Pulsed Current Effect on the Hard Anodizing of an AlSi10Mg Aluminum Alloy Obtained via Additive Manufacturing

The hard anodizing treatments of cast Al-Si alloys are notoriously difficult. Indeed, their microstructural features hinder the growth of a uniform, compact, and defect-free anodic oxide. In this paper, AlSi10Mg samples, produced via Gravity Casting (GC) and Additive Manufacturing, i.e., Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF), were hard anodized in a sulfuric acid bath, in order to verify how the particular microstructure obtained via L-PBF affects the thickness, hardness, compactness, and defectiveness of the anodic oxide. Moreover, for the first time, Pulsed Direct Current (PDC) procedures were used to perform the hard anodizing treatments on additively manufactured AlSi10Mg alloy. Several combinations of temperature and electrical parameters, i.e., current density, frequency, and Duty Cycle, were tested. The anodized samples were characterized through optical microscopy analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis, and accelerated corrosion tests, i.e., Potentiodynamic Polarization (POL) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The PDC procedures allowed improvement of the compromise between evenness, compactness, and defectiveness. Among the attempted PDC procedures, a specific combination of electrical parameters and temperature allowed the best results to be obtained, i.e., the highest hardness and the lowest volumetric expansion values without compromising the oxide quality rating and the corrosion resistance behavior. However, none of the attempted PCD strategies allowed the hardness values obtained on samples produced via GC to be reached

Analytical Data for Identification of the Cannabimimetic Phenylacetylindole JWH-203

We identified the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-203 [1-pentyl-3-(2'- chlorophenylacetyl) indole] by coordination of various spectroscopic analytical procedures; the data that we obtained may be useful for confirming the presence of this phenylacetylindole in illegally distributed products. In previous studies, several molecules that were identified as synthetic cannabinoids were found in different products advertised as herbal mixtures; the identification of new psychotropic molecules surreptitiously included in products allows them to be added to the official list of psychotropic substances possessing cannabimimetic activity. We used liquid chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry and gas chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry techniques to determine basic information about the structure of JWH-203; our data were corroborated by the results of liquid chromatography\u2013ultraviolet spectroscopy and confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis and high-resolution accurate mass detection

First data on the antimicrobial activity of Yucca filamentosa L. bark exytacts

The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of two Yucca filamentosa L. extracts produced by hydro-alcoholic extraction under different operational conditions. The extracts were concentrated and de-alcoholised, and were added to media to test their effects on target microorganisms. Both extracts displayed equivalent specific growth inhibitory activity against Saccharomyces cerevisiae. No other antimicrobial activity was found. This anti-fermentative activity may open the doors to new possibilities for using Yucca filamentosa L. extracts in the food industry. These findings are of particular interest, since yucca extracts are already classified as being generally recognized as safe (GRAS)

Circulating microRNAs found dysregulated in ex-exposed asbestos workers and pleural mesothelioma patients as potential new biomarkers

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a fatal cancer, is an occupational disease mostly affecting workers ex-exposed to asbestos fibers. The asbestos, a cancerogenic mineral of different chemical composition, was widely employed in western Countries in industrial manufactures of different types. MPM may arise after a long latency period, up to five decades. MPM is resistant to conventional chemo- and radio-therapies. Altogether, these data indicate that the identification of new and specific markers are of a paramount importance for an early diagnosis and treatment of MPM. In recent years, microRNAs expression was found dysregulated in patients, both in cancer cells and sera, affected by tumors of different histotypes, including MPM. Cell and circulanting microRNAs, found to be dysregulated in this neoplasia, were proposed as new biomarkers. It has been reported that circulating microRNAs are stable in biological fluids and could be employed as potential MPM biomarkers. In this investigation, circulating microRNAs (miR) from serum samples of MPM patients and workers ex-exposed to asbestos fibers (WEA) and healthy subjects (HS) were comparatively analyzed by microarray and RT-qPCR technologies. Our results allowed (i) to select MiR-3665, an endogenous stable microRNA, as the internal control to quantify in our analyses circulating miRNAs; to detect (ii) miR-197-3p, miR-1281 and miR 32-3p up-regulated in MPM compared to HS; (iii) miR-197-3p and miR-32-3p up-regulated in MPM compared to WEA; (iv) miR-1281 up-regulated in both MPM and WEA compared to HS. In conclusion, three circulating up-regulated microRNAs, i.e. miR-197-3p, miR-1281 and miR-32-3p are proposed as potential new MPM biomarker