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Background/Introduction Heart failure (HF) is an expensive major public health problem in the United States and around the world (1). The current treatments for HF are aimed at reducing symptoms, slowing disease progression, and reducing mortality and not aimed at repairing heart muscle or restoring function. Furthermore, even with these treatments, approximately half of patients with HF will die within 5 years of diagnosis (2). Cardiac transplantation remains the only definitive treatment for those affected with end-stage HF, but availability of donor hearts remains a major limitation (3). Purpose The ability of the adult heart to regenerate cardiomyocytes (CMs) lost after injury is limited, generating interest in developing tissue engineering therapies to avoid progression towards HF. Rigid carbon nanotubes (CNTs) scaffolds have been used to improve CMs viability, proliferation, and maturation (4), but require undesirable invasive surgeries for implantation. To overcome this limitation, we engineered an injectable reverse thermal gel (RTG) functionalized with CNTs (RTG-CNT) that transitions from a liquid-solution to a gel-based matrix shortly after reaching body temperature allowing for a liquid-based delivery rapidly followed by a stable-gel localization (5). Methods and results Here we show experimental evidences the RTG-CNT hydrogel, used as a three-dimensional (3D) niche to culture human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)-CMs, promotes hiPSC-CMs alignment and elongation with increased Cx43 localization and improved contraction function when compared with traditional two-dimensional (2D) fibronectin controls and plain 3D RTG system without CNTs. Moreover, the short-term (4-week) biocompatibility of the RTG-CNT hydrogel was also assessed in a mouse model (intracardial injection). The results confirmed that the RTG-CNT hydrogel is well tolerated by the cardiac tissue. Conclusion Our results indicated that the injectable RTG-CNT hydrogel has the potential to be used as a minimally invasive tool for cardiac tissue engineering efforts. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD (NHLBI) INSTITUTE

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a potentially serious liver disease that affects approximately one-quarter of the global adult population, causing a substantial burden of ill health with wide-ranging social and economic implications. It is a multisystem disease and is considered the hepatic component of metabolic syndrome. Unlike other highly prevalent conditions, NAFLD has received little attention from the global public health community. Health system and public health responses to NAFLD have been weak and fragmented, and, despite its pervasiveness, NAFLD is largely unknown outside hepatology and gastroenterology. There is only a nascent global public health movement addressing NAFLD, and the disease is absent from nearly all national and international strategies and policies for non-communicable diseases, including obesity. In this global Delphi study, a multidisciplinary group of experts developed consensus statements and recommendations, which a larger group of collaborators reviewed over three rounds until consensus was achieved. The resulting consensus statements and recommendations address a broad range of topics — from epidemiology, awareness, care and treatment to public health policies and leadership — that have general relevance for policy-makers, health-care practitioners, civil society groups, research institutions and affected populations. These recommendations should provide a strong foundation for a comprehensive public health response to NAFLD. © 2021, Springer Nature Limited.

Background Several risk factors for morbidity after surgery for Crohn’s disease of the terminal ileum have already been identified. However, the study population is rarely homogeneous, due to high-volume centres receiving patients treated in other hospitals with diverging medical protocols and different thresholds for surgical referral. A study including only patients undergoing homogeneous perioperative treatment in a single referral centre might reduce the selection bias. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for minor (Clavien-Dindo ≤2) and major (Clavien-Dindo ≥3) postoperative complications in patients who received medical treatment and surgery in a single centre. Methods Retrospective analysis of ileocecal resections for Crohn’s disease in biological era (2004–2019). Recurrence was excluded. Risk factors for minor and major complications were identified through univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Variables were selected by univariate analysis with p < 0.2 criteria, then a stepwise selection with entry criteria p = 0.05 and stay criteria p = 0.1. Results Of 631 patients included (59.4% male, median age 37 years), 214 (34%) had previous surgery and 152 (24.1%) biologics. Laparoscopy was feasible in 35.9% of cases, 285 patients (45.1%) required surgery on other bowel sites due to multiple locations or fistulae. 281 (44.5%) patients presented with fistulizing disease. Risk factors for 90-day minor complications (22.8%). Risk factors for 90-day major complications (6.8%). Conclusion Risk of minor complications was higher in younger patients, especially after a longer medical treatment. Fistulating disease increases the risks only if the rectum and sigmoid colon are involved. Major complications seem to be related to specific patient’s comorbidities, rather than disease characteristics. Onset of hypertension and neuro-vascular disease, known adverse events of chronic steroid use, should not be underestimated in the preoperative assessment of patients. Poor nutritional status greatly increased the risk of minor and major complications; therefore, any effort should be made towards the nutritional optimisation of Crohn’s patients

