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Background: The formation of concrements in human pineal gland (PG) is a physiological process and, according to many researchers, is associated with the involution of PG structures. The majority of scientific publications concern progressive calcification of PG, leaving out studies on the destruction of already formed calcified concrements. Our study fills the gap in knowledge about calcified zones destruction in PG in normal aging and neuropathological conditions, which has not been addressed until now. Purpose: Our objective is to gain insight into human PG tissue impairment in both normal aging and neurodegenerative conditions. X-ray phase-contrast tomography (XPCT) allowed us to study PG tissue degeneration at high spatial resolution and, for the first time, to examine the damaged PG concrements in detail. Our research finding could potentially enhance the understanding of the PG involvement in the process of aging as well as in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD). Methods: The research was carried out on human PG autopsy material in normal aging, VD, and AD conditions. Laboratory-based micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) was used to collect and evaluate samples of native, uncut, and unstained PG with different degrees of pineal calcification. The detailed high-resolution 3D images of the selected PGs were produced using synchrotron-based XPCT. Histology and immunohistochemistry of soft PG tissue confirmed XPCT results. Results: We performed via micro-CT the evaluation of the morphometric parameters of PG such as total sample volume, calcified concrements volume, and percentage of concrements in the total volume of the sample.XPCT imaging revealed high-resolution details of age-related PGalteration.In particular,we noted signs of moderate degradation of concrements in some PGs from elderly donors. In addition, our analysis revealed noticeable degenerative change in both concrements and soft tissue of PGs with neuropathology. In particular, we observed a hollow core and separated layers as well as deep ragged cracks in PG concrements of AD and VD samples. In parenchyma of some samples,we detected wide pinealocyte-free fluid-filled areas adjacent to the calcified zones. Conclusion: The present work provides the basis for future scientific research focused on the dynamic nature of PG calcium deposits and PG soft tissue in normal aging and neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microbiome and faecal metabolome beta-diversity also showed differences between responders and non-responders (Figure 3D-F), likely reflecting the baseline differences in diet and gut microbiome. (A-C) Comparison of average Shannon diversity of the microbiome (A), faecal metabolome (B) or plasma metabolome (C) across three timepoints; paired samples Wilcoxon tests were performed to compare means of the Shannon diversity between the different timepoints. Changes in diet might modify the faecal microbiome and metabolomic profile, affecting pain in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). [Extracted from the article]

Summary: Production of the traditional Italian Focaccia bread (FcBread) requires reformulation to meet the new rules for healthier foods. We tested the applicability of a short‐fermented (15 h) liquid sourdough (LS) (dough yield, DY, 250), obtained using quinoa (Q) or amaranth (Am) flour fermented with a Weissella cibaria strain (C43‐11) producing exopolysaccharides (EPS) as fat replacer in yeast‐leavened FcBread. The LSs were applied during the FcBread‐making process at industrial pilot plant, reducing the added fat amount by 20% (FcBread‐QLS and FcBread‐AmLS) and products were compared with reference samples not containing EPS. All the products were analysed for physico‐chemical properties (pH, TTA, organic acids, protein content and profile, instrumental colour), textural properties, sensory quality and glycemic index. The application of both pseudo‐cereal‐based W. cibaria LSs in FcBread allowed obtaining products with a reduced amount of fat, increased protein amount, mainly due to the albumin and glutenin/glutelin fractions, reduced glycemic index, improved texture and preserved in the traditional sensory profile of 'focaccia'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossils sometimes show unusual morphological features absent in living organisms, making it difficult to reconstruct both their affinity and their function. We describe here a new lacewing larva, Ankyloleon caudatusgen. et sp.n. (Neuroptera) from the Cretaceous amber of Myanmar, characterized by an abdomen unique among insects, with 'tail‐like' terminal segments bearing a ventral pair of vesicles. Phase‐contrast X‐ray microtomography reveals that these structures were dense and equipped with a median duct, suggesting that they were likely pygopods used for locomotion, holding the position through adhesive secretions. Our phylogenetic analyses, combining genomic and morphological data from both living and fossil lacewings, proved critical to placing Ankyloleongen.n. on the lacewing tree of life as an early representative of the antlion clade, Myrmeleontiformia. These results corroborate the view that derived myrmeleontiform lacewings 'experimented' with unusual combinations of features and specializations during their evolutionary history, some of which