On 13 March 2005 the former municipalities of Arosio, Breno, Fescoggia, Mugena and Vezio merged into the new municipality of Alto Malcantone.
Sirtuin
Sirtuin or Sir2 proteins are a class of enzymes that are important in cell biology.
Sirtuins regulate important biological pathways in bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes. The name Sir2 comes from the yeast gene 'silent mating-type information regulation 2', the gene responsible for cellular regulation in yeast.
Sirtuins influence many cellular processes like ageing, transcription, apoptosis, inflammation and stress resistance, as well as energy efficiency and alertness during low-calorie situations. Sirtuins can also control circadian clocks and mitochondrial biogenesis.
Euryale
Euryale is one of the gorgons in Greek myth. Her sisters are Stheno and the infamous Medusa. All three were once ravishing young women, particularly Medusa, who also happened to a priestess in the temple of Athena and took a vow of chastity, until she was raped by Poseidon. This was much to the ire of Athena and to punish Medusa, she had her and her sisters, who had been watching, turned into monsters with snakes for hair and a killer gaze, which turned onlookers into stone. The trio of sisters were later banished to a remote island.
A side effect of the transformation was that while Medusa's sisters were immortal, she herself wasn't, which would lead to Perseus killing her. Euryale is well known for her loud cries, particularly after her younger sister's death.
MTOR
mTOR is a protein, an enzyme which regulates cell growth, cell division, cell movement, cell survival, protein synthesis, autophagy, and transcription. It is a protein that in humans is encoded by the "MTOR" gene.
It has been given various names. It was originally called the 'mammalian target of rapamycin', but is also known as the 'mechanistic target of rapamycin' and 'FK506-binding protein 12-rapamycin-associated protein 1' (FRAP1).
The mTOR pathway is a central regulator of mammalian metabolism and physiology, with important roles in the function of tissues including liver, muscle, white and brown adipose tissue, and the brain.
Rapamycin
Rapamycin, also known as sirolimus, is a compound produced by the bacterium "Streptomyces hygroscopicus".
It is used in medicine to prevent organ transplant rejection. It has immunosuppressant functions in humans and is especially useful in preventing the rejection of kidney transplants. It inhibits activation of T cells and B cells by reducing the production of interleukin-2 (IL-2). Sirolimus is also used as a coating for coronary stents.
Rapamycin was first shown to extend lifespan in eukaryotes (actually, yeast cells) in 2006.
In a 2009 study, the lifespans of mice fed rapamycin were increased between 28 and 38% from the beginning of treatment. That is a 9 to 14% increased maximum lifespan. The treatment began in mice aged 20 months, the equivalent of 60 human years.
Later, rapamycin has been shown to extend mouse lifespan in several separate experiments. It is now being tested for this purpose on nonhuman primates (the marmoset monkey). A study on dogs is also planned.
Because rapamycin at high doses can suppress the immune system, people taking rapamycin for transplant or cancer therapy are more susceptible to dangerous infections.
It is thought that some dietary regimes, like restricting calories and methionine, cause lifespan extension by decreasing mTOR activity. It is believed that this is achieved by limiting the essential amino acid leucine, a potent activator of mTOR. The administration of leucine into the rat brain has been shown to decrease food intake and body weight via activation of the mTOR pathway.
According to the free radical theory of aging, reactive oxygen causes damage to mitochondrial proteins, and decreases ATP production. Then, the mTOR pathway is inhibited and ATP consuming protein synthesis is downregulated. This means the proportion of damaged proteins grows. Moreover, disruption of mTORC1 directly inhibits mitochondrial respiration.
These positive feedbacks on the aging process are counteracted by protective mechanisms: decreased mTOR activity (among other factors) upregulates glycolysis, and removal of dysfunctional cellular components by autophagy.
Bristoe Campaign
The Bristoe Campaign was a series of minor battles fought in Virginia during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War. Major general George G. Meade, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, began an unsuccessful attempt to defeat General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Lee countered with a turning movement. Not willing to do battle on ground he did not choose, Meade gradually withdrew his army back toward Centreville. His object was to keep Lee from getting between his Union forces in Virginia and Washington, DC.
In September, Lee was forced to send his I Corps commanded by general James Longstreet to the Western Theatre around Chattanooga, Tennessee. Meade lost his Union XI and XII Corps who were also sent to Tennessee. Lee was left with about 55,000 men while Meade’s forces now numbered about 80,000. Meade was unhappy about having to give up two Corps and felt he did not have a large enough force to defeat Lee. Lee, however, proceeded with his plan for a turning movement, to get between Meade and Washington DC.
Early on the morning of October 9, the Confederates broke camp to try to move unnoticed around Meade's flank. They avoided hills and dusty roads where marching might raise clouds of dust that could be seen for miles. Lee knew that if Meade discovered his movements he would either commit to battle or move north of the Rappahannock. But Union pickets reported there were no drum or bugle calls and no smoke from the morning cooking fires coming from the Confederate camps. Word was sent to Meade's headquarters that the rebel army seemed to be moving westward. Meade still did not know what was happening but was very uneasy about these reports. Lee might be moving south to Richmond or he could be moving north trying to turn Meade's flank. Meade also realized that Lincoln was unhappy with his letting Lee escape after Gettysburg. So Meade knew he had to do something.
Throughout the day on October 9, Meade waited on news of Lee's movement. That evening his sent orders for general John Buford’s 1st Cavalry Division to cross the Rapidan at Germanna Ford to find out where the Confederates were. But Buford did not get the orders until the following morning. His cavalry left right away but did not get to the area where the Confederates had been camped before 11:00 a.m.. It wasn't until sunset they made contact with Confederate troops at Morton’s Ford. Meade did not get word of this until the next day, October 11.
At Culpepper Courthouse, Meade was beginning to think Lee was moving north around his flank. But he still had no reports showing this was the case. By the night of October 10, Meade decided a fight in the constricted area of Culpepper was dangerous and might give Lee an advantage. He ordered his entire army north of the Rappahannock. Buford had not received word of the Union army moving north and waited for support from I Corps on the morning of October 11. Instead, he was attacked by Confederate cavalry. The Union and Confederate cavalry units fought throughout the day and by evening Buford had fought his way back across the Rappahannock. But this had distracted the Union cavalry from discovering where Lee's army was.