Seasonality of marriages in sardinian pastoral and agricultural communities in the nineteenth century

The study of marriage seasonality of populations with different socioeconomic backgrounds may contribute to the better understanding their reproductive behaviours. This study analyses the monthly distribution of marriages in the 19th century in four agricultural villages and four pastoral villages on the island of Sardinia (Italy). The data were derived from 7340 marriage acts (3571 for the four agricultural villages and 3769 for the four pastoral villages). The aim is to ascertain whether the Sardinian agricultural and pastoral communities followed the matrimonial models reported for contemporary Italy and Europe and whether there was a change in the monthly distribution of marriages between the two halves of the 19th century. The results suggest that the marriage seasonality of the Sardinian farmers and shepherds was very similar to the patterns shown in the 19th century by Italian and European agricultural and pastoral communities. The Sardinian farmers preferred to marry in autumn-winter, while the Sardinian shepherds had a very high concentration of marriages in summer-autumn. Both communities avoided marriages in the Advent and Easter periods and in the month of May (dedicated to the Virgin Mary), and the farmers also in August (also dedicated to the Virgin Mary). Despite a certain seasonal stability, there was a significant change in the monthly distribution of marriages between the two halves of the 19th century in both the agricultural and pastoral communities, probably due to a series of laws that transformed the centuries-old socioeconomic system of Sardinia in the second half of the century.     

Structure-activity relationship study of position 4 in the urotensin-II receptor ligand U-II(4-11)

In the present study we describe the synthesis and biological evaluation of 24 analogues of the urotensin II (U-II) fragment U-II(4-11) substituted in position 4 with coded and non-coded aromatic amino acids. All of the new analogues behaved as full U-II receptor (UT) agonists. Our results indicated that aromaticity is well tolerated, size, length and chirality of the side chain are not important, while substituents with a nitrogen atom are preferred. Thus acylation of U-II(5-11) with small groups bearing nitrogen atoms could be instrumental in future studies for the identification of novel potent UT receptor ligands.     

The applicability of an amidated polysaccharide hydrogel as a cartilage substitute: structural and rheological characterization

An amidic derivative of a carboxymethylcellulose-based hydrogel was obtained and characterized in terms of amidation degree. NMR studies and FT-IR imaging spectroscopy demonstrated that the reaction allowed a polymer to be obtained that was characterized by a regular distribution of amidic groups along the polysaccharide chains. Through this regularity, a homogenous three-dimensional scaffold was obtained, which maintained the thixotropic property of the linear polysaccharide.     

Organization and Regulation of meta Cleavage Pathway Genes for Toluene and o-Xylene Derivative Degradation in Pseudomonas stutzeri OX1

Pseudomonas stutzeri OX1 meta pathway genes for toluene and o-xylene catabolism were analyzed, and loci encoding phenol hydroxylase, catechol 2,3-dioxygenase, 2-hydroxymuconate semialdehyde dehydrogenase, and 2-hydroxymuconate semialdehyde hydrolase were mapped. Phenol hydroxylase converted a broad range of substrates, as it was also able to transform the nongrowth substrates 2,4-dimethylphenol and 2,5-dimethylphenol into 3,5-dimethylcatechol and 3,6-dimethylcatechol, respectively, which, however, were not cleaved by catechol 2,3-dioxygenase. The identified gene cluster displayed a gene order similar to that of the Pseudomonas sp. strain CF600 dmp operon for phenol catabolism and was found to be coregulated by the tou operon activator TouR. A hypothesis about the evolution of the toluene and o-xylene catabolic pathway in P. stutzeri OX1 is discussed.     

Cognitive Modulation of Psychophysical,Respiratory and Autonomic Responses to Cold Pressor Test

In healthy subjects with high hypnotisability (highs) under hypnosis, subjectively effective suggestions for analgesia abolish the increases in blood pressure associated with cold pressor test (cpt) by reducing the peripheral vascular resistance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the suggestions of analgesia on the responses to cpt in healthy highs (n = 22) and in low hypnotisable participants (lows, n = 22) out of hypnosis. Cpt was administered without (CPT) and with suggestions for analgesia (CPT+AN). Psychophysical (pain intensity, pain threshold, cpt duration (time of immersion) and pain tolerance, defined as the difference between cpt duration and pain threshold), respiratory (amplitude and frequency) and autonomic variables (tonic skin conductance, mean RR interval (RR = 1/heart rate), blood pressure, skin blood flow) were studied. The suggestions for analgesia increased cpt duration and RR in both groups, but decreased pain intensity and enhanced pain threshold only in highs; in both groups they did not modulate systolic blood pressure, tonic skin conductance and skin blood flow; thus, increased parasympathetic activity appears responsible for the heart rate reduction induced by suggestions in both groups. In conclusion, our findings show that suggestions modulate pain experience differentially in highs and lows, and are partially effective also in lows. We hypothesize that the mechanisms responsible for the efficacy of suggestions in healthy lows may be involved also in their efficacy in chronic pain patients with low hypnotisability.     

Tryptophan replacement in the nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor ligand Ac-RYYRWK-NH2.

In the present study we describe the in vitro pharmacological characterization of the nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) receptor (NOP) ligand Ac-RYYRWK-NH2 and the synthesis and biological evaluation of 13 Trp5 substituted Ac-RYYRWK-NH2 analogs. Results indicate that Ac-RYYRWK-NH2 behaves as a highly potent and selective partial agonist at the NOP receptors and that the whole indole moiety of the Trp5 side chain is not required, being a phenyl-ethyl side chain already sufficient for maintaining high potency.