are now lost. Zoobank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0C0AC565‐1AC9‐42CC‐831D‐EDA38BA36F64 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this study, a fortified pancake with all parts of pomegranate as juice and by‐products, added in the formulation, was designed. The influence of pomegranate addition on nutritional and sensory quality of pancake, as well as on its shelf‐life, was assessed. As one would expect, the enrichment significantly improved the pancake polyphenolic content as compared to the control sample. Surprisingly, pomegranate addition did not affect its sensory quality. In fact, the enriched pancake was greatly appreciated from the sensory point of view. Results also suggested that the addition of pomegranate improved the glycemic index (GI). In fact, while a value of GI equal to 100 was obtained for the control sample, a GI of 71 was measured for the fortified sample. In terms of shelf‐life, 30 days were obtained for the enriched pancake, whereas the control sample remained acceptable for about 26 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent trends in hard X‐ray micro‐computed tomography (microCT) aim at increasing both spatial and temporal resolutions. These challenges require intense photon beams. Filtered synchrotron radiation beams, also referred to as 'pink beams', which are emitted by wigglers or bending magnets, meet this need, owing to their broad energy range. In this work, the new microCT station installed at the biomedical beamline ID17 of the European Synchrotron is described and an overview of the preliminary results obtained for different biomedical‐imaging applications is given. This new instrument expands the capabilities of the beamline towards sub‐micrometre voxel size scale and simultaneous multi‐resolution imaging. The current setup allows the acquisition of tomographic datasets more than one order of magnitude faster than with a monochromatic beam configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting motor neurons. Pre‐clinical studies drive the development of animal models that well mimic ALS disorder and enable both the dissection of disease processes and an early assessment of therapy efficacy. A comprehensive knowledge of neuronal and vascular lesions in the brain and spinal cord is an essential factor to understand the development of the disease. Spatial resolution and bidimensional imaging are important drawbacks limiting current neuroimaging tools, while neuropathology relies on protocols that may alter tissue chemistry and structure. In contrast, recent ex vivo studies in mice demonstrated that X‐ray phase‐contrast tomography enables study of the 3D distribution of both vasculature and neuronal networks, without sample sectioning or use of staining. Here we present our findings on ex vivo SOD1G93A ALS mice spinal cord at a micrometric scale. An unprecedented direct quantification of neuro‐vascular alterations at different stages of the disease is shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem The purpose of this study was to explore whether vitamin D might be a marker of female primary infertility in association with the presence of autoimmune diseases ( ADs). Methods The study was a cross-sectional descriptive study in consecutive outpatients of the Polymedical Center for Prevention of Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion ( RSA), in Rome, Italy. Women were eligible if they received a diagnosis of primary infertility or RSA. Serum vitamin D, calcium, and PTH were analyzed. Results Women with primary infertility (n=70) or RSA/non-infertile (n=105) were enrolled; controls (n=250) were included. Infertile women presented lower vitamin D ( P=0.03) and higher prevalence of AD ( P=0.007) than non-infertile women. In the multivariate analysis, the presence of ADs is associated with higher odds of infertility (OR=2.2), while normal vitamin D was a protective factor (OR=0.9). Conclusion We described that having vitamin D deficiency and suffering from an AD are independent risk factors for women primary infertility. Supplementation of vitamin D might be useful for pregnancy outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil industry produces large volume of waste, which represents a disposal and a potential environmental pollution problem. Nevertheless, they are also promising sources of compounds that can be recovered and used as valuable substances. The aim of this work is to exploit solid olive by-products, in particular dry olive paste flour (DOPF) coming from Coratina cultivar, to enrich fish burger and enhance the quality characteristics. In particular, the addition of olive by-products leads to an increase of the phenolic content and the antioxidant activity; however, it also provokes a deterioration of sensory quality. Therefore, to balance quality and sensory characteristics of fish burgers, three subsequent phases have been carried out: first, the quality of DOPF in terms of phenolic compounds content and antioxidant activity has been assessed; afterward, DOPF has been properly added to fish burgers and, finally, the formulation of the enriched fish burgers has been optimized in order to improve the sensory quality. Results suggested that the enriched burgers with 10% DOPF showed considerable amounts of polyphenols and antioxidant activity, even though they are not very acceptable from the sensory point