Search

Abstract Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic multisymptom disorder that affects approximately 25–32% of Gulf War veterans and is characterized by a number of symptoms such as cognitive impairment, psychiatric disturbances, chronic fatigue and gastrointestinal distress, among others. While the exact etiology of GWI is unknown, it is believed to have been caused by toxic exposures encountered during deployment in combination with other factors such as stress. In the present study we sought to evaluate the hypothesis that exposure to the toxin permethrin could prime neuroinflammatory stress response and elicit psychiatric symptoms associated with GWI. Specifically, we developed a mouse model of GWI, to evaluate the effects of chronic permethrin exposure followed by unpredictable stress. We found that subjecting mice to 14 days of chronic permethrin exposure followed by 7 days of unpredictable stress resulted in the development of depression-like behavior. This behavioral change coincided with distinct alterations in the microglia phenotype, indicating microglial activation in the hippocampus. We revealed that blocking microglial activation through Gi inhibitory DREADD receptors in microglia effectively prevented the behavioral change associated with permethrin and stress exposure. To elucidate the transcriptional networks impacted within distinct microglia populations linked to depression-like behavior in mice exposed to both permethrin and stress, we conducted a single-cell RNA sequencing analysis using 21,566 single nuclei collected from the hippocampus of mice. For bioinformatics, UniCell Deconvolve was a pre-trained, interpretable, deep learning model used to deconvolve cell type fractions and predict cell identity across spatial datasets. Our bioinformatics analysis identified significant alterations in permethrin exposure followed by stress-associated microglia population, notably pathways related to neuronal development, neuronal communication, and neuronal morphogenesis, all of which are associated with neural synaptic plasticity. Additionally, we observed permethrin exposure followed by stress-mediated changes in signal transduction, including modulation of chemical synaptic transmission, regulation of neurotransmitter receptors, and regulation of postsynaptic neurotransmitter receptor activity, a known contributor to the pathophysiology of depression in a subset of the hippocampal pyramidal neurons in CA3 subregions. Our findings tentatively suggest that permethrin may prime microglia towards a state of inflammatory activation that can be triggered by psychological stressors, resulting in depression-like behavior and alterations of neural plasticity. These findings underscore the significance of synergistic interactions between multi-causal factors associated with GWI.

Kounis syndrome (KS), characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and allergic reactions, can be triggered by a range of factors and drugs. We report on the case of a patient who arrived at our emergency department (ED) with symptoms of an allergic reaction after taking moxifloxacin and deflazacort orally. In the ED, the patient experienced a 5-minute episode of oppressive chest pain. A 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) was registered, and elevated troponin levels were detected in the blood, suggesting myocardial damage. The patient was admitted to the internal medicine department for observation, and a second 12-lead ECG demonstrated a significant variation in the repolarization pattern. The day after, a coronary angiography revealed no significant stenosis, thus supporting, along with elevated serum tryptase levels, the diagnosis of KS. This case report highlights two potential triggers for KS and emphasizes the critical importance of early recognition and prompt treatment of KS.

Introduction: Adaptive behavior, defined as a critical set of skills learned and performed throughout daily life to cope with society’s age-appropriate expectations, is a central concept for people with disabilities in both clinical and research contexts. As AB is an essential component of daily functioning, assessment is necessary both for the diagnostic process and for intervention, as it enables scores to be compared with the developmental norm, identifies strengths and weaknesses of the persons and monitors the progress of interventions. AB assessment is common in children with developmental delays but less common in children with visual impairment (VI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the AB of young children with VI through a pilot study and descriptive data. Methods: The participants were recruited through an early childhood special needs education service specialized in VI in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Overall, 10 families gave their consent for their child to be assessed using the Vineland Adaptative Behavior Scale-II (VABS-II) completed by their early childhood educator. Results: Globally, the results showed that participants were rated between the Adapted to Moderately High levels. The highest domains were in the areas of communication, daily living skills and socialization. Discussion: The results showed a trend that is superior to previous studies assessing the AB of a similar population. As a result, one obvious perspective would be to adapt the scale to ensure that the items assessed are more consistent with the specificities of their development and the intervention priorities, enabling them to achieve adaptive behavior and independence in carrying out activities of daily living.

