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ObjectiveTo appraise the application of the 2018 European Society of Cardiology-adapted modified WHO (mWHO) classification to pregnant women with heart disease managed at our maternal–fetal medicine referral centre and to assess whether the lack of a multidisciplinary Pregnancy Heart team has influenced their outcomes.MethodsA retrospective cohort study including all pregnancies with heart disease managed at our centre between June 2011 and December 2020. Cardiac conditions were categorised in five classes according to the mWHO classification. An additional class, named X, was created for conditions not included in this classification. Outcomes were compared among all classes and factors potentially associated to cardiac complications were assessed.ResultsWe identified 162 women with 197 pregnancies, for a prevalence of 0.7%. Thirty-eight (19.3%) gestations were included in class X. Caesarean section was performed in 64.9% pregnancies in class X, a rate similar to that of class II, II-III, and III/IV, and mostly for obstetric indications; in turn, it was more commonly performed for cardiology reasons in class II–III and III/IV. Cardiac complications occurred in 10.7%, with class X and II pregnancies showing the highest number of events (n=30.8% and 34.6%, respectively). Multiple gestation and urgent caesarean section associated with a 5-fold and 6.5-fold increase in complication rates.ConclusionsEven in a maternal–fetal medicine referral centre, the lack of a multidisciplinary team approach to women with heart disease may negatively impact their outcomes.

The development of antimicrobial active packaging constitutes a powerful tool to reduce waste and increase quality standards of perishable goods. Among numerous available antimicrobial agents, essential oils stand out for their renowned efficiency, and their use is beneficial due to their sustainability compared to other oil-based antimicrobials. In this work, we report on the use of photo-responsive nanocapsules containing thyme essential oil as functional coatings for polyethylene and polylactic acid films to obtain antimicrobial active packaging. Polymer surface activation treatment enhanced compatibility with nanocapsules solution. The films were analyzed to assess the structural and functional properties of the coating, evaluate morphological changes due to their photo-responsive behavior, and monitor the light-induced release of volatile thyme oil. It was found that 24 h after a 15-min UV exposure of the coated films, the concentration of thyme oil in the headspace was eight times higher with respect to un-irradiated films, thus confirming the efficiency of the light-triggered release system. Therefore, the manufactured films are proposed as on-demand release devices for application in non-contact antimicrobial active packaging.

The antioxidant properties and bioactive compound contents of fresh new tomato hybrids before and after in vitro digestion were investigated. To this aim, the antioxidant activities of lipophilic, hydrophilic and polyphenolic extracts of tomato hybrids were determined by ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), DMPD (N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine dihydrochloride) and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) methods respectively, while the bioactive compound contents were estimated via Folin-Ciocalteu (polyphenols), pH differential (anthocyanins) and high-performance liquid chromatography (lycopene and β-carotene) methods.; Results: After the digestion process, a marked loss (ranging from 37 to 77%) of antioxidant capacity linked to the hydrophilic fraction was observed. In contrast, the lipophilic and methanolic fractions showed an increase in antioxidant activity (ranging from 9 to 40%) after gastric digestion, and a rapid decrease was observed after total digestion. Moreover, the presence of anthocyanins and carotenoids after simulated digestion was a notable result.; Conclusion: The bioavailability of bioactive metabolites from nutraceutical food and their healthful properties in humans are strictly dependent on the digestion process. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Additional file 1. Transmission electron microscope image of the silver nanoparticles used in the study. Nanoparticles were obtained in solid form from US Research Nanomaterials, Inc. (Houston, TX, USA), and were applied to soil in this form.

Modern technology has led to the development of new medications that allow an individualized approach to IVF. Several products are available for controlled ovarian stimulation: the drugs that induce multiple follicles growth and trigger ovulation process; and the ones that suppress pituitary function preventing uncontrolled ovulation of follicles. The first ones are gonadotropins which could be further subdivided in recombinant and no recombinant forms. The second ones are composed by gonadotropin releasing hormone analogues. The choice of the right medication and its dosage is based on individual characteristics and on the evaluation of the ovarian reserve.

The Antarctic environment harbours a variety of bacterial species that are of great interest for their unique features. Antarctic bacteria have indeed adapted to the life in the most extreme environment on Earth and are therefore the object of studies in relation to several issue ranging from the study of the origin of life to the biotechnology application of their biomolecules (enzymes, polysaccharides, et cetera). During the XXXIII Italian Antarctic Expedition we had the opportunity to collect samples of water and sediments from various locations in the Ross Sea including the Antarctic Specially Protected Area n° 161 (ASPA 161). The aim of the collection campaign was to investigate the bacterial community living in association with the benthic fauna (meio- and macrofauna) in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica region. Here we report the preliminary results of the investigation of the bacterial community isolated from water samples collected in the ASPA 161. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence studies showed the majority of bacterial species isolated from this site belong to the genus Psychrobacter.

