Salvaguardia della biodiversità e sostenibilità della filiera caprina in Sardegna attraverso la valorizzazione di prodotti a base di carne: tecnologia e caratteristiche microbiologiche, reologiche e nutrizionali di prosciutti stagionati

Goats in Sardinia are reared mainly for milk production and for suckling kids meat. On the contrary, meat from adult goats is unprofitable. The use of Sarda and Maltese goat meat to obtain ripened products (ham) will contribute to safeguard the Sardinian goat supply chain. The aim of this study was to characterize Sarda and Maltese goat dry ham. N. 4 Sarda and 5 Maltese batches were analyzed. At farm level feeding and management were evaluated. Moreover, the following analysis were carried out: 1) abattoir: live and carcass weight, pH decrease, conformation ranking and degree of fat cover; 2) chemical-physical characteristics and colour during the following stages: fresh ham (MP), after salting (S), after drying (E) and at the end of ripening (P); 3) microbiological parameters, rheological properties and composition were determined for MP and P samples. Sarda and Maltese live weight was 44±4.9 and 53±5.4 kg respectively. The slaughter yield was 43% and 34% 1h after slaughtering, while 42% and 33% 24h after slaughtering in Sarda and Maltese respectively. The dynamics of pH during processing were similar to other cured meat products. The aw value decreased during processing. Referring to P samples, Staphylococci coagulase negative were the prevalent flora in both races. Lactic acid bacteria, moulds and yeasts were not constantly detected and pathogen bacteria were not isolated. Among the ham rheological properties, hardness showed higher levels in comparison to similar products

Variation in Artemisinin and Flavonoid Content in Different Extracts of Artemisia annua L

Artemisia annua L. is a promising and potent antimalarial drug. This activity has been ascribed to its content of artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone that is stage specific and very effective against drug-resistant Plasmodium species and which has low toxicity. The in vitro antiplasmodial activity of artemisinin is enhanced by the flavonoids of the extract, as recently proposed by the authors. Different extracts (tinctures, infusions and decoctions), obtained from a cultivar selected by the University of Campinas (0.52% artemisinin), were analyzed in order to prove the selectivity of the solvents to obtain high yields of both artemisinin and flavonoids. Tinctures 40 and 60% v/v showed a greater power of extraction in comparison with infusions and decoctions. The best performance was obtained using 60% v/v tincture. The extraction efficiency for artemisinin was 40% and for flavonoids was 29.5%. Among aqueous extracts, the best results were obtained by preparing an infusion with boiling water, left to cool for 15 minutes before filtration. The extraction efficiency for artemisinin was 57.5% and for flavonoids was 8.2%. If leaves are boiled for several minutes the artemisinin concentration is decreased, probably due to the heat instability of this constituent. Also microwave could represent a valid alternative method to extract the phytocomplex, the extraction efficiency for artemisinin was 41.0% and that for flavonoids was 7.7%

Methodological Approaches To Assess Innate Immunity and Innate Memory in Marine Invertebrates and Humans

open8Assessing the impact of drugs and contaminants on immune responses requires methodological approaches able to represent real-life conditions and predict long-term effects. Innate immunity/inflammation is the evolutionarily most widespread and conserved defensive mechanism in living organisms, and therefore we will focus here on immunotoxicological methods that specifically target such processes. By exploiting the conserved mechanisms of innate immunity, we have examined the most representative immunotoxicity methodological approaches across living species, to identify common features and human proxy models/assays. Three marine invertebrate organisms are examined in comparison with humans, i.e., bivalve molluscs, tunicates and sea urchins. In vivo and in vitro approaches are compared, highlighting common mechanisms and species-specific endpoints, to be applied in predictive human and environmental immunotoxicity assessment. Emphasis is given to the 3R principle of Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research and to the application of the ARRIVE guidelines on reporting animal research, in order to strengthen the quality and usability of immunotoxicology research data.openAuguste, Manon; Melillo, Daniela; Corteggio, Annunziata; Marino, Rita; Canesi, Laura; Pinsino, Annalisa; Italiani, Paola; Boraschi, DianaAuguste, Manon; Melillo, Daniela; Corteggio, Annunziata; Marino, Rita; Canesi, Laura; Pinsino, Annalisa; Italiani, Paola; Boraschi, Dian

Production of alpha-cuprenene in Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous:a step closer to a potent terpene biofactory

Background: The red yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous is a natural producer of the carotenoid astaxanthin. Because of its high flux, the native terpene pathway leading to the production of the tetraterpene is of particular interest as it can be redirected toward the production of other terpene compounds. The genetic tools for the transformation of the yeast with the concurrent knock-out of genes involved in the astaxanthin biosynthesis are made available and here we show that the production of the sesquiterpene alpha-cuprenene is possible in mutant strains of X. dendrorhous transformed with the Cop6 gene originating from the fungus Coprinus cinereus. For the evaluation of the production levels, we chose to express the same gene and analyze the accumulation of alpha-cuprenene in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as well. Here we propose that X. dendrorhous is a candidate in the search for the potential platform organism for the production of terpenes. Results: All three X. dendrorhous mutants functionally express the Cop6 gene and accumulate alpha-cuprenene. The production of alpha-cuprenene in the red yeast reached 80 mg/L, which represents a far higher concentration compared to the levels obtained in the E. coli and S. cerevisiae mutants. At this expression levels the pool of terpene precursors has not become a limiting factor in the X. dendrorhous mutants since the expression of the Cop6 gene in the genomic rDNA of the yeast allows production of both alpha-cuprenene and astaxanthin without affecting the growth or the accumulation levels of both compounds. Conclusions: We have shown that X. dendrorhous can produce alpha-cuprenene, and the results here presented, next to the capability of accumulating at least two more non-native sesquiterpenes, demonstrates the high potential of this yeast to become an interesting terpene-based drugs producer

