Encapsulated proanthocyanidins as novel ingredients

Proanthocyanidins (OPC) are polyphenolic compounds, derivatives of flavan-3-ol flavonoids. They are abundant in grape seeds and skins, and contribute to most of the polyphenols in red wine. Proanthocyanidins from grape seed have been reported to show various health as well as technological properties. Aim of the study was to investigate the coating efficiency of maltodextrin (MD) in different molecular ratios with arabic gum (AG) on encapsulation of phenolic compounds extracted from grape pomace. The present study was planned to examine the contributions of MD, AG and OPC to the structural architecture of encapsulated OPC by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), their encapsulation efficiency and their functionality (antioxidant activity and bioavailability) by spectrophotometric assays and mass spectrometry analysis (MALDI-TOF-MS). The effect of encapsulated OPC on in vitro polyphenol digestibility was also evaluated according to the Infogest protocol. Encapsulated products were obtained by a mild ultrasonication method in controlled conditions based on the phenomenon of acoustic cavitation, and then freeze-dried. The content of coating material had significant (p>0.05) impact on particle morphology of spray-dried suspensions. SEM analysis of samples of AG/MD and AG/MD/OPC were similar and exhibited cracks and sharp edges, but samples with OPC showed a more enclosed structure. Total and Surface phenolic content of microcapsules showed the best encapsulation efficiency for samples with 4% of AG and 12% of MD. MALDI-TOF-MS characterization of encapsulated samples showed integrity of OPC components in the microcapsules with no changes with respect to original OPC. The in vitro digestion experiments showed also that composition and functionality of encapsulated OPC were better preserved along gastrointestinal digestion process. In conclusion, OPC microcapsules could be utilized both as nutraceuticals and additives in various food application

Spacecraft Proximity Navigation and Autonomous Assembly based on Augmented State Estimation: Analysis and Experiments

AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference 2 - 5 August 2010, Toronto, Ontario CanadaThis paper presents a spacecraft relative navigation scheme based on a tracking technique. The augmented state estimation technique is a variable-dimension filtering approach, originally introduced by Bar-Shalom and Birmiwal [1]. In this technique, the state model for a target spacecraft is augmented by introducing, as extra state components, the target's control inputs. The maneuver, modeled as accelerations, is estimated recursively along with the other states associated with position and velocity, while a target maneuvers. By using the proposed navigation method, a chaser spacecraft can estimate the relative position, the attitude and the control inputs of a target spacecraft, flying in its proximity. It is assumed that the chaser spacecraft is equipped with on-board sensors able to measure the relative position and relative attitude of the target spacecraft. The available sensors would provide a measurement update sample time of the order of one second and be subject to random measurement interruption longer than one second. As preliminary analysis, this work introduces the technique applied to the planar, three-degree-of-freedom, spacecraft relative motion. The proposed approach is validated via hardware-in-the-loop experimentation, using four autonomous three-degree-of-freedom robotic spacecraft simulators, floating on a flat floor. The proposed navigation method is proved to be more robust than a standard Kalman Filter estimating relative position and attitude only

An alarming deterioration of neurological status

This clinical case should make us reflect on the potential dangers of lithium, often too readily prescribed by non expert physicians to elderly, and often poorly compliant, patients. There also needs to be very close monitoring of plasma lithium levels, in addition to paying attention to clinical signs, such as a persistent polyuria or hyperosmolarity, because these could be important early warning signs. It is therefore useful to reiterate that, in case of lithium intoxication with altered neurological status despite improvement blood tests, it is necessary to consider pontine or extra-pontine myelinolysis as a rare but possible complicatio

Metabolic Reprogramming of Cancer Associated Fibroblasts: The Slavery of Stromal Fibroblasts

Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the main stromal cell type of solid tumour microenvironment and undergo an activation process associated with secretion of growth factors, cytokines, and paracrine interactions. One of the important features of solid tumours is the metabolic reprogramming that leads to changes of bioenergetics and biosynthesis in both tumour cells and CAFs. In particular, CAFs follow the evolution of tumour disease and acquire a catabolic phenotype: in tumour tissues, cancer cells and tumour microenvironment form a network where the crosstalk between cancer cells and CAFs is associated with cell metabolic reprogramming that contributes to CAFs activation, cancer growth, and progression and evasion from cancer therapies. In this regard, the study of CAFs metabolic reprogramming could contribute to better understand their activation process, the interaction between stroma, and cancer cells and could offer innovative tools for the development of new therapeutic strategies able to eradicate the protumorigenic activity of CAFs. Therefore, this review focuses on CAFs metabolic reprogramming associated with both differentiation process and cancer and stromal cells crosstalk. Finally, therapeutic responses and potential anticancer strategies targeting CAFs metabolic reprogramming are reviewed