BackgroundPoor affect recognition is an early sign of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Here, we applied the abbreviated version of the Comprehensive Affect Testing System (CATS-A) battery to Italian FTD cases and healthy controls (HC) to provide cut-offs of emotional dysfunction in the whole group and in different FTD clinical syndromes.MethodsOne hundred thirty-nine FTD patients (60 behavioural variant [bvFTD],13 semantic behavioural variant of FTD [sbvFTD], 28 progressive supranuclear palsy [PSP], 21 semantic [svPPA] and 17 nonfluent [nfvPPA] variants of primary progressive aphasia) and 116 HC were administered the CATS-A, yielding an Affective Recognition Quotient (ARQ), which was used as outcome measure. Age- and education-adjusted, regression-based norms were derived in HC. In patients, the ARQ was assessed for its internal reliability, factorial validity and construct validity by testing its association with another social cognition paradigm, the Story-Based Empath Task (SET). The diagnostic accuracy of the ARQ in discriminating patients from HC, genetic cases from HC and patient groups among each other was tested via ROC analyses.ResultsIn the whole FTD cohort, CATS-A proved to be underpinned by a mono-component factor (51.1%) and was internally consistent (McDonalds ω = 0.76). Moreover, the ARQ converged with the SET (r(122) = 0.50; p

The fourth edition of the Italian Dietary Guidelines (IDGs) for Healthy Eating was published in 2019. The objective of this paper is to describe the developmental process of IDGs, the main recommendations, the differences with previous revisions, and the concordance and differences with international guidance on a healthy diet. A National Commission oversaw IDG development. A Scientific Dossier (SD), including analysis on nutrition, health, and risk factors status in Italy, was the reference for IDGs preparation. The IDGs are based on the principles of the Mediterranean Diet and are mainly aimed to prevent obesity and nutrition-related non-communicable diseases. The IDGs included 13 directives that were divided into four conceptual blocks: i) how to balance weight; ii) foods to be promoted; iii) foods to be limited; and iv) how to ensure a varied and sustainable diet. Each directive has a box summarizing the key recommendation, myths lists, and false beliefs to be dispelled. The topics of sustainability and the correct approach to food supplementation and weight-loss diet were introduced in the present edition of IDGs. This paper contributes to the debate on the complexity of derivation of Dietary Guidelines and their adaptation to the national context.

The state's policy is to integrate information systems into a single information space within the electronic health care system. The state plans and coordinates information systems that are implemented at the expense of the state or local budgets in order to rationalize the use of available resources and to avoid duplication of information systems functionality. With regard to information systems implemented through private funds, the function of the state is to build infrastructure (standardization, certification, market surveillance) for quality management in the market. The state provides single entry of information and its further processing in many information systems, storage of basic patient information within the central component of the WHO, and expanded information (eg data in clinical registers) in decentralized specialized information systems. The purpose of this study is to study the place of information technology in the implementation of medical activities. I would point out that medical activity is a set of actions of medical and pharmaceutical workers in providing medical care or service to a patient within the legal (subject to obtaining a license) and ethical (oath of Hippocrates) norms, ie compliance with the stages of treatment in accordance with the established standards of the Ministry of Health. We used in research scientific methods to analise in an objective and systematic way the information technology in the performance of medical activities, describe it with empirical. formal-logical, comparative-legal methods. It should be noted that e-Health is an electronic system that helps patients to receive and to doctors to provide quality medical services. All medical records throughout 2019 will be transmitted electronically. The main purpose of implementing an electronic healthcare system is to minimize fraud and corruption. In the future, e-Health will enable everyone to get their medical information quickly and doctors will be able to diagnose correctly with a holistic picture of the patient's health. The aim of the MoH is to launch a full-fledged eHealth by 2020, which would not only reflect the relationship between the hospital and the state but also be a register of medical records of all Ukrainians. Results. Thus, with the advancement of information technology, the growing share of medical research that relies on mathematical (computer) modelling has become commonplace in clinical practice, making it clear that IT capabilities are becoming a major contributor to medicine and health care. To date, many serious studies and projects are being implemented in the world to implement IT in the medical field. Due to medical reform, continuous computerization necessitated the need for medical staff to have computer skills. Today, in the medical field, services such as electronic medical record, electronic prescription, electronic referral, etc. are included in daily life. Electronic automated preparation of appointments, prescriptions, statements, hospital letters and other standardized documents for patients. In particular, there are automated databases of medical, pharmaceutical and scientific-pedagogical staff of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Conclusion. The impact of IT on health care plays an extremely important role, as with the implementation of health care reform in Ukraine there is complete computerization of all branches of the medical field.

