Cytokine serum profile in a group of Sicilian Nonagenarians

2011

The aim of our study was to evaluate the possibility of using multiplex analysis of the cytokine profile as a marker for successful aging by comparing cytokine plasmatic levels of a group of Sicilian nonagenarians with those of young controls. We analyzed a panel of 17 cytokines, comprehensive of haematopoietic factors T helper 1 (Th1), Th2, inflammation regulatory cytokines, and chemokines. The assay was carried out using the Luminex system. Interleukin (IL)-6 levels (p = 0.01) were increased in nonagenarians, whereas no modifications of other proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines were observed. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and IL-2 levels are unmodified, suggesting a substantial mainte…

Training Effects on Laboratory Parameters Are Independent of Genetic Polymorphisms of IL-10 and TNF-alpha (TNF-α)

2012

Background: It is well known that exercise has beneficial effects on health. Although intense exercise is experienced by the body as a condition of stress, a well designed training has long term beneficial effects on the organism of an athlete. Less is known about the effects that the genetic background might have on training adaptation and on the consequent modification of laboratory parameters. Methods: In our study we evaluated the blood chemistry parameters of a group of 41 athletes compared with a group of 45 amateur athletes, to assess whether the training has effects on their variation. In addition we typed our subjects for polymorphisms 308 A/G of the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)…

An Investigation of the Shelf-life of PDO Vastedda della Valle del Belice Cheese Subjected to Different Packaging Systems Alternative to Vacuum

2015

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different packaging systems alternatives to vacuum that is commonly applied for PDO Vastedda della Valle del Belice (VdB) cheese, a tipical pasta filata cheese, made with raw ewes’ milk. After production following the traditional cheesemaking protocol, VdB cheeses were packaged as follows: vacuum, paraffin wax and two different Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) consisting of a gas mixture of 70% CO2-30% N2 (MAP1) and 100% N2 (MAP2). Cheeses were stored at 4°C and analyzed (25 g) at time 0 and after 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 days. All the samples were subjected to microbiological analyses for the evaluation of total mesophilic aerobic b…

Genetic variability at αs2-casein gene in Girgentana dairy goat breed

2014

Casein genes are highly polymorphic and the high degree of variability has qualitative and quantitative effects on milk composition thereby affecting chemical, physical and technological properties of goat milk. The aim of this work was to evaluate the genetic polymorphisms of the αs2-casein (CSN1S2) gene in the endangered Girgentana dairy goat breed in order to assess the genotypes distribution, as it is known genotype influences technological and nutritional milk properties. The study was performed on 207 sample of Girgentana goat breed, analysed with different PCR protocols. The most frequent alleles was A (0.722), followed by F (0.225), C (0.051) and E (0.002) while B, D and 0 alleles w…

Polymorphisms of β-defensin genes in Valle del Belice dairy sheep

2011

The aim of this work was to study β-defensin 1 (SBD1) and β-defensin 2 (SBD2) genes in Valle del Belice dairy sheep in order to identify polymorphisms that can be utilized as markers of the analyzed genes, and search for the functional effects and roles of the identified polymorphisms (variation of the amino acid sequence of the protein and stability of mRNA molecule). The study was conducted on 300 randomly selected animals belonging to four flocks. A total of seven SNPs were identified, two in SBD1 and five in SBD2. The two SNPs identified in SBD2 coding region, at position 1659 and position 1667, were non-synonymous, leading to amino acid changes in the protein product. Nevertheless, the…

Valutazione della shelf-life e dei parametri di qualità della Vastedda della valle del Bélice sottoposta a quattro differenti packaging

Negli ultimi anni si è diffuso un interesse crescente verso la qualità e la sicurezza alimentare, cosi come è aumentata la richiesta di prodotti naturali, in particolare quelli certificati da un marchio di qualità [Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP), Indicazione Geografica Protetta (IGP), Specialità Tradizionale Garantita (STG)] e quelli insigniti del riconoscimento di indicazione geografica e specialità garantita conferiti dalla Comunità Europea per promuovere e proteggere la qualità delle produzioni agroalimentari. La stretta correlazione di questi prodotti con il territorio e l’utilizzo di strumenti e tecniche di produzione tradizionali conferiscono al prodotto finale caratteristich…

Polymorphisms of genes of TGF-beta pathway and susceptibility to colorectal cancer

2012

Background: Genetic background implicated in cytokine network may have a key role in the susceptibility to colorectal cancer (CRC). The TGF-β pathway is involved in several biological processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and apoptosis. Methods: rs1800471 SNP polymorphism of TGF-ß1 rs334348 and rs334349 of TGF-βR1, rs900 of TGF-β2 and rs4522809 of TGF-β2R2 were typed in a group of 82 patients affected by sporadic CRC and in 237 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, using a competitive allele specific PCR assays (KASPar), developed by KBioscience (England). Results: No significant genetic contribution has been observed for 3 of the 5 SNPs tested. Indeed, a sign…

