Anti-transpirant effects on vine physiology, berry and wine composition of cv. Aglianico (Vitis vinifera L.) Grown in South Italy

In viticulture, global warming requires reconsideration of current production models. At the base of this need there are some emerging phenomena: modification of phenological phases; acceleration of the maturation process of grapes, with significant increases in the concentration of sugar musts; decoupling between technological grape maturity and phenolic maturity. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of a natural anti-transpirant on grapevine physiology, berry, and wine composition of Aglianico cultivar. For two years, Aglianico vines were treated at veraison with the anti-transpirant Vapor Gard and compared with a control sprayed with only water. A bunch thinning was also applied to both treatments. The effectiveness of Vapor Gard were assessed through measurements of net photosynthesis and transpiration and analyzing the vegetative, productive and qualitative parameters. The results demonstrate that the application of antitranspirant reduced assimilation and transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, berry sugar accumulation, and wine alcohol content. No significant differences between treatments were observed for other berry and wine compositional parameters. This method may be a useful tool to reduce berry sugar content and to produce wines with a lower alcohol content

Hepatitis C Virus Evasion Mechanisms from Neutralizing Antibodies

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) represents a major public health problem, affecting 3% of the world’s population. The majority of infected individuals develop chronic hepatitis, which can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. To date, a vaccine is not available and current therapy is limited by resistance, adverse effects and high costs. Although it is very well established that cell-mediated immunity is necessary for viral clearance, the importance of host antibodies in clearing HCV infection is being increasingly recognized. Indeed, recent studies indicate that neutralizing antibodies are induced in the early phase of infection by patients who subsequently clear viral infection. Conversely, patients who do not clear the virus develop high titers of neutralizing antibodies during the chronic stage. Surprisingly, these antibodies are not able to control HCV infection. HCV has therefore developed mechanisms to evade immune elimination, allowing it to persist in the majority of infected individuals. A detailed understanding of the mechanisms by which the virus escapes immune surveillance is therefore necessary if novel preventive and therapeutic treatments have to be designed. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the mechanisms used by HCV to evade host neutralizing antibodies

Laparoscopic single-port sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity: preliminary series

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has been recently proposed as a sole bariatric procedure because of the resulting considerable weight loss in morbidly obese patients. Traditionally, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy requires 5-6 skin incisions to allow for placement of multiple trocars. With the introduction of single-incision laparoscopic surgery, multiple abdominal procedures have been performed using a sole umbilical incision, with good cosmetic outcomes. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic single incision sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity

Inconsistent relationships among protection, benthic assemblage, habitat complexity and fish biomass in Mediterranean temperate rocky reefs

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been proved to effectively protect and restore fish assemblages. There is mixed evidence regarding the effects of MPAs on benthic assemblages, habitat complexity, and how protection might mediate the effects of habitat features (including biotic and abiotic components) on fish assemblages, with very little information concerning temperate areas. Here, our aim is to assess how protection 1) influences benthic assemblages and habitat complexity, and 2) mediates the effects of habitat complexity on fishes. Using non-destructive methods (photosampling for shallow rocky benthic assemblages, and underwater visual census using strip transects for fish assemblages) to characterize benthic and fish assemblages, we sampled 15 Mediterranean locations, each including protected and unprotected sites. In all, we sampled 90 sites, and analyzed 2,760 photos and 800 replicated transects, gathering information on 44 benthic and 72 fish taxa. Abiotic, biotic and synthetic (i.e. combining the previous two) complexity indices have been computed to synthesize habitat features. Overall, whole benthic assemblages did not significantly differ between protected and unprotected conditions, but higher cover of the ecologically important erect algae belonging to the genus Cystoseira sensu lato was recorded within MPAs. Abiotic, biotic and synthetic complexity did not show clear patterns related to protection levels, displaying inconsistent responses between different locations. Our findings highlight that protection has a generally positive effect on fish biomass, this latter variable responding independently of the habitat complexity. Our study, in conclusion, confirms that MPAs can be effective to protect and restore rocky-reef assemblages, highlighting the need for more in-depth exploration of the mechanisms determining the different responses of benthic taxa to protection and how this can influence the associated fish assemblages

changes in aqueductal csf stroke volume and progression of symptoms in patients with unshunted idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) represents a diagnostic challenge, given its variable presentation and progression. Stroke volume (SV), defined as the mean volume of CSF passing through the aqueduct during both systole and diastole, greater than or equal to 42 μL, serves as a selection criterion for patients with good probabilities of improvement after ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery (VPS). In this study, we evaluated the changes in SV during the progression of clinical symptoms in patients with suspected NPH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine patients who presented with clinical and radiologic evidence of NPH, but refused treatment with VPS, were evaluated every 6 months for up to 2 years for progression in their clinical symptoms and changes in their SV, as measured by phase-contrast cine MR imaging (PCCMR). RESULTS: SV seems to increase between the onset of the symptoms and the following 18 to 20 months, then seems to plateau, followed in the next 18 to 20 months by a slight decline, and finally to a more precipitous drop in the next 12 months. During this time, however, the patient9s clinical symptoms progressively worsen. CONCLUSION: Patients with a low SV have not necessarily had brain atrophy and can show, in the following months, a progressive increase in SV, which qualifies them as good candidates for VPS. The progressive reduction of the SV in untreated patients with worsening clinical symptoms may be a sign of a progressive cerebral ischemic injury, which renders the NPH irreversible