The vegetable waste biomass is produced by several production chains like agriculture, agro- and food industries. Such biomass represents the renewable feedstock for a waste-based biorefinery, an industrial model that plays a key role in a bio-economy system, an innovative economy model that is based on the sustainable use of renewable resources in agriculture and industry, and that takes in account biodiversity and environmental protection (1). In this frame, the identification of starting materials that are not in competition with food chain or other production chains coupled with the development of new technologies and processes, is one of the main issues for a waste- based biorefinery. Here we reported some examples for the re-use and valorization of two kinds of vegetable waste biomass: the energy crops' residues (2, 3) and the wastes of food industry (4, 5) The crops selected, i.e. the giant reed (Arundo donax) and the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) are among the annual crops and perennial herbaceous species that are object of increasing interest in relation to their use as feedstock for lignocellulose-based biorefinery. The food wastes that have been investigated include the residues of the industrial transformation of tomato, lemon, carrot and fennel, i.e. some most typical cultivation of the Italian agro-industrial sector. This two types of waste biomass have been investigated for their potential as sources of value added molecules and bioenergy.

Extremophiles represent a heterogeneous class of organisms that inhabit environments characterized by atypical parameters (high or low temperatures/pH/salinity, etc.). These organisms not only adapt to these habitats, but the exceptional environmental characteristics ensure their optimal growth. The environmental adaptation of extremophiles has been of particular interest for researcher. In particular, special attention has been addressed to the potential use of extreme biomolecules for industrial applications, because of their unique resistance properties, which represent a clear advantage for the development of industrial processes. Quorum sensing (QS) is a kind of molecular communication system that regulates gene expression in a range of organisms. It regulates many important microbial processes, such as motility, protease expression, antibiotic and exopolysaccharide production, and so on. It could contribute to environmental adaptation of extremophiles, but its role needs to be further elucidated. This chapter presents the recent advances in the understanding of QS in extremophilic microorganisms.

To increase the knowledge about the biological properties of tomatoes, the antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of extracts of nine cultivars of Lycopersicon esculentum, as well as their chemical composition, were studied. The highest antioxidant capacity has been revealed in San Marzano Cirio 3 and Pomodoro Giallo cultivars, both in hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions, while San Marzano, Corbarino di Corbara, and Pomodoro Giallo exhibited the best radical scavenger activity in methanolic fraction. As regards the antiproliferative activity, the median inhibition concentrations of the lipophilic extracts ranged from 272.3 (Pomodoro Giallo) to 364.4 (Corbarino di Corbara) mg dried extract L-1 on Hep-G2 and from 324.6 (San Marzano Cirio 3) to 455.4 (Nero di Sicilia) on Caco-2. The methanolic extracts were more active on Caco-2 than Hep-G2, while the hydrophilic extracts were not active. These biological properties could be ascribed to the identified carotenoids and phenolic acids as well as to a pull of minor compounds exerting their synergistic effect.

This chapter will discuss some remarkable examples of extremophilic bacteria, isolated from different ecosystems, which produce exopolysaccharides (EPSs). The chapter will also cover the properties of EPSs produced by extremophiles and their possible commercial applications ranging from pharmaceutical to food processing, detoxification and bioremediation. This chapter will also cover the techniques that are used to purify, analyse and structurally characterise the bacterial EPSs; the state of the art in the field of bacterial EPSs research, with mention to the main examples of well-studied and commercially exploited EPSs; an overview of the main EPSs’ producing extremophiles that have been isolated from both aquatic and terrestrial environments; the description of the main biosynthetic routes leading to the EPSs production in archaeal and bacterial extremophiles, with reference to the enzymes involved and to the genetic manipulations for biosynthesis’s tailoring; the analysis of the most interesting biological properties of extremophiles’ EPSs (that can act as anti-inflammatory, immunomodulating and antiviral agents) and of their biotechnological applications in drug delivery systems; and the compendium of the most used techniques to perform the purification, the analysis of chemical composition, the identification of glycoside linkage position and substitution pattern, the determination of the molecular-weight distribution and the structural analysis of EPSs.

The 3.94-Mb draft genome of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus GK1, a hydrocarbonoclastic plant growth-promoting Gram-negative rhizospheric bacterium, is presented here. Isolated at the Ford Motor Company site in Genk, Belgium, from poplar trees planted on a diesel-contaminated plume, GK1 is useful for enhancing hydrocarbon phytoremediation.

The antioxidant and cytotoxic activities and the polyphenolic and anthocyanin contents of tomato hybrid powders were studied. Tomato powders were obtained, starting from the fresh fruits that had undergone an industrial process of drying and pulverization at two different temperatures. Antioxidant activities were evaluated in different extracts by using spectrophotometric assays: 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine dihydrochloride cation radical inhibition for lipophilic and hydrophilic extracts, respectively, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay for polyphenolic extracts. Moreover, polyphenolic and anthocyanin contents were also carried out to detect the presence of these bioactive compounds. The effect of cytotoxic activity in vitro of tomato hybrid powder extracts on T47D (human breast carcinoma) cells was also evaluated. Results showed good antioxidant activities in lipophilic, polyphenolic, and hydrophilic extracts of samples that were obtained at a lower temperature. Extracts of the sample obtained at a higher temperature presented moderate antioxidant activity, lower than the extracts of other samples, which was probably due to the loss of labile antioxidant compounds during the industrial process. Very interesting was the presence of anthocyanins in both samples, even if in traces, and also a moderate cytotoxicity of a lipophilic extract on T47D cells. Therefore, tomato hybrid powders, on the basis of their multifunctional properties, could have a biotechnological application in agri-food or cosmetic industries as an additive for improving nutritional and/or bioactive qualities of commercial products used in daily nutrition and cosmetics.