Formation and Characterization of Early Bacterial Biofilms on Different Wood Typologies Applied in Dairy Production

2018

ABSTRACT The main hypothesis of this work was that Sicilian forestry resources are suitable for the production of equipment to be used in cheese making and indigenous milk lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are able to develop stable biofilms providing starter and nonstarter cultures necessary for curd fermentation and cheese ripening, respectively. Hence, the present work was carried out with deproteinized whey to evaluate LAB biofilm formation on different woods derived from tree species grown in Sicily. Microbiological and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed minimal differences in microbial levels and compositions for the neoformed biofilms. The specific investigation of Salmonella spp.…

Retrospective study on the hygienic quality of fresh ricotta cheeses produced in Sicily, Italy

2018

The present work was carried out to investigate the microbiological profile of Sicilian ewes’ ricotta cheeses during fifteen years of investigations (2002-2016). The samples were collected between those conferred to the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia (IZSSi) Adelmo Mirri, Palermo (Italy), by the competent authority during official control, by food business operator in HACCP systems and in research projects. Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli and coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS) were found only in some samples. Bacillus cereus was detected in c.a. 16% of samples but the level of contaminations did not reach the threshold that leads to significant toxin production…

Role of prothrombotic polymorphisms in successful or unsuccessful aging.

2011

The study of the genetic profile of centenarians aims to identify the genes and allelic variants which may influence a greater life expectancy and that can be considered as predisposing factors associated to the aging diseases, such as Alzheimer. Centenarians, that represent a cohort of selected survivors, show an hypercoagulability state characterised by striking signs of high coagulation enzyme activity, as directly assessed by the tested higher plasma level of some important factors involved in the haemostasis balance. Anyway, these individuals seem to have a reduced susceptibility to dementia, as well as to cardiovascular events. In this study we analyze the frequencies of Leiden Factor…

Identification and evaluation of antimicrobial resistance of enterococci isolated from raw ewes’ and cows’ milk collected in western Sicily: a prelim…

2019

The present work was carried out to investigate the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) of enterococci isolated from raw ewes’ and cows’ milk. The samples were collected from eighteen semi-extensive dairy sheep and cow farms throughout western Sicily. Plate counts, carried out on Rapid Enterococcus Agar commonly used to detect food enterococci, revealed a maximal enterococcal concentration of approximately 4.58 Log Colony Forming Unit (CFU)/mL. Colonies were isolated and differentiated based on genetic analysis by Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR. Thirty-eight different strains were identified. Analysis by a species-specific multiplex PCR assay grouped the strains into three Enteroc…

Myocardial infarction marker levels are influenced by prothrombin and tumor necrosis factor-α gene polymorphisms in young patients.

2012

Polymorphisms of genes encoding key factors for the control and activation of inflammatory response and coagulation cascade regulation may play a role in genetic susceptibility to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study sought to analyze the effect of TNF - 308G/A and pro-thrombin (FII) 20210G/A polymorphisms on the laboratory parameters of young patients affected by AMI. Results indicated that TNF - 308A positive genotype frequencies were increased in these patients and that a genetically determined higher production of TNF-alpha is associated in young subjects to a more severe cardiac damage as depicted by higher levels of troponin, Creatine kinase-MB Isoenzyme (mCK-MB) and a signif…

Pathological implications of Th1/Th2 cytokine genetic variants in Behçet's disease: Data from a pilot study in a Sicilian population

2013

Cytokines act as pleiotropic polypeptides able to regulate inflammatory/immune responses and to provide important signals in physiological and pathological processes. Several cytokines (Th1, Th2, and Th17) seem to be involved in the pathophysiology of Behçet's disease, a chronic immune-mediated disease characterized by oral and genital lesions and ocular inflammation. Its individual susceptibility seems to be modulated by genetic variants in genes codifying these cytokines. Th1 and Th17 seem to be involved in the disease's active phases, and Th2 seems to affect the development or severity of the disease; however, contrasting data are reported. In this study, some genetic variants of the Th1…

Analysis of the Polymorphisms of Th1 and Th17 Cytokines in Mediterranean Spotted Fever

2012

Background: We have recently reported that the susceptibility for Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) caused by Rickettsia conorii, is influenced by the Th2 and Th1 cytokine genetic polymorphism profiles. Less it is known on the effect of gene polymorphisms of cytokine produced by the Th17. Methods: 70 Sicilian patients affected by MSF and 239 control subjects matched for age, gender, and geographic origin were typed for functionally relevant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IFN-γ (+874 T/A), IL-18 (-137 G/C and -607A/C ) and IL-17 (7488T/C) according to our laboratory procedures. Results: No significant differences in IL-18 -137 G/C, -607A/C and in IFN-γ +874 T /A genotype frequenci…

