Phytotoxic metabolites produced by Botryosphaeriaceae involved in grapevine trunk diseases

Fungi belonging to the Botryosphaeriaceae family are well known as cosmopolitan pathogens, saprophytes and endophytes and occur on a wide range of hosts including grapevine. More recently, a new species of Lasiodiplodia was isolated from declining grapevines in Sardinia (Italy). This still undescribed species showed to produce in liquid culture several phytotoxic secondary metabolites. In this communication the chemical and biological characterization of these bioactive secondary metabolites is discussed together with their role in the pathogenesis process

Self-assembling reduced graphene oxide and TiO2-based materials for solar photocatalytic wastewater treatment

In this study, we employed a simple and eco-friendly method to prepare self-assembling self-standing membranes of: i) graphene oxide (GO), ii) reduced GO (rGO), iii) rGO and TiO2 (rGO-TiO2). We tested the three membranes for adsorption and solar photodegradation of Imidacloprid in water, obtaining evidence of a remarkable solar photocatalytic activity of rGO. To the best of our knowledge, no other photocatalytic rGO self-standing membranes have been reported yet

Self-standing membranes of reduced graphene oxide, TiO2 and waste-derived TiO2 for water treatment through adsorption and photocatalysis

As stated in United Nations SDG 6, improvement of wastewater treatment and reuse is an urgent necessity. In this context, titanium dioxide (TiO2) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) deserve a particular attention. The former is a well-known photocatalytic material, the latter shows a significant capture ability toward metal ions and organic molecules. Compared to pure TiO2, rGO-TiO2 composites are proved to have a reduced bandgap, which allows to exploit lower-energy photons for photocatalysis. In this work, we developed composite self-assembling membranes of rGO and TiO2. Our purpose is to obtain a self-standing material having the double functionality of adsorbent and photocatalyst, able to decontaminate wastewater from both inorganic and organic pollutants. To the best of our knowledge, no other self-standing membranes of rGO and TiO2 have been reported in literature yet. Fulfilling a circular economy approach, we also investigated the replacement of TiO2 with tionite (TIO), a waste-derived TiO2-containing material. Composite rGO-TiO2 and rGO-TIO membranes, with 2:1, 1:1 or 1:2 mass ratio, were simply prepared by mixing of an rGO aqueous suspension with commercial TiO2 nanopowder or tionite, followed by vacuum filtration and mild drying. The resulting self-assembling membranes were extensively characterized through XRD, SEMEDX, thermogravimetry, Raman and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Their water remediation properties were evaluated toward contaminants of different nature. Membranes were employed as filters for aqueous solutions of Fe3+ and Cu2+, representative of heavy metals contaminated wastewater. Then, membranes were tested for adsorption and photodegradation of organic molecules, namely the pesticide Imidacloprid, the dye methylene blue and the analgesic drug paracetamol. Experiments were carried out in dynamic and static conditions for 5 h, irradiating the membranes with UV-A, visible and simulated solar light. All the membranes exhibited a significant adsorption capacity (75%) toward the three molecules. In addition, composite membranes were responsible for pollutants photodegradation. Despite being limited (between 10% and 20%), the photocatalytic activity of these membranes is notable, considering the small amount of TiO2 and TIO contained. Moreover, the anatase content of tionite is as low as 1/6 of the one of commercial TiO2

Therapy Efficacy in Chronic Aphasia

There is good evidence that aphasia therapy is effective if sufficiently prolonged or intensive and that chronic aphasic individuals can also benefit from therapy, but data on chronic aphasia are scanty. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate whether chronic aphasia benefits from a very intensive therapeutic regimen. We revised the files (January 2000 to December 2008) of the chronic subjects whom we suggested have periodic sessions in our Unit (generally once a week) and 2–3 hours daily of homework with the help of a family member, supervised and controlled by the speech-therapist. Treatment would go on as long as amelioration is evident. Results for 23 chronic aphasic subjects are reported. All subjects had undergone previous therapy and 10 had been dismissed because no further recovery was expected. Recovery was significant in oral and written nouns and actions naming, oral and written sentence production and Token Test scores. Only 4 subjects did not improve. Severity of the disorder did not predict success or failure. We conclude that recovery was due to the intense work done. Further, we believe such a regimen could be successful in a number of patients for whom a less intensive regimen would not be effective

Cell Toxicity Study of Antiseptic Solutions Containing Povidone-Iodine and Hydrogen Peroxide

The increasing incidence of periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) has led to a growing interest in developing strategies to prevent and treat this severe complication. The surgical site's application of antiseptic solutions to eliminate contaminating bacteria and eradicate the bacterial biofilm has been increasing over time. Even though it has been proven that combining antimicrobials could enhance their activities and help overcome acquired microbial resistance related to the topical use of antibiotics, the toxicity of integrated solutions is not well described. This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of solutions containing povidone-iodine (PI) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), alone or in combination, after 1.3 and 5 min of exposure. Chondrocytes, tenocytes, and fibroblast-like synoviocytes were used for cytotoxicity analysis. Trypan blue stain (0.4% in PBS) was applied to evaluate the dead cells. All solutions tested showed a progressive increase in toxicity as exposure time increased except for PI at 0.3%, which exhibited the lowest toxicity. The combined solutions reported a reduced cellular killing at 3 and 5 min than H2O2 at equal concentrations, similar results to PI solutions

