Frequency of a natural truncated allele of in the germplasm of .

is the causal agent of powdery mildew (PM) in apple. To reduce the amount of fungicides required to control this pathogen, the development of resistant apple cultivars should become a priority. Resistance to PM was achieved in various crops by knocking out specific members of the gene family that are responsible for PM susceptibility (S-genes).

The metabolic syndrome and 10-year cognitive and functional decline in very old men. A population-based study.

Objectives: To describe longitudinal relationships of metabolic syndrome (MetS) to cognitive decline and functional disability in a sample of older non-institutionalized men.

Methods: data from 1991 to 2000 of the Italian cohorts of the Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Elderly (FINE) study, were used. Global cognitive function and functional disability, defined as limitations in mobility, basic (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) were screened in 1991 and 2000.

Assignment of polymorphic species of insulin analogues in ion mobility mass spectroscopy.

Electrospray ionization - ion mobility spectrometry - mass spectrometry (ESI-IMS-MS) allows the identification of protein polymorphic distribution of protein conformers and oligomers. We report the detailed identification of the species observed with commercially available pharmaceutical preparation of wild-type, regular human insulin.

Nonsense Mutation Inside Anthocyanidin Synthase Gene Controls Pigmentation in Yellow Raspberry ( L.).

Yellow raspberry fruits have reduced anthocyanin contents and offer unique possibility to study the genetics of pigment biosynthesis in this important soft fruit. Anthocyanidin synthase () catalyzes the conversion of leucoanthocyanidin to anthocyanidin, a key committed step in biosynthesis of anthocyanins. Molecular analysis of the gene enabled to identify an inactive allele in a yellow fruit raspberry ("Anne").

The Label Matters: μPET Imaging of the Biodistribution of Low Molar Mass Zr and F-Labeled Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline).

Poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline)s (PAOx) have received increasing interest for biomedical applications. Therefore, it is of fundamental importance to gain an in-depth understanding of the biodistribution profile of PAOx. We report the biodistribution of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) with a molar mass of 5 kDa radiolabeled with PET isotopes Zr and F.

[Cardiovascular diseases and cancer incidence in general population: results from MATISS cohort].

Objectives: to assess the incidence of fatal and non-fatal major cardiovascular diseases and cancers in people with different cardiovascular risk profile of a longitudinal cohort.

Design: longitudinal study carried out in a large sample of general population, with a median follow-up of 17.7 years.

Regulation of the assembly and amyloid aggregation of murine amylin by zinc.

The secretory granule of the pancreatic β-cells is a zinc-rich environment copopulated with the hormones amylin and insulin. The human amylin is shown to interact with zinc ions with major contribution from the single histidine residue, which is absent in amylin from other species such as cat, rhesus and rodents. We report here the interaction of murine amylin with zinc ions in vitro.

Dogs'olfactory diagnostics applied on human species: state of the art and clinical perspectives.

Dogs'smell ability is about 10000-100000 more developed than humans' one. Dogs smell is usually exploited in forensic medicine, to find missing people and specific substances showing peculiar sensorial features. In clinic, there is the possibility to take advantage of dogs smell, which are conveniently trained, for the screening of cancers and other diseases.

Discovery of A-type procyanidin dimers in yellow raspberries by untargeted metabolomics and correlation based data analysis.

Introduction: Raspberries are becoming increasingly popular due to their reported health beneficial properties. Despite the presence of only trace amounts of anthocyanins, yellow varieties seems to show similar or better effects in comparison to conventional raspberries.

Objectives: The aim of this work is to characterize the metabolic differences between red and yellow berries, focussing on the compounds showing a higher concentration in yellow varieties.

Vascular access scenario in Italy: evolution and comparison by two surveys (1998-2013).

Purpose: Dialysis settings have generally improved over the last decades, but the vascular access setting did not see significant advances and experienced a progressive worsening in epidemiology and clinical features. The aim of the study was to describe and compare evolution of vascular access in Italy over time.

Methods: A national survey implemented in Italy last year is presented and compared to a previous survey performed in 1998.

Distributed characterization of localized and stationary dynamic Brillouin gratings in polarization maintaining optical fibers.

We experimentally generate localized and stationary dynamic Brillouin gratings in a 5 m long polarization maintaining fiber by phase-modulation of the pumps with a pseudo-random bit sequence. The dynamic Brillouin gratings are characterized in terms of length, bandwidth, group delay and group delay ripple, optical signal-to-noise ratio and peak to sidelobe ratio by measuring the distribution of the complex reflected signal along the fiber through swept-wavelength interferometry. By numerical processing, the performance of an optimal modulation format enabling null off-peak reflections are estimated and compared to the pseudo-random bit sequence case.

Temperature Values Variability in Piezoelectric Implant Site Preparation: Differences between Cortical and Corticocancellous Bovine Bone.

Purpose: Various parameters can influence temperature rise and detection during implant site preparation. The aim of this study is to investigate local temperature values in cortical and corticocancellous bovine bone during early stages of piezoelectric implant site preparation.

