Nutritional and Functional Advantages of the Use of Fermented Black Chickpea Flour for Semolina-Pasta Fortification

Pasta represents a dominant portion of the diet worldwide and its functionalization with high nutritional value ingredients, such as legumes, is the most ideal solution to shape consumers behavior towards healthier food choices. Aiming at improving the nutritional quality of semolina pasta, semi-liquid dough of a Mediterranean black chickpea flour, fermented with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum T0A10, was used at a substitution level of 15% to manufacture fortified pasta. Fermentation with the selected starter enabled the release of 20% of bound phenolic compounds, and the conversion of free compounds into more active forms (dihydrocaffeic and phloretic acid) in the dough. Fermented dough also had higher resistant starch (up to 60% compared to the control) and total free amino acids (almost 3 g/kg) contents, whereas antinutritional factors (raffinose, condensed tannins, trypsin inhibitors and saponins) significantly decreased. The impact of black chickpea addition on pasta nutritional, technological and sensory features, was also assessed. Compared to traditional (semolina) pasta, fortified pasta had lower starch hydrolysis rate (ca. 18%) and higher in vitro protein digestibility (up to 38%). Moreover, fortified cooked pasta, showing scavenging activity against DPPH and ABTS radicals and intense inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation, was appreciated for its peculiar organoleptic profile. Therefore, fermentation technology appears to be a promising tool to enhance the quality of pasta and promote the use of local chickpea cultivars while preventing their genetic erosion.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) RYC-2015-1879

Geometrical bounds on irreversibility in open quantum systems

Clausius inequality has deep implications for reversibility and the arrow of time. Quantum theory is able to extend this result for closed systems by inspecting the trajectory of the density matrix on its manifold. Here we show that this approach can provide an upper and lower bound to the irreversible entropy production for open quantum systems as well. These provide insights on the thermodynamics of the information erasure. Limits of the applicability of our bounds are discussed, and demonstrated in a quantum photonic simulator

Bridging thermodynamics and metrology in non-equilibrium Quantum Thermometry

Single-qubit thermometry presents the simplest tool to measure the temperature of thermal baths with reduced invasivity. At thermal equilibrium, the temperature uncertainty is linked to the heat capacity of the qubit, however the best precision is achieved outside equilibrium condition. Here, we discuss a way to generalize this relation in a non-equilibrium regime, taking into account purely quantum effects such as coherence. We support our findings with an experimental photonic simulation.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Pro-inflammatory RNA:DNA hybrids are p53 independently boosted by hyperbaric oxygen: a subcellular distribution analysis by automated quantitative imaging

Purpose: RNA:DNA hybrids are co-transcriptional products with acknowledged cytoplasmic pro-inflammatory role as activators of the cGAS-STING pathway. We recently proved them also as radiation-induced senescence messages for the abscopal effect mediation, demonstrating the need for a functional p53 for their production and release in A549 and H1299 tumour cells. However, little is known about their role under different stress conditions, especially in cancer cells. Methods: In this work, we open the investigation making use of automated quantitative imaging to characterize the hybrid subcellular distribution in HeLa cells grown under different oxygen pressures or exposed to different ionizing radiation doses. After cell imaging by confocal fluorescent microscopy, we apply automated imaging methods developed on purpose to quantify hybrid foci and nuclear cluster intensity, regional and local density and dimension. Results: We show that alteration of culture oxygenation increases hybrid cytoplasmic presence, especially when caused by an hyperoxic environment, with evident hybrid gathering at the cell membrane. Ionizing radiations always fail to increase hybrids, in accordance with the absence of functional p53 in HeLa cells. However, dose-dependent effects are still evident and suggest a threshold dose of 7.5 Gy for remarkable hybrid reduction. Conclusion: Together with our previous results, these data demonstrate for the first time that different types of stress can increase hybrid production in cancer cells and by at least two different pathways, one p53-dependent triggerable by ionizing radiations and one p53-independent triggerable by oxidative stress. Together, our findings provide a starting point for understanding hybrid role in tumour stress response

