Effects of Chrysin on Urinary Testosterone Levels in Human Males

Cristiana Gambelunghe,Ruggero Rossi,Marco Sommavilla,Chiara Ferranti,Riccardo Rossi,Chiara Ciculi,Stefania Gizzi,Alessandra Micheletti,Stefano Rufini 한국식품영양과학회 2003 Journal of medicinal food Vol.6 No.4

The equilibrium of sexual hormones in both sexes is controlled in vertebrates by the enzyme aromatase, amember of the cytochrome P450 superfamily, which catalyzes the conversion of androstenedione and testosterone into es-trone and estradiol, respectively. Flavonoids are diphenolic compounds present in whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegeta-bles that are strongly implicated as protective in coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer. One flavonoid, chrysin, found inhigh concentrations in honey and propolis, has been shown to be an inhibitor of aromatase enzyme activity. These foods areoften used as supplements, particulary by sportsmen for their energetic and antioxidant properties. The aim of this study wasto verify if daily treatment for 21 days with propolis and honey, containing chrysin, would modify urinary concentrations oftestosterone in volunteer male subjects. In fact, aromatase inhibition by chrysin could block the conversion of androgens intoestrogens with a consequent increase of testosterone, eventually measurable in urine samples. The obtained data did not showalterations of the levels of testosterone in the volunteers after 7, 14, and 21 days of treatment in comparison with baselinevalues and compared with measurements on the control subjects at the same time. In conclusion, the use of these foods for21 days at the doses usually taken as oral supplementation does not have effects on the equilibrium of testosterone in humanmales.

Agritourism A Challenge for the Romanian Tourism

( Cristiana Cristureanu ) 한국문화관광학회 2016 문화관광연구 Vol.18 No.2

The constantly growing number of travel destinations and the enhanced quality of existing ones put great pressure on those responsible for a given destination to find better ways to compete in the tourism marketplace and to do so in a sustainable manner. Consequently, a necessary first step in achieving this goal would be to better understand those forces and success factors that determine the competitiveness of major tourism destinations. Success factors of a specific destination can then be enhanced if applied to a specific tourism product that could achieve sustainable growth over the longer term. The objective of this paper is to present an analysis on Romania`s competitiveness as a tourism destination, based on Porter`s diamond model. Throughout the analysis, we focus on the most competitive export products in the industry and their prospects for future growth. As the investigation reveals that opportunities exist for rural tourism in Romania, and due to the special relevance of agritourism in Romania, where the transformation of rural space was accelerated by the process of integration into the European Union, we further channel the competitiveness assessment on this specific tourism product. We find that agritourism allows for a diversification of components of rural economies, which would otherwise be condemned to disappear, entailing high human and economic costs. It also allows to maintain, to protect and even to enhance our heritage and patrimony. We conclude that agritourism can make a valuable contribution to rural economies, and provide several potential benefits. A sustainable development of agritourism is likely to generate: job retention and creation, farm support, landscape conservation, support to rural arts and crafts, nature conservation, environmental improvements, and enhanced role of local communities.

CONTAMINATION SOURCE DETECTION IN WATER NETWORKS UNDER DEMAND UNCERTAINTY

CRISTO CRISTIANA DI,SANCTIS ANNAMARIA E. DE,LEOPARDI ANGELO 한국수자원학회 2005 한국수자원학회 학술대회 Vol.2005 No.1

Comparison of the characteristics of canine adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells extracted from different sites and at different passage numbers

Kevin M. Yaneselli,Cristiana P. Kuhl,Paula B. Terraciano,Fernanda S. de Oliveira,Sabrina B. Pizzato,Kamila Pazza,Alessandra B. Magrisso,Vanessa Torman,Analía Rial,María Moreno,Silvia Llambí,Elizabeth 대한수의학회 2018 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.19 No.1

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have desirable characteristics for use in therapy in animal models and veterinary medicine, due to their capacity of inducing tissue regeneration and immunomodulation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences between canine adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs) extracted from subcutaneous (Sc) and visceral (Vs) sites. Surface antigenic markers, in vitro differentiation, and mineralized matrix quantification of AD-MSCs at different passages (P4, P6, and P8) were studied. Immunophenotypic analysis showed that AD-MSCs from both sites were CD44+, CD90+, and CD45−. Moreover, they were able, in vitro, to differentiate into fat, cartilage, and bone. Sc-AD-MSCs preserve in vitro multipotentiality up to P8, but Vs-AD-MSCs only tri-differentiated up to P4. In addition, compared to Vs-AD-MSCs, Sc-AD-MSCs had greater capacity for in vitro mineralized matrix synthesis. In conclusion, Sc-AD-MSCs have advantages over Vs-AD-MSCs, as Sc AD-MSCs preserve multipotentiality during a greater number of passages, have more osteogenic potential, and require less invasive extraction.

