The Italian Law of 22 November 2016 has legalized the cultivation of hemp, which drives the development of sustainable agriculture by generating new products with high added value in the new context ...of circular economy. Hemp cultivation is known for its low environmental impact, as hemp grows fast, suppresses weeds and does not need pesticides. It has no specialized parasites, favors pollination and improves the physical and chemical soil fertility. Recently, many countries have increased their interest in hemp (
Cannabis Sativa
L.), considering it as a climate-friendly crop that can mitigate climate change and desertification. For these reasons, hemp can be a new protagonist of Italian agriculture already oriented towards the objectives of EU 2030 which predicts 40% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990. The hemp cultivation can activate a new supply chain by allowing using different parts of the plant, benefiting farmers, environment, and human health. Indeed, although a very old plant, hemp will be one of the main protagonists of the green economy in the near future. Its seeds can be used by agri-food industry to produce flour, pasta, pastry and oil, while the stem through
canapulo
(woody part of stem) in green building sector. Its fiber (external part of stem) will find new applications in textile industry. As for its inflorescences and roots, thanks to the extraction of bioactive molecules, they will play an important role in the pharmaceutical and parapharmaceutical industry. Finally, only the medical sector with Δ
9
‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) extraction from inflorescence is not yet regulated by the aforementioned Italian Law.
Much evidence shows that physical exercise (PE) is a strong gene modulator that induces structural and functional changes in the brain, determining enormous benefit on both cognitive functioning and ...wellbeing. PE is also a protective factor for neurodegeneration. However, it is unclear if such protection is granted through modifications to the biological mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration or through better compensation against attacks. This concise review addresses the biological and psychological positive effects of PE describing the results obtained on brain plasticity and epigenetic mechanisms in animal and human studies, in order to clarify how to maximize the positive effects of PE while avoiding negative consequences, as in the case of exercise addiction.
Rapid reconfigurations of brain activity support efficient neuronal communication and flexible behaviour. Suboptimal brain dynamics is associated to impaired adaptability, possibly leading to ...functional deficiencies. We hypothesize that impaired flexibility in brain activity can lead to motor and cognitive symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). To test this hypothesis, we studied the 'functional repertoire'-the number of distinct configurations of neural activity-using source-reconstructed magnetoencephalography in PD patients and controls. We found stereotyped brain dynamics and reduced flexibility in PD. The intensity of this reduction was proportional to symptoms severity, which can be explained by beta-band hyper-synchronization. Moreover, the basal ganglia were prominently involved in the abnormal patterns of brain activity. Our findings support the hypotheses that: symptoms in PD relate to impaired brain flexibility, this impairment preferentially involves the basal ganglia, and beta-band hypersynchronization is associated with reduced brain flexibility. These findings highlight the importance of extensive functional repertoires for correct behaviour.
•By shaping brain structure and function, stimulating experience is able to create a protective reserve.•The brain cellular and molecular reserve mechanisms have been investigated using environmental ...enrichment paradigm.•Animal studies show that environmental enrichment induces brain rearrangements at both cellular and molecular levels.•Brain reserve permits a better ability to cope with the cognitive decline that is linked to normal and pathological ageing.•Novel studies and systematic reviews that consider the different components of environmental enrichment are needed.
Brain plasticity is the ability of the nervous system to change structurally and functionally in response to experience. By shaping brain structure and function, experience leads to the creation of a protective reserve that accounts for differences among individuals in susceptibility to age-related brain modifications and pathology. This review is aimed to address the biological bases of the experience-dependent “brain reserve” by describing the results of animal studies that focused on the neuroanatomical and molecular effects of environmental enrichment. More specifically, the effects at the cellular level are considered in terms of changes in neurogenesis, gliogenesis, angiogenesis, and synaptogenesis. Moreover, the effects at the molecular level are described, highlighting gene- and protein-level changes in neurotransmitter and neurotrophin expression. The experimental evidence for the basic biological consequences of environmental enrichment is described for healthy animals. Subsequently, by discussing the findings for animal models that mimic age-related diseases, the involvement of such plastic changes in supporting an organism as it copes with normal and pathological age-related cognitive decline is considered. On the whole, studies of the structural and molecular effects of environmental enrichment strongly support the neuroprotective action of a particularly stimulating lifestyle on cognitive functions. Our current level of understanding of these effects and mechanisms is such that additional and novel studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses are necessary to investigate the specific effects of the different components of environmental enrichment in both healthy and pathological models. Only in this way can comprehensive recommendations for proper life habits be developed.
Brain activity during rest displays complex, rapidly evolving patterns in space and time. Structural connections comprising the human connectome are hypothesized to impose constraints on the dynamics ...of this activity. Here, we use magnetoencephalography (MEG) to quantify the extent to which fast neural dynamics in the human brain are constrained by structural connections inferred from diffusion MRI tractography. We characterize the spatio-temporal unfolding of whole-brain activity at the millisecond scale from source-reconstructed MEG data, estimating the probability that any two brain regions will significantly deviate from baseline activity in consecutive time epochs. We find that the structural connectome relates to, and likely affects, the rapid spreading of neuronal avalanches, evidenced by a significant association between these transition probabilities and structural connectivity strengths (r = 0.37, p<0.0001). This finding opens new avenues to study the relationship between brain structure and neural dynamics.
