Investigation of fennel protein extracts by shot-gun Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

A rapid shot-gun method by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) is proposed for the characterization of fennel proteins. After enzymatic digestion with trypsin, few microliters of extract were analyzed by direct infusion in positive ion mode. A custom-made non-redundant fennel-specific proteome database was derived from the well-known NCBI database; additional proteins belonging to recognized allergenic sources (celery, carrot, parsley, birch, and mugwort) were also included in our database, since patients hypersensitive to these plants could also suffer from fennel allergy. The peptide sequence of each protein from that derived list was theoretically sequenced to produce calculated m/z lists of possible m/z ions after tryptic digestions. Then, by using a home-made Matlab algorithm, those lists were matched with the experimental FT-ICR mass spectrum of the fennel peptide mixture. Finally, Peptide Mass Fingerprint searches confirmed the presence of the matched proteins inside the fennel extract with a total of 70 proteins (61 fennel specific and 9 allergenic proteins)

Sustainable solutions for removing aged wax-based coatings from cultural heritage. Exploiting hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DESs)

This study describes the investigation on the use of hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) for the removal of nonpolar coatings from works of art to replace toxic solvents. Beeswax and two microcrystalline waxes (R21 and Renaissances) have been selected as reference nonpolar coatings since they are commonly present in their aged state on metal and stone artifacts. The interaction between the DESs and three waxes has been evaluated through contact angle measurements, solubility tests, and cleaning tests carried out by implementing a method that is ordinarily used by restorers. Tests have been conducted on mockups consisting of microscope glass slides covered by wax. The effective removal of the wax-based coating from the mockups has been assessed through spectrocolorimetry and multispectral imaging under visible (VIS) and ultraviolet light (UV) at 365 nm by loading the waxes with a fluorescent marker (Rhodamine 6G). Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy in the Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) mode was performed to assess the presence of both the wax and the solvent on the swabs used for the cleaning tests, confirming the actual interaction among the solvent and the solute. The experimental process proved DESs’ potential of being used as green solvents for cleaning treatments on Cultural Heritage

Performance of the Two Aerogel Cherenkov Detectors of the JLab Hall A Hadron Spectrometer

We report on the design and commissioning of two silica aerogel Cherenkov detectors with different refractive indices. In particular, extraordinary performance in terms of the number of detected photoelectrons was achieved through an appropriate choice of PMT type and reflector, along with some design considerations. After four years of operation, the number of detected photoelectrons was found to be noticeably reduced in both detectors as a result of contamination, yellowing, of the aerogel material. Along with the details of the set-up, we illustrate the characteristics of the detectors during different time periods and the probable causes of the contamination. In particular we show that the replacement of the contaminated aerogel and parts of the reflecting material has almost restored the initial performance of the detectors.Comment: 18 pages, 9 Figures, 4 Tables, 44 Reference

Immunomodulatory activity of electrospun polyhydroxyalkanoate fiber scaffolds incorporating olive leaf extract

Olive tree is a well-known source of polyphenols. We prepared an olive leaf extract (OLE) and characterized it via high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. OLE was blended with different polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), namely, poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBHV) and polyhydroxybutyrate/poly(hydroxyoctanoate-co-hydroxydecanoate) (PHB/PHOHD), to produce fiber meshes via electrospinning: OLE/PHBV and OLE/ (PHB/PHOHD), respectively. An 80–90% (w/w%) release of the main polyphenols from the OLE/PHA fibers occurred in 24 h, with a burst release in the first 30 min. OLE and the produced fiber meshes were assayed using human dermal keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) to evaluate the expression of a panel of cytokines involved in the inflammatory process and innate immune response, such as the antimicrobial peptide human beta defensin 2 (HBD-2). Fibers containing OLE were able to decrease the expression of the proinflammatory cytokines at 6 h up to 24 h. All the PHA fibers allowed an early downregulation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines in 6 h, which is suggestive of a strong anti-inflammatory activity exerted by PHA fibers. Differently from pure OLE, PHB/PHOHD fibers (both with and without OLE) upregulated the expression of HBD-2. Our results showed that PHA fiber meshes are suitable in decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines and the incorporation of OLE may enable indirect antibac-terial properties, which is essential in wound healing and tissue regeneration

