2,971 results match your criteria: "Universita degli Studi di Palermo[Affiliation]"

Jan ex Guss.: the essential oil chemical composition of the accession growing wild in Sicily (Italy).

Nat Prod Res

September 2024

Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.

The genus L., included within the Apiaceae family, has a wide geographical distribution. It has a fairly complex nomenclatural history as it is shared with two other genera: Link non P.

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Arsenic contamination in aqueous media is a serious environmental problem, especially in developing countries. In this research, the Box-Behnken response surface methodology was used to optimize the most relevant variables affecting arsenic adsorption on the ZnO-halloysite surface, including temperature, adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time, and As (III) initial concentration. The regression analysis indicated that the experimental data were appropriately fitted to a quadratic model with the adjusted R-squared value (R) of 0.

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Do genetically determined very high and very low LDL levels contribute to Lp(a) plasma concentration?

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis

August 2024

Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties (PROMISE), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, 90127, Palermo, Italy; Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via U. La Malfa 153, 90146, Palermo, Italy. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is identified as a significant risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), with this study focusing on its levels among patients with different genetic dyslipidemias and the general population.
  • The research involved various cohorts including hypercholesterolemic patients and free-living subjects, revealing that those with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) had notably higher median Lp(a) levels compared to those with familial hypobetalipoproteinemia type 1 (FHBL1) and the general population.
  • It was found that individuals at high cardiovascular (CV) risk have significantly elevated Lp(a) levels, suggesting that assessing Lp(a) in conjunction with
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High-resolution proteomics and machine-learning identify protein classifiers of honey made by Sicilian black honeybees (Apis mellifera ssp. sicula).

Food Res Int

October 2024

Proteomics Group of Ri.MED Foundation, Research Department IRCCS ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione), Via E. Tricomi 5, 90127 Palermo, Italy. Electronic address:

Apis mellifera ssp. sicula, also known as the Sicilian black honeybee, is a Slow Food Presidium that produces honey with outstanding nutraceutical properties, including high antioxidant capacity. In this study, we used high-resolution proteomics to profile the honey produced by sicula and identify protein classifiers that distinguish it from that made by the more common Italian honeybee (Apis mellifera ssp.

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evidence of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of a new nutraceutical formulation explains benefits in a clinical setting of COPD patients.

Front Pharmacol

August 2024

Dipartimento Promozione della Salute Materno-Infantile di Medicina Interna e Specialistica di Eccellenza "G. D'Alessandro" (PROMISE), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy.

Increased oxidative stress within the airways is associated to epithelial damage and amplification of inflammatory responses that in turn contribute to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) progression. This study was aimed to identify whether a new formulation of N-acetylcisteine (NAC), carnitine, curcumin and B2 vitamin could counteract oxidative stress and downstream pro-inflammatory events promoted by cigarette smoke extract (CSE) exposure in primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC), both submerged/undifferentiated (S-PBEC) and cultured at the air-liquid interface (ALI-PBEC). PBEC were exposed to CSE with/without the new formulation or NAC alone and ROS production, IL-8 and IL-6 gene expression and protein release were evaluated.

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Exploring the Feasibility of Polysaccharide-Based Mulch Films with Controlled Ammonium and Phosphate Ions Release for Sustainable Agriculture.

Polymers (Basel)

August 2024

Department of Biological, Chemical, and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Building 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy.

Bio-based polymers are a promising material with which to tackle the use of disposable and non-degradable plastics in agriculture, such as mulching films. However, their poor mechanical properties and the high cost of biomaterials have hindered their widespread application. Hence, in this study, we improved polysaccharide-based films and enriched them with plant nutrients to make them suitable for mulching and fertilizing.

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Gene, Protein, and in Silico Analyses of FoxO, an Evolutionary Conserved Transcription Factor in the Sea Urchin .

Genes (Basel)

August 2024

Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica (IRIB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy.

