Stress responsive biomarkers for Lactobacillus plantarum robustness

Background. Lactobacillus plantarum is one of the most versatile Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) that is encountered in many environmental niches, including dairy, meat and vegetable, in which it is used as starter culture for fermentation processes. Moreover, it has a demonstrated ability to survive gastric transit, can colonize the intestinal tract of human and other mammals and is commonly used in the formulation of functional probiotic foods for its health-promoting effects in consumers. L. plantarum, like other microorganisms, must face adverse environmental conditions during steps of technological processing, storage and consumption that include changes of temperature, pH, solute concentrations, nutrients and oxygen level, which can reduce its growth or survival potential. In order to adapt to environmental stresses and then stabilize their survival potential and their metabolic activity, these microorganisms have developed sophisticated mechanisms to sense changes and trigger a cascade of alterations in gene expression and protein activity. Wine may be considered one of the most stressful environments (ethanol and acidity) in which several LAB have developed different mechanisms expressing their optimal biological role. Oenococcus oeni and Lactobacillus species are the main LAB associated with grape must and wine. Wine LAB are responsible for malolactic fermentation (MLF) during which the conversion of malic acid into lactic acid, and the metabolic activities of the associated LAB can lead to the production of compounds that can impact wine aroma and flavor. Aims. In this study, in order to identify suitable molecular markers capable of improving L. plantarum robustness, six L. plantarum strains, autochthonous and commercials, have been investigated in response to stress conditions. To assess the effects of these strains on the sensorial quality of wine, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released during fermentation in the headspace of food matrix have been characterized. Materials and methods. Gene expression of six L. plantarum strains, grown at low pH and in presence of oxidizing factors, such as diamide and hydrogen peroxide, has been monitored by real-time PCR. Moreover, VOCs released by strains inoculated in fresh must (of Apulian grape) in two different moment (co-inoculum and sequential inoculum) have been monitored through PTR-MS in collaboration with Edmund Mach Foundation (FEM) in San Michele all’Adige (Italy). Results. The results suggest that the expression of the genes analyzed in stress conditions is strains-specific and a combination of hsp2 and hsp3 genes as stress responsive markers, may be suitable to identify the most resistant L. plantarum strains, to low pH value and oxidative stress. A total of 50 VOCs were identified. The concentration of most of the volatile compounds was influenced by inoculated strain. The similarities and differences expressed in the volatile profiles of wines reveal the potential of individual strains inoculated as starter cultures to produce wines of a certain character

Processos artísticos do pós-humano em Fritz Kahn e Jander Rama

A figura do pós-humano aparece intensamente nas produções de ficção científica em diversas mídias. Aqui, se pretende analisar como esse processo atinge as artes visuais, focando em trabalhos de Fritz Kahn e Jander Rama. A inovação técnica trouxe recursos estéticos diferenciados para a produção artística. Assim, a reflexão sobre a tecnicidade da cultura permeia as artes visuais no próprio fazer artístico, lançando também as propostas estéticas que configuram a visualidade desse corpo pós-humano

Il Rapporto tra Anima e Corpo nel Vivente: Alcuni Spunti di Riflessione su Plotino e H. Bergson

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: "Queste pagine trattano del vivente nel penultimo trattato plotiniano, il 53 (= Enn. I 1) dal titolo Che cos’è il vivente e che cos’è l’essere umano?. Si esaminerà in particolare la sezione di esso (cap. 3) che riguarda la separabilità dell’anima dal corpo nel vivente umano. Ivi il rapporto che si instaura tra i due componenti è descritto come un rapporto strumentale, nel senso che l’anima si serve del corpo come un artigiano si serve dei suoi strumenti. L’analisi del testo plotiniano permette di fare un parallelo con il filosofo contemporaneo Henri Bergson (1859-1941), nella misura in cui quest’ultimo, fine conoscitore del filosofo greco, parla del corpo come di uno strumento. A riguardo si approfondirà in particolare il concetto bergsoniano del rapporto tra mistica e tecnica nelle Conferenze di Madrid (1916) e nell’opera Le due fonti della morale e della religione (1932). Lo stimolo in tal senso è venuto da un libro di C. Zanfi (Bergson, la tecnica, la guerra. Una rilettura delle Due fonti, Bologna, Bononia University Press 2009) in cui si esamina la filosofia bergsoniana relativamente sia al corpo inteso come uno strumento sia al modo in cui la mistica dovrebbe guidare la tecnica, perché l’umanità non ne sia sopraffatta.