The positive side of the Alzheimer's disease amyloid cross-interactions: The case of the Aβ 1-42 peptide with tau, TTR, CysC, and ApoA1

Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents a progressive amyloidogenic disorder whose advancement is widely recognized to be connected to amyloid-β peptides and Tau aggregation. However, several other processes likely contribute to the development of AD and some of them might be related to protein-protein interactions. Amyloid aggregates usually contain not only single type of amyloid protein, but also other type of proteins and this phenomenon can be rationally explained by the process of protein cross-seeding and co-assembly. Amyloid cross-interaction is ubiquitous in amyloid fibril formation and so a better knowledge of the amyloid interactome could help to further understand the mechanisms of amyloid related diseases. In this review, we discuss about the cross-interactions of amyloid-β peptides, and in particular Aβ1-42, with other amyloids, which have been presented either as integrated part of Aβ neurotoxicity process (such as Tau) or conversely with a preventive role in AD pathogenesis by directly binding to Aβ (such as transthyretin, cystatin C and apolipoprotein A1). Particularly, we will focus on all the possible therapeutic strategies aiming to rescue the Aβ toxicity by taking inspiration from these protein-protein interactions

Thermal Conductivity Enhancement of Al2O3 Nanofluid in Ethylene Glycol and Water Mixture

AbstractThe ability of nanofluids that exhibits enhanced thermal performance is acknowledged by researchers through studies since decades ago. However, the observation of thermal properties for nanofluids in water and ethylene glycol based is not fully explored yet. Hence, this paper presents the thermal conductivity of water and ethylene glycol (EG) based Al2O3 nanofluid. The 13 nm sized Al2O3 nanoparticles were dispersed into three different volume ratio of water: EG such as 40:60, 50:50 and 60:40 using a two-step method. The measurement of thermal conductivity was performed using KD2 Pro Thermal Properties Analyzer at working temperatures of 30 to 70 ̊C for volume concentration of 0.5 to 2.0%. The results indicate that the thermal conductivity increases with the increase of nanofluid concentration and temperature. While the percentage of ethylene glycol increase, the range of thermal conductivity decreases due to ethylene glycol properties. The measurement data of the nanofluids give maximum enhancement of thermal conductivity at condition 2.0% volume concentration, temperature of 70 ̊C and for all base fluid

New obesity classification criteria as a tool for bariatric surgery indication

Obesity plays relevant pathophysiological role in the development of health problems, arising as result of complex interaction of genetic, nutritional, and metabolic factors. Due to the role of adipose tissue in lipid and glucose metabolism, and low grade inflammation, it is necessary to classify obesity on the basis of body fat composition and distribution, rather than the simply increase of body weight, and the Body Mass Index. The new term of adiposopathy ("sick fat") clearly defines the pathogenic role of adipose tissue. Four phenotypes of obese individuals have been described: (1) normal weight obese (NWO); (2) metabolically obese normal weight; (3) metabolically healthy obese; and (4) metabolically unhealthy obese or "at risk" obese. Moreover, sarcopenic obesity has been related to all the phenotypes. The category of normal weight lean, represented by metabolically healthy normal weight has been classified to distinguish from NWO. It is crucial to recommend a bariatric surgery taking into account adiposopathy and sick fat that occurs with the expansion of fat mass, changing the inflammatory and metabolic profile of the patient. Body fat percentage and genetic polymorphism have to be evaluated to personalize the best bariatric surgery intervention. \ua9 The Author(s) 2016. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved

A Movement-Tremors Recorder for Patients of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer, Parkinson, motor neuron, and Chorea affect millions of people today. Their effect on the central nervous system causes the loss of brain functions as well as motor disturbances and sometimes cognitive deficits. In such a scenario, the monitoring and evaluation of early symptoms are mandatory for the improvement of the patient's quality of life. Here, the authors describe the development, the laboratory calibration, and the "in-field validation" under the medical supervision of a movement tremors recorder for subjects affected by neurodegenerative diseases. The developed device is based on an array of four accelerometers connected to an embedded development board. This system is able to monitor tremor/movement, accidental falls, and, moreover, it can track the Alzheimer subjects' geographical position. A remote supervisor can collect data from the system through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or GSM connections. A data compression algorithm was developed directly on board in order to increase the efficiency of data transmission and reduce power consumptions