EFFECT OF DIFFERENT ILLUMINATION SOURCES ON COLOUR AND OXIDATIVE STABILITY OF SEASONED COPPA DI PARMA PGI

The influence of different lighting durations, lamps and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the colour and oxidative stability of lipids was studied in Coppa di Parma PGI. The samples were stored (4 degrees C) in darkness or lighted by UV-free lamps. In trials 1 and 2, the samples were lighted 24 and 12 h/day, respectively, and were packaged in air. In trial 3, samples were packaged in MA (70% N-2/30% CO2) and lighted 12 h/day. In air, illumination reduced oxidative stability, redness, colour saturation and increased the Hue angle. In MAP, the lighting conditions did not affect colour and oxidative stability. During storage the lipid oxidation increased. Overall, light negatively affected the studied parameters

CHARACTERISTICS OF LIPIDS FROM IMMUNOCASTRATED MEDIUM-HEAVY PIGS FED EITHER A RESTRICTED DIET OR AD LIBITUM

We studied the feeding level-related variations in lipid characteristics in the adipose tissues of pigs. The lipid content, fatty acid profile, oxidative stability, iodine value, thrombogenic and atherogenic indices were determined in individual samples from 24 immunocastrated males (Duroc x Large White), fed either restricted or ad libitum. In backfat, feed restriction increased the polyunsaturated fatty acid proportion and iodine value and lowered the thrombogenic and atherogenic indices. Intramuscular lipid content was reduced by restriction, which did not affect either the fatty acid composition or the oxidative stability in both raw and cooked muscle. Feed restriction improved the nutritional quality of lipids without impairing their technological attributes

The Italian registry of aggressive rheumatoid arthritis -- the GIARA project.

Objective. In 1999, the Italian Society of Rheumatology started a project to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of aggressive rheumatoid arthritis (ARA). Methods. For I year, all patients with RA for 2 to 2 to 1.5, female sex, and RF positivity. Conditions other than RA were recorded in about 50% of the patients, and only 30%-40% were taking disease modifying antirheumatic drugs. Conclusion. In an Italian RA population, the GIARA (Gruppo Italiano Artrite Reumatoide Aggressiva) criteria for ARA were met by 15% of the patients with disease duration of 2 years, but erosions were seen in 35%. Upon referral, most of the RA patients were inadequately treated and had other conditions

Effect of feeding maltodextrins and dextrose on rearing and slaughtering performance of immunocastrated male pigs

This study aimed to verify previous research findings showing that feeding maltodextrins (M) and dextrose (D) leads to a reduction of voluntary feed intake in the Italian heavy pig. This may be interesting for immunocastrated pigs fed ad libitum (ad lib.), whose feed intake skyrockets after the 2nd vaccination, causing too fatty carcasses at slaughtering. Thirty-six male pigs (Italian Duroc x Italian Large White crossbred) received a double immunocastrating injection at 90 and 162 days of age. At 120 days, weighing 51.84+4.38 kg, the subjects were evenly housed in 9 boxes, fed ad lib. till the 2nd injection and then given, until slaughtering (197 days of age; 144.51±9.70 kg), one of the experimental diets: control diet, ad lib. (CL); control diet, restricted at 7.5% l.w.0.75 (CR); with MD (3.5 + 3.5%; adjusted for energy and protein), ad lib. (MD). The CR diet was introduced as the alternative choice to avoid too fatty carcasses. Compared to the restricted ones, pigs fed ad lib. (with or without MD) showed statistically higher (P<.01) ADG (1325 and 1325 vs 905 g/d), ADFI (4630 and 4637 vs 2760 g/d), feed:gain ratio (3.53 and 3.52 vs 3.11), and heavier carcasses (125.1 and 124.4 vs 113.2 kg; P<.01) with lower lean meat content (52.21 and 52.09 vs 55.83 %; P<.01). The results point out how immunocastrated pigs fed ad lib. showed similar rearing and slaughtering performance regardless of the inclusion of M and D in the diet

Effect of two sous-vide cooking methods on fatty acid composition and oxidative stability of longissimus thoracis muscle from pigs receiving a diet containing or not extruded linseed