A Case of Lymphocytic Leukemia in a Bearded Dragon (Pogona Vitticeps) and a Review of Literature

The present paper reports the case of a 3 years old, female Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) presenting lethargy, anorexia,weight loss, and anemia and marked leukocytosis at CBC. The majority of leukocytes were lymphocytic/lymphoblastic cells (97%). Immunocytochemical staining of blood smears marked for CD3 (neg) and CD79a (pos) suggested immunophenotype B. The patient died after one month from diagnosis. Histology evidenced lymphoid infi ltration in the heart, spleen, liver, kidneys and gut. In addition, in the bone marrow a massive infi ltration of lymphoid cells confi rmed the diagnosis of leukemia. Immunohistochemistry confi rmed the CD79a positivity of a large part of infi ltrating lymphoid cells indicating a B cells immunophenotype of the neoplastic population. The presence of lymphocytosis and multiorgan infi ltration supported the diagnosis of lymphocytic leukemia. Finally, a revision of the literature has also been mad

Flatfoot in children: anatomy of decision making

Concern about a child’s foot posture is a common reason for frequent consultations for an array of health care professionals; sports medicine specialists are often the first to recognize and advise on foot pathology. In the decision making process, it is essential to distinguish between the different types of flatfoot deformity: paediatric or adult, congenital or acquired, flexible or rigid. Although flatfoot in children is a common finding, evidence for the techniques of the reliable and reproducible assessment of the foot posture is scant. This general review presents the factors involved in the forming and supporting of the foot arches, discusses the protocols useful in the evaluation of the foot posture, and indicates how to differentiate between flatfoot cases needing treatment and cases that need only reassurance

Mechanisms of endothelial cell dysfunction in cystic fibrosis

Although cystic fibrosis (CF) patients exhibit signs of endothelial perturbation, the functions of the cystic fibrosis conductance regulator (CFTR) in vascular endothelial cells (EC) are poorly defined. We sought to uncover biological activities of endothelial CFTR, relevant for vascular homeostasis and inflammation. We examined cells from human umbilical cords (HUVEC) and pulmonary artery isolated from non-cystic fibrosis (PAEC) and CF human lungs (CF-PAEC), under static conditions or physiological shear. CFTR activity, clearly detected in HUVEC and PAEC, was markedly reduced in CF-PAEC. CFTR blockade increased endothelial permeability to macromolecules and reduced trans‑endothelial electrical resistance (TEER). Consistent with this, CF-PAEC displayed lower TEER compared to PAEC. Under shear, CFTR blockade reduced VE-cadherin and p120 catenin membrane expression and triggered the formation of paxillin- and vinculin-enriched membrane blebs that evolved in shrinking of the cell body and disruption of cell-cell contacts. These changes were accompanied by enhanced release of microvesicles, which displayed reduced capability to stimulate proliferation in recipient EC. CFTR blockade also suppressed insulin-induced NO generation by EC, likely by inhibiting eNOS and AKT phosphorylation, whereas it enhanced IL-8 release. Remarkably, phosphodiesterase inhibitors in combination with a β2 adrenergic receptor agonist corrected functional and morphological changes triggered by CFTR dysfunction in EC. Our results uncover regulatory functions of CFTR in EC, suggesting a physiological role of CFTR in the maintenance EC homeostasis and its involvement in pathogenetic aspects of CF. Moreover, our findings open avenues for novel pharmacology to control endothelial dysfunction and its consequences in CF

Why Walking the Common is more than a Walk in the Park

For the past few years, as concerned academics and educators in South African higher education, we have come together to meet/think/drink coffee/eat/discuss our research and teaching practices in a coffee shop that overlooks the Rondebosch Common, a public space and national heritage site. The Common invited us to take our thoughts for a walk and we embarked on numerous walking encounters that affected and troubled us in many ways. Our walks became research-creation events that surfaced the implicatedness of our white settler privilege. As we grappled with the complexities and ambivalences grounded in our relationality with this contested site, we were prompted to explore hauntology as a theoretical orientation for our pedagogical practices. Walking with/through the demarcated land that is surrounded by privilege in terms of buildings, services and residences enacted and materialised entanglements of the past/present/future histories. We felt an exchange of affect between those present, the ghosts of colonial and apartheid histories, and the implications for our ongoing teaching. Following Haraway's (2016) ‘staying with the trouble’ and Tsing et al.'s (2017) ‘how to live on a damaged planet’, the relationships between human and non-human continue to haunt us, as we grapple with the im/possibility of finding common ground in a country devastated by colonial and apartheid violences

