The addition of Capsicum baccatum to Calabrian monovarietal extra virgin olive oils leads to flavoured olive oils with enhanced oxidative stability

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of Capsicum baccatum L. Aji Angelo and Bishop crown cultivars to the quality parameters of flavoured olive oils (FOOs) obtained by the addition of both fresh and dried pepper powders (1%) to Dolce di Rossano and Roggianella monovarietal extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs). First, pepper extracts were investigated for their total phenolic, flavonoid, carotenoid content as well as phenolic acids, fatty acid profile, and vitamin C and E content. In order to evaluate the impact of both fresh and dried peppers on the oxidative stability of FOOs, the Rancimat test was applied. 2,2-Azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic) acid (ABTS), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ?-carotene bleaching (B-CB) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays were used to investigate the antioxidant potential. Bishop crown dried extracts showed the highest phenolic, carotenoid and vitamin content, whereas Aji Angelo had the highest amount of capsaicinoids. Among EVOOs, Roggianella EVOO showed the highest antioxidant activity as well as the highest induction time (39.6 h). Remarkably, FOO obtained by the addition of Bishop crown dried pepper extract to Roggianella EVOO showed a higher induction time (44.9 h) with respect to the corresponding EVOO

Colorectal cancer after bariatric surgery (Cric-Abs 2020): Sicob (Italian society of obesity surgery) endorsed national survey

Background The published colorectal cancer (CRC) outcomes after bariatric surgery (BS) are conflicting, with some anecdotal studies reporting increased risks. The present nationwide survey CRIC-ABS 2020 (Colo-Rectal Cancer Incidence-After Bariatric Surgery-2020), endorsed by the Italian Society of Obesity Surgery (SICOB), aims to report its incidence in Italy after BS, comparing the two commonest laparoscopic procedures-Sleeve Gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (GBP). Methods Two online questionnaires-first having 11 questions on SG/GBP frequency with a follow-up of 5-10 years, and the second containing 15 questions on CRC incidence and management, were administered to 53 referral bariatric, high volume centers. A standardized incidence ratio (SIR-a ratio of the observed number of cases to the expected number) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated along with CRC incidence risk computation for baseline characteristics. Results Data for 20,571 patients from 34 (63%) centers between 2010 and 2015 were collected, of which 14,431 had SG (70%) and 6140 GBP (30%). 22 patients (0.10%, mean age = 53 +/- 12 years, 13 males), SG: 12 and GBP: 10, developed CRC after 4.3 +/- 2.3 years. Overall incidence was higher among males for both groups (SG: 0.15% vs 0.05%; GBP: 0.35% vs 0.09%) and the GBP cohort having slightly older patients. The right colon was most affected (n = 13) and SIR categorized/sex had fewer values < 1, except for GBP males (SIR = 1.07). Conclusion Low CRC incidence after BS at 10 years (0.10%), and no difference between procedures was seen, suggesting that BS does not trigger the neoplasm development

Metal-Based Compounds in Antiviral Therapy

In recent years, the study of metal complexes and metal-based nanomaterials has aroused particular interest, leading to the promotion of new effective systems for the abatement of various viral diseases. Starting from the analysis of chemical properties, this review focuses on the employment of metal-based nanoparticles as antiviral drugs and how this interaction leads to a substantial enhancement in antiviral activity. The use of metal-based antiviral drugs has also spread for the formulation of antiviral vaccines, thanks especially to the remarkable adjuvant activities of some of the metal complexes. In particular, the small size and inert nature of Au- and Ag-based nanoparticles have been exploited for the design of systems for antiviral drug delivery, leading to the development of specific and safe therapies that lead to a decrease in side effects

Preliminary in-situ evaluation of an innovative, semi-flexible pavement wearing course mixture using Fast Falling Weight Deflectometer

