Grapevine performances in five area of Chianti Classico

The research was carried out in the ‘Chianti Classico’ area and it was part of the ‘Chianti Classico 2000’ research project. The performances ‘Sangiovese’ grapevine (clone ‘SSF-A548’) grafted on ‘1103P’ and ‘420A’ rootstocks, were evaluated during a six years period, on five experimental vineyards located in the Province of Florence and Siena. The vineyards were established at a density of 3500 plants per hectare, trained to horizontal spur cordon (m 0.7 from the ground) with 30000 buds per hectare. The main meteorological data were monitored by automatic stations and soil analysis was performed at the beginning of the trials. Vines were planted in a randomized block design with four or five replication according to the vineyard size and uniformity. During six consecutive years on 30 plants from each thesis were carried out the following observations: phenology earliness (budbreak, veraison), bud fertility, bunch weight, and yield and pruning weight per plant, must characteristics of the berries at harvest. Physical and chemical analysis of wines obtained from microvinification (made in 500 L containers), were also performed. The climatic differences resulted among the zones of the ‘Chianti Classico’ examined, had a significant effect on vine phenology also in relationship with altitude, which together to soil characteristics contributed to affect the agronomic behaviour of the three varieties, the must composition and the wine characteristics. Discriminant analysis allowed distinguishing some sites, whose differences can be ascribed to the territorial influence on the vegetative and productive activity of the grapevine, berry ripening and wine composition. Hierarchical influences due to clone ‘SSF-A548’ according to the site and year are presented

Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) layers from silicate/phosphate baths on Ti-6Al-4V for biomedical components: Influence of deposition conditions and surface finishing on dry sliding behaviour

Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) layers were produced on Ti-6Al-4V in different conditions, so as to assess the influence of layer structure, current mode, duty cycle and surface finishing on microstructural features and tribological behavior. In DC regime, the double-layer structure (silicate bath followed by phosphate bath) beneficially affected wear resistance. In unipolar pulsed DC (phosphate bath), the wear resistance of single layers improved with increasing duty cycle, due to improved microstructure and adhesion: high duty cycle single layers can be considered an alternative to double-layer deposition. Surface finishing by abrasive blasting with spheroidal glass beads leads to surface roughness decrease and hence to decreased friction and improved wear resistance. The best-performing PEO layers showed promising results in the comparison with reference materials such as CoCrMo (both uncoated and (Ti,Nb)N PVD-coated) and PVD-coated Ti-6Al-4V up to 30 N normal load

Secondo Convegno Nazionale della Società Italiana di Scienze Sensoriali

Over the last decade there has been a growing interest in sensory science in Italy. This has clearly resulted in an increase in the number of researchers engaged in this sector and the number of companies that exploit sensory evaluations for product innovation and enhancement and in quality control. In Italy, in the sphere of the valorisation of prestige foodstuffs there is an increasing sensitivity towards the adoption of strict methods for describing the sensory properties of the products and ascertaining compliance with defined sensory standards. The Società Italiana di Scienze Sensoriali has played a decisive role in activating and guiding this development. Pursuing this approach, in 2008 the Society organised the 2nd National Convention as an occasion for exchange among professionals working in the field of sensory science

Berberine and Dyslipidemia: Different Applications and Biopharmaceutical Formulations Without Statin-Like Molecules—A Meta-Analysis

The aim of this study was to analyze the efficacy of berberine taken alone or in other formulations (with silymarin or other mixtures) on dyslipidemia through a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis. A systematic investigation was conducted on 19 studies that were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Both controlled trials (n = 12) and cross-sectional trials (n = 7) were included. The following formulations were examined: berberine used alone (n = 5), berberine combined with silymarin (n = 8), and other mixture containing berberine (n = 6). A meta-analysis was performed using a fixed-effects model and meta-regression. Total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides were considered. Moreover, possible associations of each parameter with age and the dose and duration of the treatment were analyzed. The data obtained showed a significant reduction in TC and LDL cholesterol for each formulation. A reduction in triglycerides was also observed for both TC and LDL but with a smaller impact. As regards HDL, a slight increase was observed, but it was not statistically significant. The formulation of berberine in association with silymarin was found to have the greatest impact on TC, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides. The greater efficacy of the formulation consisting of berberine associated with silymarin can probably be accounted for by the fact that the latter increases the bioavailability of berberine. However, it is necessary to carry out further clinical studies to better define the efficacy of the treatment and which patients show the best response

Nutraceuticals and Herbal Food Supplements for Weight Loss: Is There a Prebiotic Role in the Mechanism of Action?