To verify the effects of two different sous-vide cooking conditions on lipid oxidation and fatty acid (FA) composition of longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle, 24 pigs, evenly divided into two groups of 12 subjects each, were used. One group received a barley-soya bean meal diet (C) and the second was given the same feed where 5% of extruded linseed partly replaced barley, to obtain a n-3 FA enriched diet (L). At slaughter, from each left half carcase, two samples of LT muscle were collected, packed under vacuum and stored at −18 °C until analysis. The samples were cooked in water bath according to two different methods: at high temperature (80 °C) and short-time i.e. samples left until the core temperaturereached 70 °C (A); at low temperature (60 °C) and long-time (15 h) (B). After cooking, the samples were refrigerated (2 °C) for 24 h. Oxidative stability was measured by a dosage of the 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) content, expressed as milligrams of malondialdehyde (MDA)/kg of meat, and FA composition was determined by capillary gas chromatography. The content of each fatty acid is expressed as a percentage of the total FAs detected. The statistical analysis was performed by means of ANOVA, using the GLM procedure of SAS. Dietary treatment (C vs. L) and cooking condition (A vs. B) were used as independent variables. The different sous-vide cooking conditions affected neither lipid oxidation nor FAs percentage of LT muscle. Extruded linseed feeding brought about an increase of the percentage of total n–3 FA (2.67 vs. 0.98; p<.01) and also of polyunsaturated fatty acids (12.02 vs. 9.68; p<.01) in intramuscular fat but did not affect lipid oxidation. This enabled to obtain pork with a more favourable n–6/n–3 ratio (3.68 vs. 10.42 in L and C group, respectively; p<.01), according to the global health guidelines. Thus, an enriched linseed diet ameliorates the FA composition of pork. The effect of the two different sous-vide cooking methods on lipid composition and oxidative stability of pork does not differ, irrespective of dietary treatments

Botulinum-A toxin injections into the detrusor muscle decrease nerve growth factor bladder tissue levels in patients with neurogenic detrusor overactivity

Purpose: We investigated the effects of BTX-A on visceral afferent nerve transmission by measuring bladder tissue NGF levels in patients with neurogenic detrusor overactivity before and after intravesical treatment with BTX-A. We also compared the bladder tissue NGF content with clinical and urodynamic data. Materials and Methods: A total of 23 patients underwent clinical evaluation and urodynamics with detection of the UDC threshold, maximum pressure and maximum cystometric capacity before, and at the 1 and 3-month followups. Endoscopic bladder Wall biopsies were also obtained at the same time points. NGF levels were measured in tissue homogenate by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Promega, Madison, Wisconsin). Results: At 1 and 3 months mean catheterization and incontinent episodes were significantly decreased (p < 0.05 and < 0.001, respectively). On urodynamics we detected a significant increase in the UDC threshold and maximum cystometric capacity, and a significant decrease in UDC maximum pressure at the 1 and 3-month followups compared to baseline (each p < 0.001). At the same time points we detected a significant decrease in NGF bladder tissue content (each p < 0.02). Conclusions: BTX-A intravesical treatment induces a state of NGF deprivation in bladder tissue that persists at least up to 4 months. As caused by BTX-A, the decrease in acetylcholine release at the presynaptic level may induce a decrease in detrusor contractility and in NGF production by the detrusor muscle. Alternatively BTX-A can decrease the bladder level of neurotransmitters that normally modulate NGF production and release

Modulating the water oxidation catalytic activity of iridium complexes by functionalizing the Cp*-ancillary ligand: hints on the nature of the active species

