Marche Polytechnic University

About: Marche Polytechnic University is a education organization based out in Ancona, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 5905 authors who have published 15769 publications receiving 382286 citations. The organization is also known as: Universitá Politecnica delle Marche & Universita Politecnica delle Marche.

Effect of homocysteinylation of low density lipoproteins on lipid peroxidation of human endothelial cells.

Abstract: Homocysteine-thiolactone (HcyT) is a toxic product whose synthesis is directly proportional to plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels. Previous studies demonstrated that the interaction between HcyT and low density lipoproteins (LDL) induces the formation of homocystamide-LDL adducts (Hcy-LDL). Structural and functional alterations of Hcy-LDL have been described and it has been suggested that homocysteinylation could increase atherogenicity of LDL. Oxidative damage of endothelial cells (EC) is considered to be a critical aspect of the atherosclerotic process. To further investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the atherogenicity of homocysteinylated LDL, we studied the effect of interaction between Hcy-LDL and EC on cell oxidative damage, using human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) as experimental model. Homocysteinylation of LDL was carried out by incubation of LDL, isolated from plasma of healthy normolipemic subjects, with HcyT (10–100 μM). In our experimental conditions, homocysteinylation treatment was not accompanied by oxidative damage of LDL. No modifications of apoprotein structure and physico-chemical properties were observed in Hcy-LDL with respect to control LDL (c-LDL), as evaluated using the intrinsic fluorescence of tryptophan and the probe Laurdan incorporated in lipoproteins. Our results demonstrated that Hcy-LDL incubated at 37°C for 3 h with HAEC, induced an oxidative damage on human EC with a significant increase of lipid hydroperoxides in cells incubated with Hcy-LDL with respect to cell incubated with c-LDL. The compositional changes were associated with a significant decrease viability in cells treated with Hcy-LDL. The relationship between the levels of –SH groups of LDL and the oxidative damage of HAEC has been demonstrated. These results suggest that Hcy-LDL exert a cytotoxic effect that is likely related to an increase in lipid peroxidation and oxidative damage of EC. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Bioclimates of Italy

Abstract: The Worldwide Bioclimatic Classification System according to Rivas-Martinez (WBCS) is a bioclimatic classification that is widely used in vegetation science, geobotany, and landscape ecology. To date, only one complete WBCS map has been produced for Italy at the national scale. Here, we define two major updates to the WBCS map of Italy: improvements to the surface spatial accuracy for the climate, especially for precipitation; and detailed mapping of the Submediterraneity Index and its levels, which mainly characterize the ecotone area between the Mediterranean and the Temperate macrobioclimates. Finally, all WBCS units (i.e. macrobioclimates, bioclimatic variants, bioclimates, continentality types, bioclimatic belts) and the Submediterraneity Index are mapped on a scale of 1:2,500,000. These maps and the bioclimatic indices and monthly climatic surfaces are available here as raster data-sets (resolution, 900 m) and are useful for accurate bioclimatic diagnosis for the entire Italian territory. Th...

Wavelet Variance Analysis of Output in G-7 Countries

Abstract: The large decline in output volatility experienced by most industrialized countries in the last decades has been thoroughly analyzed using standard time and frequency domain methods. In this paper we investigate the issue of moderation of volatility in G-7 economies and its sources, applying a multi-scaling approach to the industrial production indices of G-7 countries between 1961:1-2006:10. Using the MODWT estimates of wavelet variance we provide a scale-based analysis of variance that allows us to characterize the decline in volatility and to detect the importance of the various explanations of the moderation. The main scale-by-scale results stemming from multi scale analysis of variance are: i) a reduction in volatility which, although displayed by all the G-7 countries, is not uniform across time scales (as the decline is larger at short-term scales than at business cycle scales for France and Italy, and quite uniform across scale for the UK and the US) nor countries (as the decline is significant for a subset of countries only, i.e. France, Italy, the UK and the US); and ii) the moderation has to be attributable to the decline in the variance of both common (in the 1970s) and country-specific (in the 1960s) exogenous disturbances hitting the economy.