of view. Pre-treating DOPF by hydration/extraction with milk, significantly improved the burger sensory quality by reducing the concentration of bitter components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The best packaging conditions for rocket salad were assessed by subsequent experimental trials. In the first step, a preliminary screening of different packaging materials was performed and two micro-perforated oriented polypropylene films with different micro-hole diameters (90 and 110 μm) were selected as best packaging solutions. In the subsequent experimental step, modified headspace conditions were applied without any improvement on product quality. In the last step, the effects of an ethylene adsorbent were analysed. Rocket salad packaged in both films with the ethylene adsorbent recorded a shelf life of about 16 days, compared to the control samples that remained acceptable for 13 days. During storage, the microbial quality (mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria, pseudomonadaceae, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, total coliforms and enterobacteriacae), the pH, the colour changes and the main sensory parameters were also monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study presents a theoretical investigation of the impact of individual electron and hole dynamics on the photovoltaic characteristics of InAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cells. The analysis is carried out by exploiting a model which includes a detailed description of quantum dots (QD) kinetics within a drift‐diffusion formalism. Steady‐state and transient simulations show that hole thermal spreading across the closely spaced QD valence band states allows to extract the maximum achievable photocurrent from the QDs; on the other hand, slow hole dynamics turns QDs into efficient traps, impairing the short circuit current despite the extended light harvesting provided by the QDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of X-ray vacuum-gap waveguides (WGs) with additional periodic structure on one of the reflecting walls are studied. Theoretical considerations, numerical simulations and experimental results confirm that the periodic structure imposes additional conditions on efficient propagation of the electromagnetic field along the WGs. The transmission is maximum for guided modes that possess sufficient phase synchronism with the periodic structure (here called `super-resonances'). The field inside the WGs is essentially given at low incidence angle by the fundamental mode strongly coupled with the corresponding phased-matched mode. Both the simulated and the experimental diffraction patterns show in the far field that propagation takes place essentially only for low incidence angles, confirming the mode filtering properties of the structured X-ray waveguides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coupling and propagation of electromagnetic waves through planar X-ray waveguides (WG) with vacuum gap and Si claddings are analyzed in detail, starting from the source and ending at the detector. The general case of linearly tapered WGs (i.e. with the entrance aperture different from the exit one) is considered. Different kinds of sources, i.e. synchrotron radiation and laboratory desk-top sources, have been considered, with the former providing a fully coherent incoming beam and the latter partially coherent beams. It is demonstrated that useful information about the parameters of the WG can be derived, comparing experimental results with computer simulation based on analytical solutions of the Helmholtz equation which take into account the amplitude and phase matching between the standing waves created in front of the WG, and the resonance modes propagating into the WG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel method is described that combines high-resolution scanning microdiffraction techniques, Rietveld quantitative phase analysis and a statistical method known as canonical correlation analysis (CCA). The method has been applied to a sample taken from a bone-tissue-engineered bioceramic porous scaffold implanted in a mouse for six months. The CCA technique allows the detection of those pixels throughout the investigated sample that best correlate with signal models. Besides the standard usage of this approach, which requires theoretical profiles as signal models, a novel application is presented here, which consists of picking the model spectra out of the experimental data set. Patterns representative of a reasonable range of phase compositions were selected among the huge number of two-dimensional patterns (folded in one-dimensional profiles) to extract quantitative phase fractions. At this stage, the CCA approach was also used to overcome the low Poisson statistic of signal models, so making Rietveld quantitative analysis more reliable. These patterns have been used as profile models for CCA. The final classification map, obtained by assigning the considered pixel to the model spectrum with the highest canonical coefficient, provides the spatial variation of phase concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes a waveguide microdiffraction setup for an undulator beamline. Component of the composite optics; Discussion of possibilities for scanning diffractometry and small-angle scattering experiments; Characterization of X-ray waveguides.

