Identification of (In)Compatible S-genotypes and Molecular Characterisation of Italian Sweet Cherry Cultivars.

Italy is the first sweet cherry producer in Europe. Its rich germplasm of local varieties has not been fully characterised or exploited in breeding programmes. Sweet cherry is a self-incompatible species; this trait is controlled by a gametophytically expressed multi-allelic (S) locus. The knowledge of sweet cherry S-alleles and cross-incompatibility groups is important for growers and breeders for choosing appropriate pollinators in the orchard and planning crosses. In this work, we analysed 94 sweet cherry cultivars native of large part of the Italian regions where cherry is grown. The microsatellite primer pair set and the reference cultivars agreed for cherry by the Prunus Working Group…

Virtual Compton scattering and the generalized polarizabilities of the proton atQ2=0.92and 1.76 GeV2

Virtual Compton Scattering (VCS) on the proton has been studied at Jefferson Lab using the exclusive photon electroproduction reaction (e p --> e p gamma). This paper gives a detailed account of the analysis which has led to the determination of the structure functions P{sub LL}-P{sub TT}/epsilon and P{sub LT}, and the electric and magnetic generalized polarizabilities (GPs) alpha{sub E}(Q{sup 2}) and beta{sub M}(Q{sup 2}) at values of the four-momentum transfer squared Q{sup 2} = 0.92 and 1.76 GeV{sup 2}. These data, together with the results of VCS experiments at lower momenta, help building a coherent picture of the electric and magnetic GPs of the proton over the full measured Q{sup 2}-…

L'INFLUENZA DELLE TECNOLOGIE IMPIANTISTICHE SULLA QUALITA' DEL VINO

The Natriuretic system in Human Salivary gland health and disease: potential use to diagnose early stages of malignancy in salivary glands.

IBD, malignancy and oral microbiota: Analysis of the literature

The human microbiota, in adults, varies in number and species based on the location in the gastrointestinal tract. The highest concentration is at the intestinal level, where mainly Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and proteobacteria are found. Instead, in the oral cavity, five major phyla exists. Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Fusobacteria. Variations in the microbiota cause bysbiosis, which is responsible to a great extent for the onset of many diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). In some cases (8-10%) IBD has shown oral manifestations that may reflect a change in the composition of the oral microbiota. Th…

Il Lici

THE FINGERPRINT OF THE HUMAN GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT MICROBIOTA: A HYPOTHESIS OF MOLECULAR MAPPING

The precise etiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IDB) remains unclear and several factors are believed to play a role in its development and progression, including the composition of microbial communities resident in the gastrointestinal tract. Human intestinal microbiota are extensive with at least 15,000-36,000 bacterial species. However, thanks to the new development in sequencing and molecular taxonomic methodologies, our understanding of the microbiota population composition, dynamics, and ecology has greatly increased. Intestinal microbiota play a critical role in the maintenance of the host intestinal barrier homeostasis, while dysbiosis, which involves reduction in the microbiome…

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 matrix metalloproteinase-9 and inducible nitric oxide synthase in oral leukoplakia: Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR analysis

Oral leukoplakia is the most common and potentially malignant disorder of the oral mucosa. The definition of leukoplakia given by the World Health Organization is "a white plaque that cannot be characterized either from a clinical or from a histopathological point of view", thus the diagnosis of leukoplakia is based on the exclusion of other lesions of the oral mucosa. We believe it is necessary to identify molecular and immunohistochemical parameters that can contribute to discriminating between the different leukoplakia clinical subtypes coded by the epidemiology. In the present work we show the preliminary results of this research project. We investigated the expression of matrix metallo…

Il mango

Human dental pulp cell apoptosis: immunohistochemical study after applying orthodontic traction.

The aim of this study was to compare human dental pulp stress and programmed cell death after 3 and 6 months of orthodontic treatments by assessing the degree of apoptosis and related proteins. Human dental pulps were collected from twenty young patients orthodontically treated by Straight Wire technique. Samples were fixed, paraffin-embedded and processed for histology and immunohistochemistry using anti-heat shock protein 60 kDa (Hsp60), -caspase 3, -caspase 9, and -PCNA antibodies, as well as TUNEL reactions. Moreover, we performed immunoprecipitation for Hsp60 and caspase 3, and for Hsp60 and caspase 9, from paraffin extracted tissues. Increased levels of both caspases and Hsp60 occurre…

