ZnO/ionic liquid catalyzed biodiesel production from renewable and waste lipids as feedstocks

A new protocol for biodiesel production is proposed, based on a binary ZnO/TBAI (TBAI = tetrabutylammonium iodide) catalytic system. Zinc oxide acts as a heterogeneous, bifunctional Lewis acid/base catalyst, while TBAI plays the role of phase transfer agent. Being composed by the bulk form powders, the whole catalyst system proved to be easy to use, without requiring nano-structuration or tedious and costly preparation or pre-activation procedures. In addition, due to the amphoteric properties of ZnO, the catalyst can simultaneously promote transesterification and esterification processes, thus becoming applicable to common vegetable oils (e.g., soybean, jatropha, linseed, etc.) and animal fats (lard and fish oil), but also to waste lipids such as cooking oils (WCOs), highly acidic lipids from oil industry processing, and lipid fractions of municipal sewage sludge. Reusability of the catalyst system together with kinetic (Ea) and thermodynamic parameters of activation (∆G‡ and ∆H‡) are also studied for transesterification reaction

Next-generation sequencing and PCR technologies in monitoring the hospital microbiome and its drug resistance

The hospital environment significantly contributes to the onset of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which represent one of the most frequent complications occurring in healthcare facilities worldwide. Moreover, the increased antimicrobial resistance (AMR) characterizing HAI-associated microbes is one of the human health’s main concerns, requiring the characterization of the contaminating microbial population in the hospital environment. The monitoring of surface microbiota in hospitals is generally addressed by microbial cultural isolation. However, this has some important limitations mainly relating to the inability to define the whole drug-resistance profile of the contaminating microbiota and to the long time period required to obtain the results. Hence, there is an urgent need to implement environmental surveillance systems using more effective methods. Molecular approaches, including next-generation sequencing and PCR assays, may be useful and effective tools to monitor microbial contamination, especially the growing AMR of HAI-associated pathogens. Herein, we summarize the results of our recent studies using culture-based and molecular analyses in 12 hospitals for adults and children over a 5-year period, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of the techniques used

Concerning the reactivity of dioxiranes. Observations fromexperiments and theory

The challenging hypothesis of a “biphilic” (i.e., electrophilic vs nucleophilic) character for dioxirane reactivity, which envisages that electron-poor alkenes are attacked by dioxiranes in a nucleophilic fashion, could not be sustained experimentally. Rate data, which estimate Hammett “rho” values for the epoxidation of 3- or 4-substituted cinnamonitriles XâPhsCHdCHsCN, unequivocally allow one to establish that dioxiranes epoxidize electrophilically even alkenes carrying electron-withdrawing groups. The greater propensity of methyl(trifluoromethyl)dioxirane TFDO (1b) to act as an electrophilic oxidant with respect to dimethyldioxirane DDO (1a) parallels the cathode reduction potentials for the two dioxiranes, as measured by cyclic voltammetry. A simple FMO approach for alkene epoxidation is helpful to conceive a likely rationale for the greater oxidizing power of TFDO as compared to DDO

Assessment of data fusion oriented on data mining approaches to enhance precision agriculture practices aimed at increase of Durum Wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) yield

In 2050, world population will reach a total of 9 billion inhabitants and their food demand have to be satisfied. Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) is one of the most important food crop and its consumption is increasing worldwide. Productivity growth in agriculture and profitable returns are strongly influenced by investment in research and development, where Precision Agriculture (PA) represents an innovative way to manage farms by introducing the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into the production process. It is known that farms activities produce large amounts of data. Today ICT allows, with electronic and software systems, to collect and transfer automatically these data, thus increasing yields and profits. In this direction significant data are processed from agricultural production, and retrieved to extract useful information important to increase the knowledge base. Data from multiple data sources can be processed by a Data Fusion (DF) approach able to combine multiple data sources into an unique database system. Raw data are transformed into useful information, thus DF improves pattern recognition, analysis of growth factors, and relationship between crops and environments. Data Fusion is synonym of Data Integration, Sensor Fusion, and Image Fusion. By means of Data Mining (DM) it is possible to extract useful information from data of the production processes thus providing new outputs concerning product quality and product “health status”. The following literature take into account the DF and DM techniques applied to Precision Agriculture (PA) and to cultivation inputs (water, nitrogen, etc.) management.  We report also last advances of DF and DM in modern agriculture and in precision durum wheat production

