Resveratrol Prevents β-Cell Dedifferentiation in Nonhuman Primates Given a High-Fat/High-Sugar Diet

Fiori, Jennifer L.,Shin, Yu-Kyong,Kim, Wook,Krzysik-Walker, Susan M.,Gonzá,lez-Mariscal, Isabel,Carlson, Olga D.,Sanghvi, Mitesh,Moaddel, Ruin,Farhang, Kathleen,Gadkaree, Shekhar K.,Doyle, Maire American Diabetes Association 2013 Diabetes Vol.62 No.10

<P>Eating a “Westernized” diet high in fat and sugar leads to weight gain and numerous health problems, including the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Rodent studies have shown that resveratrol supplementation reduces blood glucose levels, preserves β-cells in islets of Langerhans, and improves insulin action. Although rodent models are helpful for understanding β-cell biology and certain aspects of T2DM pathology, they fail to reproduce the complexity of the human disease as well as that of nonhuman primates. Rhesus monkeys were fed a standard diet (SD), or a high-fat/high-sugar diet in combination with either placebo (HFS) or resveratrol (HFS+Resv) for 24 months, and pancreata were examined before overt dysglycemia occurred. Increased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and insulin resistance occurred in both HFS and HFS+Resv diets compared with SD. Although islet size was unaffected, there was a significant decrease in β-cells and an increase in α-cells containing glucagon and glucagon-like peptide 1 with HFS diets. Islets from HFS+Resv monkeys were morphologically similar to SD. HFS diets also resulted in decreased expression of essential β-cell transcription factors forkhead box O1 (FOXO1), NKX6–1, NKX2–2, and <I>PDX1</I>, which did not occur with resveratrol supplementation. Similar changes were observed in human islets where the effects of resveratrol were mediated through Sirtuin 1. These findings have implications for the management of humans with insulin resistance, prediabetes, and diabetes.</P>

70 Years after WW2: The Dynamics of the Northeast Asian Security Environment : Seventy Years after World War 2: Comparing Europe and Northeast Asia`s Security Architectures

( Antonio Fiori ),( Andrea Passeri ) 한국국방연구원 2015 The Korean Journal of Defense Analysis Vol.27 No.2

The present article looks at the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War from an historical and comparative perspective, scrutinizing the diverging pathways established in Europe and Northeast Asia in the aftermaths of such a tragic event with regard to the construction of a new security architecture. In order to grasp the rationale behind the widely different outcomes of these processes within the selected case studies, the first section will highlight the fundamental steps and prerequisites that paved the way for the consolidation of a Euro.Atlantic security community, characterized by peaceful interactions among its members based on shared values and identities. Accordingly, it will emphasize the fundamental importance of historical reconciliation efforts pursued since 1945 by European states.most notably between France and the Federal Republic of Germany.as well as the contribution of innovative multilateral institutions, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), in laying the foundations of an unprecedented defense framework. Northeast Asia’s trajectory, on the other hand, will be at the core of the second section, aimed at examining the roots of its prolonged reliance on traditional bilateral ties built on the American “hub. and.spokes” system, which ultimately hindered the possibility of replicating in the area the main features of Europe’s collective security mechanisms. Finally, the last section will focus on the recent impact of this peculiar path on several major issues that nowadays stand at the top of the regional security agenda.as in the case of the mutual grievances among the People’s Republic of China, Japan, and South Korea produced by controversial memories of WWII.arguing that the absence of shared narratives concerning such a paramount conflict represents a fundamental impediment to the establishment of a cooperative security environment in Northeast Asia.

Jasmine Does Not Bloom in Pyongyang: The Persistent Non-transition in North Korea

Antonio Fiori,김선혁 인하대학교 국제관계연구소 2014 Pacific Focus Vol.29 No.1

At the beginning of 2011, the world was shaken by an “earthquake” which struck the Middle East and African regions. Following the Arab Spring or Jasmine Revolution, many pundits stated that North Korea could be the next to be affected by this wind of change, and the North Korean dictatorial leadership could collapse soon. This assumption acquired further validity soon after Kim Jong-il’s death. This paper draws on the democratic transition and consolidation literature that has grown considerably in the last decades. According to this literature, a few factors facilitate and promote democratization – most prominently, an elite split between hardliners and softliners; the emergence of civil society and its pro-democracy movement; and a certain degree of international pressure. Through an analysis of these factors, this paper shows why North Korea is “resistant to change” and will not follow in the Middle East’s footsteps. We argue that the main reason for the non-transition in North Korea is the absence of the conditions that have been identified in the democratization literature as critical factors promoting democratic transition.

The Dynamics of Welfare Policy-Making in South Korea: Social Movements as Policy Entrepreneurs

Antonio Fiori and Sunhyuk Kim,김선혁 한국사회복지학회 2011 Asian Social Work and Policy Review Vol.5 No.2

This paper analyzes the role of social movements in the creation and evolution of a welfare state inSouth Korea. We begin with a theoretical overview of the existing works on policy change, highlightingconcepts such as ideas, policy paradigms, and windows of opportunity. We then examinestate institutions, hegemonic policy paradigms, and the specific dynamics of welfare policy-makingduring South Korea’s authoritarian period (1961–1987). Next, characterizing the democratic transitionin 1987 and the economic crisis of 1997–1998 as ‘‘windows of opportunity,’’ we probe howsocial movements emerged as ‘‘policy entrepreneurs’’ and played crucial roles in building welfareinstitutions and promoting welfare policies. In particular, we focus on the role of social movementsin legislating the National Basic Livelihood Security Act in 1999 and consolidating fragmentedhealth insurance systems in 2000. We conclude that social movements in democratized SouthKorea have assumed the role of policy entrepreneurs, filling the vacuum left by the central governmentand elite bureaucrats in the field of social welfare policy-making.

Pancreatic polypeptide inhibits somatostatin secretion

Kim, W.,Fiori, J.L.,Shin, Y.K.,Okun, E.,Kim, J.S.,Rapp, P.R.,Egan, J.M. North-Holland Pub ; Elsevier Science Ltd 2014 FEBS letters Vol.588 No.17

Pancreatic polypeptide (PP) is a major agonist for neuropeptide Y4 receptors (NPY4R). While NPY4R has been identified in various tissues, the cells on which it is expressed and its function in those cells has not been clearly delineated. Here we report that NPY4R is present in all somatostatin-containing cells of tissues that we tested, including pancreatic islets, duodenum, hippocampus, and hypothalamus. Its agonism by PP decreases somatostatin secretion from human islets. Mouse embryonic hippocampal (mHippo E18) cells expressed NPY4Rs and their activation by PP consistently decreased somatostatin secretion. Furthermore, central injection of PP in mice induced c-Fos immunoreactivity in somatostatin-containing cells in the hippocampus compared with PBS-injected mice. In sum, our results identify PP as a pivotal modulator of somatostatin secretion.

Characterization of both adhesion and interfacial interaction between optical fiber coating and structural

Brotzu, A.,Felli, F.,Fiori, L.,Caponero, M.A. Techno-Press 2008 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.4 No.4

Optical fiber sensors are by now broadly accepted as an innovative and reliable device for structural health monitoring, to be used either embedded into or bonded on structures. The accuracy of the strain measurement achievable by optical fiber sensors is critically dependent on the characteristics of the bonding of the various interface layers involved in the sensor bonding/embedding (structure material and gluing agent, fiber coating and gluing agent, fiber coating and fiber core). In fact, the signal of the bonded/embedded optical fiber sensor must correspond to the strain experienced by the monitored structure, but the quality of each involved interface can affect the strain transfer. This paper faces the characterization, carried on by both mechanical tests and morphological analysis, of the strain transfer function resulting with epoxidic and vinylester gluing agent on polyimide and acrylate coated optical fibers.

Rollinia occidentalis extract as green corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in HCl solution

Patricia E. Alvarez,M. Victoria Fiori-Bimbi,Adriana Neske,Silvia A. Brandán,Claudio A. Gervasi 한국공업화학회 2018 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.58 No.-

An extract of Rollinia occidentalis as well as pure solutions of two acetogenins isolated from this extract,namely Rolliniastatin-1 and Motrilin, were tested as corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel in acidicsolutions. Weight loss measurements were performed in the 298–328 K temperature range and theobtained data were used to calculate corrosion rate and inhibition efficiency. It was found that the extractand the acetogenins solutions act as good corrosion inhibitors for the tested C-steel in 1 M HCl media. Moreover, results from potentiodynamic polarization measurements indicate that R. occidentalis and thetwo tested acetogenins act as mixed-type inhibitors. Data collected from EIS studies were modeled withan equivalent circuit containing a single time constant what can be understood in terms of a corrosioninhibition process resulting from the geometric blocking effect of the carbon steel surface by an adsorbedinhibitor species. Inhibitor adsorption follows a Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The inhibition efficiencydecreases with increasing temperature and extract concentration. Spectroscopic analysis points to theformation of a complex between metal cations and compounds present in the R. occidentalis extract. Thisadditional aspect is considered in the proposed inhibition mechanism of C-steel.

