Contribution of Metabolomics to the Understanding of NAFLD and NASH Syndromes: A Systematic Review

Several differential panels of metabolites have been associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome and its related conditions, namely non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). This study aimed to perform a systematic review to summarize the most recent finding in terms of circulating biomarkers following NAFLD/NASH syndromes. Hence, the research was focused on NAFLD/NASH studies analysed by metabolomics approaches. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search was conducted on the PubMed database. The inclusion criteria were (i) publication date between 2010 and 2021, (ii) presence of the combination of terms: metabolomics and NAFLD/NASH, and (iii) published in a scholarly peer-reviewed journal. Studies were excluded from the review if they were (i) single-case studies, (ii) unpublished thesis and dissertation studies, and (iii) not published in a peer-reviewed journal. Following these procedures, 10 eligible studies among 93 were taken into consideration. The metabolisms of amino acids, fatty acid, and vitamins were significantly different in patients affected by NAFLD and NASH compared to healthy controls. These findings suggest that low weight metabolites are an important indicator for NAFLD/NASH syndrome and there is a strong overlap between NAFLD/NASH and the metabolic syndrome. These findings may lead to new perspectives in early diagnosis, identification of novel biomarkers, and providing novel targets for pharmacological interventions.

A REVISION OF THE HERPETOFAUNA OF COLIMA, MEXICO

The herpetofauna of Colima has received relatively little attention until recently. A few state lists and several unpublished dissertations are the only references available for the herpetofauna of the state. Recently a revised herpetofaunal state list was published by Lemos-Espinal et al. (2020). Unfortunately, that revision was published with numerous errors and omissions. Here we review all published accounts on the herpetofauna of Colima as well as two unpublished thesis related to the herpetofauna of the state, and records in online databases (GBIF, Vertnet). We examine museum specimens of previously published taxa and show that many of the species reported from the state are in fact misidentifications, and that other species already known from the state have been ignored in the most recent state list. Additionally we report on six species of amphibians and reptiles that are new records for the state. Based on our revision, we show that the herpetofauna of Colima consists of 148 species, of which 110 are reptiles and 38 are amphibians, with five introduced species. We also comment on species of possible occurrence in the state. We recommend that other state lists which have been published for Mexico be revised in order to fix a variety of issues and erroneous information in those lists.

‘Vex the devil’: Scripture, God-talk and holiness at Villa Road

This article gives a critical account of the engagement with Scripture among a group of women and men from the Villa Road Methodist Church, Handsworth, Birmingham, UK. It presents research done in community during 2004/05 for the unpublished thesis, ‘Mary in the Kitchen, Martha in the Pew: Patterns of Holiness in a Methodist Church’ (MPhil., Birmingham, 2006), updated to include critical engagement with contemporary scholarship in Black British theology, womanist and feminist theology, holiness teaching and hermeneutics, and congregational studies. Working from ethnographic research, the article considers three clusters of emphasis, or creative tensions, in the use of Scripture: gender and God, thanksgiving/resistance in response to evil, and displacement/home-coming. The article argues that these themes specially concern the negotiation of identity and relationship between self, God, Scripture and context.

Mercury fluxes from the abandoned Monte Amiata mining district in the Paglia and Tiber river catchments, Central Italy: preliminary estimates

<p>Mercury dispersion in the Paglia and Tiber river catchments (Central Italy) from the abandoned Monte Amiata mining district has long been documented (Rimondi et al., 2019, and references therein). However, there are comparatively fewer data on fluxes of the metal across the basin to the Tyrrhenian sea. The only published estimates (Rimondi et al., 2014) refer to the first 40 km of the Paglia River between Abbadia San Salvatore and Allerona Scalo. They reported highly variable total (dissolved + suspended particulate) Hg loads, up to 34 g/day, strongly depending on river discharge. We report here unpublished data from a sampling campaign of September 2014 (Millacci, 2016), that included three samples along the Tiber river. The data refer to low flow conditions at the end of the dry season. As expected, loads progressively increase with discharge from 1-5 g/day near the source of the Paglia river to about 100 g/day in the city of Rome. There is an anomalous value of 220 g/day just south of the Alviano dam (near Orvieto): a possible explanation is a release of Hg-rich sediments from the dam during maintenance operations.</p><p>Millacci G. (2016) – Unpublished thesis (Laurea magistrale) in Geological sciences, Università di Firenze</p><p>Rimondi V., et al. (2014) – Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 21:5575–5585</p><p>Rimondi V., et al. (2019) - Environmental Pollution 255, 113191</p>

