Search results for "rosacea"

Apple (Malus domestica) and Tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) Fruits Cell-Wall Hemicelluloses and Xyloglucan Degradation during Penicillium expansum I…

2004

We characterized the changes in cell-wall hemicellulosic polysaccharides and the hemicellulose-degrading enzymes associated with apple and tomato fruits infected by Penicillium expansum. Our results showed a reduction in the molecular mass of hemicelluloses, with this reduction being particularly notable in the xyloglucan associated with P. expansum infection. The activation of fungal beta-glucanases was also highlighted. Fruit xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase (XTH)-specific activity decreased drastically during the infection process in both apple and tomato fruits. We suggest that XTH reduction during the infection might be related with the fungus attack mechanism. We also suggest…

Willingness to pay for a cure of low-risk melanoma patients in Germany

2018

Malignant melanoma is potentially life-threatening but in most cases curable if detected early. Willingness to pay (WTP) is a preference-based construct that reflects burden of disease by assessment of the monetary value for a hypothetical cure from disease. Since WTP (directly as total amount of money) has not been assessed so far in patients with low risk melanoma, it was interesting to gain insights in this patient population and then, in a second step, compare it directly with the WTP of their treating dermato-oncologists. WTP was assessed in 125 patients with low-risk melanoma and additionally in 105 treating physicians, asking for the one-time and continuous payments they would be wil…

Concentration dependent effects of commonly used pesticides on activation versus inhibition of the quince (Cydonia Oblonga) polyphenol oxidase

2009

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) catalyzes the oxidation of o-diphenols to their respective quinones which undergo autopolymerization and form dark pigments. The interaction of PPO with various substrates and effectors remains the focus of intensive investigations due to the enzyme's key role in pigments biosynthesis including animal melanogenesis and fruit/fungi enzymatic browning. In this study, the effect of a range of commonly used pesticides on the enzyme activity has been evaluated using the purified quince (Cydonia oblonga Miller) PPO. The biochemical analysis showed that, in the presence of high pesticide concentrations, the enzyme was competitively inhibited, particularly with benomyl, car…

Exploring new roles for the rpoS gene in the survival and virulence of the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora

2014

Erwinia amylovora causes fire blight in economically important plants of the family Rosaceae. This bacterial pathogen spends part of its life cycle coping with starvation and other fluctuating environmental conditions. In many Gram-negative bacteria, starvation and other stress responses are regulated by the sigma factor RpoS. We obtained an E. amylovora rpoS mutant to explore the role of this gene in starvation responses and its potential implication in other processes not yet studied in this pathogen. Results showed that E. amylovora needs rpoS to develop normal starvation survival and viable but nonculturable (VBNC) responses. Furthermore, this gene contributed to stationary phase cross-…

Physical pre-treatment of plums (Prunus domestica). Part 2. Effect on the quality characteristics of different prune cultivars

2002

The effects of an alternative physical pre-treatment for enhancing the drying rate of different plums (Stanley, Angeleno(R), and Empress), are evaluated by means of the principal chemical parameters and by skin colour. The pre-treatment consists of the superficial abrasion of the plums' peels using an inert abrasive material to remove the cuticular waxy layer, the limiting factor for moisture loss. The drying process was carried out at 60 C to reduce the plums' quality loss, the latter being assessed by analysing the changes in skin colour, sugars by HPLC, total phenols, total anthocyanins, and reactive substances to the vanillin-HCl reagent. The proposed physical pre-treatment, without sig…

Two new apricot varieties

2010

Nella and Dora are apricot seedlings recently selected by R. Chiappetta in Sicily. Their vegetative, floreal, agronomic and fruit-quality characteristics were checked for three years (2003 - 2005) in Partinico (Palermo coast area), under mild winter and spring temperatures, in comparison with Tyrinthos variety. Nella and Dora have an upright tree habit and are self-compatible. Blooming started a week earlier in Nella and Tyrinthos (end of February) and concluded in the second part of March in all varieties. Fruit set was satisfactory in all cultivars. Crop was harvested from May 25th to 30th in Dora, May 24th to 30th in Nella and May 24th to 28th in Tyrinthos. Fruit weight, as a three years…

Analisi molecolare in popolazioni di Prunus mahaleb s.l. (Rosaceae) della Sicilia

2010

New data on diversity of Pyrus (Rosaceae) in Sicily

2010

Skin Erythema Assessment by an RGB Imaging Device: a Clinical Study

2015

In this study, skin erythema assessment of 90 rosacea patients was estimated by a simple, low-cost RGB imaging device. A new erythema index assessment algorithm is proposed and clinically validated. Comparison with dermatologist’s visual assessment shows high correlation.

Sorbus busambarensis (Rosaceae), a new endemic species of Sicily

2012

Abstract In this study, Sorbus busambarensis, a new species from Rocca Busambra (Palermo, NW Sicily) has been described and named. On the basis of the critical features of its flowers, fruits and leaves, it is noted to be a member of S. sect. Aria and is related to the other taxa that form the polymorphic group of S. aria, which in Sicily is represented by S. aria s. str., S. graeca and S. umbellata.