Effect of Bottle Storage on Colour, Phenolics and Volatile Composition of Malvasia and Moscato White Wines

The effect of bottle storage on the colour, phenolics and volatile composition of Malvasia and Muscat winesobtained from grapes grown in Sardinia was evaluated. Colour was evaluated by UV-VIS spectrophotometryand by tristimulus colorimetry. Polyphenols were analysed by UV-VIS spectrophotometry and HPLCDAD.GC/MS was used to identify and quantify the content of free and bound volatile compounds. Asexpected, the absorbance values at 420 nm increased significantly for both wines during storage, due tooxidative browning, while difference in colour (DE*) from the beginning of storage and after 18 monthswas more intense in the Muscat wine than in the Malvasia wine. A significant decrease was observed indifferent phenolic compounds over time, especially in the Malvasia wine. In-bottle storage for 18 monthsat 20°C in the dark resulted in a significant decrease in all the classes of free and bound volatiles. Thesefinding enhance knowledge regarding the effects of bottle storage on Muscat and Malvasia wines. Thisis of interest because, rather surprisingly, this topic has been poorly investigated in relation to these twovarieties

Free and Enzymatically Hydrolysed Volatile Compounds of Sweet Wines from Malvasia and Muscat Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) Grown in Sardinia

The aroma of Muscat of Sorso-Sennori and Malvasia di Bosa wines obtained from grapes grown in Sardinia wasevaluated by instrumental analysis. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to identify and quantifythe content of free and bound volatile compounds. The odour activity value (OAV) was also calculated. Higheralcohols and esters were quantitatively the largest group of free volatile compounds in both wines, while terpeneswere the main class of bound volatiles. A total of 52 free and 26 bound volatiles were detected. Malvasia di Bosasweet wine had a higher content of alcohols, esters and acids in comparison to Muscat of Sorso-Sennori, whichwas richer in some terpenes, like nerol, geraniol and geranic acid, and also in bound volatile compounds. Atotal of 12 compounds were above the OAV. The main aroma-active compounds of Muscat were 3-methylbutylacetate (banana), ethyl octanoate and hexanoate (fruity), and linalool (flowery), Malvasia wine was characterisedparticularly by ethyl octanoate and by 3-methylbutyl acetate

Lifestyle intervention on body weight and physical activity in patients with breast cancer can reduce the risk of death in obese women: The EMILI study

Background obesity and sedentary lifestyle have been shown to negatively affect survival in breast cancer (BC). The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of a lifestyle intervention on body mass index (BMI) and physical activity (PA) levels among BC survivors in Modena, Italy, in order to show an outcome improvement in obese and overweight patients. Methods: This study is a single-arm experimental design, conducted between November 2009 and May 2016 on 430 women affected by BC. Weight, BMI, and PA were assessed at baseline, at 12 months, and at the end of the study. Survival curves were estimated among normal, overweight, and obese patients. Results: Mean BMI decreased from baseline to the end of the study was equal to 2.9% (p = 0.065) in overweight patients and 3.3% in obese patients (p = 0.048). Mean PA increase from baseline to the end of the study was equal to 125% (p < 0.001) in normal patients, 200% (p < 0.001) in overweight patients and 100% (p < 0.001) in obese patients. After 70 months of follow-up, the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 96%, 96%, and 93%, respectively in normal, obese, and overweight patients. Overweight patients had significantly worse OS than normal ones (HR = 3.69, 95%CI = 1.82–4.53 p = 0.027) whereas no statistically significant differences were seen between obese and normal patients (HR 2.45, 95%CI = 0.68–8.78, p = 0.169). Conclusions: A lifestyle intervention can lead to clinically meaningful weight loss and increase PA in patients with BC. These results could contribute to improving the OS in obese patients compared to overweight ones

Personalized Systemic Therapies in Hereditary Cancer Syndromes

Hereditary cancer syndromes are inherited disorders caused by germline pathogenic variants (PVs) that lead to an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer, frequently at an earlier age than in the rest of the population. The germline PVs promote cancer development, growth and survival, and may represent an ideal target for the personalized treatment of hereditary tumors. PARP inhibitors for the treatment of BRCA and PALB2-associated tumors, immune checkpoint inhibitors for tumors associated with the Lynch Syndrome, HIF-2α inhibitor in the VHL-related cancers and, finally, selective RET inhibitors for the treatment of MEN2-associated medullary thyroid cancer are the most successful examples of how a germline PVs can be exploited to develop effective personalized therapies and improve the outcome of these patients. The present review aims to describe and discuss the personalized systemic therapies for inherited cancer syndromes that have been developed and investigated in clinical trials in recent decades

Do olfactory and gustatory psychophysical scores have prognostic value in COVID-19 patients? A prospective study of 106 patients

