Detection of fish allergen by droplet digital PCR

Fish is one of fourteen allergens that must be highlighted on the label within the ingredients list. It should be noted that the European regulation, is very restrictive to allergens with zero tolerance. Therefore it is important to establish sensitive and specific methods for detecting fish allergen. Applicability to detect and quantify fish allergen by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) has been evaluated in this work. Genomic DNA of three fish species belonging to the most common fish families were analyzed. PCR primers were designed to amplify a 166 bp region of the 18S rRNA gene. Comparative studies were performed to establish the optimal primer and probe concentrations.  Annealing temperature was determined by using thermal gradient. The results have shown good applicability of the optimized 18S rRNA gene-method to detect and quantify small amounts of the target in all samples analyzed. However, validation studies are needed in order to apply ddPCR technology for routine allergens analysis.

Optimising degradation and mechanical performance of additively manufactured biodegradable Fe–Mn scaffolds using design strategies based on triply periodic minimal surfaces

Additively manufactured lattices based on triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) have attracted significant research interest from the medical industry due to their good mechanical and biomorphic properties. However, most studies have focussed on permanent metallic implants, while very little work has been undertaken on manufacturing biodegradable metal lattices. In this study, the mechanical properties and in vitro corrosion of selective laser melted Fe–35%Mn lattices based on gyroid, diamond and Schwarz primitive unit-cells were comprehensively evaluated to investigate the relationships between lattice type and implant performance. The gyroid-based lattices were the most readily processable scaffold design for controllable porosity and matching the CAD design. Mechanical properties were influenced by lattice geometry and pore volume. The Schwarz lattices were stronger and stiffer than other designs with the 42% porosity scaffold exhibiting the highest combination of strength and ductility, while diamond and gyroid based scaffolds had lower strength and stiffness and were more plastically compliant. The corrosion behaviour was strongly influenced by porosity, and moderately influenced by geometry and geometry-porosity interaction. At 60% porosity, the diamond lattice displayed the highest degradation rate due to an inherently high surface area-to-volume ratio. The biodegradable Fe–35Mn porous scaffolds showed a good cytocompatibility to primary human osteoblasts cells. Additive manufacturing of biodegradable Fe–Mn alloys employing TPMS lattice designs is a viable approach to optimise and customise the mechanical properties and degradation response of resorbable implants toward specific clinical applications for hard tissue orthopaedic repair

Marine phycotoxin levels in shellfish-14 years of data gathered along the Italian coast

Along the Italian coasts, toxins of algal origin in wild and cultivated shellfish have been reported since the 1970s. In this study, we used data gathered by the Veterinary Public Health Institutes (IZS) and the Italian Environmental Health Protection Agencies (ARPA) from 2006 to 2019 to investigate toxicity events along the Italian coasts and relate them to the distribution of potentially toxic species. Among the detected toxins (OA and analogs, YTXs, PTXs, STXs, DAs, AZAs), OA and YTX were those most frequently reported. Levels exceeding regulatory limits in the case of OA (≤2,448 μg equivalent kg-1) were associated with high abundances of Dinophysis spp., and in the case of YTXs (≤22 mg equivalent kg-1) with blooms of Gonyaulax spinifera, Lingulodinium polyedra, and Protoceratium reticulatum. Seasonal blooms of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. occur all along the Italian coast, but DA has only occasionally been detected in shellfish at concentrations always below the regulatory limit (≤18 mg kg-1). Alexandrium spp. were recorded in several areas, although STXs (≤13,782 μg equivalent kg-1) rarely and only in few sites exceeded the regulatory limit in shellfish. Azadinium spp. have been sporadically recorded, and AZAs have been sometimes detected but always in low concentrations (≤7 μg equivalent kg-1). Among the emerging toxins, PLTX-like toxins (≤971 μg kg-1 OVTX-a) have often been detected mainly in wild mussels and sea urchins from rocky shores due to the presence of Ostreopsis cf. ovata. Overall, Italian coastal waters harbour a high number of potentially toxic species, with a few HAB hotspots mainly related to DSP toxins. Nevertheless, rare cases of intoxications have occurred so far, reflecting the whole Mediterranean Sea conditions

