NAFLD and Atherosclerosis Are Prevented by a Natural Dietary Supplement Containing Curcumin, Silymarin, Guggul, Chlorogenic Acid and Inulin in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) confers an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. NAFDL is associated with atherogenic dyslipidemia, inflammation and renin-angiotensin system (RAS) imbalance, which in turn lead to atherosclerotic lesions. In the present study, the impact of a natural dietary supplement (NDS) containing Curcuma longa, silymarin, guggul, chlorogenic acid and inulin on NAFLD and atherosclerosis was evaluated, and the mechanism of action was examined. C57BL/6 mice were fed an HFD for 16 weeks; half of the mice were simultaneously treated with a daily oral administration (os) of the NDS. NAFLD and atherogenic lesions in aorta and carotid artery (histological analysis), hepatic expression of genes involved in the NAFLD (PCR array), hepatic angiotensinogen (AGT) and AT1R mRNA expression (real-time PCR) and plasma angiotensin (ANG)-II levels (ELISA) were evaluated. In the NDS group, steatosis, aortic lesions or carotid artery thickening was not observed. PCR array showed upregulation of some genes involved in lipid metabolism and anti-inflammatory activity (Cpt2, Ifng) and downregulation of some genes involved in pro-inflammatory response and in free fatty acid up-take (Fabp5, Socs3). Hepatic AGT, AT1R mRNA and ANG II plasma levels were significantly lower with respect to the untreated-group. Furthermore, NDS inhibited the dyslipidemia observed in the untreated animals. Altogether, these results suggest that NDS prevents NAFLD and atherogenesis by modulating the expression of different genes involved in NAFLD and avoiding RAS imbalance

Ruolo della timectomia nel trattamento della miastenia gravis: considerazioni e casistica personale

L’effetto terapeutico della timectomia sul decorso clinico della miastemia gravis è ancora quanto mai controverso. Infatti, mentre la chirurgia è ormai universalmente accettata per i timomi, il suo ruolo è ancora discutibile in pazienti con miastenia gravis. La via chirurgica di elezione per la timectomia totale è rappre - sentata dalla sternotomia mediana. Altre metodologie chirurgiche includono l’accesso cervicale e la sternotomia parziale. Queste tecni - che, seppure con alterne fortune, hanno mostrato risultati eccellenti nella exeresi del timo. Più recentemente la timectomia toracoscopica video-assistita è stata proposta come una tecnica meno invasiva e parimenti efficace per l’asportazione di quest’organo ed il trattamento della miastenia gravis. Scopo del presente lavoro è quello di riferire l’esperienza degli Autori in tema di timectomia, analizzando i dati riportati dalla lette - ratura internazionale sulla mortalità operatoria, le eventuali compli - canze e i risultati estetici delle diverse tipologie di accesso chirurgico

Cognitive thought diary in supportive psychology for people undergoing radiotherapy: a feasibility study.

BAC KGROUND: Radiation therapy (RT ) has become one of the most widely-used and efficient treatments for cancer; nevertheless, people who undergo radiotherapy suffer the physical and psychological consequences of this stressful treatment, in addition to the psychosocial distress related to cancer. However, a Radiotherapy Unit is often a place where several patients crowd in from various hospitals with restricted timetables and, for logistic reasons, it is not easy to provide regular psychological sessions for each one. It is important to find a setting that allows us the involvement of the largest number of patients referred to the unit. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility and the effect of a brief intervention of cognitive-oriented diary on the quality of life, anxiety and depressive symptoms of patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT ), compared to a control group. METH ODS: The sample was constituted of 68 experimental subjects and 78 controls, treated with RT . Both groups were assessed with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS -20), the Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Scale (HA DS) and the EORTC -QLQ at the beginning and at the end of their RT . Experimental subjects were instructed to report emotions and thoughts before attending the RT sessions in a thought diary. RES ULTS : The experimental group showed a good adherence to the diary, a reduction in mean scores of anxiety (P<0.001), depression (P<0.001), and alexithymia (P<0.001) together with an ameliorative effect on quality of life (P<0.014), compared to control group. CONCLUSI ONS: We observed a reduction in alexithymia scores in the experimental group, together with a significant reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms and an improvement in quality of life, with a moderator role of social disparity in treatment adherence. Our outcomes suggest the opportunity to consider the diary an affordable and effective device for psychologists operating in RT units, able to be extended to the majority of patients, in a simple and replicable setting

Ten years of Ana: lessons from a transdisciplinary body of literature on online pro-eating disorder websites