Au travers de cette intervention, nous vous proposons le regard croise d’une infirmiere et d’une psychomotricienne, aupres d’un groupe d’adolescents que nous accompagnons au sein de l’hopital de jour de la Maison des Adolescents de Cochin. Chez ces jeunes, l’adolescence devient un moment de crise lorsque celle-ci se manifeste au travers de pathologies diverses, tels que la phobie scolaire. Les symptomes prennent le corps pour cible. Il devient le lieu ou s’incarne la souffrance du jeune : corps tendu, parfois fige, replie, expose, malmene, desinvestit, etc. Face a ces adolescents en rupture d’equilibre psychique et physique, comment les accompagner pour relancer une dynamique de fonctionnement et de mouvement, alors qu’ils semblent parfois litteralement a “l’arret” ? En tant que soignants, nous nous devons d’inventer avec eux des voies d’expressions pour les aider a trouver confiance en eux, une securite interne et une estime d’eux meme. Les therapies a mediation corporelle tentent de retablir une unite dans les composantes physique, psychique et emotionnelle du sujet. Elles font parties des leviers pertinents pour soutenir le processus de (re)construction. Nous verrons dans quel cadre ces approches corporelles de groupe sont deployees. Quel est l’interet et l’enjeu de ce travail singulier. L’interdisciplinarite est egalement un levier fondamental : lorsque chacun s’engage dans une posture differenciee, la complementarite peut se construire et devenir une source de richesse et de creativite au service des adolescents.

(2004). Complete vaginal obstruction caused by chronic graft-versus-host disease after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: diagnosis and treatment. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology: Vol. 24, No. 5, pp. 591-595.

To assess the feasibility, safety and efficacy of thrombolysis in the Emergency Room of a Rural Hospital with no Coronary Care Unit, and subsequent transfer to the Coronary Care Unit of a City Hospital.Prospective study, controlled with two parallel groups of consecutive patients (Group 1: Rural Hospital, Group 2: CCU Ravenna) and administration of Anistreplase 30 intravenous unit.Rural Emergency Rooms which transmitted the electrocardiogram by cardiotelephone to the Ravenna Coronary Care Unit (average distance 35 km; range: 17-50 km).280 (Group 1: 102 patients, Group 2: 178 patients) with suspected acute myocardial infarction and with no contra-indications to fibrinolysis, within 6 h of onset of symptoms.time saving, accuracy of diagnosis, adverse events, left ventricular function and survival.the median pain to needle time was 90' in Group 1 and 165' in Group 2 (P0.001). Accuracy of diagnosis for acute myocardial infarction was 91% and 100%, respectively. Complications were rare and none occurred during transfer. The creatine phosphokinase peak of Group 1 was lower than Group 2 (1389 vs. 2186 IU/l; P0.001). The echocardiographic Wall Motion Abnormality Score Index of Group 1 was lower than Group 2 (3.571 vs. 5.589; P0.001). Mortality at 35 days in Group 1 was 7.5% vs. 10.7% in Group 2 (-30%; P = n.s.).The Emergency Room physician, in close collaboration with the cardiologist, supplied a very high standard of pre-Coronary Care Unit diagnosis and therapy. Administration of Anistreplase in the rural Emergency Room brought about a significant reduction of pain to needle time, a significant improvement in left ventricular function and a reduction in mortality.

Cardiovascular prevention has been developed in the last eight years producing an ever increasing amount of data requiring frequent updating. Studies using angiography to determine change in coronary obstruction have indicated progression, stabilization, or regression of coronary lesions associated with changes in plasma lipids and lipoproteins. Moreover, the guidelines on arterial hypertension published in 2007 listed the risk factors affecting prognosis but even by 2009 an update modified not only the list of risks, but even the philosophy behind the thought process which introduced as essential element in the prognosis of hypertension the ascertained existence of a damaged organ. Thus, the documentation of atherosclerotic vascular disease (plaques) and the quantification of its extension in the arterial tree became a determinant in the definition of cardiovascular risk. Magnetic Resonance (MRI) and coronary computed tomography (coro CT) applied to the heart and large vessels are the most promising methods.

