University of Milan

About: University of Milan is a education organization based out in Milan, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 58413 authors who have published 139784 publications receiving 4636354 citations. The organization is also known as: Università degli Studi di Milano & Statale.

How to get more out of molecular fingerprints: practical tools for microbial ecology.

Abstract: Community-level molecular techniques are widely used in comparative microbial ecology to assess the diversity of microbial communities and their response to changing environments. These include among others denaturing and temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE/TGGE), single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), length heterogeneity-PCR (LH-PCR), terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (tRFLP) and 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. The amount of data derived from these techniques available in literature is continuously increasing and the lack of a universal way to interpret the raw fingerprint itself makes it difficult to compare between different results. Taking the DGGE technique as an example, we propose a setting-independent theoretical interpretation of the DGGE pattern, based on a straightforward processing on three levels of analysis: (i) the range-weighted richness (Rr) reflecting the carrying capacity of the system, (ii) the dynamics (Dy) reflecting the specific rate of species coming to significance, and (iii) functional organization (Fo), defined through a relation between the structure of a microbial community and its functionality. These Rr, Dy and Fo values, each representing a score to describe a microbial community, can be plotted in a 3D graph. The latter represents a visual ecological interpretation of the initial raw fingerprinting pattern.

Subunit composition of functional nicotinic receptors in dopaminergic neurons investigated with knock-out mice

Abstract: Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) expressed by dopaminergic (DA) neurons have long been considered as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of several neuropsychiatric diseases, including nicotine and cocaine addiction or Parkinson9s disease. However, DA neurons express mRNAs coding for most, if not all, neuronal nAChR subunits, and the subunit composition of functional nAChRs has been difficult to establish. Immunoprecipitation experiments performed on mouse striatal extracts allowed us to identify three main types of heteromeric nAChRs (α4β2 * , α6β2 * , and α4α6β2 * ) in DA terminal fields. The functional relevance of these subtypes was then examined by studying nicotine-induced DA release in striatal synaptosomes and recording ACh-elicited currents in DA neurons fromα4, α6, α4α6, and β2 knock-out mice. Our results establish that α6β2 * nAChRs are functional and sensitive to α-conotoxin MII inhibition. These receptors are mainly located on DA terminals and consistently do not contribute to DA release induced by systemic nicotine administration, as evidenced by in vivo microdialysis. In contrast, (nonα6)α4β2 * nAChRs represent the majority of functional heteromeric nAChRs on DA neuronal soma. Thus, whereas a combination of α6β2 * and α4β2 * nAChRs may mediate the endogenous cholinergic modulation of DA release at the terminal level, somato-dendritic (nonα6)α4β2 * nAChRs most likely contribute to nicotine reinforcement.

Diagnostic Criteria for the Classification of Cancer-Associated Weight Loss

Abstract: Purpose Existing definitions of clinically important weight loss (WL) in patients with cancer are unclear and heterogeneous and do not consider current trends toward obesity. Methods Canadian and European patients with cancer (n = 8,160) formed a population-based data set. Body mass index (BMI) and percent WL (%WL) were recorded, and patients were observed prospectively until death. Data were entered into a multivariable analysis controlling for age, sex, cancer site, stage, and performance status. Relationships for BMI and %WL to overall survival were examined to develop a grading system. Results Mean overall %WL was −9.7% ± 8.4% and BMI was 24.4 ± 5.1 kg/m2, and both %WL and BMI independently predicted survival (P < .01). Differences in survival were observed across five categories of BMI (< 20.0, 20.0 to 21.9, 22.0 to 24.9, 25.0 to 27.9, and ≥ 28.0 kg/m2; P < .001) and five categories of %WL (−2.5% to −5.9%, −6.0% to −10.9%, −11.0% to −14.9%, ≥ −15.0%, and weight stable (± 2.4%); P < .001). A 5 × 5 mat...