External beam radiotherapy boost versus surgical debulking followed by radiotherapy for the treatment of metastatic lymph nodes in cervical cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

We aimed to assess disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS) and treatment-related toxicity of two therapeutic strategies for treating bulky lymph nodes on imaging in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC): radiotherapy boost versus surgical debulking followed by radiotherapy. We performed a systematic review of studies published up to October 2023. We selected studies including patients with LACC treated by external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) boost or lymph node debulking followed by EBRT (with or without boost). We included two comparative (included in the meta-analysis) and nine non-comparative studies. The estimated 3-year recurrence rate was 28.2% (95%CI:18.3-38.0) in the EBRT group and 39.9% (95%CI:22.1-57.6) in the surgical debulking plus EBRT group. The estimated 3-year DFS was 71.8% and 60.1%, respectively (p = 0.19). The estimated 3-year death rate was 22.2% (95%CI:11.2-33.2) in the EBRT boost group and 31.9% (95%CI:23.3-40.5) in the surgical debulking plus EBRT group. The estimated 3-year OS was 77.8% and 68.1%, respectively (p = 0.04). No difference in lymph node recurrence between the two comparative studies (p = 0.36). The meta-analysis of the two comparative studies showed no DFS difference (p = 0.13) but better OS in the radiotherapy boost group (p = 0.006). The incidence of grade≥3 toxicities (ranging 0-50%) was not different between the two approaches in the two comparative studies (p = 0.31). No DFS and toxicity difference when comparing EBRT boost with surgical debulking of enlarged lymph nodes and EBRT in patients with cervical cancer was evident. Radiotherapy boost had better OS. Further investigation is required to better understand the prognostic role of surgical lymph node debulking in light of radiotherapy developments

Salicylaldoximes and anthranylaldoximes as alternatives to phenol-based estrogen receptor ligands

Estrogens play a crucial role in the development and function of female reproductive tissues. They have positive effects on the maintenance of bone mineral density, on the liver, and on the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs) are particularly attractive as therapeutic agents because they are able to block estrogen action at those sites where stimulation would be undesirable, such as the breast and uterus, but at the same time stimulate estrogen actions in other tissues where they are desired, such as the bone and liver. Most synthetic estrogen receptor ligands possess a phenolic ring, mimicking the phenolic "Aring" of the natural ligand estradiol. In an attempt to increase the structural diversity of estrogen receptor (ER) ligands, we designed and synthesized molecules containing unprecedented replacements of the prototypical phenolic "A-ring" of estrogens with an oxime and a hydroxy- (salicylaldoximes) or aminomoieties (anthranylaldoximes), forming intramolecularly H-bonded pseudocycles. These new classes of compounds showed interesting ER binding properties on both receptor subtypes (ERα and ERβ). These results proved that the six-membered ring formed by an intramolecular hydrogen bond, and containing an exocyclic oxime OH, is an effective stereoelectronic replacement of the phenolic ring of typical ER ligands

EROS 2.0 study: evaluation of two interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) schedules for endometrial cancer: a comparison of late vaginal toxicity rates

