scholarly journals Polyphenols in the Mediterranean Diet: From Dietary Sources to microRNA Modulation

Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 328
Author(s):  
Roberto Cannataro ◽  
Alessia Fazio ◽  
Chiara La Torre ◽  
Maria Cristina Caroleo ◽  
Erika Cione

It is now well established that polyphenols are a class of natural substance that offers numerous health benefits; they are present in all plants in very different quantities and types. On the other hand, their bioavailability, and efficacy is are not always well proven. Therefore, this work aims to discuss some types of polyphenols belonging to Mediterranean foods. We chose six polyphenols—(1) Naringenin, (2) Apigenin, (3) Kaempferol, (4) Hesperidin, (5) Ellagic Acid and (6) Oleuropein—present in Mediterranean foods, describing dietary source and their chemistry, as well as their pharmacokinetic profile and their use as nutraceuticals/supplements, in addition to the relevant element of their capability in modulating microRNAs expression profile.

1912 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. W. Edwards

The compilation of the following key has been a matter of no little difficulty, mainly owing to the close connection of the species in some of the groups, which sometimes makes it almost impossible to assign specific limits. The difficulty has in some cases been increased through the paucity of material, which prevents any adequate conception of the range of variability being obtained. This is particularly the case with some of the species coming from the Mediterranean region, which are very closely allied, and of which, as a rule, the British Museum possesses very few specimens. Names have only been sunk here as synonyms in those cases where there appeared to be no reasonable doubt, either after a comparison of the types, or of the descriptions, when these were sufficiently detailed. Eventually, therefore, it may be found that some forms which are here given specific rank will have to be regarded at most as varieties. Since so many figures of Anopheline wings, etc., have already appeared, it is not deemed necessary to add to their number. Some new records have been included, but on the other hand some old ones, which appeared to be questionable, have been omitted. As with the writer's previous papers, this key is merely intended to supplement the detailed descriptions which will be found in other works.


Author(s):  
Elena María Orta García

Se trata en esta serie de «Los Bronces orientalizantes del Museo de Huelva» de realizar un estudio estilístico y de los programas iconográficos, de una serie de objetos de bronce, recuperados en las excavaciones arqueológicas de La Joya, en el término municipal de la ciudad de Huelva, que se exhiben o conservan en el Museo de Huelva. Si bien estos bronces fueron publicados dentro de su contexto en las correspondientes Memorias de la Serie E.A.E. no han sido objeto de un estudio pormenorizado. Por otra parte cuando tratamos de comprender la difusión del Arte clásico en la periferia del Mediterráneo siguiendo a Boardman' nos damos cuenta de las lagunas que existen a la hora de comprender cómo llega al sur peninsular esta corriente artística, que proviene del Mediterráneo oriental y que comienza a conformar lo que los especialistas han dado en llamar el arte tartésico y en el que hunde sus raíces sin duda el llamado arte ibérico. Nuestro estudio de hoy se ciñe al de una pieza única y singular, el Thymaterion o candelabro de La Joya, objeto suntuario de arte orientalizante de los siglos VIII-VII a. de C, probable obra de un metalurgo tartéssico. We try in this series «Orientaiizing bronzes of Huelva Museum» to accomplish a stylistic study and also of the inocographic programmes, of a series of bronze objects, recuperated in the archaeological excavations of «La Joya», in the municipal district of Huelva city, that are shown or kept in Huelva Museum. Though these bronzes were published in their context in the memoirs of the Series E.A.E. they have not been studied in deep one by one. On the other hand when we try to understand the diffusion of Classical Art in the outskirts of the Mediterranean, following Boardman we realise of the missing that exist when we try to understand how this artistic influence reaches the south of the península, that comes fron the East Mediterranean and that begins to shape what the specialists have begun to name as «Tartessic Art» in which the «Iberian Art» has its origins.


