Hydrolase–like catalysis and structural resolution of natural products by a metal–organic framework

The exact chemical structure of non–crystallising natural products is still one of the main challenges in Natural Sciences. Despite tremendous advances in total synthesis, the absolute structural determination of a myriad of natural products with very sensitive chemical functionalities remains undone. Here, we show that a metal–organic framework (MOF) with alcohol–containing arms and adsorbed water, enables selective hydrolysis of glycosyl bonds, supramolecular order with the so–formed chiral fragments and absolute determination of the organic structure by single–crystal X–ray crystallography in a single operation. This combined strategy based on a biomimetic, cheap, robust and multigram available solid catalyst opens the door to determine the absolute configuration of ketal compounds regardless degradation sensitiveness, and also to design extremely–mild metal–free solid–catalysed processes without formal acid protons.This work was supported by the Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (Italy) and the MINECO (Spain) (Projects CTQ2016-75671-P, CTQ 2017-86735-P, RTC-2017-6331-5, Severo Ochoa program SEV-2016-0683 and Excellence Unit “Maria de Maeztu” MDM-2015-0538). R.B. thanks the MIUR (Project PON R&I FSE-FESR 2014–2020) for grant. L.B wishes to thank Italian MIUR for grant n. AIM1899391–1 in the framework of the project “Azione I.2, Mobilità dei Ricercatori, PON R&I 2014–2020”. Thanks are also extended to the “2019 Post-doctoral Junior Leader-Retaining Fellowship, la Caixa Foundation (ID100010434 and fellowship code LCF/BQ/PR19/11700011” (J. F.- S.). S. S.-N. thanks ITQ for the concession of a contract. D.A. acknowledges the financial support of the Fondazione CARIPLO/“Economia Circolare: ricerca per un futuro sostenibile” 2019, Project code: 2019–2090, MOCA. E.P. acknowledges the financial support of the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program/ERC Grant Agreement No. 814804, MOF-reactors

Status of faecal pollution in ports: A basin-wide investigation in the Adriatic Sea

Ports are subject to a variety of anthropogenic impacts, and there is mounting evidence of faecal contamination through several routes. Yet, little is known about pollution in ports by faecal indicator bacteria (FIB). FIB spatio-temporal dynamics were assessed in 12 ports of the Adriatic Sea, a semi-enclosed basin under strong anthropogenic pressure, and their relationships with environmental variables were explored to gain insight into pollution sources. FIB were abundant in ports, often more so than in adjacent areas ; their abundance patterns were related to salinity, oxygen, and nutrient levels. In addition, a molecular method, quantitative (q)PCR, was used to quantify FIB. qPCR enabled faster FIB determination and water quality monitoring that culture-based methods. These data provide robust baseline evidence of faecal contamination in ports and can be used to improve the management of routine port activities (dredging and ballast water exchange), having potential to spread pathogens in the sea

Il Petrarca dell'ingegnere.

This paper focuses on a sonnet by Giovanni Casoni, who worked as engineer in Venice during the first half of the nineteenth century and developed some methods about medieval venetian Archeology. From his literary production, mostly still unpublished, are here slected some verses on the recognition, in 1843, of Francesco Petrarca tomb in Arquà. The composition is interesting for some new elements that it provides around this circumstance, and as evidence of the political inclinations of Casoni

Antidiabetic Drug Prescription Pattern in Hospitalized Older Patients with Diabetes

