The peopling of the last Green Sahara revealed by high-coverage resequencing of trans-Saharan patrilineages

Little is known about the peopling of the Sahara during the Holocene climatic optimum, when the desert was replaced by a fertile environment

Raman-generated pump impact on Optical Parametric Amplification

Continuous-wave (CW) Raman-generated pump impact on a fiber optical parametric amplifier (OPA) is analyzed. Different noise contributions associated to the pump are experimentally and theoretically evaluated. Gain and noise figure of the amplifier are presented and commented for different OPA configurations. By tightly filtering the CW Raman-generated pump an OPA noise figure approaching the 3 dB limit is achieved

Evaluation of in vitro absorption capacity of glyceraldehyde cross-linked gelatin microspheres

The absorption properties of glyceraldehyde cross-linked gelatin microspheres was compared in vitro with those of dextranomer or cadexomeriodine microspheres, which are used to draw up exudates and other particles away from wounds. The volume of the liquid absorbed was evaluated using both the microscopic observation of the particle swelling and the Enslin apparatus. Both the methods showed the highest absorption capacity of the glyceraldehyde cross-linked gelatin microspheres, which can be therefore proposed as a mechanical agent for cleansing the exudating wounds and ulcers

Modifications of Cardiac Autonomic Profile Associated With a Shift Schedule of Work

Background\u2014Shift work is associated with an increased rate of cardiovascular diseases and accidents. Discordance between circadian rhythms of stress-related biological variables and the work-sleep schedule might explain the reduced efficiency of work. It is not clear whether a shift schedule of work may induce similar discordance in the 24-hour oscillatory pattern of the cardiac autonomic control in respect to the work-sleep periods. Methods and Results\u2014Twenty-two healthy male blue-collar shift workers underwent 24-hour ECG recordings during each of the 3 different shifts (first, 6 AM to 2 PM; second, 2 to 10 PM; third, 10 PM to 6 AM). Spectral analysis of heart rate variability over 24 hours provided the normalized markers of cardiac sympathetic (LFnu) and vagal (HFnu) modulation of the sinoatrial node activity and of the sympathovagal balance (LF/HF). LFnu and LF/HF exhibited 24-hour oscillations with different times of maximum and minimum in accordance with the working and sleeping periods, respectively. Lower values of LFnu and LF/HF suggestive of a reduced cardiac sympathetic modulation were present when the job task was performed at night compared with the values observed when the work was performed during morning and evening. Conclusions\u2014Continuous weekly changes of time of maximum and minimum in the cardiac sympathetic and vagal autonomic control may play a role in the excessive rate of cardiovascular diseases in shift workers. The reduced values of the indexes of cardiac sympathetic modulation during night work might be related to the presence of sleepiness or diminished alertness, which in turn could facilitate errors and accidents

Human Y chromosome diversity and the peopling of the “Green Sahara” during the Holocene humid phase

In Africa, the human population dynamics have been heavily influenced by the Sahara desert, as suggested by the strong Y haplogroup differentiation between northern and sub-Saharan Africa. During the Holocene, the climatic changes of the “African humid period” led to the replacement of the desert with a fertile environment (the “Green Sahara”), which allowed human settlements as indicated by archeological and paleoanthropological evidences. To evaluate the extent and trajectories of human movements across the Sahara, we analyzed by NGS about 3.3 Mb of the X-degenerate portion of the Y chromosome in 104 subjects, focusing on haplogroups currently found both in northern Africa and in the sub-Saharan area. We identified 7,544 polymorphisms, which were used to reconstruct the phylogeny and to estimate the coalescence age of nodes. Informative markers were further analyzed in a wider set of about 5,000 Y chromosomes. Combining phylogeography and age estimates, we found that northern African and sub-Saharan lineages only coalesced within a 5-12 kya time frame, suggesting extensive human movements across the “Green Sahara” and subsequent isolation after the desertification

Syncope and occupational risk survey: the role of continuing education and multidisciplinary approach

Syncope is a common disorder characterized most of the times by a positive clinical outcome. However, it may turn to a life threatening event even for working colleagues and third party when occurring during an high risk job. We have recently found that, out of 670 patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) for syncope, about 50% were potential workers, being their age between 18 and 65 years. Also, we found that in this group of patients syncope recurrence was as high as 11% at 6 months. It is unknown how physicians address the problem of the occupational risk in patients suffering from syncope and how occupational aspects are taken into account in the clinical judgment before work readmission. One hundred eighty five doctors (149 occupational physicians, OP), participating in a work-shop on syncope, were asked to fulfill a questionnaire about their clinical experience and their attention to the occupational aspects in patients after syncope. Despite long lasting clinical experience, 41% of OP did not scrutinize syncope as a relevant symptom in their daily activity. 65% of the other specialists were used to address the occupational risk aspects in their syncope patients. A multidisciplinary approach involving continuing education on safety at work might reduce work accidents due to syncope relapse and promote a safe and suitable re-employment of patients with syncope. scrutinize syncope as a relevant symptom in their daily activity. 65% of the other specialists were used to address the occupational risk aspects in their syncope patients. A multidisciplinary approach involving continuing education on safety at work might reduce work accidents due to syncope relapse and promote a safe and suitable re-employment of patients with syncope