Publications by authors named "P Francalacci"

The vitamin D receptor () is an important candidate gene in musculoskeletal phenotypes. Polymorphisms in the have been previously associated with several pathologies and muscular strength in athletes and elderly people; however, the literature reported contradictory results. The object of this research was to verify the association between the most studied variants (rs2228570, rs7975232, and rs1544410) and the increase in muscle mass in elite young soccer players.

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  • Elites were very important in shaping Europe after the Roman Empire fell, influencing both big and small communities during the Early Middle Ages.
  • Researchers studied a community in Italy from the 6th to 8th centuries and found that it was made up of related elite families that grew into one big family over time.
  • This community was diverse, welcoming different people as it developed, showing that powerful leaders could bring together various backgrounds instead of just sticking to their own.
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The gene is involved in the development of skeletal elements, synovial joint formation, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. Several polymorphisms are present within the gene, and two of them, rs143384 and 143383, were reported to be correlated with osteoarticular disease or muscle flexibility. The aim of this research is to verify if the worldwide distribution of the rs143384 polymorphism among human populations was shaped by selective pressure, or if it was the result of random genetic drift events.

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Saliva houses over 2000 proteins and peptides with poorly clarified functions, including proline-rich proteins, statherin, P-B peptides, histatins, cystatins, and amylases. Their genes are poorly conserved across related species, reflecting an evolutionary adaptation. We searched the nucleotide substitutions fixed in these salivary proteins' gene loci in modern humans compared with ancient hominins.

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  • The Western Roman Empire started to fall apart in the 4th and 5th centuries, and different groups, called "barbarians," began to settle in the areas it left behind.
  • Researchers studied 38 burial sites from the 5th century in Lake Balaton, Hungary, to understand how communities formed after this collapse.
  • They found a lot of genetic variety among the people in these burial sites, with some showing influences from northern Europe, and discovered that burial customs were similar but the people's ancestry was quite different.
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