ABSTRACT
Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains are histologically marked by the presence of intracellular and extracellular amyloid deposits, which characterize the onset of the disease pathogenesis. Increasing evidence suggests that certain nutrients exert a direct or indirect effect on amyloid ß (Aß)-peptide production and accumulation and, consequently, on AD pathogenesis. We exploited the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster model of AD to evaluate in vivo the beneficial properties of Lisosan G, a fermented powder obtained from organic whole grains, on the intracellular Aß-42 peptide accumulation and related pathological phenotypes of AD. Our data showed that the Lisosan G-enriched diet attenuates the production of neurotoxic Aß peptides in fly brains and reduces neuronal apoptosis. Notably, Lisosan G exerted anti-oxidant effects, lowering brain levels of reactive oxygen species and enhancing mitochondrial activity. These aspects paralleled the increase in autophagy turnover and the inhibition of nucleolar stress. Our results give support to the use of the Drosophila model not only to investigate the molecular genetic bases of neurodegenerative disease but also to rapidly and reliably test the efficiency of potential therapeutic agents and diet regimens.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Amyloid beta-Peptides , Disease Models, Animal , Drosophila melanogaster , Animals , Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy , Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Drosophila melanogaster/drug effects , Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism , Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism , Brain/drug effects , Brain/metabolism , Brain/pathology , Apoptosis/drug effects , Autophagy/drug effects , Biological Products/pharmacology , Biological Products/chemistry , Antioxidants/pharmacology , Peptide Fragments/metabolismABSTRACT
Nowadays, chronic disease management is the primary challenge of the healthcare system. From 2015, in the Veneto region (Italy), patients with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have been included in the diagnostic-therapeutic pathway (PDTA) program, and their clinical condition has been continuously monitored. The aim of this retrospective study is to determine the effectiveness of PDTA intervention, alone or in combination with a specialized one, in subjects with diagnosis of T2DM. Clinical and behavioral characteristics were collected at baseline and after 1 year of follow-up. Two subgroups were considered: subjects enrolled in PDTA only and subjects enrolled in both the PDTA program and in the care plan proposed by the specialized medical center (CAD group). Longitudinal analysis showed a relevant positive effect of time on diastolic blood pressure, while CAD enrollment appears to be related to higher levels of glycated hemoglobin. When included together in the same model, interaction between time and CAD covariates results in completely nonsignificant effects. As long-term management of chronic disorders, such as T2DM, is often difficult due to disease characteristics and problems in healthcare organization, monitoring programs, such as PDTA, and specialized care programs, such as CAD, do not show a clinically relevant effect in the first year of follow-up. Therefore, they should be analyzed over a longer period. However, they should also carefully consider the need for adequate tools for data collection and sharing, in addition to the context of application, patient expectations and the need for a long-term educational program.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/diagnosis , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/epidemiology , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/therapy , Glycated Hemoglobin/analysis , Humans , Italy/epidemiology , Monitoring, Ambulatory , Primary Health Care , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The self-monitoring of caloric intake is becoming necessary as the number of pathologies related to eating increases. New wearable devices may help people to automatically record energy assumed in their meals. OBJECTIVE: The present review collects the released articles about wearable devices or method for automatic caloric assessments. METHOD: A literature research has been performed with PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and ClinicalTrials.gov search engines, considering released articles regarding applications of wearable devices in eating environment, from 2005 onwards. RESULTS: Several tools allow caloric assessment and food registration: wearable devices counting the number of bites ingested by the user, instruments detecting swallows and chewings, methods that analyse food with digital photography. All of them still require more validation and improvement. CONCLUSION: Automatic recording of caloric intake through wearable devices is a promising method to monitor body weight and eating habits in clinical and non-clinical settings, and the research is still going on.
ABSTRACT
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151799.].
ABSTRACT
A new Italian earthworm morphologically close to the similarly large and anecic Eophila tellinii (Rosa, 1888) is described. Distribution of Eophila crodabepis sp. nov. extends over 750 km2 from East to West on the Asiago Plateau and Vittorio Veneto Hills, from North to South on mounts Belluno Prealps (Praderadego and Cesen), Asiago, Grappa and onto the Montello foothills. This range abuts that of Eophila tellinii in northern Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Known localities of both E. tellinii and E. crodabepis sp. nov. are mapped. mtDNA barcoding definitively separates the new western species from classical Eophila tellinii (Rosa, 1888).