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Background Patients with stage 4/5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) suffer from various symptoms. The retention of uremic solutes is thought to be associated with those symptoms. However, there are relatively few rigorous studies on the potential links between uremic toxins and symptoms in patients with CKD. Methods The EQUAL study is an ongoing observational cohort study of non-dialyzed patients with stage 4/5 CKD. EQUAL patients from Germany, Poland, Sweden and the UK were included in the present study (n = 795). Data and symptom self-report questionnaires were collected between April 2012 and September 2020. Baseline uric acid and parathyroid hormone and 10 uremic toxins were quantified. We tested the association between uremic toxins and symptoms and adjusted P-values for multiple testing. Results Symptoms were more frequent in women than in men with stage 4/5 CKD, while levels of various uremic toxins were higher in men. Only trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO; positive association with fatigue), p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) with constipation and 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropionic acid (negative association with shortness of breath) demonstrated moderately strong associations with symptoms in adjusted analyses. The association of phenylacetylglutamine with shortness of breath was consistent in both sexes, although it only reached statistical significance in the full population. In contrast, TMAO (fatigue) and PCS and phenylacetylglutamine (constipation) were only associated with symptoms in men, who presented higher serum levels than women. Conclusion Only a limited number of toxins were associated with symptoms in persons with stage 4/5 CKD. Other uremic toxins, uremia-related factors or psychosocial factors not yet explored might contribute to symptom burden.

Background Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) has rapidly become a pandemic emergency, distressing health systems in each affected country. Preparation strategies for managing this pandemic have been keys to face the COVID-19 surge all over the world and all levels of care. Materials and Methods During the epidemic, the Italian society of pediatric emergency-urgency (SIMEUP) promoted a national survey aiming to evaluate preparedness and response of pediatric emergency departments (PED) critical in ensuring optimal management of COVID-19 cases. Results Our results suggest that Italian PED have promptly set a proactive approach to the present emergency. 98.9% of the hospitals have defined special pathways and assistive protocols concerning the management of pediatric COVID-19 cases. The highest percentage of application of the measures for preventive and protective for COVID-19 concerned the use of personal protective equipments. Conclusions Results show that the following measures for pediatric patients, admitted in PED, have been promptly implemented throughout the whole country: eg. use of protective devices, pre-triage of patients accessing the hospital. Despite COVID-19 being a new threat, we have shown that by developing an easy-to-follow decision algorithm and clear plans for the interventional platform teams, we can ensure optimal health care workers and patients’ safety.

Background and objective: Consumer interests in probiotic foods have increased in recent decades. Food industries respond to these growing interests by developing innovative products and guaranteeing high production efficiency. Cereals, due to their prebiotic nature, are good fermentable substrates; from which, potentially functional foods could be achieved. The aim of this study was to verify effects of D-glucose addition on fermentation of rice, oat and wheat flours. Material and methods: Suspensions of 15% of cereals flours (rice, oat and wheat) in distilled water added with increasing glucose concentrations (2, 5, 7 and 10% w v-1) were fermented by Lactobacillus paracasei CBA L74 for 24 h. Then, pH, microbial growth and lactic acid production were assessed. Results and conclusion: Rice fermentation was not affected by glucose addition. For oat and wheat, addition of D-glucose increased bacterial concentration, as well as lactic acid production. In particular, the best growth was achieved by the addition of 2 and 5% of glucose. Furthermore, lactic acid concentration increased with increased glucose concentration. In conclusion, D-glucose addition seems to be unnecessary for the improvement of rice fermentation. On the contrary, oat and wheat fermentations need further available carbon sources for a better Lactobacillus growth and a higher lactic acid production. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The concept of functional food has evolved throughout the years. These days we define a food to be functional when it confers a benefit to human health. Lactic acid fermentation is one of the most important and used food processing technologies to produce this type of food. Fermentation of Lactobacillus Paracasei CBA L74 - a homofermentative, gram positive probiotic - on rice flour suspension has been proved to be a successful route to produce functional foods. However, the process was characterized by high energy consumption, low air sparging and complex expensive metabolite separation. A research program has been developed to carry out L. Paracasei fermentation using a low viscosity medium based on rice flour suspension. Fractionation of rice flour suspension provided a medium characterized by low amounts of solids and nutrients at concentration high that support the microorganism growth. Fermentations were carried in a 1L batch reactor equipped with an agitation systems designed to provide uniform mixing. The composition of the medium; cells, glucose, protein, pH, metabolite production as well as L. Paracasei’ growth trend was analysed throughout the process. Fermentation on supernatant obtained from rice flour and water suspension through centrifugation were possible to produce a potential probiotic functional food with a good bacterial charge.

