1,033 research outputs found
Hydrophilic interaction chromatography – mass spectrometry for metabolomics and proteomics:state-of-the-art and current trends
Among all the –omics approaches, proteomics and metabolomics have received increased attention over the last decade. Both approaches have reached a certain level of maturity, showing their relevance in numerous clinical applications, including biomarkers discovery, improved diagnosis, staging, and prognosis of diseases, as well as a better knowledge on various (patho-)physiological processes. Analytically, reversed-phase liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry (RPLC-MS) is considered the golden standard in proteomics and metabolomics, due to its ease of use and reproducilibity. However, RPLC-MS alone is not sufficient to resolve the complexity of the proteome, while very polar metabolites are typically poorly retained. In this context, hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) represents an attractive complementary approach, due to its orthogonal separation mechanism. This review presents an overview of the literature reporting the application of HILIC-MS in metabolomics and proteomics. For metabolomics the focus is on the analysis of bioactive lipids, amino acids, organic acids, and nucleotides/nucleosides, whereas for proteomics the analysis of complex samples and protein post-translational modifications therein using bottom-up, middle up/down proteomics and intact protein analysis is discussed. The review handles the technological aspects related to the use of HILIC-MS in both proteomics and metabolomics, paying attention to stationary phases, mobile phase conditions, injection volume and column temperature. Recent trends and developments in the application of HILIC-MS in proteomics and metabolomics are also presented and discussed, highlighting the advantages the technique can provide in addition or complementary to RPLC-MS, as well as the current limitations and possible solutions
Primo Bilancio di Genere dell'Ateneo Fridericiano
YesThe first annual report on Gender at the Federico II University.FP
Nuclear Structure Calculations and Modern Nucleon-Nucleon Potentials
We study ground-state properties of the doubly magic nuclei 4He, 16O, and
40Ca employing the Goldstone expansion and using as input four different
high-quality nucleon-nucleon (NN) potentials. The short-range repulsion of
these potentials is renormalized by constructing a smooth low-momentum
potential V-low-k. This is used directly in a Hartree-Fock approach and
corrections up to third order in the Goldstone expansion are evaluated.
Comparison of the results shows that they are only slightly dependent on the
choice of the NN potential.Comment: 5 pages, submitted to Physical Review
Multi-scale analysis of lung computed tomography images
A computer-aided detection (CAD) system for the identification of lung
internal nodules in low-dose multi-detector helical Computed Tomography (CT)
images was developed in the framework of the MAGIC-5 project. The three modules
of our lung CAD system, a segmentation algorithm for lung internal region
identification, a multi-scale dot-enhancement filter for nodule candidate
selection and a multi-scale neural technique for false positive finding
reduction, are described. The results obtained on a dataset of low-dose and
thin-slice CT scans are shown in terms of free response receiver operating
characteristic (FROC) curves and discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 12 low-resolution figure
Viscous-Inviscid Interactions in a Boundary-Layer Flow Induced by a Vortex Array
In this paper we investigate the asymptotic validity of boundary layer
theory. For a flow induced by a periodic row of point-vortices, we compare
Prandtl's solution to Navier-Stokes solutions at different numbers. We
show how Prandtl's solution develops a finite time separation singularity. On
the other hand Navier-Stokes solution is characterized by the presence of two
kinds of viscous-inviscid interactions between the boundary layer and the outer
flow. These interactions can be detected by the analysis of the enstrophy and
of the pressure gradient on the wall. Moreover we apply the complex singularity
tracking method to Prandtl and Navier-Stokes solutions and analyze the previous
interactions from a different perspective
Automated detection of lung nodules in low-dose computed tomography
A computer-aided detection (CAD) system for the identification of pulmonary
nodules in low-dose multi-detector computed-tomography (CT) images has been
developed in the framework of the MAGIC-5 Italian project. One of the main
goals of this project is to build a distributed database of lung CT scans in
order to enable automated image analysis through a data and cpu GRID
infrastructure. The basic modules of our lung-CAD system, consisting in a 3D
dot-enhancement filter for nodule detection and a neural classifier for
false-positive finding reduction, are described. The system was designed and
tested for both internal and sub-pleural nodules. The database used in this
study consists of 17 low-dose CT scans reconstructed with thin slice thickness
(~300 slices/scan). The preliminary results are shown in terms of the FROC
analysis reporting a good sensitivity (85% range) for both internal and
sub-pleural nodules at an acceptable level of false positive findings (1-9
FP/scan); the sensitivity value remains very high (75% range) even at 1-6
FP/scanComment: 4 pages, 2 figures: Proceedings of the Computer Assisted Radiology
and Surgery, 21th International Congress and Exhibition, Berlin, Volume 2,
Supplement 1, June 2007, pp 357-35
Mushroom-Based Supplements in Italy: Let’s Open Pandora’s Box
Mushrooms and derivates are well known to the scientific community for having different health benefits and exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities, including lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antimicrobic, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, immunomodulating, neuroprotective and osteoprotective actions. In Europe, medical mushrooms are mainly marketed in the form of food supplements as single components or combined with other nutraceuticals.
In this context, the first peculiarity that distinguishes it is the safety established through the “history of consumption” that characterizes that mushroom. However, the cultivation of medicinal mushrooms on a large scale is performed mainly in China, where most of the production facilities
do not have internationally recognized good manufacturing practices, despite that many European companies that sell myotherapies are supplied by Chinese manufacturers. This is particularly evident in Italy, where an arsenal of mushroom products is marketed in the form of powders and extracts not always of ascertained origin and sometimes of doubtful taxonomic identification, and thus not meeting the quality criteria required. The growing interest in mycotherapy involves a strong commitment from the scientific community to propose supplements of safe origin and genetic purity as well as to promote clinical trials to evaluate its real effects on humans. The purpose of this research is to analyze different mushroom-based dietary supplements used in medicine as monotherapy on
the Italian market and to evaluate their composition and quality. The molecular identification of the sequences with those deposited in GenBank allowed for identifying 6 out of 19 samples, matching with those deposited belonging to the species indicated in the label, i.e., Lentinula edodes (samples 1, 4, 12 and 18) and Ganoderma lucidum (samples 5 and 10). Samples containing Ganoderma, labeled in the commercial product as G. lucidum, showed sequences that showed homology of 100% and 99% with G. resinaceum and G. sichuanense. An additional investigation was carried out in order to determine the active fungal ingredients, such as ergosterol, aflatoxins, heavy metals, nicotine and total glucan.
The results obtained and shown in the manuscript highlight how the data were not only in line with what is expected with respect to what is indicated in the labels
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