Several attempts at microwave calcination and sintering of the yttrium barium copper oxide superconductor have been reportedinthe literature. Some of the findings ofthese reports are explained in terms of the theory behind the interaction of microwaves with conductive substances and the behaviour of this material at elevated temperatures.

Evidence has been found for a number of discrete and sharp transitions in the magnetic susceptibility transition of many single crystals of YBCO. These appear to favour certain temperatures and at least eight transitions are observed between 20 K and 70 K. One of these transitions dominates the behaviour of one of the individual crystals and X-ray studies indicate that the oxygenation value corresponds to O6·7. We suggest that these transitions are associated with different ordered states in the oxygen deficient lattice.

Using a eutectic mix of NaCl and KCl as a molten flux, large single crystals of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7- δ have been grown successfully . Energy dispersive X-ray analysis using a Jeol scanning electron microscope system confirmed the composition of the crystals to be YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7- δ . Subsequently two of these crystals have been studied using the neutron diffraction facilities attached t o the HIFAR reactor at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, NSW. Using the 2 TANA and 2 TANB single-crystal diffractometers, various scans were done to investigate crystal quality and twin formation.

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is an established technique in the management of patients with angina pectoris or acute myocardial infarction. One of the major problems related to PTCA is myocardial ischemia following balloon catheter occlusion of the coronary artery. A new device utilized in an attempt to counteract myocardial ischemia is the perfusion balloon catheter which allows passive transmission of pulsatile blood flow to the distal myocardial bed. Our purpose was to compare immediate results following traditional PTCA and autoperfusion balloon PTCA in two groups randomly assigned to receive one of the two treatments (total patients n. = 158). The results show that coronary angioplasty was successfully performed in 98.87% of patients treated with autoperfusion PTCA and in 97.10% of those treated with conventional PTCA. In the autoperfusion PTCA group we observed a lower incidence (statistically significant) of ST elevation and of minor complications. We conclude that autoperfusion balloon catheter angioplasty may be recommended for its immediate success rate with good patient tolerance and lower incidence of in-hospital complications.

During the short while of 5 years, between 1984 and 1985, two large clinical trials have been performed in Italy concerning fibrinolytic therapy in Acute Myocardial Infarction: GISSI 1 and GISSI 2. They made possible to evaluate the evolution of demographic and clinical features, the in-hospital mortality rate, and the causes of death of a huge number of patients admitted to CCU throughout the whole country. Out of 31,826 patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted to 176 CCU participating to the GISSI 1 16.9% were 75 years old and 24.7% were females; 21.8% and 26.4% were the percentages in the 38,086 patients admitted to the 223 CCU participating in the GISSI 2. Despite the higher prevalence of the two demographic characteristic with the worse prognosis, the in-hospital mortality rates were respectively 12.2% in the GISSI 1 and 10.0% in the GISSI 2 studies, with a statistically significant decrease (RR 0.84; C.L. 0.80-0.88). The significant decrease in the in-hospital mortality concerns also the patients populations selected according to the same criteria of inclusion in the two trials (within 6 hours from the onset of symptoms and with only ST elevation at the ECG of admission) and to the treatment with fibrinolytic drug (SK or rtPA). As a matter of fact 468 patients died of the 4,696 (10.0%) treated with SK in the GISSI 1 against 1,092 patients of 12,381 (8.8%) enrolled in the GISSI 2 and treated with SK or rtPA (RR 0.87; L.C. 0.78-0.98). The reduction of in-hospital mortality may be explained by some differences in the two groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A detailed comparison of the oxygen induced twin structure in large single crystal YBa2Cu3O7−δ with the optical domain features observed in polarimetric microscopy has been carried out on a sample specially prepared to allow unambigous association of optical and transmission electron microscope features. This work has shown that the fine twinning seen in the TEM dominantly occurs in well defined lamellar regions which coincide with alternate domains in the optical microstructure. The region between these twinned lamellae (i.e. the other domains in the optical structure) are generally free from twins and are shown to be othorhombic using SAD in the electron microscope. This basic difference between adjacent optical domains is also observable in the optical properties of cleaved a-c or b-c faces of single crystals.

Careful study of the distribution of room temperature resistance in the wuaternary compositional diagram of the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu oxides has demonstrated a wide range of materials which exhibit superconducting transitions in the temperature range 60–110 k. Energy dispersive analysis has shown that these are multiphase materials with a number of common phases which appear to be responsible for the observed superconductivity. Among these is the 2212 composition which has been reported previously and two new phases with stoichiometries 2213 and 2215.

