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Background and purpose\ud \ud Regulator of G-protein signal 4 (RGS4) is a signal transduction protein that accelerates intrinsic GTPase activity of Gαi/o and Gαq subunits, suppressing GPCR signaling. Here we investigate whether RGS4 modulates nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) opioid (NOP) receptor signaling and this modulation has relevance for L-Dopa-induced dyskinesia.\ud Experimental approach\ud \ud HEK293T cells transfected with NOP, NOP/RGS4 or NOP/RGS19 were challenged with N/OFQ and the small molecule NOP agonist AT-403, using D1-stimulated cAMP levels as a readout. Primary rat striatal neurons and adult mouse striatal slices were challenged with N/OFQ or AT-403 in the presence of the experimental RGS4 chemical probe, CCG-203920, and D1-stimulated cAMP or phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (pERK) responses were monitored. In vivo, CCG-203920 was co-administered with AT-403 and L-Dopa to 6-hydroxydopamine hemilesioned rats, and dyskinetic movements, striatal biochemical correlates of dyskinesia (pERK and pGluR1 levels) and striatal RGS4 levels were measured.\ud Key results\ud \ud RGS4 expression reduced NOFQ and AT-403 potency and efficacy in HEK293T cells. CCG-203920 increased N/OFQ potency in primary rat striatal neurons, and potentiated AT-403 response in mouse striatal slices. CCG-203920 enhanced AT-403 mediated inhibition of dyskinesia and its biochemical correlates, without compromising its motor-improving effects. Unilateral dopamine depletion caused bilateral reduction of RGS4 levels, which was reversed by L-Dopa. L-Dopa acutely upregulated RGS4 in the lesioned striatum.\ud Conclusions and Implications\ud \ud RGS4 physiologically inhibits NOP receptor signaling. CCG-203920 enhanced NOP responses and improved the antidyskinetic potential of NOP receptor agonists, mitigating the effects of striatal RGS4 upregulation occurring during dyskinesia expression.

Current trends show a rise of attention given to breast cancer patients' quality of life and the surgical reconstructive result. Along with this trend, surgical training quality and efficacy are gaining importance and innovative training methods such as online videos shared on social media portals, are becoming main updating tools. In hazardous times like COVID-19 pandemic nowadays, online communication becomes of vital importance and adaptation and innovation are fundamental to keep research and education alive. The authors aimed to investigate the role of video and multimedia sources on the daily activity and surgical training of a representative group of surgeons specifically dedicated to oncologic, oncoplastic and reconstructive breast surgeries.A survey was produced and administered to 20 major Italian Breast Centers. Collected data were analyzed with Fisher's Exact Test.From October 2019 to March 2020, a total of 320 surveys were collected. Among the responders, there were 188 trainees (intern medical doctors and residents) and 110 faculty, 72% of them belonged to a plastic surgery environment, while 28% to general surgery environment. Almost all respondents have ever watched videos concerning breast surgery.The results of the study show how breast surgeons rely on videos and web platforms, mostly YouTube, when searching for training info about surgical procedures. Social media offer great opportunities for sharing knowledge and diffusion of new ideas but greater attention to their reliability is mandatory.

