Mangosteen Extract Shows a Potent Insulin Sensitizing Effect in Obese Female Patients: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.

There is a widely acknowledged association between insulin resistance and obesity/type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and insulin sensitizing treatments have proved effective in preventing diabetes and inducing weight loss. Obesity and T2DM are also associated with increased inflammation. Mangosteen is a tropical tree, whose fruits—known for their antioxidant properties—have been recently suggested having a possible further role in the treatment of obesity and T2DM. The objective of this pilot study has been to evaluate safety and efficacy of treatment with mangosteen extract on insulin resistance, weight management, and inflammatory status in obese female patients with insulin resistance. Twenty-two patients were randomized 1:1 to behavioral therapy alone or behavioral therapy and mangosteen and 20 completed the 26-week study. The mangosteen group reported a significant improvement in insulin sensitivity (homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance, HOMA-IR −53.22% vs. −15.23%, p = 0.004), and no side effect attributable to treatment was reported. Given the positive preliminary results we report and the excellent safety profile, we suggest a possible supplementary role of mangosteen extracts in the treatment of obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation

COVID-19 Severity in Multiple Sclerosis: Putting Data Into Context

Background and objectives: It is unclear how multiple sclerosis (MS) affects the severity of COVID-19. The aim of this study is to compare COVID-19-related outcomes collected in an Italian cohort of patients with MS with the outcomes expected in the age- and sex-matched Italian population. Methods: Hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death after COVID-19 diagnosis of 1,362 patients with MS were compared with the age- and sex-matched Italian population in a retrospective observational case-cohort study with population-based control. The observed vs the expected events were compared in the whole MS cohort and in different subgroups (higher risk: Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] score > 3 or at least 1 comorbidity, lower risk: EDSS score ≤ 3 and no comorbidities) by the χ2 test, and the risk excess was quantified by risk ratios (RRs). Results: The risk of severe events was about twice the risk in the age- and sex-matched Italian population: RR = 2.12 for hospitalization (p < 0.001), RR = 2.19 for ICU admission (p < 0.001), and RR = 2.43 for death (p < 0.001). The excess of risk was confined to the higher-risk group (n = 553). In lower-risk patients (n = 809), the rate of events was close to that of the Italian age- and sex-matched population (RR = 1.12 for hospitalization, RR = 1.52 for ICU admission, and RR = 1.19 for death). In the lower-risk group, an increased hospitalization risk was detected in patients on anti-CD20 (RR = 3.03, p = 0.005), whereas a decrease was detected in patients on interferon (0 observed vs 4 expected events, p = 0.04). Discussion: Overall, the MS cohort had a risk of severe events that is twice the risk than the age- and sex-matched Italian population. This excess of risk is mainly explained by the EDSS score and comorbidities, whereas a residual increase of hospitalization risk was observed in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and a decrease in people on interferon

DMTs and Covid-19 severity in MS: a pooled analysis from Italy and France

We evaluated the effect of DMTs on Covid-19 severity in patients with MS, with a pooled-analysis of two large cohorts from Italy and France. The association of baseline characteristics and DMTs with Covid-19 severity was assessed by multivariate ordinal-logistic models and pooled by a fixed-effect meta-analysis. 1066 patients with MS from Italy and 721 from France were included. In the multivariate model, anti-CD20 therapies were significantly associated (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.39–3.02, p < 0.001) with Covid-19 severity, whereas interferon indicated a decreased risk (OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.18–0.99, p = 0.047). This pooled-analysis confirms an increased risk of severe Covid-19 in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and supports the protective role of interferon

Polyphenol Removal from Olive Mill Wastewaters by Catalytic Soil Components.

