Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) from Motya and its deepest oriental roots

Pomegranate remains and representations found in the Phoenician site of Motya in Western Sicily give the cue for a summary study of this plant and its fortune in the Near East and the Mediterranean. Fruits offered in wells, a terracotta relief depicting a pomegranate held by a goddess found in the Sacred Area of the Kothon at Motya, and, especially, a pottery vase in the shape of a pomegranate retrieved inside the Temple of Astarte in the same compound, witness the symbolic transcultural role of this fruit and of the pomegranate tree in ancient Mediterranean, from its farthest oriental origins to modern art and religio

3d modelling of archaeological small finds by a low-cost range camera. Methodology and first results

The production of reliable documentation of small finds is a crucial process during archaeological excavations. Range cameras can be a valid alternative to traditional illustration methods: they are veritable 3D scanners able to easily collect the 3D geometry (shape and dimensions in metric units) of an object/scene practically in real-time. This work investigates precisely the potentialities of a promising low-cost range camera, the Structure SensorTM by Occipital, for rapid modelling archaeological objects. The accuracy assessment was thus performed by comparing the 3D model of a Cipriot-Phoenician globular jug captured by this device with the 3D model of the same object obtained through photogrammetry. In general, the performed analysis shows that Structure Sensor is capable to acquire the 3D geometry of a small object with an accuracy comparable at millimeter level to that obtainable with the photogrammetric method, even though the finer details are not always correctly modelled. The texture reconstruction is instead less accurate. In the end, it can be concluded that the range camera used for this work, due to its low-cost and flexibility, is a suitable tool for the rapid documentation of archaeological small finds, especially when not expert users are involved

Lactic Fermentation of Cereal Flour: Feasibility Tests on Rice, Oat and Wheat

Background and objective: Consumers show increasing interests in probiotic foods and lactic acid fermentations. Cereal flour, can be a good fermentable substrate due to its prebiotic nature; from which, synbiotic products can be prepared. The aim of the current study was to investigate if three various cereal flours rice, oat and wheat would be good potentially functional foods.Material and methods: Fermentation tests were carried out on rice, oat and wheat flours, using Lactobacillus paracasei CBA L74 and 1.5-L fermenter with 1-L working volume. After 24 h, microbial growth, pH value, lactic acid production and starch consumption were assessed.Results and conclusion: In all three flours, pH reduction was seen; particularly in rice flour. The highest Lactobacillus growth and lactic acid production were achieved at the end of rice fermentation. The greatest starch consumption was reported at the end of rice fermentation. In conclusion, lactic fermentation of cereals as potentially functional foods was possible for the three flours. However, the best result belonged to rice flour.Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Effects of the Glucose Addition during Lactic Fermentation of Rice, Oat and Wheat Flours

 Background and objective: Consumer interests in probiotic foods have increased in recent decades. Food industries respond to these growing interests by developing innovative products and guaranteeing high production efficiency. Cereals, due to their prebiotic nature, are good fermentable substrates; from which, potentially functional foods could be achieved. The aim of this study was to verify effects of D-glucose addition on fermentation of rice, oat and wheat flours.Material and methods: Suspensions of 15% of cereals flours (rice, oat and wheat) in distilled water added with increasing glucose concentrations (2, 5, 7 and 10% w v-1) were fermented by Lactobacillus paracasei CBA L74 for 24 h. Then, pH, microbial growth and lactic acid production were assessed.Results and conclusion: Rice fermentation was not affected by glucose addition. For oat and wheat, addition of D-glucose increased bacterial concentration, as well as lactic acid production. In particular, the best growth was achieved by the addition of 2 and 5% of glucose. Furthermore, lactic acid concentration increased with increased glucose concentration. In conclusion, D-glucose addition seems to be unnecessary for the improvement of rice fermentation. On the contrary, oat and wheat fermentations need further available carbon sources for a better Lactobacillus growth and a higher lactic acid production.Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest

Investigating plant micro‐remains embedded in dental calculus of the Phoenician inhabitants of Motya (Sicily, Italy)

Plant records reveal remarkable evidence about past environments and human cultures. Exploiting dental calculus analysis and using a combined approach of microscopy and gas chromatography mass spectrometry, our research outlines dietary ecology and phytomedicinal practices of the ancient community of Motya (Sicily, eight to sixth century BC), one of the most important Phoenician settlements in the Mediterranean basin. Micro‐remains suggest use or consumption of Triticeae cereals, and animal‐derived sources (e.g., milk and aquatic birds). Markers of grape (or wine), herbs, and rhizomes, endemic of Mediterranean latitudes and the East, provide insight into the subsistence of this colony, in terms of foodstuffs and phytotherapeutic products. The application of resins and wood of Gymnosperms for social and cultural purposes is hypothesized through the identification of Pinaceae secondary metabolites and pollen grains. The information hidden in dental calculus discloses the strong human‐plant interaction in Motya’s Phoenician community, in terms of cultural traditions and land use

The impact of intraoperative “Nerve Monitoring” in a tertiary referral center for thyroid and parathyroid surgery

The most fearsome complication in thyroid surgery is the temporary or definitive recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) on postoperative outcomes after thyroid and parathyroid surgery. From October 2014 to February 2016, a total of 80 consecutive patients, with high risk of RLN injuries, underwent thyroid and parathyroid surgery. They were divided in two groups (IONM group and control group), depending on whether neuromonitoring was used or not. We used the Nerve Integrity Monitoring System (NIM)-Response 3.0 (R) (Medtronic Xomed (R)). The operation time (p=0.014). and the length of hospital stay (LOS) (p=0.14) were shorter in the IONM group. Overall mean follow-up was 96.7 +/- 14.3 months. The rate of transient RLN palsy was 2.6% in IONM group and 2.5% in the control group (p=not significant). Only one case of definitive RLN injury was reported in control group. No differences were reported between the two groups in terms of temporary or definitive RLN injury. Routine use of IOMN increases the surgery cost, but overall, it leads to long-term cost savings thanks to the reduction of both operating times (106.3 +/- 38.7 vs 128.1 +/- 39.3, p: 0.01) and LOS (3.2 +/- 1.5 vs 3.7 +/- 1.5 days, p=0.14). Anatomical visualization of RLN remains the gold standard in thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Nevertheless, IONM is proved to be a valid help without the ambition to replace surgeon's experience

Dermoid cyst of the pancreas: presentation and management

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dermoid cyst of the pancreas is a benign, well-differentiated, extremely rare germ cell neoplasm. Published data indicate that differential diagnosis of cystic lesions of the pancreas is challenging and although ultrasonography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance may be useful, radiological findings are often inconclusive and the diagnosis is intraoperative. We report a case of a dermoid cyst of the tail of the pancreas intraoperatively diagnosed and successfully treated with left pancreatectomy. Further, characteristics, preoperative detection and differential diagnosis of this rare pathology are also discussed.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>This report documents the findings of a 64-year-old male presenting with a well defined echogenic pancreatic mass on ultrasonography. Computerized Tomography (CT) showed a 5 cm cystic tumor arising from pancreatic tail and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) suggested a tumor extension to the middle side of the stomach without defined margins. A left pancreatectomy was performed. On surgical specimen, histological evaluation revealed a dermoid cyst of the tail of the pancreas measuring 8.5 × 3.0 cm.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Given the benign nature of the dermoid cyst, surgical resection most likely represents the definitive treatment and cure. In addition, resection is indicated in consideration of the difficulty in diagnosing dermoid cyst preoperatively. However, endoscopic ultrasound and fine needle aspiration cytology have recently been shown to be effective, safe, reliable and cost-saving preoperative diagnostic tools. Therefore, until more cases of dermoid cyst are identified to further elucidate its natural history and improve the reliability of the preoperative diagnostic tools, surgical resection should be considered the standard therapy in order to exclude malignancy.</p