More to Blue Zones than long life: positive psychological characteristics

Blue Zones are defined as regions of exceptional longevity. Emerging evidence also indicates the presence of several positive psychological characteristics amongst older inhabitants. No synthesis of this information is currently available. The current article focuses on psychological characteristics of successful ageing, including perceived well-being and cognitive health. Relevant findings concerning the Sardinian Blue Zone are reviewed along with an evidence suggesting links to the distinctive sociocultural environment of this region. People aged 65+ living in the Sardinian Blue Zone have substantially lower levels of depressive symptomatology, higher levels of self-perceived well-being and better subjective and objective cognitive health relative to matched control samples. These differences are robust, reliable and persist throughout late adulthood. Important determinants of the positive traits include increased active engagement in community religious and leisure activities. Sparse evidence for other Blue Zones exists but reduced levels of depression may be a shared attribute. Older Blue Zone Sardinians possess positive psychological characteristics, which are associated with successful ageing and are known to promote longevity. Blue Zone populations appear to be a valuable, but overlooked, resource for the study of positive aspects of ageing.     

Studies of novel variants associated with Hb F in Sardinians and Tanzanians in sickle cell disease patients from Cameroon

High level of Hb F has been shown to improve survival in sickle cell disease. Among 453 Cameroonians with sickle cell disease, we have investigated 18 selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in novel and suggestive loci associated with Hb F level identified through a genomewide association study in sickle cell disease patients in Tanzania, and whole-genome sequencing of a population from Sardinia. Seven of 10 variants reported in Sardinians were either monomorphic or very rare in the Cameroonians. No associations were observed with any SNPs and Hb F levels in Cameroonians affected by sickle cell disease. The present study illustrates the complexity of replicating Hb F-promoting variants association results across populations.     

Quinto Tiberio Angelerio and New Measures for Controlling Plague in 16th-Century Alghero,Sardinia

Plague, a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, has been responsible for at least 3 pandemics. During 1582–1583, a plague outbreak devastated the seaport of Alghero in Sardinia. By analyzing contemporary medical texts and local documentation, we uncovered the pivotal role played by the Protomedicus of Alghero, Quinto Tiberio Angelerio (1532–1617), in controlling the epidemic. Angelerio imposed rules and antiepidemic measures new to the 16th-century sanitary system of Sardinia. Those measures undoubtedly spared the surrounding districts from the spread of the contagion. Angelerio seems to have been an extremely successful public health officer in the history of plague epidemics in Sardinia.     

The Rise and Fall of the Secular Trend in Body Height in Sardinia: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis

Objective Over the last century, a progressive rise in stature, known as the ‘secular trend', was documented worldwide, and especially in Sardinia, it has reached a peak in Europe. However, this situation recently ceased in several populations. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the stature secular trend has significantly leveled off in the Sardinian younger generations.Methods Height measurements were retrieved from a database of patients undergoing digestive endoscopy, spanning generations between 1920 and 1990. Sex-specific principal component regression models were fitted to decompose stature variation into the contribution of age, period, and birth cohort.Results A steady increase in stature was observed in generations born after 1920, with an upward surge in those born after 1950. However, a significant leveling off was observed among cohorts born after 1970 among both sexes, as mean heights stabilized at 171.1 cm with a standard error(SE) of 0.9 cm among men and a mean of 160.1 cm(SE = 0.9 cm) among women.Conclusion Our findings support a significant slowdown in the secular trend of stature among the latest Sardinian generations. Several factors, including the consumption of low-quality food, lack of physical activity, and late motherhood, among others, may explain the decline in the secular trend.     

The PDLIM5 gene and lithium prophylaxis: An association and gene expression analysis in Sardinian patients with bipolar disorder

A number of studies support the notion that lithium interacts with the protein kinase C (PKC) pathway, an important mediator of several intracellular responses to neurotransmitter signaling. PDLIM5 (PDZ and LIM domain 5; LIM) is an adaptor protein that selectively binds the isozyme PKC(epsilon) to N-type Ca(2+) channels in neurons. We tested for an association between three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the PDLIM5 gene and lithium prophylaxis in a Sardinian sample comprised of 155 bipolar patients treated with lithium. In order to evaluate whether PDLIM5 expression interacts with lithium response, we carried out gene expression analysis in lymphoblastoid cells of 30 bipolar patients. No association was shown between PDLIM5 polymorphisms and lithium response. When PDLIM5 expression was evaluated, no significant differences were detected between Full Responders to lithium (total score>or=7) and other patients (total score相似文献   

