Archaeobotanical analysis from the long-term rural settlement of Contrada Castro (Corleone, Palermo): preliminary data

The project ¿Harvesting Memories: Ecology and Archaeology of Monti Sicani landscapes¿ aims to analyse the long-term relationship of landscape dynamics and settlement patterns in a Mediterranean inland of Central-Western Sicily. The project combined different interdisciplinary approaches of vegetation science, landscape ecology, history and archaeology in order to diachronically understand and reconstruct the human- society-environment interactions. From 2017 to 2019 a new rural settlement has been investigated in Contrada Castro (Corleone, Palermo). The excavation in Contrada Castro showed a clear case of long-term occupation of an hill-top site during Late Archaic/Classical age (6 th -5 th c. BC) and the Byzantine and Islamic period (7 th -11 th c. AD). Soils from the archaeological excavation were sampled to obtain evidences about paleo-vegetation and vegetal paleo-diet. Archaeobotanical data (seeds and charcoal remains) represent an informative source in human-environmental dynamics to collect specific data on a small scale in terms of chronology and topography (Hastorf, Popper 1988; Pearsall 2009). Furthermore, presence of edible plants as cereals, pulses and fruit characterize their use as economical resources. Unfortunately, archaeobotanical analyses from archaeological sites in Sicily are still not very common (see http://brainplants.successoterra.net/sites.html). For the reconstruction of the paleo-environment and the use of arboreal resources from the three chronological phases of the site, a total of 239 liters of soils were analysed. Taxonomical identification was made by optical microscopy through the comparison with the reference collection and specific atlases (fig.). More than 400 wood charcoals were observed, about 80% of them was identified. Thanks to comparisons with the current vegetation, so far 8 species have been identified - Quercus cfr. ilex (fig.), Pistacia cfr. terebinthus, Rhamnus alathernus, Fraxinus ornus, Ulmus canescens, Acer cfr. campestris, Ostrya carpinifolia, Populus cf. nigra; identification reached the detail of genus or subfamily in 6 cases - Quercus cf. robur / pubescens, Phillyrea sp., Sorbus sp., Rosacea cfr. Pirus sp. and maybe Moracea. The arboreal vegetation is therefore represented by evergreen oaks, semi- and deciduous oaks, maples, ash trees, associated with riparian species such as elm, poplar and hornbeam, and shrub species such as backthorn, terebinth, sorb, plum. Cultivated species are mostly not represented. Despite the widespread presence of the evergreen oaks in the whole record, differences between the three chronological phases were identified, highlighting a selective use of the wild species present in the area and a specific collection of wood for the hearths. 1) Hastorf C.A., Popper V.F.1988, Current Paleoethnobotany. Analytical Methods and Cultural Interpretations of Archaeological Plant Remains, Chicago. ISBN: 978022631893 2) Pearsall D. M. 2009, Paleoethnobotany: A Handbook of Procedures, Second Edition, Walnut Creek. ISBN-10: 1598744720 3) BRAIN Network, http://brainplants.successoterra.net/sites.htmlFinanciación: beca "Juan de la Cierva-incorporación, IJCI-2017-31494, MINECO), IJCI-2017-31494" y proyecto "Harvesting Memories" de la Universidad de Palermo (financiado por Bona Furtuna LLC)

Gluelump spectrum from Coulomb gauge QCD

We compute the energy spectrum of gluelumps defined as gluonic excitations bound to a localized, static octet source. We are able to reproduce the nontrivial ordering of the spin-parity levels and show how this is related to the non-abelian part of the Coulomb interaction between color charges.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Heavy quarkonium hybrids from Coulomb gauge QCD

Using the non-relativisitc reduction of Coulomb gauge QCD we compute spectrum of the low mass hybrid mesons containing a heavy quark-antiquark pair. The gluon degrees of freedom are treated in the mean field approximation calibrated to the gluelump spectrum. We discuss the role of the non-abelian nature of the QCD Coulomb interaction in the ordering of the spin-parity levels.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Positioning Climate Therapy Stays as a Health Tourism Product: An Evidence-Based Approach

