Structure and Evolution of Galaxy Clusters: Internal Dynamics of ABCG 209 at z~0.21

We study the internal dynamics of the rich galaxy cluster ABGC 209 on the basis of new spectroscopic and photometric data. The distribution in redshift shows that ABCG 209 is a well isolated peak of 112 detected member galaxies at z=0.209, characterised by a high value of the line-of-sight velocity dispersion, sigma_v=1250-1400 Km/s, on the whole observed area (1 Mpc/h from the cluster center), that leads to a virial mass of M=1.6-2.2x10^15 M_sun within the virial radius, assuming the dynamical equilibrium. The presence of a velocity gradient in the velocity field, the elongation in the spatial distribution of the colour-selected likely cluster members, the elongation of the X-ray contour levels in the Chandra image, and the elongation of cD galaxy show that ABCG 209 is characterised by a preferential NW-SE direction. We also find a significant deviation of the velocity distribution from a Gaussian, and relevant evidence of substructure and dynamical segregation. All these facts show that ABCG 209 is a strongly evolving cluster, possibly in an advanced phase of merging.Comment: 26 pages, 14 figures. A&A in pres

The health benefits of sweet lupin seed flours and isolated proteins

The interest for lupin is continuously growing: one driving force are the numerous studies showing it provides useful health benefits. This review discusses available literature in the area of dyslipidaemia, diabetes, and hypertension prevention, providing hints on the mechanism of action. The addition of lupin protein to the diet of different models of hypercholesterolaemia, such as rat, rabbit, hamster and pig, induce decreases of total and non-HDL cholesterol. The clinical investigations on the cholesterol lowering activity provided controversial results. Those involving hypercholesterolaemic subjects and based on improved lupin foods gave statistically significant total and/or LDL-cholesterol reductions: both protein and fibre are relevant. The moderate hypotensive activity observed in some studies is probably linked to digestion-released ACE-inhibitory peptides. The hypoglycaemic activity, observed in post-prandial studies, is due to gamma-conglutin, a specific protein fraction. All this information suggests that lupin seeds may become a source of ingredients of innovative functional foods

Analysis of Narrow-Leaf Lupin Proteins in Lupin-Enriched Pasta by Untargeted and Targeted Mass Spectrometry

The supplementation of different food items with grain legumes and, in particular, with lupin has been demonstrated to provide useful health benefits, especially in the area of cardiovascular disease prevention. In this work, label free quantitative untargeted and targeted approaches based on liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) for investigating the protein profile of three pasta samples containing different percentages of narrow-leaf lupin flour were carried out. The untargeted method permitted the identification of the main acidic globulins (\u3b1-conglutin, \u3b2-conglutin, and \u3b4-conglutin) and the comparison of their profile with raw lupin flour. The targeted method, based on High-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry HPLC-Chip-Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode, allowed the quantification of \u3b3-conglutin, the main hypoglycemic component of lupin protein: its concentration was around 2.25 mg/g in sample A, 2.16 mg/g in sample D, and 0.57 mg/g in sample F

Optical Mass Estimates of Galaxy Clusters

We evaluate in a homogeneous way the optical masses of 170 nearby clusters (z< 0.15). The sample includes both data from the literature and the new ENACS data (Katgert et al. 1996, 1998). On the assumption that mass follows the galaxy distribution, we compute the masses of each cluster by applying the virial theorem to the member galaxies. We constrain the masses of very substructured clusters (about 10% of our clusters) between two limiting values. After appropriate rescaling to the X-ray radii, we compare our optical mass estimates to those derived from X-ray analyses, which we compiled from the literature (for 66 clusters). We find a good overall agreement. This agreement is expected in the framework of two common assumptions: that mass follows the galaxy distribution, and that clusters are not far from a situation of dynamical equilibrium with both gas and galaxies reflecting the same underlying mass distribution. We stress that our study strongly supports the reliability of present cluster mass estimates derived from X-ray analyses and/or (appropriate) optical analyses.Comment: 13 pages, 7 eps figures, tables are not included, USE LaTeX2e !!, accepted by Ap

Optical/X-ray/radio view of Abell 1213: A galaxy cluster with anomalous diffuse radio emission