The efficacy of rhythmic acoustic stimulation (RAS) to improve gait and balance in healthy elderly individuals is controversial. Our aim was to investigate, through 3D gait analysis, the effect of ...different types of RAS (fixed frequency and based on subject-specific cadence), using conventional gait parameters and the trunk displacement as readouts. Walking at a fixed frequency of 80 bpm, the subjects showed extended duration of gait cycle and increased gait variability while the same individuals, walking at a fixed frequency of 120 bpm, showed reduced trunk sway and gait cycle duration. With regard to the RAS at subject-specific frequencies, walking at 90% of the subject-specific average cadence did not significantly modify the gait parameters, except for the speed, which was reduced. In contrast, walking at 100% and 110% of the mean cadence caused increased stride length and a slight reduction of temporal parameters and trunk sway. In conclusion, this pilot study shows that using RAS at fixed frequencies might be an inappropriate strategy, as it is not adjusted to individual gait characteristics. On the other hand, RAS frequencies equal to or slightly higher than each subject's natural cadence seem to be beneficial for gait and stability.
A series of chemical and biochemical parameters of edible hemp resources (seeds, oil, and flour) from the monoecious EU registered hemp genotype Fedora, was determined, including fatty acid profile, ...phytosterol composition, total phenolics, antioxidant activity, macro- and micro-elements. The fatty acid ω-3/ω-6 approached the nutritionally optimal 3/1 ratio. β-sitosterol and other phytosterols sterols dominated the unsaponifiable fraction. Hemp seeds, flour, and oil contained 767 ± 41, 744 ± 29, and 21 ± 5 mg GAE kg
total polyphenols, respectively. The antioxidant potential of Fedora flour and seeds, evaluated through the DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay, was higher than that of oil. K and Mg were the most abundant macro-elements, particularly in flour, while the concentration of trace elements was Fe > Cu > Ni > Mn. The presence of an array of bioactive compound candidate Fedora products as health-promoting food matrices. The ATR-FTIR spectra of hemp-derived products indicated the proximate composition of macro-nutrients.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by motor impairment, affecting quality of life and increasing fall risk, due to ineffective postural control. To this day, the diagnosis remains based on ...clinical approach. Similarly, motor evaluation is based on heterogeneous, operator-dependent observational criteria. A synthetic, replicable index to quantify motor impairment is still lacking. Hence, we have designed a new measure of postural stability which assesses the trunk displacement in relation to the center of mass, that we named trunk displacement index (TDI). Twenty-three PD patients and twenty-three healthy controls underwent motor examination through a stereophotogrammetric system. A correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationship of TDI with gait parameters and clinical motor scale (UPDRS-III). The TDI sensitivity was estimated, comparing pre- and post- L-DOPA subclinical dose intake. The TDI showed significant correlations with many gait parameters and with the UPDRS-III. Furthermore, the TDI resulted capable in discriminating between off and on state in PD, whereas gait parameters failed two show any difference between those two conditions. Our results suggest that the TDI may be considered a highly sensitive biomechanical index, reflecting the overall motor condition in PD, and provided of clinical relevance due to the correlation with the clinical evaluation.
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•X-ray micro-CT is first-time used for quantitative imaging of bean hilum region.•Bean hilum microstructure correlates with hydration kinetics parameters.•The micropylar groove is the ...first water entry pathway in the soaked beans.•The smaller is the hilar groove area the longer is the overall hydration process.•3D imaging of hilum region allows distinctive traits for bean landraces authentication.
X-ray micro-CT imaging has been applied successfully in food science and seed research due to its capacity to provide very small details of seed traits that are very complex to score. The micropyle and the tissues of the hilum region of bean seeds are recognized as structures which play an important role in hydration process. This latter influences, in turn, not only germination but also the cooking and industrial processing. Nevertheless, the role of each structure of the bean seeds is yet to be fully understood. Moreover such traits are never been quantified by using 3D imaging approaches.
In this work, seeds of four ancient Italian landraces of beans have been scanned by X-ray microCT with a twofold approach: bulk scans for whole seed imaging and single seed scans for internal traits measurements. Then water uptake tests have been performed. The different structures composing the hilum region of the beans have been imaged and characterized. The two-dimensional and the three-dimensional morphometric traits have been correlated with parameters of hydration models by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Pearson coefficients.
Micropyle groove area was the trait most influencing the very initial hydration rates while the hilum groove area was the best correlated with the overall infiltration behavior. The internal free space was the trait best correlated with the moisture at equilibrium. Moreover, strophiole shape resulted the most suitable internal trait for univocal identification of the four landraces.
Overall results give a contribution to the understanding of the role of hilum region structures in bean seeds hydration process and show novel morphological traits useful for identification of local bean landraces.
•Brain differentiation is maximized in a very limited number of very fast, intermittent events.•Transition matrices based on avalanches are effective in selecting the locations and moments where ...higher-order perturbations spread.•Non-linear part of the brain signals carries most of the subject-specific information.
Subject differentiation bears the possibility to individualize brain analyses. However, the nature of the processes generating subject-specific features remains unknown. Most of the current literature uses techniques that assume stationarity (e.g., Pearson's correlation), which might fail to capture the non-linear nature of brain activity. We hypothesize that non-linear perturbations (defined as neuronal avalanches in the context of critical dynamics) spread across the brain and carry subject-specific information, contributing the most to differentiability. To test this hypothesis, we compute the avalanche transition matrix (ATM) from source-reconstructed magnetoencephalographic data, as to characterize subject-specific fast dynamics. We perform differentiability analysis based on the ATMs, and compare the performance to that obtained using Pearson's correlation (which assumes stationarity). We demonstrate that selecting the moments and places where neuronal avalanches spread improves differentiation (P < 0.0001, permutation testing), despite the fact that most of the data (i.e., the linear part) are discarded. Our results show that the non-linear part of the brain signals carries most of the subject-specific information, thereby clarifying the nature of the processes that underlie individual differentiation. Borrowing from statistical mechanics, we provide a principled way to link emergent large-scale personalized activations to non-observable, microscopic processes.
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