Near Infrared Spectroscopy to Assess Feeding Value and Antinutritional Compounds in Legume Species

There is an increasing demand for information on the quality characteristics and chemical composition of forages in order to meet the demands of dietary specifications for feeding animals. Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy provides a tool for rapid and non-destructive analysis in agronomic and breeding programs of a number of chemical components of forages and grains. NIR spectroscopy in particular has the advantage of being able to simultaneously evaluate the samples for a number of qualitative traits of whole plants and seeds. In two experiments here presented, NIR Spectroscopy was used to predict: i) qualitative characteristics of field pea seeds and, as regards secondary metabolites responsible of detrimental or beneficial effects on animal nutrition ii) condensed tannins in legume forages, based on calibration sets of samples previously chemically analysed

Special Issue “Rheumatic Diseases: Pathophysiology, Targeted Therapy, Focus on Vascular and Pulmonary Manifestations 2022”

This Special Issue, titled "Rheumatic Diseases: Pathophysiology, Targeted Therapy, Focus on Vascular and Pulmonary Manifestations", aims to demonstrate recent and new advances and future trends in the field of rheumatic diseases [...]

Host-Based Treatments for Severe COVID-19

COVID-19 has been a global health problem since 2020. There are different spectrums of manifestation of this disease, ranging from asymptomatic to extremely severe forms requiring admission to intensive care units and life-support therapies, mainly due to severe pneumonia. The progressive understanding of this disease has allowed researchers and clinicians to implement different therapeutic alternatives, depending on both the severity of clinical involvement and the causative molecular mechanism that has been progressively explored. In this review, we analysed the main therapeutic options available to date based on modulating the host inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with severe and critical illness. Although current guidelines are moving toward a personalised treatment approach titrated on the timing of presentation, disease severity, and laboratory parameters, future research is needed to identify additional biomarkers that can anticipate the disease course and guide targeted interventions on an individual basis

Microvascular Alteration in COVID-19 Documented by Nailfold Capillaroscopy

COVID-19 is a multisystemic disease that mainly affects and causes dysregulation of the endothelium, causing systemic manifestations. A nailfold video capillaroscopy is a safe, easy, and noninvasive method to evaluate microcirculation alteration. In this review, we analyzed the literature available to date regarding the object of nailfold video capillaroscopy (NVC) use in patients with a SARS-CoV-2 infection, both in the acute phase and after discharge. The scientific evidence pointed out the main alterations in capillary circulation shown by NVC, so reviewing the findings of each article allowed us to define and analyze the future prospects and needs for possibly including NVC within the management of patients with COVID-19, both during and after the acute phase

Prediction of the chemical composition and nutritive value of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) by Near Infrared Spectroscopy

Lucerne is a low input energy efficient crop that improves soil fertility, and its importance is rising with the increase of public interest in sustainable agriculture. Furthermore, it occupies a significant economic position in the animal feed market (i.e. hay, dehydrated forage, pellets and silage products) and deserves a particular interest in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano cheese production areas of Northern Italy (Torricelli et al., 2000)

Magnetic anisotropy in ordered textured Co nanowires

The following article appeared in Applied Physics Letters 100.25 (2012): 252405 and may be found at http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/apl/100/25/10.1063/1.4729782The magnetization reversal in ordered arrays of Co nanowires with tailored hcp-phase texture, controlled by pH synthesis and nanowires length, has been investigated. The angular dependence of coercivity has been experimentally determined for different crystal textures, and the corresponding magnetization reversal mode is interpreted by analytical modelling. The results show that reversal takes place by propagation of a transverse-like domain wall mode. The fitting of experimental and calculated data allows us the quantitative evaluation of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant strength whose magnetization easy direction evolves from parallel to the wires toward in-plane orientation with the change of hcp-phase textureThe project has been performed under bilateral Chile-Spain project 2010CL0018. Additional financial support is acknowledged from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, MICINN, and MAT2010-20798-C05-01. Financial support from FONDECYT No. 1110784, Grant ICM P10-061-F by Fondo de Innovación para la Competitividad-MINECON and Financiamiento Basal para Centros Científicos y Tecnológicos de Excelencia, under project FB0807

Functional Progression after Dose Suspension or Discontinuation of Nintedanib in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Real-Life Multicentre Study