Hematological malignancies in the island of Sardinia, 1974-1993: age and sex distributions and temporal changes in incidence

We have collected, by an active retrospective survey, all the cases of hematologic malignancies (HM) newly diagnosed during the time period 1974-1993 in the resident population of Sardinia. Diagnosis was deemed valid, after consultation of clinical records, in more than 90% of the 7264 collected cases. The number of newly diagnosed cases by year more than doubled during the 20-year period investigated. This striking increase can be only partially accounted for by ageing of population. Indeed, age-specific and age-adjusted rates of most of HM increased during this period, although Hodgkin Disease (HD), Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) were notable exceptions. The observed increase in rates is likely, in a large part, to be fictitious, due to easier access to a health care system, which in the meantime, improved its diagnostic efficiency. This was particularly evident for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Multiple Myeloma (MM) and some others myelo- and lympho-proliferative disorders, but its relevance declined after 1984-1989. A likely true increase in occurrence was evidenced for Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas (NHL) and similarly, although to a lesser extent and more doubtful, for Myelodysplasias (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). At the end of the studied period each type of HM presented age and sex distributions and age-adjusted rates that show only minor differences from those reported for other western countries. No argument emerged to suggest that any genetic peculiarities of the Sardinian population might have affected the occurrence of HM. The confounding effects of improved diagnostic efficiency have prevented a reliable assessment of influence on incidences of environmental and socio-economic changes that, in relatively recent times, have occurred in Sardinia.     

RNA viruses and their silencing suppressors boost Abutilon mosaic virus, but not the Old World Tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus

Mixed viral infections can induce different changes in symptom development, genome accumulation and tissue tropism. These issues were investigated for two phloem-limited begomoviruses, Abutilon mosaic virus (AbMV) and Tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus (TYLCSV) in Nicotiana benthamiana plants doubly infected by either the potyvirus Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV) or the tombusvirus Artichoke mottled crinkle virus (AMCV). Both RNA viruses induced an increase of the amount of AbMV, led to its occasional egress from the phloem and induced symptom aggravation, while the amount and tissue tropism of TYLCSV were almost unaffected. In transgenic plants expressing the silencing suppressors of CABMV (HC-Pro) or AMCV (P19), AbMV was supported to a much lesser extent than in the mixed infections, with the effect of CABMV HC-Pro being superior to that of AMCV P19. Neither of the silencing suppressors influenced TYLCSV accumulation. These results demonstrate that begomoviruses differentially respond to the invasion of other viruses and to silencing suppression.     

Interacting genes in lithium prophylaxis: Preliminary results of an exploratory analysis on the role of DGKH and NR1D1 gene polymorphisms in 199 Sardinian bipolar patients

Lithium represents the first-choice and most effective drug in the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD). While its mechanism of action is far from being totally understood, a large amount of evidence pointed to a role of second messengers mediated pathways and elements of the circadian system in modulating its mood stabilizing effect. In the present paper, we tested the possible association and interaction effect of the nuclear receptor subfamily 1, group D, member 1 (NR1D1) gene and the Diacylglycerol kinase eta (DGKH) gene with the therapeutic response to lithium prophylaxis. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs12941497 and rs939347 at NR1D1 gene and SNPs rs9315885, rs1012053 and rs1170191 at DGKH gene were genotyped in a sample of 199 Sardinian BD patients characterized for the response to lithium therapy. Genotype and allele frequency distributions did not differ significantly between groups of patients Full Responders and partial/not responders to lithium prophylaxis. Moreover, no significant differences were identified between groups of patients when divided considering the improvement in symptoms after lithium treatment. The interaction analysis did not show a significant effect on these outcomes. While negative, our findings do not exclude an involvement of DGKH and NR1D1 in lithium prophylaxis. Moreover, the lack of statistic interaction might not necessarily correspond to a lack of biologic interaction between the genes studied.     

Prevalence of primary blepharospasm in Sardinia, Italy: a service-based survey.

We performed a service-based epidemiological study of primary blepharospasm in the island of Sardinia (Italy). Due to its favorable geographical location, we are confident we will provide reliable data from patients seeking botulinum toxin treatment. A total of 53 patients were assessed. Prevalence was estimated to be 32.2 per 1 million (95% confidence interval, 23.0-40.8). These results are in line with those obtained in other similar surveys, that is, record-based, and performed in various European regions such as Northern England, the Munich area, as well as the Epidemiologic Study of Dystonia in Europe.