An extension of the traditional Monte Carlo transport calculation is presented which takes into account the Pauli exclusion principle. This method is applied here to the determination of the electron distribution function in degenerate GaAs at 77K: the results are in satisfactory agreement with available experimental data.

The drift velocity of holes in natural diamond is analyzed for a wide range of temperatures $85\ensuremath{\le}T\ensuremath{\le}700$ K and fields ${10}^{2}lEl6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{4}$ V/cm applied parallel to $〈100〉$ and $〈110〉$ crystallographic directions. Experiments are carried out with the time-of-flight technique, and theory uses a Monte Carlo method. The microscopic interpretation is based on a two-spherical and parabolic band model and considers lattice scattering only. Values ${m}_{h}=1.1{m}_{o}$ and ${m}_{l}=0.3{m}_{o}$ for heavy-and light-hole effective masses are found.

An acoustic scattering mechanism which includes energy dissipation and Bose-Einstein phonon distribution has been studied for a two-band system. Analytical formulations of the scattering probabilities which are suitable for direct application to Monte-Carlo calculations are given and are applied to holes in Ge at 8K.

The scattering dependence of electroacoustic amplification is studied in this paper together with the effect of a longitudinal magnetic field in the extreme quantum limit, when only the lowest Landau level is occupied by the electrons. As in the case of absorption, the magnetic field enters this theory only through its effect on the electronic relaxation time. A numerical-example is discussed for the two cases in which the electronic relaxation time is given bya) acoustic-phonon scattering andb) ionized-impurity scattering. At frequencies outside the domain of validity of the local theory (ql τ 1), the absorptionamplification coefficient is found to be strongly scattering dependent. In particular the threshold value of the drift velocity to obtain amplification may be very different from, and even one order of magnitude higher than, the sound velocity.

Drift mobility and high-field drift velocity of holes in natural diamond are investigated with the time-of-flight technique. A theoretical interpretation based on Monte Carlo simulation suggests possible values for the deformation potential parameters and effective masses.

Some ECG criteria and the radiologic method of Westcott are evaluated against echocardiography in the left atrial enlargement. ECG shows generally a very good sensitivity (72%); particularly when the diameter is more than 5 cm. The radiologic findings show significant correlative indexes in normal and in softly enlarged atria. In atria greater than or equal to 5 cm the method is not so precise; the reasons are discussed on an anatomical basis. We acknowledge an important place to the ECG described criteria and to the Westcott method in the depistage of the left atrium enlargement.

A study of the correlation between the optical domain features and the TEM twins in superconducting YBCO has shown that in the crystal used, alternate optical domains are untwinned while the intermediate domains are twinned either parallel or perpendicular to the optical domain axis. Regions of domain intersection show an interesting checkerboard twin structure whose energetics are discussed.

A detailed study of a series of compositions in the Y 2 O 3 -BaO-CuO phase diagram has shown that the changes in structural and electrical properties may be associated with an intrinsic increase in the oxygen concentration as the Y:Ba ratio is increased. The origin of the change is thought to be associated with structural faults which appear as changes in the planar stacking of this orthorhombic material.

The use of a molten eutectic flux based on mixed alkali halides has allowed us to grow single crystals of YBCO with thickness of up to 4mm and total volumes approaching 0.3 cm 3 . The crystals are superconducting as grown but are improved by oxygen annealing. Both neutron scattering and optical microscopy confirm the single crystal nature.

Thin films of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x have been deposited by r.f. magnetron sputtering from a single, non-stoichiometric, sintered oxide target onto unintentially heated buffered silicon substrates. Attempts to fabricate superconducting films (with T[inc]≥77K) directly onto silicon, silicon dioxide and silicon oxy-nitrtide substrates have been unsuccessful due to the severe interdiffusion of substrate and film material during the high temperature annealing procedure. Many different buffer layers have been studied, but a layer formed by reactively sputtering zirconium has been found to provide the best result, giving a relatively smooth YBCO film surface, a T c ( onset ) ≈ 87 K and a T c ≈ 60 K . The results depend strongly on the deposition and the oxygen post-anneal conditions.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of selected metal (Ag, Co, Ni) and metal oxide (CeO2, Fe3O4, SnO2, TiO2) engineered nanoparticles on basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). Seedlings, grown in soil mixture (20% sandy soil, 80% peat), were exposed to nanoparticles once per week, for 4 weeks with solutions at 100 μg mL−1 of nanoparticle component metal, to simulate a chronic exposure to NPs supplied with irrigation. At the end of the experiment (4 weeks), (i) morphological and physiological parameters of basil (e.g. dry weight, gaseous exchange), (ii) nanoparticle component metal taken up by the basil plant (namely, Ag, Ce, Co, Fe, Ni, Sn and Ti) and (iii) the content of nutrients (Ca, Mg, K, Na, P and S) in different basil organs were evaluated. The results indicated that the nanoparticle component metal was mainly accumulated in the basil roots. However, despite the capability of plant to exclude potentially toxic elements, Ag, CeO2, Co and Ni NPs component metal translocate from the root to the shoot reaching the leaves, the edible part of the plant. Notably, also in the relative short exposure there was an accumulation of Ca in roots, suggesting that the modification of metabolic pathway in plants could be aimed at counteracting the membrane damage generated directly or indirectly by nanoparticles.