Machine Learning Techniques in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis According to Prostate-Specific Antigen Levels and Prostate Cancer Gene 3 Score

Roberto Passera,Stefano De Luca,Cristian Fiori,Enrico Bollito,Francesco Porpiglia 대한비뇨기종양학회 2021 대한비뇨기종양학회지 Vol.19 No.3

Purpose: To explore the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) techniques in oncological urology. In recent years, our group investigated the prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3) score, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and free-PSA predictive role for prostate cancer (PCa), using the classical binary logistic regression (LR) modeling. In this research, we approached the same clinical problem by several different ML algorithms, to evaluate their performances and feasibility in a real-world evidence PCa detection trial. Materials and Methods: The occurrence of a positive biopsy has been studied in a large cohort of 1,246 Italian men undergoing first or repeat biopsy. Seven supervised ML algorithms were selected to build biomarkers-based predictive models: generalized linear model, gradient boosting machine, eXtreme gradient boosting machine (XGBoost), distributed random forest/extremely randomized forest, multilayer artificial Deep Neural Network, naïve Bayes classifier, and an automatic ML ensemble function. Results: All the ML models showed better performances in terms of area under curve (AUC) and accuracy, when compared to LR model. Among them, an XGBoost model tuned by the autoML function reached the best metrics (AUC, 0.830), well overtaking LR results (AUC, 0.738). In the variable importance ranking coming from this XGBoost model (accuracy, 0.824), the PCA3 score importance was 3-fold and 4-fold larger, when compared to that of free-PSA and PSA, respectively. Conclusions: The ML approach proved to be feasible and able to achieve good predictive performances with reproducible results: it may thus be recommended, when applied to PCa prediction based on biomarkers fluctuations.

A comparison between anorganic bone and collagen-preserving bone xenografts for alveolar ridge preservation: systematic review and future perspectives

Danilo Alessio Di Stefano,Francesco Orlando,Marco Ottobelli,Davide Fiori,Umberto Garagiola 대한악안면성형재건외과학회 2022 Maxillofacial Plastic Reconstructive Surgery Vol.44 No.-

After tooth extraction, dimensional changes affect the alveolar socket, leading to loss in alveolar bone height and width. Histological modifications also occur, with initial formation of a blood clot that is replaced with granulation tissue and subsequently with a provisional connective tissue matrix. Spontaneous healing ends with socket filling with woven bone, which is gradually replaced with lamellar bone and bone marrow. Adequate alveolar ridge dimensions and bone quality are required to assure optimal stability and osseointegration following dental implant placement. When a tooth is extracted, alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) procedures are an effective method to prevent collapse of the post-extraction socket. Heterologous bone is widely chosen by clinicians for ARP, and anorganic bone xenografts (ABXs) made bioinert by heat treatment represents the most used biomaterial in clinical applications. Collagen-preserving bone xenografts (CBXs) made of porcine or equine bone are fabricated by less invasive chemical or enzymatic treatments to remove xenogenic antigens, and these are also effective in preserving post-extraction sites. Clinical differences between anorganic bone substitutes and collagen-preserving materials are not well documented in the literature but understanding these differences could clarify how processing protocols influence biomaterial behavior in situ. This systematic review of the literature compares the dimensional changes and histological features of ABXs versus CBXs in ridge preservation procedures to promote awareness of different bone xenograft efficacies in stimulating the healing of post-extraction sockets.

Stricturing Crohn's disease: what is the role of endoscopic stenting? A systematic review

Giorgia Burrelli Scotti,Roberto Lorenzetti,Annalisa Aratari,Antonietta Lamazza,Enrico Fiori,Claudio Papi,Stefano Festa 대한소화기내시경학회 2023 Clinical Endoscopy Vol.56 No.6

Background/Aims: Endoscopic stenting for stricturing Crohn’s disease (CD) is an emerging treatment that achieves more persistentdilatation of the stricture over time than endoscopic balloon dilatation (EBD). We aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of stentingfor the treatment of CD strictures. Methods: A systematic electronic literature search was performed (PROSPERO; no. CRD42022308033). The primary outcomes weretechnical success, efficacy, complication rate, and the need for further interventions due to reobstruction. The outcomes of partiallycovered self-expanding metal stents (PCSEMS) with scheduled retrieval after seven days were also analyzed. Results: Eleven eligible studies were included in the review. Overall, 173 patients with CD were included in this study. Mean percentageof technical success was 95% (range, 80%–100%), short-term efficacy was 100% in all studies, and long-term efficacy was 56% (range,25%–90%). In patients with a scheduled PCSEMS retrieval, the long-term efficacy was 76% (range, 59%–90%), the mean complicationrate was 35% (range, 15%–57%), and the major complication rate was 11% (range, 0%–29%). Conclusions: Endoscopic stenting with scheduled PCSEMS retrieval may be considered a feasible second-line treatment for short CDstrictures to postpone surgery. However, larger head-to-head prospective studies are needed to understand the role of stenting as an al-ternative or additional treatment to EBD in CD.