Cavitand receptors for chiral recognition and fluorescent sensing

The need to develop sensors specific for different classes of analytes is well recognized and confirmed by the considerable research efforts spent for the preparation of more and more efficient devices. The crucial parameter to define the success of a given sensor is therefore selectivity, and for this reason the strategy to prepare the sensing material following the principle of supramolecular chemistry has quickly gained increasing importance. Within this context, the present thesis focused on the realization and characterization of supramolecular receptors as material for sensing chemicals vapors such as alcohols and nitroaromatics. In detail, we have conceived and prepared mixed bridged phosphonate cavitands and quinoxaline cavitands, probing their molecular recognition properties toward suitable guest at the gas solid interface and in solution. A new highly selective fluorescent sensor for C1-C4 alcohols has been prepared, in which only the specific interactions between the analyte and the sensing layer are transduced into a readable signals. Inherently chiral cavitands were also prepared, capable of enantiospecific recognition in the solid state toward chiral alcohols and in solution toward L-amino acids.La necessità di sviluppare sensori specifici per diverse classi di analiti è confermata dai considerevoli sforzi spesi per la realizzazione di sistemi sempre più efficienti. Il parametro cruciale che definisce il successo di un dato sensore è quindi la selettività, e per questa ragione la realizzazione di materiali basati sui principi della chimica supramolecolare ha un’importanza sempre più rilevante. In questo contesto, il presente lavoro di tesi è focalizzato sulla realizzazione e caratterizzazione di recettori come materiali per lo sviluppo di sensori all’interfaccia gas-solido. Nel dettaglio, abbiamo preparato cavitandi fosfonati e chinossalinici a ponti misti dimostrando le loro proprietà di riconoscimento molecolare verso opportuni analiti all’interfaccia gas solido e in soluzione. E’ stato realizzato un nuovo sensore fluorescente altamente selettivo per alcoli a catena corta (C1-C4), in cui solo le interazioni specifiche tra analita e sensing layer sono tradotte in un segnale leggibile. Sono stati inoltre preparati cavitandi inerentemente chirali che hanno dimostrato una buona enantioselettività allo stato solido verso alcoli chirali e in soluzione verso L-ammino acidi

A pilot study on bioactive constituents and analgesic effects of MyrLiq®, a Commiphora myrrha extract with a high furanodiene content

The analgesic properties of myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) have been known since ancient times and depend on the presence of bioactive sesquiterpenes with furanodiene skeletons. MyrLiq is a C. myrrha extract with a standardized content of curzerene, furanoeudesma-1,3-diene, and lindestrene (12.31±0.05 g kg−1, 18.84±0.02 g kg−1, and 6.23±0.01 g kg−1, resp.) and a high total furanodiene content (40.86±0.78 g kg−1). A balanced sample of 95 female and 89 male volunteers (with ages ranging from 18 to older than 60 years) exhibiting different pain pathologies, including headache, fever-dependent pain, joint pain, muscle aches, lower back pain, and menstrual cramps, was divided into two groups. The experimental group received 1 capsule/day containing either 200 mg or 400 mg of MyrLiq (corresponding to 8 mg and 16 mg of bioactive furanodienes, resp.) for 20 days, and the placebo group was given the same number of capsules with no MyrLiq. A score was recorded for all volunteers based on their previous experience with prescribed analgesics. For the male volunteers, pain alleviation was obtained with 400 mg of MyrLiq/day for almost all pathologies, whereas, for female volunteers, alleviation of lower back pain and fever-dependent pain was observed with only 200 mg of MyrLiq/day. These results indicate that MyrLiq has significant analgesic properties

Extracellular Self-DNA (esDNA), but Not Heterologous Plant or Insect DNA (etDNA), Induces Plasma Membrane Depolarization and Calcium Signaling in Lima Bean (Phaseolus lunatus) and Maize (Zea mays)

Extracellular self-DNA (esDNA) is produced during cell and tissue damage or degradation and has been shown to induce significant responses in several organisms, including plants. While the inhibitory effects of esDNA have been shown in conspecific individuals, little is known on the early events involved upon plant esDNA perception. We used electrophysiology and confocal laser scanning microscopy calcium localization to evaluate the plasma membrane potential (Vm) variations and the intracellular calcium fluxes, respectively, in Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) and maize (Zea mays) plants exposed to esDNA and extracellular heterologous DNA (etDNA) and to etDNA from Spodoptera littoralis larvae and oral secretions. In both species, esDNA induced a significant Vm depolarization and an increased flux of calcium, whereas etDNA was unable to exert any of these early signaling events. These findings confirm the specificity of esDNA to induce plant cell responses and to trigger early signaling events that eventually lead to plant response to damage

The Impact of an Adapted Physical Activity Program on Bone Turnover, Physical Performance and Fear of Falling in Osteoporotic Women with Vertebral Fractures: A Quasi-Experimental Pilot Study

Physical activity has been indicated as a potential strategy to counteract osteoporosis (OP). This study of post-menopausal women with osteoporotic vertebral fractures investigated the effect of an adapted physical activity (APA) program on two serum bone turnover biomarkers (Bone Alkaline Phosphatase, B-ALP and C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen, CTX-1), functional capacity (6-Minutes Walking Test, 6MWT), and risk and fear of falls (Tinetti and Falls Efficacy scale). The APA group (n = 12) performed a 1-h group session twice per week for 6 months whereas the control group (n = 9) was asked to maintain their current lifestyle. The exercise program did not affect the serum concentrations of B-ALP and CTX-1 biomarkers measured at the baseline and after 6 months in women of the APA group. Moreover, at the end of intervention no significant differences in serum concentrations for either biomarker was observed between the two study groups. Interestingly, when compared to the control group, women in the APA group showed significant improvement in the functional capacity measures by 6MWT (p = 0.037) and a decrease of the risk and fear of falls as indicated by the Tinetti test (p = 0.043). Based on these findings, exercise could provide new perspectives for the care and management of OP