Settembre 2020


Al via il progetto europeo In-habit con il Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie dell’Università di Pisa


Lucca sarà la prima città smart in Europa progettata a misura di uomo e animali e a realizzarla saranno gli esperti dell’Università di Pisa grazie al progetto In-habit.

Fra le varie iniziative in cantiere ci sono le “animabili”, cioè percorsi urbani intelligenti dedicati ad animali e padroni, che dal centro e dalle mura andranno verso le periferie. Grazie poi al parternariato con il Comune di Lucca e con Lucca Crea, la società che cura la manifestazione Lucca Comics & Games, il progetto punta a ripensare la presenza e il ruolo degli animali in città, dall’educazione, alla gestione degli spazi pubblici, dalla creazione di nuove opportunità di lavoro all'accoglienza turistica ad hoc per chi viaggia con i propri animali. Ma al centro di In-Habit c’è anche il tema dell’inclusività e l’attenzione ai soggetti più fragili. In questo caso gli animali diventano mediatori e risorse integrative, ed ecco così l’idea di realizzare delle pettorine smart per cani o gatti domestici in modo che gli anziani possano chiedere soccorso in caso di necessità.

Pubblicato in Ambiente


Riscaldare gli ambienti in cui viviamo o lavoriamo è un’esigenza comune nella maggior parte delle aree abitate. L’energia richiesta per questo processo è responsabile di circa un terzo di tutta l'energia finale consumata in Europa e i tre quarti della domanda è fornita da combustibili fossili.

L’idea di un nuovo materiale per l’accumulo di energia termochimica, oggetto di una ricerca pubblicata sulla rivista Scientific Reports,arriva da un gruppo di studiosi dei dipartimenti di Scienza Applicata e Tecnologia (DISAT) e di Energetica (DENERG) del Politecnico di Torino e dell’Istituto di Tecnologie Avanzate per l’Energia del CNR (CNR-ITAE).

In questo studio, i ricercatori hanno dimostrato come sia possibile sviluppare calore idratando il sale inserito nei pori del cemento. Per raggiungere gli obiettivi di sostenibilità in Europa è necessario ridurre i consumi di energia fossile e utilizzare invece sistemi a energia rinnovabile, ma l'integrazione di energia rinnovabile nei sistemi di riscaldamento comporta una discrepanza tra il surplus di energia e i picchi di domanda giornalieri e annuali.

Pubblicato in Tecnologia



The calcification of the carotid artery is a sign of advanced arteriosclerosis, which may be associated with chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) and can lead to death. Such calcification can be seen in regular oral panoramic radiography.

Prior research has already shown that carotid artery calcification is detectable by panoramic radiography. Now, for the first time, researchers included coronary angiography in a study where patients were followed-up for 10 years. Furthermore, the patients’ oral microbiota was examined and the quantity of antibodies to bacteria associated with oral infections was measured.

A total of 508 middle-aged patients who had been referred to coronary angiography due to cardiac symptoms in 2008–2018 were enrolled in the study.

The study was carried out collaboratively by the University of Helsinki, the University of Oulu, the University of Eastern Finland and Karolinska Institutet. The findings have been published in the International Endodontic Journal.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline

 

"Keep people healthy to keep countries wealthy", urges think tank ahead of G20 Health and Finance Ministers' meeting

Ahead of tomorrow's joint meeting of the G20 Health and Finance Ministers, David Sinclair, Director of the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) argues:

"It's promising to see G20 Health and Finance Ministers coming together at this crucial time. COVID-19 has shown us first-hand that health equals wealth, as countries across the world have plunged into one of the hardest-hitting global recessions of the last century."

"In an ageing world, coming out of this recession will rely on governments across the G20 better engaging older workers, older consumers, older volunteers and older carers, who contribute immensely to the global economy. In the UK alone, 54p in every pound is spent by people aged 50 and over, potentially boosting GDP by 2% every year by 2040. And across the G20, the picture is much the same."

"But during COVID-19, older people have been disproportionately locked out of working, spending, caring and volunteering. And we know that health is a key barrier to maximising the potential of an ageing society."

Pubblicato in Scienceonline



Il Fuoco di Sant’Antonio, definito in termini medici Herpes Zoster, è una malattia infettiva causata dalla riattivazione del virus della varicella (Virus Varicella-Zoster VZV). Questo virus, della famiglia degli Herpes, ha la capacità di restare latente nel tessuto nervoso e di riattivarsi anni dopo causando manifestazioni cutanee specifiche e forte dolore.

Ne parliamo con Carlo Gelmetti, Direttore della Dermatologia Pediatrica del Policlinico di Milano.

