Abstract
Sleep consolidates memory for procedural motor skills, reflected by sleep-dependent changes in the hippocampal-striatal-cortical network. Other forms of procedural skills require the ...acquisition of a novel strategy to solve a problem, which recruit overlapping brain regions and specialized areas including the caudate and prefrontal cortex. Sleep preferentially benefits strategy and problem-solving skills over the accompanying motor execution movements. However, it is unclear how acquiring new strategies benefit from sleep. Here, participants performed a task requiring the execution of a sequence of movements to learn a novel cognitive strategy. Participants performed this task while undergoing fMRI before and after an interval of either a full night sleep, a daytime nap, or wakefulness. Participants also performed a motor control task, which precluded the opportunity to learn the strategy. In this way, we subtracted motor execution-related brain activations from activations specific to the strategy. The sleep and nap groups experienced greater behavioral performance improvements compared to the wake group on the strategy-based task. Following sleep, we observed enhanced activation of the caudate in addition to other regions in the hippocampal-striatal-cortical network, compared to wakefulness. This study demonstrates that sleep is a privileged time to enhance newly acquired cognitive strategies needed to solve problems.
Abstract
Water bodies' quality objectives are defined in accordance with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 91/271/EEC and the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC. For regulation and control ...of small-sized waste-water treatment plants (WWTPs), responsibility is delegated in Italy to Regional Authorities that fix specific regulations (Water Protection Plan WPP included in the River Basin Management Plan RBMP) in collaboration with the District Authorities. Small (<2,000 population equivalent – PE) and medium sized (2,000–10,000 PE) WWTPs in the Veneto Region (North Italy) represent about 10% of the total organic load (Imhoff systems included). This also comprises some industrial discharges. Due to the urban sprawl, plants are spread over the regional territory. In the Veneto Region, data from the official census reveals there are n. 248 plants under 2,000 PE and 135 plants in 2,000–10,000 range while the total number of authorized plants is 488 for a total potentiality of 9,141,572 PE. Data from institutional controls performed by the Veneto Regional Environmental Agency (ARPAV) on WWTPs has been recovered for all the WWTPs with up to 10,000 PE in the provinces of Venice, Treviso and Vicenza (for a total of 306,118 PE and for a total of 164 plants) in the period 2008–2015 and elaborated to assess critical parameters and plants. The general situation, critical issues and case studies have been presented and discussed. Organic load, nutrients and Escherichia coli are the most critical parameters considering the regional WPP.
The prostate gland is under androgen control. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the expression of two genes that are regulators of the cell cycle, the p53 and p21 genes, in human ...non-transformed epithelial prostatic cells (HNTEPs) treated with different concentrations of hormones. Samples of prostate tissue were obtained from 10 patients between 60 and 77 years of age. HNTEP cells were grown in basal medium and treated with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in different conditions for 4 h. A low concentration of DHT resulted in a significant increase in cell growth; this effect was eradicated by addition of the antiandrogen hydroxyflutamide. Furthermore, the low concentration of DHT induced lower mRNA levels in the p53 and p21 genes in HNTEP cells. In turn, high DHT concentrations induced a significant increase in the expression of the p53 and p21 genes. The present data suggest that the p53 and p21 genes play a role in the control of responsiveness and androgen dose-dependent cell proliferation in HNTEP cells. Further studies are required to assess the intracellular signaling pathway regulated by p53 and p21 under the influence of androgens and its implications for the pathophysiology of prostate diseases.
After the nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s and 1960s, the atmospheric tritium levels have almost returned to natural levels (pre-1950 levels), which means that tritium is becoming more effective ...in determining transit times in hydrological systems. It has also been demonstrated that tritium is a non-reactive noble gas and in water is not subject to chemical reactions, absorption, or dissolution/precipitation processes, so it is conservative of the geochemical fingerprint of the source. In addition, it is used as an effective tracer of water contamination by landfill leachate, allowing to detect mixing percentages of the leachate up to levels not achievable with normal chemical analyses (less than 1 %). The purpose of the present work is to deepen the knowledge of the hydrogeochemical characteristics of the aquifers in the pedemontana area of the Venetian plain, and to formulate a conceptual framework of underground water circulation, aimed at understanding phenomena of contamination by toxic metals, harmful to human health. Tritium concentration analyses were performed on selected samples of groundwater collected in different wells in the south part of Treviso city to correlate the young age of the water recharge. The abundance of young waters, in fact, indicates a vulnerability of the aquifer to climate change with respect to possible contributions of surface waters, in particular to prolonged drought periods which could induce salinization dynamics.
