Italy Department Research Articles

Time Delayed Equations as Models in Nature and Society

1Department of Management, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy 2Department of Political Science, University of Genoa, 16125 Genoa, Italy 3Department of Economics, Chuo University, 742-1 Higashi-Nakano, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan 4Department of Economics and Management, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy 5School of Management Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Finance and Economics, Bengbu 233030, China 6Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Superieure, 75231 Paris, France

Heterogeneous Photochemistry: Solar Energy Conversion and Environmental Remediation

1Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy 2Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Zagreb, Marulicev Trg 20, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia 3Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus, Kallipoleos Street 75, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus 4Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Institute Center for Water and Environment (iWater), Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 54224, Abu Dhabi, UAE

A 20-Year-Old Woman with Stenosis and Dilations of the Biliary Tree

Copyright: © 2016 Franceschet I, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. A 20-Year-Old Woman with Stenosis and Dilations of the Biliary Tree Irene Franceschet1, Nora Cazzagon1, Raffaella Motta2 and Annarosa Floreani1* 1Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy 2Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015: Section 7. Resuscitation and support of transition of babies at birth

Department of Neonatology, The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK Department of Paediatrics, Sint Elisabeth Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands Department of Women and Children’s’ Health, Padua University, Azienda Ospediliera di Padova, Padua, Italy Department of Neonatology, Charite Universitatsmedizin, Berlin, Berlin, Germany Newborn Services, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford, UK Department of Neonatology, Medizinische Fakultat Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Germany Division of Neonatology, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria

Javier Arias-Stella and His Famous Reaction.

Centro Diagnostico Italiano, Milan, Italy Department of Pathology, University of Utah Medical School, Salt Lake City, Utah (J.R.) The James Homer Wright Pathology Laboratories (R.H.Y.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts The authors declare no conflict of interest. Address correspondence to Robert H. Young, MD, The James Homer Wright Pathology Laboratories, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA. E-mail: [email protected].

MR blockade protects against diet induced obesity, adipocyte dysfunction and cardiac inflammation in mice, through browning of the adipose organ and modulation of autophagy

Obesity is a key factor in the development of insulin resistance (IR), cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes etc. Given the near epidemic incidence of obesity in western society there is a clear need for effective treatment options. Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) blockade has shown significant promise in transgenic mouse models of obesity in limiting IR and adipocyte dysfunction, a disease that is independent of classical MR actions (renal). Female 10-weekold C57bl6 mice were fed with normal chow or a high fat (HF) diet for 12 weeks. Mice fed HF diet were concomitantly treated for 12 weeks with drospirenone (DRSP, 6 mg/kg/day), a potent MR antagonist with antiadipogenic activity, or spironolactone (SPIRO, 20 mg/kg/day). Mice fed HF diet showed a significant increase in total body weight, fat mass, mean adipocyte size, expression of white adipose tissue (WAT) marker genes and showed impaired glucose tolerance after intraperitoneal plasma glucose tolerance test. DRSP and SPIRO prevented weight gain and white fat mass expansion induced by HF diet in parametrial, perivescical, and inguinal depots without affecting interscapular fat pad weight. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) confirmed that MR antagonists blocked the HF dietdriven expansion of abdomino-pelvic (parametrial and perivescical) fat volume. High levels of MR mRNA were detected in all depots of adipose tissue. HF fed mice showed no increase in heart or kidney weight and tissue fibrosis. Cardiac macrophage recruitment and osteopontin staining was increased in hearts of HF fed mice and reversed by both MR antagonists. Moreover, both DRSP and SPIRO prevented the impaired glucose tolerance in mice fed HF diet, and countered HF diet-induced up-regulation of WAT markers transcripts and adipocyte hypertrophy. Importantly, MR antagonists increased uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1) positive brown-like adipocyte content in WAT, and improved metabolic activity of adipose tissue, as indicated by PET/CT imaging. In keeping with this, MR antagonism significantly increased expression of brown-like adipocyte marker genes such PRDM16, CIDEA, beta-3 adrenergic receptor (ADRB3) and UCP-1 in all WAT depots analysed. In exploring the mechanism, we demonstrated that MR antagonism induced brown adipose tissue (BAT) markers, and reduced the autophagic rate, a key remodelling process in adipocyte differentiation, in WAT depots in vivo as well as in primary cultured adipocytes. We conclude that adipocyte MR regulates BAT-like remodeling of WAT through modulation of autophagy. MR blockade therefore has promise as a novel therapeutic option for the prevention of metabolic dysfunctions and the cardiac consequences of obesity. doi:10.1016/j.ijcme.2015.05.012 Transcriptional control of ICAM-1 in human coronary artery endothelial cells by Mineralocorticoid Receptor (MR): Implications for the protective effects of MR antagonists in cardiovascular diseases V. Marzolla, A. Armani, A. Fabbri, I.Z. Jaffe, M. Caprio Laboratory of Cardiovascular Endocrinology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy Department of Medicina dei Sistemi, Endocrinology Unit, S. Eugenio & CTO A. Alesini Hospitals, University Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy Molecular Cardiology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston,

