Effect of different lignocellulosic fibres on poly(ε-caprolactone)-based composites for potential applications in orthotics

This work compares the mechanical and thermal behaviour of fully biodegradable biocomposites based on polycaprolactone reinforced with three different natural fibres, namely hemp, sisal and coir, for potential applications in the field of orthoses. The same properties were further compared to those of two commercially available materials commonly used in the same prospective field. The results confirmed that the addition of natural fibres, irrespective of the origin of the fibres (leaf, bast or fruit) to a biodegradable matrix allows for significant improvement of the mechanical behaviour of the ensuing composites compared to traditional thermoplastic materials used in orthotics

The sternum reconstruction: Present and future perspectives

Sternectomy is a procedure mainly used for removing tumor masses infiltrating the sternum or treating infections. Moreover, the removal of the sternum involves the additional challenge of performing a functional reconstruction. Fortunately, various approaches have been proposed for improving the operation and outcome of reconstruction, including allograft transplantation, using novel materials, and developing innovative surgical approaches, which promise to enhance the quality of life for the patient. This review will highlight the surgical approaches to sternum reconstruction and the new perspectives in the current literature

Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs), Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) and Their Interplay with Cancer Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs): A New World of Targets and Treatments.

Abstract: The importance of defining new molecules to fight cancer is of significant interest to the scientific community. In particular, it has been shown that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subpopulation of cells within tumors with capabilities of self-renewal, differentiation, and tumorigenicity; on the other side, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) seem to split away from the primary tumor and appear in the circulatory system as singular units or clusters. It is becoming more and more important to discover new biomarkers related to these populations of cells in combination to define the network among them and the tumor microenvironment. In particular, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a key component of the tumor microenvironment with different functions, including matrix deposition and remodeling, extensive reciprocal signaling interactions with cancer cells and crosstalk with immunity. The settings of new markers and the definition of the molecular connections may present new avenues, not only for fighting cancer but also for the definition of more tailored therapies

Bio-Polyethylene-Based Composites Reinforced with Alkali and Palmitoyl Chloride-Treated Coffee Silverskin