Olive Mill Wastewaters (OMW) are one of the most common agricultural sources of pollution in the Mediterranean area. OMW are often disposed of by spreading onto soil for irrigation purposes. It should be noted that, in the countries of southern Mediterranean bank, water shortage is widespread. Furthermore OMW are also rich in organic and mineral compounds that could be usefully exploited as fertilizers. The high polyphenol content, however, can affect soil health because of the related microbial- and phyto-toxicity. Therefore, a detoxification treatment is mandatory before using OMW for agricultural purposes. The aim of this work is to test the feasibility of a simple treatment of OMW, with specific attention to the effects of spreading the treated wastewater onto the soil. The proposed technique exploits the natural catalytic activity of soil components towards polyphenol oxidation. The reactor used was an aerated stirred tank containing a slurry phase. Experiments were preliminarily performed on model phenolic compounds to check the soil capability to convert them, to elucidate the reaction mechanisms and, furthermore, to measure the residual toxicity of reaction products. Results obtained with model compounds were then compared with those achieved with the real OMW. Catechol and tyrosol were chosen as model compounds because they are widespread in OMW and they represent two of the main phenolic components detected in the OMW sample used. All phenolic content in OMW (hydroxytyrosol among the others) was monitored by reversed phase HPLC measurements. The experimental results indicated that soil is effective in converting phenols. As regards the model systems, complete conversion was achieved within 12 h, at room temperature, at the concentration detected in the OMW in either cases. These results were confirmed by experiments with OMW. Under the same experimental conditions, conversion of main phenolic compounds occurred in 24 h. In the short term, the observed reaction was found to be promoted by Fe and Mn-oxides contained in the soil. The experiments performed with model compounds suggested that reaction products are either polymers or polymeric aggregates. Indeed they were completely retained by filtration through 0,2 μm cut-off membranes. In the long term a reduction in overall TOC coupled with biomass growth was observed, thus suggesting that biotic mineralization occurred in the system, as well. Germination tests were performed with English cress seeds exposed either to the liquid or to the polymer containing solid phase from the slurry reactor. Tests indicated that the proposed treatment removes the phytotoxicity of the model compound solution and considerably reduces that of the real waste

Olive mill wastewater: a source of microbial- and phyto-toxicity for soil.

OMW are high phenolic content wastewaters produced during olive milling. In Mediterranean countries, where olive oil production is widespread, disposal of OMW is a serious problem because of their anti-microbial activity and phytotoxicity. Usually, OMWW are spread onto the soil and this practice is responsible of a continuous decreasing of soil quality and fertility. OMW are often stored in ponds for aging before spreading. In this case, however, soluble toxic compounds can permeate through soil and reach the groundwater table. Furthermore, long-term storage causes production of malodorous compounds due to anaerobic fermentation processes. Several treatments have been proposed for OMW but usually they are too expensive and not easy enough to be applied in low technology plants such as those where olive oil is produced. Generally, no tests are made to assess if the treated OMW can be used as water source for irrigation purposes. Target of this work is to assess microbial- and phyto-toxicity of OMW when spread onto the soil and to focus attention on reactions involving polyphenols and promoted by soil compounds. Phytotoxicity (measured by germination of Lepidium sativum) and microbial toxicity (tested on the growth of Bacillus cereus) of OMW are quite strong and a high dilution of the wastewater is needed to observe germination of the seeds or growing of bacteria. Oxidation of catechol and tyrosol, as models of phenolic compounds present in OMW, has been studied thoroughly in soil slurries. Final reaction products are high weight polymeric compounds whose structure is similar to that of humic and fulvic acids. The same reaction occurs when OMW are added to soil. Polyphenols contained in OMW are converted in 24 h, if oxygen is provided to the system. The measured reduction of phenolic compounds is bound to a slight decrease in phyto- and microbial toxicity. This indicates that reaction products are still toxic or other compounds in OMW are responsible of toxicity in the soil environment. Further studies will be devoted to assess the nature of these compounds and to find a possible treatment to reduce the damaging of soil quality when OMW are spread onto soil

Treatment of Olive Mill Wastewaters in Soil Slurry Reactors

The spreading of Olive Mill Wastewaters (OMW) onto the agricultural soil is widespread despite of their high phyto- and microbial-toxicity. In this work, a pre-treatment has been studied in order to make OMW more suitable to fertirrigation purposes. The treatment takes place in an aerated soil slurry and involves the same chemical and biological transformations that are responsible for the natural humification processes in agricultural soil. The suitability of treated OMW for fertirrigation has been evaluated by measuring residual toxicity with seed germination and microbial growth tests. The correlation between polyphenol content, salinity, pH and phyto/micro-toxicity has been investigated, as well

