Tamarindus indica: proprietà e applicazioni nel trattamento del discomfort all' uso delle lenti a contatto e nell' occhio secco marginale

Il presente lavoro si articola in sei capitoli. Nel primo capitolo vengono fornite le indicazioni generali riguardanti l’habitat e le nozioni prettamente botaniche del Tamarindus indica. Il secondo capitolo fornisce un’indicazione delle proprietà terapeutiche possedute dalle diverse parti dal Tamarindus indica, che sono quindi sfruttate nell’industria farmaceutica. Il terzo capitolo è interamente dedicato al TSP (Tamarind Seed Polysaccharide), un polisaccaride ramificato mucomimetico, mucoadesivo e bioadesivo, estratto dai semi del Tamarandus indica, che rappresenta l’eccipiente comune di tutte le formulazioni oftalmiche prese in esame nei capitoli successivi. Il quarto capitolo è infatti completamente dedicato alla trattazione di una innovativa tipologia di lenti a contatto contenenti TSP e HA nella matrice polimerica, il cui scopo è fornire un approccio tecnico scientifico ai problemi oramai evidenti di occhio secco che insorgono con il porto delle lenti stesse. Il capitolo successivo prende in esame gli studi che nel coso degli anni sono stati effettuati per quanto concerne l’uso del TSP in formulazioni ad uso oftalmico, ed in particolare riguardanti il suo impiego come eccipiente in sistemi di somministrazione topica a rilascio prolungato, come polisaccaride capace di fornire protezione dai raggi UV-B ed incrementare il tasso di guarigione delle ferite oculari. Infine il sesto capitolo, dopo un breve excursus riguardante la sindrome dell’occhio secco marginale, è dedicato all’analisi delle proprietà che rendono l’applicazione di sostituti lacrimali a base di TSP una valida proposta per il trattamento di tale sindrome.ope

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

BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine does not impact the honeymoon phase in type 1 diabetes: a case report

Type 1 diabetes (T1D), which is caused by the autoimmune destruction of insulin-secreting pancreatic beta cells, represents a high-risk category requiring COVID-19 vaccine prioritization. Although COVID-19 vaccination can lead to transient hyperglycemia (vaccination-induced hyperglycemia; ViHG), its influence on the course of the clinical remission phase of T1D (a.k.a. "honeymoon phase") is currently unknown. Recently, there has been an increasing concern that COVID-19 vaccination may trigger autoimmune phenomena. We describe the case of a 24-year-old young Italian man with T1D who received two doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech) COVID-19 vaccine during a prolonged honeymoon phase. He experienced a transient impairment in glucose control (as evidenced by continuous glucose monitoring) that was not associated with substantial changes in stimulated C-peptide levels and islet autoantibody titers. Nonetheless, large prospective studies are needed to confirm the safety and the immunometabolic impact of the BNT162b2 vaccine in T1D patients during the honeymoon phase. Thus far, T1D patients who are going to receive COVID-19 vaccination should be warned about the possible occurrence of transient ViHG and should undergo strict postvaccination surveillance

Tolerogenic IL-10-engineered dendritic cell-based therapy to restore antigen-specific tolerance in T cell mediated diseases

Tolerogenic dendritic cells play a critical role in promoting antigen-specific tolerance via dampening of T cell responses, induction of pathogenic T cell exhaustion and antigen-specific regulatory T cells. Here we efficiently generate tolerogenic dendritic cells by genetic engineering of monocytes with lentiviral vectors co-encoding for immunodominant antigen-derived peptides and IL-10. These transduced dendritic cells (designated DCIL-10/Ag) secrete IL-10 and efficiently downregulate antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses from healthy subjects and celiac disease patients in vitro. In addition, DCIL-10/Ag induce antigen-specific CD49b+LAG-3+ T cells, which display the T regulatory type 1 (Tr1) cell gene signature. Administration of DCIL-10/Ag resulted in the induction of antigen-specific Tr1 cells in chimeric transplanted mice and the prevention of type 1 diabetes in pre-clinical disease models. Subsequent transfer of these antigen-specific T cells completely prevented type 1 diabetes development. Collectively these data indicate that DCIL-10/Ag represent a platform to induce stable antigen-specific tolerance to control T-cell mediated diseases

Exploring olive genetic diversity in the Maltese Islands

comprehensive effort was devoted to exploring, collecting and characterizing the local Maltese olive germplasm, often represented by ancient, monumental trees and by plants of uncertain origin. SSR and cp-SSR analysis of all samples enabled the identification of 46 genotypes and establishment of the correspondence between ancient trees, main local varieties and other Mediterranean cultivars. The application of plastid markers enabled identification of two lineages among Maltese genotypes, with more than 50% represented by lineage E2. Twenty-nine cases of grafting were identified among the various genotypes and lineages. In most cases, E1 canopies were grafted on E2 rootstocks, but reverse cases were also observed. The phylogenetic study of Maltese genotypes, together with hundreds of cultivars from the Mediterranean Basin and beyond, highlights the richness of Maltese olive diversity and drawing attention to the genetic similarity of some Maltese olive genotypes with neighboring Italian and Algerian varieties. These results underline the long-lasting presence of the olive in the country, contributing to the reconstruction of its phylogeny and demonstrating a possible autochthonous origin of many samples. Some still-living ancient trees are at serious risk of extinction due to abandonment, urban expansion and environmental threats. This study supports the preservation of the Maltese olive germplasm and highlights its importance as a rich genetic source to face new agronomical challenges and future climatic constraints.This research was funded by GAL XLOKK of Malta as a part of Measure 19.3 of the EU LEADER Program 2014–2020.peer-reviewe

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

CMS physics technical design report : Addendum on high density QCD with heavy ions

Peer reviewe

Tamarindus indica: proprietà e applicazioni nel trattamento del discomfort all' uso delle lenti a contatto e nell' occhio secco marginale

Il presente lavoro si articola in sei capitoli. Nel primo capitolo vengono fornite le indicazioni generali riguardanti l’habitat e le nozioni prettamente botaniche del Tamarindus indica. Il secondo capitolo fornisce un’indicazione delle proprietà terapeutiche possedute dalle diverse parti dal Tamarindus indica, che sono quindi sfruttate nell’industria farmaceutica. Il terzo capitolo è interamente dedicato al TSP (Tamarind Seed Polysaccharide), un polisaccaride ramificato mucomimetico, mucoadesivo e bioadesivo, estratto dai semi del Tamarandus indica, che rappresenta l’eccipiente comune di tutte le formulazioni oftalmiche prese in esame nei capitoli successivi. Il quarto capitolo è infatti completamente dedicato alla trattazione di una innovativa tipologia di lenti a contatto contenenti TSP e HA nella matrice polimerica, il cui scopo è fornire un approccio tecnico scientifico ai problemi oramai evidenti di occhio secco che insorgono con il porto delle lenti stesse. Il capitolo successivo prende in esame gli studi che nel coso degli anni sono stati effettuati per quanto concerne l’uso del TSP in formulazioni ad uso oftalmico, ed in particolare riguardanti il suo impiego come eccipiente in sistemi di somministrazione topica a rilascio prolungato, come polisaccaride capace di fornire protezione dai raggi UV-B ed incrementare il tasso di guarigione delle ferite oculari. Infine il sesto capitolo, dopo un breve excursus riguardante la sindrome dell’occhio secco marginale, è dedicato all’analisi delle proprietà che rendono l’applicazione di sostituti lacrimali a base di TSP una valida proposta per il trattamento di tale sindrome

Silicon Strip Detectors for LHC: Comprehensive Process and Device Analysis

In this paper, the application of technology CAD methodologies to design and optimization of Silicon Microstrip Detectors is described. More specifically, extensive use of both process and device simulation has been made, in order to predict the performance of DC and AC-coupled detectors being fabricated at CSEM SA Neuchatel, Switzerland, in the framework of a CERN R&D collaboration. Such devices, intended to be part of the CMS-project Si-Tracker, have also been extensively tested at the INFN laboratories in Perugia, Italy. Satisfactory agreement between measured and simulated data has been found. This validates the proposed approch, which allows fo fast and inexpensive characterization of "virtual" devices

Vómito, sialorrea y regurgitación como signos clínicos de convulsiones epilépticas focales autonómicas en tres perros

Las convulsiones epilépticas focales se originan en una localización focal del cerebro con descargas eléctricas anormales que pueden suceder por distintas causas, y pueden ocurrir en un bajo porcentaje de animales; son signos diferentes a la típica mioclonía tónico-clónica. El objetivo del presente trabajo es exponer casos clínicos de perros que presentaron vómitos, sialorrea y regurgitación como signos clínicos de convulsiones epilépticas focales. Estos perros, además de presentar tales signos digestivos mencionados, no mostraron alteraciones reveladoras en los datos de laboratorio ni en los métodos complementarios de imágenes solicitados. Debido a la escasa respuesta terapéutica y al empeoramiento de la condición de los pacientes (pérdida de peso severa), luego de descartar causas periféricas de vómitos y/o regurgitación, se consideró la posibilidad de que el estímulo del vómito fuera central. Por lo tanto, se realizó un electroencefalograma (EEG). En todos los casos el trazado del EEG evidenció anomalías. Dada las condiciones clínicas descritas, se implementó el tratamiento con fenobarbital y la evolución de los tres casos clínicos fue favorable. Los perros con presencia de convulsiones epilépticas focales autonómicas pueden presentar una variada sintomatología clínica que depende de las regiones cerebrales dañadas que las producen. Por eso es importante tener en cuenta dentro de los diferenciales de signos clínicos que pueden tener origen central como el vómito, principalmente cuando la causa permanece sin ser diagnosticadas, la epilepsia focal autonómic