Background To compare the late toxicity rates after two different high dose rate (HDR) adjuvant intravaginal interventional radiotherapy (IRT-brachytherapy) dose schedules in stage I-II endometrial cancer. Methods Stage I-II patients with endometrial cancer treated with surgery (with or without lymphadenectomy) and adjuvant HDR-IRT between 2014 and 2020 were included in this analysis. Patients were treated with two schedules. In the first cohort (C1), 21 Gy were delivered in three weekly fractions (7 Gy) prescribed 0.5 cm from the applicator surface. In the second cohort (C2), 24 Gy were delivered in four weekly fractions (6 Gy). The clinical target volume was the upper third of the vagina for C1 and the upper 3 cm for C2. HDR-IRT technique and point prescription (5 mm depth from the applicator surface) were the same for all patients. Vaginal toxicity was scored according to the CTCAE 5.0 scale in terms of the presence versus absence of any toxicity grade. The correlation among toxicity and clinical covariates (age, lymphadenectomy, fractionation, stage) was tested by Pearson correlation test (univariate) and by logistic regression (multivariable). Results 114 stage I and three stage II patients, median age 62 (range: 32-85) years, were included in this analysis. The mean follow-up was 56.3 months in C1 (40-76) and 20 months in C2 (8-42). Vaginal late toxicity was recorded in 40 and 15 patients in C1 and 2, respectively. Age, lymphadenectomy, and fractionation were significantly correlated with toxicity at univariate analysis (p value = 0.029, 0.006, and 0.002, respectively), while stepwise logistic regression confirmed only age and fractionation as significantly correlated parameters (p value = 0.02 and 0.001, respectively). Three-year local relapse-free, distant metastasis-free and cause-specific survival rates were 96.6%, 94.8%, and 99.1%, respectively. Conclusions This analysis showed lower vaginal late toxicity rate in C2 compared to C1

Life satisfaction and confidence in national institutions: evidence from South America

A number of South American countries experienced turbulent democratic, political and economic upheaval over the last 40 years in the form of coup d’états in the 1970s, tumultuous elections, and repeated severe economic crises, some of which happened fairly recently. Starting in 2010, a number of court proceedings across the region have made past military coup d’états the focus of national conversations. South American citizens may, therefore, have lost confidence in national institutions that have repeatedly disappointed their trust and expectations; a situation with potentially detrimental effects on their well-being. Using eight waves of the Gallup World Poll collected between 2009 and 2016 across ten South American countries, we investigate to what extent people’s confidence in financial institutions, the honesty of elections, the military, the judicial system, the national government and the police is associated with people’s current and expectation of future life satisfaction. We find that people who report confidence in these six institutions rate their current and expected life satisfaction, on average, to be higher than those who lack these types of institutional confidence, even after controlling for demographic factors and macroeconomic indicators. In addition, we investigate changes over time for all six measures of confidence in institutions as well as for current and expectation of future life satisfaction. Our results suggest that governments’ investments in well-functioning institutions may contribute positively to subjective well-being in a society. However, our analysis is correlational and we thus cannot rule out reverse causality

Tailored postoperative treatment of prostate cancer: final results of a phase I/II trial.

BACKGROUD: The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) trial 22,911 reported 74% 5-year biochemical disease-free survival (bDFS) in patients with prostate carcinoma treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) followed by postoperative radiotherapy (RT). This study aimed to improve these outcomes by using a combined-intensified-modulated-adjuvant treatment, including RT and hormone therapy (HT) after RP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This phase I/II trial treatment was designed to improve 5-year bDFS from ~\u200975 to 90%. Patients were consecutively enrolled using the following inclusion criteria: age\u2009<\u200980 years, histological diagnosis of prostate adenocarcinoma without known metastases, stage pT2-4N0-1, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2. All patients had at least one of these pathologic features: capsular perforation, positive surgical margins, seminal vesicle invasion, and pelvic lymph nodes involvement. A minimum dose of 64.8\u2009Gy to the tumor bed was delivered in all patients. Depending on tumor characteristics at diagnosis, patients received a higher dose (70.2\u2009Gy; 85.4%) and/or prophylactic pelvic lymph nodes irradiation (57.7%) and/or HT (69.1%). Biochemical relapse was defined as two consecutive rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values\u2009>\u20090.2\u2009ng/ml. RESULTS: A total of 123 patients were enrolled in the study and completed the scheduled treatment. Median preoperative and postoperative PSA were: 8.8 and 0.06\u2009ng/mL, respectively. The percentages of patients with pathologically involved nodes and positive resection margins were: 14.6% and 58.5%, respectively. With a median follow-up of 67 months (range: 37-120 months), the actuarial 5-year bDFS, local control, metastasis-free survival, and overall survival (OS) were: 92.9%, 98.7%, 96.1%, and 95.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: A higher 5-year bDFS (92.9%) was recorded compared to studies based on standard adjuvant RT, even though patients with nodal disease and detectable postoperative PSA were enrolled. Clinical end points, as long-term disease-free survival and OS, will require further assessments