Quali sono le cause del Fuoco di Sant’Antonio?

La causa della malattia è la riattivazione del virus della varicella: quindi, per prima cosa, bisogna aver avuto la varicella. Si calcola che circa il 90% della popolazione si ammali di varicella, ma solo nel 10% dei casi si ha sua riattivazione. In linea generale, la varicella è una malattia tipica dell’infanzia, mentre l’Herpes Zoster, colpisce quasi sempre persone adulte e anziane. Non è raro però che anche bambini e adolescenti, anni dopo aver avuto la varicella, presentino l’Herpes Zoster o Fuoco di Sant’Antonio. Questo succede perché come tutti i virus della famiglia degli Herpes, la loro ricomparsa è legata a una temporanea diminuzione delle difese immunitarie. Situazioni di stress sia emotivo (un periodo difficile dopo un trauma o un dispiacere) sia ambientale (troppo caldo, troppo sole) possono interferire con la normale risposta immunitaria e consentire al virus di riattivarsi. Inoltre, anche l’utilizzo di alcuni medicinali e terapie come chemioterapici, radioterapia e farmaci immunosoppressori, possono favorire la comparsa della malattia poiché abbassano le difese immunitarie.

Pubblicato in Medicina
Martedì, 15 Settembre 2020 16:42

Neandertal DNA found in human organoids



An exciting new approach to understanding human disease across multiple organ systems.

Protocols that allow the transformation of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines into organoids have changed the way scientists can study developmental processes and enable them to decipher the interplay between genes and tissue formation, particularly for organs where primary tissue is not available. Gray Camp, head of the IOBHuman Retina and Organoid Development Groupand colleagues applied this technology to study the developmental effects of Neandertal DNA, during his time at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. The findings are reported in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

“Human stem cells in culture can self-organize into complex three-dimensional structures that resemble the retina, brain, liver, intestine or other developing organs. This is an exciting new inroad into understanding human disease across multiple organ systems. At IOB we are using organoid technologies to understand and model retinal disease, and to test our therapeutic designs – some of them are personalized to a patient’s disease,” says Gray Camp.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline



Allowing yourself a few minutes of downtime significantly boosts mental and physical relaxation. Research by psychologists at the University of Konstanz observed higher levels of psychological and physiological relaxation in people after only ten minutes of receiving a massage. Even ten minutes of simple rest increased relaxation, albeit to a lesser degree than massage. The findings, reported on 8 September 2020 in the journal Scientific Reports, provide the first indication that short-term treatments can robustly reduce stress on a psychological and physiological level by boosting the body’s principal engine for relaxation – the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

Pubblicato in Scienceonline



The University of Zurich’s Zoological and Paleontological Museum will soon be home to a new attraction that literally cannot be missed: A nearly eight-meter-long plateosaurus will greet visitors to the museum starting on 15 September. The fossil, which dates back over 200 million years, was excavated in the town of Frick in 2018. The skeleton will be accompanied by a detailed reconstruction of the creature in its original size.

On 15 September, the Zoological and Paleontological Museum of the University of Zurich will reopen its doors following a shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic and extensive renovation work. The grand reopening will be marked by the unveiling of the museum’s newest and grandest inhabitant: The fossilized skeleton of a nearly eight-meter-long dinosaur from Switzerland, which will be placed at the entrance.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline

 



Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among European men; its incidence surpasses 100 cases per 100,000 people. Furthermore, it is currently the second most common cause of death by cancer among men. Researchers of the Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ), a mixed centre of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) have developed and patented a new nanomedicine for its diagnosis and treatment (theranostic system), based on the use of organic porous nanoparticles called COFs – covalent organic frameworks – which stand out for being more efficient and less aggressive than conventional chemotherapy.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline



Migrants arrested for tending plants in the flats, houses and attics where cannabis is grown in bulk are often victims of trafficking and “debt bondage” – yet many are not recognised as such by police, according to a new study.

Research from Cambridge criminologists suggests that those charged with drug cultivation have often been forced into illegal work as a condition of debt to criminal gangs for smuggling them into the UK.

The researchers, including a Detective Inspector who completed a Masters at Cambridge’s Institute of Criminology, argue that police take too narrow a view of modern slavery when it comes to “growers” arrested during cannabis farm raids.

While growers – often Vietnamese nationals – are not always imprisoned within farms, many work under threat of extreme violence towards themselves or family back home, with little in the way of language or contacts in the UK.

The researchers say that arresting officers often lack detailed training on modern slavery, and make only “perfunctory” enquiries: a brief question that places the onus on a victim who doesn’t understand their own situation.

Pubblicato in Scienceonline

 

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