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La pervasività dei sistemi di intelligenza artificiale e il relativo impatto in termini di protezione dei dati personali impongono una profonda riflessione sulle recenti scelte normative del legislatore europeo e, in prospettiva, di quello nazionale. In questo senso, il contributo delinea, in primo luogo, l’attuale quadro legislativo europeo in materia di dati e IA, sullo scenario della complessa dimensione geopolitica in materia. Muovendo da queste premesse, il lavoro traccia un’analisi in chiave sistemica del Regolamento europeo sull’intelligenza artificiale (c.d. “AI Act”), evidenziando luci ed ombre del complesso rapporto con il Reg. (UE) n. 2016/679 (“GDPR”) e identificando analogie e differenze tra i due atti normativi. Il contributo analizza, quindi, in ottica comparata, il sistema sanzionatorio e l’apparato di governance definiti dall’AI Act, focalizzandosi sulla delicata scelta di un’autorità di controllo nazionale per regolare l’intelligenza artificiale in Italia. Infine, gli autori formulano alcune riflessioni conclusive sui principali nodi tematici emersi nel corso della trattazione e propongono una prospettiva de iure condendo alla luce dell’analisi svolta.

Type-2 diabetes affects an increasing percentage of the world’s population and its control through dietary management, involving the consumption of health-promoting foods or their derived supplements, is a common strategy. Several mushroom species have been demonstrated to be endowed with antidiabetic properties, resulting from their ability in improving insulin sensitivity and production, or inhibiting the carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes α-amylase and α-glucosidase. This study aimed to investigate for the first time the hypoglycemic properties of the edible mushroom Leccinum scabrum (Bull.) Gray. Mushroom extracts were prepared through the microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) technique using green solvents with different polarity degrees. The inhibition activity of all the obtained extracts on both α-glucosidase and α-amylase was evaluated and the highest activity was observed for the EtOAc extract which showed an IC50 value about 60-fold lower than the reference compound 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) on α-glucosidase (0.42 ± 0.02 and 25.4 ± 0.6 µg/mL, respectively). As expected on the basis of the literature data concerning both α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition, a milder inhibition activity on pancreatic α-amylase was observed. Preliminary in vivo tests on Drosophila melanogaster carried out on the most active obtained extract (EtOAc) confirmed the in vitro observed hypoglycemic activity. Finally, the EtOAc extract metabolic profile was determined through GC-MS and HRMS analyses.

Abstract Open and practical exchange, dissemination, and reuse of specimens and data have become a fundamental requirement for life sciences research. The quality of the data obtained and thus the findings and knowledge derived is thus significantly influenced by the quality of the samples, the experimental methods, and the data analysis. Therefore, a comprehensive and precise documentation of the pre‐analytical conditions, the analytical procedures, and the data processing are essential to be able to assess the validity of the research results. With the increasing importance of the exchange, reuse, and sharing of data and samples, procedures are required that enable cross‐organizational documentation, traceability, and non‐repudiation. At present, this information on the provenance of samples and data is mostly either sparse, incomplete, or incoherent. Since there is no uniform framework, this information is usually only provided within the organization and not interoperably. At the same time, the collection and sharing of biological and environmental specimens increasingly require definition and documentation of benefit sharing and compliance to regulatory requirements rather than consideration of pure scientific needs. In this publication, we present an ongoing standardization effort to provide trustworthy machine‐actionable documentation of the data lineage and specimens. We would like to invite experts from the biotechnology and biomedical fields to further contribute to the standard.

Leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV) is rarely associated with anti-tumor necrosis factor [TNF] α therapy. We report a 22-year-old man with new onset of a pustular rash on his bilateral upper and lower extremities while on adalimumab therapy for Crohn’s disease. Skin biopsy of the affected area showed perivascular extravasation of erythrocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils and vascular damage surrounding blood vessels associated with fibrin, consistent with LCV. Patient was treated with topical steroids and subsequently transitioned to ustekinumab therapy with follow-up colonoscopy showing minimal active disease. Our report highlights the association of a unique dermatologic autoimmune manifestation with TNF-targeted therapy in a patient with Crohn’s disease.