Transcriptional control of ICAM-1 in human coronary artery endothelial cells by Mineralocorticoid Receptor (MR): Implications for the protective effects of MR antagonists in cardiovascular diseases

Obesity is a key factor in the development of insulin resistance (IR), cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes etc. Given the near epidemic incidence of obesity in western society there is a clear need for effective treatment options. Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) blockade has shown significant promise in transgenic mouse models of obesity in limiting IR and adipocyte dysfunction, a disease that is independent of classical MR actions (renal). Female 10-weekold C57bl6 mice were fed with normal chow or a high fat (HF) diet for 12 weeks. Mice fed HF diet were concomitantly treated for 12 weeks with drospirenone (DRSP, 6 mg/kg/day), a potent MR antagonist with antiadipogenic activity, or spironolactone (SPIRO, 20 mg/kg/day). Mice fed HF diet showed a significant increase in total body weight, fat mass, mean adipocyte size, expression of white adipose tissue (WAT) marker genes and showed impaired glucose tolerance after intraperitoneal plasma glucose tolerance test. DRSP and SPIRO prevented weight gain and white fat mass expansion induced by HF diet in parametrial, perivescical, and inguinal depots without affecting interscapular fat pad weight. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) confirmed that MR antagonists blocked the HF dietdriven expansion of abdomino-pelvic (parametrial and perivescical) fat volume. High levels of MR mRNA were detected in all depots of adipose tissue. HF fed mice showed no increase in heart or kidney weight and tissue fibrosis. Cardiac macrophage recruitment and osteopontin staining was increased in hearts of HF fed mice and reversed by both MR antagonists. Moreover, both DRSP and SPIRO prevented the impaired glucose tolerance in mice fed HF diet, and countered HF diet-induced up-regulation of WAT markers transcripts and adipocyte hypertrophy. Importantly, MR antagonists increased uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1) positive brown-like adipocyte content in WAT, and improved metabolic activity of adipose tissue, as indicated by PET/CT imaging. In keeping with this, MR antagonism significantly increased expression of brown-like adipocyte marker genes such PRDM16, CIDEA, beta-3 adrenergic receptor (ADRB3) and UCP-1 in all WAT depots analysed. In exploring the mechanism, we demonstrated that MR antagonism induced brown adipose tissue (BAT) markers, and reduced the autophagic rate, a key remodelling process in adipocyte differentiation, in WAT depots in vivo as well as in primary cultured adipocytes. We conclude that adipocyte MR regulates BAT-like remodeling of WAT through modulation of autophagy. MR blockade therefore has promise as a novel therapeutic option for the prevention of metabolic dysfunctions and the cardiac consequences of obesity. doi:10.1016/j.ijcme.2015.05.012 Transcriptional control of ICAM-1 in human coronary artery endothelial cells by Mineralocorticoid Receptor (MR): Implications for the protective effects of MR antagonists in cardiovascular diseases V. Marzolla, A. Armani, A. Fabbri, I.Z. Jaffe, M. Caprio Laboratory of Cardiovascular Endocrinology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy Department of Medicina dei Sistemi, Endocrinology Unit, S. Eugenio & CTO A. Alesini Hospitals, University Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy Molecular Cardiology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston,

The iron chelator deferasirox affects redox signalling in haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells.

The iron chelator deferasirox (DFX) prevents complications related to transfusional iron overload in several haematological disorders characterized by marrow failure. It is also able to induce haematological responses in a percentage of treated patients, particularly in those affected by myelodysplastic syndromes. The underlying mechanisms responsible for this feature, however, are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of DFX-treatment in human haematopoietic/progenitor stem cells, focussing on its impact on the redox balance, which proved to control the interplay between stemness maintenance, self-renewal and differentiation priming. Here we show, for the first time, that DFX treatment induces a significant diphenyleneiodonium-sensitive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production that leads to the activation of POU5F1 (OCT4), SOX2 and SOX17 gene expression, relevant in reprogramming processes, and the reduction of the haematopoietic regulatory proteins CTNNB1 (β-Catenin) and BMI1. These DFX-mediated events were accompanied by decreased CD34 expression, increased mitochondrial mass and up-regulation of the erythropoietic marker CD71 (TFRC) and were compound-specific, dissimilar to deferoxamine. Our findings would suggest a novel mechanism by which DFX, probably independently on its iron-chelating property but through ROS signalling activation, may influence key factors involved in self-renewal/differentiation of haematopoietic stem cells.

To Recruit or Not Recruit, This Is …*

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Azienda Ospedaliera Provincia di Lecco, Lecco, Italy Department of Medical Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy * See also p. 654. Dr. Foti lectured for Fresenius, Dimar, and Carefusion. Dr. Pesenti consulted for Gambro and Novalung.

Optimal Control: Theory and Application to Science, Engineering, and Social Sciences

1Department of Applied Mathematics and Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, UAE 2Department of Economics, Management, and Quantitative Methods, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy 3Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1 4Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain 5School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia

Unmet needs related to quality of life: Questionnaire-based survey in a breast cancer patient follow-up program

Unmet needs related to quality of life: Questionnaire-based survey in a breast cancer patient follow-up program

Impacts of invasive alien marine species on ecosystem services and biodiversity: a pan-European review

Stelios Katsanevakis*, Inger Wallentinus, Argyro Zenetos, Erkki Leppakoski, Melih Ertan Cinar, Bayram Ozturk, Michal Grabowski, Daniel Golani and Ana Cristina Cardoso European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES), Ispra, Italy Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Sweden Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Ag. Kosmas, Greece Department of Biosciences, Environmental and Marine Biology, Abo Akademi University, Turku, Finland Ege University, Faculty of Fisheries, Department of Hydrobiology, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey Faculty of Fisheries, Marine Biology Laboratory, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey Department of Invertebrate Zoology & Hydrobiology, University of Lodz, Poland Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior and the National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Longitudinally extensive spinal cord infarction in CADASIL

Department of Neurology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK Stroke and Dementia Research Centre, St George’s University of London, London, UK NEUROFARBA Department, Neuroscience Section, University of Florence, Florence,...

Liver disease progression in hepatitis C virus carriers with normal alanine aminotransferase levels

We read with great enthusiasm the article of Wiese et al.1 that, in our opinion, has a paramount relevance to understanding the natural history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In particular, this article does greatly in helping us to evaluate the progression to more severe liver damage of the so-called healthy HCV carriers (i.e., viremic persons with normal alanine aminotransferase [ALT] levels and liver histology). It is known that up to 30%-40% of patients with chronic HCV infection have persistently normal ALT levels,2 with many of them showing normal liver histology or minimal fibrosis. The natural course of HCV infection in these patients is not well known. Whereas some studies showed that HCV carriers with normal ALT have mild and stable disease, others reported a significant progression of fibrosis in approximately 20%-30% of such patients.3 In their first study4 describing the 20-year follow-up of over 1,000 women infected in East Germany in January 1979 by contaminated anti-D immune globulin, the researchers reported that 26 patients should be considered as true healthy carriers (i.e., normal liver, normal ALT, and persistent HCV viremia). At 25-year follow-up,5 only 11 women had remained in a healthy state, whereas the others had progressed to chronic hepatitis C (CHC). However, in this third evaluation after 35-year follow-up,1 no mention has been made about the histological and clinical status of these otherwise healthy, HCV-infected women. Thus, we wonder how many of these carriers had remained in a true healthy state 35 years after contamination and how many further carriers had progressed to CHC. Furthermore, the degree of liver damage was more or less severe in the carriers progressing to CHC with respect to other patients; were differences observed in virological response between the two groups of patients? Indeed, whether healthy HCV carriers should be offered antiviral treatment in clinical practice has been the subject of an ongoing debate.6 Introduction of the combination therapy of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin results in higher response rates,7 with a favorable risk/benefit ratio also in patients with mild or no fibrosis.8, 9 The important data of the East Germany HCV Study Group might give an answer to this unmet issue: What should we treat, the infection or the disease?10 Claudio Puoti, M.D.1 Lia Bellis, M.D.1 Olga Mitidieri Costanza, M.D.2 Maria Giuseppa Elmo, M.D.3 1Department of Internal Medicine and Liver Unit Marino General Hospital Rome, Italy 2Molecular Biology Unit Marino General Hospital Rome, Italy 3Department of Mental Health, Local Health Center Rome, Italy

Hormone replacement therapy enhances IGF-1 signaling in skeletal muscle by diminishing miR-182 and miR-223 expressions: a study on postmenopausal monozygotic twin pairs.

MiRNAs are fine-tuning modifiers of skeletal muscle regulation, but knowledge of their hormonal control is lacking. We used a co-twin case–control study design, that is, monozygotic postmenopausal twin pairs discordant for estrogen-based hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to explore estrogen-dependent skeletal muscle regulation via miRNAs. MiRNA profiles were determined from vastus lateralis muscle of nine healthy 54–62-years-old monozygotic female twin pairs discordant for HRT (median 7 years). MCF-7 cells, human myoblast cultures and mouse muscle experiments were used to confirm estrogen’s causal role on the expression of specific miRNAs, their target mRNAs and proteins and finally the activation of related signaling pathway. Of the 230 miRNAs expressed at detectable levels in muscle samples, qPCR confirmed significantly lower miR-182, miR-223 and miR-142-3p expressions in HRT using than in their nonusing co-twins. Insulin/IGF-1 signaling emerged one common pathway targeted by these miRNAs. IGF-1R and FOXO3A mRNA and protein were more abundantly expressed in muscle samples of HRT users than nonusers. In vitro assays confirmed effective targeting of miR-182 and miR-223 on IGF-1R and FOXO3A mRNA as well as a dose-dependent miR-182 and miR-223 down-regulations concomitantly with up-regulation of FOXO3A and IGF-1R expression. Novel finding is the postmenopausal HRT-reduced miRs-182, miR-223 and miR-142-3p expression in female skeletal muscle. The observed miRNA-mediated enhancement of the target genes’ IGF-1R and FOXO3A expression as well as the activation of insulin/IGF-1 pathway signaling via phosphorylation of AKT and mTOR is an important mechanism for positive estrogen impact on skeletal muscle of postmenopausal women.

Massimo Morbidelli Festschrift Preface

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEEditorialNEXTMassimo Morbidelli Festschrift PrefaceGiacomo Cao*, Giuseppe Storti, and Maurizio MasiView Author Information Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy*E-mail: [email protected]Cite this: Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2014, 53, 22, 8937–8938Publication Date (Web):June 4, 2014Publication History Received2 May 2014Accepted7 May 2014Published online4 June 2014Published inissue 4 June 2014https://doi.org/10.1021/ie501816aCopyright © 2014 American Chemical SocietyRIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views726Altmetric-Citations-LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (3 MB) Get e-AlertsSUBJECTS:Catalysts,Chemical reactions,Polymers,Reaction engineering,Separation science Get e-Alerts

Topical use of α‐tocopherol acetate in delayed wound healing

Topical use of α‐tocopherol acetate in delayed wound healing

Cardiovascular Risk and Mild Thyroid Hormone Deficiency: Are there some Differences in the Elderly?

Giuseppe Pasqualetti1, Gennaro Pagano2,3* and Fabio Monzani1 1Geriatrics Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy 2Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy 3Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Federico II University of Naples, Naples, Italy *Corresponding author: Fabio Monzani, MDGeriatrics Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of PisaVia Paradisa, 56100 – Pisa, Italy, Tel: +39 050 997363; Fax: +39 050 997549; E-mail: fabio.monzani@med.unipi.it

When are Endografts the Best Treatment for Aortic Infection? And When are they Not?

Francesco Setacci1,2 and Massimo Fioranelli3,4* 1Department of Surgery, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy 2Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Italy 3University B.I.S. group of institutions, Punjab Technical University, Punjab, India 4Centre for Studies in Science of Life, Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome, Italy *Corresponding author: Massimo Fioranelli, Centre for Studies in Science of Life, Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome, Italy, Tel: +3906802206007; E-mail: massimo.fioranelli@gmail.com

Early Outline Evaluation of Genotyping Costs of Pharmacogenomics

Angela De Monaco1, Massimiliano Berretta2, Sergio Pugliese3, Daniela Valente4 and Raffaele Di Francia1* 1Laboratory of Molecular Haematology, National Cancer Institute, Fondazione “G. Pascale” IRCCS, Naples, Italy 2Department of medical Oncology, CRO National Cancer Institute, IRCCS Aviano (PN), Italy 3CETAC Research Center, Caserta, Italy 4Italian Association of Pharmacogenomics and Molecular Diagnostics, Naples, Italy