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

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Protective intraoperative ventilation with higher versus lower levels of positive end-expiratory pressure in obese patients (PROBESE): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) increase the morbidity and mortality of surgery in obese patients. High levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) with lung recruitment maneuvers may improve intraoperative respiratory function, but they can also compromise hemodynamics, and the effects on PPCs are uncertain. We hypothesized that intraoperative mechanical ventilation using high PEEP with periodic recruitment maneuvers, as compared with low PEEP without recruitment maneuvers, prevents PPCs in obese patients. Methods/design The PRotective Ventilation with Higher versus Lower PEEP during General Anesthesia for Surgery in OBESE Patients (PROBESE) study is a multicenter, two-arm, international randomized controlled trial. In total, 2013 obese patients with body mass index ≥35 kg/m2 scheduled for at least 2 h of surgery under general anesthesia and at intermediate to high risk for PPCs will be included. Patients are ventilated intraoperatively with a low tidal volume of 7 ml/kg (predicted body weight) and randomly assigned to PEEP of 12 cmH2O with lung recruitment maneuvers (high PEEP) or PEEP of 4 cmH2O without recruitment maneuvers (low PEEP). The occurrence of PPCs will be recorded as collapsed composite of single adverse pulmonary events and represents the primary endpoint. Discussion To our knowledge, the PROBESE trial is the first multicenter, international randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of two different levels of intraoperative PEEP during protective low tidal volume ventilation on PPCs in obese patients. The results of the PROBESE trial will support anesthesiologists in their decision to choose a certain PEEP level during general anesthesia for surgery in obese patients in an attempt to prevent PPCs. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02148692. Registered on 23 May 2014; last updated 7 June 2016. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-1929-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Crisis management e strategie comunicative nel dopo attentato terroristico: il caso della Tunisia

In recent years some of the most visited destinations in South Mediterranean such as Egypt and Tunisia have been targeted by a series of terrorist incidents that attacked symbolic spots of tourism industry such as museums, resorts, heritage sites and airports. As a consequence of the attacks the number of visitors have drastically fallen and tourism sector plunged into crisis. In order to cope with the loss of tourism demand, the authorities of those countries have taken a series of security measures in order to ensure the visitors\u2019 safety in the most visited spots. Such security measures have been accompanied by a series of marketing campaigns aimed at reducing the risk perception by promoting a sort of \u201cvicarious\u201d resilience. Through the sociological and semiotic analysis of the elements that characterize the main marketing campaigns lead by Tunisia affected by terrorism attacks in recent years, the present article highlights the communication strategies adopted for restoring the image of the safe destination and by doing so attract new flows

Reactivity of 6-(2-tolyl)- and 6-(2,6-xylyl)-2,2′-bipyridines with palladium(II) derivatives: selective C(sp³)---H vs. C(sp²)---H activation

Two new 6-substituted 2,2′-bipyridines, L, 6-(2-tolyl)bipy, L1, and 6-(2,6-xylyl)bipy, L2, have been synthesized. Their reactions with Na2[PdCl4] or {Pd(OAc)2} afford either 1:1 adducts [Pd(L)X2] (X=Cl, OAc) or five-membered cyclometallated derivatives [Pd(L1-H)X] arising from C(sp2)---H activation. From the chloro-alkyl intermediates [Pd(L)(Me)Cl], in the presence of Na[BAr′4] (Ar′=3,5-(CF3)2C6H3), cationic species [Pd(L)(Me)(S)]+ (L=L1, L2; S=CH3CN) can be obtained. At variance, in less coordinating solvents, e.g. dichloromethane, unexpected activation of a C(sp3)---H bond occurs with loss of methane, to afford 6-membered cyclometallated derivatives. The latter species were isolated as [Pd(L-H)(PPh3)][BAr′4]

Activation of a C−H bond in a pyridine ring: reaction of 6-substituted 2,2‘-bipyridines with methyl and phenyl platinum(II) derivatives: N‘,C(3)-“rollover” cyclometalation

The reaction of the electron-rich derivatives cis-[Pt(R)2(DMSO)2] (R = Me, Ph) with a series of 6-substituted-2,2‘-bipyridines, HL, occurs with loss of methane or benzene, respectively, to yield cyclometalated platinum(II) species [Pt(R)(L)(DMSO)] where L is an anionic ligand N‘,C(3) coordinated. The unusual C−H activation entails a consecutive reaction process through a detectable intermediate. The reaction is peculiar of 6-substituted ligands: for comparison no reaction occurs with 6,6‘-Me2-2,2‘-bipy and an adduct, [Pt(R)2(HL)], is obtained with 5-Me-2,2‘-bipy