The catalytic activity toward NaIO4driven water oxidation of a series of [RCp*IrCl(μ-Cl)]2dimeric precursors, containing tetramethylcyclopentadienyl ligands with a variable R substituent (H,1; Me,2; Et,3;nPr,4; CH2CH2NH3+,5; Ph,6; 4-C6H4F,7; 4-C6H4OH,8; Bn,9), has been evaluated at 298 K and pH = 7 (with phosphate buffer). For each dimer, the effect of changing the catalyst (1-10 μM) and NaIO4(5-40 mM) concentration has been studied. All precursors exhibit a high activity with TOF values ranging from 101 min−1to 393 min−1and TON values being always those expected assuming a 100% yield. The catalytic activity was strongly affected by the nature of the R substituent. The highest TOF values were observed when R was electron-donating and small. The results of multiple consecutive injection experiments suggest that a fragment of the initial C5Me4R, still bearing the R-substituent, remains attached at iridium in the active species, despite the oxidativein situdegradation of the same ligand. The decrease of TOF in the second and third catalytic runs was completely ascribed to a drop of the redox potential caused by the conversion of IO4−into IO3−, according to the Nernst equation. This hypothesis was verified by performing catalytic experiments in which the initial redox potential (ΔE) was deliberately varied by using water solutions of IO4−/IO3−mixtures at different relative concentrations. Consistently, TOFversusΔEplots show that, for a given catalyst, the same TOF is obtained at a certain redox potential, irrespective of the initial reaction conditions used. All seems to indicate that after a short activation period, during which the transformation of the precursors occurs, individual active species for each dimer form and remain the same also after multiple additions of the sacrificial oxidant. It can be speculated that such active species are small iridium clusters bearing R-functionalized likelyO,O-bidentate ligands

EFFECTS OF DIETARY LINSEED AND SYNTHETIC OR NATURAL ANTIOXIDANTS ON SHELF-LIFE OF PORK

The effects of including extruded linseed in pig diets supplemented with either polyphenol-rich red grape skin extract (3 g kg(-1)) or synthetic antioxidants (200 mg kg(-1) alpha-tocopheryl acetate plus 0.21 mg kg(-1) of selenium) on shelf-life of pork stored in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) at different oxygen concentrations (0 and 70%) were evaluated. Linseed reduced n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio in lipids of backfat and loin. Color parameters, pH, weight losse, oxidative stability (TBARS), did not differ between antioxidants neither in raw, nor in cooked, nor in stored muscle. High oxygen concentration in MAP increased TBARS and Delta E, yielding redder meat

Ultrasound Examination of Common Carotid Adventitial Thickness Can Differentiate Takayasu Arteritis and Large Vessel Giant Cell Arteritis

Pathological studies have demonstrated that the adventitial layer is markedly thickened in Takayasu (TAK) as compared to large vessel giant cell arteritis (LV-GCA). An ultrasound (US) examination of the arterial vessels allows the determination of intima media thickness (IMT) and of adventitial layer thickness (extra media thickness (EMT)). No previous study has evaluated if there are differences in EMT thickness between TAK and LV-GCA. In this cross-sectional retrospective study of stored ultrasound (US) imaging, we have compared common carotid artery (CCA) EMT and IMT in a series of consecutive TAK and LV-GCA patients. US examination CCA IMT and EMT were significantly higher in TAK as compared to LV-GCA. With ROC curve analysis, we have found that an EMT &gt; 0.76 mm has high sensitivity and specificity for TAK CCA examination. The percentage of CCA at EMT &gt; 0.76 mm and the total arterial wall thickening were significantly higher in TAK group examinations. EMT thickness correlated with disease duration and IMT in the TAK group, as well as with the IMT and ESR values in the LV-GCA group. Upon multivariate logistic regression analysis, factors independently associated with TAK CCA were EMT &gt; 0.76 mm and age. No significant variation in IMT and EMT could be demonstrated in subsequent US CCA examinations

X‐ray Tomography Unveils the Construction Technique of Un‐Montu’s Egyptian Coffin (Early 26th Dynasty)

The Bologna Archaeological Museum, in cooperation with prestigious Italian universities, institutions, and independent scholars, recently began a vast investigation programme on a group of Egyptian coffins of Theban provenance dating to the first millennium BC, primarily the 25th–26th Dynasty (c. 746–525 BC). Herein, we present the results of the multidisciplinary investigation car-ried out on one of these coffins before its restoration intervention: the anthropoid wooden coffin of Un‐Montu (Inv. MCABo EG1960). The integration of radiocarbon dating, wood species identifica-tion, and CT imaging enabled a deep understanding of the coffin’s wooden structure. In particular, we discuss the results of the tomographic investigation performed in situ. The use of a transportable X‐ray facility largely reduced the risks associated with the transfer of the large object (1.80 cm tall) out of the museum without compromising image quality. Thanks to the 3D tomographic imaging, the coffin revealed the secrets of its construction technique, from the rational use of wood to the employment of canvas (incamottatura), from the use of dowels to the assembly procedure