Productive Efficiency of Decanters with Short and Variable Dynamic Pressure Cones

Abstract This paper presents the results of experimental trials carried out on third-generation, variable dynamic pressure cone decanters to assess machine performance and adjust the process parameters for optimum extraction yield. The results obtained led to the following conclusions: the regulation of the differential velocity screw/bowl allows a better performance of the decanter at low dilutions of the olive paste; it is possible to obtain high efficiency at a low dilution of the olive paste achieving a higher minor compounds content and the more advanced system of regulation leads to better results according to the variations of the ratio between liquid and solid phases, thus optimisin…

FOCAL ACTIVE COLITIS AS A PREDICTOR OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE: RESULTS FROM A SINGLE-CENTER EXPERIENCE.

The term focal active colitis (FAC) is conventionally used to describe the presence of isolated cryptitis, characterized by an inflammatory infiltrate consisting of intraepithelial neutrophils and/or neutrophils invading the lumen of the criptae, with no other microscopic alteration of the colonic mucosa and, in particular, without the presence of signs of chronic inflammation. To date, only four studies, including one conducted in a pediatric population, have been performed to evaluate the clinical significance of this disease. The aim of this retrospective study on prospectively-collected data is to evaluate the clinical implications of the focal active colitis, since there still remains …

Italian cancer figures, report 2014: Prevalence and cure of cancer in Italy

This Report intends to estimate the total number of people still alive in 2010 after cancer diagnosis in Italy, regardless of the time since diagnosis, and to project these estimates to 2015. This study is also aimed to estimate the number of already cured cancer patients, whose mortality rates have become undistinguishable from that of the general population of the same age and sex.The study took advantage of the information from the AIRTUM database, which included 29 Cancer Registries (covering 21 million people, 35% of the Italian population). A total of 1,624,533 cancer cases diagnosed between 1976 and 2009 contributed to the study. For each registry, the observed prevalence was calcula…

ORAL LEOKOPLAKIA:TOPICAL ISOTRETIONIN TREATMENT

Backward electroproduction ofπ0mesons on protons in the region of nucleon resonances at four momentum transfer squaredQ2=1.0GeV2

Exclusive electroproduction of pi{sup 0} mesons on protons in the backward hemisphere has been studied at Q2 = 1.0 GeV2 by detecting protons in the forward direction in coincidence with scattered electrons from the 4 GeV electron beam in Jefferson Lab's Hall A. The data span the range of the total (gamma*p) center-of-mass energy W from the pion production threshold to W = 2.0 GeV. The differential cross sections sigma{sub T} + epsilon sigma{sub L}, sigma{sub TL}, and sigma{sub TT} were separated from the azimuthal distribution and are presented together with the MAID and SAID parameterizations.

Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium lactis supplementation reduces tissue damage of intestinal mucosa and liver after 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid treatment in mice

Probiotics (PB) are living microorganisms that act as a commensal population in normal intestines and confer numerous beneficial effects on the host. The introduction of probiotics in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) prolongs remission. The aim of this study was to investigate the intestinal and hepatic effects of PB supplementation in an experimental IBD model in mice induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). In the first step of the experimental procedure, CD-1 male mice, 5 to 6 weeks old, were randomly divided into 3 groups and inoculated intrarectally with, respectively, saline, alcohol, or TNBS to assess the experimental IBD model. In the second step, mice…

Enteropathogenic e.coli sustains iodoacetamide-induced ulcerative colitis-like colitis in rats: modulation of IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha, COX-2, and apoptosisi

Pathogenic or non-pathogenic bacteria from flora may play a key role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathogenesis. However, a specific infectious agent causing IBD has not been identified. This study assessed the impact of enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) on the modulation of IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF- alpha, COX-2, BAX and Bcl-2 expression, in sustaining inflammation of a rat colitis model. Two hundred male Sprague-Dawley rats (4 groups) were inoculated weekly or bi-weekly for 70 days, with 1 percent methylcellulose (MC), (b) 6 percent iodoacetamide (IA) in 1 percent MC, (c) 4x108 CFU of EPEC, and (d) IA+EPEC. After a month, treatment was stopped in half of the animals in each group. IL-1beta…

Virtual Compton Scattering and Neutral Pion Electroproduction in the Resonance Region up to the Deep Inelastic Region at Backward Angles