A Semantic Classification of Weil-clauses. In the present study, we will elaborate a classification of clauses introduced by weil ‘because’; this classification combines different views on the concepts of cause and motive and their respective linguistic realization. In this paper, the three-dimensional model proposed by Sweetser (1990) will be combined with the distinction between cause and motive made in Prandi/De Santis (2011) and Prandi (2013), with the purpose of formulating a taxonomy of linguistic causality. Corpus research aimed at testing the afore-mentioned classification shows that the subordinating conjunction weil, which is usually defined as the prototypical causal subordinator in traditional grammars, introduces different conceptual relations, which would be difficult to identify without a comprehensive classification of the semantic relations introduced by this subordinator. Finally, further applications of the proposed classification involving the opposition between clauses headed by weil with verb-end and verb-second syntax will be proposed. It will be argued that the verb-second syntax serves a particular function in the encoding of semantic relations. REZUMAT. O clasificare semantică a propozițiilor introduse prin Weil. O clasificare semantică a propozițiilor introduse prin Weil. În studiul de față, vom elabora o clasificare a propozițiilor introduse prin conjuncția subordonatoare weil (deoarece), care combină perspective diferite asupra conceptelor „cauză”, „motiv” și realizările lor lingvistice. În această lucrare, modelul tridimensional propus de Sweester (1990) va fi combinat cu diferențierea dintre cauză și motiv enunțată de Prandi/De Santis (1990) și Prandi (2013), cu scopul de a formula o taxonomie a cauzalității lingvistice. Cercetarea corpusului, care își propune testarea clasificării mai sus menționate, demonstrează că weil, de obicei definită drept subordonatoarea cauzală prototipică în gramaticile tradiționale, introduce de fapt relații conceptuale diferite, care ar fi greu de identificat în absența unei clasificări exhaustive a relațiilor semantice introduse de această conjuncție. În cele din urmă, se vor propune aplicații suplimentare ale clasificării sugerate, ce vizează opoziția dintre propozițiile a căror categorie sintactică e determinată de weil de tip verb în poziție finală și cele de tip verb în poziție secundară. Se va argumenta că sintaxa de tip verb în poziție secundară îndeplinește o funcție specifică în codificarea relațiilor semantice. Cuvinte-cheie: cauză, motiv, gramatici tradiționale, relații semantice, verb în poziție finală, verb în poziție secundară

Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo are monitoring the sky and collecting gravitational-wave strain data with sufficient sensitivity to detect signals routinely. In this paper we describe the data recorded by these instruments during their first and second observing runs. The main data products are gravitational-wave strain time series sampled at 16384 Hz. The datasets that include this strain measurement can be freely accessed through the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center at http://gw-openscience.org, together with data-quality information essential for the analysis of LIGO and Virgo data, documentation, tutorials, and supporting software.

