Publications by authors named "Notarnicola M"

Article Synopsis
  • Very low-calorie ketogenic diets (VLCKD) effectively aid weight loss in obese individuals and can decrease liver condition risks.
  • Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) from serum are studied in obese adults to see how they affect liver fibrosis and inflammation, with participants divided into low and high fibrosis risk groups.
  • Results show that sEVs from low-risk patients improved liver health markers, while those from high-risk patients worsened inflammation and fibrosis signals, stressing the importance of assessing sEVs alongside traditional methods like FibroScan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The condition of cellular senescence has specific features, including an altered lipid metabolism. Delta-9 desaturase (Δ9) catalyzes the conversion of saturated fatty acids, such as palmitic acid and stearic acid, into their monounsaturated forms, palmitoleic and oleic acid, respectively. Δ9 activity is important for most lipid functions, such as membrane fluidity, lipoprotein metabolism and energy storage.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In quantum communication protocols, the use of photon-number-resolving detectors could open new perspectives by broadening the way to encode and decode information and merging the properties of discrete and continuous variables. In this work, we consider a quantum channel exploiting a silicon-photomultiplier-based receiver and evaluate its performance for quantum communication protocols under three possible configurations, defined by different post-processing of the detection outcomes. We investigate two scenarios: information transmission over the channel, quantified by the mutual information, and continuous-variable quantum key distribution, quantified by the key generation rate.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/objectives: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is currently the most common cause of chronic liver disease. Systemic inflammatory status and peripheral metabolic symptoms in the clinical picture have an impact on gut commensal bacteria.

Methods: Our designed clinical trial was based on a cohort of patients with MAFLD whose diet included the daily consumption of 400 g of "Navelina" oranges for 28 days, compared with a control group of patients with the same pathologic conditions whose diet did not include the consumption of oranges and other foods containing similar nutrients/micronutrients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Early-stage gastric cancer often goes undetected due to a lack of specific symptoms, resulting in late diagnoses and advanced disease, highlighting the need for new biomarkers for early detection and treatment matching.
  • The study investigated the prognostic significance of ENPP2/Autotaxin (ATX) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in Gastro-Esophageal Adenocarcinoma (GEA), finding that higher levels of these substances could indicate worse patient outcomes.
  • Results showed that while ENPP2 mutations are infrequent, they are linked to lower overall survival, and surgical removal of tumors significantly reduced serum ATX and LPA levels, suggesting potential for targeted therapies based on these biomarkers in future clinical trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: Consumption of flavonoid-rich orange juice has been shown to reduce adiposity and liver steatosis in murine models of diet-induced obesity. However, little is known about the effects of whole orange intake, independent of body weight changes, on liver function and steatosis in individuals with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The goal is to understand the direct impact of orange consumption on metabolic health.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Many patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have a compromised intestinal barrier associated with low-grade inflammation. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are potential mediators of inflammation: omega-6 PUFAs are pro-inflammatory, while omega-3 PUFAs are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Zonulin is a potential biomarker for small intestinal permeability (s-IP).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Contaminated sediments may induce long-term risks to humans and ecosystems due to the accumulation of priority and emerging inorganic and organic pollutants having toxic and bio-accumulation properties that could become a secondary pollution source. This study focused on the screening of novel bio-based materials to be used in the decontamination of marine sediments considering technical and environmental criteria. It aimed to compare the environmental impacts of cellulose-based adsorbents produced at lab scale by using different syntheses protocols that involved cellulose functionalization by oxidation and branching, followed by structuring of an aerogel-like material via Soxhlet extraction and freeze-drying or their combination.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The routine dredging of waterways produces huge volumes of sediments. Handling contaminated dredged sediments poses significant and diverse challenges around the world. In recent years, novel and sustainable ex situ remediation technologies for contaminated sediments have been developed and applied.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The compositions of Dutch lightweight packaging waste (LWP) and sorted products named "PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) trays" have been determined on object level. Additionally, the PET trays from both waste types were sorted in 16 categories representing their packaging use and material build-up. The material composition of at least 10 representative trays from each category was determined with chemical and thermal analysis, based on which the average material composition per category was established.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Increasing demand for electrical and electronic equipment results in the generation of a rapidly growing waste stream, known by the acronym WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of green sink-float treatment in sorting plastic polymers typically found in WEEE (PP, ABS, PA6, PS, and PVC). Molasses, a by-product of sugar bio-refining, was added in various concentrations to water to form solutions at different densities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study compares two surgical methods, Hartmann's procedure (HP) and resection with primary anastomosis (RPA), for treating acute left-sided colonic emergencies among 1215 patients from 204 centers globally.
  • Results showed that while HP was the more common treatment (57.3%), RPA was favored for younger patients with fewer health issues and those needing surgery sooner.
  • The study concluded that although HP is still widely used, RPA might be the better option, emphasizing the importance of patient characteristics and surgeon experience in determining treatment choice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Metabolic dysfunction-associated hepatic steatosis (MAFLD) indicates the metabolic risk associated with hepatic steatosis, overweight and obesity, and clinical evidence of metabolic dysregulation. Since MAFLD is one of the diseases that show a high frequency of alterations in the lipid content of cell membranes, the aim of this study was to evaluate the indices of oxidative damage of erythrocyte membranes in overweight and obese MAFLD subjects. The study was conducted on serum samples and red blood cell membranes of overweight and obese MAFLD subjects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Modifiable risk factors for Parkinson's disease (PD) are poorly known.

