Exploitation of \u3ba-carrageenan aerogels as template for edible oleogel preparation.

In the current research, oleogels were prepared by using \u3ba-carrageenan aerogels as template. In particular, hydrogels containing increasing concentration (0.4, 1.0, and 2.0% w/w) of \u3ba-carrageenan were firstly converted into alcoholgel and subsequently dried by using supercritical CO2 to obtain aerogels. The latter were porous and structurally stable materials with high mechanical strength. The polymer content affected the aerogel structure: increasing the initial k-carrageenan concentration a coarser structure with larger polymer aggregates was obtained. However, the aerogel obtained at intermediate polymer concentration resulted the firmest one, probably due to the formation of a less aerated and more isotropic structure. Aerogels demonstrated a reduced capacity of water vapor sorption, remaining glassy and porous at room temperature at relative humidity lower than 60%. Aerogels showed a good capacity of oil absorption. The maximum oil loading capacity (about 80%) was obtained for aerogel containing the highest \u3ba-carrageenan content. Thus, it can be concluded that aerogels based on the structuring of water soluble polymers have potential as material for oil absorption and delivery. \ua9 2017 Elsevier Lt

Identification of organic material in Los Buitres 1 rock art shelter, Badajoz, Spain

This research aimed to characterize the chemical and mineralogical nature of prehistoric painted figures from the Los Buitres 1 rock shelter and to identify organic material from the pigment samples. MicroRaman spectroscopy and ATR-FTIR analysis were made. Four pigment samples were selected: three red and one dark-red granules of pigment. Micro-Raman spectroscopy was applied to determine the mineralogical composition of selected samples while ATR-FTIR was applied in order to identify organic material present in each. Samples 1 and 2 are almost identical and registered montmorillonite being present. Analyses by ATRFTIR points to organic components in sample 3 while sample 4 was identified as burnt umber. A comparison with a nearby shelter with the same organic compounds in the same type of figure causes some alarms to sound due to the possibility that a real pigment recipe has been in use in the same region for the same time spectrum.El objetivo de esta investigación ha sido caracterizar la naturaleza química y mineralógica del pigmento empleado en los motivos esquemáticos prehistóricos de la cueva de Los Buitres 1 (Capilla, Badajoz), y tratar de identificar la presencia de materia orgánica en su composición. Para ello se han realizado análisis de espectroscopia Micro-Raman y ATR-FTIR sobre cuatro muestras de pigmento, tres de pigmento rojo y una más también roja, aunque de tonalidad más oscura. Se aplicó la espectroscopia Micro-Raman para determinar la composición mineralógica de las muestras seleccionadas, mientras que el ATR-FTIR se aplicó para determinar la presencia de materia orgánica presente en cada una de ellas. Destacar que las muestras 1 y 2 son casi idénticas y registraron la presencia de montmorillonite. Por su parte, los análisis por ATR-FTIR señalaron la presencia de componentes orgánicos en la muestra 3, mientras que la muestra 4 se caracterizó como ocre oscuro quemado. La comparación con los pigmentos empleados en el arte rupestre esquemático de un abrigo cercano, en donde han sido identificados los mismos componentes orgánicos en similares tipologías figurativas, invita a considerar la posibilidad de que nos encontremos con una suerte de “receta” para preparar el pigmento que debió estar en uso en este territorio durante un periodo cronológico concreto

Transnational Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Sustainable Development

Nel prossimo futuro le città saranno caratterizzate da un alto tasso di popolazione; a questo sono associati una serie di questioni legate all’utilizzo di risorse ed energia e conseguente produzione di rifiuti, inquinamento (le città sono responsabili dell’emissione del 75% di emissioni di CO2) e consumo di suolo. In riferimento a quest’ultima questione, le aree e gli spazi verdi si riducono notevolmente, creandosi, in questo modo, uno squilibrio tra ambiente naturale e ambiente urbano. Oggi è necessario pensare una città in cui le aree verdi siano valorizzate in modo tale che alcuni miglioramenti (quali mitigazione del clima, impatto emissioni climalteranti, mitigazione isole di calore, barriera al rumore, deflusso acque piovane e qualità della vita percepita) possano automaticamente generarsi. Per tale motivo, nell’attuale contesto, è importante mettere in pratica delle politiche volte al miglioramento ambientale confrontando i casi considerati con alcuni valori di benchmark che possano dare un’idea sull’attuale livello di qualità di sviluppo urbano e conseguente benessere percepito dalla popolazione. Lo scopo della ricerca è la definizione di un numero preciso di indicatori transnazionali in grado di descrivere la qualità dello sviluppo sostenibile; successivamente sarà possibile la loro implementazione in un modello di supporto decisionale per favorire lo sviluppo del verde urbano. La valutazione andrà svolta a livello di distretto o di città e sarà interessante confrontare la performance ottenuta da diversi casi (situati in diversi contesti) al fine di promuovere politiche di intervento e migliori pratiche per raggiungere la sostenibilità dell’ambiente urbano. Come accennato, la performance potrà essere calcolata attraverso la definizione e l’associazione di un punteggio di alcuni indicatori riassumibili sotto tre questioni: economiche, ambientali e sociali. Per ciascuna di queste, saranno indagate alcune aspetti; per le questioni economiche, ad esempio, i costi di investimento e i costi di ciclo vita; per le questioni ambientali, ad esempio, la biodiversità, l’energia, gli impatti, l’uso del terreno, di materiali e di acqua; per le questioni sociali, per esempio, l’accessibilità, il comfort acustico, termico e visivo e la qualità dell’aria. Sarà inoltre importante stabilire delle connessioni ed influenze fra le diverse questioni e nello specifico fra i diversi indicatori appartenenti alle diverse categorie. Il presente studio fa parte del progetto Interreg Mediterranean CESBA MED

