High Yields of Shrimp Oil Rich in Omega-3 and Natural Astaxanthin from Shrimp Waste

A valued marine oil rich in omega-3 lipids and natural astaxanthin is obtained with remarkably high yield (up to 5 wt %) extending to pink shrimp waste (head and carapace) using the approach to extract fish oil from fish processing byproducts using d-limonene. Biobased limonene is an excellent solvent for both unsaturated lipids and astaxanthin-based carotenoids preventing oxidative degradation during the extraction cycle including solvent separation at 85 °C. Explaining the deep red color of the shrimp oil obtained, computational simulation suggests that d-limonene is also a good solvent for natural astaxanthin abundant in shrimp

Membrane Attack Complex in Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury: A Systematic Review for Post Mortem Applications

The complement system has a significant role in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, being responsible for cell lysis and amplification of inflammatory response. In this context, several studies highlight that terminal complement complex C5b-9, also known as the membrane attack complex (MAC), is a significant contributor. The MAC functions were studied by many researchers analyzing the characteristics of its activation in myocardial infarction. Here, a systematic literature review was reported to evaluate the principal features, advantages, and limits (regarding the application) of complement components andMAC in post mortem settings to perform the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia/infarction. The review was performed according to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, and a total of 26 studies were identified. Several methods studiedMAC, and each study contributes to defining better howandwhen it affects themyocardial damage in ischemic/reperfusion injury. The articles were discussed, focusing on the specificity, sensibility, and post mortem stability ofMAC as a marker of myocardial ischemia/infarction, supporting the usefulness in routine post mortem investigation

Evaluation of the Influence of MnS in Forged Steel 38MnVS6 on Fatigue Life

Manganese sulfides (MnS) are nonmetallic, ductile inclusions with high melting temperature (1610 °C) which improve the machinability and retard the grain growth in steels, in addition of contributing to avoid cracking during hot working. In this paper, the effect of manganese sulfides on the fatigue life of the vanadium micro-alloyed forging steel 38MnVS6 is discussed. Force-controlled fatigue tests are performed on small sized specimens until the crack occurs. The fatigue life of the forged material, presented by Wöhler curves, is considerably reduced at high levels of the nominal stress amplitude compared to the wrought material. Moreover, it is evident that the presence of longer and thinner particles of MnS reduces the scatter band of Wöhler curves and decreases the fatigue strength of the material. This paper presents a first attempt to find a relation between the shape and content of manganese sulfides due to the forging process and the fatigue life of the material

FIBRONECTIN (FN) AND UROTHELIAL DAMAGE SECONDARY TO ADJUVANT INTRAVESICAL THERAPY

Introduction and Objectives: Intravesical chemotherapy has been proven effective in preventing recurrence of low-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). BCG is recognised as the best conservative treatment for intermediate and high risk NMIBC. Maintenance for at least one year is required to ameliorate the efficacy of adjuvant therapy. Discomfort and toxicity often cause interruption of adjuvant therapy, BCG particularly. Almost 50% of the patients undergoing BCG does not complete one year. A biomarker of urothelium damage would be helpful for timely detection of toxicity in order to ameliorate patient’s tolerance and compliance. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the gene expression of Fibronectin (FN) in bladder washing in relation with local toxicity due to adjuvant intravesical therapy. Patients and Methods: Out of 26 asymptomatic patients undergoing intravesical prophylaxis with mitomycin (40 mg/40 ml), epirubicin (80 mg/50 ml) or BCG Connaught (81 mg/50 ml) and 10 volunteers as control group, 62 samples of bladder washing were collected before, during and after therapy. The samples were analyzed by isolation of cellular RNA using a miRNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen®). FN gene expression was analyzed by RT-PCR. The ΔΔCt method after normalization with endogenous reference 18s rRNA was adopted. An average Ct value for each RNA was obtained for triplicate reactions. Local toxicity was classified into 3 grades: 0-1. mild (no medical therapy); 2. moderate (medical therapy); 3. severe (instillation postponed for 1-2 weeks or intravesical solution of hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphate administered). Results: FN gene expression, compared to controls, was increased 1.1 fold after TUR and before intravesical therapy. During therapy it remained unchanged (1.0 fold). However it was increased 1.1 fold in absence of local toxicity, but to a median value of 3.6 fold in presence of severe toxicity. Particularly, the mean values, compared to controls, were 2.4 (range: 0.3-6.1), 1.1 (range: 0.1-2.3), 9.3 (range: 0.2-45.2), before therapy, in absence and in presence of local toxicity, respectively. Of interest, patients receiving intravesical hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphate solution showed a median FN gene expression of 0.2 fold (range 0.1- 0.7), decreasing from 3 to 0.6 and from 4 to 0.2 fold in two patients contemporary with symptomatic relief. Discussion: Few studies have correlated the gene expression of FN to bladder urothelial damage, in interstitial cystitis (1). FN plays an important role on BCG activity (2). A marker of topical toxicity would be helpful to improve the tolerance and to reduce the drop-out rates of intravesical therapy. The measurement in bladder washing is a simple and direct evaluation of urothelial FN gene activity. This method avoids all the bias due to the evaluation of FN protein expression in urine. The overexpression of FN gene indicates the presence of urothelial damage and activation of repairing processes. Normal and downexpression indicate the absence or healing of urothelial damage. Preliminarily, our study shows a significant correlation between FN gene expression on bladder washing and local toxicity. Furthermore, FN seems to be reduced by the intravesical administration of intravesical hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphate solution. Conclusion: FN gene expression in bladder washing emerges as a simple and promising marker of urothelial damage. Further and larger studies should be justified. Acknowledgements: We wish to thank IBSA for unrestricted grant and the GSTU Foundation for administrative support. 1 Blalock EM et al: Gene expression analysis of urine sediment: evaluation for potential noninvasive markers of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. J Urol 187: 725, 2012. 2 Eissa S et al: Diagnostic value of fibronectin and mutant p53 in the urine of patients with bladder cancer: impact on clinicopathological features and disease recurrence 27: 1286, 2010

