Artificial intelligence applied to neuroimaging data in Parkinsonian syndromes: Actuality and expectations

Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease (iPD) is a common motor neurodegenerative disorder. It affects more frequently the elderly population, causing a significant emotional burden both for the patient and caregivers, due to the disease-related onset of motor and cognitive disabilities. iPD's clinical hallmark is the onset of cardinal motor symptoms such as bradykinesia, rest tremor, rigidity, and postural instability. However, these symptoms appear when the neurodegenerative process is already in an advanced stage. Furthermore, the greatest challenge is to distinguish iPD from other similar neurodegenerative disorders, "atypical parkinsonisms", such as Multisystem Atrophy, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Cortical Basal Degeneration, since they share many phenotypic manifestations, especially in the early stages. The diagnosis of these neurodegenerative motor disorders is essentially clinical. Consequently, the diagnostic accuracy mainly depends on the professional knowledge and experience of the physician. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have made it possible to analyze the large amount of clinical and instrumental information in the medical field. The application machine learning algorithms to the analysis of neuroimaging data appear to be a promising tool for identifying microstructural alterations related to the pathological process in order to explain the onset of symptoms and the spread of the neurodegenerative process. In this context, the search for quantitative biomarkers capable of identifying parkinsonian patients in the prodromal phases of the disease, of correctly distinguishing them from atypical parkinsonisms and of predicting clinical evolution and response to therapy represent the main goal of most current clinical research studies. Our aim was to review the recent literature and describe the current knowledge about the contribution given by machine learning applications to research and clinical management of parkinsonian syndromes

Bioactive compound profiling of olive fruit: the contribution of genotype

The health, therapeutic, and organoleptic characteristics of olive oil depend on functional bioactive compounds, such as phenols, tocopherols, squalene, and sterols. Genotype plays a key role in the diversity and concentration of secondary compounds peculiar to olive. In this study, the most important bioactive compounds of olive fruit were studied in numerous international olive cultivars during two consecutive seasons. A large variability was measured for each studied metabolite in all 61 olive cultivars. Total phenol content varied on a scale of 1–10 (3831–39,252 mg kg1) in the studied cultivars. Squalene values fluctuated over an even wider range (1–15), with values of 274 to 4351 mg kg1. Total sterols ranged from 119 to 969 mg kg1, and total tocopherols varied from 135 to 579 mg kg1 in fruit pulp. In the present study, the linkage among the most important quality traits highlighted the scarcity of cultivars with high content of at least three traits together. This work provided sound information on the fruit metabolite profile of a wide range of cultivars, which will facilitate the studies on the genomic regulation of plant metabolites and development of new olive genotypes through genomics-assisted breeding.EEA San JuanFil: Mousavi, Soraya. National Research Council. Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources; ItaliaFil: Stanzione, Vitale. National Research Council. Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems of the Mediterranean; ItaliaFil: Mariotti, Roberto. National Research Council. Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources; ItaliaFil: Mastio, Valerio.Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Juan; Argentina.Fil: Mastio, Valerio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Azariadis, Aristotelis. Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania. Department of Horticultural Genetics and Biotechnology; GreciaFil: Passeri, Valentina. National Research Council. Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems of the Mediterranean; ItaliaFil: Valeri, Maria Cristina. National Research Council. Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources; ItaliaFil: Baldoni, Luciana. National Research Council. Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources; ItaliaFil: Bufacchi, Marina. National Research Council. Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems of the Mediterranean; Itali

Clinical value of radiomics and machine learning in breast ultrasound: a multicenter study for differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions

We aimed to assess the performance of radiomics and machine learning (ML) for classification of non-cystic benign and malignant breast lesions on ultrasound images, compare ML's accuracy with that of a breast radiologist, and verify if the radiologist's performance is improved by using ML

The ancient olive trees (Olea europaea L.) of the Maltese Islands : a rich and unexplored patrimony to enhance oliviculture

A prospecting campaign in the Maltese Islands has ensured the survival of several ancient olive trees (Olea europaea L.), genetically distant from known cultivars. Most of these plants were abandoned or partially cultivated. A two-year evaluation of fruit characteristics and compositions was performed on samples collected from the main representatives of these indigenous genotypes. Analyses were carried out using Gas Chromatography, High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Near Infrared Spectrometry. Among the fruit samples, a wide range of variations was observed. Some of the genotypes showed fruit traits suitable for table olive production. This is the case of samples with a pulp/pit ratio higher than four, such as 1Wardija, 1Caritas, 1Plattini, 1Bingemma Malta and 3Loretu, whilst 1Bidni, 1Mellieha, 2Qnotta, 3Loretu, 1Bingemma Malta and 1Caritas were suitable for dual purpose. The total phenol content ranged from 6.3 (1Wardija) to 117.9 (2Mtarfa) g/kg of fresh pulp. The average percentage of MUFA was quite low for most of the varieties. These genotypes, which presumably originated in the Maltese Islands and are well adapted to the local pedo-climatic conditions, are being propagated for the following evaluation of their bio-agronomical performance (production, suitability to intensive cultivation, environmental sustainability, product quality, etc.). The purpose is to select, among these local genotypes, the most outstanding varieties, in terms of phenolic and FA profile and agronomical potential, to spread into cultivation, thereby contributing to an increase in the quality of the local table and olive oil production, strongly linked to the territory.peer-reviewe

Plasticity of fruit and oil traits in olive among diferent environments

Olive is a long-living perennial species with a wide geographical distribution, showing a large genetic and phenotypic variation in its growing area. There is an urgent need to uncover how olive phenotypic traits and plasticity can change regardless of the genetic background. A two-year study was conducted, based on the analysis of fruit and oil traits of 113 cultivars from fve germplasm collections established in Mediterranean Basin countries and Argentina. Fruit and oil traits plasticity, broad‐sense heritability and genotype by environment interaction were estimated. From variance and heritability analyses, it was shown that fruit fresh weight was mainly under genetic control, whereas oleic/(palmitic+linoleic) acids ratio was regulated by the environment and genotype by environment interaction had the major efect on oil content. Among the studied cultivars, diferent level of stability was observed, which allowed ranking the cultivars based on their plasticity for oil traits. High thermal amplitude, the diference of low and high year values of temperature, negatively afected the oil content and the oleic acid percentage. Information derived from this work will help to direct the selection of cultivars with the highest global ftness averaged over the environments rather than the highest ftness in each environment separately.EEA San JuanFil: Mousavi, Soraya. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources; ItaliaFil: Mousavi, Soraya. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems of the Mediterranean; ItaliaFil: De la Rosa, Raúl. Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria, Pesquera, Alimentaria y de la Producción Ecológica (IFAPA). - Centro Alameda del Obispo; EspañaFil: Moukhli, Abdelmajid. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA). Centre Régional de la Recherche Agronomique( CRRA); MarruecosFil: El Riachy, Milad. Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI); LíbanoFil: Mariotti, Roberto. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources; ItaliaFil: Torres, Myriam Mariela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Juan; Argentina.Fil: Torres, Myriam Mariela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Pierantozzi, Pierluigi. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Juan; Argentina.Fil: Pierantozzi, Pierluigi. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Stanzione, Vitale. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems of the Mediterranean; ItaliaFil: Mastio, Valerio. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems of the Mediterranean; ItaliaFil: Zaher, Hayat. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA). Centre Régional de la Recherche Agronomique; MarruecosFil: El Antari, Abderraouf. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA). Centre Régional de la Recherche Agronomique; MarruecosFil: Ayoub, Salam. National Agricultural Research Center (NARC); JordaniaFil: Dandachi, Faten. Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI); LíbanoFil: Youssef, Hiyam. Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI); LíbanoFil: Aggelou, Nikolas. Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICh). Department of Horticultural Genetics and Biotechnology; GreciaFil: Contreras Valetín, Ana Cibeles. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Juan; Argentina.Fil: Contreras Valetín, Ana Cibeles. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Maestri, Damián. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBV); ArgentinaFil: Maestri, Damián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Belaj, Angjelina. Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria, Pesquera, Alimentaria y de la Producción Ecológica (IFAPA). - Centro Alameda del Obispo; EspañaFil: Bufacchi, Marina. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems of the Mediterranean; ItaliaFil: Baldoni, Luciana. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources; ItaliaFil: León, Lorenzo. Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria, Pesquera, Alimentaria y de la Producción Ecológica (IFAPA). - Centro Alameda del Obispo; Españ

Measuring the Biodegradability of Plastic Polymers in Olive-Mill Waste Compost with an Experimental Apparatus

The use of biodegradable polymers is spreading in agriculture to replace those materials derived from petroleum, thus reducing the environmental concerns. However, to issue a significant assessment, biodegradation rate must be measured in case-specific standardized conditions. In accordance with ISO 14855-1, we designed and used an experimental apparatus to evaluate the biodegradation rate of three biopolymers based on renewable resources, two poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) composites, and a compatibilized polylactic acid and polybutyrate (PLA/PBAT) blend. Biodegradation tests were carried out under composting condition using mature olive-mill waste (OMW) compost as inoculum. Carbon dioxide emissions were automatically recorded by infrared gas detectors and also trapped in saturated Ba(OH)2 solution and evaluated via a standard titration method to check the results. Some of the samples reached more than 80% biodegradation in less than 20 days. Both the experimental apparatus and the OMW compost showed to be suitable for the cases studied

