Sounds, Chants and Discant in Wilbrand von Oldenburg’s Itinerarium: the Embassy in Cilicia (1211-1212)

Wilbrand von Oldenburg was born in the second half of the 12th century into a noble Germanic family and embarked on an ecclesiastical career while still young, becoming canon of the cathedral chapter of Hildesheim in 1211. Linked to the political circles of the empire’s high officials and the religious circles that supported the emperor, he travelled to the Holy Land from 1211 to 1213 for purposes of diplomacy and pilgrimage. The Itinerarium Terrae Sanctae is a significant source of information about the political, military, and ecclesiastical affairs of the recent Christian kingdom of Lesser Armenia, Cyprus, and territories such as Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, characterised by the coexistence of different peoples and religions. Wilbrand also recounts this diversity through the soundscape he encounters. Perhaps the most interesting sound element of the travel account is the description of the music of the kingdom of Cilicia, particularly for the feast of the day of Epiphany, including the procession of the sovereign and clergy. The many musical details in the text testify to ritual practices that can be traced back, in some respects, to Eastern Greek customs and, in others, to Latin ceremonials, particularly the Franco-Ottonian imperial one. Finally, an unexpected account of discantus for the rite of the day of Epiphany in aurora provides an opportunity to reflect on Wilbrand’s terminology in reference to liturgical musical performance for the intonation of the office, the recitation of epistles and gospels, and the rituals of the most solemn ceremonies

Rumen fluid from donor cows fed different additives can affect the in vitro fermentation parameters

This study assessed the impact of rumen ‘fluid not adapted’ (FNA) and of rumen ‘fluid adapted’ (FA) to three additives on in vitro kinetics of gas production and end products of fermentation. The experiment was performed according to a Latin Square Design of 4 cows and 4 experimental periods. The dry cows received a total mixed ration designed for lactating cows without (control) or with 1 g/d of one of three additives (allyl-sulphide, cinnamaldehyde, limonene) that were selected for their known effects on rumen fermentation. The collected rumen fluids (FNA and FA, respectively) were used as inoculum of 4 consecutive in vitro incubations (1 for each experimental period) adding or not adding 30 mg of one of the three pure compounds. The incubations were performed using a commercial equipment to evaluate the kinetics of gas production and collect the end products of fermentation. The results indicated that FA did not influence any fermentation parameters compared to FNA. However, when allyl-sulphide was added in vitro, the effects of this compound tended to be more pronounced with FA than with FNA. This experiment highlights that the three tested pure additives, which show activity on in vitro fermentations, can alter the in vitro activity of rumen fluid collected from cows fed with these compounds. Therefore, the administration of pure additives directly to the cows can influence the rumen microbial activity and the response of in vitro experiments

MLH1 gene promoter methylation status partially overlaps with CpG methylator phenotype (CIMP) in colorectal adenocarcinoma

Background RAS/BRAF mutations, mismatch DNA repair complex deficiency (MMRd)/microsatellite instability (MSI), and CpG methylator phenotype (CIMP) are key molecular actors in colorectal carcinogenesis. To date, conflicting evidence about the correlations between these molecular features has been reported. Materials and methods A retrospectively selected cohort of 123 CRCs was divided into 3 groups based on the molecular characteristics: MMR proficient (MMRp)/BRAF p.V600E mutated (BRAF(mut)), MMRd/BRAF(mut), and MMRd/BRAF wild type (BRAF(wt)). MLH1 promoter (pMLH1) methylation status was assessed by pyrosequencing. For 82 samples the CIMP phenotype was evaluated using the EpiTect (R) MethyLight kit. Results The MMRd/BRAF(mut) group showed a higher pMLH1 methylation rate compared to both the MMRd/BRAF(wt) and the MMRp/BRAF(mut) groups. Overall, the two MMRd groups had a higher methylation rate compared to the MMRp cases independently from the mutational status of BRAF (p-value <0.0001). The MMRd/BRAF(mut) group was characterized by a 90.0 % of CIMP high (CIMP-H) tumors of which 97.2 % were pMLH1 methylated. Instead, the MMRd/BRAF(wt) group presented 50.0 % of CIMP-H adenocarcinomas. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that pMLH1 hypermethylation, MMRd, BRAF(mut) and CIMP phenotype do not completely overlap in CRC. These findings further refine the knowledge on the molecular landscape of CRC and may have critical implications also for the clinical management of the disease