In the last forty, years semi-flexible pavements have been successfully employed, especially in those areas subjected to heavy and slow-moving loads. They usually comprise a wearing course of Grouted Macadam, a composite pavement material that provides significant advantages in comparison to both concrete and asphalt pavements. On the other hand, the laying process of this material is a two-stage operation, and the realization complexity leads to long realization times and high initial costs. Therefore, the use of semi-flexible pavements has been limited to some fields of application and areas. Recently, an innovative material has been developed to be used as an alternative to Grouted Macadam for semi-flexible pavement wearing course realization. This material should provide similar or even superior characteristics compared to traditional Grouted Macadam. This will reduce semi-flexible pavement construction time and avoid the need for dividing the laying process. This paper presents an experimental program involving the use of FastFWD, as an APT device, to evaluate in-situ properties and performance of this material. The achieved results regarding the validation of this new material by means of FastFWD appear promising both in terms of the material's properties and resistance to dynamic load repetitions

Failure of apoptosis-inducing factor to act as neuroglobin reductase

International audienceNeuroglobin (Ngb) is a hexacoordinate globin expressed in the nervous system of vertebrates, where it protects neurons against hypoxia. Ferrous Ngb has been proposed to favor cell survival by scavenging NO and/or reducing cytochrome c released into the cytosol during hypoxic stress. Both catalytic functions require an as yet unidentified Ngb-reductase activity. Such an activity was detected both in tissue homogenates of human brain and liver and in Escherichia coli extracts. Since NADH:flavorubredoxin oxidoreductase from E. coli, that was shown to reduce ferric Ngb, shares sequence similarity with the human apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), AIF has been proposed by us as a candidate Ngb reductase. In this study, we tested this hypothesis and show that the Ngb-reductase activity of recombinant human AIF is negligible and hence incompatible with such a physiological function

Less frequently mutated genes in colorectal cancer: Evidences from next-generation sequencing of 653 routine cases

Aims: The incidence of RAS/RAF/PI3KA and TP53 gene mutations in colorectal cancer (CRC) is well established. Less information, however, is available on other components of the CRC genomic landscape, which are potential CRC prognostic/predictive markers. Methods: Following a previous validation study, ion-semiconductor next-generation sequencing (NGS) was employed to process 653 routine CRC samples by a multiplex PCR targeting 91 hotspot regions in 22 CRC significant genes. Results: A total of 796 somatic mutations in 499 (76.4%) tumours were detected. Besides RAS/RAF/PI3KA and TP53, other 12 genes showed at least one mutation including FBXW7 (6%), PTEN (2.8%), SMAD4 (2.1%), EGFR (1.2%), CTNNB1 (1.1%), AKT1 (0.9%), STK11 (0.8%), ERBB2 (0.6%), ERBB4 (0.6%), ALK (0.2%), MAP2K1 (0.2%) and NOTCH1 (0.2%). Conclusions: In a routine diagnostic setting, NGS had the potential to generate robust and comprehensive genetic information also including less frequently mutated genes potentially relevant for prognostic assessments or for actionable treatments

Nanostructured Electrochemical Immunosensor based on Gold Nanowires for the Detection of Model Protein

Nowadays the demand for new devices capable of accurate, fast, and in situ real-time analyses is growing rapidly in the medical field. These devices could have various applications, such as clinical diagnosis and remote patient monitoring. In this work, an electrochemical immunosensor based on Gold Nanowire (GNWs) was developed for the detection of a model protein. Human immunoglobulin G (H-IgG) was selected as model analyte because of its physical, chemical, and biological features like many other biomarkers. GNWs were obtained through electrochemical template deposition into nanoporous polycarbonate membrane. To achieve the best morphology, various deposition conditions have been analyzed such as deposition time and Au precursor concentration in the deposition bath. The best deposition conditions were selected, ensuring the formation of mechanically stable nanowires. To detect proteins, a sandwich configuration was assembled on the surface of the electrode through several incubation steps. The sandwich configuration consists of a) a primary antibody covalently attached on the electrode surface, b) the antigen to be detected (H-IgG) that is selectively bound by the primary antibody, and c) a secondary labelled antibody. The immunosensor is electrochemically active thanks to the presence of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) tagging the secondary antibody. Given that GNPs catalyze hydrogen evolution reaction, the electrode has been used to measure the current density of the hydrogen evolution, which is indirectly related to the concentration of H-IgG antigens. In this way the calibration curve was constructed obtaining linear range of 1-1000 ng mL-1 with a high sensitivity