AC joint osteoarthritis: the role of genetics. An MRI evaluation of asymptomatic elderly twins

Purpose: The anatomy of the articular surfaces has historically identified as major responsible for acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis (ACJO). On the other side, the almost 100% prevalence of ACJO in subjects over 50 years old seems to suggest a multifactorial etiology. We compared ACJO between asymptomatic elderly monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins to investigate the influence of genetics and environmental factors. Materials and Methods: Thirty pairs of twins [15MZ-15DZ; mean age (SD): 63.70 (3.31); range: 53–72] were retrospectively enrolled. ACJO was evaluated on MRI through a 4-grade severity scale and ACJ configuration was assessed. Information regarding work activity were obtained. Heritability index was calculated. Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) value of 0.868 (95% CI; 0.798 to 0.917). An ICC values of 0.889 (95% CI; 0.798 to 0.944) and 0.843 (95% CI, 0.712 to 0.920) were found in the MZ and DZ groups, respectively. The polychoric correlation was 0.857 in the MZ twins and 0.757 in the DZ twins. The calculated heritability index was 0.20 (20%), and the contribution of the shared environment (c2) and unique environment (e2) was 0.66 (66%) and 0.14 (14%), respectively. No relationship between job types and ACJO in both the total cohort (r = 0.089; p = 0.499) and in the monozygotic (r = 0.247; p = 0.187) and the dizygotic twin groups (r = −0.084; p = 0.658) was found. Conclusions: The role of genetics on ACJO accounts for only 20%; a specific anatomical configuration of the articular surfaces only partially acts on the development of joint osteoarthritis. Environmental factors have the greatest impact. Level of Evidence: IV

Co-designing an Embodied e-Coach With Older Adults: The Tangible Coach Journey

This article describes a tangible interface for an e-coach, co-designed in four countries to meet older adults' needs and expectations. The aim of this device is to coach the user by giving recommendations, personalized tasks and to build empathy through vocal, visual, and physical interaction. Through our co-design process, we collected insights that helped identifying requirements for the physical design, the interaction design and the privacy and data control. In the first phase, we collected users' needs and expectations through several workshops. Requirements were then transformed into three design concepts that were rated and commented by our target users. The final design was implemented and tested in three countries. We discussed the results and the open challenges for the design of physical e-coaches for older adults. To encourage further developments in this field, we released the research outputs of this design process in an open-source repository

Effects of Rare Phytocannabinoids on the Endocannabinoid System of Human Keratinocytes

The decriminalization and legalization of cannabis has paved the way for investigations into the potential of the use of phytocannabinoids (pCBs) as natural therapeutics for the treatment of human diseases. This growing interest has recently focused on rare (less abundant) pCBs that are non-psychotropic compounds, such as cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) and cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). Notably, pCBs can act via the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is involved in the regulation of key pathophysiological processes, and also in the skin. In this study, we used human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) as an in vitro model that expresses all major ECS elements in order to systematically investigate the effects of CBG, CBC, THCV and CBGA. To this end, we analyzed the gene and protein expression of ECS components (receptors: CB1, CB2, GPR55, TRPV1 and PPARα/γ/δ; enzymes: NAPE-PLD, FAAH, DAGLα/β and MAGL) using qRT-PCR and Western blotting, along with assessments of their functionality using radioligand binding and activity assays. In addition, we quantified the content of endocannabinoid(-like) compounds (AEA, 2-AG, PEA, etc.) using UHPLC-MS/MS. Our results demonstrated that rare pCBs modulate the gene and protein expression of distinct ECS elements differently, as well as the content of endocannabinoid(-like) compounds. Notably, they all increased CB1/2 binding, TRPV1 channel stimulation and FAAH and MAGL catalytic activity. These unprecedented observations should be considered when exploring the therapeutic potential of cannabis extracts for the treatment of human skin diseases

Can physical activity influence human gut microbiota composition independently of diet? A systematic review

Evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) influences the human gut microbiota composition, but its role is unclear because of dietary interference. The aim of this review is to clarify this issue from this new perspective in healthy individuals. Articles analyzing intestinal microbiota from fecal samples by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing were selected by searching the electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science until December 2020. For each study, methodological quality was assessed, and results about microbiota biodiversity indices, phylum and genus composition, and information on PA and diet were considered. From 997 potentially relevant articles, 10 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Five studies involved athletes, three were performed on active people classified on the basis of habitual PA level, and two among sedentary subjects undergoing exercise interventions. The majority of the studies reported higher variability and prevalence of the phylum Firmicutes (genera Ruminococcaceae or Fecalibacteria) in active compared to inactive individuals, especially in athletes. The assessment of diet as a possible confounder of PA/exercise effects was completed only in four studies. They reported a similar abundance of Lachnospiraceae, Paraprevotellaceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Veillonellaceae, which are involved in metabolic, protective, structural, and histological functions. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings

Prodotto, Interazione ed Esperienza d'uso

La nostra quotidianità è caratterizzata dalla continua interazione con artefatti, sia fisici che digitali, tangibili ed intangibili; ne deriva una varietà e complessità di esperienze d’uso, positive e negative, in cui è presente una forte componente emotiva. Lo scopo di questo volume è fornire ai designer gli elementi di base e le metriche per comprendere e valutare l’interazione dell’utente con i prodotti, e le esperienze d’uso ed emozioni elicitate. Un focus particolare è posto sull’utente, sia per quanto riguarda il suo ruolo nei processi di progettazione, che per le modalità con cui esperisce un oggetto, con particolare attenzione alle emozioni che vengono elicitate

Prototypes as learning tools for exploring biomaterials

Design as a discipline over time has increasingly drawn closer to other fields, fostering its contamination with other multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge and skills. This seeking of connections and contamination resulted in the construction of profiles such as designers skilled in conceptualizing, developing, and communicating responsive solutions to the principles of innovation, ethics, usability, etc. These skills are gained through experience and practice with multiple tools and techniques, among which the effectiveness of the creation of mock-ups and prototypes stands out. The prototyping activity is an already recognized and well-established moment within the design process. No one can write without editing; in the same way, the design process stipulates that, after an initial phase of formal definition of the conceived concept, moments of verification are necessary. These verification moments can be effectively achieved through the creation of tangible artifacts, such as mock-ups and prototypes, terms often used interchangeably

Dialectic and Result: How Dynamics and Interactions of Students' Workgroups Have Changed within Design Schools

The COVID pandemic, for a year now, has required and influenced a profound change in the teaching methods, tools, and dynamics at any school level. Moreover, relationships, interactions, and cooperation among students have also changed. Students in Design universities' courses are often asked to work in groups to ideate and design a product. In these cases, processes of dialogue and comparison between peers have undergone a clear modification, as tools and channels are concerned, and regarding the work organization and conduction, as well. This contribution intends to provide an initial reflection on the models of interaction and organization among Politecnico di Milano’s School of Design students. To define a representation of the online interactions among them during their workgroup activities, two different clusters of students have been selected: A) those who started their university experience during the pandemic period; B) and those who have at least one year of pre-pandemic attendance. A survey was designed. A questionnaire was sent to these two selected groups of students to collect information and details about any new routines acquired during the distance learning experience, dominant emotions and feelings, and even critical reflections on the new normality adopted. This segmentation has yielded structured evidence of the changes in the learning experience and in the collaboration between design students

Post-earthquake continuous dynamic monitoring of the twin belfries of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata of Camerino, Italy

In this paper the results of over two years of continuous monitoring of the twin bell towers of the Cathedral of Camerino (Italy) are presented. The monitoring activity target is the evaluation of the dynamic behavior of the twin belfries after the damages occurred during the seismic events of 2016 and the application of fast securing. The experimental data are acquired in continuous using four triaxial MEMS accelerometers, two for each structure, on two opposite corners of the bell cells. Data processing is managed with an automatic system which elaborates the signals and executes Operational Modal Analysis to track the modal characteristics of the structures and their evolution in time. Correlation with environmental factors allows to discern the effect of climatic conditions on the variations of dynamics

Learning product design for particular needs: 3ike case study, a bike for children with cerebral palsy

reserved3C. E. Standoli; M. Romero; G. VazzolerStandoli, CARLO EMILIO; Romero, MAXIMILIANO ERNESTO; G., Vazzole