Objective Regular physical activity (PA) reduces the risk of disease and premature death. Knowing factors associated with PA might help reducing the disease and economic burden caused by low activity. Studies suggest that socio-cultural factors may affect PA, but systematic overviews of findings across the life course are scarce. This umbrella systematic literature review (SLR) summarizes and evaluates available evidence on socio-cultural determinants of PA in children, adolescents, and adults. Methods This manuscript was drafted following the recommendations of the ‘Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses’ (PRISMA) checklist. The MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases were searched for SLRs and meta-analyses (MAs) on observational studies published in English that assessed PA determinants between January 2004 and April 2016. The methodological quality was assessed and relevant information on socio-cultural determinants and any associations with PA was extracted. The available evidence was evaluated based on the importance of potential determinants and the strength of the evidence. Results Twenty SLRs and three MAs encompassing 657 eligible primary studies investigated potential socio-cultural PA determinants, with predominantly moderate methodological quality. Twenty-nine potential PA determinants were identified that were primarily assessed in children and adolescents and investigated the micro-environmental home/household level. We found probable evidence that receiving encouragement from significant others and having a companion for PA were associated with higher PA in children and adolescents, and that parental marital status (living with partner) and experiencing parental modeling were not associated with PA in children. Evidence for the other potential determinants was limited, suggestive, or non-conclusive. In adults, quantitative and conclusive data were scarce. Conclusions A substantial number of SLRs and MAs investigating potential socio-cultural determinants of PA were identified. Our data suggest that receiving social support from significant others may increase PA levels in children and adolescents, whereas parental marital status is not a determinant in children. Evidence for other potential determinants was limited. This was mainly due to inconsistencies in results on potential socio-cultural determinants of PA across reviews and studies. Trial registrations This umbrella SLR was recorded on PROSPERO (Record ID: CRD42015010616). Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12966-017-0627-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction. This study investigates how Europeans seek information related to healthy eating, what determines their information seeking and whether any problems are encountered in doing so.Method. A survey was administered through computer-assisted on-line web-interviewing. Respondents were grouped by age and sex (n=3003, age +16) in Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Poland, and the UK.Analysis. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to analyse the influence of social, demographic, psychological and economic characteristics on the information seeking of the respondents. Results. Nearly half of those surveyed do not know where to look for information on healthy diets. Men, less well educated, poorer and sicker person know less about where to look for such information and are less likely to attempt finding it. Most of the respondents searching for information on the Internet use Google as a search tool.Conclusions. Individual and environmental factors affect information behaviour and should be taken into account in public campaigns aimed at changing eating habits of the population to increase their effectiveness. More emphasis should be placed on raising health information literacy of the information-poor, men, the uneducated, and the economically disadvantaged.

Italian ecologists who are active in the Italian long-term ecosystem research (LTER-Italy) and in the study of biodiversity (Lifewatch-Italy), walk and cycle together with citizens along three paths organized as events of scientific dissemination. The paths, which are aimed at raising public awareness on ecosystems, biodiversity, and environmental sustainability, connect different LTER-Italy sites. They represent a sort of "Via Francigena" of the ecological research and offer citizens the opportunity to familiarize with the wealth and fragilities of Italian ecosystems. Observing the landscape at the natural speed of human walking or biking is the best way to appreciate the peculiarities of the surrounding environment, its diversity and ecological state. At the LTER sites and along the paths, researchers help citizens in recognizing and estimating the status of the vegetation, identify animals and plants, evaluate the degree of biodiversity, assess the quality of the waters of lakes and marine areas. Besides, citizens could meet researchers at work at the LTER-sites, join them in the fieldwork, understand the importance of the long-term ecological studies and activate initiatives of citizens science within the LTER and Lifewatch context.

PERSEUS project aims to identify the most relevant pressures exerted on the ecosystems of the Southern European Seas (SES), highlighting knowledge and data gaps that endanger the achievement of SES Good Environmental Status (GES) as mandated by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). A complementary approach has been adopted, by a meta-analysis of existing literature on pressure/impact/knowledge gaps summarized in tables related to the MSFD descriptors, discriminating open waters from coastal areas. A comparative assessment of the Initial Assessments (IAs) for five SES countries has been also independently performed. The comparison between meta-analysis results and IAs shows similarities for coastal areas only. Major knowledge gaps have been detected for the biodiversity, marine food web, marine litter and underwater noise descriptors. The meta-analysis also allowed the identification of additional research themes targeting research topics that are requested to the achievement of GES. 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license., peer-reviewed

Introduction The aim of socio-economic research in the MoniQA Network of Excellence is to develop a toolbox to support impact assessment of proposed food safety regulatory changes. Objectives The scope of this contribution is to present an initial version of such a toolbox with its application to a case study, which concerns a proposal on setting maximum levels of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in cereals and cereal products. A regulatory proposal of ‘strict’ maximum limits is compared with two alternative options: the ‘do nothing’ option and the ‘soft’ regulatory option. Methods The proposed toolbox involves a preliminary qualitative assessment of the likely impacts of each of the policy options considered, with a coding/scoring procedure, in order to identify the greatest impacts. A feasibility filter subsequently considers the availability of data necessary for impact quantification. The subsequent quantitative assessment is performed with different methodologies for the most important impacts. Finally, a multi-criteria analysis approach – which allows for a combination of qualitative and quantitative measurements – is used to arrive at a ranking of policy options. Results The outcome of this assessment exercise is that the ‘do nothing’ option is clearly the most preferable option, and, between the two regulatory options (options 2 and 3), the setting out of ‘strict’ maximum limits is preferable to ‘soft’ maximum limits. Conclusion This case study shows the potentialities of the toolbox as support to policy makers, which will be improved and tested with additional case studies in the remaining years of the MoniQA Network of Excellence.