Article Synopsis
  • FoxO is a transcription factor that plays a vital role in various biological processes and is linked to diseases when mutated in mammals; a similar gene was studied in sea urchins.* -
  • Researchers isolated and analyzed the FoxO gene from sea urchins, finding that its structure resembles vertebrate FoxO3, indicating evolutionary conservation across species.* -
  • The study revealed that inhibiting the PI3K signaling pathway increased FoxO mRNA levels, suggesting its involvement in apoptosis and cell-cycle regulation, and predicted potential gene regulatory networks.*
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Purpose: Evaluate the agreement between bone age assessments conducted by two distinct machine learning system and standard Greulich and Pyle method.

Materials And Methods: Carpal radiographs of 225 patients (mean age 8 years and 10 months, SD = 3 years and 1 month) were retrospectively analysed at two separate institutions (October 2018 and May 2022) by both expert radiologists and radiologists in training as well as by two distinct AI software programmes, 16-bit AI and BoneXpert® in a blinded manner.

Results: The bone age range estimated by the 16-bit AI system in our sample varied between 1 year and 1 month and 15 years and 8 months (mean bone age 9 years and 5 months SD = 3 years and 3 months).

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This preclinical proof-of-concept study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of secretome therapy in diabetic mice with pressure ulcers. We utilized a custom-made hyaluronic acid (HA)-based porous sponge, which was rehydrated either with normal culture medium or secretome derived from human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to achieve a hydrogel consistency. Following application onto skin ulcers, both the hydrogel-only and the hydrogel + secretome combination accelerated wound closure compared to the vehicle group.

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Fast and sensitive quantification of drugs as emerging pollutants in water bodies is a pressing need in contemporary society, to prevent serious environmental concerns that could negatively impact on human health. This explains the surge of interest in this field, and the need to identify highly selective sensing systems. Addressing this issue, in this work we synthesized two D-glucamine functionalized fluorophores bearing self-assembling cores, as 1,8-naphthalimide and naphthalene diimide.

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Physcomitrium patens flavodiiron proteins form heterotetrametric complexes.

J Biol Chem

September 2024

Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Center, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy. Electronic address:

Flavodiiron proteins (FLVs) catalyze the reduction of oxygen to water by using electrons from Photosystem I (PSI). In several photosynthetic organisms such as cyanobacteria, green algae, mosses and gymnosperms, FLV-dependent electron flow protects PSI from over-reduction and consequent damage especially under fluctuating light conditions. In this work we investigated biochemical and structural properties of FLVA and FLVB from the model moss Physcomitrium patens.

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Biotinylated polyaminoacid-based nanoparticles for the targeted delivery of lenvatinib towards hepatocarcinoma.

Int J Pharm

September 2024

Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, Palermo 90123, Italy. Electronic address:

In this work, we describe the development of targeted polymeric nanoparticles loaded with lenvatinib for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A synthetic brush copolymer (PHEA-g-BIB-pButMA-g-PEG-biotin) was synthesized from α-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-D,L-aspartamide (PHEA) by a three-step reaction involving atom transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP) to graft hydrophobic polybutylmethacrylate pendant groups and further conjugation with biotinylated polyethylene glycol via carbonate ester. Subsequently, lenvatinib-loaded nanoparticles were obtained and characterized demonstrating colloidal size, negative zeta potential, biotin exposure on the surface and the ability to release lenvatinib in a sustained manner.

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Article Synopsis
  • Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) is an important protein that helps cancer cells stick together, move, grow, and survive, so targeting it could help treat tough cancers like pancreatic cancer.
  • Researchers tested a new series of special compounds and found one that effectively stopped the growth of different pancreatic cancer cells and reduced their movement.
  • In experiments with mice, this compound not only slowed down tumor growth but also showed it wasn’t harmful, making it a strong candidate for future cancer treatments that target FAK.
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Chemical residues in food pose health risks such as cancer and liver issues. This has driven the search for safer natural alternatives to synthetic fungicides and preservatives. The aim of this study was to characterize the chemical composition of the essential oils (EO), determine the polyphenolic contents, and evaluate the in vitro antioxidant and antifungal activities of methanol extracts (ME), essential oils (EO), and powders from L.

