Comparison of three domestications and wild-harvested plants for nutraceutical properties and sensory profiles in five wild edible herbs: Is domestication possible?

In this study, five wild edible herbs traditionally consumed in the Tuscany region (Italy) were evaluated for their potential in human nutrition. The nutraceutical characterization of Rumex acetosa, Cichorium intybus, Picris hieracioides, Sanguisorba minor, and Plantago coronopus, as well as their sensory profile were reported. Additionally, a preliminary assessment of completely different domestication of the wild species (named "soilless", pot, and open field) was conducted to verify the possibility of their marketability, which is impossible if the plants are only gathered as wild. The open field domestication allowed to obtain plants with nutraceutical and sensory profiles similar to those of the wild species, especially in C. intybus, P. hieracioides, and S. minor. The pot domestication allow to obtain plants with chlorophyll and carotenoid contents close to those of the wild species, as well as a lower total phenolic and flavonoid content and ascorbic acid content than wild species. In the "soilless"method, R. acetosa and P. coronopus exhibited a high quality in terms of phytochemicals and antioxidant activity. Afterward, the sensory profile was strongly affected by the domestication in terms of the palatability, except for R. acetosa and P. coronopus, which displayed Hedonic Index (HI) values close to the consumer acceptability limit (HI = 6). A sensory profile similar to that of wild species was reported in open field domestication, whereas a worse sensory profile was reported in P. hieracioides and C. intybus domesticated using the soilless method. Finally, according to the preliminary assessment carried out in this study through an analysis of the general nutraceutical properties, S. minor was shown to be the most promising species thanks to its intrinsically highest nutraceutical properties considering the marketability of wild edible herbs as "new"functional food. However, further research on the bioavailability and bioactivity tests of nutraceutical compounds present in this species are required to confirm the findings of this study

3-Tesla MR spectroscopy in patients subjected to bone marrow transplantation: clinical correlations.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the usefulness of 3-Tesla magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve NHL patients who were candidates for BMT underwent three MR examinations of the lumbosacral spine: before ablative therapy for BMT, 15±4 days and 54±24 days after BMT. The MR study was supplemented by spectroscopic analysis. The lipid content was calculated and expressed as a percentage of lipid signal intensity relative to total signal intensity [fat fraction (FF)]. RESULTS: In the first MR study, the FF was 62.5±7%, in the second it was 70.75±5% and in the third it was 75±1%. We observed a statistically significant difference between FF values calculated at the various MR studies (p=0.02) and between red blood cell count (p=0.017), platelet count (p=0.003) and haematocrit (p<0.001) at the three MR studies. FF had a statistically significant correlation with the number of circulating platelets (p<0.01) CONCLUSIONS: MR spectroscopy of the bone marrow of NHL patients undergoing BMT is noninvasive and highly sensitive for characterising and monitoring bone marrow after BMT

By-products from winemaking and olive mill value chains for the enrichment of refined olive oil: Technological challenges and nutraceutical features

A growing body of literature is available about the valorization of food by-products to produce functional foods that combine the basic nutritional impact with the improvement of the health status of consumers. In this context, this study had two main objectives: (i) An innovative multistep extraction process for the production of a refined olive oil enriched with phenolic compounds (PE-ROO) extracted from olive pomace, olive leaves, or grape marc was presented and discussed. (ii) The most promising PE-ROOs were selected and utilized in in vitro and in vivo trials in order to determine their effectiveness in the management of high fat diet-induced-metabolic syndrome and oxidative stress in rats. The best results were obtained when olive leaves were used as source of phenols, regardless of the chemical composition of the solvent utilized for the extraction. Furthermore, while ethanol/hexane mixture was confirmed as a good solvent for the extraction of phenols compounds soluble in oil, the mix ROO/ethanol also showed a good extracting power from olive leaves. Besides, the ROO enriched with phenols extracted from olive leaves revealed an interesting beneficial effect to counteract high fat diet-induced-metabolic disorder and oxidative stress in rats, closely followed by ROO enriched by utilizing grape marc

Secondary prevention medical therapy and outcomes in patients with myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary artery disease