Iron is a component of heme in hemoglobin and myoglobin in which it plays an important role in the transport, storage and utilization of oxygen. Iron deficiency is one of the primary risk factors for health worldwide (especially woman and children). This deficiency induce anemia, alteration in mental development and decrease in immunity. Nutritional iron deficiency arises when physiological requirements cannot be met by iron absorption from diet. Particle size is a determinant of iron (Fe) absorption from poorly soluble Fe compounds. Decreasing the particle size of metallic Fe and ferric pyrophosphate added to foods increases Fe absorption and bioavailability. The compounds most suitable for this purpose are iron salts as FePO4 e FeSO4. Iron phosphate is commonly used as a human nutritional supplement and as a fertilizer ingredient. Flame Spray Pyrolysis (FSP) is an industrial consolidated process used to obtain nanosized powders in large scale. However the application of nanotechnology to the field of medical food is the subject of controversial opinions due to the shortage of available toxicological data. The aim of this study was to develop and characterize nanoparticles of FePO4 made by Flame spray pyrolysis (FSP). The effect of precursor flow rate and concentration on particles size and powder production rate was investigated. The particle size distribution functions were in-line characterized in the range 7 nm-10 ?m by a low pressure impactor, ELPITM. Furthermore qualitative and quantitative analysis was made by gravimetric measurement, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and nitrogen adsorption BET.

Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) has been applied to the fabrication of BiFeO3 films undoped and doped with Ba or Ti on SrTiO3 (100) and YSZ (100) substrates. The films have been deposited using a multi-metal source, consisting of the Bi(phenyl)3, Fe(tmhd)3 and Ba(hfa)2 tetraglyme or Ti(tmhd)2(O-iPr)2 (phenyl = -C6H5, H-tmhd = 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptandione; O-iPr = iso-propoxide; H-hfa = 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedione; tetraglyme = CH3O(CH2CH2O)4CH3) precursor mixture. The structural and morphological characterization of films has been carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Chemical compositional studies have been performed by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. Structural and morphological characterizations point to the formation of homogeneous and flat surfaces for both undoped and doped BiFeO3 films.

Currently, due to the stringent and explicit European environmental legislation about land spreading of nitrates, the direct land application of the poultry litter (PL) is not anymore the most appropriate disposal technique [European law 1991/676/CEE]. According to the recent European guide lines concerning the smart grids, the generation of electricity and heat from poultry derived wastes based on high-temperature thermal destruction techniques, i.e. combustion, could be a promising local waste management solution. In this work we set out to investigate the technical and the economic feasibility of the combustion of poultry litter blended with olive pomace in a domestic burner (35 kW) initially designed for wood pellets. Flue gas and solid by-products during combustion tests were characterized at varying poultry litter content in the pellets. Compared to the combustion of wood pellets, CO and particulate emissions increased with PL content, whose inorganic fraction was mainly concentrated in the ashes. Under optimized conditions, the burner could be satisfactorily fuelled with pellets containing up to 50% PL by weight.

The overall efficiency of Thermophotovoltaics (TPV) for electricity/heat/cold co-generation would significantly benefit from the development of high temperature radiation emitters heated up by an integrated catalytic burner fuelled with methanol. Specific combustion catalysts are required with good intrinsic oxidation activity and outstanding thermal stability. To this aim, a series of La, Mn based hexaaluminates were prepared either by the Solution Combustion Synthesis with Urea or by the Carbonates Coprecipitation route and tested for the catalytic combustion of methanol-air mixtures. All of the materials were characterized by XRD, BET, H 2 -TPR and compared in terms of their intrinsic catalytic activity and selectivity for the total oxidation of methanol, and stability of their catalytic performance was checked after calcination at temperatures as high as 1300°C.

In this work, the electrical and structural properties of Ti/Al contacts on AlGaN/GaN heterostructures with a different crystalline quality were investigated. In particular, the sample with a lower defects density required a higher temperature (800 degrees C) to obtain Ohmic contacts, while the more defective sample showed Ohmic behaviour at lower annealing temperature (500 degrees C). The susceptibility to oxidation of the metal stack upon annealing has been monitored by chemical analyses. Moreover, the temperature dependence of the contact resistance of the Ti/Al annealed contacts revealed that the interface current transport mechanism depends on the material quality. These results were attributed to the presence of V-shaped defect close to the surface of the AlGaN barrier layer. A nanoscale electrical analysis demonstrated a preferential current conduction through these defects, which indeed plays a relevant role for the formation of the Ohmic contact.