Materials And Methods: 20 osteotomies were performed using a diamond tip (IM1s, Mectron Medical Technology, Carasco, Italy) on two different types of bovine bone samples, cortical and corticocancellous, respectively.

Exploring potential mortality reductions in 9 European countries by improving diet and lifestyle: A modelling approach.

Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) death rates have fallen across most of Europe in recent decades. However, substantial risk factor reductions have not been achieved across all Europe. Our aim was to quantify the potential impact of future policy scenarios on diet and lifestyle on CHD mortality in 9 European countries.

CKD Prevalence Varies across the European General Population.

CKD prevalence estimation is central to CKD management and prevention planning at the population level. This study estimated CKD prevalence in the European adult general population and investigated international variation in CKD prevalence by age, sex, and presence of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. We collected data from 19 general-population studies from 13 European countries.

[Eating behaviours of italian adults: results of the Osservatorio epidemiologico cardiovascolare/Health Examination Survey].

Objectives: to describe eating behaviours of the Italian adult population collected by the Osservatorio Epidemiologico Cardiovascolare/Health Examination Survey during 2008- 2012.

Design: cross-sectional survey conducted in all Italian regions; random samples of the general population, stratified by age and sex, in 23 municipalities, 220 persons every 1.5 million people.

Genetic diversity and population structure of an important wild berry crop.

The success of plant breeding in the coming years will be associated with access to new sources of variation, which will include landraces and wild relatives of crop species. In order to access the reservoir of favourable alleles within wild germplasm, knowledge about the genetic diversity and the population structure of wild species is needed. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is one of the most important wild crops growing in the forests of Northern European countries, noted for its nutritional properties and its beneficial effects on human health.

Cryogenic-temperature profiling of high-power superconducting lines using local and distributed optical-fiber sensors.

This contribution presents distributed and multipoint fiber-optic monitoring of cryogenic temperatures along a superconducting power transmission line down to 30 K and over 20 m distance. Multipoint measurements were conducted using fiber Bragg gratings sensors coated with two different functional overlays (epoxy and poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA)) demonstrating cryogenic operation in the range 300-4.2 K.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine is transported by the mitochondrial carrier SLC25A2.

Asymmetric dimethyl L-arginine (ADMA) is generated within cells and in mitochondria when proteins with dimethylated arginine residues are degraded. The aim of this study was to identify the carrier protein(s) that transport ADMA across the inner mitochondrial membrane. It was found that the recombinant, purified mitochondrial solute carrier SLC25A2 when reconstituted into liposomes efficiently transports ADMA in addition to its known substrates arginine, lysine, and ornithine and in contrast to the other known mitochondrial amino acid transporters SLC25A12, SLC25A13, SLC25A15, SLC25A18, SLC25A22, and SLC25A29.

Geographic and socioeconomic variation of sodium and potassium intake in Italy: results from the MINISAL-GIRCSI programme.

Objectives: To assess geographic and socioeconomic gradients in sodium and potassium intake in Italy.

Setting: Cross-sectional survey in Italy.

Participants: 3857 men and women, aged 39-79 years, randomly sampled in 20 regions (as part of a National cardiovascular survey of 8714 men and women).

Mechanisms and therapeutic applications of electromagnetic therapy in Parkinson's disease.

Electromagnetic therapy is a non-invasive and safe approach for the management of several pathological conditions including neurodegenerative diseases. Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative pathology caused by abnormal degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra pars compacta in the midbrain resulting in damage to the basal ganglia. Electromagnetic therapy has been extensively used in the clinical setting in the form of transcranial magnetic stimulation, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, high-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy which can also be used in the domestic setting.

Methodology used in studies reporting chronic kidney disease prevalence: a systematic literature review.

Background: Many publications report the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the general population. Comparisons across studies are hampered as CKD prevalence estimations are influenced by study population characteristics and laboratory methods.

Methods: For this systematic review, two researchers independently searched PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE to identify all original research articles that were published between 1 January 2003 and 1 November 2014 reporting the prevalence of CKD in the European adult general population.

Cardiovascular health in Italy. Ten-year surveillance of cardiovascular diseases and risk factors: Osservatorio Epidemiologico Cardiovascolare/Health Examination Survey 1998-2012.

Background: Surveillance of and monitoring trends for cardiovascular diseases and risk factors are relevant when we consider that these diseases and conditions are largely preventable. The aim of this paper is to assess time trends of cardiovascular diseases, lifestyles, risk factors and high risk conditions in different socioeconomic levels.

Methods: Paired but independent population samples of men and women aged 35-74 years located in all 20 Italian regions were examined in 1998-2002 (n = 9612) and in 2008-2012 (n = 8141).

Functional characterization and organ distribution of three mitochondrial ATP-Mg/Pi carriers in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The Arabidopsis thaliana genome contains 58 membrane proteins belonging to the mitochondrial carrier family. Three members of this family, here named AtAPC1, AtAPC2, and AtAPC3, exhibit high structural similarities to the human mitochondrial ATP-Mg(2+)/phosphate carriers. Under normal physiological conditions the AtAPC1 gene was expressed at least five times more than the other two AtAPC genes in flower, leaf, stem, root and seedlings.