A metabolomic approach to animal vitreous humor topographical composition: A pilot study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a 1H-NMR-based metabolomic approach to explore the metabolomic signature of different topographical areas of vitreous humor (VH) in an animal model. Five ocular globes were enucleated from five goats and immediately frozen at 280uC. Once frozen, three of them were sectioned, and four samples corresponding to four different VH areas were collected: the cortical, core, and basal, which was further divided into a superior and an inferior fraction. An additional two samples were collected that were representative of the whole vitreous body. 1H-NMR spectra were acquired for twenty-three goat vitreous samples with the aim of characterizing the metabolomic signature of this biofluid and identifying whether any site-specific patterns were present. Multivariate statistical analysis (MVA) of the spectral data were carried out, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). A unique metabolomic signature belonging to each area was observed. The cortical area was characterized by lactate, glutamine, choline, and its derivatives, N-acetyl groups, creatine, and glycerol; the core area was characterized by glucose, acetate, and scyllo-inositol; and the basal area was characterized by branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), betaine, alanine, ascorbate, lysine, and myo-inositol. We propose a speculative approach on the topographic role of these molecules that are mainly responsible for metabolic differences among the as-identified areas. 1H-NMR-based metabolomic analysis has shown to be an important tool for investigating the VH. In particular, this approach was able to assess in the samples here analyzed the presence of different functional areas on the basis of a different metabolite distribution.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a 1H-NMR-based metabolomic approach to explore the metabolomic signature of different topographical areas of vitreous humor (VH) in an animal model. Five ocular globes were enucleated from five goats and immediately frozen at -80°C. Once frozen, three of them were sectioned, and four samples corresponding to four different VH areas were collected: the cortical, core, and basal, which was further divided into a superior and an inferior fraction. An additional two samples were collected that were representative of the whole vitreous body. 1H-NMR spectra were acquired for twenty-three goat vitreous samples with the aim of characterizing the metabolomic signature of this biofluid and identifying whether any site-specific patterns were present. Multivariate statistical analysis (MVA) of the spectral data were carried out, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). A unique metabolomic signature belonging to each area was observed. The cortical area was characterized by lactate, glutamine, choline, and its derivatives, N-acetyl groups, creatine, and glycerol; the core area was characterized by glucose, acetate, and scyllo-inositol; and the basal area was characterized by branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), betaine, alanine, ascorbate, lysine, and myo-inositol. We propose a speculative approach on the topographic role of these molecules that are mainly responsible for metabolic differences among the as-identified areas. 1H-NMR-based metabolomic analysis has shown to be an important tool for investigating the VH. In particular, this approach was able to assess in the samples here analyzed the presence of different functional areas on the basis of a different metabolite distribution. © 2014 Locci et al

The effect of the relative amount of ingredients on the rheological properties of semolina doughs

"Pani carasau" is a traditional Sardinian bread, made with re-milled durum wheat semolina, with a long shelf-life. The production process is highly energy consuming, but its automation can make it more energy-efficient and sustainable. This requires a deep knowledge of the rheological parameters of the doughs. This study investigated the rheological properties of doughs-prepared by mixing semolina with water, yeast, and salt-as a function of the relative amount of the ingredients. The rheological measurements were carried out by an Anton Paar MCR 102 rheometer, equipped with a plate-plate fixture. In more detail, frequency sweep and creep tests were performed. It was found that doughs obtained with different amounts of ingredients showed significant differences in the rheological responses. The addition of water led to a significant decrease in the viscosity and improved the deformability of the dough. In addition, the yeast addition produced a viscosity decrease, while the presence of salt produced an improvement of the three-dimensional gluten network characteristics and, consequently, of the strength of the dough. In addition to the production process of pani carasau, this work contributes to improving the general performance of the doughs used in the production of flour-and-semolina-based foods

Does living in previously exposed malaria or warm areas is associated with a lower risk of severe COVID-19 infection in Italy?

