The countryside hosts an increasing number of alternative food networks: rural tourists can play an important role in acting as both consumer and "cultural broker" between these networks. This paper ...provides a theoretical framework for niche marketing food specialties in rural tourism by combining two different consumer behavioural theories, the "experience economy" and the "intimacy" model, representing a reorientation from classical marketing thinking. It explores the meaning of local food, including the pursuit of reconnection with nature, resilience to globalisation, the role of local food in reinforcing personal identity, the search for freshness, taste and authenticity, support for local producers, and environmental concerns. It considers the challenges for rural entrepreneurs and policy makers in marketing food specialties and rural regions to the post-modern consumer. Using examples derived mostly from secondary literature it identifies seven dimensions that elevate food products to an appealing culinary niche, namely, coherence, anti-capitalistic attitude, struggle against extinction, personal signature, mutual-disclosure, rituals of spatial and physical proximity, and sustainability-related practices. Food providers may use these features to signal food distinctiveness to rural tourists; policy makers can include them in their regional development models to enhance rural tourism without altering historically, socially, and environmentally layered culinary traditions.
The Apulia (southern Italy) ornamental sector has been facing regulatory obligations and trade limitations due to a Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) outbreak since 2013. Alternative options to encounter these ...constraints include the implementation of novel and sustainable ornamental production (NSM) practices. In this context, the purpose of this study is to assess simultaneously the environmental implications and economic viability of these options versus the conventional production options (CMs) among eight ornamental species (Abelia grandiflora, Bougainvillea cv Don Mario, Lantana camara cv Bandana rosa, Jasminum officinalis, Photinia fraseri cv Red Robin, Loropetalum chinense cv Black Pearl, Trachelospermum jasminoides, Viburnum lucidum). Life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost–benefit analysis (CBA) were used for this purpose. LCA revealed that NSM induced relatively less environmental impacts at the nursery level towards agricultural land occupation, climate change, fossil depletion, and water depletion. CBA showed that NSM increases moderately nursery business profitability in an economic sustainable way. An overall annual average gross margin of about EUR 192/1000 plants can be generated using NSM over the CM model. In general, this research provides a useful decision-support, helping nursery growers under the pressure of the threat of quarantine pests such as Xf to adopt NSM practices, which could be useful to produce ornamental and landscape plants with high sanitary quality.
Consumers' behavior towards sea urchin and preferences towards their origin certification and place of consumption may condition their market. In this context, the aim of this research was to elicit ...the preferences and perceptions of Italian sea urchin dishes using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) approach. A field survey of 453 respondents in Apulia (southern Italy) was conducted for this purpose. The DCE revealed that the origin certification of sea urchin provided Apulia's consumers a high utility with a great pleasurable service in restaurants in which this species was served as a principal dish or seasoned with pasta or pizza. The DCE also showed that the consumption utility of sea urchin was related to a greater influence by place of purchase, place of consumption, technique of conservation, appearance, quality label, fishing zone, low price, male buyer, and, finally, medium and high incomes. Furthermore, Apulian consumers were willing to pay EUR 10.53/dish as an overall average for safe and certified sea urchin consumption. Given this, this research may promote the creation of a local sea urchin brand through the adoption of a market policy and a particular regulation related to the certification of origin, enhancing the competitiveness of this marine heritage species.
Aquaporins and Glia Albertini, Roberta; Bianchi, Rossella
Current neuropharmacology,
06/2010, Letnik:
8, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Glial cells coordinate the differentiation, metabolism, and excitability of neurons; they modulate synaptic transmission and integrate signals emanating from neurons and other glial cells. Several ...evidences underlying the relation between these pathways and the regulatory mechanisms of ion concentration, supporting the role of Aquaporins (AQPs) in these processes. The goal of this review is to summarize the localization of different isoforms of AQPs in relation to glial cells both in central and peripheral nervous system, underlying AQP involvement in physiological and in pathophysiological conditions such as brain edema, glioma and epilepsy.
Aging is associated with progressive structural disorganization of muscular and cardiac fibers, decreasing functional capacity, and increased rates of disease and death. Aging is also characterized ...by disturbances in protein synthesis with impaired cellular organelle functions, particularly in the mitochondria. The availability of amino acids is a key factor for the overall metabolism of mammals and exogenous supplements of amino acid mixtures (AAm) could be a valid therapeutic strategy to improve quality of life, avoiding malnutrition and muscle wasting in the elderly. We investigated the morphoquantitative effects of long-term AAm supplementation on the mitochondria and sarcomeres (by electron microscope) and on collagen matrix deposition (by histologic techniques) in both skeletal and cardiac muscles of young and aged mice. Our data showed that old animals have fewer mitochondria and massive fibrosis in both muscles. Long-term AAm supplementation increased the number and volume of mitochondria and sarcomeres and decreased fibrosis in both skeletal muscle and hearts in old rats. These findings indicate that AAm restored muscular morphologic parameters and probably improved the mechanical performance of these organs.
