate, in conclusion, that CBD is a powerful inhibitor of SP protein enterotoxicity in vitro

Ultramicronized palmitoylethanolamide inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome expression and pro-inflammatory response activated by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in cultured murine alveolar macrophages

Despite its possible therapeutic potential against COVID-19, the exact mechanism(s) by which palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) exerts its beneficial activity is still unclear. PEA has demonstrated analgesic, anti-allergic, and anti-inflammatory activities. Most of the anti-inflammatory properties of PEA arise from its ability to antagonize nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signalling pathway via the selective activation of the PPARα receptors. Acting at this site, PEA can downstream several genes involved in the inflammatory response, including cytokines (TNF-α, Il-1β) and other signal mediators, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and COX2. To shed light on this, we tested the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity of ultramicronized(um)-PEA, both alone and in the presence of specific peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) antagonist MK886, in primary cultures of murine alveolar macrophages exposed to SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (SP). SP challenge caused a significant concentration-dependent increase in proinflammatory markers (TLR4, p-p38 MAPK, NF-κB) paralleled to a marked upregulation of inflammasome-dependent inflammatory pathways (NLRP3, Caspase-1) with IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α over-release, compared to vehicle group. We also observed a significant concentration-dependent increase in ACE-2 following SP challenge. um-PEA concentration-dependently reduced all the analyzed proinflammatory markers fostering a parallel downregulation of ACE-2. Our data show for the first time that um-PEA, via PPAR-α, markedly inhibits the SP induced NLRP3 signalling pathway outlining a novel mechanism of action of this lipid against COVID-19

Dynamical effects of an unconventional current-phase relation in YBCO dc-SQUIDs

The predominant d-wave pairing symmetry in high temperature superconductors allows for a variety of current-phase relations in Josephson junctions, which is to a certain degree fabrication controlled. In this letter we report on direct experimental observations of the effects of a non-sinusoidal current-phase dependence in YBCO dc-SQUIDs, which agree with the theoretical description of the system.Comment: 4 pages, 4 ps figures, to apprear in Phys. Rev. Let

Two-stage dissipation in a superconducting microbridge: Experiment and modeling

Using fluorescent microthermal imaging we have investigated the origin of "two-step" behavior in I-V curves for a current-carrying YBa_2Cu_3O_x superconducting bridge. High resolution temperature maps reveal that as the applied current increases the first step in the voltage corresponds to local dissipation (hot spot), whereas the second step is associated with onset of global dissipation throughout the entire bridge. A quantitative explanation of the experimental results is provided by a simple model for an inhomogeneous superconductor, assuming that the hot spot nucleates at a location with slightly depressed superconducting properties.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Barrier properties in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7؊x grain-boundary Josephson junctions using electron-beam irradiation

Electron-beam irradiation has been used to induce controllable variations in the properties of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7Ϫx biepitaxial grain-boundary Josephson junctions. A correlation between the transport properties and the microstructure was obtained by determining the ratio of a barrier thickness to the dielectric constant of the junctions with different barriers. These results give evidence of the role of the oxygen content and the dielectric constant of the interface region in transport phenomena. The experiment also demonstrates frequency tunability in a resonant soliton oscillator. ͓S0163-1829͑98͒51322-2

Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure increases hospitalizations for bronchiolitis in infants

BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) is a worldwide health problem and it is considered a risk factor for pregnant women's and children's health, particularly for respiratory morbidity during the first year of life. Few significant birth cohort studies on the effect of prenatal TSE via passive and active maternal smoking on the development of severe bronchiolitis in early childhood have been carried out worldwide. METHODS: From November 2009 to December 2012, newborns born at ≥ 33 weeks of gestational age (wGA) were recruited in a longitudinal multi-center cohort study in Italy to investigate the effects of prenatal and postnatal TSE, among other risk factors, on bronchiolitis hospitalization and/or death during the first year of life. RESULTS: Two thousand two hundred ten newborns enrolled at birth were followed-up during their first year of life. Of these, 120 (5.4%) were hospitalized for bronchiolitis. No enrolled infants died during the study period. Prenatal passive TSE and maternal active smoking of more than 15 cigarettes/daily are associated to a significant increase of the risk of offspring children hospitalization for bronchiolitis, with an adjHR of 3.5 (CI 1.5-8.1) and of 1.7 (CI 1.1-2.6) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the detrimental effects of passive TSE and active heavy smoke during pregnancy for infants' respiratory health, since the exposure significantly increases the risk of hospitalization for bronchiolitis in the first year of lif