The complex interactions between the determinants of food purchase under risk are explored using the SPARTA model, based on the theory of planned behaviour, and estimated through a combination of multivariate statistical techniques. The application investigates chicken consumption choices in two scenarios: (a) a ‘standard’ purchasing situation; and (b) following a hypothetical Salmonella scare. The data are from a nationally representative survey of 2,725 respondents from five European countries: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Results show that the effects and interactions of behavioural determinants vary significantly within Europe. Only in the case of a food scare do risk perceptions and trust come into play. The policy priority should be on building and maintaining trust in food and health authorities and research institutions, while food chain actors could mitigate the consequences of a food scare through public trust. No relationship is found between socio-demographic variables and consumer trust in food safety information.

This paper explores the role of trust in food safety information in determining consumer choice in relation to socio-demographic effects and other determinants. We propose a modelling framework which extends the Theory of Planned Behaviour to account for risk perception and trust and allows for country-specific effects. The model is tested on the impact of salmonella information on chicken consumption choices across five European countries, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and the UK, based on a nationally representative survey for a total of 2,725 face-to-face interviews. Results show that no relationship emerges between socio-demographics variables and the trust placed by consumer in food safety information, although country differences are relevant. The findings also suggest that the policy priority should be on building and maintaining trust in food and health authorities, and research institutions.

The EATWELL research project (www.eatwellproject.eu) (Interventions to Promote Healthy Eating Habits: Evaluation and Recommendations) funded by the European Commission aimed to improve nutrition policy in Europe by providing scientifically sound evidence on the effectiveness of past healthy eating interventions. This interdisciplinary project involved academic partners from 5 European Union countries and 10 partners in all. As a first step, the project identified 121 large-scale policy interventions in European countries over the period 1990–2010 and any existing evidence on their evaluation. Of these policies, 82 were aimed at supporting informed choices, and the remaining 39 sought to change the market environment by enhancing the availability of healthier foods, restricting the availability of less healthy foods or nutrients, or changing relative food prices through food taxes or subsidies. Subsequently, advanced quantitative evaluation models were used to conduct a fresh analysis of a small selection of these policy case studies, based on secondary data. Based on these evaluations, together with garnered public and stakeholder opinion, the project put forward proposals for future healthy eating policies, improved evaluation methods and the collection of better data.

Abdominal surgical procedures, such as ventral hernia repair, may require the removal of the umbilicus, which gives an unnatural appearance to the abdomen. This situation can be corrected by umbilical reconstruction during the same operative time or at a later stage. In previous studies, we reported a versatile technique for umbilicoplasty based on a double opposing "Y" incision on the abdominal flap to create a new umbilicus. We now report the use of this technique for umbilical reconstruction in patients who underwent previous or concurrent omphalectomy.A prospective open-label study was performed on 10 patients undergoing the double opposed "Y" umbilicoplasty after omphalectomy. Postoperative patients' satisfaction and results were evaluated during the follow-up of minimum 1 year. A modified 5 ml syringe was used to assess depth and volume of umbilical stalk. Depth value variations from one month to one year after surgery were statistically compared using the Wilcoxon test.Complete healing of the new umbilicus was achieved in 14-21 days in nine cases. In one case, partial dehiscence of the wound occurred and complete healing was achieved in 4 weeks. Follow-up time ranged from 1 to 4 years. In all patients, a three-dimensional umbilicus with satisfactory depression was created. During follow-up, no significant changes in shape, dimension and appearance were observed. All patients were pleased with the results. No cicatricial umbilical stenosis occurred.The double opposing "Y" technique creates a new natural umbilical scar; this technique can be easily performed for umbilical reconstruction after omphalectomy.

