A Factorial experiment on <i>Citrus</i> stock/scion combinations in Sardinia

Five Citrus varieties ("Washington navel", "Tarocco", "Biondo comune", "Valencia" sweet oranges, and "Avana" mandarin) on different rootstocks (sour orange, "Troyer" citrange, citremon 1449, Poncirus trifoliata "Rubidoux", "Orlando" tangelo), and at two planting distances (4x4 m, 5x5 m) were evaluated for 3 years in a factorial experiment, with a completely randomized design. Observations were made on growth, productivity and fruit quality. Tree growth, productivity and fruit quality were affected both by variety and by rootstock and planting distance. "Valencia" and "Biondo comune" showed the best growth and yield, and "Avana" mandarin the poorest. Several differences in fruit quality were observed in the different varieties, mostly concerning fruit weight, rind thickness, juice, TSS and T A. The rootstock also affected growth, yield and fruit characteristics. The growth was decreased by "Rubidoux" trifoliate orange, while the yield was slightly increased by "Troyer", "Rubidoux" and "Orlando". "Rubidoux" and citremon improved several fruit characteristics, such as rind thickness, juice, and TSS content. As the trees were still young, planting distance did not affect growth, but some small differences were found in fruit quality. The yield/tree and the efficiency were increased by 5x5 m treatment, while the yield/ha was, on the contrary, higher in 4x4 m treatment. Finally, some interactions were found between variety and rootstock

New Treatment Options for Hyperkalemia in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Hyperkalemia may cause life-threatening cardiac and neuromuscular alterations, and it is associated with high mortality rates. Its treatment includes a multifaceted approach, guided by potassium levels and clinical presentation. In general, treatment of hyperkalemia may be directed towards stabilizing cell membrane potential, promoting transcellular potassium shift and lowering total K+ body content. The latter can be obtained by dialysis, or by increasing potassium elimination by urine or the gastrointestinal tract. Until recently, the only therapeutic option for increasing fecal K+ excretion was represented by the cation-exchanging resin sodium polystyrene sulfonate. However, despite its common use, the efficacy of this drug has been poorly studied in controlled studies, and concerns about its safety have been reported. Interestingly, new drugs, namely patiromer and sodium zirconium cyclosilicate, have been developed to treat hyperkalemia by increasing gastrointestinal potassium elimination. These medications have proved their efficacy and safety in large clinical trials, involving subjects at high risk of hyperkalemia, such as patients with heart failure and chronic kidney disease. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of action and the updated data of patiromer and sodium zirconium cyclosilicate, considering that the availability of these new treatment options offers the possibility of improving the management of both acute and chronic hyperkalemia

Dependence of the Ce(III)/Ce(IV) ratio on intracellular localization in ceria nanoparticles internalized by human cells

CeO2 nanoparticles (CNPs) have been investigated as promising antioxidant agents with significant activity in the therapy of diseases involving free radicals or oxidative stress. However, the exact mechanism responsible for CNP activity has not been completely elucidated. In particular, in situ evidence of modification of the oxidative state of CNPs in human cells and their evolution during cell internalization and subsequent intracellular distribution has never been presented. In this study we investigated modification of the Ce(iii)/Ce(iv) ratio following internalization in human cells by X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). From this analysis on cell pellets, we observed that CNPs incubated for 24 h showed a significant increase in Ce(iii). By coupling on individual cells synchrotron micro-X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) with micro-XANES (μXANES) we demonstrated that the Ce(iii)/Ce(iv) ratio is also dependent on CNP intracellular localization. The regions with the highest CNP concentrations, suggested to be endolysosomes by transmission electron microscopy, were characterized by Ce atoms in the Ce(iv) oxidation state, while a higher Ce(iii) content was observed in regions surrounding these areas. These observations suggest that the interaction of CNPs with cells involves a complex mechanism in which different cellular areas play different roles

Cervical stump carcinoma therapy

59 patients with cervical stump cancer were reviewed. A distinction was made between true and coincident cancer. Histological features, therapeutic plan and survival rates are reported. In stage I treatment was mainly surgical, while in more advanced stages radiation therapy was applied. In 22.2% of cases combined surgical-radiation therapy was performed. The absolute 5-year survival for various clinical stages is as follows: stage I, 88.2%; stage II, 53.8%; stage III, 42.8%; stage IV, 0.0%. The overall absolute 5-year survival rate for all stages combined is 60.9%. Individualization of therapy can offer to the patient with cervical stump carcinoma a survival similar to the patient with cervical neoplasm with intact uterus

Iron-cobalt nanocrystalline alloy supported on a cubic mesostructured silica matrix: FeCo/SBA-16 porous nanocomposites

A series of novel nanocomposites constituted of FeCo nanoparticles dispersed in an ordered cubic Im3m mesoporous silica matrix (SBA-16) have been successfully synthesized using the wet impregnation method. SBA-16, prepared using the non-ionic Pluronic 127 triblock copolymer as a structuredirecting agent, is an excellent support for catalytic nanoparticles because of its peculiar three-dimensional cage-like structure, high surface area, thick walls, and high thermal stability. Low-angle X-ray diffraction, N2 physisorption, and transmission electron microscopy analyses show that after metal loading, calcination at 500 C, and reduction in H2 flux at 800 C, the nanocomposites retain the wellordered structure of the matrix with cubic symmetry of pores. FeCo alloy nanoparticles with spherical shape and narrow size distribution (4–8 nm) are homogeneoulsy distributed throughout the matrix and they seem in a large extent to be allocated inside the pores

Structural characterization of FeCo alloy nanoparticles embedded in SBA-16 and their catalytic application for carbon nanotubes production

The formation of FeCo alloy nanoparticles embedded in a highly ordered 3D cubic mesoporous silica matrix (SBA-16) was thoroughly studied using several techniques. In particular, the selectivity of Extended X-ray absorption fine structure and X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy at both the Fe and Co K-edges allowed us to determine that before reduction treatment Fe and Co are present in a poorly crystalline environment, while after reduction treatment FeCo nanoparticles with the typical bcc structure are formed. FeCo alloy nanoparticles are used in several applications: biomedical (magnetic carriers for drug delivery and cell separation), magnetic (data storage) and catalytic. In this work, FeCo nanoparticles formed in situ in the SBA-16 matrix were used for the production of carbon nanotubes by catalytic chemical vapour deposition. Transmission electron microscopy indicates that good quality multi-walled carbon nanotubes are obtained

Structural and Magnetic Characterization of Synthetic Ferrihydrite Nanoparticles

Ferrihydrite is a generic term for various poorly ordered Fe(III) oxyhydroxides which are naturally occurring as nanocrystals and are believed to constitute the ferric core of ferritine, the main iron storage protein in biological systems. Unlike other iron oxides, the exact structure and composition of ferrihydrite is still a matter of debate. In this work, we have prepared and characterized the two main forms of ferrihydrite referred to as 2-lines and 6-lines, on the basis of the number of reflections observed in the (X-ray) diffraction pattern. Thermal and textural properties have been studied; structural characterization has been performed by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (EXAFS and XANES). The structure of the two forms results to be quite similar. The study of the magnetic properties indicates that the small differences between the 2-lines and 6-lines ferrihydrite samples are mainly caused by the different weight of the magnetic spins located on the particle surface, related to the different nanoparticles mean size