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic interstitial lung disease with rapidly progressive evolution and an unfavorable outcome. Nintedanib (NTD) is an antifibrotic drug that has been shown to be effective in slowing down the progression of the disease. The aim of our study was to examine the efficacy, especially in terms of the functional decline, and the safety profile of NTD in patients treated with the recommended dose and subjects who reduced or suspended the therapy due to the occurrence of adverse reactions. Methods: We conducted a real-life retrospective study based on the experience of NTD use in two centers between 2015 and 2022. Clinical data were evaluated at baseline, at 6 and 12 months after the NTD introduction in the whole population and in subgroups of patients who continued the full-dose treatment, at a reduced dosage, and at the discontinuation of treatment. The following data were recorded: the demographic features, IPF clinical features, NTD therapeutic dosage, tolerability and adverse events, pulmonary function tests (PFTs), the duration of treatment upon discontinuation, and the causes of interruption. Results: There were 54 IPF patients who were included (29.6% females, with a median (IQR) age at baseline of 75 (69.0-79.0) years). Twelve months after the introduction of the NTD therapy, 20 (37%) patients were still taking the full dose, 11 (20.4%) had reduced it to 200 mg daily, and 15 (27.8%) had stopped treatment. Gastrointestinal intolerance predominantly led to the dose reduction (13.0%) and treatment cessation (20.4%). There were two deaths within the initial 6 months (3.7%) and seven (13.0%) within 12 months. Compared to the baseline, the results of the PFTs remained stable at 6 and 12 months for the entire NTD-treated population, except for a significant decline in the DLCO (% predicted value) at both 6 (38.0 ± 17.8 vs. 43.0 ± 26.0; p = 0.041) and 12 months (41.5 ± 15.3 vs. 44.0 ± 26.8; p = 0.048). The patients who continued treatment at the full dose or a reduced dosage showed no significant differences in the FVC and the DLCO at 12 months. Conversely, those discontinuing the NTD exhibited a statistically significant decline in the FVC (% predicted value) at 12 months compared to the baseline (55.0 ± 13.5 vs. 70.0 ± 23.0; p = 0.035). Conclusions: This study highlights the functional decline of the FVC at 12 months after the NTD initiation among patients discontinuing therapy but not among those reducing their dosage

Editorial: Evolution in respiratory pharmacology

This collection of Research Topics entitled “Evolution in respiratory pharmacology,” involving authors from several countries, confirms that “Respiratory Pharmacology” is a current topic in clinical and research settings. All articles focused on contributions that explore the changing context and emerging new perspectives within Respiratory Pharmacology (Kim et al., Cerqua et al., Li et al., Lin et al., Zhang et al.). The emphasis of this Research Topic is on the dynamics of change and the evolution of the latest progress made in the field of Respiratory Pharmacology. This collection of articles aims to inform, inspire, and provide direction and guidance to researchers in the field

Low Arousal Threshold Estimation Predicts Failure of Mandibular Advancement Devices in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Introduction: The treatment of choice for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). However, CPAP is usually poorly tolerated and mandibular advancement devices (MADs) are an alternative innovative therapeutic approach. Uncertainty still remains as to the most suitable candidates for MAD. Herein, it is hypothesized that the presence of low arousal threshold (low ArTH) could be predictive of MAD treatment failure. Methods: A total of 32 consecutive patients, with OSAS of any severity, who preferred an alternate therapy to CPAP, were treated with a tailored MAD aimed at obtaining 50% of their maximal mandibular advancement. Treatment response after 6 months of therapy was defined as AHI 58.3%. Results: There were 25 (78.1%) responders (p-value < 0.01) at 6 months. Thirteen patients (40.6%) in the non-severe group reached AHI lower than 5 events per hour. MAD treatment significantly reduced the median AHI in all patients from a median value of 22.5 to 6.5 (74.7% of reduction, p-value < 0.001). The mandibular advancement device reduced AHI, whatever the disease severity. A significant higher reduction of Delta AHI, after 6 months of treatment, was found for patients without low ArTH. Conclusions: Low ArTH at baseline was associated with a poorer response to MAD treatment and a lower AHI reduction at 6 months. A non-invasive assessment of Low ArTH can be performed through the Edwards' score, which could help to identify an endotype with a lower predicted response to oral appliances in a clinical setting

Are flightless Galapaganus weevils older than the Galapagos islands they inhabit?

The 15 species in the weevil genus Galapaganus Lanteri 1992 (Entiminae: Curculionidae: Coleoptera) are distributed on coastal Peril and Ecuador and include 10 flightless species endemic to the Galapagos islands. These beetles thus provide a promising system through which to investigate the patterns and processes of evolution on Darwin's archipelago. Sequences of the mtDNA locus encoding cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) were obtained from samples of seven species occurring in different ecological zones of the oldest south-eastern islands: San Cristobal, Espanola and Floreana, and the central island Santa Cruz. The single most parsimonious tree obtained shows two well-supported clades that correspond to the species groups previously defined by morphological characters. Based on a mtDNA clock calibrated for arthropods, the initial speciation separating the oldest species, G. galapagoensis (Linell) on the oldest island, San Cristobal, from the remaining species in the Galapagos occurred about 7.2 Ma. This estimate exceeds geological ages of the extant emerged islands, although it agrees well with molecular dating of endemic Galapagos iguanas, geckos and lizards. An apparent explanation for the disagreement between geological and molecular time-frames is that about 7 Ma there were emerged islands which subsequently disappeared under ocean waters. This hypothesis has gained support from the recent findings of 11 -Myr-old submarine seamounts (sunken islands), south-east of the present location of the archipelago. Some species within the darwini group may have differentiated on the extant islands, 1-5 Ma.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse