Metabolic syndrome, diabetes and atherosclerosis: Influence of gene-environment interaction

Despite remarkable progress in diagnosis and understanding of risk factors, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains still the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world\u27s developed countries. The metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors (visceral obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, and hypertension), is increasingly being recognized as a new risk factor for type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Nevertheless, there is wide variation in both the occurrence of disease and age of onset, even in individuals who display very similar risk profiles. There is now compelling evidence that a complex interplay between genetic determinants and environmental factors (still largely unknown) is the reason for this large inter-individual variation in disease susceptibility. The purpose of the present review is to describe the current status of our knowledge concerning the gene-environment interactions potentially implicated in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It focuses predominantly on studies of genes (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, alcohol dehydrogenase type 1C, apolipoprotein E, glutathione S-transferases T1 and M1) that are known to be modified by dietary and lifestyle habits (fat diet, intake of alcohol and smoking habit). It also describes the limited current understanding of the role of genetic variants of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and their interactions with environmental toxicants. Additional studies are needed in order to clarify whether inter-individual differences in detoxification of environmental toxicants may have an essential role in the development of CVD and contribute to the emerging field of "environmental cardiology". Such knowledge may be particularly relevant for improving cardiovascular risk stratification and conceiving the development of "personalized intervention program"

Geografia e storia nei territori sensibili: rischio, emergenza e memoria: prove di dialogo

Si vuole esplorare il significato nella pratica di alcune parole chiave quali cambiamento, collasso, emergenza, memoria, rischio e la loro eventuale capacità di esplicitare i nessi tra geografia e storia nei territori sensibili. Per i sapere non esperti, la nozione di rischio diventa cangiante: declinata al passato in forma di mitografia o respinta e scomoda declinazione del futuro, al presente tende a perdere un significato proprio per scivolare nel campo semantico dell'emergenza. Questa coniugazione produce azioni, nell'unità di spazio-temporale del disastro, che appartengono all'emergenza: depotenziata di un passato irripetibile e di un futuro incerto, si configura quale potente veicolo del potere, avendo liberato le decisioni dalle procedure necessarie per la verifica della opportunità tecnica e del consenso consapevole. Nei "casi di emergenza" si riduce la relazione decisionale con gli abitanti coinvolti; il coordinamento e la gestione assumono forme autoritative e astratte, inconsapevoli della soglia di sopportabilità del rischio da parte delle popolazioni. L'efficienza dell'intervento di prima istanza non corrisponde alla efficacia nella media durata laddove l'azione pubblica non orienta le possibili scelte e non ne supporta i processi attuativi e adattivi.Our intention is to explore the practical meaning of certain key-words such as change, collapse, emergency, memory and risk, and how they may explain the links between the geography and history of sensitive areas. For non-experts, the notion of risk is many-faceted: when declined in a past sense as a myth, or a rejected, inconvenient declination of the future, in the present, it loses its intrinsic meaning and comes to refer to an emergency. This conjugation produces actions, within the space and time of the disaster, which are proper to the emergency: its unrepeatable past weakened and with an uncertain future, it emerges as a forceful vehicle of power, which takes all the decisions and enforces the procedures necessary for assessing technical necessities and conscious consensus. In "cases of emergency", the inhabitants involved are deprived of their part in decision-making, while the management of the emergency takes on an abstract and authoritarian form and seems unable to sense the threshold of tolerance of risk of the population. The immediate intervention is seen to be effective, but not in the mid-term, where public action does not take into account the possible alternatives or sustain the local people in their attempt to adapt.Peer Reviewe

Genetic Polymorphisms of the Natriuretic Peptide System in the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular Disease: What Lies on the Horizon?

BACKGROUND: The natriuretic peptide hormone family includes various proteins characterized by similar chemical structure and shared biological functions, with important effects on the cardiovascular system. Accordingly, these molecules are widely recognized as key clinical biomarkers in the diagnosis and monitoring of heart failure, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. CONTENT: Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms have been recently identified in genes associated with the natriuretic system. This review provides an overview of new insights into the functional role of these genetic variants, as well as their impact on cardiovascular physiopathology and drug response. CONCLUSIONS: Noteworthy relationships between some specific polymorphisms and clinical correlates of cardiovascular disease have emerged. Nevertheless, future confirming studies are needed to substantiate the clinical relevance of such variants

De pulsiones y autodeterminaciones : algunas reflexiones sobre Sigmund Freud y El Malestar en la cultura

Text escrit en motiu de la taula rodona "El malestar en la civilització: un seriós avís sobre les possibilitats de la felicitat humana" celebrada a la Biblioteca de Ciències Socials (UAB) el 6 de maig de 201

El archivo y la biblioteca en casa : las bases de datos de historia y cómo acceder a ellas

El artículo ofrece una selección cualitativa y comentada de bases de datos útiles para historiadores y se divide en dos secciones: 1. bases de datos ofrecidas por la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona y 2. bases de datos de acceso libre o de pago.L'article ofereix una selecció qualitativa i comentada de bases de dades útils per a historiadors i es divideix en dues seccions: 1. bases de dades oferides per la Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona i 2. bases de dades d'accés lliure o de pagament.The article offers a qualitative and commented selection of data bases for historians. It is divided in two parts: 1. Data bases offers by UAB and 2. Data bases free or payment