An outbreak of neonatal enteritis in buffalo calves associated with astrovirus

Paolo Capozza,Vito Martella,Gianvito Lanave,Cristiana Catella,Georgia Diakoudi,Farzad Beikpour,Michele Camero,Barbara Di Martino,Giovanna Fusco,Anna Balestrieri,Krisztian Banyai,Giuseppe Campanile 대한수의학회 2021 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.22 No.6

Background: Enteritis of an infectious origin is a major cause of productivity and economic losses to cattle producers worldwide. Several pathogens are believed to cause or contribute to the development of calf diarrhea. Astroviruses (AstVs) are neglected enteric pathogens in ruminants, but they have recently gained attention because of their possible association with encephalitis in humans and various animal species, including cattle. Objectives: This paper describes a large outbreak of neonatal diarrhea in buffalo calves (Bubalus bubalis), characterized by high mortality, which was associated with an AstV infection. Methods: Following an enteritis outbreak characterized by high morbidity (100%) and mortality (46.2%) in a herd of Mediterranean buffaloes (B. bubalis) in Italy, 16 samples from buffalo calves were tested with the molecular tools for common and uncommon enteric pathogens, including AstV, kobuvirus, and torovirus. Results: The samples tested negative for common enteric viral agents, including Rotavirus A, coronavirus, calicivirus, pestivirus, kobuvirus, and torovirus, while they tested positive for AstV. Overall, 62.5% (10/16) of the samples were positive in a single round reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for AstV, and 100% (16/16) were positive when nested PCR was performed. The strains identified in the outbreak showed a clonal origin and shared the closest genetic relationship with bovine AstVs (up to 85% amino acid identity in the capsid). Conclusions: This report indicates that AstVs should be included in a differential diagnosis of infectious diarrhea in buffalo calves.

ON THE BOUNDARY CONDITIONS ASSIGNMENT FOR A FIVE-EQUATION MORPHODYNAMICAL MODEL

VACCA ANDREA,IERVOLINO MICHELE,CRISTO CRISTIANA DI 한국수자원학회 2005 한국수자원학회 학술대회 Vol.2005 No.1

Deposition of Dopamine and Polyethyleneimine on Polymeric Membranes: Improvement of Performance of Ultrafiltration Process

Ingrid R. Marques,Guilherme Zin,Lidia T. Prando,Cristiana C. Bretanha,Mariane C. Proner,Elisandra Rigo,Katia Rezzadori,Cristiane da Costa,Marco Di Luccio 한국고분자학회 2020 Macromolecular Research Vol.28 No.12

Modification of the characteristics of polymeric membranes is regarded as an alternative to control the flux decline caused by the concentration polarization and the fouling in ultrafiltration (UF). This work investigated the use of dopamine (DA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) to hydrophilize the surface and to improve the performance of a 50 kDa polyethersulfone UF membrane. The hydraulic permeance of membranes was investigated for the membranes modified using a DA solution with its concentration fixed at 2 mg·mL-1 and a PEI solution with its concentration varying from 0 to 16 mg·mL-1. The membrane modified in a 16 mg·mL-1 solution of PEI presented the uppermost hydraulic permeance (33 L·h-1·m-2). This membrane and two other controls (unmodified and modified membranes with a 2 mg·mL-1 solution of DA) were further characterized for surface chemistry using Fourier transform infrared by attenuated reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and X-ray excited photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) charge (zeta potential), morphology (field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and optical interferometry), water mass gain, and performance in bovine serum albumin (BSA) UF. XPS showed an increase in the nitrogen content and a decrease in the sulfur content indicating the membrane modification. Membrane modification with DA/PEI caused an increase in hydrophilicity, which could reduce the interaction of BSA with the membrane surface. The flux of protein solutions was improved by 400%, and there was a complete recovery of the water flux after chemical cleaning of the modified membrane.