Factors influencing choice of chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC)

Management of metastatic colorectal cancer requires a multimodal approach and must be performed by an experienced, multidisciplinary expert team. The optimal choice of the individual treatment modality, according to disease localization and extent, tumor biology, and patient clinical characteristics, will be one that can maintain quality of life and long-term survival, and even cure selected patients. This review is an overview of the different therapeutic approaches available in metastatic colorectal cancer, for the purpose of defining personalized therapeutic algorithms according to tumor biology and patient clinical features

Boosting Interleukin-12 Antitumor Activity and Synergism with Immunotherapy by Targeted Delivery with isoDGR-Tagged Nanogold.

AbstractThe clinical use of interleukin‐12 (IL12), a cytokine endowed with potent immunotherapeutic anticancer activity, is limited by systemic toxicity. The hypothesis is addressed that gold nanoparticles tagged with a tumor‐homing peptide containing isoDGR, an αvβ3‐integrin binding motif, can be exploited for delivering IL12 to tumors and improving its therapeutic index. To this aim, gold nanospheres are functionalized with the head‐to‐tail cyclized‐peptide CGisoDGRG (Iso1) and murine IL12. The resulting nanodrug (Iso1/Au/IL12) is monodispersed, stable, and bifunctional in terms of αvβ3 and IL12‐receptor recognition. Low‐dose Iso1/Au/IL12, equivalent to 18–75 pg of IL12, induces antitumor effects in murine models of fibrosarcomas and mammary adenocarcinomas, with no evidence of toxicity. Equivalent doses of Au/IL12 (a nanodrug lacking Iso1) fail to delay tumor growth, whereas 15 000 pg of free IL12 is necessary to achieve similar effects. Iso1/Au/IL12 significantly increases tumor infiltration by innate immune cells, such as NK and iNKT cells, monocytes, and neutrophils. NK cell depletion completely inhibits its antitumor effects. Low‐dose Iso1/Au/IL12 can also increase the therapeutic efficacy of adoptive T‐cell therapy in mice with autochthonous prostate cancer. These findings indicate that coupling IL12 to isoDGR‐tagged nanogold is a valid strategy for enhancing its therapeutic index and sustaining adoptive T‐cell therapy

Quanto, come e perché si cade in ospedale? Indagine in un'ASL piemontese

RIASSUNTO Introduzione. Secondo l'Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanití  (OMS) le cadute e i danni ad esse correlati sono una problematica prioritaria per i sistemi sanitari e sociali in Europa e nel mondo, soprattutto tenendo conto del rapido accrescersi dell'aspettativa di vita. Scopo: Obiettivo del presente studio è descrivere incidenza, cause e modalití  di caduta nell'Azienda Sanitaria Locale Cuneo 1 (ASL CN1) in seguito all'accorpamento del 2008. Metodo: L'indagine si articola in due fasi: 1. definizione dell'atteso sulla base di letteratura ed altre realtí  comparabili; 2. analisi del contesto realizzata attraverso esame delle schede di segnalazione delle cadute compilate tra 1 Luglio 2010 - 30 Giugno 2011. Risultati: L'incidenza delle cadute nel periodo in esame è dello 0.8% e nel 69% dei casi la causa è rappresentata dai fattori intrinseci, seguiti da quelli estrinseci (7.4%), organizzativi (5.4%) e quelli legati a difficoltí  comunicative interprofessionali (3.1%). Conclusioni: Data l'eziologia multifattoriale delle cadute, l'approccio più efficace per ridurne l'incidenza è quello multidimensionale; si comprende quindi l'importanza di un'azione simultanea su tre livelli: organizzativo, staff/comunicazione e paziente.Parole chiave: Cadute accidentali/economia, Cadute accidentali/mortalití , Cadute accidentali/prevenzione e controllo, Cadute accidentali/statistiche e datiAbstractIntroduction.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), falls and falls related-injuries are a main issue for health and social systems in Europe and all over the world, particularly considering that life is lengthening. Objective: To describe incidence, causes and falls modalities in a Northern Italian Hospital following the organizational changes set up in 2008. Methods: The survey consists of two steps: 1. definition of expected situation according to the literature and other similar contexts; 2. examination of the fall report forms between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011. Results: In this period the incidence of falls has been 0.8% and in 69% of cases patients' intrinsic factors have been identified to be the cause, followed by extrinsic factors (7.4%), organizational factors (5.4%) and inter-professional communication difficulties (3.1%). Conclusion: Falls have a multi-factorial etiology, therefore the most effective approach should be multidimensional. A simultaneous action on three levels, organizational, staff/communication and patient, would be needed.Keywords: Accidental Falls/economics, Accidental Falls/mortality, Accidental Falls/prevention and control, Accidental Falls/statistics and numerical dat