Background: The relationship between Length Of Stay (LOS) and Metres Above Sea Level (MASL) of Climate Therapy Stays (CTSs) and their therapeutic effectiveness and efficiency has been under-researched in the last four decades. As a consequence, the potentials of short-term and low-altitude CTSs remain unknown. Objectives: The purpose of this study is twofold. Firstly, it aims to ascertain whether LOS and MASL are related to the percentage change of Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1) and the percentage change of FEV1 Compound Daily Improvement Rate (FEV1 CDIR % Change). Secondly, it aims to provide an evidence-based positioning of CTSs by considering the same specific variables. Methods/Analysis: The study focuses on young people (age ˂18) who have asthma problems. The Resource-Based Theory, postulating the valuability of natural resources generating above-average benefits, has been adopted as a conceptual lens. Primary studies carried out in eastern and western European countries and separately reviewed have been considered jointly. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between LOS and MASL of CTSs with FEV1Change (%) and FEV1Change CDIR (%) as indicators of health improvements. The descriptive statistics were implemented in calculating standardized and aggregated values. Findings: Negative and significant relationships have been highlighted between FEV1 Change (%) and MASL and between FEV1 Change CDIR % and LOS. In other words, subjects can achieve significant health improvements even by experiencing very short climate therapy stays at very low altitude mountain centres. Considering the FEV1Change (%) and the FEV1 Change CDIR (%) of climate stays by duration and elevation, the evidence-based knowledge platform has been established as a possible framework for developing an evidence-based marketing strategy for new health tourism products. Novelty/Improvement:Notwithstanding the need for further research, the metrics facilitating interdisciplinary, human health and economic studies have been devised. Further research on the effects of low altitude climate therapy stays could help define the healing potentials of macro and microclimatic conditions as potentially valuable ‘health devices’ for those suffering from respiratory diseases living in the COVID-19 era. Quantifying these effects through further studies, an evidence-based approach to formulating marketing strategies may be devised, useful both for supporting public health provision and policies, and for facilitating practitioners in health tourism interested in offering nature-based activities for their clients. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2022-06-02-04 Full Text: PD

The Streptomyces coelicolor small ORF trpM stimulates growth and morphological development and exerts opposite effects on actinorhodin and calcium-dependent antibiotic production

In actinomycetes, antibiotic production is often associated with a morpho-physiological differentiation program that is regulated by complex molecular and metabolic networks. Many aspects of these regulatory circuits have been already elucidated and many others still deserve further investigations. In this regard, the possible role of many small open reading frames (smORFs) in actinomycete morpho-physiological differentiation is still elusive. In Streptomyces coelicolor, inactivation of the smORF trpM (SCO2038) – whose product modulates L-tryptophan biosynthesis – impairs production of antibiotics and morphological differentiation. Indeed, it was demonstrated that TrpM is able to interact with PepA (SCO2179), a putative cytosol aminopeptidase playing a key role in antibiotic production and sporulation. In this work, a S. coelicolor trpM knock-in (Sco-trpMKI) mutant strain was generated by cloning trpM into overexpressing vector to further investigate the role of trpM in actinomycete growth and morpho-physiological differentiation. Results highlighted that trpM: (i) stimulates growth and actinorhodin (ACT) production; (ii) decreases calcium-dependent antibiotic (CDA) production; (iii) has no effect on undecylprodigiosin production. Metabolic pathways influenced by trpM knock- in were investigated by combining two-difference in gel electrophoresis/nanoliquid chromatography coupled to electrospray linear ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (2D- DIGE/nanoLC-ESI-LIT-MS/MS) and by LC-ESI-MS/MS procedures, respectively. These analyses demonstrated that over-expression of trpM causes an over-representation of factors involved in protein synthesis and nucleotide metabolism as well as a down-representation of proteins involved in central carbon and amino acid metabolism. At the metabolic level, this corresponded to a differential accumulation pattern of different amino acids – including aromatic ones but tryptophan – and central carbon intermediates. PepA was also down-represented in Sco-trpMKI. The latter was produced as recombinant His-tagged protein and was originally proven having the predicted aminopeptidase activity. Altogether, these results highlight the stimulatory effect of trpM in S. coelicolor growth and ACT biosynthesis, which are elicited through the modulation of various metabolic pathways and PepA representation, further confirming the complexity of regulatory networks that control antibiotic production in actinomycetes

The Influence of Two Different Breeding Systems on Quality and Clotting Properties of Milk from Dairy Buffaloes Reared in Sicily (Italy)

This study focuses on nine buffalo farms (a total of 692 buffaloes), five intensive herds (161 lactating buffalo cows) and four semiextensive herds (111 lactating buffalo cows), which are the most common in Sicily. The average milk and cheese yield, fat, protein and lactose contents were very similar between the two breeding systems. Milk casein was higher (P=0.04) in intensive herds than in semiextensive herds (4.07% vs 3.51%), whereas the urea content was higher in semi-extensive herds (40.68 mg/dL vs 37.50 mg/dL), yet within the normal range for buffalo milk. As regards milk pH and titration acidity (°SH), no difference was observed between the two breeding systems. Milk produced by the intensive herds scored the best clotting ability with shorter curd firming time (k20 3.08 min) and greater curd firmness (a30 32.69 mm). Milk produced by the semi-extensive herds, instead, was characterized by a longer curd firming time (k20 5.26 min) and lower curd firmness (a30 27.33 mm). This milk from buffaloes bred in Sicily (Italy) also showed a good chemical composition and clotting ability in particular when produced by the intensive herds

Unravelling the DNA sequences carried by Streptomyces coelicolor membrane vesicles