Centrifugal compressors are widely used in different fields. Their design requires high performance and a wide operating range, where, at lower mass flow rates, unstable flow dynamic phenomena occur, which are extremely harmful and, at the same time, complex to fully understand. This review paper presents the main research from the last 40 years on the subject of instability in centrifugal compressors, aiming to clarify the main (sometimes contradictory) causes, classifying them according to the component in which they are triggered or the interaction between them. Importance is given to works that develop criteria for the identification of the stability limit with simplified models. The main techniques used to extend the stability limit are also presented by distinguishing between passive and active fixed-flow control methods; moreover, the main works on variable geometry techniques are reported, showing the advantages and disadvantages of their use. Finally, an overview of the innovative applications of centrifugal compressors, such as fuel cells, is presented. The aim of this review is to highlight the continued interest in this field of study and provide the tools to understand the different unstable mechanisms and techniques used to extend the operating limit.

Background: The management of blood supply depends, among other factors, on the effective remobilization of first‐time donors (FTDs). This study investigates the efficacy of telephone calls to increase second donation rates. Study Design and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 418 first‐time blood donors. In the telephone group (TG, n = 206), men were contacted 9–10 and women 13–14 weeks after their first donation. They were asked about satisfaction and intention to return, and offered an appointment. The primary outcome was the return rate within 6 months after the first donation. Results: The mean age was 28.8 ± 10.0 years and 59.9% of FTDs were female. In the TG, 89.3% were reached. Approximately 50% of each group had donated a second time by 24.2 weeks for the control group (CG) and 14.8 weeks for the TG. The six‐month return rate was 65.0% in the TG and 54.3% in the CG (95%‐CI [0.9%; 20.6%]; p =.033). The restricted mean time to return within 6 months was 19.4 weeks in the CG compared to 17.2 weeks in the TG (95%‐CI [0.7; 3.7]; p =.004). The intervention effect tended to be larger in men than in women. Discussion: Contacting FTDs by phone after their first donation increases the six‐month return rate and reduces the interval to a second donation. Male donors appear to be more receptive to this intervention. Whether the effect of the intervention helps to establish a donor identity in the long term should be the subject of further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type-2 diabetes affects an increasing percentage of the world's population and its control through dietary management, involving the consumption of health-promoting foods or their derived supplements, is a common strategy. Several mushroom species have been demonstrated to be endowed with antidiabetic properties, resulting from their ability in improving insulin sensitivity and production, or inhibiting the carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes α-amylase and α-glucosidase. This study aimed to investigate for the first time the hypoglycemic properties of the edible mushroom Leccinum scabrum (Bull.) Gray. Mushroom extracts were prepared through the microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) technique using green solvents with different polarity degrees. The inhibition activity of all the obtained extracts on both α-glucosidase and α-amylase was evaluated and the highest activity was observed for the EtOAc extract which showed an IC50 value about 60-fold lower than the reference compound 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) on α-glucosidase (0.42 ± 0.02 and 25.4 ± 0.6 µg/mL, respectively). As expected on the basis of the literature data concerning both α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition, a milder inhibition activity on pancreatic α-amylase was observed. Preliminary in vivo tests on Drosophila melanogaster carried out on the most active obtained extract (EtOAc) confirmed the in vitro observed hypoglycemic activity. Finally, the EtOAc extract metabolic profile was determined through GC-MS and HRMS analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Candidemia can be a significant cause of death in immunosuppressed or debilitated patients particularly. Abnormalities of the instrumental cytograms of some hematological analyzers, such as Mindray BC‐6800Plus, can be related to circulating Candida. We studied the possible diagnostic usefulness of this information. Methods: A fungal bloodstream infection has been simulated by adding aliquots of Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida glabrata to 75 leftovers and anonymized peripheral blood samples. Cytographic abnormalities like those of experimental samples were used to select patients with possible fungemia. The microscopic review of peripheral blood smears constituted the confirmatory method. Results: In all experimental samples, the various Candida types caused pseudo‐NRBC and morphological abnormalities of WNB and DIFF cytograms. Circulating blastospores, free or engulfed by neutrophils, were the microscopic findings in the peripheral blood smears. In the clinical verification, 72 patients were recruited based on the presence of an evocative cluster in the WNB and DIFF cytograms. The microscopic review of 39 out of 72 samples was positive for NRBC. According to blood cultures, light microscopy revealed fungal forms of several Candida or non‐Candida types in the remaining 33 samples. Nine of these cases were not yet known to suffer from bloodstream infection. Conclusions: Although further confirmatory clinical studies are required for these diagnostic abilities, the BC 6800Plus cytographic abnormalities related to fungemia have proven helpful in rapidly monitoring persistent fungemia in already diagnosed patients. In unknown or undiagnosed cases, they could be the trigger point for the subsequent diagnostic‐therapeutic pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of biomimetic physical stimuli replicating the in vivo dynamic microenvironment is crucial for the in vitro development of functional cardiac tissues. In particular, pulsed electrical stimulation (ES) has been shown to improve the functional properties of in vitro cultured cardiomyocytes. However, commercially available electrical stimulators are expensive and cumbersome devices while customized solutions often allow limited parameter tunability, constraining the investigation of different ES protocols. The goal of this study was to develop a versatile compact electrical stimulator (ELETTRA) for biomimetic cardiac tissue engineering approaches, designed for delivering controlled parallelizable ES at a competitive cost. ELETTRA is based on an open-source micro-controller running custom software and is combinable with different cell/tissue culture set-ups, allowing simultaneously testing different ES patterns on multiple samples. In particular, customized culture chambers were appositely designed and manufactured for investigating the influence of monophasic and biphasic pulsed ES on cardiac cell monolayers. Finite element analysis was performed for characterizing the spatial distributions of the electrical field and the current density within the culture chamber. Performance tests confirmed the accuracy, compliance, and reliability of the ES parameters delivered by ELETTRA. Biological tests were performed on neonatal rat cardiac cells, electrically stimulated for 4 days, by comparing, for the first time, the monophasic waveform (electric field = 5 V/cm) to biphasic waveforms by matching either the absolute value of the electric field variation (biphasic ES at ±2.5 V/cm) or the total delivered charge (biphasic ES at ±5 V/cm). Findings suggested that monophasic ES at 5 V/cm and, particularly, charge-balanced biphasic ES at ±5 V/cm were effective in enhancing electrical functionality of stimulated cardiac cells and in promoting synchronous contraction.

Gene and genome comparison represent an invaluable tool to identify evolutionarily conserved sequences with possible functional significance. In this work, we have analyzed orthologous genes encoding subunits and assembly factors of the V-ATPase complex, an important enzymatic complex of the vacuolar and lysosomal compartments of the eukaryotic cell with storage and recycling functions, respectively, as well as the main pump in the plasma membrane that energizes the epithelial transport in insects. This study involves 70 insect species belonging to eight insect orders. We highlighted the conservation of a short sequence in the genes encoding subunits of the V-ATPase complex and their assembly factors analyzed with respect to their exon-intron organization of those genes. This study offers the possibility to study ultra-conserved regulatory elements under an evolutionary perspective, with the aim of expanding our knowledge on the regulation of complex gene networks at the basis of organellar biogenesis and cellular organization.