Background: Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is a heterogeneous entity with relevant long-term major cardiovascular events. Several trials have demonstrated that dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), b-blocker, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitor and statin therapy improve the prognosis in patients with obstructive myocardial infarction (ob-MI). However, evidence on the best medical therapy for secondary prevention in MINOCA patients is lacking. Purpose: To investigate the effects of secondary prevention treatments at discharge on mid-term outcomes in MINOCA. Methods: Patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) undergoing early coronary angiography between 2016 and 2018 were extracted from a clinical database. The diagnosis of MINOCA was made according to 2016 ESC MINOCA Position Paper criteria. Second-level diagnostic work-up including cardiac magnetic resonance was performed to exclude non-ischemic troponin elevation cause. The relationship between treatments and outcomes was evaluated by using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression models. All confirmed MINOCA were followed in our outpatient clinics. The primary endpoints were all-cause mortality, re-hospitalization for MI and a composite outcome including all-cause mortality, hospitalization for MI and ischemic stroke (MACE). Results: Out of 1,141 AMI who underwent coronary angiography, 134 were initially diagnosed as MINOCA. Patients with MINOCA were less likely to receive secondary prevention treatments than patients with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) MI (respectively, 42.1% vs 81.8% for DAPT; 75.5% vs 89.6% for b-blockers; 64.7% vs 80.3% for RAAS inhibitor and 63.9% vs 83% for statins). Based on the diagnostic work-up completed during the first month after discharge, a final sample of 88 patients had confirmed MINOCA. During an average follow-up of 19.35 \ub1 10.65 months, all-cause mortality occurred in 11 (12.5%) patients, recurrence of MI in 4 (4.5%), and MACE in 15 (17.0%) patients. Patients treated with RAAS inhibitors and statins had a significantly longer survival. On the contrary, no increase in survival was found in patients treated with b-blockers or DAPT. Cox multivariable analysis, including all secondary prevention drugs, showed that only RAAS inhibitors were associated with reduced all cause-mortality and MACE. Conclusion: This prospective study suggests that RAAS inhibitor therapy provides midterm beneficial effects on outcomes in MINOCA patients; in contrast, dual antiplatelet, b-blocker and statin therapy had no effects on mortality and MACE. These results should be considered preliminary and warrant confirmation from larger studies

Secondary prevention medical therapy and outcomes in patients with myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary artery disease

Background: Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is a heterogeneous entity with relevant long-term major cardiovascular events. Several trials have demonstrated that dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), b-blocker, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitor and statin therapy improve the prognosis in patients with obstructive myocardial infarction (ob-MI). However, evidence on the best medical therapy for secondary prevention in MINOCA patients is lacking. Purpose: To investigate the effects of secondary prevention treatments at discharge on mid-term outcomes in MINOCA. Methods: Patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) undergoing early coronary angiography between 2016 and 2018 were extracted from a clinical database. The diagnosis of MINOCA was made according to 2016 ESC MINOCA Position Paper criteria. Second-level diagnostic work-up including cardiac magnetic resonance was performed to exclude non-ischemic troponin elevation cause. The relationship between treatments and outcomes was evaluated by using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression models. All confirmed MINOCA were followed in our outpatient clinics. The primary endpoints were all-cause mortality, re-hospitalization for MI and a composite outcome including all-cause mortality, hospitalization for MI and ischemic stroke (MACE). Results: Out of 1,141 AMI who underwent coronary angiography, 134 were initially diagnosed as MINOCA. Patients with MINOCA were less likely to receive secondary prevention treatments than patients with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) MI (respectively, 42.1% vs 81.8% for DAPT; 75.5% vs 89.6% for b-blockers; 64.7% vs 80.3% for RAAS inhibitor and 63.9% vs 83% for statins). Based on the diagnostic work-up completed during the first month after discharge, a final sample of 88 patients had confirmed MINOCA. During an average follow-up of 19.35 ± 10.65 months, all-cause mortality occurred in 11 (12.5%) patients, recurrence of MI in 4 (4.5%), and MACE in 15 (17.0%) patients. Patients treated with RAAS inhibitors and statins had a significantly longer survival. On the contrary, no increase in survival was found in patients treated with b-blockers or DAPT. Cox multivariable analysis, including all secondary prevention drugs, showed that only RAAS inhibitors were associated with reduced all cause-mortality and MACE. Conclusion: This prospective study suggests that RAAS inhibitor therapy provides midterm beneficial effects on outcomes in MINOCA patients; in contrast, dual antiplatelet, b-blocker and statin therapy had no effects on mortality and MACE. These results should be considered preliminary and warrant confirmation from larger studies

Circulating miR-184 is a potential predictive biomarker of cardiac damage in Anderson–Fabry disease

