ANTHOCYANIN PROFILE AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF FRESHLY SQUEEZED POMEGRANATE (PUNICA GRANATUM L.) JUICES OF SICILIAN AND SPANISH PROVENANCES

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L., Punicaceae) fruit is traditionally consumed in several countries, especially in Middle East, and has gained increasing popularity all over the world due to its assumed health benefits. Juices derived from the arils of the seeds were shown to be rich in anthocyanin glucosides, typically composed of cyanidin, delphinidin, and pelargonidin. The aim of the present study was the characterization of diverse Sicilian and Spanish pomegranate accessions regarding their anthocyanin and total polyphenol contents using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The anthocyanin profiles were determined by HPLC-DAD and LC-MS, and color parameters were characterized using the CIELAB coordinates. Antioxidant activities were measured using a fluorimetric assay, and expressed as ORAC values. The anthocyanin and polyphenol contents were correlated with their antioxidant activities. Results obtained were correlated and evaluated for the identification of the most suitable accessions to be selected for cultivation, juice processing, and further breeding

Assessment of heart rate variability (HRV) in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus with and without diabetic foot: correlations with endothelial dysfunction indices and markers of adipo-inflammatory dysfunction

Background: Some studies have suggested that patients with diabetes and foot complications have worse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk profiles, higher degrees of endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness and a higher inflammatory background than patients with diabetes without diabetic foot complications. Patients with diabetes mellitus have an alteration in the sympathovagal balance as assessed by means of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis, which is also related to the presence of endothelial dysfunction. Other studies suggest a possible role of inflammation coexisting with the alteration in the sympathovagal balance in favor of the atherosclerotic process in a mixed population of healthy subjects of middle and advanced age. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of alteration of sympathovagal balance, assessed by HRV analysis, in a cohort of patients with diabetes mellitus with diabetic foot and in control subjects without diabetic foot compared with a population of healthy subjects and the possible correlation of HRV parameters with inflammatory markers and endothelial dysfunction indices. Methods: We enrolled all patients with diabetic ulcerative lesions of the lower limb in the Internal Medicine with Stroke Care ward and of the diabetic foot outpatient clinic of P. Giaccone University Hospital of Palermo between September 2019 and July 2020. 4-h ECG Holter was performed. The following time domain HRV measures were analyzed: average heart rate, square root of the mean of successive differences of NN (RMSSD), standard deviation or square root of the variance (SD), and standard deviation of the means of the NN intervals calculated over a five-minute period (SDANN/5 min). The LF/HF ratio was calculated, reactive hyperemia was evaluated by endo-PAT, and serum levels of vaspine and omentin-1 were assessed by blood sample collection. Results: 63 patients with diabetic foot, 30 patients with diabetes and without ulcerative complications and 30 patients without diabetes were enrolled. Patients with diabetic ulcers showed lower mean diastolic blood pressure values than healthy controls, lower MMSE scores corrected for age, lower serum levels of omentin-1, lower RHI values, higher body weight values and comparable body height values, HF% and LF/HF ratio values. We also reported a negative correlation between the RHI value and HRV indices and the expression of increased parasympathetic activity (RMSDD and HF%) in subjects with diabetic foot and a statistically significant positive correlation with the LF/HF ratio and the expression of the sympathovagal balance. Discussion: Patients with diabetic foot show a higher degree of activation of the parasympathetic system, expressed by the increase in HF values, and a lower LF/HF ratio. Our findings may corroborate the issue that a parasympathetic dysfunction may have a possible additive role in the pathogenesis of other vascular complications in subjects with diabetic foot

Genome-wide footprints in the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) unveil a new domestication pattern of a fruit tree in the Mediterranean

Intense research efforts over the last two decades have renewed our understanding of plant phylogeography and domestication in the Mediterranean basin. Here we aim to investigate the evolutionary history and the origin of domestication of the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua), which has been cultivated for millennia for food and fodder. We used >1000 microsatellite genotypes to delimit seven carob evolutionary units (CEUs). We investigated genome-wide diversity and evolutionary patterns of the CEUs with 3557 single nucleotide polymorphisms generated by restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq). To address the complex wild vs. cultivated status of sampled trees, we classified 56 sampled populations across the Mediterranean basin as wild, seminatural or cultivated. Nuclear and cytoplasmic loci were identified from RADseq data and separated for analyses. Phylogenetic analyses of these genomic-wide data allowed us to resolve west-to-east expansions from a single long-term refugium probably located in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains near the Atlantic coast. Our findings support multiple origins of domestication with a low impact on the genetic diversity at range-wide level. The carob was mostly domesticated from locally selected wild genotypes and scattered long-distance westward dispersals of domesticated varieties by humans, concomitant with major historical migrations by Romans, Greeks and Arabs. Ex situ efforts to preserve carob genetic resources should prioritize accessions from both western and eastern populations, with emphasis on the most differentiated CEUs situated in southwest Morocco, south Spain and eastern Mediterranean. Our study highlights the relevance of wild and seminatural habitats in the conservation of genetic resources for cultivated trees

