A Biological Psychiatry special issue

In the Biological Psychiatry special issue "Neuroimmune Mechanisms in Autism Spectrum Disorder", guest editor Professor Kimberley McAllister of the University of California, Davis, presents five reviews and three original research articles highlighting advances that are transforming the field of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research. "ASD is the most rapidly increasing neurodevelopmental disorder and current estimates are alarming," said Dr. McAllister. One in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys in the US are estimated to be on the spectrum. Few treatment options exist, and the search for effective new therapies has been hindered by a struggle to understand what causes ASD. "One of the most exciting recent hypotheses in the field is that immune dysregulation contributes to, and may cause, ASD," Dr. McAllister added. The special issue reports on both environmental factors and genetic mutations that converge on immune dysfunction.

Researh groups from the University of Helsinki, the LMU Munich and the University of Guelph have described in collaboration a novel myoclonic epilepsy in dogs and identified its genetic cause. The study reveals a novel candidate gene for human myoclonic epilepsies, one of the most common forms of epilepsy. As a result, a genetic test was developed for veterinary diagnostics and breeding programs.

A collaborative study describes a novel myoclonic epilepsy syndrome in dogs for the first time and discovers its genetic cause at DIRAS1 gene. The affected dogs developed myoclonic seizures at young age – on average 6 months old - and seizures occur typically at rest. In some of the dogs the seizures could be triggered by light.

A novel principle to mobilize neurons for brain repair

Restorative neuroscience, the study to identify means to replace damaged neurons and recover permanently lost mental or physical abilities, is a rapidly advancing scientific field considering our progressively aging society. Redirecting immature neurons that reside in specific brain areas towards the sites of brain damage is an appealing strategy for the therapy of acute brain injury or stroke. A collaborative effort between the Center for Brain Research of Medical University of Vienna and the National Brain Research Program of Hungary/Semmelweis University in Budapest revealed that some mature neurons are able to reconfigure their local microenvironment such that it becomes conducive for adult-born immature neurons to extensively migrate. Thus, a molecular principle emerges that can allow researchers to best mobilize resident cellular reserves in the adult brain and guide immature neurons to the sites of brain damage.

Il decalogo delle buone maniere

Scienziati in campo per ridurre gli sprechi alimentari. Dalle buone pratiche sotto forma di decalogo alle nuove frontiere della ricerca con tecnologie e metodologie innovative: è la sfida dell’ENEA contro lo spreco alimentare per “sfruttare al meglio quel Giacimento di risorse preziose nascosto nella spazzatura”, come sottolineano gli esperti del Dipartimento Sostenibilità dell’Agenzia. I dati FAO parlano chiaro: in Italia, un anno di spreco alimentare potrebbe sfamare quasi 44 milioni e mezzo di persone. A livello mondiale i numeri sono altrettanto allarmanti: ogni anno più di un terzo della produzione mondiale di cibo si perde o si spreca lungo la filiera, circa 1,3 miliardi di tonnellate di alimenti sprecati solo considerando la frazione commestibile.

La Cina, che come sappiamo è afflitta da enormi problemi di inquinamento, dovuto anche alle sue numerose centrali a carbone, è però, altresì, a livello globale, il maggior investitore nel campo delle energie rinnovabili. Nel tentativo di limitare la produzione di energia da fonti inquinanti e di puntare sulle energie pulite, la Cina ha ora cancellato il piano che prevedeva la costruzione di 103 centrali elettriche a carbone, il che significa tagliare di netto 120 gigawatt di elettricità. Per capire ancora meglio di quali cifre stiamo parlando, basta sapere che negli Stati Uniti d’America la produzione di elettricità dal carbone si attesta intorno ai 305 gigawatt.

Scientists at the John Innes Centre have developed a new line of fast-growing broccoli that can be harvested within 8-10 weeks under glasshouse conditions and doesn’t need a period of cold to trigger the flowering process. This line has the potential to double the amount of crops that can be grown in-field in one season or enable 4 to 5 harvests if grown in protected conditions.

Scientists at the John Innes Centre are developing a new line of fast-growing sprouting broccoli that goes from seed to harvest in 8-10 weeks. It has the potential to deliver two full crops a season in-field or it can be grown all year round in protected conditions, which could help with continuity of supply, as growers would no longer be reliant on seasonal weather conditions. The part of the broccoli plant that we eat is the flower buds. This innovation in crop production builds on the wealth of fundamental research carried out by Professor Dame Caroline Dean and her lab on vernalisation – the need for some plants to experience a period of cold weather before they can flower. The timing of the switch to flowering is critical for a plant’s adaptation to the environment and its resulting yield.  Dr Judith Irwin and her team, working collaboratively with Professor Dean, have focused on translating this knowledge to Brassica crop species.

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

The mosquito-borne Zika virus might be able to infect and reproduce in a variety of common animal species, and a new study looked at 16 different types of animals, including goats, pigeons, raccoons, and ducks, to determine their potential to serve as hosts for Zika virus. Understanding possible transmission routes and the role that animal infections could play in the transmission and spread of Zika virus is crucial for effective surveillance and prevention efforts, as described in an article published in Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases website.

BALLA DIPINSE - Paesaggi e figure 1907-1956

a cura di Fabio Benzi

Galleria Aleandri Arte Moderna

inaugurazione: domenica 26 febbraio 2017, dalle ore 11.30 alle ore 19.00

mostra: 27 febbraio-2 aprile 2017

orario: lunedi - sabato 9.00-18.00, domenica chiuso.

La Galleria Simone Aleandri Arte Moderna inaugura domenica 26 febbraio 2017 alle ore 11.00 presso lo spazio espositivo in Piazza Costaguti 12 a Roma (quartiere ebraico dell'Urbe), la Mostra Balla Dipinse dedicata alla produzione figurativa di Giacomo Balla. L'ambizioso obiettivo dell'esposizione è mettere in luce gli aspetti meno noti e non adeguatamente approfonditi dalla critica, del ritorno alla pittura di figura e paesaggio dell'artista, contestualmente alla sua più nota produzione futurista. Tale passaggio non rappresentò, inizialmente, l'uscita di Balla dal movimento di Marinetti, che fu successiva ed accuratamente indagata dal curatore, ma una coraggiosa ricerca d'avanguardia in seno al futurismo stesso.