COMPLIANCE WITH ONE YEAR MAINTENANCE INTRAVESICAL BCG IN PATIENTS AFFECTED BY T1G3 BLADDER CANCER

Introduction: BCG maintenance for at least one year is the best regimen for prevention of recurrence and progression in high risk non muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), undergoing conservative approach. Noteworthy, a relevant number of patients do not complete the planned treatment interruption. Study aim was to analyze retrospectively the reasons of treatment. Patients and Methods: Consecutive patients affected by T1G3 BC, undergoing BCG maintenance for one year, according to the SWOG schedule (3 weekly instillations at 3, 6, 12 months) were included in this study. Connaught BCG (81 mg/50 ml) was given starting 1430 days after TUR. If toxicity occurred, treatment was postponed up to two weeks. No dose reduction was considered. The patients’ compliance with the treatment was analyzed. Results: Out of 160 patients, 148 (92.5%) completed the induction cycle. In 10 (6.3%) more patients a recurrence was detected. In 15 (9.4%) patients induction only was planned due to personal difficulties. In 123 patients (76.8%) maintenance for one year was planned. However, 8 patients never started and 67 (54.4%) completed only one year maintenance: 6 (4.8%) interrupted for toxicity and 9 (7,3%) for recurrence. Compliance decreased from 84.5% at 3 to 57,7% at 12 months, 56 (45.6%) patients not completing one-year. In particular 109 patients (83.8%) completed the maintenance at 3 and 88 (67.2%) at 6 months. Noteworthy, mild grade I BCG toxicity, not requiring therapy on urologists’ opinion, was recorded in 91 (74%) out of 123 patients in whom maintenance was planned. Main limit was the retrospective nature of the study. Conclusion: Maintenance interruption was due to moderate-severe toxicity in only 5% of the patients. The poor patient’s compliance was probably multifactorial, partially related to grade I toxicity, not taken into appropriate account by the urologists. A correct and periodical counselling with the patients undergoing BCG maintenance regimen could ameliorate the compliance to BCG

Studio pilota sul valore predittivo dei livelli plasmatici di 9 fattori angiogenetici nella selezione di pazienti candidati alla biopsia prostatica

To reduce the number of negative prostate biopsies in patients with elevated PSA serum levels represents a major challenge in urological oncology. Angiogenetic factors might be involved in initial stages of prostate cancer and might represent useful tools in patients' selection for prostate biopsy. The plasmatic levels of Angiopoietin-2, Follistatin, G-CSF, HGF, IL-8, Leptin, PDGF-BB, PECAM-1 and VEGF were measured by BioPlex immunoassay in patients undergoing prostate biopsy for palpable prostate nodule and/or elevated PSA levels ( 654 ng/mL). They were related with biopsy results. ROC curve analysis was exploited to test the diagnostic accuracy of each biomarker by AUC calculation. A potential cut-off level was computed. Fifty patients were entered. Median PSA was 6.8 ng/mL. A prostate nodule was palpable in 18 (36%) patients. The median number of biopsy cores was 12. Prostate cancer was detected in 25 (50%) and ASAP and PIN in 2 more patients (4%) respectively. Among the 9 considered biomarkers, only leptin showed an interesting diagnostic performance with an AUC of 0.781, at a cut-off value of 2.11 ng/mL, demonstrating a sensitivity of 78%, a specificity of 77% and a positive predictive value of 85%. Main limitations of our study are the exploratory design and the criteria adopted for patients' selection determining a detection rate for prostate cancer above the usual range. Leptin only, in our preliminary study, shows promising diagnostic accuracy for the selection of patients candidate to prostate biopsy. Further studies are required to confirm its diagnostic value and its relation with BMI