When engineered nanoparticles (NPs) reach soil through contaminated biosolids or irrigation water they could affect plant growth. Our results showed that the above- and below-ground growth was stunted in tomato exposed to SnO2-NPs, moreover the NPs enter into the root system. These research contribute to the setting of reference baseline values of tin dioxide in soil-plant system.

Nanotechnology is the new frontier of research and nowadays many nanoproducts are utilized in common goods, in medical supplies and in agricultural products. However, little is known about the impact of these new materials on humans and environment. Several studies assert that the soil could be the environmental compartment designed to be the major recipient of engineered nanoparticles (NPs). To investigate the impact of commercially relevant NPs on soil-plant continuum we compared the effect of Ag, CeO2, Co, Fe3O4, Ni, SnO2, TiO2 NPs on Ocimum basilicum. Basil is a culinary herb normally used fresh in Mediterranean cuisine and could constitute one of the means to accumulate NPs through the food chain. The seedlings were spiked once per week with 50mL of NP solutions at 100mg metal L-1 concentration, to simulate a chronic dose. For the control test only water was supplied. At the end of the experiment (28 days) the following analysis were performed in plant and soil: biomass production, total elements concentrations, plant pigments concentrations, lipid peroxidation, pH, metals availability, total metals concentrations. Results showed that Ag NPs treatment reduced significantly root and leaf dry matter of basil plant with respect to the control. The larger amount of metal-NPs was accumulated in basil roots and the concentration in leaves was significantly higher compared to the control for Ag, CeO2, Co and Ni. Notably, also in the relative short exposure there was an accumulation of Ca in roots, suggesting that the metabolic alteration in plants could be aimed at counteracting the membrane damage generated directly or indirectly by NPs. The physiological parameters did not show significant differences; probably tissues involved in the photosynthesis are not damaged by NPs. Nevertheless, further studies are required to evaluate the impact of these NPs over several generation and their fate in food chain.

Food bioactive peptides are currently investigated as they display functional activities for health promotion. Although high in carbohydrates, cereals contain substantial amount of proteins thus representing a possible dietary source of bioactive peptides. In the search of bioactive peptides in different wheat varieties a 7 kDa peptide was observed by means of HPLC-UV and nanoLC-nanoESI-QTof analyses in wheat flour extracts. Through data base searches the 7 kDa signal was ascribed to a Non-specific lipid-transfer protein (NsLTP) type 2 (sequence coverage of 92%). As no data regarding NsLTP type 2 biological activity in mammalian cells are present in the literature, experiments were aimed at the analysis of potential mechanisms by which this peptide can contribute to cardiovascular health using HUVEC cell cultures. In particular antioxidant activity and cytoprotective effects following oxidative or inflammatory stimulation were evaluated. Moreover, NsLTP type2 was also analysed for its ability to inhibit Angiotensin converting enzyme, a therapeutic target for the treatment of hypertension. This work was supported by BACCHUS project (FP7 European Commission Grant Agreement 312090).

Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (quinoa) is a halophyte for which some parameters linked to salt tolerance have been investigated separately in different genotypes and under different growth conditions. In this study, several morphological and metabolic responses were analysed in parallel after exposure to salinity. In vitro seed germination was initially delayed by a 150 mM NaCl treatment but eventually reached the same level as the control (0 mM NaCl), whereas seedling root growth was enhanced; both parameters were moderately inhibited (~35–50%) by 300 mM NaCl. In pot grown plants, plant size was reduced by increasing salinity (0–750 mM NaCl). Transpiration and stomatal conductance were decreased at the highest salinity levels tested, consistent with reduced stomatal density and size. The density of epidermal bladder cells (EBCs) on the leaf surface remained unaffected up to 600 mM NaCl. Tissue contents of Na+ and Cl– increased dramatically with salt treatment, but resulted in only a 50% increase in Na+ from 150 to 750 mM NaCl. Internal K+ was unaffected up to 450 mM NaCl but increased at the highest salinity levels tested. Excretion through sequestration into EBCs was limited (generally ≤20%) for all ions. A modest dose-dependent proline accumulation, and concomitant reduction in total polyamines and putrescine efflux occurred in NaCl-treated plants. Results confirm the importance of inorganic ions for osmotic adjustment, the plant’s ability to maintain K+ levels and the involvement of putrescine efflux in maintaining ionic balance under high salinity conditions. Conversely, ion excretion and proline appear to play a minor role. Taken together these results indicate which parameters could be used for future comparison among different genotypes.

The health-promoting effects of whole-grain consumption have been attributed in part to their unique phytochemical contents and profiles. Wheat is an important component of the human diet; however, little is known about the phytochemical profiles of different wheat varieties, especially of old wheats. The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution of lignans, a class of phytochemicals with proved health benefit effects, of four modern and six old Italian soft wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars. In this work, we describe the first analytical method involving CE coupled to MS (CE-MS) used to identify and quantify lignan compounds in grains of different cultivars of wheat. Total lignan content determined by CE-ESI-MS was 2.60+/-0.21 and 5.00+/-1.30 microg/g dry seed weight for modern and old cultivars, respectively. Secoisolariciresinol and pinoresinol were detected in all ten investigated soft wheat cultivars, whereas arctigenin, hinokinin, and syringaresinol were exclusively detected in old genotypes. Significant differences between modern and old cultivars were also observed for the number of glycosidic forms. Results highlighted the high content and unique composition in lignans of old cultivars suggesting their uses into a wide range of regular and specialty food products naturally enriched with health-promoting compounds.

Da tempo è noto il ruolo “funzionale” svolto dai flavonoidi nel prevenire alterazioni e malattie degenerative dell’uomo. Tali composti sono presenti in quantità significative in diverse leguminose impiegate tradizionalmente nell’alimentazione umana e animale. Le tecniche agronomiche utilizzate per la produzione di leguminose destinate all’alimentazione umana o alla trasformazione industriale sono ben note, ma informazioni relative all’ottimizzazione delle tecniche per aumentare la resa in flavonoidi non sono di facile reperimento. L’obiettivo della presente ricerca è stato quello di valutare gli effetti della concimazione azotata e dell’irrigazione sulla sintesi ed accumulo di flavonoidi nella granella di fagiolo comune.

Negli ultimi anni numerosi studi hanno permesso di classificare i cereali, nel contesto di una dieta bilanciata, come alimenti funzionali in grado di esercitare effetti benefici sulla salute umana. Tale funzione è attribuita al peculiare contenuto in composti fitochimici della granella (Thompson, 1994). Recenti studi sulle proprietà benefiche di questi composti si sono incentrati in modo particolare sull’importanza di introdurre tali sostanze nella dieta attraverso l’utilizzo di granella di “antiche” varietà di frumento tenero. Le varietà di frumento tenero attualmente coltivate, selezionate per venire incontro alle necessità dell'agricoltura intensiva per la quale sono molto importanti il risultato quantitativo e la regolarità della produzione, mancano di alcune delle caratteristiche funzionali delle “antiche” varietà (Adom et al., 2003). Tra i composti funzionali presenti nella granella di frumento, i lignani hanno recentemente attratto l’attenzione da parte del mondo scientifico in quanto posseggono un ampio spettro di attività biologiche (batteriostatiche, anti-micotiche, anti-virali, anti-ossidanti) (Gottlieb e Yoshida, 1989). Tuttavia, ad oggi risultano limitate le conoscenze relative ai profili fitochimici, in particolare dei lignani, delle diverse varietà di frumento tenero (Triticum aestivum L.). Lo scopo della presente ricerca è stato quello di caratterizzate dal punto di vista quali-quantitativo (analisi in elettroforesi capillare con rilevamento in spettrometria di massa-CE-MS) varietà italiane di frumento tenero, di nuova e vecchia costituzione, per quanto riguarda il contenuto in lignani della granella integrale.