This paper offers a methodical review of the scientific literature of the last decade that concerns itself with online services offering supportive advocacy for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (‘pro-ana’ and ‘pro-mia’). The main question is whether these studies reproduce the traditional divide in the study of eating disorders, between clinical and social science perspectives, with limited mutual exchanges. Having first identified a specific body of literature, the authors investigate its content, methods and approaches, and analyse the network of cross-citations the components generate and share. On this basis, the authors argue that the scientific literature touching on pro-ana websites can be regarded as a single transdisciplinary body of knowledge. What’s more, they show that the literature on computermediated sociabilities centred on eating disorders displays different structural characteristics with respect to the traditional, non-Web-related research on eating disorders. In the latter, the social sciences have usually provided a critical counterpoint to the development of a health sciences mainstream. In the case of Web-related research, however, the social sciences have taken the lead role in defining the field, with the health sciences following suit

Indicaxanthin from Opuntia ficus-indica fruit ameliorates glucose dysmetabolism and counteracts insulin resistance in high-fat-diet-fed mice

Obesity-related dysmetabolic conditions are amongst the most common causes of death globally. Indicaxanthin, a bioavailable betalain pigment from Opuntia ficus-indica fruit, has been demonstrated to modulate redox-dependent signalling pathways, exerting significant anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo. In light of the strict interconnections between in-flammation, oxidative stress and insulin resistance (IR), a nutritionally relevant dose of indicaxanthin has been evaluated in a high-fat diet (HFD) model of obesity-related IR. To this end, biochemical and histological analysis, oxidative stress and inflammation evaluations in liver and adipose tissue were carried out. Our results showed that indicaxanthin treatment significantly reduced body weight, daily food intake and visceral fat mass. Moreover, indicaxanthin administration induced remark-able, beneficial effects on HFD-induced glucose dysmetabolism, reducing fasting glycaemia and insulinaemia, improving glucose and insulin tolerance and restoring the HOMA index to physiological values. These effects were associated with a reduction in hepatic and adipose tissue oxidative stress and inflammation. A decrease in RONS, malondialdehyde and NO levels, in TNF-α, CCL-2 and F4-80 gene expression, in p65, p-JNK, COX-2 and i-NOS protein levels, in crown-like structures and hepatic inflammatory foci was, indeed, observed. The current findings encourage further clinical studies to confirm the effectiveness of indicaxanthin to prevent and treat obesity-related dysmetabolic conditions

Spasmolytic Effects of Aphanizomenon Flos Aquae (AFA) Extract on the Human Colon Contractility.

The blue-green algae Aphanizomenon flos aquae (AFA), rich in beneficial nutrients, exerts various beneficial effects, acting in different organs including the gut. Klamin® is an AFA extract particularly rich in -PEA, a trace-amine considered a neuromodulator in the central nervous system. To date, it is not clear if -PEA exerts a role in the enteric nervous system. The aims of the present study were to investigate the effects induced by Klamin® on the human distal colon mechanical activity, to analyze the mechanism of action, and to verify a -PEA involvement. The organ bath technique, RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used. Klamin® reduced, in a concentration-dependent manner, the amplitude of the spontaneous contractions. EPPTB, a traceamine receptor (TAAR1) antagonist, significantly antagonized the inhibitory effects of both Klamin® and exogenous -PEA, suggesting a trace-amine involvement in the Klamin® effects. Accordingly, AphaMax®, an AFA extract containing lesser amount of -PEA, failed to modify colon contractility. Moreover, the Klamin® effects were abolished by tetrodotoxin, a neural blocker, but not by L-NAME, a nitric oxide-synthase inhibitor. On the contrary methysergide, a serotonin receptor antagonist, significantly antagonized the Klamin® effects, as well as the contractility reduction induced by 5-HT. The RT-PCR analysis revealed TAAR1 gene expression in the colon and the IHC experiments showed that 5-HT-positive neurons are co-expressed with TAAR1 positive neurons. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that Klamin® exerts spasmolytic effects in human colon contractility through -PEA, that, by activating neural TAAR1, induce serotonin release from serotoninergic neurons of the myenteric plexus

Complexity and dynamics of the winemaking bacterial communities in berries, musts, and wines from apulian grape cultivars through time and space

Currently, there is very little information available regarding the microbiome associated with the wine production chain. Here, we used an amplicon sequencing approach based on high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to obtain a comprehensive assessment of the bacterial community associated with the production of three Apulian red wines, from grape to final product. The relationships among grape variety, the microbial community, and fermentation was investigated. Moreover, the winery microbiota was evaluated compared to the autochthonous species in vineyards that persist until the end of the winemaking process. The analysis highlighted the remarkable dynamics within the microbial communities during fermentation. A common microbial core shared among the examined wine varieties was observed, and the unique taxonomic signature of each wine appellation was revealed. New species belonging to the genus Halomonas were also reported. This study demonstrates the potential of this metagenomic approach, supported by optimized protocols, for identifying the biodiversity of the wine supply chain. The developed experimental pipeline offers new prospects for other research fields in which a comprehensive view of microbial community complexity and dynamics is desirable.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version