Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis: Mass-Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics in the Study of Microbiome Mediators-Stress Relationship.

The microbiota-gut-brain axis is a complex bidirectional communication system that involves multiple interactions between intestinal functions and the emotional and cognitive centers of the brain. These interactions are mediated by molecules (metabolites) produced in both areas, which are considered mediators. To shed light on this complex mechanism, which is still largely unknown, a reliable characterization of the mediators is essential.

The role of particulate matter in bronze corrosion: A novel method for assessment and prediction.

The impact of particulate matter (PM) on the deterioration of outdoor cultural heritage is of increasing concern, given the recent trends in atmospheric emissions. This work presents a novel method for investigating the effects of PM on bronze corrosion by combining the collection of ambient PM directly on metal substrates and ageing under controlled laboratory conditions, with the development of a predictive model based on chemometrics. PM deposits of different mass and composition were collected and chemically characterised using Ionic Chromatography, Total Organic Carbon, and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy.

Radical-Trapping and Hydroperoxide-Decomposing Benzoselenazole Antioxidants with Potential Biological Applications against Oxidative Stress.

The synthesis of phenolic benzoselenazoles has been described. These were synthesized from their corresponding diselenides and aldehydes using acetic acid as a catalyst. All compounds have been tested for glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like antioxidant activity in thiophenol assay.

High-resolution isotope dietary analysis of Mesolithic and Neolithic humans from Franchthi Cave, Greece.

Franchthi Cave, in the Greek Peloponnese, is a well-known Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic site, with several human burials. In many parts of Europe there is clear evidence from archaeological and isotopic studies for a diet change between the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. This is especially the case in coastal contexts where there is often a shift from predominantly marine food diets in the Mesolithic to terrestrial (presumably domesticated) foods in the Neolithic.

Molecular Structure and Internal Dynamics of 2-Hydroxyacetophenone by Free-Jet Absorption Millimeter-Wave Spectroscopy.

The rotational spectrum of 2'-hydroxyacetophenone has been recorded and assigned for the first time using a Stark-modulated free-jet absorption millimeter-wave (FJ-AMMW) spectrometer in the 59.6-74.5 GHz frequency range.

The dynamics of capillary flow in an open-channel system featuring trigger valves.

Trigger valves are fundamental features in capillary-driven microfluidic systems that stop fluid at an abrupt geometric expansion and release fluid when there is flow in an orthogonal channel connected to the valve. The concept was originally demonstrated in closed-channel capillary circuits. We show here that trigger valves can be successfully implemented in open channels.

Multi-environment and multi-parameter screening of stability and coating efficiency of gold nanoparticle bioconjugates in application media.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and their biocompatible conjugates find wide use as transducers in (bio)sensors and as Nano-pharmaceutics. The study of the interaction between AuNPs and proteins in representative application media helps to better understand their intrinsic behaviors. A multi-environment, multi-parameter screening strategy is proposed based on asymmetric flow field flow fractionation (AF4)-multidetector.

Laser-Treated Screen-Printed Carbon Electrodes for Electrochemiluminescence imaging.

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is nowadays a powerful technique widely used in biosensing and imaging, offering high sensitivity and specificity for detecting and mapping biomolecules. Screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) offer a versatile and cost-effective platform for ECL applications due to their ease of fabrication, disposability, and suitability for large-scale production. This research introduces a novel method for improving the ECL characteristics of screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) through the application of CO laser treatment following fabrication.

Nickel-Based Cocatalysts on Titanium-Doped Hematite Empower Direct Photoelectrochemical Valorisation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural.

The photoelectrochemical oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a biomass-derived intermediate, to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a key building block for industrial applications, is a well-studied anodic reaction. This photoelectrochemical (PEC) conversion typically requires an electron mediator, such as TEMPO, regardless of the semiconductor used. Various electrocatalysts can also perform this reaction electrochemically, without additional organic species in the electrolyte.

Zonation of the Vitis vinifera microbiome in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano PDO production area.

The microbial dimension of the terroir is crucial for wine quality, as microbiomes contribute to plant biofertilization, stress tolerance and pathogen suppression. While microbial terroir can act as a biological signature at large scale, data for local contexts is lacking, hindering the characterization of regional microbial diversity in vineyards. Here, we define the microbial terroir of vineyards across the 12 sub-areas (Additional Geographic Units -AGUs) of the "Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG" PDO area (Italy), a world-renowned wine-producing region.

Continuous fluorescence-based quantitative antioxidant assay using vegetable oil as an oxidizable substrate.

Several spectrophotometric assays, such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), are commonly used to assess antioxidant activity. However, these methods often lack real-world relevance as they do not inhibit autoxidation in actual food substrates. Although direct measurement of oxygen consumption or peroxide formation during inhibited autoxidation offers certain advantages, it is labor intensive and requires specialized equipment.

The use of dietary isotopes as a preliminary step in the death investigation of unidentified skeletal human remains in British Columbia, Canada.