Identification and quantification of potential microplastics in shellfish harvested in Sardinia (Italy) by using transillumination stereomicroscopy

Plastics are non-biodegradable polymers made up of different groups of petrochemical materials. Several biotic and abiotic factors can change the density of plastic fragmenting it and originating microplastics (MPs). MPs have been defined as small pieces of plastic less than 5 mm in size. Due to their small size, they are an emerging concern in the marine environment since they can be ingested by aquatic organisms, especially filter-feeding organisms, such as bivalve mollusks. Impacts of MPs exposure have been shown at various levels of biological organization, from cellular to tissue to individual and population levels. For example, oxidative stress and inflammation have been observed in copepods and mussels, obstruction and physical damage of the digestive tract were found in fish and swimming behavior alterations, disruption of foraging and feeding behavior and overall reduced fitness and survival were observed in fish and oysters. In addition, MPs can act as a vector for the transfer of chemicals to marine biota. The aim of the present study was the identification and quantification of potential MPs in shellfish harvested in Sardinia (Italy) by using transillumination stereomicroscopy. Bivalves were collected from 4 of the main production areas located along the Sardinian coast and selected according to the principles of the risk assessment. The results of the present study demonstrated the presence of potential MPs in 70% of the analyzed samples: the presence of MPs in bivalve mollusks may pose a threat to food safety, and there is an urgent need to evaluate the potential risks of MPs to human health

New evidence of pectenotoxins in farmed bivalve molluscs from Sardinia (Italy)

Several planktonic dinoflagellates can produce lipophilic phycotoxins that represent a significant threat to public health as well as to shellfish and fish farming. Poisoning related to some of these toxins is categorised as diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. We analysed 975 shellfish samples from Tortolì in the central-eastern region of Sardinia (Italy) from January 2016 to March 2020, to investigate the prevalence of different lipophilic marine biotoxins in mollusc bivalves. The results highlighted the predominant presence of toxins belonging to the okadaic acid group in all samples with toxin concentrations exceeding legal limits, and revealed the new occurrence of pectenotoxins in oysters and clams with a winter seasonality in recent years. The origin of shellfish toxicity was associated with the same Dinophysis species, mainly D. acuminata. Based on both these results and other precedents, monitoring and recording systems are strongly recommended

Multicenter Observational Retrospective Study on Febrile Events in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treated with Cpx-351 in "Real-Life": The SEIFEM Experience

: In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the absolute risk of infection in the real-life setting of AML patients treated with CPX-351. The study included all patients with AML from 30 Italian hematology centers of the SEIFEM group who received CPX-351 from July 2018 to June 2021. There were 200 patients included. Overall, 336 CPX-351 courses were counted: all 200 patients received the first induction cycle, 18 patients (5%) received a second CPX-351 induction, while 86 patients (26%) proceeded with the first CPX-351 consolidation cycle, and 32 patients (10%) received a second CPX-351 consolidation. A total of 249 febrile events were recorded: 193 during the first or second induction, and 56 after the first or second consolidation. After the diagnostic work-up, 92 events (37%) were classified as febrile neutropenia of unknown origin (FUO), 118 (47%) were classifiable as microbiologically documented infections, and 39 (17%) were classifiable as clinically documented infections. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 14% (28/200). The attributable mortality-infection rate was 6% (15/249). A lack of response to the CPX-351 treatment was the only factor significantly associated with mortality in the multivariate analysis [p-value: 0.004, OR 0.05, 95% CI 0.01-0.39]. Our study confirms the good safety profile of CPX-351 in a real-life setting, with an incidence of infectious complications comparable to that of the pivotal studies; despite prolonged neutropenia, the incidence of fungal infections was low, as was infection-related mortality

Prevalence of chronic HCV infection in EU/EEA countries in 2019 using multiparameter evidence synthesis

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)Background: Epidemiological data are crucial to monitoring progress towards the 2030 Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) elimination targets. Our aim was to estimate the prevalence of chronic HCV infection (cHCV) in the European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA) countries in 2019. Methods: Multi-parameter evidence synthesis (MPES) was used to produce national estimates of cHCV defined as: π = πrecρrec + πexρex + πnonρnon; πrec, πex, and πnon represent cHCV prevalence among recent people who inject drugs (PWID), ex-PWID, and non-PWID, respectively, while ρrec, ρex, and ρnon represent the proportions of these groups in the population. Information sources included the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) national operational contact points (NCPs) and prevalence database, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction databases, and the published literature. Findings: The cHCV prevalence in 29 of 30 EU/EEA countries in 2019 was 0.50% [95% Credible Interval (CrI): 0.46%, 0.55%]. The highest cHCV prevalence was observed in the eastern EU/EEA (0.88%; 95% CrI: 0.81%, 0.94%). At least 35.76% (95% CrI: 33.07%, 38.60%) of the overall cHCV prevalence in EU/EEA countries was associated with injecting drugs. Interpretation: Using MPES and collaborating with ECDC NCPs, we estimated the prevalence of cHCV in the EU/EEA to be low. Some areas experience higher cHCV prevalence while a third of prevalent cHCV infections was attributed to PWID. Further efforts are needed to scale up prevention measures and the diagnosis and treatment of infected individuals, especially in the east of the EU/EEA and among PWID. Funding: ECDC.Peer reviewe