Interaction between estrogen receptor-α and PNPLA3 p.I148M variant drives fatty liver disease susceptibility in women

Fatty liver disease (FLD) caused by metabolic dysfunction is the leading cause of liver disease and the prevalence is rising, especially in women. Although during reproductive age women are protected against FLD, for still unknown and understudied reasons some develop rapidly progressive disease at the menopause. The patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3) p.I148M variant accounts for the largest fraction of inherited FLD variability. In the present study, we show that there is a specific multiplicative interaction between female sex and PNPLA3 p.I148M in determining FLD in at-risk individuals (steatosis and fibrosis, P < 10(-10); advanced fibrosis/hepatocellular carcinoma, P = 0.034) and in the general population (P < 10(-7) for alanine transaminase levels). In individuals with obesity, hepatic PNPLA3 expression was higher in women than in men (P = 0.007) and in mice correlated with estrogen levels. In human hepatocytes and liver organoids, PNPLA3 was induced by estrogen receptor-a (ER-a) agonists. By chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays, we identified and characterized an ER-a-binding site within a PNPLA3 enhancer and demonstrated via CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing that this sequence drives PNPLA3 p.I148M upregulation, leading to lipid droplet accumulation and fibrogenesis in three-dimensional multilineage spheroids with stellate cells. These data suggest that a functional interaction between ER-a and PNPLA3 p.I148M variant contributes to FLD in women

Luc Courchesne : observateur du monde

Catalogue préparé sous la direction de Christine Bernier.Catalogue de l’exposition tenue au Carrefour des arts et des sciences, Université de Montréal, du 13 avril au 19 juin 2022

Influence of fish aggregating devices (FADs) on anti-predator behaviour within experimental mesocosms

Commercial fishers have used fish aggregating devices throughout the Mediterranean Sea for over 40 years. These devices attract numerous predatory and forage species in both coastal and offshore environments. This study examined the influence of fish aggregating devices on schooling and aggregating behaviour by small forage fish in quasi-natural mesocosms. Anti-predator behaviour was evaluated for juvenile Caranx crysos under a variety of treatment conditions. Results suggest that, in the absence of physical structure, C. crysos first respond to a predatory threat by forming a school. When a physical structure is present, however, C. crysos show an occasional tendency to aggregate near the structure. These results suggest that a threatened prey species can change their defensive strategy against predatory behaviour. Further examination is required to explain if fish aggregating devices can increase survival rates of post-larval and juvenile prey species in the southern Mediterranean Sea. Management agencies should consider the relationship between the use of fish aggregating devices by commercial fisheries and the potential influence such devices possess on population dynamics of aggregating fish species

First toxicological study in two commercial shark species from a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area

Large urban and industrial settlements, and the intense maritime traffic make the Mediterranean one of the most polluted areas in the world. This basin hosts considerable marine biodiversity, including many elasmobranchs, which are extremely vulnerable to environmental contamination due their life history traits. The impact of this threat on the cartilaginous fishes is still poorly studied, as well as the possible consequences for human health, in case of consumption of sharks, are uncertain. To fill this knowledge gap, quantitative and qualitative assessments of three groups of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were carried out in the muscle and liver of two shark species, Mustelus punctulatus and Mustelus mustelus, caught in the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Egadi Islands (South-Central Mediterranean Sea) between 2021 and 2023. As sharks are one of the top predators inhabiting the MPA, they can be considered a bioindicator of the local environmental status. Paradoxically, although M. punctulatus and M. mustelus have considerable commercial value for human consumption in the MPA, they are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN in the Mediterranean. Regarding POPs levels, the results showed a trend of PCBs > DDTs >> HCB in liver and muscle for both species. Our results can significantly contribute to clarify the toxicological status of these species, allowing a first evaluation of the real risks both for the local marine life and for human health

