A combination of hot water treatment and modified atmosphere packaging maintains quality of advanced maturity 'Caldesi 2000' nectarines and 'Royal Glory' peaches

Advanced maturity nectarines cv. Caldesi 2000 [Prunus persica var. nectarina (Ait.) Maxim.] and peaches cv. Royal Glory [Prunus persica (L.) Batch] were treated in 46°C hot water containing 200 mM NaCl for 25 min, sealed in low thickness PE bags and stored at 0°C for 1 and 2 weeks. Quality was evaluated initially and after each storage period plus 1 day shelf life. Hot water treatment (an acceptable treatment to reduce spoilage from fungi) did not cause any fruit damage based on external observations, specific conductivity and total phenol content evaluations, but reduced firmness loss (possibly in combination with MA packaging) especially in the white-flesh nectarines and kept the cellular membranes functioning better. PE bags were of low thickness and MA conditions inside the bags were found inadequate (O2 levels >15%, CO2 levels <5%) to significantly affect the ripening process during cold storage, but could be harmful after 10 h at room temperature (O 2 levels <3%, CO2 levels >13%). Mass losses were kept low in PE bags. Juice soluble solids concentration, pH and acidity were not affected by the hot water treatment before and after cold storage. Hot water combined with MA packaging during storage resulted in good quality fruit after 1 week duration for postharvest handling. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Predominant Role of mTOR Signaling in Skin Diseases with Therapeutic Potential

The serine/threonine kinase mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of cell proliferation, survival, and motility in response to availability of energy and nutrients as well as mitogens. The mTOR signaling axis regulates important biological processes, including cellular growth, metabolism, and survival in many tissues. In the skin, dysregulation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway may lead to severe pathological conditions characterized by uncon-trolled proliferation and inflammation, including skin hyperproliferative as well as malignant dis-eases. Herein, we provide an update on the current knowledge regarding the pathogenic implica-tion of the mTOR pathway in skin diseases with inflammatory features (such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, pemphigus, and acne) and malignant characteristics (such as cutaneous T cell lymphoma and melanoma) while we critically discuss current and future perspectives for therapeutic targeting of mTOR axis in clinical practice. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

The combined effect of promoting the Mediterranean diet and physical activity on metabolic risk factors in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Adhering to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and physical activity (PA) public health guidelines have independently been linked to health benefits in adults. These behaviours form essential components of the traditional Mediterranean lifestyle. However, their combined effect on metabolic risk has not been systematically assessed. This systematic review with meta-analysis (PROSPERO; CRD42017073958) aimed to examine, for the first time, the combined effect of promoting the MD and PA compared with no treatment, treatment with MD or PA alone, or a different dietary and/or PA treatment, and estimate its magnitude on metabolic risk factors. Medline, Embase, CINAHL and Web of Science were systematically searched until March 2018 for English language controlled interventions reporting the combined effects of the MD and PA on one or multiple metabolic risk factors in adults. Two researchers independently conducted data extraction and risk of bias assessment using a rigorous methodology. Reporting followed PRISMA guidelines. Quality of reporting and risk of bias were assessed using the CONSORT guidelines and the Cochrane Collaboration's tool, respectively. Data from 12 articles reporting 11 randomised controlled trials (n = 1684) were included in the qualitative synthesis; across them, risk of bias was considered low, unclear and high for 42%, 25% and 33% of domains, respectively. Between-study heterogeneity ranged from 44% (triglycerides) to 98% (insulin and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)-cholesterol). Compared to a control condition, there was strong evidence (p < 0.001) of a beneficial effect of promoting the MD and PA on body weight (-3.68 kg, 95% CI (confidence intervals) -5.48, -1.89), body mass index (-0.64 kg/m², 95% CI -1.10, -0.18), waist circumference (-1.62 cm, 95% CI -2.58, -0.66), systolic (-0.83 mmHg, 95% CI -1.57, -0.09) and diastolic blood pressure (-1.96 mmHg, 95% CI -2.57, -1.35), HOMA-IR index (-0.90, 95% CI -1.22, -0.58), blood glucose (-7.32 mg/dL, 95% CI -9.82, -4.82), triglycerides (-18.47 mg/dL, 95% CI -20.13, -16.80), total cholesterol (-6.30 mg/dL, 95% CI -9.59, -3.02) and HDL-cholesterol (+3.99 mg/dL, 95% CI 1.22, 6.77). There was no evidence of an effect on insulin concentrations. The data presented here provide systematically identified evidence that concurrently promoting the MD and PA is likely to provide an opportunity for metabolic risk reduction. However, due to the high degree of heterogeneity, most likely due to the variation in control group treatment, and the small number of included studies, findings from the pooled analysis should be interpreted with caution. These findings also highlight the need for high quality randomised controlled trials examining the combined effect of the MD and PA on metabolic risk

