In Vitro Safety/Protection Assessment of Resveratrol and Pterostilbene in a Human Hepatoma Cell Line (HepG2).

The aim of this work was to evaluate in vitro the genotoxic and/or antigenotoxic effects of resveratrol (RESV) and pterostilbene (PTER) on HepG2 cells. Moreover, additional tests were performed to evaluate early and late apoptosis events induced by the tested stilbenes. RESV and PTER did not show any genotoxic activity. As regards antigenotoxicity testing, RESV and PTER showed a typical, U-shaped hormetic dose-response relationship characterized by a biphasic trend with small quantities having opposite effects to large ones. HepG2 cells treated with PTER exhibited a marked increase in early apoptosis (40.1 %) at 250 μM; whereas, the highest concentration tested for both RESV and PTER significantly increased the proportion of HepG2 cells undergoing late apoptosis (32.5 and 51.2 %, respectively). The observed pro-apoptotic activity could, at least in part, explain the hormetic response observed when the compounds were tested for antigenotoxicity ( i.e., in the presence of induced DNA damage)

Phenol composition and antioxidant capacity of red wines produced in Central Italy changes after one-year storage

Much interest is currently concentrated on phenol compounds and antioxidants of wine. The aim of this study was to characterize and evaluate controlled designation of origin (CDO) and typical geographical indications (TGI) red wines from Central Italy and to evaluate possible modifications after one year of storage. The total phenol content and antioxidant activity by ORAC method were determined, while phenolic qualitative and quantitative profiles were evaluated by HRGC-FID or HPLC-DAD. All wines showed a good content of total phenols and an obvious antioxidant effect. After a one-year storage in the bottle, a significant decrease (P<0.05) of the ORAC values was observed for TGI wines. Interesting correlations between phenol and ORAC values for CDO wines were found. It can be confirmed that one-year storage in the bottle has not significantly affected the quality of the wines analyzed, in particular the CDO category

Applicazione della metodiologia di valutazione integrata territoriale per la costruzione di scenari territoriali del commercio in Provincia di Trento

Primo Rapporto di Ricerca, Consulenza Diter - Provincia di Trent

Viral load of EBV DNAemia is a predictor of EBV-related post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders in pediatric renal transplant recipients

BACKGROUND: Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a severe complication of solid organ transplantation that can be classified into two major subtypes, namely, early lesions and non-early lesions, based on histopathological findings. In the vast majority of cases, proliferating cells are B lymphocytes and, most frequently, proliferation is induced by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. METHODS: The aim of our study was to evaluate the natural history of EBV infection and its possible evolution toward PTLD in a pediatric cohort of patients who received a renal transplant between January 2000 and December 2013. A total of 304 patients were evaluated for this study, of whom 103 tested seronegative for EBV at transplantation. RESULTS: Following transplantation, 50 of the 103 seronegative patients (48.5%) developed a first EBV infection, based on the results of PCR assays for EBV DNA, with 19 of these patients ultimately reverting to the negative state (<3000 copies/μl). Among the 201 seropositive patients only 40 (19.9%) presented a reactivation of EBV. Non-early lesions PTLD was diagnosed in ten patients, and early lesions PTLD was diagnosed in five patients. In all cases a positive EBV viral load had been detected at some stage of the follow-up. Having a maximum peak of EBV viral load above the median value observed in the whole cohort (59,909.5 copies/μl) was a significant and independent predictor of non-early lesions PTLD and all PTLD onset. CONCLUSIONS: A high PCR EBV viral load is correlated with the probability of developing PTLD. The definition of a reliable marker is essential to identify patients more at risk of PTLD and to personalize the clinical approach to the single patient

Topical treatment of distal active ulcerative colitis with beclomethasone dipropionate or mesalamine: A single-blind randomized controlled trial

Goals: Therapy for active ulcerative colitis (UC) usually involves rectal formulations of corticosteroids (CS), which are characterized by the risk of systemic steroid-related adverse effects. Background: To compare the efficacy and safety of the topically acting CS beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) versus mesalamine (5-ASA) in the treatment of active UC. Study: Patients with mild to moderate distal active UC were randomized to a 6-week treatment with BDP 3 mg enema o.d. or 5-ASA 1 g enema daily in a single-blind, multicenter, parallel-group, controlled study. The primary efficacy variable was the decrease in Disease Activity Index (DAI) score. Safety variables were adrenal function, monitoring of adverse events, vital signs, and laboratory parameters. Results: A total of 217 patients were enrolled and treated with BDP (n = 111) or 5-ASA (n = 106). A significant decrease in the DAI score (P &lt; 0.05) was observed in both treatment groups, with a clinical remission rate of 36.7% in the BDP group and of 29.2% in the 5-ASA group. Both treatments were well tolerated. No changes from baseline in morning cortisol levels were observed in the BDP group. Conclusions: BDP administered as a rectal enema over a 6-week treatment period was efficacious and safe in patients with active UC, without interference with pituitary adrenal axis. Copyright © 2005 by Lippincott Williams &amp; Wilkins