[EN] This work investigates the feasibility of using coffee silverskin (CSS) as a reinforcing agent in biobased polyethylene (BioPE) composites, by adding it in bulk and thin film samples. The effect of two different treatments, alkali bleaching (CSS_A) and esterification with palmitoyl chloride (CSS_P), on mechanical, thermal, morphological and water absorption behavior of produced materials at different CSS loading (10, 20 and 30 wt %) was investigated. A reactive graft copolymerization of BioPE with maleic anhydride was considered in the case of alkali treated CSS. It was found that, when introduced in bulk samples, improvement in the elastic modulus and a reduction in strain at maximum stress were observed with the increase in CSS fraction for the untreated and treated CSS composites, while the low aspect ratio of the CSS particles and their poor adhesion with the polymeric matrix were responsible for reduced ductility in films, decreasing crystallinity values and reduction of elastic moduli. When CSS_A and CSS_P are introduced in the matrix, a substantial reduction in the water uptake is also obtained in films, mainly due to presence of maleated PE, that builds up some interactions to eliminate the amounts of OH groups and hydrophobized CSS, due to the weakened absorption capacity of the functionalized CSS.This research was partially funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (MICIU) project number MAT2017-84909-C2-2-R. D.G.G. wants to thank the Universitat Politècnica de València for financial support through a postdoctoral contract [PAID-10-18].Dominici, F.; Garcia-Garcia, D.; Fombuena, V.; Luzi, F.; Puglia, D.; Torre, L.; Balart, R. (2019). Bio-Polyethylene-Based Composites Reinforced with Alkali and Palmitoyl Chloride-Treated Coffee Silverskin. Molecules. 24(17):1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24173113S1142417Carbonell-Verdú, A., García-García, D., Jordá, A., Samper, M. D., & Balart, R. (2015). Development of slate fiber reinforced high density polyethylene composites for injection molding. Composites Part B: Engineering, 69, 460-466. doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2014.10.026Zhang, H. (2014). Effect of a novel coupling agent, alkyl ketene dimer, on the mechanical properties of wood–plastic composites. Materials & Design, 59, 130-134. doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2014.02.048Garcia-Garcia, D., Carbonell-Verdu, A., Jordá-Vilaplana, A., Balart, R., & Garcia-Sanoguera, D. (2016). 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Experimental Dermatology, 25(7), 572-574. doi:10.1111/exd.13010Rodrigues, F., Palmeira-de-Oliveira, A., das Neves, J., Sarmento, B., Amaral, M. H., & Oliveira, M. B. P. P. (2014). Coffee silverskin: A possible valuable cosmetic ingredient. Pharmaceutical Biology, 53(3), 386-394. doi:10.3109/13880209.2014.922589Fernandez-Gomez, B., Ramos, S., Goya, L., Mesa, M. D., del Castillo, M. D., & Martín, M. Á. (2016). Coffee silverskin extract improves glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and protects against streptozotocin-induced damage in pancreatic INS-1E beta cells. Food Research International, 89, 1015-1022. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2016.03.006Bessada, S. M. F., Alves, R. C., Costa, A. S. G., Nunes, M. A., & Oliveira, M. B. P. P. (2018). Coffea canephora silverskin from different geographical origins: A comparative study. Science of The Total Environment, 645, 1021-1028. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.201Sarasini, F., Tirillò, J., Zuorro, A., Maffei, G., Lavecchia, R., Puglia, D., … Torre, L. (2018). Recycling coffee silverskin in sustainable composites based on a poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) matrix. Industrial Crops and Products, 118, 311-320. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2018.03.070Sarasini, F., Luzi, F., Dominici, F., Maffei, G., Iannone, A., Zuorro, A., … Puglia, D. (2018). Effect of Different Compatibilizers on Sustainable Composites Based on a PHBV/PBAT Matrix Filled with Coffee Silverskin. Polymers, 10(11), 1256. doi:10.3390/polym10111256Zarrinbakhsh, N., Wang, T., Rodriguez-Uribe, A., Misra, M., & Mohanty, A. K. (2016). Characterization of Wastes and Coproducts from the Coffee Industry for Composite Material Production. BioResources, 11(3). doi:10.15376/biores.11.3.7637-7653Lu, N., Swan, R. H., & Ferguson, I. (2011). Composition, structure, and mechanical properties of hemp fiber reinforced composite with recycled high-density polyethylene matrix. Journal of Composite Materials, 46(16), 1915-1924. doi:10.1177/0021998311427778Prakash, G. K., & Mahadevan, K. M. (2008). Enhancing the properties of wood through chemical modification with palmitoyl chloride. Applied Surface Science, 254(6), 1751-1756. doi:10.1016/j.apsusc.2007.07.137David, G., Gontard, N., Guerin, D., Heux, L., Lecomte, J., Molina-Boisseau, S., & Angellier-Coussy, H. (2019). Exploring the potential of gas-phase esterification to hydrophobize the surface of micrometric cellulose particles. European Polymer Journal, 115, 138-146. doi:10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2019.03.002Figen, A. K., İsmail, O., & Pişkin, S. (2011). Devolatilization non-isothermal kinetic analysis of agricultural stalks and application of TG-FT/IR analysis. 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Cellulose, 22(1), 289-299. doi:10.1007/s10570-014-0505-yMastrocola, D., Munari, M., Cioroi, M., & Lerici, C. R. (2000). Interaction between Maillard reaction products and lipid oxidation in starch-based model systems. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 80(6), 684-690. doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-0010(20000501)80:63.0.co;2-3Pasquini, D., Teixeira, E. de M., Curvelo, A. A. da S., Belgacem, M. N., & Dufresne, A. (2008). Surface esterification of cellulose fibres: Processing and characterisation of low-density polyethylene/cellulose fibres composites. Composites Science and Technology, 68(1), 193-201. doi:10.1016/j.compscitech.2007.05.009Kim, H.-S., Lee, B.-H., Choi, S.-W., Kim, S., & Kim, H.-J. (2007). The effect of types of maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAPP) on the interfacial adhesion properties of bio-flour-filled polypropylene composites. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 38(6), 1473-1482. doi:10.1016/j.compositesa.2007.01.004Yao, N., Zhang, P., Song, L., Kang, M., Lu, Z., & Zheng, R. (2013). Stearic acid coating on circulating fluidized bed combustion fly ashes and its effect on the mechanical performance of polymer composites. Applied Surface Science, 279, 109-115. doi:10.1016/j.apsusc.2013.04.045Moustafa, H., Guizani, C., Dupont, C., Martin, V., Jeguirim, M., & Dufresne, A. (2017). Utilization of Torrefied Coffee Grounds as Reinforcing Agent To Produce High-Quality Biodegradable PBAT Composites for Food Packaging Applications. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 5(2), 1906-1916. doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.6b02633Daramola, O. O., Akinwekomi, A. D., Adediran, A. A., Akindote-White, O., & Sadiku, E. R. (2019). Mechanical performance and water uptake behaviour of treated bamboo fibre-reinforced high-density polyethylene composites. Heliyon, 5(7), e02028. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02028Srivastava, P., & Sinha, S. (2018). Effect of alkali treatment on hair fiber as reinforcement of HDPE composites: mechanical properties and water absorption behavior. Science and Engineering of Composite Materials, 25(3), 571-578. doi:10.1515/secm-2016-0198Hoque, M. B., Solaiman, Alam, A. B. M. H., Mahmud, H., & Nobi, A. (2018). Mechanical, Degradation and Water Uptake Properties of Fabric Reinforced Polypropylene Based Composites: Effect of Alkali on Composites. Fibers, 6(4), 94. doi:10.3390/fib6040094Ruijun Gu, Kokta, B. V., Michalkova, D., Dimzoski, B., Fortelny, I., Slouf, M., & Krulis, Z. (2010). Characteristics of wood-plastic composites reinforced with organo-nanoclays. Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 29(24), 3566-3586. doi:10.1177/0731684410378543Garcia-Garcia, D., Quiles-Carrillo, L., Montanes, N., Fombuena, V., & Balart, R. (2017). 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Machine learning approach to the safety assessment of a prestressed concrete railway bridge

