Methods and results: In 1965, at the time of the 5-year follow-up examination of the Italian Rural Areas of the Seven Countries Study, the diet was assessed by the dietary-history Selleck AS1842856 method in 1139 men aged 45-64 years, free from previous coronary events, in the rural communities of Crevalcore (Northern Italy) and Montegiorgio (Central Italy). MAI has been computed and its natural log (lnMAI) used for the analysis. Mortality data were collected and coded for the subsequent 40 years. The lnMAI

was inversely associated with CHD mortality at 20 and 40 years when entered alone in the Cox proportional hazards model and when adjusted for age, cigarette smoking, systolic blood pressure, PF-03084014 in vivo serum cholesterol, physical activity and body mass index. The hazard ratio for 1 unit of lnMAI (roughly corresponding to 2.7 units of MAI) was associated with a CHD mortality reduction of 26% in 20 years and 21% in 40 years of follow-up, when adjusted for the covariates.

Conclusions: In an Italian middle-aged male population, MAI showed the protective effect of a healthy Mediterranean Diet pattern versus the occurrence of fatal CHD events at 20 and 40 years. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All

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“Intense green upconversion emission in Ho:Yb:Gd2O3 spherical nanoparticles is reported through hetrolooping enhanced energy transfer process. Different techniques used for structural characterization divulge the formation of spherical Ho:Yb:Gd2O3 crystals of diameter similar to 100 nm. Efficient energy transfer from Yb3+ -> Ho3+ ions set spherical nanocrystal to emit in the range of UV-NIR via three NIR photons absorption process. Power dependence and the temporal evolution of upconversion emission intensity suggest the occurrence of a photon avalanche Bafilomycin A1 nmr process. The enhancement in emission intensity in nanophosphor sample has been explained

and the photophysics involved is correlated with the unique structural properties of the crystallites formed and the time resolved spectroscopy. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3622624]“
“Integrins may undergo large conformational changes during activation, but the dynamic processes and pathways remain poorly understood. We used molecular dynamics to simulate forced unbending of a complete integrin alpha(V)beta(3) ectodomain in both unliganded and liganded forms. Pulling the head of the integrin readily induced changes in the integrin from a bent to an extended conformation. Pulling at a cyclic RGD ligand bound to the integrin head also extended the integrin, suggesting that force can activate integrins.