Deep Control of Linear Oligomerization of Glycerol Using Lanthanum Catalyst on Mesoporous Silica Gel

The valorization of glycerol (1), a waste of biodiesel production of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMEs), adopting a “green” approach, represents an important goal of sustainable chemistry. While the polymerization of 1 to hyperbranched oligomers is a well-established process, the linear analogues are difficult to obtain. In this context, we explore the reaction without the solvent of heterogeneous hybrid La(III)O-KIT-6 catalyst (2), which is based on lanthanum oxide on mesoporous silica gel, showing a superior linear selectivity compared to most of the analogous catalysts recently reported

The Aleurocanthus spiniferus (OSW) in Europe: a becoming invasive threat to citrus also.

The orange spiny whitefly (OSW), Aleurocanthus spiniferus, is a worldwide known citrus pest native to tropical Asia. Since the beginning of the 20th century, OSW spread throughout Asia, the Pacific, central and Southern Africa and from 2008 it was intercepted many times in EPPO area (Italy, Croatia and Montenegro). OSW polyphagy is well known, being able to infest more than 90 host plants belonging to unrelated botanical families, although Citrus spp. are considered the primary hosts. Accurate samplings highlighted OSW new host associations extending the range of plant families potentially exploitable and confirming the existence of host-shift phenomena. Analyses of the mitochondrial COI gene revealed that OSW Apulian population belongs solely to one of the two haplogroups present in China. Furthermore, the study of microbiota allowed us to identify the principal endosymbiotic bacteria in OSW. So far, field samplings confirmed the presence of predators belonging to Coccinellidae family able to prey on different evelopmental stages of A. spiniferus. These findings could be considered as an opportunity for biological control of OSW. Results laid solid foundations in the knowledge of European OSW populations now invading Italy and neighbouring countries to counteract a pan-Mediterranean invasion of this harmful whitefly. Further studies are essential for the assessment of an effective IPM strategy tailored either for organic or intensive agricultural context

Next-generation sequencing and PCR technologies in monitoring the hospital microbiome and its drug resistance

The hospital environment significantly contributes to the onset of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which represent one of the most frequent complications occurring in healthcare facilities worldwide. Moreover, the increased antimicrobial resistance (AMR) characterizing HAI-associated microbes is one of the human health’s main concerns, requiring the characterization of the contaminating microbial population in the hospital environment. The monitoring of surface microbiota in hospitals is generally addressed by microbial cultural isolation. However, this has some important limitations mainly relating to the inability to define the whole drug-resistance profile of the contaminating microbiota and to the long time period required to obtain the results. Hence, there is an urgent need to implement environmental surveillance systems using more effective methods. Molecular approaches, including next-generation sequencing and PCR assays, may be useful and effective tools to monitor microbial contamination, especially the growing AMR of HAI-associated pathogens. Herein, we summarize the results of our recent studies using culture-based and molecular analyses in 12 hospitals for adults and children over a 5-year period, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of the techniques used

Modulation of microRNome by Human Cytomegalovirus and Human Herpesvirus 6 Infection in Human Dermal Fibroblasts: Possible Significance in the Induction of Fibrosis in Systemic Sclerosis