Plasma and Skin Concentration of 5-Methoxypsoralen in Psoriatic Patients After Oral Administration

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Development of an Oral IgA Response against SARS-CoV-2 Following Immunization with Different COVID-19 Vaccines

The mucosal immune response is recognized to be important in the early control of infection sustained by viruses with mucosal tissues as the primary site of entry and replication, such as SARS-CoV-2. Mucosal IgA has been consistently reported in the mouth and eye of SARS-CoV-2 infected subjects, where it correlated inversely with COVID-19 symptom severity. Yet, there is still scarce information on the comparative ability of the diverse SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to induce local IgA responses at the virus entry site. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA in the saliva of 95 subjects vaccinated with a booster dose and different combinations of vaccines, including mRNA-1273 (Moderna), BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech), and Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca). The results showed the presence of a mucosal response in 93.7% of vaccinated subjects, with a mean IgA titer of 351.5 ± 31.77 U/mL, strongly correlating with the serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titer (p < 0.0001). No statistically significant differences emerged between the vaccine types, although the salivary IgA titer appeared slightly higher after receiving a booster dose of the mRNA-1273 vaccine (Moderna) following two doses of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech), compared to the other vaccine combinations. These data confirm what was previously reported at the eye level and suggest that monitoring salivary IgA may be a useful tool for driving forward vaccine design and surveillance strategies, potentially leading to novel routes of vaccine administration and boosting

The role of prosumers in supporting renewable energies sources

The present study is a part of an on-going Horizon 2020 project, named "SCORE" (Supporting Consumer Co-Ownership in Renewable Energies), which focuses on sustainable cities and communities developments goal. Particularly, this project aims at (1) overcoming usage of energy from fossil sources in favour of renewable sources, (2) increasing the energy efficiency and (3) reducing the energy consumption. Since the first project's task was completed, i.e. identification and description of different case studies, the next one is to propose for each of them several retrofit alternatives, in order to address the above mentioned "SCORE" purposes. In this framework, the main goal of the present study is to select and rank the relevant evaluation criteria, with the aim at building an evaluative matrix, which later makes possible to analyse the feasibility of the different case studies and choice the best retrofit alternative through a Multi-Criteria analysis (MCA). The criteria were pre-selected through a literature reviews, while the final selection took place by organizing a specific working group composed by real stakeholders. The results show how the role of the working groups (one composed by energy experts and the other by evaluation experts) were fundamental since the application of the playing card method allowed to (i) select and rank the set of relevant evaluation criteria and (ii) associate a weight for each evaluation criteria. Finally, it was decided not to aggregate the results of the two expert groups in order to show and consider the difference in stakeholders' point of view

Surgical findings and outcomes after unilateral adrenalectomy for primary hyperaldosteronism in cats: a multi-institutional retrospective study

