Growth patterns and associated risk factors of congenital malformations in twins

The rate of twinning continues to increase due to the combined effect of a rise in parental age and increased use of assisted reproductive technology. The risk of congenital anomalies in twins is higher than in singletons, but it is less well reported in relation to growth patterns. We focused to the auxological outcome of twin pregnancies when one or both of twins are affected by one or more malformations

Chelation therapy: evaluation of the coordination ability of bis-kojic and hydroxypyridinone derivative ligands towards Cd^II ions <i>via</i> NMR spectroscopy

The soft acid CdII is an accumulative toxic metal ion which is able to substitute for the essential borderline ZnII ion in many zinc enzymes. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to assess the coordination ability of two ligands, an amine-bearing bis-kojic acid: 6'-(2-(diethylamino)ethylazanediyl)bis(methylene)bis(5-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-4H-pyran-4-one) [1,2] and a hydroxypiridinone derivative: 5-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)pyridin-4(1H)-one [3], for their use as potential chelating molecules towards CdII ions in detoxification treatments. A combination of 1D, 2D total correlation spectroscopy (TOCSY), heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectroscopy (HSQC) and rotating-frame Overhauser effect spectroscopy (ROESY) experiments was used to assign the signals of both free and metal-bound ligands, as previously reported for similar systems [4-6]. The metal-ligand system was studied at physiological pH and different temperature values. Competition experiments with essential ZnII ions were also performed

In-depth investigation of the safety of wooden shelves used for traditional cheese ripening

9openInternationalItalian coauthor/editorThe main goal of this research was to characterize the bacterial diversity of the wooden boards used for aging traditional Sicilian cheeses and to evaluate whether pathogenic bacteria are associated with these surfaces. Eighteen cheese dairy factories producing three traditional cheese typologies (PDO Pecorino Siciliano, PDO Piacentinu Ennese, and Caciocavallo Palermitano) were selected within the region of Sicily. The wooden shelf surfaces were sampled by a destructive method to detach wood splinters as well as by a nondestructive brushing to collect microbial cells. Scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of almost continuous bacterial formations on the majority of the shelves analyzed. Yeasts and fungal hyphae were also visualized, indicating the complexity of the plank communities. The amplicon library of the 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 region was paired-end sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq system, allowing the identification of 14 phyla, 32 classes, 52 orders, 93 families, and 137 genera. Staphylococcus equorum was identified from all wooden surfaces, with a maximum abundance of 64.75%. Among cheese-surface-ripening bacteria, Brevibacterium and Corynebacterium were detected in almost all samples. Several halophilic (Halomonas, Tetragenococcus halophilus, Chromohalobacter, Salimicrobium, Marinococcus, Salegentibacter, Haererehalobacter, Marinobacter, and Idiomarinaceae) and moderately halophilic (Salinicoccus, Psychrobacter, and Salinisphaera) bacteria were frequently identified. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were present at low percentages in the genera Leuconostoc, Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Streptococcus. The levels of viable microorganisms on the wooden shelves ranged between 2.4 and 7.8 log CFU/cm2. In some cases, LAB were counted at very high levels (8.2 log CFU/cm2). Members of the Enterobacteriaceae family were detected in a viable state for only six samples. Coagulase-positive staphylococci, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected. Seventy-five strains belonged to the genera Leuconostoc, Lactococcus, Pediococcus, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, and Weissella.openSettanni, Luca; Busetta, Gabriele; Puccio, Valeria; Licitra, Giuseppe; Franciosi, Elena; Botta, Luigi; Di Gerlando, Rosalia; Todaro, Massimo; Gaglio, RaimondoSettanni, L.; Busetta, G.; Puccio, V.; Licitra, G.; Franciosi, E.; Botta, L.; Di Gerlando, R.; Todaro, M.; Gaglio, R

Born with a solitary kidney: at risk of hypertension

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Bioactive Metabolite Survey of Actinobacteria Showing Plant Growth Promoting Traits to Develop Novel Biofertilizers