The Arabidopsis vacuolar malate channel is a member of the ALMT family

Kovermann, Peter,Meyer, Stefan,Hö,rtensteiner, Stefan,Picco, Cristiana,Scholz-Starke, Joachim,Ravera, Silvia,Lee, Youngsook,Martinoia, Enrico Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2007 The Plant journal Vol.52 No.6

<P>Summary</P><P>In plants, malate is a central metabolite and fulfills a large number of functions. Vacuolar malate may reach very high concentrations and fluctuate rapidly, whereas cytosolic malate is kept at a constant level allowing optimal metabolism. Recently, a vacuolar malate transporter (<I>Arabidopsis thaliana</I> tonoplast dicarboxylate transporter, <I>At</I>tDT) was identified that did not correspond to the well-characterized vacuolar malate channel. We therefore hypothesized that a member of the aluminum-activated malate transporter (ALMT) gene family could code for a vacuolar malate channel. Using GFP fusion constructs, we could show that <I>At</I>ALMT9 (<I>A. thaliana</I> ALMT9) is targeted to the vacuole. Promoter-GUS fusion constructs demonstrated that this gene is expressed in all organs, but is cell-type specific as GUS activity in leaves was detected nearly exclusively in mesophyll cells. Patch-clamp analysis of an <I>Atalmt9</I> T-DNA insertion mutant exhibited strongly reduced vacuolar malate channel activity. In order to functionally characterize <I>At</I>ALMT9 as a malate channel, we heterologously expressed this gene in tobacco and in oocytes. Overexpression of <I>At</I>ALMT9-GFP in <I>Nicotiana benthamiana</I> leaves strongly enhanced the malate current densities across the mesophyll tonoplasts. Functional expression of <I>At</I>ALMT9 in <I>Xenopus</I> oocytes induced anion currents, which were clearly distinguishable from endogenous oocyte currents. Our results demonstrate that <I>At</I>ALMT9 is a vacuolar malate channel. Deletion mutants for <I>At</I>ALMT9 exhibit only slightly reduced malate content in mesophyll protoplasts and no visible phenotype, indicating that <I>At</I>tDT and the residual malate channel activity are sufficient to sustain the transport activity necessary to regulate the cytosolic malate homeostasis.</P>

Omic Approach in Non-smoker Female with Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Pinpoints to Germline Susceptibility and Personalized Medicine

Margherita Baldassarri,Chiara Fallerini,Francesco Cetta,Marco Ghisalberti,Cristiana Bellan,Simone Furini,Ottavia Spiga,Sergio Crispino,Giuseppe Gotti,Francesca Ariani,Piero Paladini,Alessandra Renieri 대한암학회 2018 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.50 No.2

Purpose Lung cancer is strongly associated to tobacco smoking. However, global statistics estimate that in females the proportion of lung cancer cases that is unrelated to tobacco smoking reaches fifty percent, making questionable the etiology of the disease. Materials and Methods A never-smoker female with primary EGFR/KRAS/ALK-negative squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and their normal sibs were subjected to a novel integrative “omic” approach using a pedigree-based model for discovering genetic factors leading to cancer in the absence of well-known environmental trigger. A first-step whole-exome sequencing on tumor and normal tissue did not identify mutations in known driver genes. Building on the idea of a germline oligogenic origin of lung cancer, we performed whole-exome sequencing of DNA from patients’ peripheral blood and their unaffected sibs. Finally, RNA-sequencing analysis in tumoral and matched non-tumoral tissues was carried out in order to investigate the clonal profile and the pathogenic role of the identified variants. Results Filtering for rare variants with Combined Annotation Dependent Depletion (CADD) > 25 and potentially damaging effect, we identified rare/private germline deleterious variants in 11 cancer-associated genes, none of which, except one, shared with the healthy sib, pinpointing to a “private” oligogenic germline signature. Noteworthy, among these, two mutated genes, namely ACACA and DEPTOR, turned to be potential targets for therapy because related to known drivers, such as BRCA1 and EGFR. Conclusion In the era of precision medicine, this report emphasizes the importance of an “omic” approach to uncover oligogenic germline signature underlying cancer development and to identify suitable therapeutic targets as well.

Mineralogy and mineral chemistry of the Sunrise Dam orogenic gold deposit, Western Australia

성유현(Yoo Hyun Sung),Allan Pring,Joel Brugger,Cristiana L Ciobanu,William Skinner,Michael Nugus 한국암석학회 2009 한국암석학회 학술발표회 논문집 Vol.2009 No.5