Water relations, leaf morphology and the chemical composition of cell walls in irrigated and unirrigated plants of three durum of three durum wheat cultivars were measured at two growth stages (booting and flowering). Plant response to water stress differed at the two stages: cell wall elasticity increased at booting and osmotic potential values decreased at flowering; this may be due to the changes in stress history, leaf development and plant growth stage between the two harvests. Leaf tissue characteristics were modified by water stress only at flowering: accumulation of fibrous constituents and hemicellulose in the well walls, reduction of acid detergent fiber (ADF) per unit of leaf area, increase in specific leaf weight (SLW), decrease in turgid weight/dry weight ration (TW/DW) and alteration in mesophyll cell morphology (cell area / cell perimeter ratio) were observed. Generally, cv. Valforte (the less drought-resistant cultivar) had the greatest mesophyll cell area perimeter and it had greater values of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) at the booting stage than cv. Appulo. Reactivity to water stress differed in the cultivars: Valforte showed the greatest increase in hemicellulose content and decrease in cell dimensions under drought at flowering. No significant relationships between osmotic potential and mesophyll cell characters were observed; there were no correlations among cell wall elasticity, cell morphology and the chemical components of leaf tissue. The total fiber content and the hemicellulose per unit of leaf area were correlated with the TW/DW ration at flowering. This parameter decreased more in plants subjected to water stress owing to accumulation of hemicellulose. Correlations between leaf structural constituents and ψ100π suggest that the absorptive capacity of the cell wall may significally affect the osmotic volume of the cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water relations of two durum wheat cultivars (Triticum durum Desf.) were studied throughout the growing season. Irrigated and unirrigated plants were compared from booting to milk stage; a period where water stress occurred naturally in the field. Modulus of elasticity (ε), turgid weight/dry weight ratio (TW/DW), relative water content at zero turgor (RWC0) and osmotic potential at full turgor (ψ100π) declined throughout the season while average turgor (ψp ) increased. Water stress induced a further decrease in ψ100π and the TW/DW ratio. The elastic modulus varied greatly. During the first stages of growth, cv. Appulo (the more resistant cultivar) showed lower ε values than cv. Valforte. At the milk stage, e was lower for the unirrigated than the irrigated plants. Correlation coefficients between the TW/DW ratio and the osmotic potential were significant for both cultivars. In cv. Valforte, TW/DW was also correlated with the average turgor and the bulk modulus of elasticity. Structural changes that affect the TW/DW ratio seem to be important factors influencing water relations and drought tolerance in durum wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the introduction of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), several computational approaches have been developed to examine the effect of the morphology and arrangement of blood vessels on the blood oxygenation‐level dependent (BOLD) signal in the brain. In the present work, we implemented the original Ogawa's model using a numerical simulation based on the finite element method (FEM) instead of the analytical models. In literature, there are different works using analytical methods to analyse the transverse relaxation rate (R2∗), which BOLD signal is related to, modelling the vascular system with simple and canonical geometries such as an infinite cylinder model (ICM) or a set of cylinders. We applied the numerical simulation to the extravascular BOLD signal as a function of angular vessel distribution (perpendicular vs parallel to the static magnetic field) relevant for anatomical districts characterized by geometrical symmetries, such as spinal cord. Numerical simulations confirmed analytical results for the canonical ICM. Moreover, the perturbation to the magnetic field induced by blood deoxyhaemoglobin, as quantified assuming Brownian diffusion of water molecules around the vessel, revealed that vessels contribute the most to the variation of the R2∗ when they are preferentially perpendicular to the external magnetic field, regardless of their size. Our results indicate that the numerical simulation method is sensitive to the effects of different vascular geometry. This work highlights the opportunity to extend R2∗ simulations to realistic models of vasculature based on high‐resolution anatomical images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the several available X-ray optics for synchrotron radiation producing micrometre and submicrometre beams with high intensity, the X-ray waveguide (WG) can provide the smallest hard X-ray beam in one direction. A drawback of this optics is that, owing to the divergence at the exit, a nanometre-sized spot on the sample can only be obtained if this is within a few micrometres of the WG exit. Another limitation is that in planar WGs the beam is compressed in only one direction. Here, using a dynamically bent elliptical Si/Pt mirror, the guided X-ray beam has been refocused at ∼1 m from the waveguide exit. The large working distance between the device and the submicrometre focus leaves some space for sample environment (vacuum chamber, furnace, cryostat, magnets, high-pressure device etc.) and allows cross-coupled geometries with two WGs for efficient compression in two directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with Gaucher type 1 (GD1) throughout Argentina were enrolled in the Argentine bone project to evaluate bone disease and its determinants. We focused on presence and predictors of bone lesions (BL) and their relationship to therapeutic goals (TG) with timing and dose of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). A total of 124 patients on ERT were enrolled in a multi-center study. All six TG were achieved by 82% of patients: 70.1% for bone pain and 91.1% for bone crisis. However, despite the fact that bone TGs were achieved, residual bone disease was present in 108 patients on ERT (87%) at time 0. 16% of patients showed new irreversible BL (bone infarcts and avascular osteonecrosis) despite ERT, suggesting that they appeared during ERT or were not detected at the moment of diagnosis. We observed 5 prognostic factors that predicted a higher probability of being free of bone disease: optimal ERT compliance; early diagnosis; timely initiation of therapy; ERT initiation dose ≥45 UI/kg/EOW; and the absence of history of splenectomy. Skeletal involvement was classified into 4 major phenotypic groups according to BL: group 1 (12.9%) without BL; group 2 (28.2%) with reversible BL; group 3 (41.9%) with reversible BL and irreversible chronic BL; and group 4 (16.9%) with acute irreversible BL. Our study identifies prognostic factors for achieving best therapeutic outcomes, introduces new risk stratification for patients and suggests the need for a redefinition of bone TG. Am. J. Hematol. 91:E448-E453, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)