Unveiling the fitness of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains for lignocellulosic bioethanol: a genomic exploration through fermentation stress tests

Lignocellulosic biomass holds significant promise as a substrate for bioethanol production, yet the financial viability of lignocellulosic fermentation poses challenges. The pre-treatment step needed for lignocellulosic substrates generates inhibitors that impede Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth, affecting the fermentation process and overall yield. In modern sugarcane-to-ethanol plants, a rapid succession of yeast strains occurs, with dominant strains prevailing. Therefore, yeast strains with both dominance potential and inhibitor tolerance are crucial towards the development of superior strains with industrial fitness. This study adopted a hybrid approach combining biotechnology and bioinformatics to explore a cluster of 20 S. cerevisiae strains, including industrial and oenological strains exhibiting diverse phenotypic features. In-depth genomic analyses focusing on gene copy number variations (CNVs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were conducted and compared with results from fermentation tests once inoculated in multiple strains kinetics under stressing conditions such as low nitrogen availability and high formic or acetic acid levels. Some strains showed high resistance to biotic stress and acetic acid. Moreover, four out of 20 strains – namely S. cerevisiae YI30, Fp89, Fp90 and CESPLG05 - displayed promising resistance also to formic acid, the most impactful weak acids in pre-treated lignocellulosic biomass. These strains have the potential to be used for the development of superior S. cerevisiae strains tailored for lignocellulosic bioethanol production

Clinical and radiographic outcomes of extra-short implants (≤ 6 mm) in the posterior atrophic jaws: a retrospective cohort study

Objective: This study aimed at investigating implant survival rate and marginal bone loss (MBL) around extra-short implants. The impact of the loading protocol and of the use of an intermediate abutment was also evaluated, to explore possible differences in terms of the outcome measures. Materials and methods: Patients with single or multiple mandibular or maxillary posterior edentulism rehabilitated using extra-short 5-6 mm long implants were included. Different prosthetic protocols were used. Clinical and radiological follow-up was 5 years. The outcomes measures were implant survival and MBL. Results: The analysis included 56 implants placed in 34 adults (12 males and 22 females; mean age 60 years, SD 11). Six implants failed during a median follow-up of 5 years and 4 of them were recorded in one patient at 2-year follow-up. The 5-year implant survival was 89% overall (87% in conventional and 94% in immediate loading). At univariate analysis, during follow-up immediate loading was associated with higher MBL (mean variation 0.21 mm, 95%CI 0.01 to 0.40; p = 0.02), while intermediate abutment was associated with lower MBL (mean variation -0.23 mm, 95%CI -0.39 to -0.09; p = 0.003). Multivariable analysis confirmed that immediate loading was associated with higher MBL. Conclusion: Within its limitations, this study showed that extra-short implants under immediate loading conditions can be a reliable solution. The application of horizontal and vertical platform switching with the use of intermediate abutments seems to be able to contribute to the reduction of MBL

Reduced ATP turnover during hibernation in relaxed skeletal muscle

Hibernating brown bears, due to a drastic reduction in metabolic rate, show only moderate muscle wasting. Here, we evaluate if ATPase activity of resting skeletal muscle myosin can contribute to this energy sparing. By analyzing single muscle fibers taken from the same bears, either during hibernation or in summer, we find that fibers from hibernating bears have a mild decline in force production and a significant reduction in ATPase activity. Single fiber proteomics, western blotting, and immunohistochemical analyses reveal major remodeling of the mitochondrial proteome during hibernation. Furthermore, using bioinformatical approaches and western blotting we find that phosphorylated myosin light chain, a known stimulator of basal myosin ATPase activity, is decreased in hibernating and disused muscles. These results suggest that skeletal muscle limits energy loss by reducing myosin ATPase activity, indicating a possible role for myosin ATPase activity modulation in multiple muscle wasting conditions