The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has caused harmful impacts on the environment with the increase in economic burden. Biofertilizers are biological products containing living microorganisms capable of improving plant growth through eco-friendly mechanisms. In this work, three actinobacterial strains Streptomyces violaceoruber, Streptomyces coelicolor, and Kocuria rhizophila were characterized for multiple plant growth promoting (PGP) traits such as indole acetic acid production, phosphate solubilization, N-2-fixation, and drought and salt tolerance. Then, these strains were investigated for their secreted and cellular metabolome, revealing a rich arsenal of bioactive molecules, including antibiotics and siderophores, with S. violaceoruber being the most prolific strain. Furthermore, the in vivo assays, performed on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), resulted in an improved germination index and the growth of seedlings from seeds treated with PGP actinobacteria, with a particular focus on S. violaceoruber cultures. In particular, this last strain, producing volatile organic compounds having antimicrobial activity, was able to modulate volatilome and exert control on the global DNA methylation of tomato seedlings. Thus, these results, confirming the efficacy of the selected actinobacteria strains in promoting plant growth and development by producing volatile and non-volatile bioactive molecules, can promote eco-friendly alternatives in sustainable agriculture

Dietary pomegranate by-product improves oxidative stability of lamb meat

This study investigated the effect of including whole pomegranate by-product in lamb diet on meat oxidative stability. Seventeen lambs were assigned to two experimental treatments and fed a cereal-based concentrate (CON) or the same concentrate where 200 g/kg DM of cereals were replaced by whole pomegranate by-product (WPB). Meat from WPB-fed lambs had a greater concentration of vitamin E (a- and .-tocopherols), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), highly peroxidizable PUFA and a higher peroxidability index (P < 0.05). Feeding WPB limited the formation of metmyoglobin (P = 0.05) and reduced lipid oxidation (TBARS values) after 7 days of storage for raw meat (P = 0.024) or 4 days for cooked meat (P = 0.006). Feeding WPB increased meat antioxidant capacity (ORAC assay) in the lipophilic fraction (P = 0.017), but not in the hydrophilic. These results suggest that vitamin E in the pomegranate by-product contributed to the higher antioxidant capacity of meat from the WPB-fed lambs

Azimuthal anisotropy of charged jet production in root s(NN)=2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions

We present measurements of the azimuthal dependence of charged jet production in central and semi-central root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions with respect to the second harmonic event plane, quantified as nu(ch)(2) (jet). Jet finding is performed employing the anti-k(T) algorithm with a resolution parameter R = 0.2 using charged tracks from the ALICE tracking system. The contribution of the azimuthal anisotropy of the underlying event is taken into account event-by-event. The remaining (statistical) region-to-region fluctuations are removed on an ensemble basis by unfolding the jet spectra for different event plane orientations independently. Significant non-zero nu(ch)(2) (jet) is observed in semi-central collisions (30-50% centrality) for 20 <p(T)(ch) (jet) <90 GeV/c. The azimuthal dependence of the charged jet production is similar to the dependence observed for jets comprising both charged and neutral fragments, and compatible with measurements of the nu(2) of single charged particles at high p(T). Good agreement between the data and predictions from JEWEL, an event generator simulating parton shower evolution in the presence of a dense QCD medium, is found in semi-central collisions. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe

Forward-central two-particle correlations in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV

Two-particle angular correlations between trigger particles in the forward pseudorapidity range (2.5 2GeV/c. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B. V.Peer reviewe

Event-shape engineering for inclusive spectra and elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV

Peer reviewe

Production of He-4 and (4) in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV at the LHC

Results on the production of He-4 and (4) nuclei in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV in the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar <1, using the ALICE detector, are presented in this paper. The rapidity densities corresponding to 0-10% central events are found to be dN/dy4(He) = (0.8 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) x 10(-6) and dN/dy4 = (1.1 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.2 (syst)) x 10(-6), respectively. This is in agreement with the statistical thermal model expectation assuming the same chemical freeze-out temperature (T-chem = 156 MeV) as for light hadrons. The measured ratio of (4)/He-4 is 1.4 +/- 0.8 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst). (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe