Effects of LED Lights and New Long-Term-Release Fertilizers on Lettuce Growth: A Contribution for Sustainable Horticulture

The horticulture sector has been directed by European guidelines to improve its practices related to environmental sustainability. Moreover, the practice of horticulture in urban areas is increasing since it provides fresh products that are locally produced. At the same time, horticulture needs to implement circular economy approaches and energy-efficient models. Therefore, to address these issues, this study investigated the effects of an integrated fertilizer-box-based cultivation system equipped with LED lights and coated porous inorganic materials (C-PIMs), which was applied as fertilizer, on Lactuca sativa L. growth. Two different types of lightweight aggregates were formulated considering agri-food and post-consumer waste, and they were enriched with potassium and phosphorus. Involving waste in the process was part of their valorization in the circular economy. Using PIMs as fertilizers enabled the controlled release of nutrients over time. The tests were carried out in controlled conditions using two LED lighting systems capable of changing their light spectrum according to the growth phases of the plants. The effects of two different lighting schemes on the growth of lettuce plants, in combination with different amounts of aggregates, were studied. The results showed that increasing the amount of C-PIMs statistically improved the lettuce growth in terms of dry biomass production (+60% and +34% for two different types of PIM application) when the plants were exposed to the first LED scheme (LED-1). Plant height and leaf areas significantly increased when exposed to the second LED scheme (LED-2), in combination with the presence of C-PIMs in the soil. The analysis of the heavy metal contents in the lettuce leaves and the soil at the end of the test revealed that these elements remained significantly below the legislated thresholds. The experimental achievements of this study identified a new approach to improve the environmental sustainability of horticulture, especially in an urban/domestic context

Thermodynamics and kinetics of reduction and species conversion at a hydrophobic surface for mitochondrial cytochromes c and their cardiolipin adducts

Cytochrome c(cytc) and its adduct with cardiolipin (CL) were immobilized on a hydrophobic SAM-coated electrode surface yielding a construct which mimics the environment experienced by the complex at the inner mitochondrial membrane where it plays a role in cell apoptosis. Under these conditions, both species undergo an equilibrium between a six-coordinated His/His-ligated and a five-coordinated His/- ligated forms stable in the oxidized and in the reduced state, respectively. The thermodynamics of the oxidation-state dependent species conversion were determined by temperature-dependent diffusionless voltammetry experiments. CL binding stabilizes the immobilized reduced His/- ligated form of cytc which was found previously to catalytically reduce dioxygen. Here, this adduct is also found to show pseudoperoxidase activity, catalysing reduction of hydrogen peroxide. These effects would impart CL with an additional role in the cytc-mediated peroxidation leading to programmed cell death. Moreover, Immobilized cytc exchanges electrons more slowly upon CL binding possibly due to changes in solvent reorganization effects at the protein-SAM interface

Met80 and Tyr67 affect the chemical unfolding of yeast cytochrome c: comparing solution vs. immobilized state

Urea-induced denaturation of the Met80Ala and Met80Ala/Tyr67Ala variants of S. cerevisiae iso-1 cytochrome c (ycc) was studied through variable temperature diffusive cyclic voltammetry and electronic absorption, CD and MCD spectroscopies. The susceptibility to unfolding of both variants - represented by the free energy of unfolding at denaturant infinite dilution, ∆〖G°〗_u^(H_2 O)is greater compared to the species showing an intact Met/His coordination, as observed previously for the same species immobilized onto a functionalized electrode. This is consistent with the role of the axial Fe-(S)Met bond and the H-bond network involving Tyr67 in stabilizing the polypeptide matrix in the heme crevice. Notably, we find that the unfolding propensity and axial heme iron coordination of the present Fe-(S)Met bond-deprived variants is affected by the motional regime of the protein. In particular, electrostatic adsorption onto a negatively charged SAM surface - that would mimic the phospholipidic inner mitochondrial membrane - facilitates unfolding compared to the solution state, especially at room temperature. This finding has a physiological relevance related to the cytochrome c interaction with cardiolipin at the IMM in the early stages of apoptosis. Moreover, while both immobilized variants maintain the His/OH- axial heme iron coordination up to 7 M urea, the same species in solution are subjected to urea-induced replacement of the axial hydroxide ligand by a His ligand. The contribution of the enthalpic and entropic terms to ∆〖G°〗_u^(H_2 O) were found to be opposite (H-S compensation) indicating that unfolding thermodynamics are strongly affected by changes in the hydrogen bonding network in the hydration sphere of the protein

Adsorbing surface strongly influences the pseudoperoxidase and nitrite reductase activity of electrode-bound yeast cytochrome c. The effect of hydrophobic immobilization

The Met80Ala and Met80Ala/Tyr67Ala variants of S. cerevisiae iso-1 cytochrome c (ycc) and their adducts with cardiolipin immobilized onto a gold electrode coated with a hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of decane-1-thiol were studied through cyclic voltammetry and surface-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy (SERRS). The electroactive species - containing a six-coordinate His/His axially ligated heme and a five-coordinate His/- heme stable in the oxidized and reduced state, respectively - and the pseudoperoxidase activity match those found previously for the wt species and are only slightly affected by CL binding. Most importantly, the reduced His/- ligated form of these variants is able to catalytically reduce the nitrite ion, while electrode-immobilized wt ycc and other His/Met heme ligated variants under a variety of conditions are not. Besides the pseudoperoxidase and nitrite reductase functions, which are the most physiologically relevant abilities of these constructs, also axial heme ligation and the equilibria between conformers are strongly affected by the nature - hydrophobic vs. electrostatic - of the non-covalent interactions determining protein immobilization. Also affected are the catalytic activity changes induced by a given mutation as well as those due to partial unfolding due to CL binding. It follows that under the same solution conditions the structural and functional properties of immobilized ycc are surface-specific and therefore cannot be transferred from an immobilized system to another involving different interfacial protein-SAM interactions

Pre-amyloid oligomers budding:a metastatic mechanism of proteotoxicity

The pathological hallmark of misfolded protein diseases and aging is the accumulation of proteotoxic aggregates. However, the mechanisms of proteotoxicity and the dynamic changes in fiber formation and dissemination remain unclear, preventing a cure. Here we adopted a reductionist approach and used atomic force microscopy to define the temporal and spatial changes of amyloid aggregates, their modes of dissemination and the biochemical changes that may influence their growth. We show that pre-amyloid oligomers (PAO) mature to form linear and circular protofibrils, and amyloid fibers, and those can break reforming PAO that can migrate invading neighbor structures. Simulating the effect of immunotherapy modifies the dynamics of PAO formation. Anti-fibers as well as anti-PAO antibodies fragment the amyloid fibers, however the fragmentation using anti-fibers antibodies favored the migration of PAO. In conclusion, we provide evidence for the mechanisms of misfolded protein maturation and propagation and the effects of interventions on the resolution and dissemination of amyloid pathology

Clinical features and outcomes of elderly hospitalised patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure or both

Background and objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) mutually increase the risk of being present in the same patient, especially if older. Whether or not this coexistence may be associated with a worse prognosis is debated. Therefore, employing data derived from the REPOSI register, we evaluated the clinical features and outcomes in a population of elderly patients admitted to internal medicine wards and having COPD, HF or COPD + HF. Methods: We measured socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics, severity and prevalence of comorbidities, clinical and laboratory features during hospitalization, mood disorders, functional independence, drug prescriptions and discharge destination. The primary study outcome was the risk of death. Results: We considered 2,343 elderly hospitalized patients (median age 81 years), of whom 1,154 (49%) had COPD, 813 (35%) HF, and 376 (16%) COPD + HF. Patients with COPD + HF had different characteristics than those with COPD or HF, such as a higher prevalence of previous hospitalizations, comorbidities (especially chronic kidney disease), higher respiratory rate at admission and number of prescribed drugs. Patients with COPD + HF (hazard ratio HR 1.74, 95% confidence intervals CI 1.16-2.61) and patients with dementia (HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.06-2.90) had a higher risk of death at one year. The Kaplan-Meier curves showed a higher mortality risk in the group of patients with COPD + HF for all causes (p = 0.010), respiratory causes (p = 0.006), cardiovascular causes (p = 0.046) and respiratory plus cardiovascular causes (p = 0.009). Conclusion: In this real-life cohort of hospitalized elderly patients, the coexistence of COPD and HF significantly worsened prognosis at one year. This finding may help to better define the care needs of this population

The “Diabetes Comorbidome”: A Different Way for Health Professionals to Approach the Comorbidity Burden of Diabetes

(1) Background: The disease burden related to diabetes is increasing greatly, particularly in older subjects. A more comprehensive approach towards the assessment and management of diabetes’ comorbidities is necessary. The aim of this study was to implement our previous data identifying and representing the prevalence of the comorbidities, their association with mortality, and the strength of their relationship in hospitalized elderly patients with diabetes, developing, at the same time, a new graphic representation model of the comorbidome called “Diabetes Comorbidome”. (2) Methods: Data were collected from the RePoSi register. Comorbidities, socio-demographic data, severity and comorbidity indexes (Cumulative Illness rating Scale CIRS-SI and CIRS-CI), and functional status (Barthel Index), were recorded. Mortality rates were assessed in hospital and 3 and 12 months after discharge. (3) Results: Of the 4714 hospitalized elderly patients, 1378 had diabetes. The comorbidities distribution showed that arterial hypertension (57.1%), ischemic heart disease (31.4%), chronic renal failure (28.8%), atrial fibrillation (25.6%), and COPD (22.7%), were the more frequent in subjects with diabetes. The graphic comorbidome showed that the strongest predictors of death at in hospital and at the 3-month follow-up were dementia and cancer. At the 1-year follow-up, cancer was the first comorbidity independently associated with mortality. (4) Conclusions: The “Diabetes Comorbidome” represents the perfect instrument for determining the prevalence of comorbidities and the strength of their relationship with risk of death, as well as the need for an effective treatment for improving clinical outcomes

Antidiabetic Drug Prescription Pattern in Hospitalized Older Patients with Diabetes

Objective: To describe the prescription pattern of antidiabetic and cardiovascular drugs in a cohort of hospitalized older patients with diabetes. Methods: Patients with diabetes aged 65 years or older hospitalized in internal medicine and/or geriatric wards throughout Italy and enrolled in the REPOSI (REgistro POliterapuie SIMI—Società Italiana di Medicina Interna) registry from 2010 to 2019 and discharged alive were included. Results: Among 1703 patients with diabetes, 1433 (84.2%) were on treatment with at least one antidiabetic drug at hospital admission, mainly prescribed as monotherapy with insulin (28.3%) or metformin (19.2%). The proportion of treated patients decreased at discharge (N = 1309, 76.9%), with a significant reduction over time. Among those prescribed, the proportion of those with insulin alone increased over time (p = 0.0066), while the proportion of those prescribed sulfonylureas decreased (p < 0.0001). Among patients receiving antidiabetic therapy at discharge, 1063 (81.2%) were also prescribed cardiovascular drugs, mainly with an antihypertensive drug alone or in combination (N = 777, 73.1%). Conclusion: The management of older patients with diabetes in a hospital setting is often sub-optimal, as shown by the increasing trend in insulin at discharge, even if an overall improvement has been highlighted by the prevalent decrease in sulfonylureas prescription

Beta-Blocker Use in Older Hospitalized Patients Affected by Heart Failure and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: An Italian Survey From the REPOSI Register

Beta (β)-blockers (BB) are useful in reducing morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure (HF) and concomitant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Nevertheless, the use of BBs could induce bronchoconstriction due to β2-blockade. For this reason, both the ESC and GOLD guidelines strongly suggest the use of selective β1-BB in patients with HF and COPD. However, low adherence to guidelines was observed in multiple clinical settings. The aim of the study was to investigate the BBs use in older patients affected by HF and COPD, recorded in the REPOSI register. Of 942 patients affected by HF, 47.1% were treated with BBs. The use of BBs was significantly lower in patients with HF and COPD than in patients affected by HF alone, both at admission and at discharge (admission, 36.9% vs. 51.3%; discharge, 38.0% vs. 51.7%). In addition, no further BB users were found at discharge. The probability to being treated with a BB was significantly lower in patients with HF also affected by COPD (adj. OR, 95% CI: 0.50, 0.37-0.67), while the diagnosis of COPD was not associated with the choice of selective β1-BB (adj. OR, 95% CI: 1.33, 0.76-2.34). Despite clear recommendations by clinical guidelines, a significant underuse of BBs was also observed after hospital discharge. In COPD affected patients, physicians unreasonably reject BBs use, rather than choosing a β1-BB. The expected improvement of the BB prescriptions after hospitalization was not observed. A multidisciplinary approach among hospital physicians, general practitioners, and pharmacologists should be carried out for better drug management and adherence to guideline recommendations