Inhibition of nitric oxide biosynthesis by anthocyanin fraction of blackberry extract.

Anthocyanins are natural colorant belonging to the flavonoid family, widely distributed among flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Some flavonoids have been found to possess anticarcinogenic, cytotoxic, cytostatic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Since increased nitric oxide (NO) plays a role in inflammation, we have investigated whether the pharmacological activity of the anthocyanin fraction of a blackberry extract (cyanidin-3-O-glucoside representing about 88% of the total anthocyanin content) was due to the suppression of NO synthesis. The markedly increased production of nitrites by stimulation of J774 cells with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 24 h was concentration-dependently inhibited by the anthocyanin fraction (11, 22, 45, and 90 μg/ml) of the extract. Moreover, this inhibition was dependent on a dual mechanism, since the extract attenuated iNOS protein expression and decreased the iNOS activity in lungs from LPS-stimulated rats. Inhibition of iNOS protein expression appeared to be at the transcriptional level, since the extract and similarly cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (10, 20, 40, and 80 μg/ml, amounts corresponding to the concentrations present in the extract) decreased LPS-induced NF-κB activation, through inhibition of IκBα degradation, and reduced ERK-1/2 phosphorylation in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that at least some part of the anti-inflammatory activity of blackberry extract is due to the suppression of NO production by cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, which is the main anthocyanin present in the extract. The mechanism of this inhibition seems to be due to an action on the expression/activity of the enzyme. In particular, the protein expression was inhibited through the attenuation of NF-κB and/or MAPK activatio

Dissecting Melanoma Heterogeneity by Integrative Genomic Analysis for Tailored Anti-Cancer Therapy

Cutaneous melanoma is a highly aggressive disease resistant to conventional treatment and characterized by poor prognosis. Targeted therapies against MAPK pathway and immune checkpoint inhibitors have dramatically improved survival of metastatic melanoma patients but the extent and duration of response are variable. Classification based on gene expression profiling have so far allowed identification of melanoma subtypes with distinctive biological features and with potential clinical impact. However, clinical translation of molecular subtypes is hampered by inconsistencies among the different classifications. Here, through a harmonized bioinformatic analysis of public transcriptomic datasets, we compared and combined nine published classification systems to derive the consensus transcriptional subtypes of melanoma. Beyond confirming previously reported subtypes, our approach enabled the identification of a novel highly mitotic, chromosomally unstable group of melanomas that recapitulated a transitory state from a proliferative, melanocytic, differentiated phenotype to a more mesenchimal invasive program. We provided evidence that this classification has a prognostic role in metastatic melanoma patients, independently from the levels of tumour immune infiltration. We translated consensus subtypes to in vitro melanoma cell lines and combining them with pharmacological data we highlighted subtype-specific sensitivity to MAPK inhibitors and other drugs. Analysis of baseline gene expression data of metastatic melanoma patients treated with MAPK or immune checkpoint inhibitors showed that the predictive role of consensus subtypes in clinical setting remains to be elucidated. Finally, through the analysis of multi-omics data from the same set of patients, we comprehensively characterized the consensus subtypes at the genomic, transcriptional, and epigenomic levels. Our results showed that melanoma gene expression classifications converged on five biological entities determined by transcriptional and epigenetic events, and with potential implications for prognostication

Reliable identification and quantification of volatile components of sage essential oil using ultra HRGC.

Salvia officinalis (common sage) essential oil was chemically characterized by means of GC-MS, using 100 meter capillary columns with two different stationary phases. Identification of the analytes was carried out by means of the FFNSC mass spectrum library and the use of the Linear Retention Index (LRI) as an extra criterion of library searching. Quantitative analysis was also carried out by means of GC-FID with the internal standard method and the use of relative response factors determined for each chemical class of components. A total of 45 compounds were identified and quantified and reported with their experimental LRI values

Characterization of Mandarin (Citrus deliciosa Ten.) essential oil. determination of volatiles, non-volatiles, physico-chemical indices and enantiomeric ratios.

An investigation of 27 samples of mandarin essential oils (Citrus deliciosa Tenore), industrially produced in Sicily during the 2007-2008 season, was performed to determine the composition of the volatile fraction by GC/FID and GC/MS-LRI, the enantiomeric distribution of some monoterpene hydrocarbons and linalol by Es-GC, the non-volatile oxygen heterocyclic components by RP-HPLC/PDA and the physicochemical indices (relative density, refractive index, optical rotation, residue on evaporation, and UV spectroscopic CD value). This study up-dates the information available in the literature on Sicilian mandarin (C. deliciosa Ten.) essential oils, and provides information on the composition and quality parameters for the evaluation of this product

Micro-bore Column Fast Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in Essential Oil Analysis:

The present research is focused on the use of micro-bore column fast gas chromatography in combination with rapid-scanning quadrupole mass spectrometry for mediumly-complex essential oil analysis. A basil essential oil sample was initially subjected to conventional GC-MS (analysis time: 25 min) under optimum analytical conditions. Peak identification was carried by using a dual-filtered MS library search procedure: the first filter deleted "hits" with a less than 90% spectral similarity, while the second filter eliminated matches with a linear retention index (LRI) outside a pre-defined LRI window. The same essential oil sample was analyzed under optimized fast GC-MS conditions by using a micro-bore column, with the same aforementioned MS library search process (analysis time: 5.3 min). Resolution was altogether similar in both applications, with the same number of compounds reliably-identified, namely fifty-nine. The experiment demonstrated the usefulness of the rapid GC approach in this type of experiment

Optimizing floor price in Real Time Bidding

[EN] AdNetwork companies are very much a part of today's new digital marketing methods. This paper aims to develop an algorithm that solves the problems of AdNetwork companies in setting optimal floor prices. Establishing the optimal starting price for the bid is equivalent to setting the price that maximises revenue, which is optimal for the publisher and the AdNetwork company. In this market, that price will balance two opposite scenarios: a high floor price could lead to some impressions unsold, while a low floor price could be insufficient to reach profit margins. The contribution is twofold. First, this paper extends the problem of optimal price flor in real time bidding auctions for advertising in current scenarios where a DSP (Demand Side Platform) acts as a filter and only one bid is received by the AdNetwork and thus, the price paid corresponds to the reserve price. and, moreover, it is implemented in reality with a pseudo-algorithm (not provided for commercial reasons). It allowed to be implemented in a real case scenario for three publishers, obtaining an average increase of revenue of 127%.Gávez, D.; Dugo, V. (2023). Optimizing floor price in Real Time Bidding. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 249-257. https://doi.org/10.4995/CARMA2023.2023.1645224925

La revista pedagógica Consigna : la configuración de la mujer

La presente investigación realiza un análisis del contenido y formato de la Revista Consigna (1940-1977), con el objetivo de demostrar la influencia que tuvo sobre la imagen de las mujeres durante el franquismo. La Revista Consigna estaba dirigida a las profesoras afiliadas a la Sección Femenina y desde esta institución se buscaba trasmitir una serie de valores de carácter falangista, junto a la posición que debían tomar las mujeres en la sociedad. Con esta investigación queremos desarrollar un estudio del sistema de propaganda falangista dirigido las mujeres, a la vez que realizamos un análisis sobre la influencia de la educación en la configuración de la imagen femenina actual y la transmisión de valores a través del sistema educativo