Per descrivere correttamente la relazione della finalità, in modo tale che emerga la varietà dei mezzi linguistici che la può esprimere a livello intralinguistico e interlinguistico, è necessario partire innanzitutto dalla struttura concettuale della finalità stessa, invertendo la prospettiva alla base delle grammatiche tradizionali categoriali dell’italiano e del tedesco, in cui sono determinate congiunzioni subordinanti ad avere un ruolo quasi esclusivo nella realizzazione della finalità; questa prospettiva ha finito per opporre la causa al fine, quando invece l’opposizione riguarda la causa e il motivo dell’azione. Partendo dai concetti e focalizzando inoltre aspetti che pertengono all’interfaccia lessico-sintassi è possibile ‘reinterpretare’ il fine correttamente e mostrare che le forme di espressione che realizzano la finalità in italiano e tedesco sono molteplici, di diversa natura e in molti casi fraseologiche. Nonostante la tassonomia proposta di nomi predicativi con significato finale che costituiscono i connettori complessi, fraseologici, sia parziale, la descrizione mette in luce che è possibile riscontrare classi comuni in italiano e tedesco, che consentono di insegnare ed apprendere la finalità in modo induttivo e non categoriale, diversamente, quindi, da quanto si riscontra nella didattica della lingua straniera in epoca contemporanea. La finalità è una importante relazione concettuale che dovrebbe trovare adeguato trattamento nell’insegnamento/apprendimento della lingua straniera, tanto più che i connettori complessi che la realizzano si prestano ad essere descritti, ai fini didattici, anche secondo approcci costruzionisti, con evidente vantaggio per gli apprendenti italofoni o tedescofoni rispettivamente del tedesco o dell’italiano come lingua straniera. Più specificamente, i connettori complessi con valore finale del tedesco e dell’italiano sono esaminati nella seconda parte del presente lavoro dal punto di vista della lessicografia, della ricerca inerente alle collocazioni, della fraseologia e, infine, della grammatica delle costruzioni. Purpose and grammar construction in comparing Italian and German: considerations for teaching L2 To correctly describe purposive relationships so that the variety of linguistic means by which purpose can be expressed at intra and inter-linguistic levels emerges, it is necessary to start with the conceptual structure of purpose itself, reversing the underlying perspective regarding traditional grammatical categories in Italian and German, where certain subordinate conjunctions almost exclusively express purpose. Indeed, this perspective only ends up pitting cause against purpose, whereas in actual fact it is the cause and the motive for the action that are in opposition. Starting from these concepts and focusing on other aspects that relate to the lexical-syntactic interface, it is possible to ‘reinterpret’ purpose correctly, and show that there are many different, often phraseological, forms of expressing purpose in Italian and German. Although the proposed taxonomy of predicative nouns with the meaning of purpose that make up complex, phraseological, connectors is partial, their description shows that it is possible to find classes common in both Italian and German. We can thus teach and learn purpose inductively, rather than relying on categories. This approach differs considerably from how foreign languages are taught nowadays. However, purpose is an important conceptual relationship that should be treated as such when teaching/learning a foreign language, especially since the complex connectors that express this meaning lend themselves to being described, for educational purposes, according to constructionist approaches. This has an obvious advantage for Italian or German-speaking learners of German or Italian, respectively, as a foreign language. More specifically, complex connectors that express purpose in Italian and German are examined in the second part of the paper from the point of view of lexicography, collocation research, phraseology and finally grammar construction.

The Einstein Telescope is Europe’s next generation gravitational-wave detector. To develop all necessary technology, four research facilities have emerged across Europe: The Amaldi Research Center (ARC) in Rome (Italy), ETpathfinder in Maastricht (The Netherlands), SarGrav in the Sos Enattos mines on Sardinia (Italy) and E-TEST in Liége (Belgium) and its surroundings. The ARC pursues the investigation of a large cryostat, equipped with dedicated low-vibration cooling lines, to test full-scale cryogenic payloads. The installation will be gradual and interlaced with the payload development. ETpathfinder aims to provide a low-noise facility that allows the testing of full interferometer configurations and the interplay of their subsystems in an ET-like environment. ETpathfinder will focus amongst others on cryogenic technologies, silicon mirrors, lasers and optics at 1550 and 2090 nm and advanced quantum noise reduction schemes. The SarGrav laboratory has a surface lab and an underground operation. On the surface, the Archimedes experiment investigates the interaction of vacuum fluctuations with gravity and is developing (tilt) sensor technology for the Einstein Telescope. In an underground laboratory, seismic characterisation campaigns are undertaken for the Sardinian site characterisation. Lastly, the Einstein Telecope Euregio meuse-rhine Site & Technology (E-TEST) is a single cryogenic suspension of an ET-sized silicon mirror. Additionally, E-TEST investigates the Belgian–Dutch–German border region that is the other candidate site for Einstein Telescope using boreholes and seismic arrays and hydrogeological characterisation. In this article, we describe the Einstein Telescope, the low-frequency part of its science case and the four research facilities.

Purpose The Observational cohort for the study of DOlutegravir in Antiretroviral Combination REgimens (ODOACRE) cohort was established in Italy in 2016 to evaluate the overall efficacy and tolerability of dolutegravir (DTG)-based antiretroviral (ARV) regimens in clinical practice.Participants The ODOACRE cohort enrols all adult HIV-1-infected patients, both treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced, starting a DTG-based ARV regimen, in 11 clinical centres in Italy from 2014.Findings to date In recent years, various works by the ODOACRE cohort have been produced, demonstrating the high efficacy and tolerability of DTG-based ARV regimens in clinical practice, both in ART-naïve (in the setting of acute HIV-1 infection and late presenters patient) and experienced patients. We confirmed the virological efficacy of DTG-based regimens and we evaluated predictors of virological failure. We investigated cause of discontinuation and evaluated tolerability and metabolic profile of the regimens. Within these investigations, we explored particularly the use of DTG in simplification in two-drug regimen with either rilpivirine or lamivudine. We also compared DTG-based regimens with other integrase inhibitors in clinical practice.Future plans To continue to study long-term efficacy and tolerability of DTG-based regimens is the purpose of the ODOACRE cohort.

