Sex hormone deprivation abolishes sex-specific differences in murine colon inflammation and related lipid mediator production.

Unresolved inflammation, due to unfavorable imbalances between pro-inflammatory and pro-resolving mediators, leads to chronic inflammatory pathologies that are often sex-biased and regulated by sex hormones, including inflammatory bowel disease. Lipid mediators (LM) produced from polyunsaturated fatty acids by various lipoxygenases (LOX) and cyclooxygenases govern all stages of inflammation, i.e.

Effect of Window and Hole Pattern Cut-Outs on Design Optimization of 3D Printed Braces.

Background: There are many different Thoracic Lumbar Sacral Orthosis style brace designs available in the market for the correction of scoliosis deformity. Hole cut out patterns, are commonly used in brace designs. These cut-outs may be subdivided into two groups: hole patterns and windows.

The relationship between insulin and glucagon concentrations in non-diabetic humans.

Abnormal postprandial suppression of glucagon in Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has been attributed to impaired insulin secretion. Prior work suggests that insulin and glucagon show an inverse coordinated relationship. However, dysregulation of α-cell function in prediabetes occurs early and independently of changes in β-cells, which suggests insulin having a less significant role on glucagon control.

Women and Pensions in Italy: Gender Imbalances and the Equalization of Retirement Age.

This paper examines the age at retirement for men and women in Italy. Despite the expansion of women's educational attainments, they still display lower employment rates, are frequently engaged in involuntary part-time jobs and have more fragmented careers. As a consequence, the mean age at which women receive a pension is higher than that of men.

Chromogranin A-positive hormone-negative endocrine cells in pancreas in human pregnancy.

Introduction: We sought to determine whether chromogranin A-positive hormone-negative (CPHN) endocrine cells are increased in the pancreas of pregnant women, offering potential evidence in support of neogenesis.

Methods: Autopsy pancreata from pregnant women ( = 14) and age-matched non-pregnant control women ( = 9) were obtained. Staining of pancreatic sections for chromogranin A, insulin and a cocktail of glucagon, somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide and ghrelin was undertaken, with subsequent evaluation for CPHN cell frequency.

Insulin Pulse Characteristics and Insulin Action in Non-diabetic Humans.

Objective: Pulsatile insulin secretion is impaired in diseases such as type 2 diabetes that are characterized by insulin resistance. This has led to the suggestion that changes in insulin pulsatility directly impair insulin signaling. We sought to examine the effects of pulse characteristics on insulin action in humans, hypothesizing that a decrease in pulse amplitude or frequency is associated with impaired hepatic insulin action.

A novel MEN1 pathogenic variant in an Italian patient with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1.

The multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is a rare syndrome characterized by the predisposition to developing multiple endocrine and non-endocrine tumors, typically characterized by the association between parathyroid gland hyperplasia or tumors, gastroenteropancreatic tumors and pituitary adenomas. The MEN1 gene is located on the long arm of chromosome 11 (11q13) and it encodes for the protein "menin". We here reported the case of a MEN1-patient, affected by primary hyperparathyroidism, insulinoma, pituitary non-hyperfunctioning adenoma and bilateral adrenal masses, carrying a novel heterozygous pathogenic variant (c.

Spectrum of Germline and Variants Identified in 2351 Ovarian and Breast Cancer Patients Referring to a Reference Cancer Hospital of Rome.

Pathogenic variants (PVs) carriers in or are associated with an elevated lifetime risk of developing breast cancer (BC) and/or ovarian cancer (OC). The prevalence of and germline alterations is extremely variable among different ethnic groups. Particularly, the rate of variants in Italian BC and/or OC families is rather controversial and ranges from 8% to 37%, according to different reports.

Diabetes-associated genetic variation in TCF7L2 alters pulsatile insulin secretion in humans.

BACKGROUNDMetabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes have been associated with a decrease in insulin pulse frequency and amplitude. We hypothesized that the T allele at rs7903146 in TCF7L2, previously associated with β cell dysfunction, would be associated with changes in these insulin pulse characteristics.METHODSTwenty-nine nondiabetic subjects (age 46 ± 2, BMI 28 ± 1 kg/m2) participated in this study.

Fasting glucagon concentrations are associated with longitudinal decline of β-cell function in non-diabetic humans.

Purpose: Abnormal glucagon concentrations are a feature of prediabetes but it is uncertain if α-cell dysfunction contributes to a longitudinal decline in β-cell function. We therefore sought to determine if a decline in β-cell function is associated with a higher nadir glucagon in the postprandial period or with higher fasting glucagon.