Background: The lack of objective data makes it difficult to establish the prognostic value of chemosensitive disorders in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. We aimed to prospectively monitor patients diagnosed with COVID-19 to see if the severity of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction associates with subsequent disease severity. Methods: Multicentre prospective study that recruited 106 COVID-19 subjects at diagnosis. Chemosensitive functions were assessed with psychophysical tests within 4 days of clinical onset, at 10 and 20 days. Daily body temperature and oxygen saturation were recorded as markers of disease severity alongside need for hospitalisation. The correlation between olfactory and gustatory scores and disease severity was assessed with linear regression analysis. Results: At T0, 71 patients (67%) presented with olfactory dysfunction while gustatory impairment was detected in 76 cases (65.6%). Chemosensitive disorders gradually improved over the observation period. No significant correlations were found between T0 chemosensitive scores and final disease severity. The correlation between olfactory scores and fever proved significant at T2 (p = 0.05), while the relationship with gustatory scores was significant at T1 (p = 0.01) and T2 (p < 0.001), however neither was clinically relevant. The correlation between chemosensitive scores and oxygen saturation was significant only for taste at T2 (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis found significant correlations between olfactory impairment severity and need for hospitalization at T2 (OR 3.750, p = 0.005). Conclusions: Initial objective olfactory and gustatory scores do not seem to have a significant prognostic value in predicting the severity of the COVID-19 course; however, persistence of olfactory dysfunction at 20 days, associated with a more severe course. Unfortunately, olfactory and gustatory dysfunction do not seem to hold prognostic value at the time of initial diagnosis

Brca detection rate in an italian cohort of luminal early-onset and triple-negative breast cancer patients without family history: When biology overcomes genealogy

NCCN Guidelines recommend BRCA genetic testing in individuals with a probability &gt;5% of being a carrier. Nonetheless, the cost-effectiveness of testing individuals with no tumor family history is still debated, especially when BRCA testing is offered by the national health service. Our analysis evaluated the rate of BRCA pathogenic or likely-pathogenic variants in 159 triplenegative breast cancer (TNBC) patients diagnosed ≤60 years, and 109 luminal-like breast cancer (BC) patients diagnosed ≤35 without breast and/or ovarian family histories. In TNBC patients, BRCA mutation prevalence was 22.6% (21.4% BRCA1). Mutation prevalence was 64.2% ≤30 years, 31.8% in patients aged 31–40, 16.1% for those aged 41–50 and 7.9% in 51–60s. A total of 40% of patients with estrogen receptors (ER) 1–9% were BRCA1 carriers. BRCA detection rate in early-onset BCs was 6.4% (4.6% BRCA2). Mutation prevalence was 0% between 0–25 years, 9% between 26–30 years and 6% between 31–35 years. In conclusion, BRCA testing is recommended in TNBC patients diagnosed ≤60 years, regardless of family cancer history or histotype, and by using immunohistochemical staining &lt;10% for both ER and/PR. In luminal-like early-onset BC, a lower BRCA detection rate was observed, suggesting a role for other predisposing genes along with BRCA genetic testing

Predictive factors for relapse in triple-negative breast cancer patients without pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

IntroductionTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients who do not obtain pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) present higher rate of relapse and worse overall survival. Risk factors for relapse in this subset of patients are poorly characterized. This study aimed to identify the predictive factors for relapse in TNBC patients without pCR after NACT. MethodsWomen with TNBC treated with NACT from January 2008 to May 2020 at the Modena Cancer Center were included in the analysis. In patients without pCR, univariate and multivariable Cox analyses were used to determine factors predictive of relapse. ResultsWe identified 142 patients with a median follow-up of 55 months. After NACT, 62 patients obtained pCR (43.9%). Young age at diagnosis (&lt;50 years) and high Ki-67 (20%) were signi!cantly associated with pCR. Lack of pCR after NACT resulted in worse 5-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS). Factors independently predicting EFS in patients without pCR were the presence of multifocal disease [hazard ratio (HR), 3.77; 95% CI, 1.45-9.61; p=0.005] and residual cancer burden (RCB) III (HR, 3.04; 95% CI, 1.09-9.9; p=0.04). Neither germline BRCA status nor HER2-low expression were associated with relapse. DiscussionThese data can be used to stratify patients and potentially guide treatment decision-making, identifying appropriate candidates for treatment intensi!cation especially in neo-/adjuvant setting

Herniation Pits in Human Mummies: A CT Investigation in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Sicily

Herniation pits (HPs) of the femoral neck were first described in a radiological publication in 1982 as round to oval radiolucencies in the proximal superior quadrant of the femoral neck on anteroposterior radiographs of adults. In following early clinical publications, HPs were generally recognized as an incidental finding. In contrast, in current clinical literature they are mentioned in the context of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) of the hip joint, which is known to cause osteoarthritis (OA). The significance of HPs in chronic skeletal disorders such as OA is still unclear, but they are discussed as a possible radiological indicator for FAI in a large part of clinical studies