Context. Abell 1213, a low-richness galaxy system, is known to host an anomalous radio halo detected in data of the VLA. It is an outlier with regard to the relation between the radio halo power and the X-ray luminosity of the parent clusters. Aims. Our aim is to analyze the cluster in the optical, X-ray, and radio bands to characterize the environment of its diffuse radio emission and to shed new light on its nature. Methods. We used optical data from the SDSS to study the internal dynamics of the cluster. We also analyzed archival XMM-Newton X-ray data to unveil the properties of its hot intracluster medium. Finally, we used recent data from LOFAR at 144 MHz, together with VLA data at 1.4 GHz, to study the spectral behavior of the diffuse radio source. Results. Both our optical and X-ray analysis reveal that this low-mass cluster exhibits disturbed dynamics. In fact, it is composed of several galaxy groups in the peripheral regions and, in particular, in the core, where we find evidence of substructures oriented in the NE-SW direction, with hints of a merger nearly along the line of sight. The analysis of the X-ray emission adds further evidence that the cluster is in an unrelaxed dynamical state. At radio wavelengths, the LOFAR data show that the diffuse emission is ~510 kpc in size. Moreover, there are hints of low-surface-brightness emission permeating the cluster center. Conclusions. The environment of the diffuse radio emission is not what we would expect for a classical halo. The spectral index map of the radio source is compatible with a relic interpretation, possibly due to a merger in the N-S or NE-SW directions, in agreement with the substructures detected through the optical analysis. The fragmented, diffuse radio emissions at the cluster center could be attributed to the surface brightness peaks of a faint central radio halo.Comment: 14 pages, 16 figures, 5 tables. In press on Astronomy & Astrophysics. Paper resubmitted after revision by the language edito

Potential role of non-soy grain legumes in preventing hypercholesterolemia

Although the health benefits provided by soy protein are known from decades, especially in the area of cholesterol control, non-soy legumes have been only rarely investigated. This is a pity considering the environmental relevance of these seeds: indeed a better knowledge of their beneficial role in the diet may become an important tool to promote their consumption. We summarize here available results either from animal investigations or human trials in the area of hypercholesterolemia prevention. This body of data indicates that a regular consumption of grain legumes is useful for maintaining a correct lipid profile

K-band Properties of Well-Sampled Groups of Galaxies

We use a sample of 55 groups and 6 clusters of galaxies ranging in mass from 7 x 10^11 Msun to 1.5 x 10^15 Msun to examine the correlation of the Ks-band luminosity with mass discovered by Lin et al. (2003). We use the 2MASS catalog and published redshifts to construct complete magnitude limited redshift surveys of the groups. From these surveys we explore the IR photometric properties of groups members including their IR color distribution and luminosity function. Although we find no significant difference between the group Ks luminosity function and the general field, there is a difference between the color distribution of luminous group members and their counterparts (generally background) in the field. There is a significant population of luminous galaxies with H-Ks > 0.35 which are rarely, if ever, members of the groups in our sample. The most luminous galaxies which populate the groups have a very narrow range of IR color. Over the entire mass range covered by our sample, the Ks luminosity increases with mass as L ~ M^(0.64 +/- 0.06) implying that the mass-to-light ratio in the Ks-band increases with mass. The agreement between this result and earlier investigations of essentially non-overlapping sets of systems shows that this window in galaxy formation and evolution is insensitive to the selection of the systems and to the details of the mass and luminosity computations.Comment: 38 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication on Astronomical Journa

Tele-medicine versus face-to-face consultation in Endocrine Outpatients Clinic during COVID-19 outbreak: a single-center experience during the lockdown period

The COVID-19 outbreak in Italy is the major concern of Public Health in 2020: measures of containment were progressively expanded, limiting Outpatients' visit

Clinical presentation and management of acromegaly in elderly patients

Background and aim: Acromegaly is a rare disease with a peak of incidence in early adulthood. However, enhanced awareness of this disease, combined with wide availability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has increased the diagnosis of forms with mild presentation, especially in elderly patients. Moreover, due to increased life expectancy and proactive individualized treatment, patients with early-onset acromegaly are today aging. The aim of our study was to describe our cohort of elderly patients with acromegaly. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional retrospective study of 96 outpatients. Clinical, endocrine, treatment, and follow-up data were collected using the electronic database of the University Hospital of Padova, Italy. Results: We diagnosed acromegaly in 13 patients, aged 6565\ua0years, presenting with relatively small adenomas and low IGF-1 secretion. Among them, 11 patients were initially treated with medical therapy and half normalized hormonal levels after 6\ua0months without undergoing neurosurgery (TNS). Remission was achieved after TNS in three out of four patients (primary TNS in two); ten patients presented controlled acromegaly at the last visit. Acromegaly-related comorbidities (colon polyps, thyroid cancer, adrenal incidentaloma, hypertension, and bone disease) were more prevalent in patients who had an early diagnosis (31 patients, characterized by a longer follow-up of 24\ua0years) than in those diagnosed aged 6565\ua0years (5\ua0years of follow-up). Conclusions: Elderly acromegalic patients are not uncommon. Primary medical therapy is a reasonable option and is effectively used, while the rate of surgical success is not reduced. A careful cost-benefit balance is suggested. Disease-specific comorbidities are more prevalent in acromegalic patients with a longer follow-up rather than in those diagnosed aged 6565\ua0years