Sensing bitterness in bakery and beverage food products

The food industry has a direct interest into bitter-tasting substances either for the identification of negative off-flavors or for the monitoring of a desired organoleptic quality. The present thesis takes its place in this context, and it deals with four main topics: 1) the simultaneous detection of xanthines and polyphenols, as bitter taste molecular markers, through a novel RP-HPLC-MS confirmatory method; 2) the xanthines and polyphenols detection in solid phase using a novel FT-NIR rapid method; 3) the polyphenols detection in liquid phase using a PEDOT based electronic tongue and a RAMAN based methods; 4) the development of a Design of Experiment oriented to demonstrate and quantify the correlation between different bitter taste molecular markers (polyphenols, xanthines, sugars and Maillard compounds) investigated with various analytical techniques (FT-NIR, RP-HPLC-MS, colorimetry and fluorescence) and the overall bitterness sensation measured by a panel group (PAA) in bakery products.L’industria alimentare ha un interesse nella determinazione delle sostanze responsabili del sapore amaro sia per l’identificazione di sapori sgradevoli che per il monitoraggio della qualità del sapore del prodotto finito. La presente tesi si colloca in questo contesto e si occupa di quattro tematiche principali: 1) la determinazione simultanea di xantine e polifenoli, come markers molecolari del sapore amaro, attraverso un nuovo metodo RP-HPLC-MS; 2) la loro determinazione in fase solida usando un nuovo metodo rapido basato su FT-NIR; 3) la determinazione dei markers molecolari del sapore amaro in fase liquida usando una lingua elettronica basata sul PEDOT e su un metodo RAMAN; 4) lo sviluppo di un disegno sperimentale volto a dimostrare la connessione tra i diversi markers molecolari (polifenoli, xantine, zuccheri e composti di Maillard) e il sapore amaro nei prodotti da forno

EOLO: Sistema per la regolazione controllata di gas ad uso medico per terapia e diagnosi

not availableIl progetto riguarda principalmente l\u27ossigeno terapia e la somministrazione di ossido nitrico per terapia e diagnostica La somministrazione controllata di gas ad uso terapeutico ? oggi una pratica clinica consolidata in special modo nella ossigeno terapia per patologie quali le broncopneumopatie croniche ostruttive (BPCO). Nuove terapie con altri gas quali l\u27ossido nitrico NO rappresentano metodiche in corso di validazione clinica ma gi? accettate da organismi di controllo quali FDA, soprattutto nei casi di ipertensione polmonare primitiva. Ci si riferisce quindi a sistemi di somministrazione di gas, come quelli rammentati, mettendo a punto metodiche originarie di "feedback" su parametri fisiologici, misurati durante la terapia in modo incruento, per gestire i relativi dispositivi di erogazione del gas stesso e al monitoraggio delle variabili biologiche rilevanti da parte di centri opportuni. Le malattie respiratorie, dopo le malattie cardiocircolatorie ed i tumori, sono tra le maggiori cause di morte nel mondo. Il loro trend ? crescente, essendo esse causate, fra l\u27altro, da fattori come il fumo e l\u27inquinamento, che sono a loro volta in crescita. Da qui la necessit? di realizzare sistemi semplici ed efficaci per il controllo della strumentazione di ossigenoterapia in una vasta popolazione, anche per gli usi domiciliari. Non ultimo diventa importante con questi numeri, pensare ad una razionalizzazione automatica dei consumi di ossigeno. Per quel che riguarda l\u27ipertensione polmonare, altra patologia verso cui EOLO ? rivolto, un potenziale rimedio ? costituito dalla somministrazione in dosi terapeutiche di Ossido Nitrico in sostituzione ad esempio delle prostacicline con il vantaggio di non ricorrere ad applicazioni invasive cruente e di evitare effetti collaterali sistemici. L\u27uso di questo gas medicale ? per? limitata in quanto il mercato non propone dispositivi per la somministrazione di ossido nitrico ottimizzati alle sue indicazioni d\u27uso. Le indicazione d\u27uso prevedono, infatti, la somministrazione di ossido nitrico a bassi dosaggi(5-40 ppm) e la limitazione del tempo di contatto tra l\u27ossido nitrico e i gas inalatori che il paziente deve respirare. Tale metodologia di somministrazione ? requisito essenziale per il suo impiego, in quanto questo gas si combina molto velocemente con l\u27ossigeno formando Biossido d\u27Azoto (NO2), un gas altamente nocivo. Il biossido di azoto reagendo a sua volta con l\u27acqua forma acido nitrico (HNO3), che ? un acido particolarmente reattivo quindi pericoloso

Two small orientalising spirals (Rome, 10th-9th century BC)common objects – precious jewels