We have made the first measurements of the virtual Compton scattering (VCS) process via the H$(e,e'p)\gamma$ exclusive reaction in the nucleon resonance region, at backward angles. Results are presented for the $W$-dependence at fixed $Q^2=1$ GeV$^2$, and for the $Q^2$-dependence at fixed $W$ near 1.5 GeV. The VCS data show resonant structures in the first and second resonance regions. The observed $Q^2$-dependence is smooth. The measured ratio of H$(e,e'p)\gamma$ to H$(e,e'p)\pi^0$ cross sections emphasizes the different sensitivity of these two reactions to the various nucleon resonances. Finally, when compared to Real Compton Scattering (RCS) at high energy and large angles, our VCS data…

ANP differentiates between primary Submandibular Gland Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Preliminary data

The natriuretic peptide system consists of three ligands, Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP), Brain Natriuretic peptide (BNP) and C-type Natriuretic peptide (CNP), and three natriuretic peptide receptors (NPR’s), NPRA, NPRB and NPRC. We investigated the expression levels of NPPA (encoding ANP) and NPR1 (encoding NPRA, the main receptor for ANP) in primary benign (pleomorphic adenoma) and malignant (squamous cell carcinoma, SCC) submandibular salivary gland (SMG) tumors, as well as in primary oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We found that the NPPA and NPR1 expression levels were significantly different in SMG SCC versus OSCC, exhibiting a significant increase in NPPA and absence of NPR1 ex…

Colorectal cancer in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a single-center experience

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of the study is to evaluate the prevalence of CRC in a cohort of Caucasian patients with T2DM and the association with other variables previously known to be related with increased risk of CRC. We retrospectively evaluated the data of 741 consecutive Caucasian patients with T2DM who underwent colonoscopic screening in our tertiary referral center. A control cohort of 333 patients with thyroid disease was selected to evaluate the difference in the incidence of CRC. At a median follow-up of 132.5 months (range 33.3-175.7), 67 cases of cancer (prevalence 9%) occurred; among these, 14 cases …

Colorectal cancer: An update on the effects of lycopene on tumor progression and cell proliferation

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Various factors, including oxidative stress, where excessive productions of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) occur, contribute to its pathogenesis. Numerous studies have investigated the effect of antioxidant substances derived from food such as fruits and vegetables; however, data on Lycopene are still rare. Studies on HT-29 colorectal cancer cells and on animal models have shown that lycopene has effects on cell proliferation and on the progression of the CRC by interacting with various cellular signaling pathways. This analysis of the literature focused on the antioxidant effect of lycop…

Helicobacter pylori and Barrett’s esophagus: a protective factor or a real cause?

Nothwithstanding the definite aethiopathogenetic path of certain diseases, the relationship between Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori) and barrett's esophagus (BE), a condition that increases the risk for dysplasia and consequently adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus and esophagogastric junction, remains uncertain. this paper reviews the current scientific literature with emphasis on the protective correlation between H. Pylori infection and BE, and demonstrates that a causal relathionship has not been disproved with certainty. Furthermore, H. Pylori infection could pose a risk for the onset of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which could in turn trigger BE, a precancerous lesion and…

Estrogens control inflammation in experimental colitis.

There is now a wealth of experimental evidence indicating that the deficit in endogenous estrogen facilitates the onset of inflammation that can be antagonized by estrogen replacement therapy. This work investigated the role of estrogen in the control of intestinal inflammation in a panel of colitis models, focusing on the morphological changes, the activity of mast cells, the expression of cytokines (IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha), fibronectin and reactive oxygen species. Two hundred adult male rats were divided into 4 groups: colitis was induced in Group I and Group II but only the latter was treated with estrogen; Group III received estrogen only, and Group IV saline. Colitis was induced…

EFFECT OF AUTOLOGOUS PLATELET-RICH PLASMA ON DISTRACTION OSTEOGENESIS IN THE MANDIBLE OF RABBITS: A MORPHOLOGIC AND MORPHOMETRIC APPROACH

Distraction osteogenesis of the jaws is a common surgical practice in the treatment of pediatric craniofacial deformities. Autologous platelet rich plasma (PRP) has been used to increase the healing potential of bones in humans during distraction osteogenesis. This article aims to study the morphometric and morphologic parameters resulting from the effect of PRP on bone healing after mandibular distraction in rabbits. Right mandibular distraction was performed in 12 rabbits divided equally into 2 groups. PRP and physiological saline were injected, according to a defined protocol, in the callus following distraction of the experimental and control groups respectively. The rabbits were sacrif…