Engineering functional tissues of clinically relevant size (in mm-scale) in vitro is still a challenge in tissue engineering due to low oxygen diffusion and lack of vascularization. To address these limitations, a perfusion bioreactor was used to generate contractile engineered muscles of a 3 mm-thickness and a 8 mm-diameter. This study aimed to upscale the process to 50 mm in diameter by combining murine skeletal myoblasts (SkMbs) with human adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells, providing high neuro-vascular potential in vivo. SkMbs were cultured on a type-I-collagen scaffold with (co-culture) or without (monoculture) SVF. Large-scale muscle-like tissue showed an increase in the maturation index over time (49.18 ± 1.63% and 76.63 ± 1.22%, at 9 and 11 days, respectively) and a similar force of contraction in mono- (43.4 ± 2.28 µN) or co-cultured (47.6 ± 4.7 µN) tissues. Four weeks after implantation in subcutaneous pockets of nude rats, the vessel length density within the constructs was significantly higher in SVF co-cultured tissues (5.03 ± 0.29 mm/mm2) compared to monocultured tissues (3.68 ± 0.32 mm/mm2) (p < 0.005). Although no mature neuromuscular junctions were present, nerve-like structures were predominantly observed in the engineered tissues co-cultured with SVF cells. This study demonstrates that SVF cells can support both in vivo vascularization and innervation of contractile muscle-like tissues, making significant progress towards clinical translation.

Surgical revascularization is the gold standard in most cases of complex coronary artery disease. For coronary artery bypass grafting, autologous grafts are state-of-the-art due to their long-term patency. A non-negligible amount of patients lack suitable bypass material as a result of concomitant diseases or previous interventions. As a promising alternative, tissue-engineered vascular grafts made of biomaterials such as bacterial cellulose (BC) are gaining more and more attention. However, the production of small-diameter grafts (inner diameter < 6 mm) of application-oriented length (> 5 cm) and their in vivo long-term patency remain challenging. In this study, grafts of 20 cm in length with an inner diameter of 3 mm were generated in a custom-made bioreactor. To potentially improve graft compliance and, therefore in vivo patency, BC was combined with an embedded cobalt–chromium mesh. The grafts were designed for in vivo endothelialization and specific surgical properties and implanted as an aortocoronary bypass in a left anterior descending occluded pig model (n = 8). Coronary angiography showed complete patency postoperatively at 4 weeks. Following 4 weeks in vivo, the grafts were explanted revealing a three-layered wall structure. Grafts were colonized by smooth muscle cells and a luminal layer of endothelial cells with early formation of vasa privata indicating functional remodeling. These encouraging findings in a large animal model reveal the great potential of small-diameter BC grafts for coronary and peripheral bypass grafting.

A glass production furnace requires a considerable amount of energy to allow the correct glass melting process. In this work, a CFD model has been developed in order to simulate the convective flow movements within the molten glass bath of the glass furnace. A heat flux profile has been assigned to the glass free surface to model the combustion process, and the glass has been modelled with thermophysical properties variable with temperature based on its chemical composition. The model has been validated by comparing the flow structure and temperature with a reference work. Subsequently, a flow analysis has been carried out by using different shapes for the heat flux profile and by varying its main parameters. The above heat release profiles are representative of different settings of the combustion operating points and can be useful to understand the effects of different flames (i.e., from different fuels also) on the glass flow structure. It has been demonstrated that only the thermal distribution with a maximum generates two convective macro-cells: the first is necessary for the glass melting, the second for its homogenization. It has also been observed that the length of these vortices is related to the flame length. However, a portion of the flow exits directly from the throat (furnace exit port) without entering into the second cell; a low-quality product will be generated in this case.