1961 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 11-22
Author(s):  
S. A. M. Adshead

In this paper I want to compare the history and structure of the Roman and Chinese empires and in particular to point out some striking contrasts between them.. We may talk about “the Chinese and the Roman empires” and use the same word “empire” to describe them both. Are we, however, justified in so doing? The thesis of this paper is that although the Chinese and Roman empires had a number of superficial characteristics in common, they were really quite different kinds of institutions or sets of institutions, and were based on quite different sorts of society. There are two fundamental contrasts between the Roman and the Chinese empires. Firstly, the Roman empire was maritime, mercantile, urban and militaristic. It was based on the Mediterranean and the unity of the trade routes, crisscrossing the Mediterranean and spilling out into the black Sea. The Chinese empire, on the other hand, was territorial, agricultural, rural and civilian. It was based on the river valleys of the Hwang Ho and Yangtse and on the unity of agricultural techniques over this area. Secondly, the Roman empire was socially unharmonious, was torn by class conflict, and was highly unstable. The Chinese empire, on the other hand, was socially harmonious, had no irreconcilable class conflicts and was highly stable. Unless these two contrasts, of structure and stability of structure, are recognised, the use of the same word “empire” to describe both China and Rome is misleading in the extreme.


Sociobiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. e7261
Author(s):  
Enrico Schifani ◽  
Antonio Scupola ◽  
Mattia Menchetti ◽  
Erika Bazzato ◽  
Xavier Espadaler

Hypoponera abeillei is the sole member of the otherwise exclusively Afrotropical abeillei group to occur in the West-Palearctic and since its first description on the basis of two Corsican workers in 1881, it remained little-known. Workers of this species are thought to entirely lack eyes, a rare trait among ants of the region, yet their lifestyle remains undocumented. On the other hand, the male caste has been described from 4 Tunisian specimens in 1921, and queens remained so far undescribed. We present an updated description of the male caste based on 45 specimens and a first description of the queen caste based on 14 specimens. The H. abeillei material we examined comes from Italy, Spain and Malta (mostly originating from coastal localities), and comprises 11 inedit distribution records, including the first findings in the islands of Mallorca, Malta and Sardinia. Moreover, we provide a first phenological overview of the species’ nuptial flights. Our data show that H. abeillei sexuals flight during the summer, mostly in August, and demonstrate that they can easily be distinguished from all the other Hypoponera species inhabiting the Mediterranean region based on their morphology. The remarkable diversity of Mediterranean Hypoponera males and queens suggest that sexuals may have a role in future attempts to understand relationships within this genus, yet the number of species in which sexual castes are documented is still extremely reduced.


Author(s):  
Miron Wolny ◽  

The author of the article tries to connect the observation of economic and trade relations developed by the Phoenicians in the western part of the Mediterranean with a reflection on the situation in which the Levant countries found themselves. It is known that in the period in which the founding of Carthage can be hypothetically located, the Phoenician centers were under political, economic and military pressure – mainly from Assyria – although other powers, such as Damascus, cannot be ruled out. On the other hand, however, it is known that, for example, in German science the lack of a founding act of Carthage in North Africa was emphasized, and the archaeological traces left in this territory seem insufficient to reconcile conventional literary relations with the founding of Carthage at the end of the 9th century BC. The intention of this article is an attempt to show the issues on the basis of which one should consider the reinterpretation of the events reported as the context of the founding of Carthage. This procedure would serve to revise the existing findings of science on the chronology of the founding of Qarthadasht and could, consequently, contribute to showing that the founding of Carthage fell on a later period - i.e. the end of the 8th or the beginning of the 7th century BCE.


Politeja ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2(65)) ◽  
pp. 239-256
Author(s):  
George Cassar ◽  
Marie Avellino

The island of Malta has served as a strategic colony since the dawn of history. Since Phoenician and Roman times, the island has been an important base in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Its last colonisers, the British, spent about 180 years using the islands for their imperial needs. The official closing of the British base on 31 March 1979 heralded a new economic and social reality supposedly unhampered by the exigencies of foreigners. Two major post-memory reactions kicked in – nostalgia and aversion to ex-colonial life. The postcolonial Maltese generations exhibit a range of reactions oscillating between love and hate for the British. On the other hand, British ex-service personnel and their families have continued to feel an affinity with the island base which they had come to acknowledge as a second home. This allows for a new type of relationship between the Maltese people and their British visitors where issues of colonial post-memory are negotiated. These are seen at their best in the local tourism industry. Malta woos British tourists and goes to great effort to attract them. It uses to its advantage the colonial affinity to create an attractive destination for the British which benefits the locals and the Maltese economy. In Malta post-memory has evolved in line with necessity and expediency, where animosity, though manifestly tangible, has gradually morphed into a rather benign residue in the collective reaction to the colonial past.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Predieri ◽  
Fiorella Sinesio ◽  
Erminio Monteleone ◽  
Sara Spinelli ◽  
Marta Cianciabella ◽  
...  