Thermoplastic Blends Based on Poly(Butylene Succinate-co-Adipate) and Different Collagen Hydrolysates from Tanning Industry—II: Aerobic Biodegradation in Composting Medium

Two diferent raw hydrolyzed collagens (HCs), by-products of the Tannery industry, were investigated in blends with a bioplastic, as poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA), for the production of thermoplastic items for possible applications in agriculture. Chemical characterization of selected PBSA/HC blends and phytotoxicity assays on garden cress seeds (Lepidium sativum L.), used as spy species, were carried out; in addition, biodegradation and disintegration of specimens were assessed under controlled composting conditions at diferent temperature (58 and 25 °C). Although one of the HC investigated released sodium chloride in the aqueous extract, all PBSA/HC blends, up to 20 wt.% HC, resulted no-phytotoxic and showed considerable amounts of macro- and micro- nutrients for plants (mainly nitrogen). Regardless the amount added, HCs enhanced the biodegradation rate of PBSA/HC blends in compost at 58 °C compared to pure PBSA; lowering the temperature at 25 °C, as expected, biodegradation rate slightly lowered using the same compost. Most disintegration tests, performed on dog bone samples, corroborated the results of the biodegradation tests, thus suggesting that plastic mixtures could reasonably end their life cycle in a composting facility without decreasing the quality and the safety of the resulting compost. The outcomes achieved encourage the use of raw collagen hydrolysates from tanning industry in the production of PBSA-based thermoplastic blends to produce compostable items (mulching flms and/or plant pots) for more sustainable uses in agriculture and/or plant nurseries. In addition, the use of these low-cost by-products can lower the cost of fnal product and give it fertilizing properties for plants given the presence of organic nitrogen in the hydrolysates

Biochemical and molecular profiling of unknown olive genotypes from central Italy: determination of major and minor components

The phenotypic and genetic variability of local olives in a perspective of diversity conservation should be maintained and preserved. Fourteen unknown olive genotypes were selected from abandoned and isolated plants in Umbria region and characterized by ten SSR markers. The molecular analysis led to identify ten previously unknown genotypes within the patrimony of the region, made up by about 10 main cultivars and more than 100 minor ones. Fruit samples were randomly collected from the selected plants during two growing seasons and oil was extracted from each sample. Analyses of fatty acid composition, phenolic profile (flavonoids, phenolic acids, phenolic alcohols and lignans), tocopherols, squalene and sterols were performed on these oils. Significant differences were observed in terms of main fatty acids (e.g. oleic acid from 71.83 to 76.73%), but not for the minor ones. The important differences were instead obtained on the amount of α-tocopherol, ranging from 149 to 583 mg kg−1, and on squalene, spanning from 1059 to 5447 mg kg−1. Evaluation of major and minor compounds with the principal component analysis of the main oil quality parameters revealed differentiation according to the genotypes. The analysis of neglected olive genotypes from a small area of cultivation has led to the identification of a promising source of variability for most sought-after traits, which could be exploited for new olive plantations and to magnify the spectrum of local olive oils

Polycaprolactone-collagen hydrolysate thermoplastic blends: Processability and biodegradability/compostability

Thermoplastic blends of polycaprolactone (PCL) and hydrolyzed collagen (HC) derived from the tannery industry were investigated to assess the feasibility of producing by conventional melting-based procedures biodegradable items for applications in agriculture and plant nurseries. The used HC was obtained by alkaline hydrolysis of the shavings of the tanning process. PCL/HC blends, with 10, 20 and 30 wt.% of HC, were processed by extrusion and compression molding, and characterized in terms of thermal, rheological, morphological and mechanical properties. In view of their possible applications in agriculture, phytotoxicity assays were carried out by using cress (Lepidium sativum L.) germination test and growth analyses of lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa L., cv Canasta), used as reference. Small pots were produced by fused deposition modeling (FDM) and their compostability was evaluated by the standard disintegration test UNI EN ISO 14045. The ultimate aerobic biodegradability of the blends was assessed by the standard UNI EN ISO 14855-1. PCL/HC blends were successfully processed by extrusion providing cohesive and flexible filaments suitable for the FMD 3D-printing. A decrease in the melt viscosity was observed with the addition of HC due to its plasticizing effect. The addition of HC led to a clear decrease of the tensile modulus and, with 30 wt.% HC, a break elongation higher than 600% as pure PCL. Despite the release in water of soluble salts, responsible of a moderate phytotoxicity assessed by L. sativum germination test, PCL/HC blends were not phytotoxic to the lettuce growth. Moreover, PCL/HC blends showed very high biodegradation rates in compost, even higher than cellulose. Composting trial performed under real conditions also confirmed the biodegradability of these blends, showing complete disintegration of the produced 3D printed pots in just 30 days