The transcondylar approach (TA) has been used in surgeries to access lesions in areas close to the foramen magnum (FM) and is performed directly through the occipital condyle (OC) or through the ...atlanto-occipital joint and adjacent portions of the same. The objective of this study is to examine anatomical variations related to the TA by morphometric parameters of the FM, OC and of the hypoglossal canal (HC) in dry skulls and in computed tomography (CT). In 111 skulls, characteristics of the HC, and measures related to the FM, the HC and to the OC were examined. In CT, the measurements obtained bilaterally in 10 patients who underwent examination of the skull base in 1 mm-thick axial helical cuts were the distances from the outer half of the clivus to the opening of the HC; from the lower portion of the OC to the middle of HC; from the inner half of the clivus to the intracranial opening of the HC and to the midpoint of the HC; from the HC extracranial opening to the lower portion of the OC and to the outer half of the clivus. The results of CT measurements are consistent to previous studies of morphometric variations related to the TA, with no significant difference between the measurements obtained in the right and in the left sides, or related to gender. The data obtained by three-dimensional CT images are important in assessing the morphometric variations of pre-surgical patientsof TA.
The hallmark eye movement (EM) bursts that occur during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep are markers of consolidation for procedural memory involving novel cognitive strategies and problem-solving ...skills. Examination of the brain activity associated with EMs during REM sleep might elucidate the processes involved in memory consolidation, and may uncover the functional significance of REM sleep and EMs themselves. Participants performed a REM-dependent, novel procedural problem-solving task (i.e., the Tower of Hanoi; ToH) before and after intervals of either overnight sleep (n=20) or a daytime 8-hour wake period (n=20). In addition, event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) of the electroencephalogram (EEG) time-locked to EMs occurring either in bursts (i.e., phasic REM), or in isolation (i.e., tonic REM), were compared to sleep on a non-learning control night. ToH improvement was greater following sleep compared to wakefulness. During sleep, frontal-central theta (~2-8 Hz) and central-parietal-occipital sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) activity (~8-16 Hz) time-locked to EMs, were greater on the ToH night vs. control night, and during phasic REM sleep, were both positively correlated with overnight memory improvements. Furthermore, SMR power during tonic REM increased significantly from the control night to ToH night, but was relatively stable from night-to-night during phasic REM. These results suggest that EMs are markers of learning-related increases in theta and SMR during phasic and tonic REM sleep. Phasic and tonic REM sleep may be functionally distinct in terms of their contribution to procedural memory consolidation.
Fibroadenomas are the most common benign lump in females. The study of gene alterations and/or deregulation in reproductive years may help explain hormonal physiological processes involved in nodule ...development and evolution. The objective was to compare
ER-
α,
c-
myc, and
bcl-
2 gene expression in breast fibroadenomas and in normal tissue and evaluate menstrual cycle, parity, and oral contraceptive influences. Fifty-seven premenopausal women (14–49 years) undergoing surgical removal of fibroadenomas were selected. Samples from fibroadenomas and circumjacent normal tissue were obtained for RT-PCR paired analysis. Patients were divided in groups according to menstrual cycle, use of contraceptives and parity. Tissue from 32 patients was adequate for RT-PCR. Paired analysis showed higher expression of
ER-
α (
P
=
0.012) and
bcl-
2 (
P
=
0.001) in fibroadenomas than in normal breast, while
c-
myc presented a similar expression (
P
=
0.655).
ER-
α was higher in fibroadenomas of patients in follicular phase versus contraceptive users and normal tissue (
P
=
0.003);
bcl-
2 was higher in fibroadenomas of patients in luteal phase than in the normal samples from all groups (
P
=
0.007).
c-
myc did not differ according to menstrual cycle, but was higher in fibroadenomas >3
cm versus <3
cm (
P
=
0.015) and in nulliparous women (
P
=
0.04). A positive correlation between
c-
myc levels and fibroadenoma diameter was demonstrated (
r
=
0.536;
P
=
0.007). Nulliparous mean nodule diameter was superior than parous women (
P
=
0.008). In conclusion, the expression of ER-α, bcl-2 and c-myc depends on hormonal and reproductive factors, with a possible contribution to lump formation and evolution.
Even with long‑term glycemic control, diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) remains the predominant cause of diabetic neuropathy. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) C936T of the vascular endothelial ...growth factor (VEGF) gene and the SNP C242T of the p22phox (CYBA) gene have been investigated in relation to DM2 and its complications. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between these two SNPs and DM2, and also between the SNPs and the signs and symptoms of diabetic distal polyneuropathy. The DM2 group consisted of 98 individuals and the control group consisted of 104 individuals. The results demonstrated that there was no association between the different genotypes or alleles and increased risk of the disease (P>0.05). With SNP C242T, a significant association with body mass index between the CTxTT genotypes (P=0.043) was identified; and the greatest body mass indexes were among individuals with the TT genotype. An association between the degree of neuropathic symptoms and genotypic/allelic distribution of these polymorphisms was not observed. In conclusion, the investigated polymorphisms are not correlated with the risk of developing DM2.
The paper describes a method for deterministic frequency-domain harmonics calculation in multi-converter DC electric rail systems. Self commutation static power converters are present on the ...locomotives for propulsion and natural commutation diode rectifiers are present in electrical supply substations. The method allows the integrated simultaneous solution of the system. Interactions between various apparatus with regard to disturbances generation and propagation can be considered and evaluated.
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