Search

This study's objective was to assess the involvement of olfactomedin 2 (OLFM2), a secreted glycoprotein related to lipid metabolism regulation, in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mediated by the adipose-tissue–liver axis. OLFM2 mRNA expression was analyzed in subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral (VAT) adipose tissue by RT–qPCR. The cohort included women with normal weight (n = 16) or morbid obesity (MO, n = 60) who were subclassified into normal liver (n = 20), simple steatosis (n = 21), and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH, n = 19) groups. The results showed that OLFM2 expression in SAT was enhanced in MO individuals and in the presence of NAFLD. Specifically, OLFM2 expression in SAT was increased in mild and moderate degrees of steatosis in comparison to the absence of it. Moreover, OLFM2 expression in SAT was negatively correlated with interleukin-6 levels. On the other hand, OLFM2 expression in VAT decreased in the presence of NASH and exhibited a positive correlation with adiponectin levels. In conclusion, OLFM2 in SAT seems to be implicated in hepatic lipid accumulation. Additionally, since we previously suggested the possible implication of hepatic OLFM2 in NAFLD progression, now we propose a possible interaction between the liver and SAT, reinforcing the potential implication of this tissue in NAFLD development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The farming belt of Santa Fe city is located North of the urban area. There is no water supply or sewer system in the area. Water is withdrawn from private wells drilled in households, coexisting with septic tanks and orchards. The activities developed constitute serious contamination threats; contamination hazards could increase due to a rise in the levels of groundwater and/or fluvial or rain floods. The environmental diagnosis presented was made gathering information from previous research studies, interviews to professionals, surveys among producers, as well as by field and laboratory analysis. Agricultural practices, cultivated species, agrochemicals use and irrigation practices, as well as socio-cultural aspects, residents' lifestyle and characteristics related to drainage, use of resources and commitment to the environment by the population were reported. On the basis of the results obtained, some guidelines for the management and protection of the groundwater resources are outlined, in order to contribute to an environmentally sustainable development of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of groundwater resources sustainability indicators is a process of scientific approach that presents the different characteristics of the groundwater systems in a simplified and understandable way. Although its use in such a system is relatively recent, their proper selection provides a valid basis to support coordinated actions in the process of resource operation, planning and management. The central area of Santa Fe province, Argentina, is one of the main producing regions of the province and the country, standing out for its dynamism in both the economic and socio-cultural aspects. In particular, the study area is characterized by strong agriculture-farming and industry activities. The grain and oilseed production has great preponderance in this area, which is complemented by dairies, meat and tanneries strengthened by the presence of the livestock sector. It also highlights the timber ventures, fine furniture stores, and provision of industrial and food systems. The natural quality of groundwater and the scarcity of exploitable surface water resources make groundwater exploited as the exclusive source of supply. This paper focusses on the use of groundwater sustainability indicators in an area of the Santa Fe province, Argentina, where groundwaters are the only source of supply to satisfy the demand for the various purposes. From the indicators used, the indicators of groundwater abstraction demonstrated that local recharge rate is not sufficient to meet the current demand in the area. Therefore, the identification of these indicators incorporates the high added value that they offer as a synthetic measure for the sustainability of groundwater exploitation. Besides, it is expected that the selected indicators contribute to the evaluation of the management of these water resources, to the development of new shares and/or the establishment of plans and projects for their proper management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the availability of thousands of health apps worldwide, when considering those addressing children's first 1000 days of life, most apps fail to consider the continuity between the prenatal and postnatal stages, and their joint impact on maternal and child health. The reliability, quality, and effectiveness of these apps are largely unknown, and the provided content seems questionable in terms of completeness, updating, and trustworthiness.Objective: This study evaluates available Italian pregnancy and postnatal care apps to highlight the main gaps to be overcome and the resulting future challenges to be met in this mobile health-related field.Methods: A systematic search was conducted on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and basic information was collected for all identified apps. After deduplication and further selection based on the exclusion criteria, an in-depth analysis of each app was performed by two researchers independently. A 71-item six-domain questionnaire about the desirable features of apps was used to assess information, functionalities, and technical features, while the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) was employed for app quality evaluation.Results: From an initial sample of 684 apps, 22 were deeply analyzed. Most apps did not fulfill the expectations, as just one achieved 50% of all desirable aspects. Postnatal care and counselling for both the mother and child was the least accomplished domain. Moreover, the quality of app information was generally rated more negatively than the quality of their functionality and esthetic features. The lacking aspects were information about methods for postpartum family planning and birth spacing (1/22, 5%) and immunization (2/22, 9%).Conclusions: The identified gaps could serve as a basis for designing and implementing increasingly high-quality, targeted, and effective apps for pregnancy and postnatal health care, which provide comprehensive, reliable, and evidence-based information, as well as appropriate esthetic and functional characteristics, with relevant implications in terms of maternal and newborn health prevention and promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some activities carried out in the Northern part of the province of Mendoza may affect groundwater quality: industrial effluent disposal and reuse for irrigation, fertilizer application, on-site sanitation systems, sewer leaks, etc. In this area, cut across by the Mendoza and Tunuyán rivers, two large hydro-geological units developed from Quaternary sedimentation: unconfined aquifers (area of alluvial cones) and upper water-table and underlying semiconfined and confined aquifers (where the study area is located). The objective of this paper is to identify the source of nitrate contamination in aquifers. Several physical-chemical and biological parameters were analyzed to assess groundwater quality, and isotope techniques were used to trace the origin of groundwater and the source of nitrates. Results show that nitrate contamination in semi-confined and confined aquifers does not originate in the overlying unconfined aquifer, which is affected by reuse of industrial effluents, but is caused by the horizontal groundwater flow from the greater Mendoza area contaminated by sewer leakage and on-site sanitation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between psychological distress and taste and sense of smell dysfunctions on healthcare workers (HCW) who contracted the COVID-19 infection in the midst of the disease outbreak. Reports of sudden loss of taste and smell which persist even after recovery from COVID-19 infection are increasingly recognized as critical symptoms for COVID-19 infections. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study on COVID-19 HCW ( N = 104) who adhered to respond to a phone semistructured interview addressing the virus symptoms and associated psychological distress. Data were collected from June to September 2020. Findings confirm the association between experienced taste/olfactory loss and emotional distress and suggest that dysfunctions of taste and smell correlate positively with anxiety and depression. Furthermore, their psychological impact tends to persist even after the recovery from the disease, suggesting the need for appropriate psychological interventions to prevent people from developing more serious or long-lasting psychological disorders and, as far as HCW, to reduce the risk of work-related distress., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Dudine, Canaletti, Giudici, Lunardelli, Abram, Santini, Baroni, Paris, Pesavento, Manganotti, Ronchese, Gregoretti and Negro.)