Membrane vesicles (MVs) are spherical particles with nanoscale dimensions and characterized by the presence of diverse cargos, such as nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and cellular metabolites. Many examples of (micro)organisms producing MVs are reported in literature. Among them, bacterial MVs are of particular interest because they are now considered as the fourth mechanism of horizontal gene transfer. Streptomyces bacteria are well-known for their ecological roles and ability to synthesize bioactive compounds, with Streptomyces coelicolor being the model organism. It was previously demonstrated that it can produce distinct populations of MVs characterized by different protein and metabolite cargos. In this work we demonstrated for the first time that MVs of S. coelicolor carry both DNA and RNA and that their DNA content represents the entire chromosome of the bacterium. These findings suggest that MV DNA could have a role in the evolution of Streptomyces genomes and that MVs could be exploited in new strain engineering strategies

Hyaluronan and Derivatives: An In Vitro Multilevel Assessment of Their Potential in Viscosupplementation

In this research work, viscosupplements based on linear, derivatized, crosslinked and complexed HA forms were extensively examined, providing data on the hydrodynamic parameters for the water-soluble-HA-fraction, rheology, sensitivity to enzymatic hydrolysis and capacity to modulate specific biomarkers’ expression in human pathological chondrocytes and synoviocytes. Soluble HA ranged from 0 to 32 mg/mL and from 150 to 1330 kDa MW. The rheological behavior spanned from purely elastic to viscoelastic, suggesting the diversity of the categories that are suitable for restoring specific/different features of the healthy synovial fluid. The rheological parameters were reduced in a diverse manner upon dilution and hyaluronidases action, indicating different durations of the viscosupplementation effect. Bioactivity was found for all the samples, increasing the expression of different matrix markers (e.g., hyaluronan-synthase); however, the hybrid cooperative complexes performed better in most of the experiments. Hybrid cooperative complexes improved COLII mRNA expression (~12-fold increase vs. CTR), proved the most effective at preserving cell phenotype. In addition, in these models, the HA samples reduced inflammation. IL-6 was down-regulated vs. CTR by linear and chemically modified HA, and especially by hybrid complexes. The results represent the first comprehensive panel of data directly comparing the diverse HA forms for intra-articular injections and provide valuable information for tailoring products’ clinical use as well as for designing new, highly performing HA-formulations that can address specific needs

High-Flow Nasal Interface Improves Oxygenation in Patients Undergoing Bronchoscopy

During bronchoscopy hypoxemia is commonly found and oxygen supply can be delivered by interfaces fed with high gas flows. Recently, the high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) has been introduced for oxygen therapy in adults, but they have not been used so far during bronchoscopy in adults. Forty-five patients were randomly assigned to 3 groups receiving oxygen: 40 L/min through a Venturi mask (V40, N = 15), nasal cannula (N40, N = 15), and 60 L/min through a nasal cannula (N60, N = 15) during bronchoscopy. Gas exchange and circulatory variables were sampled before (FiO2 = 0.21), at the end of bronchoscopy (FiO2 = 0.5), and thereafter (V40, FiO2 = 0.35). In 8 healthy volunteers oxygen was randomly delivered according to V40, N40, and N60 settings, and airway pressure was measured. At the end of bronchoscopy, N60 presented higher PaO2, PaO2/FiO2, and SpO2 than V40 and N40 that did not differ between them. In the volunteers (N60) median airway pressure amounted to 3.6 cmH2O. Under a flow rate of 40 L/min both the Venturi mask and HFNC behaved similarly, but nasal cannula associated with a 60 L/min flow produced the better results, thus indicating its use in mild respiratory dysfunctions

Bismuth-based quadruple therapy following H. Pylori eradication failures: A multicenter study in clinical practice

Background & Aims: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication in patients who failed one or more therapeutic attempts remains challenging. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of three-in-one capsules bismuth-based quadruple therapy (Pylera®) in these patients managed in clinical practice. Methods: This was a prospective, open-label, multicenter study enrolling consecutive, adult patients with persistent H. pylori infection following at least one standard therapy. All patients received a rescue quadruple therapy with Pylera (3 capsules four times daily) and esomeprazole 20 mg (1 tablet twice daily) for 10 days. H. pylori eradication was assessed by using Urea Breath Test 4-6 weeks following therapy ending. H. pylori eradication rates, compliance, and side-effects were calculated. Results: A total of 208 patients in the 9 participating centres were enrolled. Overall, 180 patients were successfully cured from the infection, accounting for 86.5% (95% CI 81.9-91.2) and 92.3% (95% CI 88.6-96.1) eradication rates at intention-to-treat analysis and at per protocol analysis, respectively. Cure rates were similar across patients who failed one to three previous therapy attempts, but the success rate fell to 67% after 4 or more therapy failures. Compliance to therapy was good in 198 (95.2%) patients, whilst in 7 (5.3%) cases the therapy was interrupted within 5 days due to side effects. A total of 97 (46.6%) patients complained of at least one side effect; nausea, diarrhea and vomiting were the most frequently reported. Conclusions: Our study found that this bismuth-based quadruple therapy is highly effective as second-line and rescue therapy for H. pylori eradication in clinical practic