The Mediterranean diet (MD) is associated with many health benefits. The association between the MD and food neophobia (FN) is still unexplored in adults. The present cross-sectional study was aimed to explore the relationships between adherence to the MD, FN, and sociodemographic variables in a large Italian cohort. Familiarity and frequency use (FFI) of prototypical and non-prototypical Mediterranean foods were used to calculate a new adherence index: the Italian Taste Mediterranean Index (ITMI). The FFI of all Mediterranean foods increased with age, while butter, soft drinks, red/cured meat, and sweets were more common in younger people. Accordingly, ITMI increased with age (F2,2384 = 54.11; p < 0.0001). Women recorded a higher ITMI (6.70) than men (6.10). Individuals with high FN showed higher FFI for soft drinks and sweets and lower ones for most typical MD foods, than individuals with low FNs. A decrease of ITMI was recorded with the increase of the FN(F2,2384 = 22.84; p < 0.0001). With ageing, ITMI increased even in individuals with a high FN. The results suggest that FN may negatively affect adherence to the MD, lowering its potential health benefits, in the adult population. Monitoring of food habits, dietary education, and anxiety management, may be valuable tools to control FN and support the adherence to the MD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9311
Author(s):  
Matthieu Adam ◽  
Marylise Cottet ◽  
Sylvie Morardet ◽  
Lise Vaudor ◽  
Laure Coussout ◽  
...  

The ViaRhôna is an 815 km cycle route running along the Rhône River from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean Sea. We examine the influence of this type of cycle route on the relationship between route users (including the local population, itinerant cyclists and foreign tourists) and the river landscapes. This relationship is approached from the angle of the use of the riverbanks as well as the perceived image, the value, and the knowledge associated with the river and its landscapes. Our survey based on interviews (n = 16) and questionnaires (n = 546) produced the following results. The features of the cycle route and the related activities that it makes possible drain a special segment of the population that, in spite of its diverse sociological composition, shares similar tastes. The creation of the cycle route has led to an increase in use of the riverbanks both by tourists and local people. The experience that it offers contributes to enhancing the value that users place on the river. This is due to a change in the image of the river following the (re)discovery of its natural environments. On the other hand, knowledge of one’s natural environments is not modified. These results raise the question of possible changes in the degree to which users support policies targeting the preservation and restoration of the river.


2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 803-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Dhaene ◽  
Els Godecharle ◽  
Katrien Antonio ◽  
Michel Denuit ◽  
Hamza Hanbali

AbstractThis paper considers the problem of a lifelong health insurance cover where medical inflation is not sufficiently incorporated in the level premium determined at policy issue. We focus on the setting where changes in health benefits, driven by medical inflation, are accounted for by an appropriate update or indexation of the level premium, the policy value, or both premium and policy value, during the term of the contract. Such an updating mechanism is necessary to restore the actuarial equivalence between future health benefits and surrender values on the one hand, and available policy values and future premiums on the other hand. We extend existing literature (Vercruysse et al., 2013; Denuit et al., 2017) by developing updating mechanisms in a discrete-time framework, where medical inflation is only taken into account ex-post as it emerges over time and where surrender values are allowed for. We propose and design two types of surrender values: based on the ageing provision on the one hand and based directly on the premiums paid until surrender on the other hand. We illustrate our updating strategy with numerical examples, using Belgian data, and investigate the sensitivity of our findings with respect to elements from the technical basis (in particular: the lapse rates) used in the actuarial calculations. Our updating mechanism is generic and useful for a wide range of products in life and health insurance, where some elements of the technical basis are guaranteed while others are subject to revision according to policy conditions.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document