The design of naval exhaust funnels has to take into account the interaction between the hot gases and topside structures, which usually includes critical electronic devices. Being able to predict the propagation trajectory, shape and temperature distribution of an exhaust gas plume is highly strategic in different industrial sectors. The propagation of a stack plume can be affected by different uncertainty factors, such as those related to the wind flow and gas flow conditions at the funnel exit. The constant growth of computational resources has allowed simulations to gain a key role in the early design phase. However, it is still difficult to model all the aspects of real physical problems in actual applications and, therefore, to completely rely upon the quantitative results of numerical simulations. One of the most important aspects is related to input variable uncertainty, which can significantly affect the simulation result. With this aim, the discipline of Uncertainty Quantification provides several methods to evaluate uncertainty propagation in numerical simulations. In this paper, UQ procedures are applied to a CFD simulation of a single plume in a crossflow. The authors test the influence of the uncertainty propagation of the chimney exit velocity and the main flow angle on the plume flow development. Two different UQ methods are applied to the analysis: the surrogate-based approach and the polynomial chaos expansion method. A comparison of the two methods is performed in order to find their pros and cons, focusing on the different and detailed quantities of interest.

FBRSL1, together with FBRS and AUTS2 (Activator of Transcription and Developmental Regulator; OMIM 607270), constitutes a tripartite AUTS2 gene family. AUTS2 and FBRSL1 are evolutionarily more closely related to each other than to FBRS (Fibrosin 1; OMIM 608601). Despite its paralogous relation to AUTS2, FBRSL1's precise role remains unclear, though it likely shares functions in neurogenesis and transcriptional regulation. Herein, we report the clinical presentation with therapeutic approaches and the molecular etiology of a patient harboring a de novo truncating variant (c.371dupC) in FBRSL1, leading to a premature stop codon (p.Cys125Leufs*7). Our study extends previous knowledge by highlighting potential interactions and implications of this variant, alongside maternal and paternal duplications, for the patient's phenotype. Using sequence conservation data and in silico analysis of the truncated protein, we generated a predicted domain structure. Furthermore, our in silico analysis was extended by taking into account SNP array results. The extension of in silico analysis was performed due to the possibility that the coexistence of FBRSL1 truncating variant contemporary with maternal and paternal duplication could be a modifier of proband's phenotype and/or influence the novel syndrome clinical characteristics. FBRSL1 protein may be involved in neurodevelopment due to its homology with AUTS2, together with distinctive neuronal expression profiles, and thus should be considered as a potential modulation of clinical characteristics in a novel syndrome. Finally, considering that FBRSL1 is apparently involved in neurogenesis and in transcriptional regulatory networks that orchestrate gene expression, together with the observation that different genetic syndromes are associated with distinct genomic DNA methylation patterns, the specific episignature has been explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Functional three-dimensional (3D) engineered cardiac tissue (ECT) models are essential for effective drug screening and biological studies. Application of physiological cues mimicking those typical of the native myocardium is known to promote the cardiac maturation and functionality in vitro. Commercially available bioreactors can apply one physical force type at a time and often in a restricted loading range. To overcome these limitations, a millimetric-scale microscope-integrated bioreactor was developed to deliver multiple biophysical stimuli to ECTs. In this study, we showed that the single application of auxotonic loading (passive) generated a bizonal ECT with a unique cardiac maturation pattern. Throughout the statically cultured constructs and in the ECT region exposed to high passive loading, cardiomyocytes predominantly displayed a round morphology and poor contractility ability. The ECT region with a low passive mechanical stimulation instead showed both rat- and human-origin cardiac cell maturation and organization, as well as increased ECT functionality.

El tratamiento hormonal que reciben los hombres transexuales tiene entre sus efectos la masculinización de la voz. El objetivo de esta investigación es medir la mediana de la frecuencia fundamental en el habla (Mf0) en hombres transexuales en distintas etapas de su tratamiento hormonal y determinar si existe una alta correlación entre este parámetro y el número de dosis recibidas. Utilizando Praat se obtuvo el valor de la Mf0 de una serie automática de palabras, su valor mínimo, máximo y rango. Grupo 1: sujetos con 11 o menos dosis de testosterona. Grupo 2: sujetos con 12 o más dosis. Los valores encontrados son comparables con los esperados para hombres no transgéneros. No se encontraron diferencias significativas respecto a la Mf0, Mf0min, Mf0máx y rango, al comparar los grupos 1 y 2. Existe una correlación baja entre el número de dosis y la Mf0. Existe una asociación entre el tratamiento hormonal y la masculinización de la voz, sin embargo, no existe evidencia que señale que a mayor número de dosis de hormonas exista una mayor masculinización de la voz. Se necesita realizar nuevas investigaciones con población más grande para verificar estos resultados.

