A CRITICAL NOTE BY ABELE DE BLASIO (1902) ON THE ARCHAEO-ANTHROPOLOGICAL CONJECTURES OF LUIGI PALMIERI (1872)

This paper offers a description and explanation of a criticism written by Abel De Blasio in 1902 on the archaeological and anthropological conjectures that Luigi Palmieri had made in the past. In a note presented in 1872 at the Academy of Sciences of Naples, regarding some ancient tombs discovered by chance near the Observatory on Mount Vesuvius, Palmieri presented interpreta- tive observations that were unacceptable for specialists in anthropological studies and funerary archaeology

ETHICAL ASPECTS OF MEDICAL THOUGHT ON THE MADNESS IN THE ENLIGHTENMENT

Il XVII secolo può essere considerato un periodo di transizione che, da opinioni religiose non autentiche ma dogmatiche sull’influenza demoniaca, passa ad un’applicazione dei criteri scientifici e metodologici nel campo della scienza. Durante l’Illuminismo vi è stato un approccio fortemente influenzato da questioni etiche ed è in questo contesto che si sviluppa un riconoscimento razionale del valore dell’uomo libero dai riferimenti di tipo teleologico. Le malattie mentali vengono trattate seguendo criteri scientifici e nel corso di questo Secolo l’interesse clinico è esteso anche alla psicosi e non solo alla nevrosi. Si registrano diversi cambiamenti significativi nella cura del paziente psichiatrico e le istituzioni sanitarie vengono implementate, migliorate e meglio organizzate. Molti comportamenti e l’approccio nei confronti dei malati mentali si ispirano ai valori della filantropia.The seventeenth century is a period of transition from religious views that are not authentic but dogmatic about demonic influences to the application of scientific and methodological criteria in science. During Enlightenment there was an approach heavily influenced by ethical issues. In this context, there is a rational recognition of the value of man free from the teleological type references. Mental illnesses are treated using scientific criteria. During the seventeenth century clinical interest is also extended to psychosis and not only to neurosis. There are several significant changes in the care of psychiatric patient, and healthcare institutions are improved and increased. Many behaviors are inspired by the values of philanthropy

DNA barcoding to trace Medicinal and Aromatic Plants from the field to the food supplement

The global market of food supplements is growing, along with consumers demand for high-quality herbal products. Nevertheless, substitution fraud, and adulteration cases remain a common safety problem of global concern. In the last years, the DNA barcoding approach has been proposed as a valid identification method and it is now commonly used in the authentication of herbal and food products. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether DNA barcoding can be applied to trace the plant species from the starting raw material to the finished commercial products. We selected a panel of 28 phytoextracts obtained through three different extraction methods (i.e., maceration, percolation and sonication) with different solvents (i.e., ethanol, deionized water and glycerol). Furthermore, we chose six plant species for which we collected and analysed all the intermediates of the industrial production. We sequenced and analyzed the sequence variability at DNA barcoding (psbA-trnH, ITS) and minibarcoding (rbcL 1-B) marker regions. Phytoextracts obtained through hydroalcoholic treatment, with the lower percentage of ethanol (<40%), and aqueous processing, at the lowest temperature, had major rate of sequencing and identification success. This study proves that DNA barcoding is a useful tool for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) traceability, which would provide consumers with safe and high-quality herbal products

Arbutus unedo L. Fractions Exhibit Chemotherapeutic Properties for the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Novel treatments in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are essential due to imatinib resistance and the modest results obtained with multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitors. We investigated the possibility that the hydroalcoholic extract from the leaves of Arbutus unedo L. (AUN) could harbor novel chemotherapeutics. The bio-guided fractionation of AUN led to a subfraction, FR2-A, that affected the viability of both imatinib-sensitive and -resistant GIST cells. Cells treated with FR2-A were positive for Annexin V staining, a marker of apoptosis. A rapid PARP-1 downregulation was observed, although without the traditional caspase-dependent cleavage. The fractionation of FR2-A produced nine further active subfractions (FRs), indicating that different molecules contributed to the effect promoted by FR2-A. NMR analysis revealed that pyrogallol-bearing compounds, such as gallic acid, gallic acid hexoside, gallocatechin, myricetin hexoside, and trigalloyl-glucose, are the main components of active FRs. Notably, FRs similarly impaired the viability of GIST cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), suggesting a non-specific mechanism of action. Nevertheless, despite the lack of specificity, the established FRs showed promising chemotherapeutic properties to broadly affect the viability of GIST cells, including those that are imatinib-resistant, encouraging further studies to investigate whether pyrogallol-bearing compounds could represent an alternative avenue in GISTs