Synergistic activity between colistin and the ionic liquids 1-methyl-3-dodecylimidazolium bromide, 1-dodecyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bromide, or 1-dodecyl-1-methylpiperidinium bromide against Gram-negative bacteria

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Impact of gastrointestinal side effects on patients’ reported quality of life trajectories after radiotherapy for prostate cancer: Data from the prospective, observational pros-it CNR study

Radiotherapy (RT) represents an important therapeutic option for the treatment of localized prostate cancer. The aim of the current study is to examine trajectories in patients’ reported quality of life (QoL) aspects related to bowel function and bother, considering data from the PROState cancer monitoring in ITaly from the National Research Council (Pros-IT CNR) study, analyzed with growth mixture models. Data for patients who underwent RT, either associated or not associated with androgen deprivation therapy, were considered. QoL outcomes were assessed over a 2-year period from the diagnosis, using the Italian version of the University of California Los Angeles-Prostate Cancer Index (Italian-UCLA-PCI). Three trajectories were identified for the bowel function; having three or more comorbidities and the use of 3D-CRT technique for RT were associated with the worst trajectory (OR = 3.80, 95% CI 2.04–7.08; OR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.22–3.87, respectively). Two trajectories were identified for the bowel bother scores; diabetes and the non-Image guided RT method were associated with being in the worst bowel bother trajectory group (OR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.06–2.67; OR = 2.57, 95% CI 1.70–3.86, respectively). The findings from this study suggest that the absence of comorbidities and the use of intensity modulated RT techniques with image guidance are related with a better tolerance to RT in terms of bowel side effects

Disease-specific and general health-related quality of life in newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients: The Pros-IT CNR study

Background: The National Research Council (CNR) prostate cancer monitoring project in Italy (Pros-IT CNR) is an observational, prospective, ongoing, multicentre study aiming to monitor a sample of Italian males diagnosed as new cases of prostate cancer. The present study aims to present data on the quality of life at time prostate cancer is diagnosed. Methods: One thousand seven hundred five patients were enrolled. Quality of life is evaluated at the time cancer was diagnosed and at subsequent assessments via the Italian version of the University of California Los Angeles-Prostate Cancer Index (UCLA-PCI) and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). Results: At diagnosis, lower scores on the physical component of the SF-12 were associated to older ages, obesity and the presence of 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities. Lower scores on the mental component were associated to younger ages, the presence of 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities and a T-score higher than one. Urinary and bowel functions according to UCLA-PCI were generally good. Almost 5% of the sample reported using at least one safety pad daily to control urinary loss; less than 3% reported moderate/severe problems attributable to bowel functions, and sexual function was a moderate/severe problem for 26.7%. Diabetes, 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities, T2 or T3-T4 categories and a Gleason score of eight or more were significantly associated with lower sexual function scores at diagnosis. Conclusions: Data collected by the Pros-IT CNR study have clarified the baseline status of newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients. A comprehensive assessment of quality of life will allow to objectively evaluate outcomes of different profile of care

Nuovi sali di imidazolio biologicamente attivi e loro uso nella sintesi di nanoparticelle d'oro

Le nanoparticelle d’oro (Au-NPs) sono scaffold interessanti per la preparazione di ibridi inorganici-organici attraverso l'interazione stabile tra superfici d'oro e differenti classi di gruppi funzionali (ammine, fosfonati e tioli). Le Au-NPs sono utilizzate, ad esempio nella catalisi, nella somministrazione di farmaci e in altre applicazioni nel campo delle nanotecnologie. Grazie alla loro stabilità, alta dispersibilità, biocompatibilità, proprietà strutturali e polivalenza, le Au-NPs consentono di caricare sulla loro superficie una grande quantità di composto bioattivo, aumentando la stabilità e la specificità verso il tessuto target, riducendo gli effetti collaterali. Solitamente, sali di ammonio quaternari con lunghe catene alchiliche (tetraottil ammonio bromuro) sono utilizzati nella sintesi di Au-NPs come agenti di trasferimento di fase e nel controllo della nucleazione e crescita delle nanoparticelle. Questo lavoro di tesi ha avuto come obiettivo la sintesi di nuovi sali di imidazolio da utilizzare nella preparazione di nanoparticelle d’oro (Au-NPs) recanti sul tailgroup un’unità biologicamente attiva come zuccheri o inibitori delle Metalloproteinasi di Matrice (MMPs)

Ionic Liquids: powerful tools in pharmaceutical and material sciences

The aim of my PhD was to design new ILs and use them in new and intriguing applications, exploiting their unique properties to overcome obstacles or to improve some processes in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry and in the field of new and biocompatible smart materials. During the 1st year of my PhD, I studied the synthesis of new bio-active ionic liquids. I worked on two projects: 1) the synthesis of new ILs and related AuNPs as Matrix MetalloProteinases (MMP) inhibitors; 2) synthesis of new ILs used as antimicrobial agents. Subsequently, I moved my interest to the synthesis of ILs for the manipulation of biopolymers, especially cellulose, with particular attention to the environmental sustainability of the processes. New bio-inspired ionic liquid based on levulinic acid were developed, Levulinic acid is a promising building block directly obtainable from cellulose. These ionic liquids were prepared using a new and highly sustainable synthetic route. All ILs were characterized and used for cellulose dissolution. For some of these, the Levulinate Protic ILs, another application has been proposed, the levulination of cellulose in homogeneous conditions, a modification that allows for the functionalization of cellulose hydroxyl groups in order to obtain new materials. Moreover, eco-toxicity assays were performed. In the field of smart materials, I studied the preparation of new smart materials, in particular Thermal Energy Storage systems (TESs) entirely based on natural components. The new materials were made using cellulose or cellulose/wool as polymeric matrix, [BMIM]Cl as the biopolymers dissolving agent and eicosane encapsulated inside sporopollenin capsules (Lycopodium clavatum) as Phase Change Material (PCM)

Levulinate amidinium protic ionic liquids (PILs) as suitable media for the dissolution and levulination of cellulose

Two new levulinate-based protic ionic liquids (Lev PILs) have been synthesized through an easy, scalable neutralization reaction between levulinic acid (LA), which is one of the most promising renewable building blocks obtainable from cellulose, and amidine superbases (either DBU or DBN). The prepared PILs have been characterized (by means of NMR, FT-IR, TGA and viscosity measurements) and studied as potential cellulose dissolution media. These species display a dissolving ability (weightcellulose/weightPIL) comparable with the popular, and to date best performing, acetate-based PILs. In contrast with these systems, Lev PILs are composed of a larger renewable anion (levulinate vs. acetate): this allows for a reduced amount of the expensive non-renewable superbase cation component while only slightly affecting the cellulose dissolution performance. An application of the proposed Lev PILs, namely the levulination of cellulose, has also been studied. The impact of various reaction parameters (i.e. temperature, amount of anhydride, amount of co-solvent) on the reaction outcome and on the functionalization degree (up to 1.87) has been studied. γ-Valerolactone, a renewable green solvent which is in turn prepared from LA, has been found as an effective DMSO replacement when used as co-solvent for the reaction, allowing for satisfactory functionalization degrees

Imidazolium salts as carriers of biologically active compounds and capping agents of Au nanoparticles

Abstract non disponibil

Comparative evaluation of antimicrobial activity of different types of ionic liquids

In order to identify most suitable ionic liquids (ILs) for potential applications in infection prevention and control, in the present study we comparatively evaluated the antimicrobial potency and hemolytic activity of 15 ILs, including 11 previously described and four newly synthesized ILs, using standard microbiological procedures against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. ILs showing the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were tested for their hemolytic activity. Three ILs characterized by low MIC values and low hemolytic activity, namely 1-methyl-3-dodecylimidazolium bromide, 1-dodecyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bromide, and 1-dodecyl-1-methylpiperidinium bromide were further investigated to determine their minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and their ability to inhibit biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Killing kinetics results revealed that both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria are rapidly killed after exposure to MBC of the selected ILs. Furthermore, the selected ILs efficiently inhibited biofilm formation by S. aureus or P. aeruginosa. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic study investigating the antimicrobial potential of different types of ionic liquids using standard microbiological procedures. In the overall, the selected ILs showed low hemolytic and powerful antimicrobial activity, and efficient inhibition of biofilm formation, especially against S. aureus, suggesting their possible application as anti-biofilm agents