0000000000216634

AUTHOR

Sabrina Castellano

A review of recent evidence in human studies of n-3 and n-6 PUFA intake on cardiovascular disease, cancer, and depressive disorders: does the ratio really matter?

AbstractPolyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been considered of great interest for human health due to their potential anti-inflammatory action that may protect from a number of chronic-degenerative diseases with an inflammatory pathogenesis. This review aimed to report the most updated evidence of both n-3 and n-6 PUFAs effect on cardiovascular disease, cancer, and depression in humans. Attention has been also paid to those studies exploring the effects of the ratio intake. Results from pooled analyses of human studies reported a general positive effect of n-3 PUFAs intake on all outcomes considered. In contrast, the role of n-6 PUFAs on human health needs to be better assessed in orde…

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Luminometric sub-nanoliter droplet-to-droplet array (LUMDA) and its application to drug screening by phase I metabolism enzymes.

Here we show the fabrication of the Luminometric Sub-nanoliter Droplet-to-droplet Array (LUMDA chip) by inkjet printing. The chip is easy to be implemented and allows for a multiplexed multi-step biochemical assay in sub-nanoliter liquid spots. This concept is here applied to the integral membrane enzyme CYP3A4, i.e. the most relevant enzymatic target for phase I drug metabolism, and to some structurally-related inhibitors.

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The emerging role of lysine methyltransferase SETD8 in human diseases

SETD8/SET8/Pr-SET7/KMT5A is the only known lysine methyltransferase (KMT) that monomethylates lysine 20 of histone H4 (H4K20) in vivo. Lysine residues of non-histone proteins including proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and p53 are also monomethylated. As a consequence, the methyltransferase activity of the enzyme is implicated in many essential cellular processes including DNA replication, DNA damage response, transcription modulation, and cell cycle regulation. This review aims to provide an overview of the roles of SETD8 in physiological and pathological pathways and to discuss the progress made to date in inhibiting the activity of SETD8 by small molecules, with an emphasis on th…

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Role of anthropometric factors, self-perception, and diet on weight misperception among young adolescents: a cross-sectional study

Adolescence overweight and obesity have increased considerably, and the misperception of their weight status could reduce the efficiency of intervention programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence rate of misperception and to assess the relationship between weight perception and anthropometric parameters, self-perception, physical activity, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. A total of 1643 young adolescents (11–16 years old) were surveyed in a cross-sectional investigation during two scholastic years (period October–May of 2012–2013 and 2013–2014) in 15 secondary schools of Sicily, southern Italy. Data on demographic information, anthropometric characteristics (bio…

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Enhancement of lysine acetylation accelerates wound repair

In physiopathological conditions, such as diabetes, wound healing is significantly compromised and chronic complications, including ulcers, may occur. In a mouse model of skin repair, we recently reported that wound treatment with Sirtuin activators and class I HDAC inhibitors induced keratinocyte proliferation and enhanced healing via a nitric oxide (NO) dependent mechanism. We observed an increase in total protein acetylation in the wound area, as determined by acetylation of α-tubulin and histone H3 Lysine 9. We reasoned that this process activated cell function as well as regulated gene expression to foster tissue repair. We report here that the direct activation of P300/CBP-associated …

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