La pandemia de la COVID-19 ha generado una crisis de escala global que ha impactado en todos los quehaceres de la humanidad. Uno de los más golpeados es el turismo que, por su propia naturaleza, se enfrenta al difícil e ineludible reto de crear las condiciones para asegurar, en la medida de lo posible, la salud de los turistas, generando en ellos la confianza necesaria para un paulatino retorno a la actividad. El presente artículo aborda este tema desde un análisis de la situación actual del turismo en el Perú, hasta un conjunto de propuestas para su reactivación, tanto a nivel general como en determinados subsectores clave.

Rebuilding damaged or diseased tissue by means of biological additive manufacturing has recently gained lot of attention and shown very promising result. Using biofabrication techniques to mimic and replicate natural tissue as well as cell environment is a very capable way to achieve physiologically relevant conditions. Especially in electrophysiological human tissue like cardiac or neural tissue, proper signal transduction is of paramount importance for appropriate function and cell maturation as well as differentiation. Precisely, these conductive properties are challenging to engineer. However, a lot of outstanding work has been done recently. Therefore, this review focuses on additives, i.e., nanocomposites with intrinsic conductive properties, to the usually nonconductive hydrogels used in 3D‐bioprinting. Recent work on exploiting the properties of these nanocomposites, such as metal nanoparticles (NPs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, or MXenes, to alter the nanoenvironment of the manufactured construct toward conductive tissues is presented. An overview of responsiveness to external stimuli, a second intrinsic property of such nanocomposites is provided as well. Furthermore, these materials are critically analyzed concerning their electrophysiology, i.e., cell–scaffold interaction, their biocompatibility as well as their toxicological properties.

The reduction in energy consumption and the increasingly demanding emissions regulations have become strategic challenges for every industrial sector. In this context, the glass industry would be one of the most affected sectors due to its high energy demand and emissions productions, especially in terms of NOx. For this reason, various emission abatement systems have been developed in this field and one of the most used is the air staging system. It consists in injecting air into the upper part of the regenerative chamber on the exhaust gases side in order to create the conditions for combustion that reduces NOx emissions. In this work, the combined use of CFD with data analysis techniques offers a tool for the design and management of a hybrid air staging system. Surrogate models of the bypass mass flow rate and uniformity index in the regenerative chamber have been obtained starting from DoE based on different simulations by varying the air mass flow rate of the two injectors located in a bypass duct that connects the two regenerative chambers. This model allows a UQ analysis to verify how the uncertainty of the air injectors can affect the bypass mass flow rate. Finally, an optimization procedure has identified the optimal condition for the best bypass mass flow rates and uniformity of the oxygen concentration in the chamber. High values of the mass flow rate of the pros injector and medium-low values for the cons injectors are identified as operating parameters for best conditions.

