Background: To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Parkinson's Disease Caregiver Burden questionnaire (PDBC) into Italian language and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Italian version in terms of test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity.
Methods: The PDBC-I was developed by forward-backward translation to establish correspondence with the original English latest version. Psychometric properties were estimated in a sample of primary caregivers of individuals with Parkinson's disease.
Purpose: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are promising tools for nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology. The purification of mammalian-derived EVs involves intensive processes, and their therapeutic application raises multiple safety and regulatory issues. Plants have the potential to serve as nonconventional sources of therapeutically relevant EVs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The current investigation presents a two-fold approach to rediscovering the potential of as a wild edible plant, both in its raw extract form and as a nanoformulated product. Furthermore, the study aimed to promote the valorization of traditional dishes and contribute to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of , thus enhancing economic profits.
Methods: Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses were conducted to characterize the metabolite profile of the raw and cooked leaf extracts, and the extract from discarded leaves.
In the course of the Horizon 2020 project HighNESS, a second moderator concept has been developed for the European Spallation Source, which complements the currently built moderator and is optimized for high intensity with a large viewable surface area. In this work we introduce conceptual designs for neutron instruments for condensed matter research designed to make optimal use of the capabilities of this moderator. The focus is on two concepts for small-angle neutron scattering and one neutron imaging instrument, which are intended to complement corresponding instruments that are already under construction at the European Spallation Source.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Return to work after maternity leave represents a radical change in women's lives. This paper aims to present a new metaphor categorization system based on two studies, which could assist working mothers in expressing the nuances of their experience when returning to work after maternity leave.
Methods: We carried out the analysis of the metaphors according to the method for thematic analysis, through a multistep, iterative coding process.
Calabrian is one of the most appreciated licorice varieties worldwide, and its leaves are emerging as a valuable source of bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, this biomass is usually discarded, and its valorization could contribute to boost the economic value of the licorice production chain. In this study, the effects of production area and harvest time on the specialized metabolite content of leaves (GGL) and also the antioxidant and anti-aging properties are evaluated to explore the potential of this untapped resource and to select the most optimal harvesting practices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLiver cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death worldwide. In recent years, substantial progress has been made in the development of systemic therapies, but there is still the need for new drugs and technologies that can increase the survival and quality of life of patients. The present investigation reports the development of a liposomal formulation of a carbamate molecule, reported as ANP0903, previously tested as an inhibitor of HIV-1 protease and now evaluated for its ability to induce cytotoxicity in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant extracellular vesicles (EVs) concentrate and deliver different types of bioactive molecules in human cells and are excellent candidates for a next-generation drug delivery system. However, the lack of standard protocols for plant EV production and the natural variations of their biomolecular cargo pose serious limitation to their use as therapeutics. To overcome these issues, we set up a versatile and standardized procedure to purify plant EVs from hairy root (HR) cultures, a versatile biotechnological system, already successfully employed as source of bioactive molecules with pharmaceutical and nutraceutical relevance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present study investigated the potential antioxidant applications of Humulus lupulus L. as raw extract and nanoformulated in liposomes. H.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci
July 2022
A number of analytical studies, started in the sixties of the last century, concerning the stem bark of Geissospermum vellosii, have documented the presence of a number of indole alkaloids whose molecular identity was defined by NMR technique. The potential bioactivity of these compounds has inspired more recent analogous studies either devoted to structural elucidation of new alkaloid molecules or to the investigation of the role of some of them in cancer therapy. Anyway, a complete fingerprinting of the bark content is still lacking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(ToBRFV) is a new damaging plant virus of great interest from both an economical and research point of view. ToBRFV is transmitted by contact, remains infective for months, and to-date, no resistant cultivars have been developed. Due to the relevance of this virus, new effective, sustainable, and operator-safe antiviral agents are needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhenolic compounds of red wine powder (RWP) extracted from the Italian red wine have been investigated for the potential immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory capacity on human macrophages. These compounds reduce the secretion of IL-1, IL-6, and TNF- proinflammatory cytokines and increase the release of IL-10 anti-inflammatory cytokine induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In addition, RWP restores Annexin A1 levels, thus involving activation of proresolutive pathways.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn developing countries, crop deterioration is mainly caused by inappropriate storage conditions that promote insect infestation. Synthetic pesticides are associated with serious adverse effects on humans and the environment. Thus, finding alternative "green" insecticides is a very pressing need.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHydroxycitrate (HCA), a main organic acid component of the fruit rind of , is a natural citrate analog that can inhibit the ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) enzyme with a consequent reduction of inflammatory mediators (i.e., nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and prostaglandin E (PGE)) levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA new class of foreign substances present in the unsaponifiable fraction of vegetable oils undergone to chemical interesterification was systematically investigated. Their chemical structure, corresponding to dialkyl ketones (DAK) molecules, was elucidated both by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). An analytical protocol aimed to qualitative and quantitative detection of DAK molecules in vegetable oils of confectionery industry interest was developed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInteresterification is an industrial transformation process aiming to change the physico-chemical properties of vegetable oils by redistributing fatty acid position within the original constituent of the triglycerides. In the confectionery industry, controlling formation degree of positional isomers is important in order to obtain fats with the desired properties. Silver ion HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) is the analytical technique usually adopted to separate triglycerides (TAGs) having different unsaturation degrees.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale: Ionic liquids (ILs) are a subject of active research in the field of alternative solvents. We studied the behaviour of a piperidine IL, 1-butyl-1-methylpiperidinium tetrafluoroborate (BMPA), through the elucidation of its transformation products (TPs) in water.
Methods: The transformation pathways of BMPA were investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with a hybrid LTQ-Orbitrap instrument on the basis of mass defect filtering.