Publicação Científica Nacional e Internacional sobre Franchising: Levantamento e Análise do Período 1998 - 2007

The franchising system generates about forty-six billion reais a year in the Brazilian economy by way of 1,197 franchising networks that licnse 65,500 units, generating almost 600,000 direct jobs. In the USA that number is higher still, with around 760,000 units that generate 1.53 trillion dollars a year in the economy. The objective of this paper is to develop an unpublished goal-analysis on franchising involving 61 Brazilian and international scientific papers published from 1998 to 2007 and published by Anpad and in related periodical in Proquest (Qualis A, B or C). Saint approached the following questions: how scientific research into franchises has developed; in which academic vehicles are they linked; the main themes that are dealt with; which institutions these authors are connected with; the participation of states and countries; the predominance of certain authors; the research methods used and the economic segments of application. The results show that Brazilian works are concentrated in Enanpad; the predominance of works on Entrepreneurship and Strategy, internationally, with focus in economic theories; most of the authors are connected to institutions in the south and south-east of Brazil and the USA; a strong predominance of the surveys and the application of the research in several sections of the economy

An Analysis of 3D Simulation of SI Combustion with an Improved Version of the Kiva 3V Code: Numerical Formulation and Experimental Validation

The correct simulation of combustion process allows to better face several SI engines design problems, not only for innovative mixture formation concepts (stratified or ultra-lean charge), but for traditional homogeneous mixture as well. Even though many commercial codes are able to describe the complex 3-D non reacting fluid dynamics in ICE, the simulation of high turbulent flame propagation does not seem to be a completely solved problem yet. In this work a comparison between two different turbulent combustion models (a characteristic time based one by Abraham and Reitz [2, 15, 16] and a flamelet based one by Cant and AbuOrf [4, 20]) has been performed using KIVA-3V code to assess simulation reliability. Models predictive capabilities have been tested with reference to specific data acquired at the engine test bench of Tor Vergata Mechanical Engineering Department on a Fiat Punto 1242 cc 8 valves SI engine over a wide range of operating conditions. A generally good agreement has been observed between experimental and numerical results obtained by using both the combustion models. In addition it can be noticed that, thanks to a more physical description of the local turbulent flame characteristics, Cant model seems to exhibit more predicting reliability in the whole engine operating field

Imaging and Laboratory Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Disease

Imaging and laboratory biomarkers are an essential support to modern practice of medicine, allowing a better identification, severity titration, staging and follow-up of atherosclerosis and heart failure disease. This review provides an overview of imaging, biochemical and genetic biomarkers used in clinical practice and for research purposes in order to evaluate the 4 different aspect of patient vulnerability to cardiovascular disease: arterial; blood; myocardial; metabolic vulnerability. Yet, no single perfect biomarker exists and there is wide room for optimization and integration between clinical evaluation and biomarker evaluation. In general, a targeted approach tailored on the individual patient should be preferred to a carpet diagnostic bombing, which will lead to an exorbitant multiplier of costs, risks and inappropriate testing

The Non-linear Trajectory of Change in Play Profiles of Three Children in Psychodynamic Play Therapy

Aim: Even though there is substantial evidence that play based therapies produce significant change, the specific play processes in treatment remain unexamined. For that purpose, processes of change in long-term psychodynamic play therapy are assessed through a repeated systematic assessment of three children's "play profiles," which reflect patterns of organization among play variables that contribute to play activity in therapy, indicative of the children's coping strategies, and an expression of their internal world. The main aims of the study are to investigate the kinds of play profiles expressed in treatment, and to test whether there is emergence of new and more adaptive play profiles using dynamic systems theory as a methodological framework. Methods and Procedures: Each session from the long-term psychodynamic treatment (mean number of sessions = 55) of three 6-year-old good outcome cases presenting with Separation Anxiety were recorded, transcribed and coded using items from the Children's Play Therapy Instrument (CPTI), created to assess the play activity of children in psychotherapy, generating discrete and measurable units of play activity arranged along a continuum of four play profiles: "Adaptive," "Inhibited," "Impulsive," and "Disorganized." The play profiles were clustered through K-means Algorithm, generating seven discrete states characterizing the course of treatment and the transitions between these states were analyzed by Markov Transition Matrix, Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA) and odds ratios comparing the first and second halves of psychotherapy. Results: The Markov Transitions between the states scaled almost perfectly and also showed the ergodicity of the system, meaning that the child can reach any state or shift to another one in play. The RQA and odds ratios showed two trends of change, first concerning the decrease in the use of "less adaptive" strategies, second regarding the reduction of play interruptions. Conclusion: The results support that these children express different psychic states in play, which can be captured through the lens of play profiles, and begin to modify less dysfunctional profiles over the course of treatment. The methodology employed showed the productivity of treating psychodynamic play therapy as a complex system, taking advantage of non-linear methods to study psychotherapeutic play activity