Methods: This was a longitudinal study in which 73 non-diabetic subjects were studied on 2 occasions 6.

Identification of osteoclast-osteoblast coupling factors in humans reveals links between bone and energy metabolism.

Bone remodeling consists of resorption by osteoclasts followed by formation by osteoblasts, and osteoclasts are a source of bone formation-stimulating factors. Here we utilize osteoclast ablation by denosumab (DMAb) and RNA-sequencing of bone biopsies from postmenopausal women to identify osteoclast-secreted factors suppressed by DMAb. Based on these analyses, LIF, CREG2, CST3, CCBE1, and DPP4 are likely osteoclast-derived coupling factors in humans.

Pancreatic alpha-cell mass across adult human lifespan.

Aim: To establish pancreatic alpha-cell mass in lean, non-diabetic humans over the adult lifespan, performed as a follow-up study to beta-cell mass across the adult human lifespan.

Methods: We examined human pancreatic autopsy tissue from 66 lean, non-diabetic individuals aged from 30 to 102 years, grouped into deciles: 3rd (30-39 years), 4th (40-49 years), 5th (50-59 years), 6th (60-69 years), 7th (70-79 years), 8th (80-89 years) and 9th deciles (90+ years). Sections of pancreas were immunostained for glucagon and analyzed for fractional alpha-cell area.

Is individual placement and support an "active" labor market policy?

Objective: The aim of this study was to propose individual placement and support (IPS) as an important component of modern labor market policies and as a paradigm to be considered while drafting and adopting them.

Background: Modern European labor market policies, termed aim to support a personal commitment to seek employment by linking welfare benefits to active engagement in job search.

Method: In this essay, the authors describe European "activation policies," outline labor market regulations in Italy in the last 3 decades, and analyze core components of IPS in the light of labor policies.

and Testing through Next Generation Sequencing in a Small Cohort of Italian Breast/Ovarian Cancer Patients: Novel Pathogenic and Unknown Clinical Significance Variants.

The aim of this report is to describe results of and Next Generation Sequencing Analysis (NGS) analysis in 132 selected Italian patients with breast/ovarian cancer. A NGS pipeline with a reliable Copy Number Variation (CNV) prediction algorithm was applied. In addition, VarSome and Priors V2.

Novel benzoxanthene lignans that favorably modulate lipid mediator biosynthesis: A promising pharmacological strategy for anti-inflammatory therapy.

Lipid mediators (LM) encompass pro-inflammatory prostaglandins (PG) and leukotrienes (LT) but also specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPM) which display pivotal bioactivities in health and disease. Pharmacological intervention with inflammatory disorders such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis commonly employs anti-inflammatory drugs that can suppress PG and LT formation, which however, possess limited effectiveness and side effects. Here, we report on the discovery and characterization of the two novel benzoxanthene lignans 1 and 2 that modulate select LM biosynthetic enzymes enabling the switch from pro-inflammatory LT to SPM biosynthesis as potential pharmacological strategy to intervene with inflammation.

Assessment of pulsatile insulin secretion derived from peripheral plasma C-peptide concentrations by nonparametric stochastic deconvolution.

The characteristics of pulsatile insulin secretion are important determinants of type 2 diabetes pathophysiology, but they are understudied due to the difficulties in measuring pulsatile insulin secretion noninvasively. Deconvolution of either peripheral C-peptide or insulin concentrations offers an appealing alternative to hepatic vein catheterization. However, to do so, there are a series of methodological challenges to overcome.

Characterization of Non-hormone Expressing Endocrine Cells in Fetal and Infant Human Pancreas.

Previously, we identified chromograninA positive hormone-negative (CPHN) cells in high frequency in human fetal and neonatal pancreas, likely representing nascent endocrine precursor cells. Here, we characterize the putative endocrine fate and replicative status of these newly formed cells. To establish the replicative frequency and transcriptional identity of CPHN cells, extending our observation on CPHN cell frequency to a larger cohort of fetal and infant pancreas.

Increased Rates of Meal Absorption Do Not Explain Elevated 1-Hour Glucose in Subjects With Normal Glucose Tolerance.

Context: In subjects with normal fasting glucose (NFG) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT), glucose concentrations >155 mg/dL 1 hour after 75 g of oral glucose predict increased risk of progression to diabetes. Recently, it has been suggested that the mechanism underlying this abnormality is increased gut absorption of glucose.

Objective: We sought to determine the rate of systemic appearance of meal-derived glucose in subjects classified by their 1-hour glucose after a 75-g oral glucose challenge.