Olive mill wastewater degradation in soil

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) is a by-product of olive processing for oil production. It consists of water initially present in the drupae (vegetation water), process water (added to improve oil separation during milling), and washing water of olives and milling plants. Olive milling causes a huge production of OMW: about 0.4-1.1 m3 of OMW are produced per 1000 kg of olives. This production takes place in a short time due to seasonal olive availability. Such large amounts cannot be disposed without any treatment in sewers or rivers because of the high COD (50000-200000 mg/L) and polyphenol content. Since the ’80s, different physico-chemical and biological treatments have been studied. Due to the high related costs, such treatments did not achieve wide diffusion except for demonstrative pilot plants. In Italy, the traditional solution of spreading OMW onto the soil continues to be applied according to the current regulation. In the case of OMW spreading onto agricultural soils, the high COD could be exploited to increase the organic fraction of poor soils. However, the phytotoxic and antimicrobial activity of OMW negatively affects such reuse. OMW toxicity has been ascribed mainly to the high polyphenol content (1.2-2.4%). Spontaneous remediation was observed with the spreading of moderate OMW amount onto the agricultural soil, probably due to reactions catalyzed by abiotic and biotic soil components. Indeed, the clay fraction of the soil generally contains iron and manganese oxides and adsorbs polyphenoloxidases contained in plants and fungi exudates. If too large amounts of OMW are spread on the soil, the natural remediation can be insufficient: the soil health is affected and OMW percolates down to the aquifer. In any case, the effects of prolonged OMW spreading on soil health are unknown, at the moment. In order to take full advantage of the OMW fertirrigating potential by preventing at the same time aquifer pollution, it would be interesting to develop a treatment that removes the polyphenols selectively, leaving unchanged the organic and salt content of the OMW. In this work, we propose to use the clay fraction of the agricultural soil as a catalyst for the reaction of humification of the polyphenols. The reaction would be carried out in a soil-OMW slurry in an aerated, stirred reactor to ensure optimal conditions for the oxidation reaction catalyzed by iron and manganese oxides and by polyphenoloxidases. The scope is a substantial reduction of free polyphenols concentration in the OMW without reducing the total organic load. Such a treatment, if effective, would combine simplicity and economy of realization by exploiting reagents and catalysts available in situ. The feasibility of polyphenol removal in soil has been assessed by experiments with model polyphenolic compounds and real OMW samples. Full conversion of low molecular polyphenols has been found in both cases. Experiments with model compounds have shown that the reaction is started by a preliminary oxidation by iron and manganese oxides and proceeds by further oxidation of intermediates by dissolved molecular oxygen. Final products are water-insoluble polymers. The treatment efficacy has been evaluated by the degree of polymerization of the polyphenols and by the reduction of phyto- and micro-toxicity. It has been found that phytotoxicity removal is marked with model polyphenols and only marginal with entire OMW. Therefore, in contrast with the common tenet, polyphenols do not seem to be the main cause of phytotoxicity in OMW

Obiettivo 3. Assicurare la salute e il benessere per tutti e per tutte le età

I Consorzi di bonifica possono contribuire al raggiungimento dell’Obiettivo 3 attraverso un’efficace collaborazione con gli altri enti coinvolti nella tutela e gestione delle risorse ambientali. Per la salvaguardia della salute e del benessere per tutti, unitamente a interventi nel settore sanitario e sociale, si richiedono anche specifiche azioni a tutela delle risorse naturali: aria, suolo e acqua, componenti essenziali di tutti i processi biologici. Si impone una rinnovata e condivisa attenzione ai problemi concernenti la quantità, la qualità delle risorse idriche disponibili e gli usi plurimi da soddisfare nei contesti critici di cambiamento climatico, segnati da un’accentuazione degli eventi estremi, quali periodi di diffusa e prolungata siccità alternati a precipitazioni atmosferiche intense, concentrate nel tempo e nello spazio, con preoccupanti alterazioni degli ecosistemi

Obiettivo 6. Garantire a tutti la disponibilità e la gestione sostenibile dell’acqua e delle strutture igienico sanitarie

I Consorzi di bonifica possono contribuire al raggiungimento dell’Obiettivo 6, anzitutto, attraverso le funzioni della gestione integrata di acqua e suolo che svolgono istituzionalmente sul territorio italiano, con un immenso patrimonio di impianti, canali, infrastrutture, risorse e professionalità. La formula aggregativa consortile si è dimostrata di successo, in quanto espressione forte della sussidiarietà e, al contempo, della capacità di affrontare con tempestività problemi strutturali e situazioni emergenziali in sinergia con gli altri soggetti pubblici e privati di volta in volta coinvolti. Per garantire a tutti la disponibilità e la gestione sostenibile dell’acqua e delle strutture igienico-sanitarie, pertanto, è indispensabile rilanciare la collaborazione multilivello pubblico-privata tra il sistema dei Consorzi di bonifica e gli altri stakeholders capaci di collegare la società rurale e quella urbana