Estudio exploratorio de la toxoplasmosis y leptospirosis en pequeños rumiantes y animales de granja en el Departamento La Capital, San Luis.

La Toxoplasmosis y la Leptospirosis como enfermedades zoonóticas afectan a animales y seres humanos, por lo que el conocimiento de factores causales y consecuencias de su existencia en una localidad o región implica el trabajo interdisciplinario. La toxoplasmosis es una enfermedad producida por un parásito protozoario unicelular eucariota, llamado Toxoplasma gondii, que puede afectar a todos los animales de sangre caliente inclusive al ser humano y es de distribución mundial

The role of Italy in the use of advanced plant breeding techniques on fruit trees: state of the art and future perspectives

Climate change is deeply impacting the food chain production, lowering quality and yield. In this context, the international scientific community has dedicated many efforts to enhancing resilience and sustainability in agriculture. Italy is among the main European producers of several fruit trees; therefore, national research centers and universities undertook several initiatives to maintain the specificity of the ‘Made in Italy’ label. Despite their importance, fruit crops are suffering from difficulties associated with the conventional breeding approaches, especially in terms of financial commitment, land resources availability, and long generation times. The ‘new genomic techniques’ (NGTs), renamed in Italy as ‘technologies for assisted evolution’ (TEAs), reduce the time required to obtain genetically improved cultivars while precisely targeting specific DNA sequences. This review aims to illustrate the role of the Italian scientific community in the use of NGTs, with a specific focus on Citrus, grapevine, apple, pear, chestnut, strawberry, peach, and kiwifruit. For each crop, the key genes and traits on which the scientific community is working, as well as the technological improvements and advancements on the regeneration of local varieties, are presented. Lastly, a focus is placed on the legal aspects in the European and in Italian context

Leptospirosis humana y animal en diferentes áreas ambientales

La leptospirosis es una zoonosis distribuída por todo el mundo. Los mamíferos cumplen un rol importante dentro de la epidemiología en la transmisión a los humanos. El agente etiológico y zoonótico es la Leptospira interrogans, que contiene más de 250 serovares o variantes serológicas. La vía más común de infección es a través de agua, suelo y alimentos contaminados por animales infectados. Algunos grupos ocupacionales se hallan expuestos, tales como los trabajadores de frigoríficos, cuidadores de animales, médicos veterinarios, etc. Los roedores suelen ser los reservorios de leptospiras patógenas para el hombre y resto de animales en zonas urbanas, periurbanas y rurales. La leptospirosis como enfermedad zoonótica afecta a animales y humanos, por lo que el conocimiento de factores causales y sus consecuencias en una región implica un conocimiento de importancia para determinar en un momento dado la cantidad de población infectada o que ha estado en contacto con determinadas serovares de Leptospiras.Eje: Conferencias.Universidad Nacional de La Plat

Leptospirosis humana y animal en diferentes áreas ambientales

La leptospirosis es una zoonosis distribuída por todo el mundo. Los mamíferos cumplen un rol importante dentro de la epidemiología en la transmisión a los humanos. El agente etiológico y zoonótico es la Leptospira interrogans, que contiene más de 250 serovares o variantes serológicas. La vía más común de infección es a través de agua, suelo y alimentos contaminados por animales infectados. Algunos grupos ocupacionales se hallan expuestos, tales como los trabajadores de frigoríficos, cuidadores de animales, médicos veterinarios, etc. Los roedores suelen ser los reservorios de leptospiras patógenas para el hombre y resto de animales en zonas urbanas, periurbanas y rurales. La leptospirosis como enfermedad zoonótica afecta a animales y humanos, por lo que el conocimiento de factores causales y sus consecuencias en una región implica un conocimiento de importancia para determinar en un momento dado la cantidad de población infectada o que ha estado en contacto con determinadas serovares de Leptospiras.Eje: Conferencias.Universidad Nacional de La Plat