Polycystin-1 induces activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and promotes angiogenesis in renal cell carcinoma

In the present study we investigated the expression and the functional role of mechanosensitive polycystins in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). In 115 RCC patients we evaluated the protein expression of polycystin-1 (PC1), polycystin-2 (PC2), VEGF and protein components of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, which have been implicated both in RCC and polycystic kidney disease. PC1 and PC2 demonstrated reduced expression throughout the RCC tissue compared to the adjacent normal tissue. PC1 and PC2 revealed high expression when they were associated with higher grade and decreased 5-year survival respectively. PC1 and PC2 were positively correlated with p110γ subunit of PI3K and high PC1 expressing cells tended to display activation/phosphorylation of Akt. There was also a positive association between PC1 and VEGF expression, whereas PC1 augmented the tumor's microvascular network in stage IV carcinomas. In human RCC cells, functional inhibition of PC1 resulted in upregulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, enhanced cell proliferation and led to inhibition of cell migration. Conclusively, aberrant PC1 regulation is associated with increased angiogenesis and features of advanced disease in RCC tissues. © 2020 Elsevier B.V

Tratamento térmico para controle da lanosidade em pêssegos 'Dourado-2' refrigerados Heat treatment to alleviation of woolliness of cold stored 'Dourado-2' peach

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de tratamentos térmicos na incidência de lanosidade em pêssegos 'Dourado-2' armazenados a 0ºC e na fisiologia e bioquímica dos frutos. Foram realizados condicionamentos térmicos antes da refrigeração, por meio da exposição dos frutos a 50ºC por 2 horas ou a 20ºC por 48 horas e do aquecimento intermitente durante o armazenamento refrigerado; os frutos foram submetidos a 25ºC durante 24 horas, a cada cinco dias de armazenamento a 0ºC, ou durante 48 horas, a cada dez dias de armazenamento a 0ºC. Frutos continuamente armazenados a 0ºC serviram de controle. Após 30 dias de armazenamento mais três dias de comercialização simulada, foram determinados os efeitos dos tratamentos sobre a incidência de lanosidade, podridões, teor de sólidos solúveis, acidez, teor de ácido ascórbico, coloração, firmeza da polpa, taxa respiratória, produção de etileno, atividade das enzimas poligalacturonase e pectinametilesterase. O aquecimento intermitente com ciclos de cinco ou dez dias e o condicionamento a 20ºC durante 48 horas foram mais eficazes para reduzir a incidência de lanosidade, mas acelerou a perda de firmeza dos frutos. A produção de etileno foi maior nos frutos submetidos a aquecimento intermitente. Os tratamentos térmicos provocaram poucas alterações no teor de sólidos solúveis, acidez, ácido ascórbico, coloração e incidência de podridões.<br>The work was carried out with the objective to verify the effect of heat treatments on the incidence of woolliness in 'Dourado-2' peaches stored at 0ºC. Heat treatments were applied as conditioning temperature (50ºC during 2 hours or 20ºC during 48 hours) before cold storage. In intermittent warming, fruit treatments were warmed each five days at 25ºC during 24 hours or each ten days during 48 hours. Control fruit were continuously stored at 0ºC. The variables evaluated after 30 days at 0ºC (plus three days at room temperature) were: incidence of woolliness and decay, soluble solids content (SSC), acidity, ascorbic acid, skin color, firmness, respiratory rate, ethylene production and activity of polygalacturonase (PG) and pectinmethylesterase (PME). The intermittent warming with cycles of five or ten days and the conditioning temperature at 20ºC during 48 hours before cold storage was the most effective treatment to reduce incidence of woolliness. However, heat treatment hastened fruit softening. Ethylene production was higher in fruits intermittently warmed and this can be related to the higher activity of PG and PME and consequently to alleviation of woolliness of the fruit. Heat treatment caused little variations on SSC, acidity, ascorbic acid and skin color