Effects of Losartan and Irbesartan administration on brain angiotensinogen mRNA levels

Losartan, 2-n-butyl-4-chloro-5-hydroxymethyl-1-[(2'(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-biphenil-4-yl)methyl] imidazole, and Irbesartan, 2-n-butyl-3-[(2'-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-biphenyl-4-yl)methyl]-1,3-diaza-spiro[4,4]non -1-en-4-one, are two angiotensin AT1 receptor antagonists largely used in human health care as antihypertensive agents. Their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and to influence the central renin-angiotensin system are widely investigated, but how this brain system responds to the subchronic and chronic block of the angiotensin AT1 receptor is still unknown. Normotensive rats were intragastrically implanted for 7- and 30-day administration, with a dose of 3 and 30 mg/kg body weight. Treatments were shown to influence, in a dose-, time- and brain-area-dependent manner, angiotensinogen mRNA levels in scanned areas. This study showed a general up-regulation of angiotensinogen mRNA expression after 7 days and a widespread down-regulation or basal level of expression after a 30-day administration of two angiotensin AT1 receptor antagonists

Italian and Argentine olive oils: a NMR and gas chromatographic study

High-field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography (GC) were used to analyze 16 monovarietal olive oils obtained from few matched Mediterranean cultivars grown in experimental fields located in Italy and in the Catamarca region of Argentina. The Catamarca region is characterized by extreme pedoclimatic conditions and by a wild spontaneous vegetation. The proposed sampling allows to study the effect of different pedoclimatic conditions on olive oil composition. GC gives the fatty acid profile of olive oil samples. 1H and 13C NMR techniques provide different information: the 1H NMR spectrum allows the measurement of minor components of olive oils such as b-sytosterol, hexanal, trans-2-hexenal, formaldehyde, squalene, cycloartenol and linolenic acid; the 1C NMR spectrum allows to obtain information about glycerol tri-esters of olive oils, i.e., about their acyl composition and positional distribution on glycerol moiety. All the NMR and GC results have been submitted to Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Tree Cluster Analysis (TCA). A careful analysis of the statistical results allows to select the Mediterranean cultivars less affected by the climatic conditions present in the Catamarca region. The selected cultivars produce olive oils which keep their Mediterranean characteristics and which can be proposed as colonizing plants in this wild Argentine region.La espectroscopía de Resonancia Magnética Nuclear de alta resolución (RMN) y Cromatografía Gaseosa (CG) fueron utilizadas para analizar 16 monovariedades de aceites de oliva, obtenidas de algunos olivares Mediterráneos cultivados contemporáneamente en campos experimentales localizados en Italia y en la región de Catamarca en Argentina. Estas muestras permiten estudiar diferentes condiciones pedoclimáticas en la composición de los aceite de oliva. La CG proporciona el perfil en ácidos grasos de los aceites de oliva y las técnicas RMN 1H y RMN 13C suministran diferentes informaciones: el espectro RMN 1H permite medir los componentes menores del aceite de oliva tales como b-sitoesterol, hexanol, trans - 2 hexanol, formaldehido, escualeno, cicloartenol y ácido linolénico y el espectro RMN 13C da información referente a los triésteres de glicerol de los aceites de oliva, por ejemplo, la composición y distribución de la posición acílica en el glicerol. Los datos de CG y RMN han sido sometidos a un análisis discriminante lineal (LDA) y a un análisis cluster en árbol (TCA). Un minucioso análisis de estos resultados ha permitido seleccionar olivares que han sido menos afectados por las condiciones climáticas presentes en la región de Catamarca. Los olivares seleccionados producen aceites de oliva que pueden mantener sus características Mediterráneas y pueden ser propuestos como plantas colonizantes en esta región silvestre de Argentina

Energy Recovery in Water Distribution Networks. Implementation of Pumps as Turbine in a Dynamic Numerical Model

In complex networks characterized by the presence of private tanks, water managers usually apply intermittent distribution, thus reducing the water volumes supplied to the users, or use Pressure Reduction Valves (PRV) for controlling pressure in the network. The application of Pump As Turbines (PATs) appears as an alternative and sustainable solution to either control network pressure as well as to produce energy. In the present paper, the hydrodynamic model, already presented by De Marchis et al. (2011) was further developed introducing the dynamic analysis of PATs. The model was applied to a district of Palermo network (Italy) characterized by intermittent distribution and by inequities among the user in term of water supply. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd

Evaluation of the apparent losses caused by water meter under-registration in intermittent water supply

Apparent losses are usually caused by water theft, billing errors, or revenue meter under-registration. While the first two causes are directly related to water utility management and may be reduced by improving company procedures, water meter inaccuracies are considered to be the most significant and hardest to quantify. Water meter errors are amplified in networks subjected to water scarcity, where users adopt private storage tanks to cope with the intermittent water supply. The aim of this paper is to analyse the role of two variables influencing the apparent losses: water meter age and the private storage tank effect on meter performance. The study was carried out in Palermo (Italy). The impact of water meter ageing was evaluated in laboratory by testing 180 revenue meters, ranging from 0 to 45 years in age. The effects of the private water tanks were determined via field monitoring of real users and a mathematical model. This study demonstrates that the impact on apparent losses from the meter starting flow rapidly increases with meter age. Private water tanks, usually fed by a float valve, overstate meter under-registration, producing additional apparent losses between 15% and 40% for the users analysed in this study