The operating range extension of radial compressors is a crucial aspect in turbocharging the internal combustion engines in order to extend the operating range of the system at high efficiency for fuel and environmental impact reduction. The future scenario of automotive propulsion will have the fuel cells at the top of the ranking of possible reference systems in substitution of thermal reciprocating engines. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells for automotive or aerospace vehicles are frequently turbocharged because compressed air for the fuel cell stack is required in the cathode system. Therefore, like in turbocharged internal combustion engines, a radial compressor is combined and connected with a radial turbine to exploit the thermal energy of the exhaust gas from the fuel cell. The study and the development of this sort of radial turbomachinery is still strategic to guarantee high performance of the overall propulsion system. The operating range is an important issue and current turbocharger design must be adapted to the new requirements of the fuel cells systems with a need for extending it. Various techniques to extend the operating range of the centrifugal compressor have been investigated and a summary is reported in this work, with a focus on the casing treatment. Through a CFD simulation campaign with appropriate simplified models, the effects of installing the ported shroud, the shutter or the axial groove have been calculated with respect to a baseline configuration. These simulations have supported the identification of the main limits and advantages for each of these solutions at different operating regimes. The performance maps and some physical parameters of interest have been compared.

El hábito de fumar puede causar daños a la voz, incluso en etapas tempranas. El valor alpha ratio permitiría detectar cambios en el timbre de voz debido a dicho hábito, pudiendo ser un in­dicador preventivo de futuras patologías vocales. El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar si existen diferencias significativas entre los va­lores de alpha ratio de hombres y mujeres, fu­madores y no fumadores, sin patología vocal previa, de manera de respaldar su uso a nivel preventivo. Se midieron los valores Leq 0-1000 Hz y Leq 1000-5000 Hz, que componen alpha ratio, en 194 sujetos entre 18 y 26 años que no hacen uso profesional de la voz. El grupo se di­vidió en 32 hombres fumadores y 21 no fuma­dores, 61 mujeres fumadoras y 80 no fumadoras. Se grabaron sus voces en una cámara silente, uti­lizando los programas Audacity y PRAAT. Los valores alpha ratio en fumadores tanto en hom­bres como mujeres, presentaron valores prome­dio mayores que los no fumadores. No se en­contraron diferencias significativas entre los valores de alpha ratio entre hombre fumadores y no fumadores (p= .2799) solo entre mujeres fu­madoras y no fumadoras (p= .0111). Se compa­raron los valores Leq 0-1000Hz y Leq 1000­5000 Hz entre mujeres fumadoras y no fumado­ras encontrándose solo diferencias significativas en los valores Leq 1000-5000 Hz (p = .0095). Se puede concluir que el valor alpha ratio podría ser un buen indicador temprano de predisposi­ción para el desarrollo de alteraciones que afec­ten el timbre de voz, en especial en el caso de las mujeres.

Abstract Background We have recently described a peculiar feature of the promoters in two Drosophila Tc1-like elements, Bari1 and Bari3. The AT-richness and the presence of weak core-promoter motifs make these promoters, that we have defined “blurry”, able to activate transcription of a reporter gene in cellular systems as diverse as fly, human, yeast and bacteria. In order to clarify whether the blurry promoter is a specific feature of the Bari transposon family, we have extended this study to promoters isolated from three additional DNA transposon and from two additional LTR retrotransposons. Results Here we show that the blurry promoter is also a feature of two vertebrate transposable elements, Sleeping Beauty and Hsmar1, belonging to the Tc1/mariner superfamily. In contrast, this feature is not shared by the promoter of the hobo transposon, which belongs to the hAT superfamily, nor by LTR retrotransposon-derived promoters, which, in general, do not activate transcription when introduced into non-related genomes. Conclusions Our results suggest that the blurry promoter could be a shared feature of the members of the Tc1/mariner superfamily with possible evolutionary and biotechnological implications.

Constitutive heterochromatin represents a significant fraction of eukaryotic genomes (10% in Arabidopsis, 20% in humans, 30% in D. melanogaster, and up to 85% in certain nematodes) and shares similar genetic and molecular properties in animal and plant species. Studies conducted over the last few years on D. melanogaster and other organisms led to the discovery of several functions associated with constitutive heterochromatin. This made it possible to revise the concept that this ubiquitous genomic territory is incompatible with gene expression. The aim of this review is to focus the attention on a group of protein-coding genes resident in D. melanogaster constitutive of heterochromatin, which are implicated in different steps of cell division.