Search results for "lcsh:H1-99"
showing 10 items of 329 documents
Formulation, development and characterization of a novel functional fruit snack based on fig (Ficus carica L.) coated with sugar-free chocolate
2020
The aim of the present investigation was to explore the possibility of developing a fruit snack formulation based on dried fig powder and chocolate-coated. Dried Fig (Ficus carica L.) powder with a maximum particle size of 354 μm and the lowest compaction force was formulated as the core. Persian gum was prepared at the concentrations of 1.5, 2 and 2.5% and xanthan gum was prepared at the levels of 0.25, 0.39 and 0.54% as the middle layer to the coating of the core. Regarding rheological assessments, sugar-free chocolate containing 29.3% isomalt was selected for the coating of the outer chocolate shell in the entitled snack. Textural analysis showed that coating of the core with hydrocolloi…
The impact of physical activity on psychological health during Covid-19 pandemic in Italy
2020
The worldwide spread of COVID-19 has upset the normality of Italian daily life, forcing population to social distancing and self-isolation. Since the containment precautions also concern sport-related activities, home workout remained the only possibility to play sports and stay active during the pandemic. The present study aimed to examine changes in the physical activity levels during self-quarantine in Italy, and the impact of exercise on psychological health. A total of 2974 Italian subjects has completed an online survey, but only 2524 subjects resulted eligible for this study. The questionnaire measured the total weekly physical activity energy expenditure before and during quarantine…
Cultivation trials of hop (Humulus lupulus L.) in semi-arid environments
2020
Abstract The recent developments in the market and craft beer industry in Italy have led to an increasing demand for local raw materials, such as barley malt and hops. Few works have been addressed to evaluate suitability and productivity of hop in semi-arid Italian environments. With this purpose, two experiments were carried out in 2018 and 2019, testing the suitability to cultivation of three commonly used hop varieties (Cascade, Chinook and Nuggett) in two typical semi-arid environments in Sicily. Phenological stages were also evaluated, and GDDs accumulated in vegetative and reproductive stages were calculated according to 9 different methods, dealing with three Tbase temperatures (0 °…
Vitamin D in malaria: more hypotheses than clues
2019
Abstract Vitamin D is a secosteroid hormone regulating calcium and phosphate metabolism, immune response and brain development. Low blood 25(OH)D levels have been reported in patients affected by infectious diseases caused by parasites, including malaria. Despite the high effectiveness of antimalarials, malaria is burdened with high morbidity and mortality, and the search for additional therapies is rapidly growing. Furthermore, available preventive measures have proved to be barely effective so far. Finding new prevention and therapy tools is a matter of urgency. Studies on animal models and humans have hypothesized some mechanisms by which the hormone can influence malaria pathogenesis, a…
Good's syndrome and recurrent leishmaniasis: A case report and review of literature
2020
We report the case of a 56-year-old Caucasian male affected by thymoma and myasthenia gravis that developed recurrent visceral leishmaniasis 11 years after thymectomy. After treatment of each relapse with liposomal amphotericin B the PCR-Leishmania was negative and the patient showed clinical improvement. An immunologic work-up was performed showing lymphopenia with an important decrease in CD4+ T cells (52 cells/μ) and CD4/CD8 ratio (0.2). HIV test was negative. On the basis of previous thymoma and myasthenia gravis and on the basis of the immunological profile a diagnosis of Good's syndrome was made. Since IFNγ plays a main role in the control of Leishmania infection the production of IFN…
Protein supplement consumption is linked to time spent exercising and high-protein content foods: A multicentric observational study
2019
The main aim of this study is to analyze if protein supplement consumption and food patterns vary across three geographical regions and secondly to identify possible factors that increase the likelihood of ingesting protein supplements.A total of 916 responses from gym users of 3 countries (Italy, Turkey and UK) were entered for analysis. Questions were related to supplement consumption (protein and other supplements), food intake and training habits. A descriptive analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and logistic regression were performed.No differences were found across groups regarding: prevalence of protein supplement consumption, typology of other ingested supplement and food intake…
Damage detection of a hybrid composite laminate aluminum/glass under quasi-static and fatigue loadings by acoustic emission technique
2019
Abstract This paper deals with the characterization by Acoustic Emission technique of damages occurring in a hybrid laminate aluminium/glass during quasi-static and fatigue tests. Indeed, hybrid laminates materials metal/composites are more and more considered in structure, automotive and aerospace designs because of their good mechanical performances and lightness. To understand their damages characteristics, several types of laminates (fiber orientations, number of folds, presence or not of an aluminium sheet) have been tested. The acoustic emission analysis has been realized using statistical multi-parameters methods of data clustering: combination of Principal Components Analysis (PCA) …
Caffeine boosts Ataluren's readthrough activity
2019
Abstract The readthrough of nonsense mutations by small molecules like Ataluren is considered a novel therapeutic approach to overcome the gene defect in several genetic diseases as cystic fibrosis (CF). This pharmacological approach suppresses translation termination at premature termination codons (PTCs readthrough) thus restoring the expression of a functional protein. However, readthrough might be limited by the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), a cell process that reduces the amount/level of PTCs containing mRNAs. Here we investigate the combined action of Ataluren and caffeine to enhance the readthrough of PTCs. IB3.1 CF cells with a nonsense mutation were treated with caffeine to a…
Genetically modified seeds and plant propagating material in Europe: potential routes of entrance and current status
2019
Genetically modified organisms (GMO), mainly crop plants, are increasingly grown worldwide leading to large trade volumes of living seeds and other plant material both for cultivation and for food and animal feed. Even though all the traded GMOs have been assessed for their safety with regards to human and animal health and the environment, there still are some concerns regarding the potential uncontrolled release in the environment of authorized or unauthorized GM plants. In this review, we identify the possible entrance routes of GM seeds and other propagating plant material in the EU which could be linked to unauthorized release of GMOs in the environment. In addition, we discuss the sit…
Physical fitness assessment in Goalball: A scoping review of the literature
2020
Background Goalball is a Paralympic sport for visually impaired athletes. Although it is widely practiced, a great variety of tests are adopted to evaluate athletes' physical fitness. Therefore, the objective was to identify the physical fitness tests adopted in this sport to find the common aspects between them and, eventually, to propose a standard operating procedure. Methods The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were adopted. The studies were extracted from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. A selection process by title, abstract, and full-text, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, was …