Acute changes in free and extracellular vesicle-associated circulating miRNAs and myokine profile in professional sky-runners during the Gran Sasso d'Italia vertical run.

The modification of gene expression profile, a first step in adaptation to exercise, leads to changes in the level of molecules associated with skeletal muscle activity and energy metabolism-such as myokines-as well as those involved in their transcriptional regulation, like microRNA. This study aimed to investigate the influence of strenuous exercise on circulating microRNAs and their possible association with myokine response. Pre-competition and post-competition plasma samples were collected from 14 male athletes participating in a vertical run (+1,000 m gain, 3,600 m length). Circulating total (t-miRNA) and extracellular vesicle-associated (EV-miRNA) miRNAs were extracted from the pooled plasma. Nanoparticle tracking analysis was performed to investigate pre- and post-competition EV concentration and size distribution. A panel of 179 miRNAs was assayed by qPCR and analyzed by Exiqon GenEx v6 normalized on the global mean. t-miRNA and EV-miRNAs whose level was ≥5-fold up- or down-regulated were validated for each single subject. Target prediction on MirWalk v3.0, Gene-Ontology, and pathway enrichment analysis on Panther v17.0 were performed to define the potential biological role of the identified miRNAs. A panel of 14 myokines was assayed in each sample by a multiplex immunoassay. In whole plasma, five miRNAs were upregulated and two were downregulated; in the EV fraction, five miRNAs were upregulated and three were downregulated. Nanoparticle tracking analysis revealed a similar EV size distribution in pre- and post-competition samples and a decreased concentration in post-competition samples related to pre-competition samples. Gene-Ontology and pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the identified t-miRNAs and EV-miRNAs were potentially involved in metabolism regulation in response to exercise. Correlation between fold-change of the post-competition relative to pre-competition plasma level of both t-miRNAs and EV-miRNAs and myokines further confirmed these results. This study provides an example of a systemic response to acute endurance exercise, in which circulating miRNAs play a pivotal role.

Analgesia and functional outcome after total knee arthroplasty: periarticular infiltration vs continuous femoral nerve block.

BACKGROUND: Capacity to ambulate represents an important milestone in the recovery process after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this study was to determine the analgesic effect of two analgesic techniques and their impact on functional walking capacity as a measure of surgical recovery. METHODS: Forty ASA II-III subjects undergoing TKA were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, single-centre study receiving 48 h postoperative analgesia with either periarticular infiltration of local anaesthetic (Group I) or continuous femoral nerve block (Group F). Breakthrough pain relief was achieved with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) morphine. The main outcome was postoperative morphine consumption. Early (postoperative days 1-3) and late (6 weeks) functional walking capacity (2 and 6 min walk tests, 2MWT and 6MWT, respectively), degree of physical activity (CHAMPS), health-related quality of life (SF-12), and clinical indicators of knee function (WOMAC, Knee Society evaluation, and range of motion) were measured. RESULTS: Patients in Group F used the PCA less (P=0.02) to achieve adequate analgesia. Postoperative 2MWT was similar in both groups (P=0.27). Six weeks after surgery, recovery of 6MWT, physical activity, and knee function were significantly improved in Group F (P<0.05). Preoperative walking capacity, physical activity and early total walking time were the independent predictors of early recovery. Distance and time spent walking were the predictors of functional walking exercise capacity at 6 weeks after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Femoral block is associated with lower opioid consumption and a better recovery at 6 weeks than periarticular infiltration. Early postoperative activity measures (2MWT and walking time) were proved to be possible indicators of knee function recovery at 6 weeks after surgery.

Impact evaluation of agrotechnologies in watersheds.

The special project RAISA (Advanced Researches for Innovation in Agricultural Systems) of the National Research Council of Italy concerns the development of new methodologies for the study and evaluation of the impact of agrotechnologies on the environment. In the project, several trans-disciplinary Units have worked together since 1990. The aim of the project is to define systems, using tools such as remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems, for decision making support in land planning and land use management, with particular attention to groudwater table pollution. The fundamental steps for evaluation of the impact of agrotechnologies on the Po river watershed, 75,000 km(2) in northern Italy, and Tevere (Tiber) river watershed, 17.169 km(2) in Central Italy are described here. The study concerns particular areas located in the western part of the Po River plain, where flooded rice is the main crop, and in the central plain of the Tevere basin where the risk of water pollution is considerable, due to small and medium sized swine breeding farms. The aspects considered were water pollution due to mineral nitrogen used to fertilize the rice crop and the nitrogen contained in the waste water from pig farms. For the Po river basin the methodology developed was based on the integration of satellite remote sensing images, and the available cartography, such as topographic and thematic maps, together with the hydrological and the toxicological data of the chemical fertilizers employed, summarized in maps of the groundwater table pollution hazard. A simpler evaluation was obtained in the Tevere river basin: the thematic layers were crossed in bi-directional matrices and the result merged with the map of the territorial distributionof the swine. In both cases the selected information was integrated and processed in Integrated sub-basin scale. The GISs led to the development of a user-friendly system for formalizing our knowledge of the degree of pollution hazard in simple and readable maps.