The finding of hair decorations is not rare in archaeological excavations. It is well known that pins, gold nets, gold wires and threads embellished noble ladies’ heads, but it is less common to find small accessories meant to bind braids created as small jewels, such as the 7th century BC spirals found in Lazio. Two hair coils of great refinement, probably used as ‘braid binders’, with terminals decorated by filigree have been found in two funeral sets from two princely tombs of the Laurentina Acqua Acetosa Necropolis (n. 74 and n. 133). The objects present similarities with other items of the same typology from Amendolara (CS), Narce, Marsiliana and Vetulonia. The item from tomb 133 is made of silver covered by electrum, while the second one, from tomb 74, was made entirely in gold. Their analytical study allowed the determination of peculiar details concerning their fabrication, from the composition of the constituent materials to the technological solutions used for their production. The scientific observations, carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS), furnished important data for the characterization of the single object, to be used also as a base for comparison with the few homologous jewels known to date.La découverte de décorations de cheveux dans les fouilles archéologiques n’est pas rare. Il est bien connu que les têtes des dames nobles étaient ornées de coiffures d’or, mais il est peu fréquent de découvrir de petits accessoires, réalisés comme de petits bijoux, servant à coiffer les cheveux. Les pièces concernées par ce travail sont datées du viie siècle avant J.-C. et ont étés découvertes dans le Lazio. Deux spirales très raffinées, probablement utilisées comme décoration de nattes et dont les extrémités sont ornées de filigranes, ont été trouvées dans les fouilles de deux tombes princières de la nécropole Laurentina (n.74 et n.133). Les objets présentent des similitudes avec d’autres de même typologie provenant d’Amendolara (CS), Narce, Marsiliana et Vetulonia. Le bijou de la tombe 133 est en argent couvert d’électrum alors que la deuxième pièce de la tombe 74 est entièrement réalisée en or. Leur étude analytique a permis de déterminer les détails particuliers de leur fabrication, la composition des matériaux constitutifs et les escamotages technologiques utilisés pour leur création. Les observations scientifiques, réalisées à l’aide d’un système de microscopie électronique à balayage et par microanalyse électronique, fournissent des éléments importants pour la caractérisation des objets

Gas embolization of the liver in a rat model of rapid decompression

Occurrence of liver gas embolism after rapid decompression was assessed in 31 female rats that were decompressed in 12 min after 42 min of compression at 7 ATA (protocol A). Sixteen rats died after decompression (group I). Of the surviving rats, seven were killed at 3 h (group II), and eight at 24 h (group III). In group I, bubbles were visible in the right heart, aortic arch, liver, and mesenteric veins and on the intestinal surface. Histology showed perilobular microcavities in sinusoids, interstitial spaces, and hepatocytes. In group II, liver gas was visible in two rats. Perilobular vacuolization and significant plasma aminotransferase increase were present. In group III, liver edema was evident at gross examination in all cases. Histology showed perilobular cell swelling, vacuolization, or hydropic degeneration. Compared with basal, enzymatic markers of liver damage increased significantly. An additional 14 rats were decompressed twice (protocol B). Overall mortality was 93%. In addition to diffuse hydropic degeneration, centrilobular necrosis was frequently observed after the second decompression. Additionally, 10 rats were exposed to three decompression sessions (protocol C) with doubled decompression time. Their mortality rate decreased to 20%, but enzymatic markers still increased in surviving rats compared with predecompression, and perilobular cell swelling and vacuolization were present in five rats. Study challenges were 1) liver is not part of the pathophysiology of decompression in the existing paradigm, and 2) although significant cellular necrosis was observed in few animals, zonal or diffuse hepatocellular damage associated with liver dysfunction was frequently demonstrated. Liver participation in human decompression sickness should be looked for and clinically evaluated

Chemical vs. Enzymatic refining to produce peanut oil for edible use or to obtain a sustainable and cost-effective protector for stored grains against Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Among the various existing techniques, enzymatic degumming represents a process that is establishing itself as a valid alternative to the more classic chemical processes. Moreover, vegetable oils of various origins have been gaining more consideration as sustainable and affordable protectants for cereals and pulses against the attack of several insect pests. Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is one of the key pests of cereal crops in the field and in stored and processed cereal products. Based on these highlighted issues, the overall aim of this research was twofold: (i) firstly, the effectiveness of the enzymatic degumming process was evaluated through the use of three different enzymes in order to verify the possible industrial application within the SALOV company as an alternative to the conventional chemical process; (ii) in a second phase, the possible use of the innovative refined oils was explored for sustainable stored grain protection towards S. zeamais. The results obtained confirm the strong possibility of applying the enzymatic process, which is innovative and, in a chemical way, more sustainable than the classical one. Regarding the toxicity towards S. zeamais, the crude peanut oil and the chemically refined peanut oil had lower LC50 values (1.836 and 1.372 g kg-1, respectively) than the oils rectified through enzymatic degumming (LC50 from 2.453 to 4.076 g kg-1), and, therefore, they can be suggested as sustainable stored grain protectants