open21noFunding: This work was supported by the Italian Ministry of Health (PE-2013-02356818) to GCEnzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is a mainstay of treatment for Anderson–Fabry disease (AFD), a pathology with negative effects on the heart and kidneys. However, no reliable biomarkers are available to monitor its efficacy. Therefore, we tested a panel of four microRNAs linked with cardiac and renal damage in order to identify a novel biomarker associated with AFD and modulated by ERT. To this end, 60 patients with a definite diagnosis of AFD and on chronic ERT, and 29 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals, were enrolled by two Italian university hospitals. Only miR-184 met both conditions: its level discriminated untreated AFD patients from healthy individuals (c-statistic = 0.7522), and it was upregulated upon ERT (P &lt; 0.001). On multivariable analysis, miR-184 was independently and inversely associated with a higher risk of cardiac damage (odds ratio = 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.76–0.98; P = 0.026). Adding miR-184 to a comprehensive clinical model improved the prediction of cardiac damage in terms of global model fit, calibration, discrimination, and classification accuracy (continuous net reclassification improvement = 0.917, P &lt; 0.001; integrated discrimination improvement [IDI] = 0.105, P = 0.017; relative IDI = 0.221, 95% CI = 0.002–0.356). Thus, miR-184 is a circulating biomarker of AFD that changes after ERT. Assessment of its level in plasma could be clinically valuable in improving the prediction of cardiac damage in AFD patients.openSalamon I.; Biagini E.; Kunderfranco P.; Roncarati R.; Ferracin M.; Taglieri N.; Nardi E.; Laprovitera N.; Tomasi L.; Santostefano M.; Ditaranto R.; Vitale G.; Cavarretta E.; Pisani A.; Riccio E.; Aiello V.; Capelli I.; La Manna G.; Galie N.; Spinelli L.; Condorelli G.Salamon I.; Biagini E.; Kunderfranco P.; Roncarati R.; Ferracin M.; Taglieri N.; Nardi E.; Laprovitera N.; Tomasi L.; Santostefano M.; Ditaranto R.; Vitale G.; Cavarretta E.; Pisani A.; Riccio E.; Aiello V.; Capelli I.; La Manna G.; Galie N.; Spinelli L.; Condorelli G

New Materials and Technologies for Durability and Conservation of Building Heritage

The increase in concrete structures’ durability is a milestone to improve the sustainability of buildings and infrastructures. In order to ensure a prolonged service life, it is necessary to detect the deterioration of materials by means of monitoring systems aimed at evaluating not only the penetration of aggressive substances into concrete but also the corrosion of carbon-steel reinforcement. Therefore, proper data collection makes it possible to plan suitable restoration works which can be carried out with traditional or innovative techniques and materials. This work focuses on building heritage and it highlights the most recent findings for the conservation and restoration of reinforced concrete structures and masonry buildings

The Nutraceutical Value of Olive Oil and Its Bioactive Constituents on the Cardiovascular System. Focusing on Main Strategies to Slow Down Its Quality Decay during Production and Storage

Cardiovascular diseases represent the principal cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is well-known that oxidative stress and inflammatory processes are strongly implicated in their pathogenesis; therefore, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agents can represent effective tools. In recent years a large number of scientific reports have pointed out the nutraceutical and nutritional value of extra virgin olive oils (EVOO), strongholds of the Mediterranean diet, endowed with a high nutritional quality and defined as functional foods. In regard to EVOO, it is a food composed of a major saponifiable fraction, represented by oleic acid, and a minor unsaponifiable fraction, including a high number of vitamins, polyphenols, and squalene. Several reports suggest that the beneficial effects of EVOO are linked to the minor components, but recently, further studies have shed light on the health effects of the fatty fraction and the other constituents of the unsaponifiable fraction. In the first part of this review, an analysis of the clinical and preclinical evidence of the cardiovascular beneficial effects of each constituent is carried out. The second part of this review is dedicated to the main operating conditions during production and/or storage that can directly influence the shelf life of olive oil in terms of both nutraceutical properties and sensory quality

Solvent activity and osmotic pressure of binary aqueous and alcoholic solutions of calcium chloride up to 368 K and high salt concentration

297-304The solvent activity of aqueous and alcoholic liquid solutions of calcium chloride have been determined at ambient pressure, under vapor-liquid equilibrium conditions, and critically analyzed over a wide range of temperature (from ambient to ~368 K) and salt concentrations (from very dilute to nearly saturated solutions). The results are generally in good agreement with those reported or obtainable from a variety of literature data sources. In addition, for the alcoholic salted solutions, new T-concentrations regions have been explored. A solvation-dissociation based model was first parametrized and then used to establish the behavior of the activity of the solvents and to quantify the equilibrium vapor pressure lowering and the osmotic pressure of the solutions for any temperature and salt concentration. It was found that: a) activity of the solvents decreases when salt concentration increases, while it increases with temperature; b) osmotic pressure of concentrated solutions, is a function of both solvent activity and volumetric properties of the solutions, and is much higher (up to hundred-fold MPa for the aqueous solutions) of that calculated with the van’t Hoff equation; c) the behavior of the osmotic pressure with the temperature is opposite to that predicted by the van’t Hoff equation, coherently with the exothermic nature of the dilution process and the literature values of the heat of dilution

Validating an alternative method to predict thermoelectric generator performance

When designing a system that utilises TEG (Thermoelectric generator) technology, it is required to know what will be the performance of the TEGs under the expected operating conditions. To do this, equations that model the performance of the TEG must be used. There are existing equations which predict the effi- ciency and power output of the TEGs but in this paper, alternative equations are derived which are far simpler than the existing equations to use. These derived equations predict the efficiency and maximum power output as a function of temperature difference. Parameters which describe the characteristics of the TEG such as the gradient of the current - voltage curve, gradient of the open circuit voltage - temperature difference curve and the thermal resistance are required to be able to use these equations. Testing was undertaken to find these parameters and to validate the output of these equations to the experimental results. It was found that the equations derived are valid but should not be used at very high temperature differences