Although in several EU Member States many public interventions have been running for the prevention and/or management of obesity and other nutritionrelated health conditions, few have yet been formally evaluated. The multidisciplinary team of the EATWELL project will gather benchmark data on healthy eating interventions in EU Member States and review existing information on the effectiveness of interventions using a three-stage procedure (i) Assessment of the intervention's impact on consumer attitudes, consumer behaviour and diets; (ii) The impact of the change in diets on obesity and health and (iii) The value attached by society to these changes, measured in life years gained, cost savings and quality-adjusted life years. Where evaluations have been inadequate, EATWELL will gather secondary data and analyse them with a multidisciplinary approach incorporating models from the psychology and economics disciplines. Particular attention will be paid to lessons that can be learned from private sector that are transferable to the healthy eating campaigns in the public sector. Through consumer surveys and workshops with other stakeholders, EATWELL will assess the acceptability of the range of potential interventions. Armed with scientific quantitative evaluations of policy interventions and their acceptability to stakeholders, EATWELL expects to recommend more appropriate interventions for Member States and the EU, providing a one-stop guide to methods and measures in interventions evaluation, and outline data collection priorities for the future. Although in several EU Member States many public interventions have been running for the prevention and/or management of obesity and other nutritionrelated health conditions, few have yet been formally evaluated. The multidisciplinary team of the EATWELL project will gather benchmark data on healthy eating interventions in EU Member States and review existing information on the effectiveness of interventions using a three-stage procedure (i) Assessment of the intervention's impact on consumer attitudes, consumer behaviour and diets; (ii) The impact of the change in diets on obesity and health and (iii) The value attached by society to these changes, measured in life years gained, cost savings and quality-adjusted life years. Where evaluations have been inadequate, EATWELL will gather secondary data and analyse them with a multidisciplinary approach incorporating models from the psychology and economics disciplines. Particular attention will be paid to lessons that can be learned from private sector that are transferable to the healthy eating campaigns in the public sector. Through consumer surveys and workshops with other stakeholders, EATWELL will assess the acceptability of the range of potential interventions. Armed with scientific quantitative evaluations of policy interventions and their acceptability to stakeholders, EATWELL expects to recommend more appropriate interventions for Member States and the EU, providing a one-stop guide to methods and measures in interventions evaluation, and outline data collection priorities for the future.

This work deals with the production of ZrB2-based UHTC porous bodies using different forming techniques with the aim to obtain a reduction in weight of the final components, to balance the high specific mass of zirconium diboride, useful especially in aerospace applications. A feasibility study for the production of ZrB2-based porous bodies from sponges and foams was carried out. A ZrB2 composition, containing SiC as secondary phase and Si3N4 as sintering aid, has been chosen with the aim to obtain lightweight devices by replica method through slip casting of ceramic suspensions. Moreover, ZrB2 macroporous materials have been successfully produced using Si3N4 as a sintering aid and ovalbumin as foaming agent. Sintering was performed at 2150°C with a dwell time of 120 minutes after a suitable process to pyrolize the organic templates and additives

The most common complication in patients who underwent mammary implant surgery is capsular contracture. Actually, there is no standard effective treatment for this complication. The aim of this article is to show our experience about LTRAs (leukotriene receptor antagonists) for the treatment of the capsular contracture. The findings indicate that these drugs may reduce pain and breast capsule distortion for patients with long-standing contracture.

Notwithstanding the good combination of mechanical and tribological properties, the suitability of silicon nitride for application as prosthesis in bone reconstruction or in articular joints replacements is still controversial. This study aims to design and produce three different silicon nitride-based ceramics and to test the materials. In this Part I the microstructure and mechanical properties evidence outstanding characteristics and the cytotoxicity studies confirm that all the materials are extremely inert and biocompatible. In Part II, the wear performance and the wettability and chemical stability against different aqueous media and physiological solutions are investigated and discussed.

Erythrosis is a clinical manifestation characterized by parossistic vasodilatations followed by fixed superficial venular dilatations localized at the face, neck, décolleté and pinnas. To date, a variety of lasers have been used for treating vascular skin lesions. This study will describe the response on these vascular lesions using the intense pulsed light (IPL) source. Twenty-two female patients and twelve men, aged between 19 and 65, had a phototype ranging from 2 to 4 on the Fitzpatrick scale. The technique is based on a pulsed light of high intensity obtained with a vascular filter of 560 nm. They underwent five treatments of twenty minutes each, at intervals of twenty-one days, with a variable fluency between 9-12 J/cm2 and impulse time of 10-20 ms. The sheaf used is a rectangular spot of 2 cm x 5 cm. In twenty-four patients we obtained a total regression of the cutaneous manifestation after 5 applications, whilst another two patients showed only an attenuation of the erythema. In five cases with erythrosis the erythema persisted after the end of the treatment, although the patients were satisfied with the evident benefits. In two patients affected by Civatte's poikiloderma of the neck we obtained differing results: In the first case an evident positive response of the clinical picture was perceived after only two application of the IPL; in the second case, the benefits were evident after 3-4 applications of IPL at a higher fluency of up to 14 J/ cm2. One patient in treatment with oral antibiotics showed good results from the first application with regression of the erythema up to its disappearance. Collateral effects are not reported, although there was a long-standing (more than 48 hours) post-treatment erythema in only one case. The IPL system, with its broad range of technical variables, is an effective tool in achieving meaningful and lasting clearance of erythrosis.

The annual cycle of plankton was studied over 14 years from 1984 to 2000 at a coastal station in the Gulf of Naples, with the aim of assessing seasonal patterns and interannual trends. Phytoplankton biomass started increasing over the water column in February-early March, and generally achieved peak values in the upper layers in late spring. Another peak was often recorded in autumn. Diatoms and phytoflagellates dominated for the largest part of the year. Ciliates showed their main peaks in phase with phytoplankton and were mainly represented by small (< 30 mm) naked choreotrichs. Mesozooplankton increased in March-April, reaching maximum concentrations in summer. Copepods were always the most abundant group, followed by cladocerans in summer. At the interannual scale, a high variability and a decreasing trend were recorded over the sampling period for autotrophic biomass. Mesozooplankton biomass showed a less marked interannual variability. From 1995 onwards, phytoplankton populations increased in cell number but decreased in cell size, with intense blooms of small diatoms and undetermined coccoid species frequently observed in recent years. In spite of those interannual variations, the different phases of the annual cycle and the occurrence of several plankton species were remarkably regular., El ciclo anual del plancton se estudió a lo largo de 14 años, desde 1984 a 2000, en una estación costera del golfo de Nápoles, con el objetivo de discernir pautas estacionales y tendencias interanuales. La biomasa fitoplanctónica empezaba a aumentar en la columna de agua en febrero-primeros de marzo, y generalmente alcanzaba valores máximos en las capas superiores a finales de primavera. Se solía registrar otro máximo en otoño. Las diatomeas y los fitoflagelados dominaron durante la mayor parte del año. Los ciliados presentaron sus máximos principales en fase con el fitoplancton y estuvieron representados principalmente por pequeños (< 30 ?m) coreotricos desnudos. El mesozooplancton aumentó en marzo-abril, llegando a concentraciones máximas en verano. Los copépodos fueron siempre el grupo más abundante, seguidos de los cladóceros en verano. A la escala interanual, la biomasa autotrófica registró una elevada variabilidad y una tendencia decreciente a lo largo del período de muestreo. La biomasa del mesozooplancton mostró una variabilidad interanual menos marcada. Desde 1995 en adelante, las poblaciones de fitoplancton aumentaron en número de células, pero el tamaño celular se redujo, y en años recientes se han observado floraciones intensas de diatomeas pequeñas y de especies cocoides no determinadas. A pesar de estas variaciones interanuales, las distintas fases del ciclo anual y la presencia de varias especies planctónicas fueron notablemente regulares.

Beta decays of 94,96Ag and 103Sn nuclei into Proton Channels have been studied in the recent experiments at the GSI-ISOL facility

Gellan solution in hot water (1% w/v) was mixed with solid hydroxyapatite under stirring, and the hot suspensions rapidly quenched in liquid nitrogen; the gels so obtained were lyophilised. The material, tested by SEM, appears quite porous. FT-IR spectra show that the carboxylate band at about 1600 cm-1 is slightly altered, likely due to some interaction with the ionic hydroxyapatite structure. Thermogravimetric analysis of the composites shows a slight shift towards higher temperatures of the main signal of the gellan decomposition at 258°C; that shift increases with increasing hydroxyapatite to gellan ratio. Such behaviour may be indicative of a slight thermal stabilisation of gellan, due to interaction with hydroxyapatite.

Eight biomedical glasses and three commercial ones, as finely divided powders, were tested as initiators for the ring-opening polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone, in bulk under vacuum at 185°C. All the glass powders were able to initiate the polymerization, along with Pyrex, which was totally inert towards the monomer as the inner surface of a phial. The obtained polymers were examined with FT-IR spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The molecular weights were measured by viscometry in chloroform. The presence of a fraction of the polymer firmly linked to the glass was quantitatively checked by the determination of the weight loss from the residues of the extraction with chloroform, after calcination in kiln at 945°C. The molecular weights and weight losses per unit surface were elaborated mathematically, so that a possible correlation between these properties and the atomic composition of the glasses could be better investigated. Two possible initiation mechanisms, induced by the hydroxyls present on the glass surface, were proposed: one for free poly(epsilon-caprolactone) and one for poly(epsilon-caprolactone) linked to the glass.