Dry synthesis of bi-layer nanoporous metal films as plasmonic metamaterial.

Nanoporous metals are a class of nanostructured materials finding extensive applications in multiple fields thanks to their unique properties attributed to their high surface area and interconnected nanoscale ligaments. They can be prepared following different strategies, but the deposition of an arbitrary pure porous metal is still challenging. Recently, a dry synthesis of nanoporous films based on the plasma treatment of metal thin layers deposited by physical vapour deposition has been demonstrated, as a general route to form pure nanoporous films from a large set of metals.

Development of a Photothermal Regenerative Plasmonic Platform as a Light-Controlled Interface.

This study introduces a novel plasmonic nanocomposite platform, where gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are synthesized in situ within a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film. The innovative fabrication process leverages ethyl acetate swelling to achieve a uniform distribution of AuNPs, eliminating the need for additional reagents. The resulting nanocomposite film exhibits exceptional photothermal conversion capabilities, efficiently converting absorbed light into heat and rapidly reaching high temperatures.

Plasma-Based Modification of Tin Halide Perovskite Interfaces for Photovoltaic Applications.

Tin halide perovskites represent the most suitable alternative to their lead-based counterparts for sustainable photovoltaics. One of the most important drawbacks of this class of materials is the intrinsic tendency of tin (II) to oxidize under certain conditions and as a consequence of aging. Here, we explore plasma processing to gently treat the surface of the tin perovskite films.

Overview of Dynamic Bond Based Hydrogels for Reversible Adhesion Processes.

Polymeric hydrogels are soft materials with a three-dimensional (3D) hydrophilic network capable of retaining and absorbing large amounts of water or biological fluids. Due to their customizable properties, these materials are extensively studied for developing matrices for 3D cell culture scaffolds, drug delivery systems, and tissue engineering. However, conventional hydrogels still exhibit many drawbacks; thus, significant efforts have been directed towards developing dynamic hydrogels that draw inspiration from organisms' natural self-repair abilities after injury.

On the compatibility of single-cell microcarriers (nanovials) with microfluidic impedance cytometry.

We investigate for the first time the compatibility of nanovials with microfluidic impedance cytometry (MIC). Nanovials are suspendable crescent-shaped single-cell microcarriers that enable specific cell adhesion, the creation of compartments for undisturbed cell growth and secretion, as well as protection against wall shear stress. MIC is a label-free single-cell technique that characterizes flowing cells based on their electrical fingerprints and it is especially targeted to cells that are naturally in suspension.

Hypoxia effects on glioblastoma progression through YAP/TAZ pathway regulation.

The resistance of glioblastomas (GBM) to standard therapies poses a clinical challenge with limited survival despite interventions. The tumor microenvironment (TME) orchestrates GBM progression, comprising stromal and immune cells and is characterized by extensive hypoxic regions. Hypoxia activates the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) pathway, interacting with the Hippo pathway (YAP/TAZ) in crucial cellular processes.

One-phase extraction coupled with photochemical reaction allows the in-depth lipid characterization of hempseeds by untargeted lipidomics.

Due to their valuable nutritional content, several hemp-derived products from hempseeds have recently been placed in the market as food and food ingredients. In particular, the lipid composition of hempseeds has raised interest for their rich content in biologically active polyunsaturated fatty acids with an optimum ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 compounds. At present, however, the overall polar lipidome composition of hempseeds remains largely unknown.

Modulation of Methacrylated Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels Enables Their Use as 3D Cultured Model.

Bioengineered hydrogels represent physiologically relevant platforms for cell behaviour studies in the tissue engineering and regenerative medicine fields, as well as in in vitro disease models. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is an ideal platform since it is a natural biocompatible polymer that is widely used to study cellular crosstalk, cell adhesion and cell proliferation, and is one of the major components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). We synthesised chemically modified HA with photo-crosslinkable methacrylated groups (HA-MA) in aqueous solutions and in strictly monitored pH and temperature conditions to obtain hydrogels with controlled bulk properties.

Anticancer Effects of Plasma-Treated Water Solutions from Clinically Approved Infusion Liquids Supplemented with Organic Molecules.

Water solutions treated by cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs) currently stand out in the field of cancer treatment as sources of exogenous blends of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). It is well known that the balance of RONS inside both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells is directly involved in physiological as well as pathological pathways. Also, organic molecules including phenols could exert promising anticancer effects, mostly attributed to their pro-oxidant ability in vitro and in vivo to generate RONS like O, HO, and a mixture of potentially cytotoxic compounds.

Bidimensional heart-cut achiral-chiral liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry for the separation of the main chiral phytocannabinoids and enantiomerization studies of cannabichromene and cannabichromenic acid.

In this work, a heart-cut bidimensional achiral-chiral liquid chromatography method coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry was developed for the separation of the main carboxylated phytocannabinoids, namely cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabichromenic acid (CBCA), and cannabicyclolic acid (CBLA), and decarboxylated derivatives, namely cannabidiol (CBD), Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-THC), cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabicyclol (CBL), and the evaluation of their enantiomeric composition in extracts of different Cannabis sativa L. varieties. Optimal conditions for the chiral analysis of CBC- and CBL-type compounds were found with methanol and water (95:5, v/v, with 0.

Bridging the Gap between Gut Microbiota and Alzheimer's Disease: A Metaproteomic Approach for Biomarker Discovery in Transgenic Mice.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressively debilitating form of dementia that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Although a vast amount of research has investigated the complex interplay between gut microbiota and neurodegeneration, the metaproteomic effects of microbiota on AD pathogenesis remain largely uncharted territory. This study aims to reveal the role of gut microbiota in AD pathogenesis, particularly regarding changes in the proteome and molecular pathways that are intricately linked to disease progression.