Incidence of Covid-19 positivity (21/2/2020-28/3/2020) in provinces of 4 Italian regions whose territory was described as previously exposed to Malaria was compared with those of other provinces of the same regions. The climate of such provinces was compared with the climate of the other provinces in some regions. Previously malarial areas show a lower risk than other provinces of the same regions: Mantua (Lombardy) RR=0.94 (CI95%0.89-0.99); Venice-Rovigo (Veneto) RR=0.61 (CI95%0.58-0.65); Ferrara-Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna) RR=0.37 (CI95%0.35-0.41); CagliariOristano-SouthSardinia (Sardinia) RR=0.25 (0.17-0.31). The maximum temperature in March 2020 in those provinces was higher in mean 1.5° for other provinces. The lower frequency of COVID-19 in the provinces previously exposed to Malaria of four Italian regions does not reveal a causal link. The phenomenon has emerged independently in all the regions investigated. People born between the 1920s and 1950s were those most exposed to malaria years ago and today are the most exposed to the severest forms of COVID-19. A warmer climate seems to be associated with a lower risk of COVID, in line with the evidence highlighted in equatorial states where a lower lethality of the virus has emerged, however this regardless of the presence of Malaria. This may suggest that climate and not Malaria is the real risk factor, though further studies need to determine the role of the association climate / COVID

WHO Clinical Staging of HIV Infection and Disease, Tuberculosis and Eligibility for Antiretroviral Treatment: Relationship to CD4 Lymphocyte Counts.

SETTING: Thyolo district, Malawi. OBJECTIVES: To determine in HIV-positive individuals aged over 13 years CD4 lymphocyte counts in patients classified as WHO Clinical Stage III and IV and patients with active and previous tuberculosis (TB). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: CD4 lymphocyte counts were determined in all consecutive HIV-positive individuals presenting to the antiretroviral clinic in WHO Stage III and IV. RESULTS: A CD4 lymphocyte count of < or = 350 cells/microl was found in 413 (90%) of 457 individuals in WHO Stage III and IV, 96% of 77 individuals with active TB, 92% of 65 individuals with a history of pulmonary TB (PTB) in the last year, 91% of 89 individuals with a previous history of PTB beyond 1 year, 81% of 32 individuals with a previous history of extra-pulmonary TB, 93% of 107 individuals with active or past TB with another HIV-related disease and 89% of 158 individuals with active or past TB without another HIV-related disease. CONCLUSIONS: In our setting, nine of 10 HIV-positive individuals presenting in WHO Stage III and IV and with active or previous TB have CD4 counts of < or = 350 cells/microl. It would thus be reasonable, in this or similar settings where CD4 counts are unavailable for clinical management, for all such patients to be considered eligible for antiretroviral therapy

Augmented In-Band Telemetry to the User Equipment for beyond 5G Converged Packet-Optical Networks

Traffic monitoring through in-band telemetry is extended up to the User Equipment (UE), providing accurate e2e latency measurement. The UE becomes aware of its experienced service performance, enabling autonomous operations for faster automatic source-based Edge-Cloud steering

Determination of Pesticide Residues in IV Range Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L.) and Its Industrial Wastes

Fourth-range products are those types of fresh fruit and vegetables that are ready for raw consumption or after cooking, and belong to organic or integrated cultivations. These products are subject to mild post-harvesting processing procedures (selection, sorting, husking, cutting, and washing), and are afterwards packaged in packets or closed food plates, with an average shelf life of 5–10 days. Artichokes are stripped of the leaves, stems and outer bracts, and the remaining heads are washed with acidifying solutions. The A LC-MS/MS analytical method was developed and validated following SANTE guidelines for the detection of 220 pesticides. This work evaluated the distribution of pesticide residues among the fraction of artichokes obtained during the industrial processing, and the residues of their wastes left on the field were also investigated. The results showed quantifiable residues of one herbicide (pendimethalin) and four fungicides (azoxystrobin, propyzamide, tebuconazole, and pyraclostrobin). Pendimethalin was found in all samples, with the higher values in leaves 0.046 ± 8.2 mg/kg and in field waste 0.30 ± 6.7 mg/kg. Azoxystrobin was the most concentrated in the outer bracts (0.18 ± 2.9 mg/kg). The outer bracts showed the highest number of residues. The industrial waste showed a significant decrease in the number of residues and their concentration

Characterization of FeOOH nanoparticles and amorphous silica matrix in an FeOOH-Sio 2 nanocomposite

A nanocomposite with an FeOOH/SiO2ratio equal to 17.7 wt% and the pertinent matrix, obtained by etching away the nanoparticles through reaction with hydrochloric acid, were investigated by XRD, TGA-DTA, heliostereopicnometry, BET, and TEM techniques. The study shows the presence in the nanocomposite of ferrihydrite nanoparticles phase with average dimensions around 4 nm. The FeOOH nanoparticles structure was analyzed by synchrotron X-ray diffraction data using the distribution difference curve method. The porous structure of the matrix resulting by etching away the nanoparticles differs significantly from that of a pureSiO2sample obtained by hydrolysis of TEOS under the same operative conditions followed in the nanocomposite preparation