Objectives: The aim is to evaluate independent associations of different nutritional components, physical activity, and sedentary behavior and metabolic factors with the risk of PD.

Methods: In this population-based prospective cohort study using the data of the United Kingdom Biobank (from 2006-2010), 502,017 men and women who were free from PD (International Classification of Diseases 10th edition; "G20") at baseline were included.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is closely related to some metabolic disorders, such as central obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), such as semaglutide, may have therapeutic roles in MASLD associated with T2D. This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of semaglutide on MASLD in terms of progression from liver steatosis to fibrosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rapid industrialisation and urbanisation are contributing to the entry of emerging contaminants into the environment, posing a significant threat to soil health and quality. Therefore, several remediation technologies have been investigated and tested at a field scale to address the issue. However, these remediation technologies face challenges related to cost-effectiveness, environmental concerns, secondary pollution due to the generation of by-products, long-term pollution leaching risks, and social acceptance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) may help reduce the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), with a significant study involving 2,436 participants showing a 33% prevalence of the condition.
  • Increased EVOO consumption was categorized into low, moderate, and high, with higher intake linked to lower odds of developing NAFLD, especially in overweight and obese individuals.
  • The study found a relative risk reduction of 18% for overweight and 26% for obese subjects when comparing low to high EVOO consumption, indicating its potential health benefits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The gut microbiota is increasingly recognized for its important role in the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC).
  • Recent research shows higher bacterial DNA levels in the plasma of CRC patients compared to disease-free individuals, suggesting this could be used as a non-invasive method for early cancer detection.
  • The study found a strong correlation between plasma bacterial DNA levels and CRC risk, indicating that increased bacterial migration from the gut into the bloodstream is associated with tumor size.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The tumor location in colorectal cancer (right- or left-sided colon cancer) is a key factor in determining disease progression. Right- and left-sided colon tumors are different in their clinical and molecular characteristics. Dysregulation of serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as Transforming Growth Factor β (TGF-β) and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), and Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), known to be a growth-limiting and differentiation-promoting factor, as well as changes in miRNAs expression, are the major signaling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of this neoplasia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Excessive lipid buildup in liver cells leads to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is characterized by cell death and fibrosis, but its molecular mechanisms are still unclear.
  • A study showed that the imbalance of palmitic acid (PA) and oleic acid (OA) in exosomes from NAFLD patients affects liver cell health and function.
  • Modifying the PA/OA ratio in exosomes can improve or worsen liver cell viability and proliferation, and targeting the molecules involved in this pathway may offer therapeutic insights for NAFLD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The increased use of bioplastics in the market has led to their presence in municipal solid waste streams alongside traditional fossil-based polymers, particularly low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which bioplastics often end up mixed with. This study aimed to assess the impact of cellulose acetate plasticized with triacetin (CAT) on the mechanical recycling of LDPE. LDPE-CAT blends with varying CAT content (0%, 1%, 5%, 7.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The management of PET tray waste is difficult because it contaminates PET bottle recycling, affecting overall recovery rates.
  • The study evaluates the environmental and economic sustainability of sorting PET trays at a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Molfetta, Italy, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to assess different sorting scenarios.
  • Although upgraded sorting scenarios showed only minor environmental improvements (around 10% lower impacts), they resulted in slightly reduced costs (<2%) by avoiding contamination fines, making them a viable option when using optical sorting technology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Stabilization/solidification (S/S) is becoming increasingly important, as it allows the remediation of contaminated sediments and their recovery into materials for civil engineering. This research proposes a cement-free cold granulation process for manufactured low-cost aggregates from marine sediments contaminated with organic compounds and metals. After the chemo-physical characterization of the study materials, two mix designs were prepared in a rotary plate granulator by adding two industrial by-products as geopolymer precursors, coal fly ash (CFA) and Blast Furnace Slag (BFS), but also alkaline activation solutions, water, and a fluidizer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The building and construction industry is a key sector behind the ecological transition in that it is one of the main responsible factors in the consumption of natural resources. Thus, in line with circular economy, the use of waste aggregates in mortars is a possible solution to increase the sustainability of cement materials. In the present paper, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from bottle scraps (without chemical pretreatment) was used as aggregate in cement mortars to replace conventional sand aggregate (20%, 50% and 80% by weight).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF