The role of anthocyanins as antidiabetic agents: from molecular mechanisms to in vivo and human studies

Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry - Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by high blood glucose concentration. Nowadays, type 2 diabetes or insulin resistant diabetes...     

Molecular underpinnings of the early brain developmental response to differential feeding in the honey bee Apis mellifera

Brain differential morphogenesis in females is one of the major phenotypic manifestations of caste development in honey bees. Brain diphenism appears at the fourth larval phase as a result of the differential feeding regime developing females are submitted during early phases of larval development. Here, we used a forward genetics approach to test the early brain molecular response to differential feeding leading to the brain diphenism observed at later developmental phases. Using RNA sequencing analysis, we identified 53 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the brains of queens and workers at the third larval phase. Since miRNAs have been suggested to play a role in caste differentiation after horizontal and vertical transmission, we tested their potential participation in regulating the DEGs. The miRNA-mRNA interaction network, including the DEGs and the royal- and worker-jelly enriched miRNA populations, revealed a subset of miRNAs potentially involved in regulating the expression of DEGs. The interaction of miR-34, miR-210, and miR-317 with Takeout, Neurotrophin-1, Forked, and Masquerade genes was experimentally confirmed using a luciferase reporter system. Taken together, our results reconstruct the regulatory network that governs the development of the early brain diphenism in honey bees.     

Flow-induced Wall Shear Stress in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Part II - Pulsatile Flow Hemodynamics

In continuing the investigation of AAA hemodynamics, unsteady flow-induced stresses are presented for pulsatile blood flow through the double-aneurysm model described in Part I. Physiologically realistic aortic blood flow is simulated under pulsatile conditions for the range of time-average Reynolds numbers 50 h Re m h 300. Hemodynamic disturbance is evaluated for a modified set of indicator functions which include wall pressure ( p w ), wall shear stress ( w ), Wall Shear Stress Gradient (WSSG), time-average wall shear stress ( w *), and time-average Wall Shear Stress Gradient WSSG *. At peak flow, the highest shear stress and WSSG levels are obtained at the distal end of both aneurysms, in a pattern similar to that of steady flow. The maximum values of wall shear stresses and wall shear stress gradients are evaluated as a function of the time-average Reynolds number resulting in a fourth order polynomial correlation. A comparison between numerical predictions for steady and pulsatile flow is presented, illustrating the importance of considering time-dependent flow for the evaluation of hemodynamic indicators.     

Insights on the Behavior of Late Paleozoic Aquatic Crustaceans (Pygocephalomorpha?): Compound Trace Fossils from Western Argentina

We describe intergradations between the arthropod repichnial trace fossils Diplichnites gouldi (Gevers et al., 1971), Dendroidichnites Demathieu et al., 1992, and Monomorphichnus Crimes, 1970 with two distinct cubichnial traces, Gluckstadtella cooperi Savage, 1971 and Huilmuichnus santracruzensis new ichnogenus and ichnospecies. These compound ichnofossils are part of high ichnodiversity arthropod-dominated trace fossil associations from the Late Carboniferous Agua Escondida Formation of the San Rafael Basin (Argentina). The complex ichnotaxonomy of Diplichnites and the ichnospecies D. gouldi are discussed and some possible working solutions are proposed. The most likely producer of the compound trace fossils are the Pygocephalomorpha, a group of Late Paleozoic crustaceans that are recorded in nearby basins from Uruguay and Brazil. The compound trace fossils are used to infer a number of complex behaviors of pygocephalomorphs in a subaqueous setting, including caridoid (tail flip) or more primitive escape reactions, landing followed by resting and transient resting during normal walking. In addition, different gaits can be inferred from well-preserved D. gouldi, which can be correlated with contrasting trackway morphology.     

Dinosaur Tracks as Paleogeographic Constraints: New Scenarios for the Cretaceous Geography of the Periadriatic Region

A really unexpected finding of sauropod and theropod footprints in southern Latium raises to four the number of the trampled levels recognized in central and southern Italy. After the recent findings in Latest Jurassic and Early, mid and Late Cretaceous carbonate platform deposits of the Periadriatic region, dinosaur footprints seem to provide very important paleogeographic constraints for reconstructing the geodynamic history of the Mediterranean area. The presence of a varied ichnoassociation makes acceptance of the current paleogeographic models concerning the relative and absolute position of the Laziale-Abruzzese-Campano and of Apulian-Dinaric domains during the Late Cretaceous more and more problematic. Dinosaur footprints, combined with other paleontological data, demonstrate that these areas were never completely pulled apart by deep seaways, while frequent or continuous links between them, and to southern and northern mainlands, probably persisted. These data also allowed us to improve our understanding of the timing of the Mesozoic plate motion in this segment of the Western Tethys.     

A new species of Lathyrus L. (Fabaceae) from Central Apennine (Italy)

Abstract

Lathyrus apenninus, from beech woods margins and scrub in the Central Apennine (Italy), is described as a species new to science. The relationship of L. apenninus with L. linifolius, which it had been confused with, is briefly discussed.