Perfluoropolyether phosphate: skin exfoliation after a topical pre-treatment, TEWL and skin elasticity, by in-vivo non-invasive methods

Glycolic acid (GA) and other alpha-hydroxyacids (AHAs) are common ingredients of products designed to accelerate exfoliation of the skin. It is known that acidic pHs are essential in order to increase the efficacy of AHA-based products. The formulator is, therefore, obliged to achieve a difficult balance between performance (skin exfoliation) and risks (skin irritation). In order to overcome this problem, many common organic acids, and combinations of them, have been proposed, with marginal improvements. The need for a new chemistry, in order to achieve better results, was evident, particularly from the point of view of safety. We decided, therefore, to investigate the efficacy of perfluoropolyether (PFPE) phosphate, a new acidic material, already proposed for lowering the pH without increasing skin irritation. Two gels containing PFPE phosphate at different pH values (3 and 7), an acidic gel containing GA at pH 3, and a neutral gel, without an active compound, were applied on 20 healthy volunteers and evaluated with regard to effects on the skin: *Exfoliation after a topical pre-treatment with these gels *Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and elasticity The main conclusion of the investigation was that PFPE phosphate has effects, particularly skin exfoliation rate, quite independent of the pH, and comparable to the gel containing GA at pH 3, apparently without the typical drawbacks of AHAs.     

65 nm CMOS SSB mixer for UWB synthesiser

The present work addresses the design of a 65 nm CMOS wide-band single-sideband mixer for UWB synthesiser. The circuit has been designed inductorless and with few capacitors, in order to save silicon area and, at the same time, to get a mixer independent of the adopted frequency plan and synthesiser architecture. Particular attention has been paid to reducing the spurs as much as possible. In order to address a realistic investigation, the design has accounted also for the corner cases and the possible impairments in the input signals. A comparison with the state-of-the-art of the SSB mixers shows the low power consumption of the present work.     

Hydride destabilization in core–shell nanoparticles

We present a model that describes the effect of elastic constraint on the thermodynamics of hydrogen absorption and desorption in biphasic core–shell nanoparticles, where the core is a hydride forming metal. In particular, the change of the hydride formation enthalpy and of the equilibrium pressure for the metal/hydride transformation are described as a function of nanoparticles radius, shell thickness, and elastic properties of both core and shell. To test the model, the hydrogen sorption isotherms of Mg–MgO core–shell nanoparticles, synthesized by inert gas condensation, were measured by means of optical hydrogenography. The model's predictions are in good agreement with the experimentally determined plateau pressure of hydrogen absorption. The features that a core–shell systems should exhibit in view of practical hydrogen storage applications are discussed with reference to the model and the experimental results.     

Phenolic Compounds in Fresh and Dried Figs from Cilento (Italy), by Considering Breba Crop and Full Crop,in Comparison to Turkish and Greek Dried Figs

Fresh and dried figs are important components of the Mediterranean diet. In Cilento (Southern Italy), figs belonging to cultivar “Dottato” are used for the production of “PDO Cilento white figs,” as dried figs. In this article, we reported the characterization of the phenolic compounds in 19 fig samples: 9 fresh figs cultivar “Dottato” from Cilento (Italy), 10 dried fig samples from Cilento (2), Turkey (6), and Greece (2). The following phenolic compounds were identified and quantified by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/UV‐DAD: chlorogenic acid, protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, luteolin‐3,7‐di‐O‐glucoside, luteolin 7‐glucoside, apigenin‐7‐O‐rutinoside, rutin, quercetin‐3‐glucoside, and cyanidin‐3‐O‐rutinoside. A discriminative analysis between the peel and pulp of the samples was carried out. The 1st crop (“breba”) and the 2nd one (full crop) from Dottato figs were considered, as well as the effect of fig pollination. The majority of the phenolic compounds were predominant in the fig peel. Significant quantitative differences were found among fresh figs, whereas also some qualitative differences were obtained between fresh and dried figs from the same origin in Dottato cultivar, and among dried figs from different origins. Breba crop resulted richer in phenolics than figs of the 2nd crop. Considering the dried figs, the Turkish ones had the highest concentration in phenolic compounds. Other compounds such as the aminoacids tyrosine and tryptophan were also detected by HPLC‐DAD analysis in Dottato figs, probably due to the similarity of their chemical structure.     

Characterization of phenolic extracts from olives (Olea europaea cv. Pisciottana) by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Olives are a potential source of natural anti-oxidants; unfortunately, a complete characterization of olive fruit phenolic profile is still to be achieved, as it is characterized by great complexity and variability.     

Myelodysplastic transformation in a case of essential thrombocythemia treated with pipobroman

A report of an 87-year-old Caucasian female with an extensive sebaceous carcinoma of the parotid gland is presented. The computed tomographic characteristics of this rare neoplasm are reported for the first time.     

Alkali effects on bubble formation in irradiated borosilicate glasses

Our previous investigations of radiation-induced structural changes in borosilicate glasses have been extended to include the role of alkali ions. Using high-voltage electron microscopy associated with X-ray dispersion spectroscopy, it has been found that sodium strongly influences all stages of the damage process. A simple model is suggested to account for the observed effects.     

A stable marker chromosome with a cryptic centromere: evidence for centromeric sequences associated with an inverted duplication

Centromere activation, an important mechanism in karyotype evolution, is occasionally observed in some human chromosome rearrangements. We report a possible occurrence of centromere activation in a marker chromosome containing an atypical centromere associated with an inverted duplication of the region 14q32 --> qter. The marker chromosome's reduced centromere lacks both the alpha and beta satellite sequences usually found at normal centromeres. In an attempt to identify the centromeric sequences, the marker chromosome was flow-sorted and amplified by a degenerate oligonucleotide primer polymerase chain reaction. Reverse chromosome painting experiments showed that the marker chromosome contains sequences that are unique to the distal region of chromosome 14, as well as a low copy number of (centromeric) sequences that are also highly represented in the centromeres of chromosomes 18 and 19. These data suggest the activation of a novel centromere in the 14q32 --> qter region, very likely consequent to the duplication of the region itself.