Production of Phenylacetylcarbinol in a Stand Still Condition Using Two Phase System by Applying Yeast Cells Capable of Fermenting Dried Ephedra Extract and Molass as Biocatalysts

Microbial Biotransformation of benzaldehyde to L Phenylacetylcarbinol (L-PAC) as a key intermediate for L-ephedrine synthesis has been evaluated using immobilized Hansenula polymorpha. The cultivation of 10 ml Hansenula anomala inoculum for 48 h in the cultivation medium with glucose as a sole carbon source resulted in the highest ethanol concentration of 10.6 ± 0.53 g/l. This was followed by Hansenula polymorpha (4.06 ± 0.20 g/l) and Brettanomyces lambicus (2.94 ± 0.15 g/l), respectively. The cultivation using 100 ml dried Ephedra  extract and molass in 1:1 ratio as a sole carbon source showed that microbes with ability to consume glucose, fructose and sucrose released high level of ethanol (g/l) included Hansenula polymorpha (43.4 ± 4.0), (41.8 ± 1.2) and Hansenula anomala (38.1 ± 2.5). A biotransformation experiment was conducted using wet biomass of 3.06 g/l dry biomass equivalent from the medium with dried Ephedra extract and molass in 1:1 ratio as carbon source. After the two phase system was stood aside for 24 h, Hansenula polymorpha generated an overall R-phenylacetylcarbinol (PAC) concentration of 3.97 and 3.72 mM at 4 OC and 35OC which was followed by Hansenula polymorpha (3.04 and 3.73 mM), Brettanomyces lambicus (1.24 and 2.98 mM) as well as Hansenula anomala (0.86 and 0.07 mM)

Phytochemical based strategies for pathogen control and Antioxidant Capacities of Rauwolfia serpentina Extracts

Rauwolfia serpentina (Apocynaceae) is used among rural Indian communities to treat arthritis, skin cancer, burns, eczema, psoriasis, digestive problems, high blood pressure, sedative and diabetes, despite very little supporting scientific evidence. Due to increased interest by both the scientific community and industry regarding the medicinal uses of this plant species, we identified, quantified and compared the phytochemical contents and antioxidant capacities of extracts of Rauwolfia serpentina. Apart from extensively characterizing this medicinal plant with regards to its organic acid, polyphenols/phenolic acid, alcohol, aldehyde, ketone, alkane, pyrimidine, indole, alkaloid, phytosterol, fatty acid and dicarboxylic acid contents and antioxidant capacities, we describe a modified extraction procedure for the purpose of general phytochemical characterization, and compare this to a aqueous ethanol extraction technique. From the results it is clear that Rauwolfia serpentina contains a variety of compounds with confirmed antioxidant capacity and other putative health benefits relating to the prevention or treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and hypertension. The results also indicate that separate extractions of the Leaf extracts, better serve for general phytochemical characterization purposes, hence justifying its use for biological in vivo efficacy studies

Feast of sacrifice and orf, Milan, Italy, 2015–2018

Orf (ecthyma contagiosum) is an infection of the skin caused by a DNA virus belonging to the genus Parapoxvirus. We recently observed 7 cases of orf in Muslim men living in the metropolitan area of Milan, Italy, who acquired the infection after the Feast of Sacrific

Identifying the use of a park based on clusters of visitors' movements from mobile phone data

none6noPlanning urban parks is a burdensome task, requiring knowledge of countless variables that are impossible to consider all at the same time. One of these variables is the set of people who use the parks. Despite information and communication technologies being a valuable source of data, a standardized method which enables landscape planners to use such information to design urban parks is still broadly missing. The objective of this study is to design an approach that can identify how an urban green park is used by its visitors in order to provide planners and the managing authorities with a standardized method. The investigation was conducted by exploiting tracking data from an existing mobile application developed for Cardeto Park, an urban green area in the heart of the old town of Ancona, Italy. A trajectory clustering algorithm is used to infer the most common trajectories of visitors, exploiting global positioning system and sensor-based tracks. The data used are made publicly available in an open dataset, which is the first one based on real data in this field. On the basis of these user-generated data, the proposed datadriven approach can determine the mission of the park by processing visitors' trajectories whilst using a mobile application specifically designed for this purpose. The reliability of the clustering method has also been confirmed by an additional statistical analysis. This investigation reveals other important user behavioral patterns or trends.openPierdicca R.; Paolanti M.; Vaira R.; Marcheggiani E.; Malinverni E.S.; Frontoni E.Pierdicca, R.; Paolanti, M.; Vaira, R.; Marcheggiani, E.; Malinverni, E. S.; Frontoni, E

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info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Exploring the use of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Caelyx®) as pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy

Background: Peritoneal carcinomatosis is a common metastatic pattern in ovarian, gastric, colorectal, and appendiceal cancer; systemic chemotherapy is the current standard of care for peritoneal metastatic disease; however, in a subset of patients its beneficial effect remains questionable. More effective perioperative chemotherapy is needed. Materials and methods: Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) is a new treatment that applies chemotherapeutic drugs into the peritoneal cavity as an aerosol under pressure. It's a safe and feasible approach that improves local bioavailability of chemotherapeutic drugs as compared with conventional intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Till now the drugs used in PIPAC for the treatment of the peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) are cisplatin, doxorubicin, and oxaliplatin; as of yet, there are no in vivo data comparing different drug formulations and dosage schedules of PIPAC. Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin 1.5 mg/sm was aerosolized in PIPAC procedures. Results: Pharmacokinetics analysis of 10 procedures performed with conventional doxorubicin solution at the dose of 1.5 mg/m2 were compared to 15 procedures with the same dose of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD). Significant differences between experimental groups were detected by one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni correction; a p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. A statistically different doxorubicin tissue concentration was observed for the doxorubicin solution compared to pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in the right parietal peritoneum and right diaphragm. In the Caelyx\uae series a mean tissue concentration of 1.27 \ub1 1.33 mg/g was reported, while in the second one we registered a mean concentration of 3.1 \ub1 3.7 mg/g. Conclusions: The delivery of nano-particles in PIPAC was feasible, but pegylated liposomal concentrations are lower than standard doxorubicin formulation. Probably mechanical and physical properties of pressurized aerosol chemotherapy might alter their stability and cause structural disintegration

Tongue Reconstruction with Buccinator Myomucosal Island Flaps: Technical Considerations, Oncologic Safety, Functional Outcomes and QoL Assessment—A Retrospective Observational Study

The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of buccinator myomucosal island flaps for tongue reconstruction following malignant tumor resections. A retrospective study was performed on 52 patients who underwent tongue reconstructions with buccinator myomucosal island flaps between 2012 and 2020. We reviewed the flap type and size, harvesting time, recipient- and donor-site complications, postoperative oncologic outcomes, functional recovery and QoL assessment. All of the flaps were transposed successfully without any total flap loss. Neither in the primary site nor in the neck were cancer relapses observed. An evaluation of the sensitivity revealed that 96.1% of patients experienced a recovery of touch, two-point and pain sensations. There were significant differences between the flap and the native mucosa in terms of the tactile (p &lt; 0.001), pain (p &lt; 0.001) and two-point (p &lt; 0.001) thresholds. The average swallowing score recorded was 6.1 out of 7, with only minor complaints. The quality of life assessments demonstrated high scores across physical (24.5 out of 28), social (25.8 out of 28), emotional (20.3 out of 24) and functional (25 out of 28) aspects. The present study showed how buccinator myomucosal island flaps represent an effective and functional tongue reconstructive option, requiring a short operative time with a low rate of donor site morbidity, and with evidence of long-term oncologic safety and high quality of life