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Emergent Properties from Three-Dimensional Assemblies of (Nano)particles in Confined Spaces.

Cryst Growth Des

July 2024

Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University and Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708WE Wageningen, The Netherlands.

The assembly of (nano)particles into compact hierarchical structures yields emergent properties not found in the individual constituents. The formation of these structures relies on a profound knowledge of the nanoscale interactions between (nano)particles, which are often designed by researchers aided by computational studies. These interactions have an effect when the (nano)particles are brought into close proximity, yet relying only on diffusion to reach these closer distances may be inefficient.

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Sage ( L.) is a medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) belonging to the family. Its morphological, productive and chemical characteristics are affected by abiotic and biotic factors.

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Background And Objectives: Hospital pharmacists collaborate in clinical trials by managing the reception, conservation, distribution, return and destruction of the investigational medical products (IMP). However, errors can happen during the simultaneous management of multiple trials because each clinical trial stipulates its own method for managing the drug under study. In order to promote optimal management by hospital pharmacists, we developed a method for calculating a risk of error index for each experimental protocol, and wrote standard procedures for managing trials assigned low, moderate and high risk levels, to provide hospital pharmacists with a systematic tool for reducing human error in the management of IMPs for multiple clinical trials.

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The aim of our investigation was to explore the relationship between unaided pure-tone and speech audiometry and self-reported aided performance measured according to five predetermined COSI categories among first-time hearing aid users and experienced hearing aid users. Data from 286 patients were retrospectively evaluated. We divided the sample into first-time hearing aid users (G1) and experienced hearing aid users (G2).

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The "Investigating and translating genomic evidence for public health response to SARS-CoV-2 (INSIDE SARS-CoV-2)" project is part of the initiative "Joint science and technology cooperation call for joint project proposals for the years 2021-2023" promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the Republic of India. To start the project activities, the pandemic response and the epidemiological situation in Italy and in India, together with the genomic surveillance strategies for SARS-CoV-2 virus in the two countries, are here described.

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Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) pose a significant global health challenge, necessitating innovative approaches for primary prevention. Personalized prevention, based on genetic risk scores (PRS) and digital technologies, holds promise in revolutionizing CVD preventive strategies. However, the clinical efficacy of these interventions requires further investigation.

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High-throughput genotyping offers great potential to increase our understanding of the genomic basis of canid variation. Braque Français Type Pyrénées (BRA) are smart, agile, and friendly dogs originally developed for tracking, hunting, and retrieving feathered game. On a population of 44 unrelated BRA dogs, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype data from the CanineHD Whole-Genome Genotyping BeadChip and evaluation scores for 12 traits related to morphology and hunting performance were available.

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The essential oil chemical composition of a sicilian (Italy) accession of M. Bieb.

Nat Prod Res

June 2024

Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo. Viale delle Scienze, Palermo, Italy.

is a relatively small genus belonging to the tribe Senecioneae (Fam. Asteraceae), distributed in Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Some of its species are considered toxic due to the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids whereas some other ones are largely utilised in the ethnopharmacology of several countries.

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This study aims to demonstrate the possibility of incorporating a natural antioxidant biomolecule into polymeric porous scaffolds. To this end, Poly-l-Lactic Acid (PLLA) scaffolds were produced using the Thermally Induced Phase Separation (TIPS) technique and additivated with different amounts of rosmarinic acid (RA). The scaffolds, with a diameter of 4 mm and a thickness of 2 mm, were characterized with a multi-analytical approach.

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Chemical Characterization, Free Radical Scavenging, and Cellular Antioxidant Properties of the Egadi Island Endemic Guss Leaf Extract.

Biomolecules

May 2024

Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy.

The genus is an important source of food in the Mediterranean diet with documented nutritional and medicinal properties. However, few studies have investigated the phytochemical composition and the biological activity of wild Sicilian taxa. Thus, we aimed to study the chemical profile and the antioxidant potential, in vitro and in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.

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