In a polychrome artefact, coloured paint layers are applied on architectural elements or sculptures. Paint layers are made up of the colour, which is most typically an inorganic pigment and, with the exception of frescos, an organic binder, which enables the pigment to be dispersed and applied with a brush. From an analytical point of view the characterisation of organic paint binders is very challenging: the organic matter represents a very small amount of the total weight of the sample which is very small and aged. In this paper we describe the analytical approach applied for the characterisation of samples collected from a selection Gandhara polychromies. The analytical strategies and techniques employed are described and examples of the results obtained are presented.

Cities and nations worldwide are pledging to energy and carbon neutral objectives that imply a huge contribution from buildings. High-performance targets, either zero energy or zero carbon, are typically difficult to be reached by single buildings, but groups of properly-managed buildings might reach these ambitious goals. For this purpose we need tools and experiences to model, monitor, manage and optimize buildings and their neighborhood-level systems. The paper describes the activities pursued for the deployment of an advanced energy management system for a multi-carrier energy grid of an existing neighborhood in the area of Milan. The activities included: (i) development of a detailed monitoring plan, (ii) deployment of the monitoring plan, (iii) development of a virtual model of the neighborhood and simulation of the energy performance. Comparisons against early-stage energy monitoring data proved promising and the generation system showed high efficiency (EER equal to 5.84), to be further exploited.

BACKGROUND: The trauma mortality rate is higher in the elderly compared with younger patients. Ageing is associated with physiological changes in multiple systems and correlated with frailty. Frailty is a risk factor for mortality in elderly trauma patients. We aim to provide evidence-based guidelines for the management of geriatric trauma patients to improve it and reduce futile procedures. METHODS: Six working groups of expert acute care and trauma surgeons reviewed extensively the literature according to the topic and the PICO question assigned. Statements and recommendations were assessed according to the GRADE methodology and approved by a consensus of experts in the field at the 10th international congress of the WSES in 2023. RESULTS: The management of elderly trauma patients requires knowledge of ageing physiology, a focused triage, including drug history, frailty assessment, nutritional status, and early activation of trauma protocol to improve outcomes. Acute trauma pain in the elderly has to be managed in a multimodal analgesic approach, to avoid side effects of opioid use. Antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended in penetrating (abdominal, thoracic) trauma, in severely burned and in open fractures elderly patients to decrease septic complications. Antibiotics are not recommended in blunt trauma in the absence of signs of sepsis and septic shock. Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis with LMWH or UFH should be administrated as soon as possible in high and moderate-risk elderly trauma patients according to the renal function, weight of the patient and bleeding risk. A palliative care team should be involved as soon as possible to discuss the end of life in a multidisciplinary approach considering the patients directives, family feelings and representatives desires, and all decisions should be shared. CONCLUSIONS: The management of elderly trauma patients requires knowledge of ageing physiology, a focused triage based on assessing frailty and early activation of trauma protocol to improve outcomes. Geriatric Intensive Care Units are needed to care for elderly and frail trauma patients in a multidisciplinary approach to decrease mortality and improve outcomes.

This paper investigates how the possibility of affecting group composition combined with the possibility of repeated interaction impacts cooperation within groups and surplus distribution. We developed and tested experimentally a Surplus Allocation Game where cooperation of four agents is needed to produce surplus, but only two have the power to allocate it among the group members. Three matching procedures (corresponding to three separate experimental treatments) were used to test the impact of the variables of interest. A total of 400 subjects participated in our research, which was computer-based and conducted in a laboratory. Our results show that allowing for repeated interaction with the same partners leads to a self-selection of agents into groups with different life spans, whose duration is correlated with the behavior of both distributors and receivers. While behavior at the group level is diverse for surplus allocation and amount of cooperation, aggregate behavior is instead similar when repeated interaction is allowed or not allowed. We developed a behavioral model that captures the dynamics observed in the experimental data and sheds light into the rationales that drive the agents’ individual behavior, suggesting that the most generous distributors are those acting for fear of rejection, not for true generosity, while the groups lasting the longest are those composed by this type of distributors and “undemanding” receivers.

Borumand M, Sibilla S. Clin Interv Aging. 2014;9:174 7– 1758. The authors noticed a mistake in their paper which was overlooked during the revision process of the paper. On page 1749, 3rd line of paragraph 15 of the introduction, the sentence “. . . hydrolyzed collagen type I obtained from the cartilage of fish . . .” should read “. . . hydrolyzed collagen type I obtained from fish skin . . .”.Read the original article

The treatment of collocations in bilingual German–Italian and Italian–German dictionaries. This paper shows how collocations are treated in the general bilingual German–Italian and Italian–German dictionaries used in Italy. Some definitions and classifications of collocations are given in the first part of the paper, while the second part provides a targeted comparative analysis of the following three dictionaries: Il Dizionario di Tedesco (2001¹, 20092, 2014³), Il Sansoni tedesco. Dizionario Deutsch - Italienisch, Italiano - Tedesco (20066), Il nuovo DIT Paravia. Il dizionario tedesco - italiano, italiano - tedesco (20084). This clearly demonstrates that only the Dizionario di Tedesco deals with collocations adequately, highlighting collocates for each meaning of the lemmas considered, and clearly distinguishing collocations from the expressions listed in the phraseological section. REZUMAT. Modul de abordare a colocațiilor în dicționarele bilingve german-italian și italian-german. În acest articol se dezbate tema colocațiilor și cum se regăsesc în dicționarele (cele mai folosite) generale bilingve german-italian și italian-german. La început, sunt date câteva definiții ale termenului colocație și clasificări ale acestui fenomen. Ulterior, se trece la analizarea modului în care colocațiile sunt prezentate în dicționare, mai exact în următoarele trei dicționare: Il Dizionario di Tedesco (2001¹, 20092, 2014³), Il Sansoni tedesco. Dizionario Deutsch - Italienisch, Italiano - Tedesco (20066), Il nuovo DIT Paravia. Il dizionario tedesco - italiano, italiano - tedesco (20084). Prin comparație se arată în mod evident că numai Dizionario di Tedesco oferă o analiză corespunzătoare a colocațiilor, deoarece evidențiază fiecare semnificație a termenilor considerați colocanți și distinge în mod clar colocațiile de expresiile enumerate în secțiunea frazeologică. Cuvinte cheie: colocații, colocanți, dicționare generale bilingve.

Objective: To analyse the development of the medical and surgical treatment of acute diverticulitis to develop an appropriate decision-making algorithm. Methods: We analysed the demographic characteristics, radiological images, disease severity, treatments and surgical outcomes of all of the patients with a diagnosis of acute diverticulitis admitted to the Department of General and Emergency Surgery between 1 January 2009 and 30 June 2014. Results: During the 66-month study period, 219 patients with acute diverticulitis attended our department; 69% had simple diverticulitis (93% were treated conservatively and 7% surgically) and 31% had complicated diverticulitis (76% were treated surgically and 24% conservatively). Of the patients who were treated surgically, 62.5% underwent primary resection with anastomosis, 31.94% Hartmann's procedure, and 5.56% laparoscopic lavage and drainage. Conclusions: Our cases and a careful review of the literature allowed us to develop a decision-making algorithm for patients with acute diverticulitis.

L’ipotesi sostenuta in questo saggio è che Auschwitz possa essere letto nei termini di una civiltà capovolta che sovverte usi, costumi e miti fondativi della civiltà occidentale, entro un duplice rovesciamento della realtà (Gegenrealität) e del bagaglio culturale (Gegenkultur) della civiltà occidentale. Il saggio si focalizza sulla Gegenkultur genocidiaria, mostrandone un campione: a partire da due testi chiave, vengono messi in evidenza i contorni e le implicazioni della cultura sovvertita dell’anticiviltà genocidiaria di cui l’Europa contemporanea è la diretta erede.

