Search results for "Quotation"

Exosomes as mediators of neuron-glia communication in neuroinflammation

2019

In recent years, a type of extracellular vesicles named exosomes has emerged that play an important role in intercellular communication under physiological and pathological conditions. These nanovesicles (30–150 nm) contain proteins, RNAs and lipids, and their internalization by bystander cells could alter their normal functions. This review focuses on recent knowledge about exosomes as messengers of neuron-glia communication and their participation in the physiological and pathological functions in the central nervous system. Special emphasis is placed on the role of exosomes under toxic or pathological stimuli within the brain, in which the glial exosomes containing inflammatory molecules…

Development and Validation of an Italian Adaptation of the Psychosocial Aspects of Hereditary Cancer Questionnaire

2021

Individuals that attend cancer genetic counseling may experience test-related psychosocial problems that deserve clinical attention. In order to provide a reliable and valid first-line screening tool for these issues, Eijzenga and coworkers developed the Psychosocial Aspects of Hereditary Cancer (PAHC) questionnaire. The aim of this work was to develop an Italian adaptation of the PAHC (I-PACH). This prospective multicenter observational study included three stages: (1) development of a provisional version of the I-PAHC; (2) pilot studies aimed at testing item readability and revising the questionnaire; and (3) a main study aimed at testing the reliability and validity of the final version …

Text mining and expert curation to develop a database on psychiatric diseases and their genes

2017

Psychiatric disorders constitute one of the main causes of disability worldwide. During the past years, considerable research has been conducted on the genetic architecture of such diseases, although little understanding of their etiology has been achieved. The difficulty to access up-to-date, relevant genotype-phenotype information has hampered the application of this wealth of knowledge to translational research and clinical practice in order to improve diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric patients. PsyGeNET (http://www.psygenet.org/) has been developed with the aim of supporting research on the genetic architecture of psychiatric diseases, by providing integrated and structured accessi…

Methionine transsulfuration pathway is upregulated in long-lived humans.

2020

Available evidences point to methionine metabolism as a key target to study the molecular adaptive mechanisms underlying differences in longevity. The plasma methionine metabolic profile was determined using a LC-MS/MS platform to systematically define specific phenotypic patterns associated with genotypes of human extreme longevity (centenarians). Our findings demonstrate the presence of a specific plasma profile associated with human longevity characterized by an enhanced transsulfuration pathway and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, as well as a reduced content of specific amino acids. Furthermore, our work reveals that centenarians maintain a strongly correlated methionine m…

Dinosaurs, chameleons, humans, and evo-devo path: linking Étienne Geoffroy's teratology, Waddington's homeorhesis, Alberch's logic of "monsters," and…

2017

23 pages; International audience; Since the rise of evo-devo (evolutionary developmental biology) in the 1980s, few authors have attempted to combine the increasing knowledge obtained from the study of model organisms and human medicine with data from comparative anatomy and evolutionary biology in order to investigate the links between development, pathology, and macroevolution. Fortunately, this situation is slowly changing, with a renewed interest in evolutionary developmental pathology (evo-devo-path) in the past decades, as evidenced by the idea to publish this special, and very timely, issue on "Developmental Evolution in Biomedical Research." As all of us have recently been involved,…

Motives for buying local, organic food through English box schemes

2018

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain the growing interest of English consumers in local organic food sold through box schemes, by providing insights into the motives of customers of such schemes and examining the relationship with their awareness about problems of the agro-food system. Design/methodology/approach A mixed methods approach combined in-depth interviews with 22 box scheme customers with a quantitative survey of 416 consumers, analysed by means of principal component analysis and an ordered logit model. Findings Consumers of small local organic box schemes in England are both altruistically and hedonistically motivated. This includes a strong political motivation to …

2018

Maturation and aging are important life periods that are linked to drastic brain reorganization processes which are essential for mental health. However, the development of generalized theories for delimiting physiological and pathological brain remodeling through life periods linked to healthy states and resilience on one side or mental dysfunction on the other remains a challenge. Furthermore, important processes of preservation and compensation of brain function occur continuously in the cerebral brain networks and drive physiological responses to life events. Here, we review research on brain reorganization processes across the lifespan, demonstrating brain circuits remodeling at the st…

Effect of plant sterol and galactooligosaccharides enriched beverages on oxidative stress and longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans

2020

Abstract This study evaluates the impact of two plant sterol (PS) enriched fruit beverages (0.6 g /100 ml), without (MfB) or with GOS (MfB-G) (1.2 g/100 ml) on the resistance against oxidative stress induced by non-conventional (cholesterol oxidation products (COPs)) and conventional (H2O2) oxidant compounds, as well as their impact on C. elegans longevity. Nematodes fed with both beverages (0.005–0.25%, v/v) showed similar improved oxidative stress resistance against COPs and H2O2. This effect was dependent on daf-16 transcription factor, although GOS showed an additional beneficial effect independent to daf-16. In addition, both beverages extended nematode lifespan, independently of the p…

Strategies against nonsense: oxadiazoles as translational readthrough-inducing drugs (TRIDs)

2019

This review focuses on the use of oxadiazoles as translational readthrough-inducing drugs (TRIDs) to rescue the functional full-length protein expression in mendelian genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations. These mutations in specific genes generate premature termination codons (PTCs) responsible for the translation of truncated proteins. After a brief introduction on nonsense mutations and their pathological effects, the features of various classes of TRIDs will be described discussing differences or similarities in their mechanisms of action. Strategies to correct the PTCs will be presented, particularly focusing on a new class of Ataluren-like oxadiazole derivatives in comparison …

Trans-oceanic genomic divergence of Atlantic cod ecotypes is associated with large inversions

2017

Chromosomal rearrangements such as inversions can play a crucial role in maintaining polymorphism underlying complex traits and contribute to the process of speciation. In Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), inversions of several megabases have been identified that dominate genomic differentiation between migratory and nonmigratory ecotypes in the Northeast Atlantic. Here, we show that the same genomic regions display elevated divergence and contribute to ecotype divergence in the Northwest Atlantic as well. The occurrence of these inversions on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean reveals a common evolutionary origin, predating the >100 000-year-old trans-Atlantic separation of Atlantic cod. The long…