Species delimitation reveals an underestimated diversity of Andean catfishes of the family Astroblepidae (Teleostei: Siluriformes)

ABSTRACT Catfishes of the family Astroblepidae form a group composed by 82 valid species of the genus Astroblepus inhabiting high-gradient streams and rivers throughout tropical portions of the Andean Cordillera. Little has been advanced in the systematics and biodiversity of astroblepids other than an unpublished thesis, a single regional multilocus study and isolated species descriptions. Here, we examined 208 specimens of Astroblepus that apparently belong to 16 valid species from several piedmont rivers from northern Colombia to southern Peru. Using three single-locus approaches for species delimitation in combination with a species tree analysis estimated from three mitochondrial genes, we identified a total of 25 well-delimited lineages including eight valid and 17 potential undescribed species distributed in two monophyletic groups: the Central Andes Clade, which contains 14 lineages from piedmont rivers of the Peruvian Amazon, and the Northern Andes Clade with 11 lineages from trans- and cis-Andean rivers of Colombia and Ecuador, including the Orinoco, Amazon, and Magdalena-Cauca basins and Pacific coastal drainages. Results of species delimitation methods highlight several taxonomical incongruences in recently described species denoting potential synonymies.

Corporate Social Responsibility: Universities in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become very vital for any corporation as many voices demand that entities must be accountable for business decisions and actions. Since universities are vital entities in the society as they provide higher education to the human factor, they have a huge role that compels them to adhere to CSR and to make it a part of their strategic planning. The study is about measuring the awareness of CSR in the management of universities in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The study used a descriptive survey method to analyze the relationship between Communication, CSR activities and Management’s transparency with the level of awareness of CSR. The respondents of the study are the top and middle level managers of universities where the primary tool in gathering data was a structured questionnaire. Secondary sources were utilized as well, such as: books, articles, unpublished thesis and other printed resources related to the study that were used to support and strengthen the findings of the study. The main finding is, there is a significant relationship between CSR activities and communication with awareness of CSR.

Pectinariidae (Annelida, Terebelliformia) from off southeastern Brazil, southwestern Atlantic

Two of the species of Pectinariidae previously reported from the Brazilian coast are herein described, together with a new species and also new record for the genus Petta Malmgren, 1866 for the southern Atlantic. Amphictene catharinensis (Grube, 1870) was described from material from off Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, but the most recent description for these animals comes from Nilsson (1928); a redescription for A. catharinensis is herein provided. Pectinaria nonatoi n. sp. was informally described as P. (Pectinaria) laelia nomen nudum in an unpublished thesis and a formal description has never been provided, although the species has been reported from several other localities off the Brazilian shoreline, mostly in ecological studies; the species is formally described herein and compared to the most similar congeners. Petta alissoni n. sp. is also described and compared to the most similar congeners and this is the first record for animals of this genus from southern Atlantic. There are also records for Pectinaria gouldii (Verrill, 1874) and P. regalis Verrill, 1901 from off the Brazilian coast, and a doubtful record for Lagis pseudokoreni (Day, 1955), but we did not find any material belonging to those taxa.

Residential Quality of Inner-City of a Traditional Town in Southwestern Nigeria

This study investigates the socio-economic background of inhabitants of the inner-city of a traditional town in Southwestern Nigeria. The paper highlights survey on high density area of Ondo. Both primary and secondary data were utilized for the study. There are twelve (12) political wards in the study area out of which five (5) political wards fall under areas covered by the core. However, three wards were selected and these political wards became the sample frame. Systematic sampling technique was used in selecting residents to be sampled. The first building was chosen randomly. Subsequent unit of investigation was every 10th residential building in each ward. Therefore, a total of 196 copies of questionnaires were administered out of which all copies were retrieved for the study. Sources of secondary data included maps from Planning Office, journals, conference proceedings, unpublished thesis and books. Data collected were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 23. Both descriptive and inferential tools were used to analyze the data collected. Findings revealed that environmental variables are significantly associated to the condition of the wellness of inhabitants in the area. The paper recommends some policy guidelines, including total demolition (in some parts of the area), rehabilitation and delivery of fundamental infrastructures and services. The study also recommends that both government and non-governmental agencies to take driving involvement in the upgrading strategy especially in the area of enlightenment and financial backing.

