Correlation between ion composition of oligomineral water and calcium oxalate crystal formation

The ion content of drinking water might be associated with urinary stone formation, representing a keystone of conservative nephrolithiasis management. However, the effects of specific ions on calcium oxalate crystal formation and their mechanism of action are still highly controversial. We report an investigation of the effects of oligomineral waters with similar total salt amount but different ion composition on calcium oxalate (CaOx) precipitation in vitro, combining gravimetric and microscopic assays. The results suggest that the “collective” physicochemical properties of the aqueous medium, deriving from the ion combination rather than from a single ionic species, are of importance. Particularly, the ability of ions to strengthen/weaken the aqueous medium structure determines an increase/decrease in the interfacial energy, modulating the formation and growth of CaOx crystals

Congenital Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a Suckling Piglet

A 3-week-old suckling piglet spontaneously died after septicemic colibacillosis. At postmortem examination, bulging and ulcerated lesions were seen, affecting the oral mucosa on the inner surface of the lower lip. After histopathological investigation, the diagnosis of congenital oral squamous cell carcinoma was made. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of congenital oral squamous cell carcinoma ever described. A relationship has been shown or suggested between papillomavirus infection and oral squamous cell carcinoma in humans and animals. However, next-generation sequencing study did not demonstrate any papillomavirus sequences in the case reported herein

Biocompounds recovery from Spirulina by conventional and ohmic heating methodologies: chemical and biological properties

Extracting the totality of bio-compounds with industrial interest from Cyanobacterium is often prevented by the intrinsic rigidity of its cell wall. In this sense, the present study focuses on evaluating the influence thermal batch extraction (conventional extraction technologies) and ohmic heating (OH) assisted extraction (considered a greener alternative technology) in blue green microalgae Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina) cell disruption for bioactive fractions recovery. The proximal composition of Spirulina was initially determined. The maximum protein content (i.e., CPhycocyanin), total carbohydrates (TC) and total phenolic compounds (TPC) extracted in water at different times (30-120 min) and temperatures (30-51 ºC) was quantified after the conventional and OH- assisted extraction. The freeze-thawing process was used as control. The antioxidant activity (i.e., FRAP and DPPH assays) of the obtained extracts was assessed. Results showed that with the freeze-thawing process, traditionally used for the recovery of bio- compounds from Spirulina, the concentration of C-phycocyanin was approx. 42 mg/g of Spirulina, 26 mgGlcE/g Spirulina of TC and 9 mgGAE/g Spirulina of TPC. Using OH-assisted extraction, the maximum of C-Phycocyanin content obtained was 45 mg/g of Spirulina (obtained at 37 ºC, 30 min), the maximum carbohydrates content was 40 mgGlcE/g Spirulina and the maximum TPC was 10 mgGAE/g Spirulina. On the other hand, using conventional thermal treatment it can be observed that, under the same conditions, the bioactive compounds recovery decreased to 35 mg/g, 20 mgGlcE/g Spirulina for C-phycocyanin concentration and TC (p<0.05), respectively. The concentration in phenolic compounds is not so affected, but even so the ohmic heating potentiates the extraction of these secondary metabolites. The antioxidant activity of the extracts there was not different between conventional treatments andOH. Thus, the results indicated that OH is a good alternative to conventional methods aiming at the extraction of intracellular components with a decrease in processing time and energy costs associated with the extraction process, which together with an easy upscale make OH an interesting methodology for use in the industrial production of microalgae colorants and bioactive supplements.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Status of KLOE-2

In a few months the KLOE-2 detector is expected to start data taking at the upgraded DA$\rm{\Phi}$NE $\phi$-factory of INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati. It aims to collect 25 fb$^{-1}$ at the $\phi(1020)$ peak, and about 5 fb$^{-1}$ in the energy region between 1 and 2.5 GeV. We review the status and physics program of the projectComment: 6 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the Proceedings of the PHIPSI09 Workshop, Oct 13-16, 2009, Beijing, Chin

Peripheral Purinergic Modulation in Pediatric Orofacial Inflammatory Pain Affects Brainstem Nitroxidergic System: A Translational Research

Physiology of orofacial pain pathways embraces primary afferent neurons, pathologic changes in the trigeminal ganglion, brainstem nociceptive neurons, and higher brain function regulating orofacial nociception. The goal of this study was to investigate the nitroxidergic system alteration at brainstem level (spinal trigeminal nucleus), and the role of peripheral P2 purinergic receptors in an experimental mouse model of pediatric inflammatory orofacial pain, to increase knowledge and supply information concerning orofacial pain in children and adolescents, like pediatric dentists and pathologists, as well as oro-maxillo-facial surgeons, may be asked to participate in the treatment of these patients. The experimental animals were treated subcutaneously in the perioral region with pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2′,4′-disulphonic acid (PPADS), a P2 receptor antagonist, 30 minutes before formalin injection. The pain-related behavior and the nitroxidergic system alterations in the spinal trigeminal nucleus using immunohistochemistry and western blotting analysis have been evaluated. The local administration of PPADS decreased the face-rubbing activity and the expression of both neuronal and inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase isoforms in the spinal trigeminal nucleus. These results underline a relationship between orofacial inflammatory pain and nitroxidergic system in the spinal trigeminal nucleus and suggest a role of peripheral P2 receptors in trigeminal pain transmission influencing NO production at central level. In this way, orofacial pain physiology should be elucidated and applied to clinical practice in the future

