Alcohol-related behaviour in freshmen university students in Sardinia, Italy

This study aims to provide a picture of University of Cagliari students’ alcohol-related behaviour and to explore factors associated with it. Data were collected by administering a questionnaire to 992 freshmen university students from different programs consisting of twelve closed questions, including three questions from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test for Consumption (AUDIT-C short form). Three subgroups of alcohol-related behaviour were distinguished (risky drinkers, social drinkers and abstainers). In order to explore factors associated with patterns of alcohol consumption, a multivariate logistic regression was performed. The prevalence of risky drinkers was 35%. A binge-drinking behaviour at least once in the last twelve months was declared by 65% (more widespread in men and in students living away from their parents). Risky consumption is significantly associated with age of onset of alcohol use, living away from parents’ home, drinking outside meals and attending health courses. Regarding the levels of daily alcohol consumption perceived as a health risk, 66% of men and 88% of women indicate values higher than those recommended. The results underline the need for tailored prevention measures. University could be a promising setting to implement actions according to a health promotion perspective, to empower students to control their alcohol consumption

Cognitive impairment in heart failure: clinical implications, tools of assessment, and therapeutic considerations

Cognitive impairment (CI) is an important comorbidity in patients with heart failure (HF). Its prevalence parallels the severity of heart failure, while it is an independent prognostic marker of adverse events. Various factors contribute to cognitive decline in HF, influencing self-care. There are no standardized screening methods for the diagnosis and management of these patients. The aim of the present manuscript is to provide an overview of the impact of cognitive impairment in HF, describe the utility of assessment tools and imaging methods for the evaluation of CI, and propose a comprehensive diagnostic and management approach. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Tulipaline A: Structure–activity aspects as a nematicide and V-ATPase inhibitor

Carbonyl groups are known to form covalent adducts with endogenous proteins, but so far, their nematicidal mechanism of action of has been overlooked. The nematicidal activity of ten lactones was tested in vitro against the root knot nematodes Meloidogyne incognita and Meloidogyne arenaria. In particular, the saturated lactones α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone or tulipaline A (1) and γ-butyrolactone (3) were active against M. incognita with an EC50/48h of 19.3±10.0 and 40.0±16.2mg/L respectively. Moreover the α, β-unsaturated lactone 5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one (2) exhibited the strongest nematicidal activity against the two species with EC50/48h 14.5±5.3 and 21.2±9.7mg/L respectively. Here we propose that the toxic effects of lactones and aldehydes on M. incognita and M. arenaria might be a consequence of their vacuolar-type H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) inhibition activity; in fact α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone (1) and salicylaldehyde (12) produced an increased pH in lysosomal-like organelles on HeLa human cell line and this alteration was most likely related to a V-ATPase impairment

Severe hypovitaminosis D in pregnant refugees arriving in Europe: neonatal outcomes and importance of prenatal intervention

Adequate vitamin D levels are particularly important in pregnant women for both maternal and neonatal health. Prior studies have shown a significantly high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) among refugees. However, no study has addressed the prevalence of VDD in pregnant refugees and its effects on neonatal health. In this study, we examined the prevalence of VDD in refugee pregnant women living in Greece and compared our results with Greek pregnant inhabitants. VDD was frequent in both groups but was significantly more common in refugees (92.2 vs 67.3% of Greek women, P = 0.003) with 70.6% of refugees having severe hypovitaminosis D (<10 ng/mL). As a result, most newborns had VDD, which affected refugee newborns to a greater extent. Our results suggest a need to screen newcomer children and pregnant women for VDD in all host countries around the world. Such a screen will appropriately guide early and effective interventions with the goal to prevent adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes. © 2022 The authors Published by Bioscientifica Ltd

Urine metabolomic profiling in neonatal nephrology

Metabolomics, the latest "omics" technology aims to study the complete set of low molecular weight metabolites that may change according to the physiological or the pathological state of the organism. Clinical studies dealing with metabolomics in neonatal and pediatric nephrology are very few. In this paper we present the experimental studies in newborn animal models, together with the available data on human newborns. Finally the urine metabolomic profiling of 3 newborns who suffered from severe perinatal asphyxia and were treated with hypothermia. They are located in a different part of the multivariate space, the reason of the differences being the basal metabolic profile (resilience) of each neonate: 1 died and 2 survived (one of them developed an acute kidney injury). The main metabolites responsible for the different metabolic profile among the 3 newborns are presented. In the future each neonatologist and nephrologist should become skilled in the metabolomic field

Sustainable metal catalysis in C H activation

The omnipresence of C–H bonds in organic compounds renders them highly attractive targets for the installation of functional groups towards the construction of valuable molecular scaffolds. Consequently, C–H activation has extended beyond scientific curiosity and has evolved from being a concept of fundamental interest to constituting an important, modern tool of organic synthesis. The intensity of research efforts and accompanying discussion surrounding this topic has given rise to a plethora of innovative, cutting-edge advancements. These advancements demonstrate the vast potential of the C–H activation approach regarding the design of highly efficient and selective catalytic methodologies for the synthesis of fine chemicals, natural products, and advanced materials. However, the overall sustainable nature of this approach, emanating from some of its main attributes such as atom- and step-economy, is compromised by the frequent need of homogeneous catalysts based on rare, expensive, and even toxic noble transition metals. In order to address this issue and achieve truly sustainable catalytic C–H activation, significant research efforts have focused on the development of homogeneous catalytic systems based on more abundant, first row transition metals. In this respect, various catalytic protocols involving the use of highly abundant, inexpensive, readily available, and also biorelevant metals such as Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn have been elegantly developed in recent years. Catalysts based on the aforementioned sustainable metals exhibit unique behavior in terms of reactivity/selectivity and their use does not only provide an alternative to noble metal catalysis, but also expands the scope of C–H activation. The present review provides a comprehensive examination of selected works that highlight the evolution and growing importance of this merge of two vibrant concepts in modern organic synthesis: sustainable metal catalysis and C–H activation. © 2017 Elsevier B.V

A Sustainable, User-Friendly Protocol for the Pd-Free Sonogashira Coupling Reaction

We herein present a new catalytic system for the palladium-free Sonogashira coupling reaction. The catalytically active moiety is formed in situ, in a straightforward and user-friendly manner, by combining a widely available low-cost copper salt and an N-heterocyclic carbene precursor. A series of N-heterocyclic carbene ligand precursors with variable structural features, some of which are novel, were tested and the reaction conditions were optimized. Using the catalytic system with the optimum performance, the scopes of the alkyne and the aryl halide were probed. Aryl iodides readily react with terminal alkynes, providing the coupling products in high to excellent yields. The protocol is highly efficient with alkynes bearing either alkyl or aryl substituents, the latter having either electron-donating or electron-withdrawing groups. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinhei