Evaluation of a Ground Subsidence Zone in an Urban Area Using Geophysical Methods.

An important geological risk to which many towns in Puglia are exposed is sinking cavities in urban areas. For urban centers, studying, mapping, providing geological and speleological descriptions, classifying, and cataloging the forms and types of cavities is essential because cavities are linked to past local anthropic and natural processes at different sites. These circumstances could lead to the enhancement of existing underground cavities in urban areas through conservation and continuous monitoring.

Comparing Nutritional Values and Bioactivity of Kefir from Different Types of Animal Milk.

The growing interest in fermented dairy products is due to their health-promoting properties. The use of milk kefir grains as a starter culture made it possible to obtain a product with a better nutritional and biological profile depending on the type of milk. Cow, buffalo, camel, donkey, goat, and sheep milk kefirs were prepared, and the changes in sugar, protein, and phenol content, fatty acid composition, including conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs), as well as antioxidant activity, determined by ABTS and FRAP assays, were evaluated and compared.

Chemical Profile and Bioactivity of L. Fruits Grown in Conventional and Aeroponic Systems.

Raspberry ( L.) is a fruit of great interest due to its aroma, nutritional properties, and the presence of many bioactive compounds. However, differences among cultivation systems can affect its composition and, consequently, its potential bioactivity.

Determination of AGE-CML Level in Commercially Available Sports Bar in Italy.

Introduction: The process of bar creation involves improving the texture of the product to increase its palatability, which can be further induced by various physical or chemical changes during storage, such as sugar crystallization and molecular migrations in which Maillard's reaction occurs, forming the N-epsilon- (carboxymethyl) lysine (CML) adduct. In this study, we aimed to assess (the CML) adduct used in commercial bars today as meal substitutes or for athletic or sports purposes. The adduct CML is an advanced glycation end-product (AGEs) found in the human body (serum) and foods.

The Therapeutic Effect of Botulinum Toxin Type A on Trigeminal Neuralgia: Are There Any Differences between Type 1 versus Type 2 Trigeminal Neuralgia?

Background: Botulinum toxin type A is an effective treatment for trigeminal neuralgia. Moreover, its efficacy in type 2 trigeminal neuralgia and comparative studies between type 1 and type 2 trigeminal neuralgia (TN) still need to be improved.

Methods: We treated 40 TN patients with onabotulinumtoxinA; 18 had type 1 TN, and 22 had type 2 TN.

Direct Comparison between Förster Resonance Energy Transfer and Light-Induced Triplet-Triplet Electron Resonance Spectroscopy.

To carry out reliable and comprehensive structural investigations, the exploitation of different complementary techniques is required. Here, we report that dual triplet-spin/fluorescent labels enable the first parallel distance measurements by electron spin resonance (ESR) and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) on exactly the same molecules with orthogonal chromophores, allowing for direct comparison. An improved light-induced triplet-triplet electron resonance method with 2-color excitation is used, improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the data and yielding a distance distribution that provides greater insight than the single distance resulting from FRET.

Synthesis, Conformational Analysis and Antitumor Activity of the Naturally Occurring Antimicrobial Medium-Length Peptaibol Pentadecaibin and Spin-Labeled Analogs Thereof.

Peptaibols are proteolysis-resistant, membrane-active peptides. Their remarkably stable helical 3D-structures are key for their bioactivity. They can insert themselves into the lipid bilayer as barrel staves, or lay on its surface like carpets, depending on both their length and the thickness of the lipid bilayer.

Peptaibol Analogs Show Potent Antibacterial Activity against Multidrug Resistant Opportunistic Pathogens.

New classes of antibacterial drugs are urgently needed to address the global issue of antibiotic resistance. In this context, peptaibols are promising membrane-active peptides since they are not involved in innate immunity and their antimicrobial activity does not involve specific cellular targets, therefore reducing the chance of bacterial resistance development. Trichogin GA IV is a nonhemolytic, natural, short-length peptaibol active against Gram-positive bacteria and resistant to proteolysis.

Anticancer and Targeting Activity of Phytopharmaceutical Structural Analogs of a Natural Peptide from and Related Peptide-Decorated Gold Nanoparticles.

In the large field of bioactive peptides, peptaibols represent a unique class of compounds. They are membrane-active peptides, produced by fungi of the genus and known to elicit plant defenses. Among the short-length peptaibols, trichogin GA IV is nonhemolytic, proteolysis-resistant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic.

Lung microRNAs Expression in Lung Cancer and COPD: A Preliminary Study.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the deadliest diseases worldwide and represents an impending burden on the healthcare system. Despite increasing attention, the mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis in cancer-related diseases such as COPD remain unclear, making novel biomarkers necessary to improve lung cancer early diagnosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNA that interfere with several pathways and can act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors.

Misfolded protein oligomers induce an increase of intracellular Ca causing an escalation of reactive oxidative species.

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the accumulation in the brain of the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide in the form of senile plaques. According to the amyloid hypothesis, the aggregation process of Aβ also generates smaller soluble misfolded oligomers that contribute to disease progression. One of the mechanisms of Aβ oligomer cytotoxicity is the aberrant interaction of these species with the phospholipid bilayer of cell membranes, with a consequent increase in cytosolic Ca levels, flowing from the extracellular space, and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Mill. Leaf Extracts Affect Melanoma Cells Growth and Progression.

Cancer represents one of the major causes of mortality worldwide; indeed, 19.3 million new cases and almost 10.0 million deaths were estimated last year.

Exploring the anticancer and antioxidant properties of L. pods extracts, a promising source of nutraceuticals.

Background: Pulse crops are considered the major sources of proteins, dietary fiber, micronutrients, and bioactive phytochemicals. Among the numerous pulse crops, broad beans ( L.) have received particular attention due to their nutraceutical, functional and economic importance.

Subcutaneous BoNT/A Injection for Intractable Pain and Disability in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Case Report.

We treated a 51-year-old woman with refractory Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type I (CRPS-I) involving her left hand and forearm with subcutaneous injections of BoNT/A. The injections were performed every 3 months, with a total of six treatments. Each treatment was able to effectively improve pain and motor impairment; however, the duration of the effect was limited to only a few months.

Influence of Three Extraction Methods on the Physicochemical Properties of Kefirans Isolated from Three Types of Animal Milk.

Kefiran is a heteropolysaccharide biopolymer usually extracted from kefir grains cultured in cow milk. Due to the lack of information on exopolysaccharides from other types of animal milk, in the present study, cow, buffalo and goat milks were used as raw materials for fermentation. The kefiran extractions from kefir grains were carried out with cold water (method I), hot water (method II) and mild heated water-ultrasound (method III), and then the recovery yield and the physicochemical properties of the kefirans were evaluated to establish the influence of both the extraction conditions and the type of milk.

Modeling the Solubility of Phenolic Acids in Aqueous Media at 37 °C.

In this work, the solubility of vanillic, gallic, syringic, -coumaric, ferulic and caffeic acids was determined at 37 °C under different conditions, namely pure water and two different ionic media, NaCl(aq) and NaClO(aq), at different ionic strengths (i.e., 0.

A Case Report of Pulsed Radiofrequency Plus Suboccipital Injection of the Greater Occipital Nerve: An Easier Target for Treatment of Cluster Headache.

In cluster headache, the efficacy of suboccipital steroid injection is notable within a few days, although few data are available about the duration of efficacy. A combination treatment, consisting of suboccipital steroid injection plus pulsed radiofrequency, could potentially lead to long-term benefit. Evidence about pulsed radiofrequency of the greater occipital nerve is lacking.

Effects of Long-Term Storage on Radical Scavenging Properties and Phenolic Content of Kombucha from Black Tea.

Kombucha is a fermented beverage. Its consumption has significantly increased during the last decades due to its perceived beneficial effects. For this reason, it has become a highly commercialized drink that is produced industrially.

Olive Oil Lipophenols Induce Insulin Secretion in 832/13 β-Cell Models.

Glycemic control is a mainstay of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) clinical management. Despite the continuous improvement in knowledge and progress in terms of treatment, the achievement of the physiologic metabolic profile is still an ongoing challenge in diabetic patients. Pancreatic β-cell line INS-1 832/13 was used to assess the insulin secretagogue activity of hydroxytyrosyl oleate (HtyOle) and tyrosyl oleate (TyOle), two naturally occurring lipophenols deriving from the conjugation of oleic acid (OA) and hydroxytyrosol (Hty) or tyrosol (Ty), respectively.

Identification of Tyrosyl Oleate as a Novel Olive Oil Lipophenol with Proliferative and Antioxidant Properties in Human Keratinocytes.

Lipophenols are an emerging subclass of phenolic compounds characterized by the presence of a lipid moiety. Recently, hydroxytyrosyl oleate (HtyOle), a derivative of hydroxytyrosol, has been identified in olive oil and by-products. Furthermore, HtyOle possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and tissue regenerating properties.

Polyphenols in the Mediterranean Diet: From Dietary Sources to microRNA Modulation.

It is now well established that polyphenols are a class of natural substance that offers numerous health benefits; they are present in all plants in very different quantities and types. On the other hand, their bioavailability, and efficacy is are not always well proven. Therefore, this work aims to discuss some types of polyphenols belonging to Mediterranean foods.

Synthesis, anticancer and antioxidant properties of new indole and pyranoindole derivatives.

The indole scaffold has been recognized, over the years, as a model for the synthesis of compounds with anticancer activity by dint of its substantiated ability to act via multiple mechanisms, which also involves the inhibition of enzymes engaged in DNA replication. In this regard, a new series of indole and pyranoindole derivatives have been prepared, some of which showed good antitumor activity and proved their inhibitory effects on the tubulin target. The anticancer activity of the newly synthesized compounds has been evaluated on breast cancer cell lines, as MCF-7 and MDA-MB231, cervical cancer cells line HeLa and Ishikawa endometrial cancer cell line.

Effect of Addition of Pectins from Jujubes ( Mill.) on Vitamin C Production during Heterolactic Fermentation.

Soluble fibers, including pectins from apple and lemon, are commonly used as prebiotic and to prepare functional foods. The present study aimed to investigate the physicochemical and functional properties of pectins extracted from jujubes ( Mill.).

Isolation and Purification of Glucans from an Italian Cultivar of Mill. and In Vitro Effect on Skin Repair.

Glucans possess a broad spectrum of biological activities. In this context, the present study was performed to isolate glucans from an Italian cultivar of Mill. at three different harvesting periods, in order to evaluate their effects on wound healing.

Quercetin, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Curcumin, and Resveratrol: From Dietary Sources to Human MicroRNA Modulation.

Epidemiologic studies suggest that dietary polyphenol intake is associated with a lower incidence of several non-communicable diseases. Although several foods contain complex mixtures of polyphenols, numerous factors can affect their content. Besides the well-known capability of these molecules to act as antioxidants, they are able to interact with cell-signaling pathways, modulating gene expression, influencing the activity of transcription factors, and modulating microRNAs.