Caffeine is the most frequently ingested neuroactive drug in the world and it is largely used to delay fatigue and improve physical activity. Caffeine can modulate NO synthesis in cells and may ...influence muscular function by modifying the cellular cycle life-death. There is little data concerning the relationship between caffeine in the heart, NOS expression and apoptosis and no data regarding the acute effect of high doses of caffeine in the
in vivo myocardium. We therefore studied hemodynamic NOS and Bax/Bcl2 expression in the rat myocardium after a single cafffeine administration. Thirty-two male rats were divided into six groups: the first was iv-injected with caffeine (16
mg/kg), the second with caffeine
+
l-NAME (30
mg/kg), the third with caffeine
+
l-arg (0.5
g/kg), the fourth with caffeine
+
l-NAME
+
l-arg and finally the fifth with saline. Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) was monitored for 30
min, then the animals were killed. The sixth group was injected with caffeine and killed after 2
h. The hearts were isolated and processed by immunohistochemistry. We found that caffeine increased MAP temporarily while caffeine
+
l-NAME increased it for a longer period. In the control myocardium, all NOS isoforms were expressed. The Bcl2 were strongly expressed inside the perinuclear cytoplasm whereas Bax was very faintly detectable in the peripheral cytoplasm. In caffeine and caffeine
+
l-NAME treated animals, NOS expression disappeared. Bax and Bcl2 expression did not vary. The
l-arg administration reversed these caffeine and
l-NAME effects on NOS expression. Two hours after caffeine, NOS expression increased and Bax and Bcl2 expression did not vary, although Bcl2 was mainly expressed in the peripheral cytoplasm. We conclude that improved caffeine-induced physical performance could also be related to caffeine's ability to interfere with endogenous myocardial NO synthesis. Furthermore, we suggest that myocardial cell plays an effective anti-apoptotic role against acute caffeine administration.
Cyclosporine A (CsA) is the most widely used immunosuppressive drug for preventing graft rejection and autoimmune disease. However, the therapeutic treatment induces several side effects such as ...nephrotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, hypertension and hepatotoxicity. Among possible mechanisms of CsA-induced hepatic damage, oxidative stress has been suggested. Melatonin (Mel) has been successfully used as a potent antioxidant against many pathophysiological states. This experimental study was performed to test, during CsA treatment, the alterations of some heat shock proteins (HSP) and the Mel antioxidant properties against CsA-induced injury. Rats were divided into four groups, which were treated respectively with olive oil, Mel alone, CsA and CsA plus Mel for 30 days. At the end of the treatments, the animals were killed and hepatic tissue was treated for morphological (haematoxylin–eosin), biochemical (reduced glutathione, GSH and malondialdehyde, MDA) and immunohistochemical (HSP60, HSP72, GRP75 and MT) analyses. The results indicate that CsA-induced hepatotoxicity was characterised by morphological alterations in tissue architecture, changes in GSH and MDA levels and increase in stress protein expression. In conclusion, our data suggest that the imbalance between production of free oxygen radicals and antioxidant defence systems, due to CsA administration, is a mechanism responsible for oxidative stress. Moreover, we show that Mel plays a protective action against CsA-induced oxidative stress, as supported by biochemical and immunohistochemical results.
Vigorous inflammatory responses are associated with tissue damage, particularly when toxic levels of inflammatory cytokines are produced. Despite proangiogenic factors being present early at sites of ...inflammation, vascular repair occurs toward the end of the inflammatory response, suggesting modulation of the proangiogenic response. Endogenous inhibitors of angiogenesis induced during acute inflammation are poorly characterized. Here, we looked for endothelial cell‐derived modulators of angiogenesis that may account for delayed neovascularization during inflammation. Gene profiling of endothelial cells showed that the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α) and interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) selectively promote expression of the antiangiogenic molecules, IFN‐inducible protein‐10, monokine induced by IFN‐γ, tryptophanyl‐tRNA synthetase, and tissue inhibitor of metalmetalloproteinase‐1, and inhibit expression of the proangiogenic molecules, platelet‐endothelial cell adhesion molecule‐1, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‐2, stromal cell‐derived factor‐1 (SDF‐1), collagen type IV, endothelial cell growth factor‐1, and carcinoembryonic antigen‐related cell adhesion molecule‐1. Reduced endothelial cell expression of SDF‐1 protein by TNF‐α and IFN‐γ disrupts extracellular matrix‐dependent endothelial cell tube formation, an in vitro morphogenic process that recapitulates critical steps in angiogenesis. Replacement of SDF‐1 onto the endothelial cell surface reconstitutes this morphogenic process. In vivo, TNF‐α and IFN‐γ inhibit growth factor‐induced angiogenesis and SDF‐1 expression in endothelial cells. These results demonstrate that SDF‐1/CXC chemokine receptor‐4 constitutes a TNF‐α‐ and IFN‐γ‐regulated signaling system that plays a critical role in mediating angiogenesis inhibition by these inflammatory cytokines.
The extra-cellular matrix of the gingival tissue plays an important role in the homeostasis of dental implants. In this work we have studied immunohistochemically the distribution of collagen ...I–III–IV–V, tenascin, metalloproteinases (MMP) 1-3-8-13 and TIMP-1 in three groups of patients: (1) subjects with natural teeth (healthy periodontal tissue), (2) subjects with normal peri-implant mucosa and (3) subjects with clinically evident peri-implantitis. The immunolabelling for collagen I–III–IV showed a similar pattern in all three groups. The labelling for collagen V increased in lamina propria of healthy peri-implant tissue and peri-implantitis. Tenascin immunolabelling in healthy and peri-implant tissues was scattered in lamina propria. In peri-implantitis tenascin immunolabelling increased mainly near to the basal lamina. The MMP-1-3-8 and TIMP-1 immunolabelling were very faint and localized in the stroma in all three groups. In healthy and peri-implant tissues MMP-13 immunolabelling was found in the lamina propria whereas in peri-implantitis MMP-13 immunolabelling was also in epithelium. On the whole, these data suggest that in the extracellular matrix of peri-implantitis there are alterations of collagen V, tenascin and MMP-13 patterns.
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