Exploring harmony in extra virgin olive oils and vegetables pairings

Despite the growing interest in the sensory and healthy properties of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), the topic of oil-food pairing is practically unexplored. This study systematically explores sensory effects on the flavor and harmony obtained by combining two ingredients (EVOOs and vegetables) and aims to provide practical indications for harmonic oil-vegetable combinations. The approach considered an optimal pairing of five EVOOs combined with five typical raw Italian vegetables characterized by different degrees of bitter­ness (Artichoke, Late Treviso radicchio, Chioggia radicchio, rocket, Early Treviso radicchio). An Index of Disharmony was computed for each pairing, using intensity ratings given by a trained panel that described EVOOs, vegetables and pairings. The results suggested a flavor congruency principle to enhance the oil-pairing harmony. EVOOs with intense green and bitter flavor maximise harmony when combined with very bitter or very pungent vegetables. EVOOs with moderate green flavor and bitterness seemed best paired with vegetables with low/intermediate bitterness

Milk and butter. From the Neolithic to the current nutritional aspects

The evolution in the history of nutrition knowledge towards dairy products, is strictly related to the socio-cultural development of humans. In fact, milk and butter have accompanied humans since ancient times, which traces of the consumption of such products are dated back about the earliest times after the last (glaciation) ice age, while the application for extra nutritional uses, such as cosmetics and ceremonial rites, are reported in the writings of the Old Testament. Even in Italy, before the Roman Empire, were known rudimentary techniques of production and storage of dairy products. But only with the advent of the Etruscans, and the Romans later, that the use of milk and dairy products reach a wide diffusion in several applications. Since the advent of Christ until today, milk and its derivatives have maintained a privileged place in the human diet, but it is only with the advent of modern medicine and new findings in lipidic chemistry that emerged multiple biological and nutritional properties, very important for human health. After a short summary of the ancient history of the milk and butter, the role of dairy products in cancer, in hypercholesterolemia, and cardiovascular disease are reported. Moreover, the current opinions on saturated fatty acids, the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids and their lipid mediators obtained by the action of cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase and the cytochrome P450 enzymes, are treated. Even if sometimes mistreated, the milk, but most of all its high fat content derivatives such as butter, is a rich source of biologically active compounds that foster a controversial action against neolplastic and cardiovascular disease. These compounds, mainly contained in the lipid fraction, for the more obvious relationships that exist between nutrition and health status, have been the subject in the last decades of intense scientific investigation in which there were expressed lights and shadows, but recognizing that not all fats are harmful and further thorough studies are necessary, in particular, on the derived lipid mediators. This will allow a significant progress based on new scientific evidences, further orienting researchers and clinicians on evidencebased nutritional science

Antioxidant Effect of the Castanea sativa Mill. Leaf Extract on Oxidative Stress Induced upon Human Spermatozoa

This study was aimed at evaluating in vitro the effects of a 75% v/v ethanolic extract of leaves of Castanea sativa Mill. (var. Bastarda Rossa, Mount Amiata, Tuscany, Italy) on ejaculated human sperm. Total polyphenols and total flavonoids contained in the extract were determined by a colorimetric assay and HPLC-DAD. The DPPH test and electrochemistry were utilized to study the antioxidant activity of the extract. Swim-up-selected sperm from 8 healthy men were treated with the C. sativa leaf extract at different dilutions (1: 100, 1: 200, and 1: 500), and sperm motility was assessed following the WHO guidelines. Swim-up-selected spermatozoa were incubated with 100 μM H2O2 to induce lipid peroxidation (LPO) and with H2O2 and the leaf extract (1: 100, 1: 200, and 1: 500) to test the antioxidant activity of the extract. The levels of LPO were determined by measuring malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations. The treated samples were also analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for ultrastructural evaluation. The chemical analysis showed that one-third ca. of the polyphenols in the C. sativa extract were made up of flavonoids, with hyperoside present in high concentration. A good antioxidant activity was demonstrated by both the DPPH test and electrochemical analysis. The C. sativa leaf extract did not decrease sperm motility at all tested dilutions. Treatment with H2O2 alone caused a significant increment in MDA levels (P=0.006993), while the treatment with H2O2 plus C. sativa extract diluted to 1: 100 and 1: 200 significantly reduced MDA levels (P=0.01476 and P=0.01571, respectively), with respect to H2O2 alone. TEM analysis confirmed the protective effect of the extract on damage induced by LPO, in particular that occurring at the plasma membrane level. The C. sativa leaf extract could be used in human and farm animal protocols for gamete handling, such as techniques of assisted reproduction and cryopreservation of semen, all conditions in which oxidative stress is exacerbated

Janus effect of glucocorticoids on differentiation of muscle fibro/adipogenic progenitors