Autoantibody production in aging: effect of cytokine gene polymorphisms in Sicilian ultra-nonagenarians

2012

TGF-B pathway polymorphisms as markers for gender differential susceptibility to sporadic thoracic aortic aneurysm

2012

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory and thrombotic/fibrinolytic genes in patients with acute ischemic stroke…

2011

Abstract Background The genetic basis of complex diseases like ischemic stroke probably consists of several predisposing risk factors, such as genes involved in inflammation and thrombotic pathways. On this basis the aim of our study was to evaluate the role of SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) of some pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory and coagulation/fibrinolytic genes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods The study population consisted of 144 consecutive Caucasian adult patients who were hospitalized in the Internal Medicine Department at the University of Palermo between November 2006 and January 2008, and who met inclusion criteria. The cases were patients admitted with …

Identification and evaluation of Beta-defensin polymorphisms in Valle del Belice dairy sheep

2010

Impact of packaging on the microbiological, physicochemical and sensory characteristics of a “pasta filata” cheese

2018

Abstract The present study evaluated the effects of four packaging technologies (vacuum, 2 types of modified atmosphere packaging [MAP1 = 70% N2/30% CO2; MAP2 = 100% N2] and paraffin) on the microbiological, chemical, physical and volatile organic composition, and the sensory characteristics of typical Sicilian stretched raw milk PDO (Protected Destination of Origin) Vastedda della Valle del Belice (VdB) cheese. The packaging applied did not affect the microbiological profiles of the cheeses. Of the chemical and physical parameters, only pH and water activity (aw) were statistically different among the trials. In particular, the cheeses wrapped in paraffin showed the highest pH value while …

Analysis of polymorphisms Leiden Factor V G1691A and prothrombin G20210A as risk factors for acute myocardial infarction.

2011

Thrombotic risk increases in elderly, therefore, the understanding of the genetic predisposition of hypercoagulability could make the difference in the prevention of venous and/or arterial thrombotic events. Laboratory evaluation of hyperfibrinogenemia, increased Factor VII levels, antiphospholipid antibodies presence and hyperhomocysteinemia are considered to have a consistent high predictivity for arterial thrombophilic diseases. Anyway, a large debate exists on the validity of testing Leiden Factor V (FV) G1691A and/or prothrombin (FII) G20210A polymorphisms in patients affected by arterial thrombotic diseases, despite of the several observations described. Here we report data strongly s…

Analysis of IL-6, IL-10 and IL-17 genetic polymorphisms as risk factors for sepsis development in burned patients.

2012

Abstract Infection risk, sepsis and mortality after severe burn are primarily determined by patient age, burn size, and depth. Whether genetic differences contribute to otherwise unexpected variability in outcomes is unknown. We sought to determine whether there was an association between IL-6, IL-10 and IL-17 polymorphisms with cytokine production and development of sepsis. We evaluated 71 patients with burns ≥15% TBSA and 109 healthy subjects. The genotypes of IL-6 (−174C/G), IL-10 (−819C/T and −1082A/G) and IL-17 (7488T/C) polymorphisms were identified applying polymerase chain reaction protocols. The cytokine levels in serum were determined with enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assays. Our…

Genetics of longevity. Data from the studies on Sicilian centenarians

2012

Abstract The demographic and social changes of the past decades have determined improvements in public health and longevity. So, the number of centenarians is increasing as a worldwide phenomenon. Scientists have focused their attention on centenarians as optimal model to address the biological mechanisms of "successful and unsuccessful ageing". They are equipped to reach the extreme limits of human life span and, most importantly, to show relatively good health, being able to perform their routine daily life and to escape fatal age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Thus, particular attention has been centered on their genetic background and immune system. In thi…

Effect of refrigerated storage on microbiological, chemical and sensory characteristics of a ewes’ raw milk stretched cheese

2017

This study aimed to describe the effects of refrigerated storage up to 180 days on microbiological, chemical, physical, and sensory characteristics of a PDO ewes’ raw milk stretched cheese. To this aim, a total of 224 cheeses were manufactured in four consecutive production weeks, and series of 32 of them were examined before packaging and after 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 d of storage at 4 ± 2 °C in the dark, respectively. Lactic acid bacteria cocci displayed the highest levels (7.8 Log CFU*g−1) during early storage and decreased progressively over time (7.4 Log CFU*g−1), while the opposite trend was observed for lactic acid bacteria rods (from 6.5 to 7.3 Log CFU*g−1). TMC and enterocci s…

Microbial diversity of traditional Sicilian cheeses

2017

In the last years, the microbial characterisation of traditional Sicilian cheeses, such as Caciocavallo Palermitano, Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Pecorino Siciliano and PDO Vastedda della valle del Belìce have been the object of different studies conducted by our research group. To this purpose, the aim of the present study was to describe the microbial population of traditional Sicilian cheeses.