Effect of the Precipitating Agent on the Synthesis and Sintering Behavior of 20 mol %

Nanocrystalline 20 mol% samaria-doped ceria powders (Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9) were synthesized by coprecipitation techniques using various precipitating agents in aqueous solution: ammonia, ammonium carbonate, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, and urea. The synthesized powders after calcination at 600°C possess a fluorite structure with nanometric size although they are characterized by a very different morphology and degree of agglomeration. Remarkable differences appear in the sintering behavior, especially because of the presence of hard agglomerates. The precipitating agent has therefore a crucial role in the coprecipitation process, which influences the morphology of the powders and in turn the sintering behavior. The obtained results clearly reveal that ammonium carbonate and urea are the best precipitating agents to obtain final dense products after sintering

Anti-inflammatory and anti-acne effects of Hamamelis virginiana Bark in human keratinocytes

12openInternationalItalian coauthor/editorCutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) is recognized as one of the main triggers of the cutaneous inflammatory response in acne vulgaris, a chronic skin disorder with a multifactorial origin. Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana L.) is a plant widely used for skin inflammatory conditions, with some preliminary anti-inflammatory evidence on the skin, but lacking data on acne conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a glycolic extract from Hamamelis virginiana bark (HVE) versus C. acnes-induced inflammation in human keratinocytes (HaCaT). Phytochemical investigations of HVE identified hamamelitannin (HT) and proanthocyanidins as the most abundant compounds (respectively, 0.29% and 0.30% w/wextract). HVE inhibited C. acnes-induced IL-6 release (IC50: 136.90 μg/mL), by partially impairing NF-κB activation; however, no antibacterial or antibiofilm activities were found. In addition, HVE showed greater anti-inflammatory activity when TNF-α was used as a proinflammatory stimulus (IC50 of 38.93 μg/mL for IL-8 release), partially acting by antioxidant mechanisms, as shown for VEGF inhibition. The effects of HVE are primarily based on the proanthocyanidin content, as HT was found inactive on all the parameters tested. These results suggest further investigations of HVE in other inflammatory-based skin diseasesopenPiazza, Stefano; Martinelli, Giulia; Vrhovsek, Urska; Masuero, Domenico; Fumagalli, Marco; Magnavacca, Andrea; Pozzoli, Carola; Canilli, Luisa; Terno, Massimo; Angarano, Marco; Dell’Agli, Mario; Sangiovanni, EnricoPiazza, S.; Martinelli, G.; Vrhovsek, U.; Masuero, D.; Fumagalli, M.; Magnavacca, A.; Pozzoli, C.; Canilli, L.; Terno, M.; Angarano, M.; Dell’Agli, M.; Sangiovanni, E

CONCEPÇÕES EDUCATIVAS MORAIS DE PAIS E ADOLESCENTES: COOPERAÇÃO VERSUS OBEDIÊNCIA

Investigou-se as respostas dos pais e filhos aos construtos obediência, justiça, autonomia e respeito, pensando tais construtos à luz dos conteúdos propostos pela Teoria do Domínio Social e investigou as diferenças de respostas entre pais e filhos. A pesquisa contou com 338 participantes, sendo 169 pais e 169 filhos. O instrumento utilizado foi uma escala com 24 itens, divididos em 4 constructos a saber: obediência, respeito, justiça e autonomia. Para cada construto foram anexadas 3 afirmativas com variação de conteúdo conforme situações estereotipadas. A novidade que essa pesquisa apresentou em termos de dados empíricos foi o uso da medida repetida. A concordância entre pais e filhos representada pelas correlações na diagonal da matriz são positivas baixas, mas, apesar de não haver uma grande concordância, pais e filhos também não apresentaram grande discordância quanto ao seu ponto de vista em relação aos construtos investigados. O fato de ter-se aplicado o instrumento em pais e filhos adolescentes permitiu a identificação, a partir da comparação das concepções educativas de pais e de filhos, da associação entre os diferentes perfis que essas medidas nos proporcionaram. Assim, o que em especial chama a atenção nos dados é que, embora se tenha encontrado um número maior de pais com perfil cooperativo, foi encontrado um número maior de filhos com perfil obediente, além da asso-ciação estatística relevante entre pais de perfis cooperativos e filhos com ten-dência a perfil misto para autonomia e pais de perfis coercitivos associados a filhos de perfis obedientes

Nutrition, diet and immunosenescence

Ageing is characterized by immunosenescence and the progressive decline in immunity in association with an increased frequency of infections and chronic disease. This complex process affects both the innate and adaptive immune systems with a progressive decline in most immune cell populations and defects in activation resulting in loss of function. Although host genetics and environmental factors, such as stress, exercise and diet can impact on the onset or course of immunosenescence, the mechanisms involved are largely unknown. This review focusses on identifying the most significant aspects of immunosenescence and on the evidence that nutritional intervention might delay this process, and consequently improve the quality of life of the elderly

Evaluation of the Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Raisins (Vitis vinifera L.) in Human Gastric Epithelial Cells: A Comparative Study

Raisins (Vitis vinifera L.) are dried grapes largely consumed as important source of nutrients and polyphenols. Several studies report health benefits of raisins, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, whereas the anti-inflammatory activity at gastric level of the hydro-alcoholic extracts, which are mostly used for food supplements preparation, was not reported until now. The aim of this study was to compare the anti-inflammatory activity of five raisin extracts focusing on Interleukin (IL)-8 and Nuclear Factor (NF)-\u3baB pathway. Raisin extracts were characterized by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array Detector (HPLC-DAD) analysis and screened for their ability to inhibit Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)\u3b1-induced IL-8 release and promoter activity in human gastric epithelial cells. Turkish variety significantly inhibited TNF\u3b1-induced IL-8 release, and the effect was due to the impairment of the corresponding promoter activity. Macroscopic evaluation showed the presence of seeds, absent in the other varieties; thus, hydro-alcoholic extracts from fruits and seeds were individually tested on IL-8 and NF-\u3baB pathway. Seed extract inhibited IL-8 and NF-\u3baB pathway, showing higher potency with respect to the fruit. Although the main effect was due to the presence of seeds, the fruit showed significant activity as well. Our data suggest that consumption of selected varieties of raisins could confer a beneficial effect against gastric inflammatory disease

Homogeneous analysis of globular clusters from the APOGEE survey with the BACCHUS code – II. The Southern clusters and overview

We investigate the Fe, C, N, O, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ce, and Nd abundances of 2283 red giant stars in 31 globular clusters from high-resolution spectra observed in both the Northern and Southern hemisphere by the SDSS-IV APOGEE-2 survey. This unprecedented homogeneous data set, largest to date, allows us to discuss the intrinsic Fe spread, the shape, and statistics of Al-Mg and N-C anti-correlations as a function of cluster mass, luminosity, age, and metallicity for all 31 clusters. We find that the Fe spread does not depend on these parameters within our uncertainties including cluster metallicity, contradicting earlier observations. We do not confirm the metallicity variations previously observed in M22 and NGC 1851. Some clusters show a bimodal Al distribution, while others exhibit a continuous distribution as has been previously reported in the literature. We confirm more than two populations in ω Cen and NGC 6752, and find new ones in M79. We discuss the scatter of Al by implementing a correction to the standard chemical evolution of Al in the Milky Way. After correction, its dependence on cluster mass is increased suggesting that the extent of Al enrichment as a function of mass was suppressed before the correction. We observe a turnover in the Mg-Al anticorrelation at very low Mg in ω Cen, similar to the pattern previously reported in M15 and M92. ω Cen may also have a weak K-Mg anticorrelation, and if confirmed, it would be only the third cluster known to show such a pattern