Collagen VI is an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein playing a key role in skeletal muscles and whose deficiency leads to connective tissue diseases in humans and in animal models. However, most studies have been focused on skeletal muscle features. We performed an extensive proteomic profiling in two skeletal muscles (diaphragm and gastrocnemius) of wild-type and collagen VI null (Col6a1−/−) mice at different ages, from 6- (adult) to 12- (aged) month-old to 24 (old) month-old. While in wild-type animals the number of proteins and the level of modification occurring during aging were comparable in the two analyzed muscles, Col6a1−/− mice displayed a number of muscle-type specific variations. In particular, gastrocnemius displayed a limited number of dysregulated proteins in adult mice, while in aged muscles the modifications were more pronounced in terms of number and level. In diaphragm, the differences displayed by 6-month-old Col6a1−/− mice were more pronounced compared to wild-type mice and persisted at 12 months of age. In adult Col6a1−/− mice, the major variations were found in the enzymes belonging to the glycolytic pathway and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, as well as in autophagy-related proteins. When compared to wild-type animals Col6a1−/− mice displayed a general metabolic rewiring which was particularly prominent the diaphragm at 6 months of age. Comparison of the proteomic features and the molecular analysis of metabolic and autophagic pathways in adult and aged Col6a1−/− diaphragm indicated that the effects of aging, culminating in lipotoxicity and autophagic impairment, were already present at 6 months of age. Conversely, the effects of aging in Col6a1−/− gastrocnemius were similar but delayed becoming apparent at 12 months of age. A similar metabolic rewiring and autophagic impairment was found in the diaphragm of 24-month-old wild-type mice, confirming that fatty acid synthase (FASN) increment and decreased microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B (LC3B) lipidation are hallmarks of the aging process. Altogether these data indicate that the diaphragm of Col6a1−/− animal model can be considered as a model of early skeletal muscle aging.

Maryam Borumand, Sara Sibilla Minerva Research Labs Ltd., London, UK Abstract: With age, changes in the metabolic processes of structural components of the skin lead to visible signs of aging, such as increased dryness and wrinkle formation. The nutritional supplement, Pure Gold Collagen®, which consists of hydrolyzed collagen, hyaluronic acid, vitamins, and minerals, was developed to counteract these signs. An open-label study was conducted to investigate the effects of this nutritional supplement on skin properties. Supplementation with 50 mL of Pure Gold Collagen on a daily basis for 60 days led to a noticeable reduction in skin dryness, wrinkles, and nasolabial fold depth. In addition, a significant increase in collagen density and skin firmness was observed after 12 weeks. The data from this study suggest that Pure Gold Collagen can counteract signs of natural aging. Keywords: hydrolyzed collagen, antiaging, wrinkles, firmness, skin

In this paper, we claim that agents confronting with new interactive situations apply behavioral heuristics that drastically reduce the problem complexity either by neglecting the other players’ incentives, or by restricting attention to subsets of “salient” outcomes. We postulate that these heuristics are sensitive to the manipulation of those features that can be modified without altering the (Nash) equilibrium structure of the game. We call these features “descriptive”. We test experimentally the effect of these descriptive features on both choice behavior and cross-game similarity perception. Analysis of individual choices confirms our hypotheses, and suggests that non-equilibrium choices may derive from simplified mental models of the game structure, rather than from heterogeneous beliefs or limited iterative thinking. In addition, subjects tend to behave similarly in games sharing similar descriptive features, regardless of their strategic structure.

Este artigo apresenta um resumo sobre o padrão IEEE 802.22 para redes regionais sem fi o baseadas em rádio cognitivo. Essas redes foram, originalmente, criadas com o objetivo de prover serviço de banda larga a regiões rurais. O IEEE 802.22 reutiliza o espectro alocado para os canais de televisão sem prejudicar signifi cativamente os receptores licenciados de TV. Para isso, usa apenas canais vagos ou temporariamente ociosos. O rádio cognitivo utiliza técnicas para detectar a atividade do espectro, tendo parâmetros de reconfi gurar suas características de transmissão/recepção conforme a disponibilidade encontrada

La etapa de verificación desempeña un papel fundamental en el diseño e implementación de microcontroladores. Con el fin de realizar una verificación acertada del diseño, son utilizadas algunas técnicas de verificación funcional tales como: pruebas definidas por el diseñador para verificar el desempeño ante casos extremos, la simulación a través detestbenches, y la ejecución de aplicaciones extensas. El proyecto propuesto en este trabajo tiene como objetivo desarrollar e implementarun método para la evaluación de un microcontrolador de núcleo abierto,con la realización de pruebas directamente sobre el hardware. Este enfoque presenta como ventajas, un proceso mucho más rápido que otros métodos que emplean simulaciones y menos requerimiento de memoria para las pruebas. Un Ethernet IP Core ha sido integrado al proyecto, con el fin de hacer que el método sea independiente del sistema operativo, de la arquitectura de microprocesador y de la herramientade diseño.

Giuseppe Derosa, Sibilla AT SalvadeoDepartment of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, ItalyAbstract: Irbesartan, an angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist, is approved as monotherapy, or in combination with other drugs, for the treatment of hypertension in many countries worldwide. Data in the literature suggest that irbesartan is effective for reducing blood pressure over a 24-hour period with once-daily administration, and slows the progression of renal disease in patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, irbesartan shows a good safety and tolerability profile, compared with angiotensin II inhibitors and other angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonists. Thus, irbesartan appears to be a useful treatment option for patients with hypertension, including those with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy. Irbesartan has an inhibitory effect on the pressor response to angiotensin II and improves arterial stiffness, vascular endothelial dysfunction, and inflammation in hypertensive patients. There has been considerable interest recently in the renoprotective effect of irbesartan, which appears to be independent of reductions in blood pressure. In particular, mounting data suggests that irbesartan improves endothelial function, oxidative stress, and inflammation in the kidneys. Recent studies have highlighted a possible role for irbesartan in improving coronary artery inflammation and vascular dysfunction. In this review we summarize and comment on the most important data available with regard to antihypertensive effect, endothelial function improvement, and cardiovascular risk reduction with irbesartan.Keywords: blood pressure, hypertension, endothelial function, irbesartan, antihypertensive drugs, combination therapy

Giuseppe Derosa, Sibilla AT SalvadeoDepartment of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, ItalyIntroduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors. Insulin-resistance represents the common mechanism that leads to type 2 diabetes in obese subjects. Pioglitazone is an insulin-sensitizing agent available for treatment of type 2 diabetes. Large clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of pioglitazone in achieving metabolic control and reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.Aim: The purpose of this article is to review the effectiveness and tolerability of pioglitazone in the prevention and management of atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes. Evidence review: We reviewed the main monotherapy and comparative studies of pioglitazone, and particularly the recent evidence in the field of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular prevention.Place in therapy: The current evidence shows that pioglitazone is an effective option in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. More studies are needed to establish a role for pioglitazone in atherosclerosis prevention beyond glycemic control.Keywords: pioglitazone, diabetes mellitus, glycated hemoglobin, cardiovascular prevention

The possibilities for combining words with other words are traditionally considered from a syntactic point of view. W. Porzig was the first linguist to draw attention, in 1934, to the fact that syntagmatic combinability has not only to do with grammatical characteristics, but also with aspects of meaning. For the syntagmatic lexical relations he describes, W. Porzig introduces the term wesenha!e Bedeutungsbeziehungen. The study of these syntagmatic a&nities was neglected for a long period. Only in the 1950s and 1960s did the concept reappear in various theoretical approaches and under different names. The present article illustrates, in detail, the fundamental distinctions that characterize syntagmatic lexical relations in the various approaches after W. Porzig’s Wesenhafte Bedeutungsbeziehungen and points out that his ideas can still be considered very modern, however, from many points of view, not completely developed.

The paper describes the calibration of a numerical model to simulate the 2D motion of floating rigid bodies. The proposed model follows a one-way coupling Eulerian-Lagrangian approach, in which the solution of the Shallow Water Equations (SWE) is combined with the Discrete Element Method (DEM) to compute the displacement of rigid bodies. Floating bodies motion is computed by adapting the Maxey-Riley equation to the case of semi-submerged bodies at high Reynolds number. In order to account for the flow velocity distribution along the body axis, the elements are divided into shorter subsections. A specific formulation is proposed to calculate the rotation of wooden cylinders, by computing the angular momentum. The model includes also a term of added inertia, which accounts for the resistance to rotation and requires the calibration of a specific inertia coefficient. A series of flume experiments is performed to calibrate the model. The 2D trajectories of floating spheres and the linear and angular displacement of cylinders are recorded in stationary conditions. The comparison between the experimental data and the simulation shows that the numerical results are in agreement with the experimental ones, although less accuracy is observed in the reproduction of the angular displacement.