Mind-body relationships in elite apnea divers during breath holding: a study of autonomic responses to acute hypoxemia

The mental control of ventilation with all associated phenomena, from relaxation to modulation of emotions, from cardiovascular to metabolic adaptations, constitutes a psychophysiological condition characterizing voluntary breath-holding (BH). BH induces several autonomic responses, involving both autonomic cardiovascular and cutaneous pathways, whose characterization is the main aim of this study. Electrocardiogram and skin conductance (SC) recordings were collected from 14 elite divers during three conditions: free breathing (FB), normoxic phase of BH (NPBH) and hypoxic phase of BH (HPBH). Thus, we compared a set of features describing signal dynamics between the three experimental conditions: from heart rate variability (HRV) features (in time and frequency-domains and by using nonlinear methods) to rate and shape of spontaneous SC responses (SCRs). The main result of the study rises by applying a Factor Analysis to the subset of features significantly changed in the two BH phases. Indeed, the Factor Analysis allowed to uncover the structure of latent factors which modeled the autonomic response: a factor describing the autonomic balance (AB), one the information increase rate (IIR), and a latter the central nervous system driver (CNSD). The BH did not disrupt the FB factorial structure, and only few features moved among factors. Factor Analysis indicates that during BH (1) only the SC described the emotional output, (2) the sympathetic tone on heart did not change, (3) the dynamics of interbeats intervals showed an increase of long-range correlation that anticipates the HPBH, followed by a drop to a random behavior. In conclusion, data show that the autonomic control on heart rate and SC are differentially modulated during BH, which could be related to a more pronounced effect on emotional control induced by the mental training to BH

Epidemiology and Outcomes of Bloodstream Infections in HIV-Patients during a 13-Year Period

No data on antibiotic resistance in bloodstream infection (BSI) in people living with HIV (PLWH) exist. The objective of this study was to describe BSI epidemiology in PLWH focusing on multidrug resistant (MDR) organisms. A retrospective, single-center, observational study was conducted including all positive blood isolates in PLWH from 2004 to 2017. Univariable and multivariable GEE models using binomial distribution family were created to evaluate the association between MDR and mortality risk. In total, 263 episodes (299 isolates) from 164 patients were analyzed; 126 (48%) BSI were community-acquired, 137 (52%) hospital-acquired. At diagnosis, 34.7% of the patients had virological failure, median CD4 count was 207/μL. Thirty- and 90-day mortality rates were 24.2% and 32.4%, respectively. Thirty- and 90-day mortality rates for MDR isolates were 33.3% and 46.9%, respectively (p < 0.05). Enterobacteriaceae were the most prevalent microorganisms (29.8%), followed by Coagulase-negative staphylococci (21.4%), and S. aureus (12.7%). In BSI due to MDR organisms, carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae and methicillin-resistant S. aureus were associated with mortality after adjustment for age, although this correlation was not confirmed after further adjustment for CD4 < 200/μL. In conclusion, BSI in PLWH is still a major problem in the combination antiretroviral treatment era and it is related to a poor viro-immunological status, posing the question of whether it should be considered as an AIDS-defining event

GEN-O-MA project: an Italian network studying clinical course and pathogenic pathways of moyamoya disease—study protocol and preliminary results

Background: GENetics of mOyaMoyA (GEN-O-MA) project is a multicenter observational study implemented in Italy aimed at creating a network of centers involved in moyamoya angiopathy (MA) care and research and at collecting a large series and bio-repository of MA patients, finally aimed at describing the disease phenotype and clinical course as well as at identifying biological or cellular markers for disease progression. The present paper resumes the most important study methodological issues and preliminary results. Methods: Nineteen centers are participating to the study. Patients with both bilateral and unilateral radiologically defined MA are included in the study. For each patient, detailed demographic and clinical as well as neuroimaging data are being collected. When available, biological samples (blood, DNA, CSF, middle cerebral artery samples) are being also collected for biological and cellular studies. Results: Ninety-eight patients (age of onset mean ± SD 35.5 ± 19.6 years; 68.4% females) have been collected so far. 65.3% of patients presented ischemic (50%) and haemorrhagic (15.3%) stroke. A higher female predominance concomitantly with a similar age of onset and clinical features to what was reported in previous studies on Western patients has been confirmed. Conclusion: An accurate and detailed clinical and neuroimaging classification represents the best strategy to provide the characterization of the disease phenotype and clinical course. The collection of a large number of biological samples will permit the identification of biological markers and genetic factors associated with the disease susceptibility in Italy