In British Columbia, Canada, unidentified skeletal human remains are often recovered by law enforcement or civilians and there is a question if they are modern and of medicolegal significance, or historical or archaeological. We used relatively fast and inexpensive carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of human bone collagen from a selection of these remains (n = 48) combined with a logistic regression model to classify remains as modern, historical, or archaeological. We then confirmed our temporal classification through directly radiocarbon dating each individual and found that we could predict the temporal group with 93% accuracy.

Biomolecular analysis of the Epigravettian human remains from Riparo Tagliente in northern Italy.

The Epigravettian human remains from Riparo Tagliente in northern Italy represent some of the earliest evidence of human occupation in the southern Alpine slopes after the Last Glacial Maximum. Genomic analyses of the 17,000-year-old Tagliente 2 mandible revealed the oldest presence of a genetic profile with affinities to the Near East in the Italian peninsula, which later became the most widespread hunter-gatherer ancestry across Europe. However, a comparable biomolecular characterization of the Tagliente 1 burial remains unavailable, preventing us from defining its biological relationships with Tagliente 2.

How to use efficiently airborne criteria pollutants and radon-222 in source apportionment: A self-organizing maps approach.

Pollutant source apportionment represents one of the fundamental activities in environmental science. Several efficient chemometric tools are available to the scope, mostly based on multivariate techniques and usually applied to aerosol chemical speciation data. In the present work, an alternative source profiling method is proposed, based on the self-organizing maps (SOM) algorithm.

Nanostructured Affinity Membrane to Isolate Extracellular Vesicles from Body Fluids for Diagnostics and Regenerative Medicine.

Electrospun regenerated cellulose (RC) nanofiber membranes were prepared starting from cellulose acetate (CA) with different degrees of substitution. The process was optimized to obtain continuous and uniformly sized CA fibers. After electrospinning, the CA membranes were heat-treated to increase their tensile strength before deacetylation to obtain regenerated cellulose (RC).

Generation of a Biotin-Tagged Dual-Display Phage.

Phage display is widely used in biomedical research. One of the great advantages of phage display is the specificity of the connection of a foreign peptide exposed outside the capsid to the intended target. Secondary detection systems, which are often laborious and costly, are required to identify and quantify the peptide/target interaction.

Peroxyl Radical Trapping Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils and Their Phenolic Components.

Essential oils (EOs) are gaining importance as sustainable food antioxidants, but kinetic data on peroxyl radical trapping are missing. Thirteen EOs from 11 botanical species were studied in the inhibited autoxidation of cumene by oxygen-uptake kinetics. EOs of , , , , , , and , containing 23-86% phenolic components by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, afforded inhibition rate constants in the order of 10 M s at 30 °C similar to reference butylhydroxytoluene (2,6-di--butyl-4-methylphenol) (BHT).

Identification of c[D-Trp-Phe-β-Ala-β-Ala], the First κ-Opioid Receptor-Specific Negative Allosteric Modulator.

Recently, the fungus secondary metabolite cyclotetrapetide c[Trp-Phe-D-Pro-Phe] (CJ-15,208) and its derivatives deserved some attention for their unusual structure and distinctive in vitro and in vivo activity. These tryptophan-containing noncationic opioid peptides can be truly regarded as versatile picklocks capable of activating all opioid receptors. Intriguingly, minimal modification of the potent κ-opioid receptor (KOR) agonist c[D-Trp-Phe-Gly-β-Ala] () yielded c[D-Trp-Phe-β-Ala-β-Ala] (), the first KOR-specific negative allosteric modulator (NAM) reported to-date.

Pro-aromatic Natural Terpenes as Unusual "Slingshot" Antioxidants with Promising Ferroptosis Inhibition Activity.

Ferroptosis is a cell death mechanism based on extensive cellular membrane peroxidation, implicated in neurodegenerative and other diseases. The essential oil component γ-terpinene, a natural monoterpene with a unique highly oxidizable pro-aromatic 1,4-cyclohexadiene skeleton, inhibits peroxidation of polyunsaturated lipid in model heterogeneous systems (micelles and liposomes). Upon H-atom abstraction, an unstable γ-terpinene-derived peroxyl radical is formed, that aromatizes to p-cymene generating HOO⋅ radicals.

Influence of the extraction method on functional properties of commercial snail secretion filtrates.

Snail secretion is a complex mixture of several components, including proteins, glycoproteins, mucopolysaccharides and smaller molecules. Its growing use in nutraceutical, cosmetic and biomedical applications, as well as a component of edible and green packaging to replace chemical plasticizer, implies more affordable and sustainable extraction methods. We chose four extracts obtained from Cornu aspersum snails, different by origin, extraction medium (namely, citric acid, lactic acid or none) and additives and we performed a series of characterizations including the SDS-page, the measure of pH and density, the evaluation of dry matter and of protein content, supported by structural determinations by means of UV-visible and infrared spectroscopy, X-Rays diffraction and thermogravimetric measurements.

Sulfated Bile Acids in Serum as Potential Biomarkers of Disease Severity and Mortality in COVID-19.

The fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues. Since the pandemic's onset, several biomarkers have been proposed to assess the diagnosis and prognosis of this disease. This research aimed to identify potential disease severity biomarkers in serum samples of patients with COVID-19 during the disease course.