Polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in rat tissues after chronic treatment with dietetic oils

BACKGROUND: The essential fatty acids can be helpful in the prevention of several pathologies. The purpose of this study was to quantify the major n‐3 and n‐6 fatty acids in tissues of rats fed with flaxseed oil and with a dietetic oil in order to evaluate how their chronic supplementation could influence the correspondent in vivo levels and to study the effectiveness of the dietetic oil compared to flaxseed oil. RESULTS: Fatty acids were successfully extracted from biological samples, subjected to derivatization procedure and analysed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with UV detection under gradient elution mode. The developed method showed good linearity, precision and accuracy, with recoveries ranging from 89% to 92%. Animals treated with flaxseed and dietetic oils showed enhanced levels of n‐3 fatty acids compared to control groups, with significantly higher levels of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in the brain and in the adipose tissue of the dietetic group compared to the flaxseed group. CONCLUSION: The obtained data underline that the tested oils can effectively enhance the tissue levels of n‐3 fatty acids and therefore they could be successfully used in the dietetic treatment of lipid‐related diseases. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Possible impacts of Hg and PAH contamination on benthic foraminiferal assemblages: an example from the Sicilian coast, central Mediterranean

The Palermo and Augusta urban/industrial areas (Sicily) are examples of contaminated coastal environments with a relatively high influx of unregulated industrial and domestic effluents. Three sediment box-cores were collected offshore of these urban/industrial areas in water depths of 60-150 m during two cruises (summers 2003/2004), dated by (210)Pb and (137)Cs, and analysed for total mercury concentration and total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages were also examined (in terms of their distribution and morphology) to assess the potential use of benthic foraminifera as bioindicators of pollutant input and environmental change in these Mediterranean shelf environments. The Hg and PAHs vs depth profiles show a clear increase in concentration with decreasing depth. Most of the sediments are highly enriched in mercury and show concentrations more than 20 times the background mercury value estimated for sediments from the Sicily Strait. The Hg and PAH concentrations appear to be potentially hazardous, grossly exceeding national and international regulatory guidelines. A reduction in abundance of benthic foraminifera, increasing percentages of tests with various morphological deformities, and the dominance of opportunistic species in more recent sediments can be correlated to anthropogenic impact.     

Effect of oil phase lipophilicity on in vitro drug release from o/w microemulsions with low surfactant content

In this work we investigated the effects of oil phase lipophilicity on in vitro drug release from topical o/w microemulsions (MEs) containing low percentages of emulsifiers. Three different lipids, isopropyl myristate (IPM), isopropyl palmitate (IPP), and isopropyl stearate (IPS), whose lipophilicity increased in the order IPM < IPP 相似文献   

Oxidation of Benzene to Phenol with Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by a Modified Titanium Silicalite (TS‐1B)

The hydroxylation of benzene to phenol with hydrogen peroxide was investigated using different solvents and a series of catalysts, obtained by modification of titanium silicalite (TS‐1). The best results were obtained after post‐synthesis treatment of TS‐1 with NH₄HF₂ and H₂O₂. The new catalyst (TS‐1B), used in the presence of a particular co‐solvent (sulfolane) is able to protect the produced phenol from over‐oxidation and dramatically enhanced the selectivity of the reaction.     

New Candidates for Autism/Intellectual Disability Identified by Whole-Exome Sequencing

Intellectual disability (ID) is characterized by impairments in the cognitive processes and in the tasks of daily life. It encompasses a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders often associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Social and communication abilities are strongly compromised in ASD. The prevalence of ID/ASD is 1–3%, and approximately 30% of the patients remain without a molecular diagnosis. Considering the extreme genetic locus heterogeneity, next-generation sequencing approaches have provided powerful tools for candidate gene identification. Molecular diagnosis is crucial to improve outcome, prevent complications, and hopefully start a therapeutic approach. Here, we performed parent–offspring trio whole-exome sequencing (WES) in a cohort of 60 mostly syndromic ID/ASD patients and we detected 8 pathogenic variants in genes already known to be associated with ID/ASD (SYNGAP1, SMAD6, PACS1, SHANK3, KMT2A, KCNQ2, ACTB, and POGZ). We found four de novo disruptive variants of four novel candidate ASD/ID genes: MBP, PCDHA1, PCDH15, PDPR. We additionally selected via bioinformatic tools many variants in unknown genes that alone or in combination can contribute to the phenotype. In conclusion, our data confirm the efficacy of WES in detecting pathogenic variants of known and novel ID/ASD genes.     

The Protective Role of Prolyl Oligopeptidase (POP) Inhibition in Kidney Injury Induced by Renal Ischemia–Reperfusion

Ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) is a complex pathophysiological process characterized by blood circulation disorder caused by various factors, such as traumatic shock, surgery, organ transplantation, and thrombus. Severe metabolic dysregulation and tissue structure destruction are observed upon restoration of blood flow to the ischemic tissue. The kidney is a highly perfused organ, sensitive to ischemia and reperfusion injury, and the incidence of renal IRI has high morbidity and mortality. Several studies showed that infiltration of inflammatory cells, apoptosis, and angiogenesis are important mechanisms involved in renal IRI. Despite advances in research, effective therapies for renal IRI are lacking. Recently it has been demonstrated the role of KYP2047, a selective inhibitor of prolyl oligopeptidase (POP), in the regulation of inflammation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. Thus, this research focused on the role of POP in kidney ischemia/reperfusion (KI/R). An in vivo model of KI/R was performed and mice were subjected to KYP2047 treatment (intraperitoneal, 0.5, 1 and 5 mg/kg). Histological analysis, Masson’s trichrome and periodic acid shift (PAS) staining, immunohistochemical and Western blots analysis, real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and ELISA were performed on kidney samples. Moreover, serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were quantified. POP-inhibition by KYP2047 treatment, only at the doses of 1 and 5 mg/kg, significantly reduced renal injury and collagen amount, regulated inflammation through canonical and non-canonical NF-κB pathway, and restored renal function. Moreover, KYP2047 modulated angiogenesis markers, such as TGF-β and VEGF, also slowing down apoptosis. Interestingly, treatment with KYP2047 modulated PP2A activity. Thus, these findings clarified the role of POP inhibition in AKI, also offering novel therapeutic target for renal injury after KI/R.     

Unraveling the Role of Sex Hormones on Keratinocyte Functions in Human Inflammatory Skin Diseases

The skin exerts several fundamental functions that are the first physical, chemical and immune barriers to the human body. Keratinocytes, the main cell type of the epidermis, provide mechanical defense, support skin integrity and actively endorse cutaneous immune responses. Not surprisingly, considering these crucial activities, alterations in keratinocyte functions are associated with different inflammatory skin diseases. Recent findings indicate that the skin should not only be regarded as a target for hormones but that it should also be considered as an endocrine peripheral organ that is directly involved in the synthesis and metabolism of these chemical messengers. Sex hormones have multiple effects on the skin, attributed to the binding with intracellular receptors expressed by different skin cell populations, including keratinocytes, that activate downstream signaling routes that modulate specific cellular functions and activities. This review is aimed at reorganizing the current knowledge on the role exerted by sex hormones on keratinocyte function in five different inflammatory skin diseases: Hidradenitis suppurativa; Acne vulgaris; Atopic dermatitis; progesterone hypersensitivity; psoriasis. The results of our work aim to provide a deeper insight into common cellular mechanisms and molecular effectors that might constitute putative targets to address for the development of specific therapeutic interventions.     

Shape-Memory Polymers Hallmarks and Their Biomedical Applications in the Form of Nanofibers

Shape-Memory Polymers (SMPs) are considered a kind of smart material able to modify size, shape, stiffness and strain in response to different external (heat, electric and magnetic field, water or light) stimuli including the physiologic ones such as pH, body temperature and ions concentration. The ability of SMPs is to memorize their original shape before triggered exposure and after deformation, in the absence of the stimulus, and to recover their original shape without any help. SMPs nanofibers (SMPNs) have been increasingly investigated for biomedical applications due to nanofiber’s favorable properties such as high surface area per volume unit, high porosity, small diameter, low density, desirable fiber orientation and nanoarchitecture mimicking native Extra Cellular Matrix (ECM). This review focuses on the main properties of SMPs, their classification and shape-memory effects. Moreover, advantages in the use of SMPNs and different biomedical application fields are reported and discussed.     

Porous wollastonite-hydroxyapatite bioceramics from a preceramic polymer and micro- or nano-sized fillers

Wollastonite-hydroxyapatite ceramics have been successfully prepared by a novel method, corresponding to the thermal treatment in air of a silicone embedding micro- and nano-sized fillers. CaCO₃ nano-sized particles, providing CaO upon decomposition, acted as “active” filler, whereas different commercially available or synthesised hydroxyapatite particles were used as “passive” filler. The homogeneous distribution of CaO, at a quasi-molecular level, favoured the reaction with silica derived from the polymer, at only 900 °C, preventing extensive decomposition of hydroxyapatite. Open-celled porous ceramics suitable for scaffolds for bone-tissue engineering applications were easily prepared from filler-containing silicone resin mixed with sacrificial PMMA microbeads as templates. The pore size (in the range of 80-400 μm) and the open porosity percentage (40-50%) were evaluated by means of micro-computerized tomographic analysis. A preliminary assessment of the biocompatibility and cell activity of the produced ceramics was performed successfully by in vitro tests using human osteoblast cells.     

Calibration-Free and High-Sensitivity Microwave Detectors Based on InAs/InP Nanowire Double Quantum Dots

At the cutting-edge of microwave detection technology, novel approaches which exploit the interaction between microwaves and quantum devices are rising. In this study, microwaves are efficiently detected exploiting the unique transport features of InAs/InP nanowire double quantum dot-based devices, suitably configured to allow the precise and calibration-free measurement of the local field. Prototypical nanoscale detectors are operated both at zero and finite source-drain bias, addressing and rationalizing the microwave impact on the charge stability diagram. The detector performance is addressed by measuring its responsivity, quantum efficiency and noise equivalent power that, upon impedance matching optimization, are estimated to reach values up to ≈2000 A W⁻¹, 0.04 and ≈${10}^{-16}\mathrm{W}/\sqrt{Hz}$, respectively. The interaction mechanism between the microwave field and the quantum confined energy levels of the double quantum dots is unveiled and it is shown that these semiconductor nanostructures allow the direct assessment of the local intensity of the microwave field without the need for any calibration tool. Thus, the reported nanoscale devices based on III-V nanowire heterostructures represent a novel class of calibration-free and highly sensitive probes of microwave radiation, with nanometer-scale spatial resolution, that may foster the development of novel high-performance microwave circuitries.