Muscle resident fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs), support muscle regeneration by releasing cytokines that stimulate the differentiation of myogenic stem cells. However, in non-physiological contexts (myopathies, atrophy, aging) FAPs cause fibrotic and fat infiltrations that impair muscle function. We set out to perform a fluorescence microscopy-based screening to identify compounds that perturb the differentiation trajectories of these multipotent stem cells. From a primary screen of 1,120 FDA/EMA approved drugs, we identified 34 compounds as potential inhibitors of adipogenic differentiation of FAPs isolated from the murine model (mdx) of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The hit list from this screen was surprisingly enriched with compounds from the glucocorticoid (GCs) chemical class, drugs that are known to promote adipogenesis in vitro and in vivo. To shed light on these data, three GCs identified in our screening efforts were characterized by different approaches. We found that like dexamethasone, budesonide inhibits adipogenesis induced by insulin in sub-confluent FAPs. However, both drugs have a pro-adipogenic impact when the adipogenic mix contains factors that increase the concentration of cAMP. Gene expression analysis demonstrated that treatment with glucocorticoids induces the transcription of Gilz/Tsc22d3, an inhibitor of the adipogenic master regulator PPARγ, only in anti-adipogenic conditions. Additionally, alongside their anti-adipogenic effect, GCs are shown to promote terminal differentiation of satellite cells. Both the anti-adipogenic and pro-myogenic effects are mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor and are not observed in the presence of receptor inhibitors. Steroid administration currently represents the standard treatment for DMD patients, the rationale being based on their anti-inflammatory effects. The findings presented here offer new insights on additional glucocorticoid effects on muscle stem cells that may affect muscle homeostasis and physiology

Different renal phenotypes in related adult males with Fabry disease with the same classic genotype

BACKGROUND: Fabry disease related patients with classical mutation usually exhibit similar severe phenotype especially concerning renal manifestation. METHODS: A dry blood spot screening (DBS) and the DNA analysis has been performed in a 48-year-old man (Patient 1) because of paresthesia. RESULTS: The DBS revealed absent leukocyte \u3b1-Gal A enzyme activity while DNA analysis identified the I354K mutation. Serum creatinine and e-GFR were in normal range and also albuminuria and proteinuria were absent. The brain MRI showed ischemic lesions and a diffuse focus of gliosis in the white matter, while the echocardiogram showed a left ventricular hypertrophy. The renal biopsy performed in the case index showed a massive deposition of zebra bodies. By a familiar investigation, it was recognized that his brother (Patient 2) died 2 years before from sudden death syndrome at the age of 49. He had suffered sporadic and undiagnosed pain at the extremities, a prior cataract, bilateral neurosensorial hearing loss and left ventricular hypertrophy on Echocardiogram. His previous laboratory examinations revealed a normal serum creatinine and the absence of proteinuria. Pedigree analysis of the brothers revealed a high disease burden among family members, with an affected cousin (Patient 3) who progressed early to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) that required renal transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: Here we describe the clinical history of three adult male members of the same family with the same genotype who manifested different presentation and progression of the disease, particularly concerning the renal involvement

Adipogenesis of skeletal muscle fibro/adipogenic progenitors is affected by the WNT5a/GSK3/β-catenin axis

Fibro/Adipogenic Progenitors (FAPs) are muscle-interstitial progenitors mediating pro-myogenic signals that are critical for muscle homeostasis and regeneration. In myopathies, the autocrine/paracrine constraints controlling FAP adipogenesis are released causing fat infiltrates. Here, by combining pharmacological screening, high-dimensional mass cytometry and in silico network modeling with the integration of single-cell/bulk RNA sequencing data, we highlighted the canonical WNT/GSK/β-catenin signaling as a crucial pathway modulating FAP adipogenesis triggered by insulin signaling. Consistently, pharmacological blockade of GSK3, by the LY2090314 inhibitor, stabilizes β-catenin and represses PPARγ expression abrogating FAP adipogenesis ex vivo while limiting fatty degeneration in vivo. Furthermore, GSK3 inhibition improves the FAP pro-myogenic role by efficiently stimulating, via follistatin secretion, muscle satellite cell (MuSC) differentiation into mature myotubes. Combining, publicly available single-cell RNAseq datasets, we characterize FAPs as the main source of WNT ligands inferring their potential in mediating autocrine/paracrine responses in the muscle niche. Lastly, we identify WNT5a, whose expression is impaired in dystrophic FAPs, as a crucial WNT ligand able to restrain the detrimental adipogenic differentiation drift of these cells through the positive modulation of the β-catenin signaling

First narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves from known pulsars in advanced detector data

Spinning neutron stars asymmetric with respect to their rotation axis are potential sources of continuous gravitational waves for ground-based interferometric detectors. In the case of known pulsars a fully coherent search, based on matched filtering, which uses the position and rotational parameters obtained from electromagnetic observations, can be carried out. Matched filtering maximizes the signalto- noise (SNR) ratio, but a large sensitivity loss is expected in case of even a very small mismatch between the assumed and the true signal parameters. For this reason, narrow-band analysis methods have been developed, allowing a fully coherent search for gravitational waves from known pulsars over a fraction of a hertz and several spin-down values. In this paper we describe a narrow-band search of 11 pulsars using data from Advanced LIGO’s first observing run. Although we have found several initial outliers, further studies show no significant evidence for the presence of a gravitational wave signal. Finally, we have placed upper limits on the signal strain amplitude lower than the spin-down limit for 5 of the 11 targets over the bands searched; in the case of J1813-1749 the spin-down limit has been beaten for the first time. For an additional 3 targets, the median upper limit across the search bands is below the spin-down limit. This is the most sensitive narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves carried out so far