Self-assembled structures built from amphiphilic molecules find application in different fields. a The synthetic versatility of calixarene macrocycles, whose skeleton can be differently functionalized with a variety of hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties, allows the development of amphiphilic derivatives able to aggregate in different higher order supramolecular architectures. b, c Here we describe the capability of an amphiphilic calix[4]arene derivative, bearing four carboxylic acid groups at the calixarene upper rim and four dodecyl chains at the lower rim, to form discrete and stable multilamellar vesicles in aqueous medium by using an emulsion/solvent evaporation method. Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) measurements, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images provided information about size, size distribution and morphology of the nanostructured assemblies. The vesicular nature was confirmed by entrapment of a hydrophilic dye such as rodhamine B in aqueous lumen. A preliminary study showed that the self-assembled structures of the carboxy-calix[4]arene can entrap also a hydrophobic drug such as curcumin. The amphiphilic carboxy-calix[4]arene represents the first example of calix[4]arene derivative assembling in very stable multilamellar vesicles in aqueous medium with a narrow polydispersity. Suitable nanometer-size, very size narrow distribution, well-defined spherical shape, negatively charged hydrophilic multilamellar wall, high size stability (more than two years), and guest encapsulation ability make the vesicles of the carboxy-calix[4]arene derivative appealing in the research of drug delivery systems. Acknowledgment: Research funded by PON R&C 02_00355_2964193 (MIUR, Rome). References: a) Hill, J. P.; Shrestha, L. K.; Ishihara, S.; Ji, Q.; Ariga, K. Molecules 2014, 19, 8589-8609. b) Helttunen, K.; Shahgaldian, P. New J. Chem. 2010, 34, 2704-2714. c) Consoli, G. M. L.; Granata, G.; Lo Nigro, R.; Malandrino, G.; Geraci, C. Langmuir 2008, 24, 6194-6200.

Purulent infection of a surgical wound developed after discectomy, and a mannitol-nonfermenting Staphylococcus aureus isolate was cultivated as the etiologic agent. Nonfermenting S. aureus strains are exceedingly rare and may be erroneously mistaken and dismissed as contaminants. This report then emphasizes that pure and massive cultures must be carefully evaluated, even if preliminary examination does not suggest a pathogenic organism. Also, although mannitol-negative, the studied strain was correctly detected as S. aureus by both the-FISH test (AdvanDx, USA) and the Liofilchem 'Chromatic Staph aureus', highlighting that additional diagnostic methods may support recognition of uncommon, nonfermenting S. aureus strains in the daily practice.

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Rare earth oxide thin films are of interest for several purposes including optical coatings, catalytic agents and/or supports, protective coatings, etc. Among the rare earth oxides, praseodymium oxides have been studied for many applications, such as component of varistor ceramic materials, photocatalytically active materials, and anode for organic light-emitting diodes and as dielectrics for microelectronic applications. The most interesting and studied praseodymium dielectrics include: h-Pr2O3, praseodymium silicates and praseodymium aluminates. In the following, a description of the different MOCVD approaches to fabricate praseodymium oxides, silicates and aluminates films with dielectric properties is presented. The MOCVD technique is a well-established, versatile and widely used method for producing technologically important thin films, ranging from metals to semiconductors, insulators and superconductors, with tailored properties. MOCVD compared to other deposition techniques offers the advantage of a great process simplicity, cheapness and conformal coverage achievable over complex three-dimensional topologies, and amenability to very large-scale depositions with low-cost apparatus. Thus the MOCVD processes to growth pure Pr-containing materials are discussed ranging from the precursors to the deposition parameters. Moreover, a detailed characterization of the final structure of the deposited films is supplied since it is mandatory in order to achieve a fundamental understanding for the electronic and chemical properties of the obtained materials in the perspective of their applications in microelectronics devices.

The conductive atomic force microscopy provided a local characterization of the dielectric heterogeneities in CaCu(3)Ti(4)O(12) (CCTO) thin films deposited by MOCVD on IrO(2) bottom electrode. In particular, both techniques have been employed to clarify the role of the inter- and sub-granular features in terms of conductive and insulating regions. The microstructure and the dielectric properties of CCTO thin films have been studied and the evidence of internal barriers in CCTO thin films has been provided. The role of internal barriers and the possible explanation for the extrinsic origin of the giant dielectric response in CCTO has been evaluated.

The combination of scanning impedance microscopy and conductive atomic force microscopy was applied to single crystals of the perovskite-type oxide CaCu(3)Ti(4)O(12) (CCTO) in order to provide a local dielectric characterization on ingot sections. Both techniques clearly showed dielectric heterogeneities due to the presence of inclusions within crystals grown in different laboratories. Despite macroscopic characterizations, such as Laue diffraction, gave no indications for the presence of inclusions within the crystals, the discovery of dielectric heterogeneities prompted a careful structural analysis, which revealed the presence of crystalline CaTiO(3) (CTO) precipitates. Thus, the scanning probe investigation provided the evidence for the electrical homogeneity within the CCTO crystal and the presence of internal barriers due to the CCTO/CTO interfaces.

A conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) study on a positive temperature coefficient of resistance (ptcr) BaTiO3 thermistor is reported. The method provides imaging of the dielectric properties with a lateral resolution on the nanometer scale. Measurements were carried out in the temperature range of 25-250 C to study the conduction mechanisms below and above the ferroelectric-paraelectric transition at similar to 130 C. The effective thickness of the barrier regions associated with the grain-shell and grain boundaries is similar to 450-550 nm and is similar to 10% of the volume fraction of the grains. The C-AFM results therefore confirm previous impedance spectroscopy studies that show the ptcr-effect to be associated with both the grain boundaries and outer grain-shells of individual grains.