Objective: To describe the prescription pattern of antidiabetic and cardiovascular drugs in a cohort of hospitalized older patients with diabetes. Methods: Patients with diabetes aged 65 years or older hospitalized in internal medicine and/or geriatric wards throughout Italy and enrolled in the REPOSI (REgistro POliterapuie SIMI—Società Italiana di Medicina Interna) registry from 2010 to 2019 and discharged alive were included. Results: Among 1703 patients with diabetes, 1433 (84.2%) were on treatment with at least one antidiabetic drug at hospital admission, mainly prescribed as monotherapy with insulin (28.3%) or metformin (19.2%). The proportion of treated patients decreased at discharge (N = 1309, 76.9%), with a significant reduction over time. Among those prescribed, the proportion of those with insulin alone increased over time (p = 0.0066), while the proportion of those prescribed sulfonylureas decreased (p < 0.0001). Among patients receiving antidiabetic therapy at discharge, 1063 (81.2%) were also prescribed cardiovascular drugs, mainly with an antihypertensive drug alone or in combination (N = 777, 73.1%). Conclusion: The management of older patients with diabetes in a hospital setting is often sub-optimal, as shown by the increasing trend in insulin at discharge, even if an overall improvement has been highlighted by the prevalent decrease in sulfonylureas prescription

The “Diabetes Comorbidome”: A Different Way for Health Professionals to Approach the Comorbidity Burden of Diabetes

(1) Background: The disease burden related to diabetes is increasing greatly, particularly in older subjects. A more comprehensive approach towards the assessment and management of diabetes’ comorbidities is necessary. The aim of this study was to implement our previous data identifying and representing the prevalence of the comorbidities, their association with mortality, and the strength of their relationship in hospitalized elderly patients with diabetes, developing, at the same time, a new graphic representation model of the comorbidome called “Diabetes Comorbidome”. (2) Methods: Data were collected from the RePoSi register. Comorbidities, socio-demographic data, severity and comorbidity indexes (Cumulative Illness rating Scale CIRS-SI and CIRS-CI), and functional status (Barthel Index), were recorded. Mortality rates were assessed in hospital and 3 and 12 months after discharge. (3) Results: Of the 4714 hospitalized elderly patients, 1378 had diabetes. The comorbidities distribution showed that arterial hypertension (57.1%), ischemic heart disease (31.4%), chronic renal failure (28.8%), atrial fibrillation (25.6%), and COPD (22.7%), were the more frequent in subjects with diabetes. The graphic comorbidome showed that the strongest predictors of death at in hospital and at the 3-month follow-up were dementia and cancer. At the 1-year follow-up, cancer was the first comorbidity independently associated with mortality. (4) Conclusions: The “Diabetes Comorbidome” represents the perfect instrument for determining the prevalence of comorbidities and the strength of their relationship with risk of death, as well as the need for an effective treatment for improving clinical outcomes

Clinical features and outcomes of elderly hospitalised patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure or both

Background and objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) mutually increase the risk of being present in the same patient, especially if older. Whether or not this coexistence may be associated with a worse prognosis is debated. Therefore, employing data derived from the REPOSI register, we evaluated the clinical features and outcomes in a population of elderly patients admitted to internal medicine wards and having COPD, HF or COPD + HF. Methods: We measured socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics, severity and prevalence of comorbidities, clinical and laboratory features during hospitalization, mood disorders, functional independence, drug prescriptions and discharge destination. The primary study outcome was the risk of death. Results: We considered 2,343 elderly hospitalized patients (median age 81 years), of whom 1,154 (49%) had COPD, 813 (35%) HF, and 376 (16%) COPD + HF. Patients with COPD + HF had different characteristics than those with COPD or HF, such as a higher prevalence of previous hospitalizations, comorbidities (especially chronic kidney disease), higher respiratory rate at admission and number of prescribed drugs. Patients with COPD + HF (hazard ratio HR 1.74, 95% confidence intervals CI 1.16-2.61) and patients with dementia (HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.06-2.90) had a higher risk of death at one year. The Kaplan-Meier curves showed a higher mortality risk in the group of patients with COPD + HF for all causes (p = 0.010), respiratory causes (p = 0.006), cardiovascular causes (p = 0.046) and respiratory plus cardiovascular causes (p = 0.009). Conclusion: In this real-life cohort of hospitalized elderly patients, the coexistence of COPD and HF significantly worsened prognosis at one year. This finding may help to better define the care needs of this population

Clinical features and outcomes of elderly hospitalised patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure or both

Background and objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) mutually increase the risk of being present in the same patient, especially if older. Whether or not this coexistence may be associated with a worse prognosis is debated. Therefore, employing data derived from the REPOSI register, we evaluated the clinical features and outcomes in a population of elderly patients admitted to internal medicine wards and having COPD, HF or COPD + HF. Methods: We measured socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics, severity and prevalence of comorbidities, clinical and laboratory features during hospitalization, mood disorders, functional independence, drug prescriptions and discharge destination. The primary study outcome was the risk of death. Results: We considered 2,343 elderly hospitalized patients (median age 81 years), of whom 1,154 (49%) had COPD, 813 (35%) HF, and 376 (16%) COPD + HF. Patients with COPD + HF had different characteristics than those with COPD or HF, such as a higher prevalence of previous hospitalizations, comorbidities (especially chronic kidney disease), higher respiratory rate at admission and number of prescribed drugs. Patients with COPD + HF (hazard ratio HR 1.74, 95% confidence intervals CI 1.16-2.61) and patients with dementia (HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.06-2.90) had a higher risk of death at one year. The Kaplan-Meier curves showed a higher mortality risk in the group of patients with COPD + HF for all causes (p = 0.010), respiratory causes (p = 0.006), cardiovascular causes (p = 0.046) and respiratory plus cardiovascular causes (p = 0.009). Conclusion: In this real-life cohort of hospitalized elderly patients, the coexistence of COPD and HF significantly worsened prognosis at one year. This finding may help to better define the care needs of this population

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

Polyphenolic Compound Variation in Globe Artichoke Cultivars as Affected by Fertilization and Biostimulants Application

Globe artichoke is an ancient herbaceous plant native to the Mediterranean Basin. The edible part of the plant is limited to the fleshy leaves (bracts) and receptacle of a large immature inflorescence (head) that has been shown to be a rich source of bioactive compounds. Nutritional and pharmacological properties of artichoke heads and leaves are attributed mainly to polyphenolic compounds and inulin present at high concentration. In this study, polyphenols were investigated in two artichoke cultivars (Opal and Madrigal) in response to four nitrogen rates and foliar applications of biostimulating products under drip irrigation. Field experiments were carried out over two growing seasons (2015–2016, 2016–2017) in Policoro (MT), Southern Italy, on a deep clay soil in sub-humid climate conditions. Phenolic compounds were isolated and characterized by means of high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS/MS) analysis. In both cultivars, caffeoylquinic acids were more abundant when a dose of 100 kg ha−1 of ammonium nitrate was provided, whereas apigenins were not affected by nitrogen fertilization. Luteolins increased in cv Opal and decreased in cv Madrigal following N fertilization. The application of biostimulants (3 L ha−1) favored the accumulation of polyphenols, in particular of caffeoylquinic acids and apigenin, in artichoke heads in both cultivars. The results obtained highlight some positive aspects related to the synergistic effect of nitrogen fertilization and biostimulant foliar application

Adrenal malignancy: still a contraindication for laparoscopy?

Minimally invasive adrenalectomy represents the gold standard for benign adrenal diseases, while its role in the management of malignant primary and secondary adrenal tumors remains controversial because of the risk of tumor spillage at manipulation, incomplete removal and subsequent recurrences. However, advances in imaging have improved early detection of primary and metastatic adrenal tumors, that might be theoretically removed by minimally invasive adrenalectomy without capsular disruption. Minimally invasive surgical approaches seem to be useful in selected patients with isolated, moderately sized adrenal metastases in patients with good performance status and controlled primary tumor with favorable biology. The open laparotomic approach is still considered the preferred surgical strategy for large and invasive adrenocortical cancer albeit emerging data suggest that laparoscopic surgery might be equivalent for moderately sized and localized primary adrenocortical cancers in terms of oncological bene ts. However, the predominant endpoint remains the oncological radicality rather than the surgical approach itself. Multicenter randomized controlled trials with long follow-up time periods evaluating oncological outcomes are required to determine the bene ts of the minimally invasive over the open approach in adrenal malignancies