Early structural anomalies identification allows to hold maintenance activities that avoid loss of both economic resources and human life. This is extremely important for crucial infrastructures like railway bridges. This paper illustrates the structural health monitoring approach applied to a simply supported prestressed concrete railway bridge. In the framework of long-term monitoring, both static quantities (displacements, strains, and rotations) and environmental measurements (temperatures) have been recorded. Machine learning techniques, Extreme Gradient boosting machine and Multi-Layer Perceptron, have been exploited to build regression correlation models associated with the undamaged structural condition after adequate pre-processing operations. In this way, alarm thresholds based on the expected residuals between the predicted structural quantities and the measured ones, have been defined. The thresholds turned out to be able to catch early-stage anomalies not pointed out by traditional damage thresholds based on the design values. The proposed damage index is chosen as the moving median of the residuals, allowing a significant reduction of false alarms. The used correlation models and the obtained results represent a starting point for the generalization of this approach to the bridges belonging to the same static typology

Biological effects of COVID-19 on lung cancer: can we drive our decisions?

COVID-19 infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 is considered catastrophic because it affects multiple organs, particularly those of the respiratory tract. Although the consequences of this infection are not fully clear, it causes damage to the lungs, the cardiovascular and nervous systems, and other organs, subsequently inducing organ failure. In particular, the effects of SARS-CoV-2-induced inflammation on cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment need to be investigated. COVID-19 may alter the tumor microenvironment, promoting cancer cell proliferation and dormant cancer cell (DCC) reawakening. DCCs reawakened upon infection with SARS-CoV-2 can populate the premetastatic niche in the lungs and other organs, leading to tumor dissemination. DCC reawakening and consequent neutrophil and monocyte/macrophage activation with an uncontrolled cascade of pro-inflammatory cytokines are the most severe clinical effects of COVID-19. Moreover, neutrophil extracellular traps have been demonstrated to activate the dissemination of premetastatic cells into the lungs. Further studies are warranted to better define the roles of COVID-19 in inflammation as well as in tumor development and tumor cell metastasis; the results of these studies will aid in the development of further targeted therapies, both for cancer prevention and the treatment of patients with COVID-19

Design and Characterization of PLA Bilayer Films Containing Lignin and Cellulose Nanostructures in Combination With Umbelliferone as Active Ingredient

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) bilayer films, containing cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) or lignin nanoparticles (LNP) and Umbelliferone (UMB) were extruded and successfully layered by thermo-compression starting from monolayer films. Lignocellulosic nanostructures were used in PLA based film as nanofillers at 3 wt.%, while UMB was used as active ingredient (AI) at 15 wt.%. The effects of processing techniques, presence, typology and content of lignocellulosic nanoparticles have been analyzed and thermal, morphological, mechanical and optical characterization of PLA nanocomposites have been made.Furthermore, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies evaluated the presence of nanofillers and AI at chemical level. Bilayer formulations showed a good interfacial adhesion and improved stress at break with respect of PLA monolayers, although they were less stretchable and transparent. Data obtained from thermal, colorimetric and transparency investigations underlined that the presence of lignocellulosic nanofillers and AI in PLA monolayer and bilayer films induced relevant alterations in terms of overall color properties and thermal stability, while antioxidant activity of umbelliferone was enhanced by the addition of lignin in produced materials.Fil: Iglesias Montes, Magdalena Luz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Luzi, Francesca. Università di Perugia; ItaliaFil: Dominici, Franco. Università di Perugia; ItaliaFil: Torre, Luigi. Università di Perugia; ItaliaFil: Cyras, Viviana Paola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Manfredi, Liliana Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Puglia, Debora. Università di Perugia; Itali