Photocatalytic TiO2-Based Nanostructured Materials for Microbial Inactivation

Pathogenic microorganisms can spread throughout the world population, as the currentCOVID-19 pandemic has dramatically demonstrated. In this scenario, a protection against pathogensand other microorganisms can come from the use of photoactive materials as antimicrobial agents ableto hinder, or at least limit, their spreading by means of photocatalytically assisted processes activatedby light—possibly sunlight—promoting the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can killmicroorganisms in different matrices such as water or different surfaces without affecting humanhealth. In this review, we focus the attention on TiO2nanoparticle-based antimicrobial materials,intending to provide an overview of the most promising synthetic techniques, toward possiblelarge-scale production, critically review the capability of such materials to promote pathogen (i.e.,bacteria, virus, and fungi) inactivation, and, finally, take a look at selected technological applications

Cytogenetic mapping of a major locus for resistance to Fusarium head blight and crown rot of wheat on Thinopyrum elongatum 7EL and its pyramiding with valuable genes from a Th. ponticum homoeologous arm onto bread wheat 7DL

n

A major qtl for resistance to fusarium head blight and Crown rot of wheat on Thinopyrum elongatum chromosome 7e: cytogenetic mapping and assembling into bread wheat with valuable genes from Th. Ponticum

Among wheat relatives, the Thinopyrum genus represents one of the richest sources of valuable genes/QTL for wheat improvement. One notable and still unexploited trait is the exceptionally effective resistance to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) originating from a diploid member of the genus, Thinopyrum elongatum. Up to date, the resistance was only associated to the long arm of Th. elongatum chromosome 7E (7EL), while detailed genetic mapping of the responsible gene/QTL was still lacking. We targeted the transfer of the temporarily designated Fhb- 7EL locus into bread wheat, by pyramiding it with other valuable genes/QTL (Lr19 for leaf rust resistance, yield-related traits) and included in a Th. ponticum 7el1L segment, stably inserted into the wheat 7DL arm of line T4. Mapping of the Fhb-7EL QTL was here based on a bioassay with Fusarium graminearum, the main causal agent of FHB, of different 7EL-7el1L bread wheat recombinant lines. Nine such recombinant types were successfully obtained without resorting to any genetic pairing promotion, but relying on the 7EL-7el1L close homoeology. Pairing between the two critical arms was in fact observed by Genomic In Situ Hybridization (GISH) at meiotic metaphase I of F1 plants between the 7E(7D) substitution line and the translocation line T4 (70% distal 7el1L on 7DL), which resulted in 14% 7EL-7el1L recombination frequency. The Fhb-7EL locus was mapped to the telomeric portion of 7EL, associated with marker loci XBE405003 Xsdauk66 and Xcfa2240. FHB resistant recombinants, with useful combinations of more proximally located 7el1L genes/QTL, could be selected. The transferred Fhb-7EL locus was shown to reduce disease severity at the spike level and fungal biomass in the grains of infected recombinants by over 95%. The same Fhb-7EL QTL was, for the first time, proved to be effective also against F. culmorum and F. pseudograminearum, predominant agents of Fusarium Crown Rot (FCR). Yield performance in preliminary field tests of the pre-breeding lines possessing a suitable 7EL-7el1L gene/QTL assembly showed to be very promising. Given the expected inheritance as a unit of the composite Thinopyrum segment in cross progeny with wheat, either of the several co-dominant PCR-based markers identified in the course of the work will enable easy tracking of the novel gene/QTL assembly in transfer programs into adapted cultivars

Amyloid β-Induced Upregulation of Nav1.6 Underlies Neuronal Hyperactivity in Tg2576 Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Model

Hyperexcitability and alterations in neuronal networks contribute to cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Voltage-gated sodium channels (NaV), which are crucial for regulating neuronal excitability, have been implicated in AD-related hippocampal hyperactivity and higher incidence of spontaneous non-convulsive seizures. Here, we show by using primary hippocampal neurons exposed to amyloid-β1-42 (Aβ1-42) oligomers and from Tg2576 mouse embryos, that the selective upregulation of NaV1.6 subtype contributes to membrane depolarization and to the increase of spike frequency, thereby resulting in neuronal hyperexcitability. Interestingly, we also found that NaV1.6 overexpression is responsible for the aberrant neuronal activity observed in hippocampal slices from 3-month-old Tg2576 mice. These findings identify the NaV1.6 channels as a determinant of the hippocampal neuronal hyperexcitability induced by Aβ1-42 oligomers. The selective blockade of NaV1.6 overexpression and/or hyperactivity might therefore offer a new potential therapeutic approach to counteract early hippocampal hyperexcitability and subsequent cognitive deficits in the early stages of AD