COVID-19-associated vasculitis and thrombotic complications: from pathological findings to multidisciplinary discussion

Neutrophilic arterial vasculitis in COVID-19 represents a novel finding and could be responsible for thrombotic complications

Contributi per una flora vascolare di Toscana. XI (664-738)

Vengono presentate nuove località e/o conferme relative 75 taxa specifici e sottospecifici di piante vascolari della flora vascolare toscana, appartenenti a 67 generi e 41 famiglie: Delosperma (Aizoaceae), Dysphania (Amaranthaceae), Leucojum, Nothoscordum (Amaryllidaceae), Bupleurum, Coriandrum (Apiaceae), Araujia (Apocynaceae), Lemna (Araceae), Hydrocotyle (Araliaceae), Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae), Bellevalia (Asparagaceae), Asphodelus (Asphodelaceae), Artemisia, Crepis, Eclipta, Erigeron, Hieracium, Senecio, Symphyotrichum, Tolpis (Asteraceae), Symphytum (Boraginaceae), Alyssum, Cardamine, Eruca, Isatis (Brassicaceae), Valerianella (Caprifoliaceae), Petrorhagia, Scleranthus (Caryophyllaceae), Commelina (Commelinaceae), Dichondra (Convolvulaceae), Sedum (Crassulaceae), Diospyros (Ebenaceae), Moneses (Ericaceae), Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae), Medicago, Trifolium (Fabaceae), Myriophyllum (Haloragaceae), Juncus (Juncaceae), Salvia, Teucrium (Lamiaceae), Broussonetia (Moraceae), Spiranthes (Orchidaceae), Phelipanche (Orobanchaceae), Papaver (Papaveraceae), Passiflora (Passifloraceae), Cedrus, Pseudotsuga (Pinaceae), Bromopsis, Calamagrostis, Cenchrus, Drymochloa, Melica, Oloptum, Phleum, Sporobolus, Tragus (Poaceae), Stuckenia (Potamogetonaceae), Lysimachia (Primulaceae), Anemone, Aquilegia (Ranunculaceae), Eriobotrya (Rosaceae), Crucianella (Rubiaceae), Verbascum (Scrophulariaceae), Typha (Typhaceae), Urtica (Urticaceae), Viola (Violaceae). Infine, viene discusso lo status di conservazione delle entità e gli eventuali vincoli di protezione dei biotopi segnalati.New localities and/or confirmations concerning 75 specific and subspecific plant taxa of Tuscan vascular flora, belonging to 67 genera and 41 families are presented: Delosperma (Aizoaceae), Dysphania (Amaranthaceae), Leucojum, Nothoscordum (Amaryllidaceae), Bupleurum, Coriandrum (Apiaceae), Araujia (Apocynaceae), Lemna (Araceae), Hydrocotyle (Araliaceae), Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae), Bellevalia (Asparagaceae), Asphodelus (Asphodelaceae), Artemisia, Crepis, Eclipta, Erigeron, Hieracium, Senecio, Symphyotrichum, Tolpis (Asteraceae), Symphytum (Boraginaceae), Alyssum, Cardamine, Eruca, Isatis (Brassicaceae), Valerianella (Caprifoliaceae), Petrorhagia, Scleranthus (Caryophyllaceae), Commelina (Commelinaceae), Dichondra (Convolvulaceae), Sedum (Crassulaceae), Diospyros (Ebenaceae), Moneses (Ericaceae), Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae), Medicago, Trifolium (Fabaceae), Myriophyllum (Haloragaceae), Juncus (Juncaceae), Salvia, Teucrium (Lamiaceae), Broussonetia (Moraceae), Spiranthes (Orchidaceae), Phelipanche (Orobanchaceae), Papaver (Papaveraceae), Passiflora (Passifloraceae), Cedrus, Pseudotsuga (Pinaceae), Bromopsis, Calamagrostis, Cenchrus, Drymochloa, Melica, Oloptum, Phleum, Sporobolus, Tragus (Poaceae), Stuckenia (Potamogetonaceae), Lysimachia (Primulaceae), Anemone, Aquilegia (Ranunculaceae), Eriobotrya (Rosaceae), Crucianella (Rubiaceae), Verbascum (Scrophulariaceae), Typha (Typhaceae), Urtica (Urticaceae), and Viola (Violaceae). In the end, the conservation status of the units and eventual protection of the cited biotopes are discussed