Determinanti di salute: nuovi percorsi per la ricerca scientifica

Nel presente volume sono riportati i lavori di ricerca che saranno presentati nel corso del seminario come comunicazioni orali e poster oltre alle linee di indirizzo dei dottorandi del primo anno. Il seminario, giunto alla quinta edizione, nell’ambito della collaborazione tra Istituto Superiore di Sanità e l’Università della Sapienza di Roma, testimonia la volontà di spingersi sempre più in prossimità delle origini dei problemi di salute affrontandone i determinanti. Il bisogno di evidenze scientifiche chiare per informare e sostenere le scelte politiche non sono mai state così grandi quanto nel momento di attuale cambiamento. La ricerca nel campo dei determinanti di salute, occupandosi degli aspetti fondamentali della vita delle persone, del loro lavoro e degli stili di vita è stata individuata come complessa e stimolante chiave di lettura multidisciplinare della giornata. Il seminario articolato in tre tempi, presenta due sessioni di relazioni orali sulle principali ricerche di microbiologia, chimica ambientale, epidemiologia e scienze sociali orientate alla visione della “Qualità ambientale e alla percezione del rischio”. La sessione intermedia è dedicata alla presentazione dei poster in cui le diversificate anime del dottorato, incardinate nei tre curricula di “Malattie Infettive”, “Scienze della Salute e Medicina Sociale” e “Microbiologia e Parassitologia”, verranno a confronto.This volume collects the research projects that will be presented during the workshop as oral communications and posters in addition to the research lines of PhD students attending the first year of course. The workshop, now in its fifth edition, in the context of an important collaboration between “Istituto Superiore di Sanità” and “Università La Sapienza di Roma”, demonstrates the will to understand health problems and their determinants. The need for clear scientific evidences to inform and support policy choices have never been so great as in this moment of change. Research in the field of health determinants, dealing with the fundamental aspects of people's lives, their jobs and lifestyles, were identified as a complex and challenging key to understanding the multi-disciplinary motive of this day. The workshop, divided into three parts, presents two sessions of oral reports on main researches in microbiology, environmental chemistry, epidemiology and social sciences, all oriente

Optically Transparent Gold Nanoparticles for DSSC Counter-Electrode: An Electrochemical Characterization

A gold nanoparticles transparent electrode was realized by chemical reduction. This work aims to compare the transparent gold nanoparticles electrode with a more commonly utilized gold-film-coated electrode in order to investigate its potential use as counter-electrode (CE) in dyesensitized solar cells (DSSCs). A series of DSSC devices, utilizing I−/I3− and Co(III)/(II) polypyridine redox mediators [Co(dtb)3]3+/2+; dtb = 4,4′ ditert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine)], were evaluated. The investigation focused firstly on the structural characterization of the deposited gold layers and then on the electrochemical study. The novelty of the work is the realization of a gold nanoparticles CE that reached 80% of average visible transparency. We finally examined the performance of the transparent gold nanoparticles CE in DSSC devices. A maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.56% was obtained with a commercial I−/I3−-based electrolyte, while a maximum 3.1% of PCE was obtained with the homemade Co-based electrolyte

Optically Transparent Gold Nanoparticles for DSSC Counter-Electrode: An Electrochemical Characterization

A gold nanoparticles transparent electrode was realized by chemical reduction. This work aims to compare the transparent gold nanoparticles electrode with a more commonly utilized gold-film-coated electrode in order to investigate its potential use as counter-electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). A series of DSSC devices, utilizing I−/I3− and Co(III)/(II) polypyridine redox mediators [Co(dtb)3]3+/2+; dtb = 4,4′ditert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine)], were evaluated. The investigation focused firstly on the structural characterization of the deposited gold layers and then on the electrochemical study. The novelty of the work is the realization of a gold nanoparticles CE that reached 80% of average visible transmittance. We finally examined the performance of the transparent gold nanoparticles CE in DSSC devices. A maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.56% was obtained with a commercial I−/I3−-based electrolyte, while a maximum 3.1% of PCE was obtained with the homemade Co-based electrolyte