Sicurezza e populismo. I migranti alla frontiera del diritto penale

Il presente lavoro di ricerca ha ad oggetto la criminalizzazione delle migrazioni nell'èra del cosiddetto populismo, e in particolare del populismo penale. Invero, negli ultimi anni si è assistito ad una espansione incontrollata del potere punitivo che, sotto la pressione di un bisogno collettivo di sicurezza, ha condotto ad una vera e propria disumanizzazione del diritto penale (e punitivo-amministrativo), nel duplice significato che quest’ultima espressione rivestiva secondo la giurispoeta Mireille Delmas-Marty: "quello di un diritto penale che si sta deumanizzando, e quindi deumanizzato, in quanto sempre più distante dai principi dell'umanesimo giuridico; e quello di un diritto penale deumanizzante, in quanto riduce alcuni esseri umani [...] al rango di strumenti o mezzi al servizio di un fine". I migranti sono infatti il bersaglio principale di una crescente cultura della paura e di un ritornello politico e mediatico volto a stigmatizzarli come potenziali criminali. Come uno specchio, la politica migratoria e la politica criminale ci restituiscono l'immagine di una società dominata dalla paura: la prima perché - come ha scritto Abdelmalek Sayad - è «lo Stato che pensa se stesso pensando l'immigrazione»; la seconda «perché ogni incriminazione [...] si basa su una scelta di valori o di interessi, il cui rispetto è ritenuto essenziale per il mantenimento dell'ordine sociale» (Xavier Pin). La tesi è suddivisa in tre capitoli. Il capitolo I descrive il contesto emotivo, politico e socio-economico in cui si è sviluppato il populismo penale e mira a decostruire la retorica securitaria volta ad assimilare il migrante al criminale tout court. L'analisi del capitolo II si concentra sulla critica di questo "diritto penale della paura-esclusione" che ha tratto forza e legittimazione dalla narrazione deumanizzante e criminalizzante attorno alle migrazioni. Si dimostrerà, in particolare, che il diritto penale funge da frontiera, incarnando la sovranità e il relativismo dei valori nazionali e agendo come arma di esclusione e deumanizzazione delle persone migranti. La parola frontiera evocherà altresì la zona di confine in cui opera la criminalizzazione degli stranieri indesiderabili (così come degli attori umanitari che soccorrono i migranti in pericolo): si tratta, in effetti, di una zona grigia, in cui al diritto penale si sovrappone, in modo sempre più crescente, un uso punitivo del diritto amministrativo, senza che, tuttavia, il legislatore rinunci alla forza stigmatizzante e deumanizzante del primo: lo dimostra, ad esempio, il délit (in Francia) o la contravvenzione (in Italia) dell’ingresso illegale, che costituisce la bandiera del populismo penale escludente. Si vedrà anche in che misura il processo di ampliamento della nozione di nemico abbia finito per inglobare gli attori umanitari, sulla base di una “narrazione disumanizzante dell'umano” ispirata allo stereotipo delle ONG come fattori di attrazione. Lungo i sentieri della repressione della solidarietà, ci si imbatterà in forme penali di criminalizzazione (mediante, ad esempio, l'abuso del reato di favoreggiamento dell'immigrazione c.d. clandestina), forme para-penali (quali, i fermi amministrativi delle navi umanitarie) e forme inedite (mediante, ad esempio, la contestazione dei reati di inosservanza dei provvedimenti dell’Autorità e di invasione arbitraria di terreni o edifici). Il vero è che dietro questo incessante ricorso al diritto punitivo si nasconde l’incapacità di governare razionalmente i fenomeni migratori. Come verrà spiegato nel capitolo III e come ha insegnato la giurista Mireille Delmas-Marty, lo Stato securitario è una pura illusione. La transizione verso uno Stato solidale è l'unica "bussola dei possibili", l'unica rotta da seguire se vogliamo "salvarci insieme". Ci si chiederà se e in che misura i giudici abbiano contribuito (e possano contribuire in futuro) a una rifondazione dei poteri e del diritto penale su una rinnovata etica della solidarietà.This thesis deals with the criminalisation of migration in the Age of the so-called populism, in particular "penal populism". Indeed, recent years have seen an uncontrolled expansion of punitive power which, under the pressure of a collective need for security, has led to a proper dehumanisation of criminal law (as well as administrative-punitive law), in the dual meaning that the jurispoet