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) have been reportedly suggested as triggers of the onset and/or progression of systemic sclerosis (SSc), a severe autoimmune disorder characterized by multi-organ fibrosis. The etiology and pathogenesis of SSc are still largely unknown but virological and immunological observations support a role for these beta-herpesviruses, and we recently observed a direct impact of HCMV and HHV-6 infection on the expression of cell factors associated with fibrosis at the cell level. Since miRNA expression has been found profoundly deregulated at the tissue level, here we aimed to investigate the impact on cell microRNome (miRNome) of HCMV and HHV-6 infection in in vitro infected primary human dermal fibroblasts, which represent one of the main SSc target cells. The analysis, performed by Taqman arrays detecting and quantifying 754 microRNAs (miRNAs), showed that both herpesviruses significantly modulated miRNA expression in infected cells, with evident early and late effects and deep modulation (>10 fold) of >40 miRNAs at each time post infection, including those previously recognized for their key function in fibrosis. The correlation between these in vitro results with in vivo observations is strongly suggestive of a role of HCMV and/or HHV-6 in the multistep pathogenesis of fibrosis in SSc and in the induction of fibrosis-signaling pathways finally leading to tissue fibrosis. The identification of specific miRNAs may open the way to their use as biomarkers for SSc diagnosis, assessment of disease progression and possible antifibrotic therapies

Development of an Oral IgA Response against SARS-CoV-2 Following Immunization with Different COVID-19 Vaccines

The mucosal immune response is recognized to be important in the early control of infection sustained by viruses with mucosal tissues as the primary site of entry and replication, such as SARS-CoV-2. Mucosal IgA has been consistently reported in the mouth and eye of SARS-CoV-2 infected subjects, where it correlated inversely with COVID-19 symptom severity. Yet, there is still scarce information on the comparative ability of the diverse SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to induce local IgA responses at the virus entry site. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA in the saliva of 95 subjects vaccinated with a booster dose and different combinations of vaccines, including mRNA-1273 (Moderna), BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech), and Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca). The results showed the presence of a mucosal response in 93.7% of vaccinated subjects, with a mean IgA titer of 351.5 ± 31.77 U/mL, strongly correlating with the serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titer (p < 0.0001). No statistically significant differences emerged between the vaccine types, although the salivary IgA titer appeared slightly higher after receiving a booster dose of the mRNA-1273 vaccine (Moderna) following two doses of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech), compared to the other vaccine combinations. These data confirm what was previously reported at the eye level and suggest that monitoring salivary IgA may be a useful tool for driving forward vaccine design and surveillance strategies, potentially leading to novel routes of vaccine administration and boosting

Circulating miRNAs Expression in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Funding Information: This research was funded in part by EU H2020 project VirA, No.952376; and by the Latvian Science Council’s Fundamental and Applied Research project, No. LZP-2019/1-0380. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex multifactorial disease that causes increasing morbidity worldwide, and many individuals with ME/CFS symptoms remain undiagnosed due to the lack of diagnostic biomarkers. Its etiology is still unknown, but increasing evidence supports a role of herpesviruses (including HHV-6A and HHV-6B) as potential triggers. Interestingly, the infection by these viruses has been reported to impact the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs), short non-coding RNA sequences which have been suggested to be epigenetic factors modulating ME/CFS pathogenic mechanisms. Notably, the presence of circulating miRNAs in plasma has raised the possibility to use them as valuable biomarkers for distinguishing ME/CFS patients from healthy controls. Thus, this study aimed at determining the role of eight miRNAs, which were selected for their previous association with ME/CFS, as potential circulating biomarkers of the disease. Their presence was quantitatively evaluated in plasma from 40 ME/CFS patients and 20 healthy controls by specific Taqman assays, and the results showed that six out of the eight of the selected miRNAs were differently expressed in patients compared to controls; more specifically, five miRNAs were significantly upregulated (miR-127-3p, miR-142-5p, miR-143-3p, miR-150-5p, and miR-448), and one was downmodulated (miR-140-5p). MiRNA levels directly correlated with disease severity, whereas no significant correlations were observed with the plasma levels of seven pro-inflammatory cytokines or with the presence/load of HHV-6A/6B genome, as judged by specific PCR amplification. The results may open the way for further validation of miRNAs as new potential biomarkers in ME/CFS and increase the knowledge of the complex pathways involved in the ME/CFS development.Peer reviewe