Case series summary: Twenty-nine cats from different institutions with confirmed or highly suspected primary hyperaldosteronism treated by unilateral adrenalectomy were retrospectively included in this study. The most frequent clinical signs were lethargy (n = 20; 69%) and neck ventroflexion (n = 17; 59%). Hypokalaemia was present in all cats, creatinine kinase was elevated in 15 and hyperaldosteronism was documented in 24. Hypertension was frequently encountered (n = 24; 89%). Preoperative treatment included potassium supplementation (n = 19; 66%), spironolactone (n = 16; 55%) and amlodipine (n = 11; 38%). There were 13 adrenal masses on the right side, 15 on the left and, in one cat, no side was reported. The median adrenal mass size was 2 × 1.5 cm (range 1-4.6 × 0.4-3.8); vascular invasion was present in five cats, involving the caudal vena cava in four cats and the renal vein in one. Median duration of surgery was 57 mins. One major intraoperative complication (3%) was reported and consisted of haemorrhage during the removal of a neoplastic thrombus from the caudal vena cava. In 4/29 cats (14%), minor postoperative complications occurred and were treated medically. One fatal complication (3%) was observed, likely due to disseminated intravascular coagulation. The median duration of hospitalisation was 4 days; 97% of cats survived to discharge. The potassium level normalised in 24 cats within 3 months of surgery; hypertension resolved in 21/23 cats. Follow-up was available for 25 cats with a median survival of 1082 days. Death in the long-term follow-up was mainly related to worsening of comorbidities. Relevance and novel information: Adrenalectomy appears to be a safe and effective treatment with a high rate of survival and a low rate of major complications. Long-term medical treatment was not required

Whole transcriptome analysis of canine pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma

Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are neuroendocrine tumors arising from the chromaffin cells in the adrenal medulla and extra-adrenal paraganglia, respectively. Local invasion, concurrent disorders, and metastases prevent surgical removal, which is the most effective treatment to date. Given the current lack of effective medical treatment, there is a need for novel therapeutic strategies. To identify druggable pathways driving PPGL development, we performed RNA sequencing on PPGLs (n = 19) and normal adrenal medullas (NAMs; n = 10) of dogs. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that PPGLs clearly clustered apart from NAMs. In total, 4,218 genes were differentially expressed between PPGLs and NAMs. Of these, 232 had a log2 fold change of >3 or < −3, of which 149 were upregulated in PPGLs, and 83 were downregulated. Compared with NAMs, PPGLs had increased expression of genes related to the cell cycle, tumor development, progression and metastasis, hypoxia and angiogenesis, and the Wnt signaling pathway, and decreased expression of genes related to adrenal steroidogenesis. Our data revealed several overexpressed genes that could provide targets for novel therapeutics, such as Ret Proto-Oncogene (RET), Dopamine Receptor D2 (DRD2), and Secreted Frizzled Related Protein 2 (SFRP2). Based on the PCA, PPGLs were classified into 2 groups, of which group 1 had significantly higher Ki67 scores (p = 0.035) and shorter survival times (p = 0.04) than group 2. Increased expression of 1 of the differentially expressed genes between group 1 and 2, pleiotrophin (PTN), appeared to correlate with a more aggressive tumor phenotype. This study has shed light on the transcriptomic profile of canine PPGL, yielding new insights into the pathogenesis of these tumors in dogs, and revealed potential novel targets for therapy. In addition, we identified 2 transcriptionally distinct groups of PPGLs that had significantly different survival times

Whole transcriptome analysis of canine pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma

Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are neuroendocrine tumors arising from the chromaffin cells in the adrenal medulla and extra-adrenal paraganglia, respectively. Local invasion, concurrent disorders, and metastases prevent surgical removal, which is the most effective treatment to date. Given the current lack of effective medical treatment, there is a need for novel therapeutic strategies. To identify druggable pathways driving PPGL development, we performed RNA sequencing on PPGLs (n = 19) and normal adrenal medullas (NAMs; n = 10) of dogs. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that PPGLs clearly clustered apart from NAMs. In total, 4,218 genes were differentially expressed between PPGLs and NAMs. Of these, 232 had a log2 fold change of &gt;3 or &lt; −3, of which 149 were upregulated in PPGLs, and 83 were downregulated. Compared with NAMs, PPGLs had increased expression of genes related to the cell cycle, tumor development, progression and metastasis, hypoxia and angiogenesis, and the Wnt signaling pathway, and decreased expression of genes related to adrenal steroidogenesis. Our data revealed several overexpressed genes that could provide targets for novel therapeutics, such as Ret Proto-Oncogene (RET), Dopamine Receptor D2 (DRD2), and Secreted Frizzled Related Protein 2 (SFRP2). Based on the PCA, PPGLs were classified into 2 groups, of which group 1 had significantly higher Ki67 scores (p = 0.035) and shorter survival times (p = 0.04) than group 2. Increased expression of 1 of the differentially expressed genes between group 1 and 2, pleiotrophin (PTN), appeared to correlate with a more aggressive tumor phenotype. This study has shed light on the transcriptomic profile of canine PPGL, yielding new insights into the pathogenesis of these tumors in dogs, and revealed potential novel targets for therapy. In addition, we identified 2 transcriptionally distinct groups of PPGLs that had significantly different survival times