Effect of Chlorophyll Hybrid Nanopigments from Broccoli Waste on Thermomechanical and Colour Behaviour of Polyester-Based Bionanocomposites

[EN] Natural dyes obtained from agro-food waste can be considered promising substitutes of synthetic dyes to be used in several applications. With this aim, in the present work, we studied the use of chlorophyll dye (CD) extracted from broccoli waste to obtain hybrid nanopigments based on calcined hydrotalcite (HT) and montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclays. The synthesized chlorophyll hybrid nanopigments (CDNPs), optimized by using statistical designed experiments, were melt-extruded with a polyester-based matrix (INZEA) at 7 wt% loading. Mechanical, thermal, structural, morphological and colour properties of the obtained bionanocomposites were evaluated. The obtained results evidenced that the maximum CD adsorption into HT was obtained when adding 5 wt% of surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulphate) without using any biomordant and coupling agent, while the optimal conditions for MMT were achieved without adding any of the studied modifiers. In both cases, an improvement in CD thermal stability was observed by its incorporation in the nanoclays, able to protect chlorophyll degradation. The addition of MMT to INZEA resulted in large Delta E* values compared to HT incorporation, showing bionanocomposite green/yellow tones as a consequence of the CDNPs addition. The results obtained by XRD and TEM revealed a partially intercalated/exfoliated structure for INZEA-based bionanocomposites, due to the presence of an inorganic filler in the formulation of the commercial product, which was also confirmed by TGA analysis. CDNPs showed a reinforcement effect due to the presence of the hybrid nanopigments and up to 26% improvement in Young's modulus compared to neat INZEA. Finally, the incorporation of CDNPs induced a decrease in thermal stability as well as limited effect in the melting/crystallization behaviour of the INZEA matrix. The obtained results showed the potential use of green natural dyes from broccoli wastes, adsorbed into nanoclays, for the development of naturally coloured bionanocomposites.The authors express their gratitude to the Bio Based Industries Consortium and European Commission for the financial support to the project BARBARA: Biopolymers with advanced functionalities for building and automotive parts processed through additive manufacturing. This project received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 745578.Micó-Vicent, B.; Ramos, M.; Luzi, F.; Dominici, F.; Viqueira, V.; Torre, L.; Jiménez, A.... (2020). Effect of Chlorophyll Hybrid Nanopigments from Broccoli Waste on Thermomechanical and Colour Behaviour of Polyester-Based Bionanocomposites. Polymers. 12(11):1-19. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12112508S119121

Cancer Stem Cells and Cell Cycle Genes as Independent Predictors of Relapse in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: Secondary Analysis of a Prospective Study.

Purpose: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are described as resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It has been shown that CSCs infuence disease-free survival in patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer (NCT04634630). We recently described an overexpression of CSCs recurrence-related genes (RG) in lung cancer. This study aims to investigate CSC frequency and RG expression as predictors of disease-free survival in lung cancer. Experimental Design: This secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study involved 22 surgical tumor specimens from 22 patients harboring early (I-II) and locally advanced (IIIA) stages ACL and SCCL. Cell population frequency analysis of ALDHhigh (CSCs) and ALDHlow (cancer cells) was performed on each tumor specimen. In addition, RG expression was assessed for 31 target genes separately in ALDHhigh and ALDHlow populations. CSCs frequency and RG expression were assessed as predictors of disease-free survival by Cox analysis. Results: CSCs frequency and RG expression were independent predictors of disease-free survival. CSC frequency was not related to diseasefree survival in early-stage patients (HR = 0.84, 95%CI = 0.53-1.33, P = .454), whereas it was a risk factor for locally advanced-stage patients (HR = 1.22, 95%CI = 1.09-1.35, P = .000). RG expression—if measured in CSCs—was related to a higher risk of recurrence (HR = 1.19, 95%CI = 1.03-1.39, P = .021). The effect of RG expression measured in cancer cells on disease-free survival was lower and was not statistically significant (HR = 1.12, 95%CI = 0.94-1.33, P = .196). Conclusions: CSCs frequency and RG expression are independent predictors of relapse in lung cancer. Considering these results, CSCs and RG may be considered for both target therapy and prognosis