Il Rapporto tra Anima e Corpo nel Vivente

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: "Queste pagine trattano del vivente nel penultimo trattato plotiniano, il 53 (= Enn. I 1) dal titolo Che cos'è il vivente e che cos'è l'essere umano?. Si esaminerà in particolare la sezione di esso (cap. 3) che riguarda la separabilità dell'anima dal corpo nel vivente umano. Ivi il rapporto che si instaura tra i due componenti è descritto come un rapporto strumentale, nel senso che l'anima si serve del corpo come un artigiano si serve dei suoi strumenti. L'analisi del testo plotiniano permette di fare un parallelo con il filosofo contemporaneo Henri Bergson (1859-1941), nella misura in cui quest'ultimo, fine conoscitore del filosofo greco, parla del corpo come di uno strumento. A riguardo si approfondirà in particolare il concetto bergsoniano del rapporto tra mistica e tecnica nelle Conferenze di Madrid (1916) e nell'opera Le due fonti della morale e della religione (1932). Lo stimolo in tal senso è venuto da un libro di C. Zanfi (Bergson, la tecnica, la guerra. Una rilettura delle Due fonti, Bologna, Bononia University Press 2009) in cui si esamina la filosofia bergsoniana relativamente sia al corpo inteso come uno strumento sia al modo in cui la mistica dovrebbe guidare la tecnica, perché l'umanità non ne sia sopraffatta.

Layered double hydroxides with low Al content and new intercalate structures

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) containing Mg2+ and Al3+ as divalent and trivalent cations, respectively, have been synthesized by a procedure based on hydrolysis of a mixture of metal alcoholates, and have been characterized mainly by Wide Angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) measurements. The used procedure is suitable to prepare LDHs with Al molar fractions, x(Al)=Al/(Al+Mg), as low as 0.1. The same LDH preparation procedure, for x(Al)<0.1, produces thermally stable intercalates with alkoxy anions, exhibiting layers similar to those of brucite, which maintain a high degree of order only in the hexagonal packing of the hydroxide groups. In particular, the basal periodicity increases from nearly 0.8 nm up to nearly 1.3 nm, due to the parallel staking of hexanolate groups in the clay galleries. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Synthesis of gold nano-plates by mercaptide thermolysis in poly(vinyl acetate)

Triangular gold nano-plates have been synthesized by thermal decomposition of Au(I) dodecyl-mercaptide (i. e., AuSC12H25) dissolved in poly(vinyl acetate). Such special shape was achieved because of the ability of polymer side- groups (i. e., the acetate groups) to be selectively absorbed on the most acid faces of the growing gold nanocrystals, thus inhibiting crystal development along these crystallographic directions. Nano-plates had an average edge length of ca. 30 nm and a thickness of a few nanometers

Monitoring PD-L1 positive circulating tumor cells in non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with the PD-1 inhibitor Nivolumab

Controversial results on the predictive value of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) status in lung tumor tissue for response to immune checkpoint inhibitors do not allow for any conclusive consideration. Liquid biopsy might allow real-time sampling of patients for PD-L1 through the course of the disease. Twenty-four stage IV NSCLC patients included in the Expanded Access Program with Nivolumab were enrolled. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) were analyzed by CellSearch with anti-human B7-H1/PD-L1 PE-conjugated antibody. PD-L1 expressing CTCs were assessed at baseline, at 3 and 6 months after starting therapy, and correlated with outcome. At baseline and at 3 months of treatment, the presence of CTCs and the expression of PD-L1 on their surface were found associated to poor patients outcome. Nevertheless, the high frequency of PD-L1 expressing CTCs hampered to discriminate the role of PD-L1 in defining prognosis. Conversely although CTCs were found in all patients 6 months after treatment, at this time patients could be dichotomized into two groups based PD-L1 expression on CTCs. Patients with PD-L1 negative CTCs all obtained a clinical benefit, while patients with PD-L1 (+) CTCs all experienced progressive disease. This suggests that the persistence of PD-L1(+) CTCs might mirror a mechanism of therapy escape