Numerous nutraceuticals and botanical food supplements are used with the intention of modulating body weight. A recent review examined the main food supplements used in weight loss, dividing them according to the main effects for which they were investigated. The direct or indirect effects exerted on the intestinal microbiota can also contribute to the effectiveness of these substances. The aim of this review is to evaluate whether any prebiotic effects, which could help to explain their efficacy or ineffectiveness, are documented in the recent literature for the main nutraceuticals and herbal food supplements used for weight loss management. Several prebiotic effects have been reported for various nutraceutical substances, which have shown activity on Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp., Akkermansia muciniphila, Faecalibacterium prausnitzi, Roseburia spp., and the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. Different prebiotics have beneficial effects on weight and the related metabolic profile, in some cases even acting on the microbiota with mechanisms that are completely independent from those nutraceuticals for which certain products are normally used. Further studies are necessary to clarify the different levels at which a nutraceutical substance can exert its action

Clinical effects of Streptococcus salivarius K12 in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: results of a preliminary study

Anatomical and physiological considerations indicate that the oral cavity is a primary source of the lung microbiota community, and recent studies have shown that the microbiota in the lungs contributes to immunological homeostasis, potentially altering the organ’s susceptibility to viral infection, including SARS-CoV-2. It has been proposed that, in the case of viral infection, lung Gram-negative bacteria could promote the cytokine cascade with a better performance than a microbiota mainly constituted by Gram-positive bacteria. Recent observations also suggest that Prevotella-rich oral microbiotas would dominate the oral cavity of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. In comparison, Streptococcus-rich microbiotas would dominate the oral cavity of healthy people. To verify if the modulation of the oral microbiota could have an impact on the current coronavirus disease, we administered for 14 days a well-recognized and oral-colonizing probiotic (S. salivarius K12) to hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The preliminary results of our randomized and controlled trial seem to prove the potential role of this oral strain in improving the course of the main markers of pathology, as well as its ability to apparently reduce the death rate from COVID-19. Although in a preliminary and only circumstantial way, our results seem to confirm the hypothesis of a direct involvement of the oral microbiota in the construction of a lung microbiota whose taxonomic structure could modulate the inflammatory processes generated at the pulmonary and systemic level by a viral infection

Quercetin as a possible complementary agent for early-stage COVID-19: concluding results of a randomized clinical trial

Background: Quercetin, a natural polyphenol with demonstrated broad-spectrum antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, has been proposed as an adjuvant for early-stage coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Objective: To explore the possible therapeutic effect of quercetin in outpatients with early-stage mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19. Methods: This was an open-label randomized controlled clinical trial conducted at the department of medicine, King Edward Medical University, Lahore, PK. Patients were randomized to receive either standard of care (SC) plus an oral quercetin supplement (500 mg Quercetin Phytosome®, 1st week, TDS: 2nd week, BDS) (n = 50, quercetin group) or SC alone (n = 50, control group). Results: After one week of treatment, patients in the quercetin group showed a speedy recovery from COVID-19 as compared to the control group, i.e., 34 patients (vs. 12 in the control group) tested negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (p = 0.0004), and 26 patients (vs. 12 in the control group) had their COVID-19-associated acute symptoms resolved (p = 0.0051). Patients in the quercetin group also showed a significant fall in the serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) mean values i.e., from 406.56 ± 183.92 to 257.74 ± 110.73 U/L, p = 0.0001. Quercetin was well-tolerated by all the 50 patients, and no side effects were reported. Conclusion: Our results, suggest the possible therapeutic role of quercetin in early-stage COVID-19, including speedy clearance of SARS-CoV-2, early resolution of the acute symptoms and modulation of the host’s hyperinflammatory response. Clinical Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT04861298

Correlation between volatile composition and sensory properties in Spanish Albariño wines

To characterize the flavour of Albariño wines, a total of 35 samples representing five geographic areas from Denomination of Origin Rías Baixas were analyzed by sensory descriptive analysis and instrumental analysis (GC-FID). The objective of this work was to study the correlation between instrumental analysis and sensory perception of wine constituents. The results of the investigation were presented by means of multivariate modelling methods such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and partial least squares regression (PLSR). Principal Component Analysis showed the distribution of the wines based on chemical and sensory characteristics. The relationships between sensory descriptors and volatile compounds of Albariño wines were studied by Pearson correlation and partial least squares regression (PLSR). The compounds that mostly contributed to the flavour of Albariño wines in instrumental analysis were those related to fruity (ethyl esters and acetates) and floral aromas (monoterpenes). Similar results were found in sensory analysis where the descriptors with the highest Geometric Mean were fruity and floral aromas too (citric, flowers, fruit, ripe fruit, apple and tropical). Therefore, this work demonstrates that some relationships between sensory data and volatile compounds exist to asses sensory properties in Albariño wines.Xunta de Galicia (Spain)

Functional Conservation of the Drosophila gooseberry Gene and Its Evolutionary Alleles

The Drosophila Pax gene gooseberry (gsb) is required for development of the larval cuticle and CNS, survival to adulthood, and male fertility. These functions can be rescued in gsb mutants by two gsb evolutionary alleles, gsb-Prd and gsb-Pax3, which express the Drosophila Paired and mouse Pax3 proteins under the control of gooseberry cis-regulatory region. Therefore, both Paired and Pax3 proteins have conserved all the Gsb functions that are required for survival of embryos to fertile adults, despite the divergent primary sequences in their C-terminal halves. As gsb-Prd and gsb-Pax3 uncover a gsb function involved in male fertility, construction of evolutionary alleles may provide a powerful strategy to dissect hitherto unknown gene functions. Our results provide further evidence for the essential role of cis-regulatory regions in the functional diversification of duplicated genes during evolution