Synthesis and pharmacological activity of the epimers of hexahydrocannabinol (HHC).

Cannabis is a multifaceted plant with numerous therapeutic properties on one hand, and controversial psychotropic activities on the other hand, which are modulated by CB1 endocannabinoid receptors. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) has been identified as the main component responsible for the psychotropic effects, while its constitutional isomer cannabidiol (CBD) has shown completely different pharmacological properties. Due to its reported beneficial effects, Cannabis has gained global popularity and is openly sold in shops and online.

Comparative study of calcification in human choroid plexus, pineal gland, and habenula.

Choroid plexus, pineal gland, and habenula tend to accumulate physiologic calcifications (concrements) over a lifetime. However, until now the composition and causes of the intracranial calcifications remain unclear. The detailed analysis of concrements has been done by us using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), X-ray diffraction topography (XRDT), micro-CT, X-ray phase-contrast tomography (XPCT), as well as histology and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Air- and water-stable and photocatalytically active germanium-based 2D perovskites by organic spacer engineering.

There is increasing interest in the role of metal halide perovskites for heterogeneous catalysis. Here, we report a Ge-based 2D perovskite material that shows intrinsic water stability realized through organic cation engineering. Incorporating 4-phenylbenzilammonium (PhBz) we demonstrate, by means of extended experimental and computational results, that PhBzGeBr and PhBzGeI can achieve relevant air and water stability.

Kratom: The analytical challenge of an emerging herbal drug.

Mitragyna speciosa or kratom is emerging worldwide as a "legal" herbal drug of abuse. An increasing number of papers is appearing in the scientific literature regarding its pharmacological profile and the analysis of its chemical constituents, mainly represented by alkaloids. However, its detection and identification are not straightforward as the plant material is not particularly distinctive.

Multiple approach for assessing lagoon environmental status based on water bodies quality indices and microplastics accumulation.

Lagoon environments, like all the marine-coastal areas, offer a wide variety of ecosystem services, but at the same time are affected by pressing human activities that lead to deterioration of the environmental quality, loss of biodiversity, habitat destruction and pollution. Since the well-being of population and local economy depend on the environmental status of these ecosystems, it is essential to adopt long-term management tools to achieve the Good Environmental Status sensu European Marine Strategy Framework Directive and Water Framework Directive. A Nature 2000 site (Lesina lagoon, south Italy) was assessed within a project aimed at protecting and restoring biodiversity and lagoon habitat through integrated monitoring, suitable management, and good practices.

Closing the knowledge gap on the composition of the asbestos bodies.

Asbestos bodies (AB) form in the lungs as a result of a biomineralization process initiated by the alveolar macrophages in the attempt to remove asbestos. During this process, organic and inorganic material deposit on the foreign fibers forming a Fe-rich coating. The AB start to form in months, thus quickly becoming the actual interface between asbestos and the lung tissue.

Human Pineal Gland Involutionary Process: New Findings.

In this work, we report preliminary results about the involution of the human pineal gland involution. The detailed analysis of pineal structure was done on autopsy material of 77 persons in age 27-96 using x-ray phase-contrast tomography, histology, and immunohistochemistry. Our study suggests that the pineal gland alteration in older adults may be more profound than has been reported to date.

Enantioseparation of chiral phytocannabinoids in medicinal cannabis.

The evaluation of the chiral composition of phytocannabinoids in the cannabis plant is particularly important as the pharmacological effects of the (+) and (-) enantiomers of these compounds are completely different. Chromatographic attempts to assess the presence of the minor (+) enantiomers of the main phytocannabinoids, cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and trans-Δ-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (trans-Δ-THCA), were carried out on heated plant extracts for the determination of the corresponding decarboxylated species, cannabidiol (CBD) and trans-Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (trans-Δ-THC), respectively. This process produces an altered phytocannabinoid composition with several new and unknown decomposition products.

Reconfigurable Split Ring Resonators by MEMS-Driven Geometrical Tuning.

A novel approach for dynamic microwave modulation is proposed in the form of reconfigurable resonant circuits. This result is obtained through the monolithic integration of double split ring resonators (DSRRs) with microelectromechanical actuators (MEMS) for geometrical tuning. Two configurations were analyzed to achieve a controlled deformation of the DSRRs' metamaterial geometry by mutual rotation or extrusion along the azimuthal direction of the two constituent rings.

Preparation of Heterojunctions Based on CsBiBr Nanocrystals and g-CN Nanosheets for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Heterojunctions based on metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are promising systems for the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this work, we coupled CsBiBr nanocrystals (NCs), obtained by wet ball milling synthesis, with g-CN nanosheets (NSs), produced by thermal oxidation of bulk g-CN in air. These methods are reproducible, inexpensive and easy to scale up.

A multiscale tissue assessment in a rat model of mild traumatic brain injury.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has demonstrated the potential to assess the pathophysiology of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) but correlations of DTI findings and pathological changes in mTBI are unclear. We evaluated the potential of ex vivo DTI to detect tissue damage in a mild mTBI rat model by exploiting multiscale imaging methods, histology and scanning micro-X-ray diffraction (SμXRD) 35 days after sham-operation (n = 2) or mTBI (n = 3). There were changes in DTI parameters rostral to the injury site.

Micromorphology of pineal gland calcification in age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

Background: The formation of concrements in human pineal gland (PG) is a physiological process and, according to many researchers, is associated with the involution of PG structures. The majority of scientific publications concern progressive calcification of PG, leaving out studies on the destruction of already formed calcified concrements. Our study fills the gap in knowledge about calcified zones destruction in PG in normal aging and neuropathological conditions, which has not been addressed until now.