Mireille Delmas-Marty ascribed to this expression: "that of a criminal law that is dehumanising, and thus dehumanised, insofar as it is increasingly distant from the principles of legal humanism; and that of a dehumanising criminal law, insofar as it reduces certain human beings [...] to the rank of instruments or means at the service of an end". Indeed, migrants are the main target of a growing culture of fear and a political and media refrain aimed at stigmatising them as potential criminals. Like a mirror, migration policy and criminal policy disclose the image of a society dominated by fear: the former because - as argued by Abdelmalek Sayad - "the State [...] thinks of itself by thinking of immigration"; the latter "because every incrimination [...] is based on a choice of values or interests, respect for which is considered essential for maintaining social order" (Xavier Pin). The thesis is divided into three parts. Chapter I describes the emotional, political and socio-economic context in which penal populism has developed, and tries to deconstruct the securitarian rhetoric aimed at representing migrant as a criminal. Chapter II critically analyses this 'criminal law of fear-exclusion' that has drawn strength and legitimacy from the dehumanising and criminalising narrative on migration. In particular, it will be shown that criminal law acts as a border, embodying the sovereignty and relativism of national values and acting as a weapon of exclusion and dehumanisation of migrants. The word border will also evoke the border zone in which the criminalisation of undesirable migrants (as well as humanitarian actors who rescue them) works: a grey zone, in which a punitive use of administrative law overlaps with criminal law, albeit the legislator does not renounce the stigmatising and dehumanising force of the latter: this is shown, for example, by the délit (in France) or the contravvenzione (in Italy) of illegal entry, which constitutes the flag of exclusionary criminal populism. It will be shown to what extent the process of broadening the notion of enemy has ended up encompassing humanitarian actors, on the basis of a "dehumanising narrative of the human" inspired by the stereotype of NGOs as pull factors. Along the paths of the repression of solidarity, we will come across criminal forms of punishment (through, for example, the abuse of the crime of aiding and abetting illegal entry), para-criminal forms (such as the administrative detention of humanitarian ships) and unprecedented forms (through, for example, the charge of the crimes of non-compliance with the measures of the Authority and the arbitrary invasion of land or buildings). As a matter of fact, behind this abuse of punitive law lies the inability to rationally govern migratory phenomena. As it will be explained in Chapter III and as argued by the jurist Mireille Delmas-Marty, the Securitarian State is a mere illusion. The transition towards a Solidary State is the only 'compass of the possible', the only path to be followed in order to 'save ourselves together'. The question arises as to whether and to what extent judges have contributed (and may contribute in the future) to a refounding of powers and criminal law on a renewed ethic of solidarity

Il Badalone di Filippo Brunelleschi e l’iconografia del «navigium» tra Guido da Vigevano e Leonardo da Vinci. In appendice: Il privilegio del Badalone (trascrizione e note storico-archivistiche)

Nel giugno 1421 le autorità di Firenze concessero a Filippo Brunelleschi un privilegium per sfruttare i diritti di uso di un nuovo tipo di imbarcazione che il grande architetto aveva inventato, il badalone. Varie ipotesi sono state fatte riguardo le caratteristiche di questo naviglio, ma determinare con esattezza cosa sia stato il badalone non è facile, a causa della mancanza di documentazione eloquentemente descrittiva. Qui si avanzano alcune congetture intorno al suo uso e caratteristiche. Da una parte una rilettura degli archivi dell’Opera del Duomo di Firenze, particolarmente dei documenti relazionabili all’impresa del Brunelleschi e alla navigazione dell’Arno nelle diverse stagioni dell’anno; e, dall’altra parte, un’indagine sulla tradizione iconografica della navigazione dal Medio Evo al primo Rinascimento, ci consentono di identificare meglio i problemi a cui l’invenzione brunelleschiana intendeva rispondere, suggerendo altre ipotesi sull’identità del badalone