The microbial community of the coelomic fluid of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

Bioactive molecules from soil and marine bacteria: new potential applications

Characterization of the microbiota from coelomic fluid of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

The study of the microbiota is a subject of considerable and growing interest since it is drawing new important perspectives in the life sciences concerning the functional relationships between metazoans and microbial cells. In fact, it has already shown that the endogenous microbial community affects various physiological activities of multicellular organisms. The coelomic cavity of echinoderms contains a fluid in which coelomocytes are reported to exert immune functions like phagocytosis, opsonization and production of antimicrobial agents against marine bacteria [1, 2]. However, up to day nothing is known about the endogenous bacterial population of coelomic fluid. We focused on this iss…

Factors associated with first- versus second-generation long-acting antipsychotics prescribed under ordinary clinical practice in Italy

Background For many years, long-acting intramuscular (LAI) antipsychotics have been prescribed predominantly to chronic and severe patients, as a last resort when other treatments failed. Recently, a broader and earlier use of LAIs, particularly second-generation LAIs, has been emphasized. To date, few studies attempted to frame how this change in prescribing took place in real-world practice. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the clinical features of patients prescribed with LAIs, and to explore possible prescribing differences between first- and second-generations LAIs under ordinary clinical practice in Italy. Methods The STAR Network "Depot" Study is an observational, longitudinal…

Comparing Long-Acting Antipsychotic Discontinuation Rates Under Ordinary Clinical Circumstances: A Survival Analysis from an Observational, Pragmatic Study

Background Recent guidelines suggested a wider use of long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAI) than previously, but naturalistic data on the consequences of LAI use in terms of discontinuation rates and associated factors are still sparse, making it hard for clinicians to be informed on plausible treatment courses. Objective Our objective was to assess, under real-world clinical circumstances, LAI discontinuation rates over a period of 12 months after a first prescription, reasons for discontinuation, and associated factors. Methods The STAR Network ‘Depot Study’ was a naturalistic, multicentre, observational prospective study that enrolled subjects initiating a LAI without restrictions …

Neurons and ECM regulate occludin localization in brain endothelial cells

We report that extracellular matrix and neurons modulate the expression of occludin, one of the main components of tight junctions, by rat brain endothelial cells (RBE4.B). Of the three extracellular matrix proteins which we tested (collagen I, collagen IV, and laminin), collagen IV stimulated at the best the expression of occludin mRNA. The corresponding protein, however, was not synthesized. Significant amounts of occludin accumulated only when RBE4.B cells were cultured on collagen IV-coated inserts, in the presence of cortical neurons, plated on laminin-coated companion wells. Finally, occludin segregated at the cell periphery, only when endothelial cells were co- cultured with neurons …

Design e cibo tra cultura e identità

The paper proposes the cultural aspects of food and the relationship between design and food. Reflections are articulated on how food represents the identity of a people and how food is a vehicle for conservation, innovation and socialization. The cultural aspects of food are many: food tells the story of the territory and its products, the rituals and the symbols of the gastronomic tradition. Today, food in a territory also becomes an expression of values to be promoted and design can bring new opportunities. The design culture, using its tools, starts a virtuous cycle between product and territory and can carry out the regeneration of the territory and the sustainable development of econo…