A test of Local Realism with entangled kaon pairs and without inequalities

We propose the use of entangled pairs of neutral kaons, considered as a promising tool to close the well known loopholes affecting generic Bell's inequality tests, in a specific Hardy-type experiment. Hardy's contradiction without inequalities between Local Realism and Quantum Mechanics can be translated into a feasible experiment by requiring ideal detection efficiencies for only one of the observables to be alternatively measured. Neutral kaons are near to fulfil this requirement and therefore to close the efficiency loophole.Comment: 4 RevTeX page

Limits on Low Energy Photon-Photon Scattering from an Experiment on Magnetic Vacuum Birefringence

Experimental bounds on induced vacuum magnetic birefringence can be used to improve present photon-photon scattering limits in the electronvolt energy range. Measurements with the PVLAS apparatus (E. Zavattini {\it et al.}, Phys. Rev. D {\bf77} (2008) 032006) at both $\lambda = 1064$ nm and 532 nm lead to bounds on the parameter {\it A$_{e}$}, describing non linear effects in QED, of $A_{e}^{(1064)} < 6.6\cdot10^{-21}$ T$^{-2}$ @ 1064 nm and $A_{e}^{(532)} < 6.3\cdot10^{-21}$ T$^{-2}$ @ 532 nm, respectively, at 95% confidence level, compared to the predicted value of $A_{e}=1.32\cdot10^{-24}$ T$^{-2}$. The total photon-photon scattering cross section may also be expressed in terms of $A_e$, setting bounds for unpolarized light of $\sigma_{\gamma\gamma}^{(1064)} < 4.6\cdot10^{-62}$ m$^{2}$ and $\sigma_{\gamma\gamma}^{(532)} < 2.7\cdot10^{-60}$ m$^{2}$. Compared to the expected QED scattering cross section these results are a factor of $\simeq2\cdot10^{7}$ higher and represent an improvement of a factor about 500 on previous bounds based on ellipticity measurements and of a factor of about $10^{10}$ on bounds based on direct stimulated scattering measurements

New PVLAS results and limits on magnetically induced optical rotation and ellipticity in vacuum

IIn 2006 the PVLAS collaboration reported the observation of an optical rotation generated in vacuum by a magnetic field. To further check against possible instrumental artifacts several upgrades to the PVLAS apparatus have been made during the last year. Two data taking runs, at the wavelength of 1064 nm, have been performed in the new configuration with magnetic field strengths of 2.3 T and 5 T. The 2.3 T field value was chosen in order to avoid stray fields. The new observations do not show the presence of a rotation signal down to the levels of $1.2\cdot 10^{-8}$ rad at 5 T and $1.0\cdot 10^{-8}$ rad at 2.3 T (at 95% c.l.) with 45000 passes in the magnetic field zone. In the same conditions no ellipticity signal was detected down to $1.4\cdot 10^{-8}$ at 2.3 T (at 95% c.l.), whereas at 5 T a signal is still present. The physical nature of this ellipticity as due to an effect depending on $B^2$ can be excluded by the measurement at 2.3 T. These new results completely exclude the previously published magnetically induced vacuum dichroism results, indicating that they were instrumental artifacts. These new results therefore also exclude the particle interpretation of the previous PVLAS results as due to a spin zero boson. The background ellipticity at 2.3 T can be used to determine a new limit on the total photon-photon scattering cross section of $\sigma_{\gamma\gamma} < 4.5 \cdot10^{-34}$ barn at 95% c.l..Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures Main changes rel. to v.2: minor changes to abstract, replaced Figures 4,5,6, corrected typographical errors. Paper submitted to Physical Review

Fish-Kills in the Urban Stretch of the Tiber River After a Flash-Storm: Investigative Monitoring with Effect-Based Methods, Targeted Chemical Analyses, and Fish Assemblage Examinations

In 2020 and 2021, fish-kills events occurred in the Tiber river in the city of Rome. These events, which caused the death of thousands of fish of different species (e.g., Barbus spp., Cyprinus carpio, Squalius spp.), were preceded the days before by severe flash-storms. Heavy rains in urban areas in recent years are linked to climate change and fish-kills events. With the aim to investigate the causes of these events, effect-based methods (EBMs) and targeted chemical analyses have been performed on a specific site of river Tiber in the center of the city. Additionally, examination and classification of the floating dead fishes have been performed. The chemical analysis performed on several groups of contaminants showed the presence of some pharmaceuticals, insecticides, and PFAS at up to ng/L. Results with the Fish Embryo Toxicity (FET) test confirmed lethal and sub-lethal effects, while acute effects were not detected with the Daphnia magna acute test. The fish-kills events probably can be generated by several factors as a consequence of an increasing human anthropization of the area with the contribution of different stressors together with chemical releases and emissions. This study shows that in multiple stressor scenarios characterized by heavy rainfall, droughts, and strong anthropogenic pressures, the application of EBMs, chemical analysis, and fish assemblage examinations can represent a useful support in the investigation of the causes of extensive fish-kills events

Three-Dimensional Electronic Structure of type-II Weyl Semimetal WTe2_2

By combining bulk sensitive soft-X-ray angular-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and accurate first-principles calculations we explored the bulk electronic properties of WTe$_2$, a candidate type-II Weyl semimetal featuring a large non-saturating magnetoresistance. Despite the layered geometry suggesting a two-dimensional electronic structure, we find a three-dimensional electronic dispersion. We report an evident band dispersion in the reciprocal direction perpendicular to the layers, implying that electrons can also travel coherently when crossing from one layer to the other. The measured Fermi surface is characterized by two well-separated electron and hole pockets at either side of the $\Gamma$ point, differently from previous more surface sensitive ARPES experiments that additionally found a significant quasiparticle weight at the zone center. Moreover, we observe a significant sensitivity of the bulk electronic structure of WTe$_2$ around the Fermi level to electronic correlations and renormalizations due to self-energy effects, previously neglected in first-principles descriptions