L’atribució hipotètica de Curial e Güelfa a Enyego d’Àvalos (Consideracions sobre un «informe» de L. Badia i J. Torró)

Resum: La revista Estudis Romànics 39 (2017) ha publicat el meu article: “Enyego d’Àvalos, autor del Curial e Güelfa?”, que resumeix una part de la meua tesi doctoral, La cort napolitana d’Alfons el Magnànim: el context del «Curial e Güelfa» (Universitat de València, 2016). L’article defensa la hipòtesi que Enyego d’Àvalos –natural de Toledo, educat a València, conseller de Felip Maria Visconti i gran camarlenc d’Alfons el Magnànim, al regne de Nàpols– hauria estat l’autor de la novel·la cavalleresca anònima Curial e Güelfa. Encara que la tesi és inèdita, Lola Badia i Jaume Torró s’han manifestat en contra de la hipòtesi mitjançant declaracions difamatòries en mitjans de comunicació i un Informe molt tendenciós. El meu propòsit en aquest article és rebatre els arguments suposadament científics de Lola Badia i Jaume Torró, posar en evidència els seus prejudicis i tergiversacions, i reivindicar el meu dret a aportar els resultats de la meua recerca i a expressar lliurement les meues interpretacions. La meua tesi, fruit d’anys de treball arxivístic i bibliogràfic, ha estat elaborada d’acord amb una rigorosa metodologia científica. La insòlita reacció de Badia i Torró obeeix al fet que la meua hipòtesi qüestiona una gran part dels plantejaments d’ambdós investigadors, els quals han provocat una gran desorientació, ja que situen el Curial en les corts ibèriques del Trastàmara i no en les corts del duc de Milà i del rei de Nàpols, en contacte amb l’humanisme italià. Paraules clau: Curial e Güelfa, Enyego d’Àvalos, València, Milà, Nàpols, Alfons el Magnànim, Lola Badia, Jaume Torró Abstract: The journal Estudis Romànics, 39 (2017) has just published my article “Enyego de Avalos, author of the Curial e Guelfa?”, which summarizes a part of my thesis, La cort napolitana d’Alfons el Magnànim: el context del «Curial e Güelfa» (University of València, 2016). It supports the hypothesis that Enyego d’Àvalos –a native of Toledo, educated in Valencia, Philip Maria Visconti’s counselor and great Chamberlain of Alfons the Magnanimous, at the Kingdom of Naples– would have been the author of the chivalric anonymous romance Curial e Guelfa. Although unpublished thesis, Lola Badia and Jaume Torró have spoken out against my hypothesis through defamatory statements to the media and a very biased report. My purpose in this article is to refute the supposedly scientific arguments of Lola Badia and Jaume Torró, highlight their prejudices and misunderstandings and claim my right to make my own research and to freely express my interpretations. My thesis, which is the result of years of work in archives and analysis of a selected bibliography, has been prepared in accordance with rigorous scientific methodology. The unusual reaction of Badia and Torró is due to the fact that my hypothesis invalidates many of their approaches, which have caused great confusion among historins of medieval literature, because they place Curial in the Iberian courts of the Trastamara royal family and not in the courts of the duke of Milan and of the King of Naples, in touch with Italian humanism. Keywords: Curial e Güelfa, Enyego d’Àvalos, Valencia, Milan, Naples, Alfons the Magnanimous, Lola Badia, Jaume Torró

TYRTAEUS IN VIRGIL'S FIRST ECLOGUE

The first eclogue opens with an exposition, put in the mouth of Meliboeus (1.1–5): Tityre, tu patulae recubans sub tegmine fagisiluestrem tenui Musam meditaris auena;nos patriae finis et dulcia linquimus arua.nos patriam fugimus; tu, Tityre, lentus in umbraformosam resonare doces Amaryllida siluas. These five lines receive two and a half pages in Coleman's commentary, five in Clausen's, six in the recent commentary by Cucchiarelli, and eighteen in Paraskeviotis's unpublished thesis on the Eclogues’ sources. Yet on the central line and a half (3–4a), in which Meliboeus speaks about himself rather than Tityrus, only Cucchiarelli spends more (but only slightly more) than half a page. For lines 1–2 and 4b–5, focussed on Tityrus, numerous intertexts have been suggested: Theocritus 1.1–3 and 7.88–9, Lucretius 4.589 and 5.1398, Meleager, AP 7.196.2, Callimachus, Aetia fr. 73 Pfeiffer, to list the most important ones. No allusion seems to have been detected in 3–4a.