Online clothing reselling platforms in Italy - testing the preferred attributes through conjoint analysis

This research project focuses on understanding the consumer’s preferences for the second cloth ing platform known as Vinted, Vestiaire Collective, Depop, and Zalando Second-hand. The chosen market for this study is Italy due to its’ popularity in fashion. The conjoint analysis technique was applied, including other analyses such as cluster analysis and perceptual maps to better identify consumers’ perceptions and preferences of these platforms. Several surveys and interviews were conducted with experts and consumers. The main findings were that con sumers preferred product prices, buyer protection, and, additional fees as important features while using these platforms

The educational use of social networking sites among medical and health sciences students : a cross campus interventional study

Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to all students who actively participated in both phases of the study and provided valuable data for this research. Funding None.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Skeletal Pattern of Bangladeshi Patients with Class II Malocclusion Attending in a Selected Private Setting

Background: The term "Class II malocclusion" encompasses a range of dental and skeletal characteristics, making precise diagnosis and treatment planning challenging. This study aimed to examine 32 Bangladeshi patients with Class II malocclusion to evaluate maxillary and mandibular skeletal positions using cephalometric measurements commonly used in clinical practice. Methods: Study casts and lateral cephalograms of 32 patients (17 females and 15 males) with Class II malocclusion were analyzed. Inclusion criteria comprised Class II molar relationship, the absence of craniofacial deformities, and no previous orthodontic treatment. Cephalometric measurements included SNA, SNB, and ANB angles, and data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Among the patients, 53% exhibited maxillary skeletal protrusion, 43% had mandibular retrusion, and only 3.1% presented both maxillary protrusion and mandibular retrusion. Surprisingly, 31.2% showed maxillary skeletal retrusion, and 28.1% exhibited mandibular protrusion, highlighting the significant variation in skeletal patterns within this cohort. Conclusion: Our findings emphasize the diverse skeletal patterns present among Bangladeshi patients with Class II malocclusion. The implications of these variations for treatment planning are substantial, as the treatment approach may differ depending on the underlying skeletal pattern. Given this diversity, individualized assessment and tailored treatment strategies are essential to achieve optimal outcomes. While this study has provided valuable insights, future research with larger and more diverse samples is warranted to further explore these complex relationships

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Small Molecules that Rescue Multiple Phenotypic Aberrations in an iPSC-Derived Neuron Model of CLN3 Disease

The neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs) commonly referred to as Batten disease are a family of rare lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs). The most common form of NCL occurs in children harboring a mutation in the CLN3 gene. This form is lethal with no existing cure or treatment beyond symptomatic relief. The pathophysiology of CLN3 disease is complex and poorly understood, with the current in vivo and in vitro models failing to identify pharmacological targets for therapeutic intervention. This study reports the characterization of the first CLN3 patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived model of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and adds to the few available iPSC-derived neuron models of the disease. Upon differentiation, hallmarks of CLN3 disease were displayed including lipofuscin and subunit C of mitochondrial ATP synthase accumulation, mitochondrial dysfunction and aberrant lysosomal pH. Small molecules were identified that cleared subunit C accumulation by the mTOR-independent modulation of autophagy, conferred protective effects through induction of Bcl-2 and rescued mitochondrial dysfunction. </div

Clinical implications of Type 2 diabetes on outcomes after cardiac transplantation.

BackgroundT2D is an increasingly common disease that is associated with worse outcomes in patients with heart failure. Despite this, no contemporary study has assessed its impact on heart transplantation outcomes. This paper examines the demographics and outcomes of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) undergoing heart transplantation.MethodsUsing the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database, patients listed for transplant were separated into cohorts based on history of T2D. Demographics and comorbidities were compared, and cox regressions were used to examine outcomes.ResultsBetween January 1st, 2011 and June 12th, 2020, we identified 9,086 patients with T2D and 23,676 without T2D listed for transplant. The proportion of patients with T2D increased from 25.2% to 27.9% between 2011 and 2020. Patients with T2D were older, more likely to be male, less likely to be White, and more likely to pay with public insurance (pConclusionsOver the last ten years, the proportion of heart transplant recipients with T2D has increased. These patients are more likely to be from traditionally underserved populations. Patients with T2D have a lower likelihood of transplantation and a higher likelihood of post-transplant mortality. After the allocation system change, likelihood of transplantation has improved for patients with T2D

Causes of mortality.

Causes of mortality.</p