Probiotics Function in Preventing Atopic Dermatitis in Children

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder characterized by relapsing eczematous injuries and severe pruritus. In the last few years, the AD prevalence has been increasing, reaching 20% in children and 10% in adults in high-income countries. Recently, the potential role of probiotics in AD prevention has generated considerable interest. As many clinical studies show, the gut microbiota is able to modulate systemic inflammatory and immune responses influencing the development of sensitization and allergy. Probiotics are used increasingly against AD. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the probiotics mediated anti-allergic effect remain unclear and there is controversy about their efficacy. In this narrative review, we examine the actual evidence on the effect of probiotic supplementation for AD prevention in the pediatric population, discussing also the potential biological mechanisms of action in this regard.     

Heme Oxygenase Modulation Drives Ferroptosis in TNBC Cells

The term ferroptosis refers to a peculiar type of programmed cell death (PCD) mainly characterized by extensive iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. Recently, ferroptosis has been suggested as a potential new strategy for the treatment of several cancers, including breast cancer (BC). In particular, among the BC subtypes, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is considered the most aggressive, and conventional drugs fail to provide long-term efficacy. In this context, our study’s purpose was to investigate the mechanism of ferroptosis in breast cancer cell lines and reveal the significance of heme oxygenase (HO) modulation in the process, providing new biochemical approaches. HO’s effect on BC was evaluated by MTT tests, gene silencing, Western blot analysis, and measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione (GSH) and lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) levels. In order to assess HO’s implication, different approaches were exploited, using two distinct HO-1 inducers (hemin and curcumin), a well-known HO inhibitor (SnMP) and a selective HO-2 inhibitor. The data obtained showed HO’s contribution to the onset of ferroptosis; in particular, HO-1 induction seemed to accelerate the process. Moreover, our results suggest a potential role of HO-2 in erastin-induced ferroptosis. In view of the above, HO modulation in ferroptosis can offer a novel approach for breast cancer treatment.     

Extended Adjuvant Endocrine Treatment in Luminal Breast Cancers in the Era of Genomic Tests

In patients with early-stage endocrine receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer (BC), adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) for 5 years is the standard of care. However, for some patients, the risk of recurrence remain high for up to 15 years after diagnosis and extended ET beyond 5 years may be a reasonable option. Nevertheless, this strategy significantly increases the occurrence of side effects. Here we summarize the available evidence from randomized clinical trials on the efficacy and safety profile of extended ET and discuss available clinical and genomic tools helpful to select eligible patients in daily clinical practice.     

Increased Prevalence of Unstable HLA-C Variants in HIV-1 Rapid-Progressor Patients

HIV-1 infection in the absence of treatment results in progression toward AIDS. Host genetic factors play a role in HIV-1 pathogenesis, but complete knowledge is not yet available. Since less-expressed HLA-C variants are associated with poor HIV-1 control and unstable HLA-C variants are associated with higher HIV-1 infectivity, we investigated whether there was a correlation between the different stages of HIV-1 progression and the presence of specific HLA-C allotypes. HLA-C genotyping was performed using allele-specific PCR by analyzing a treatment-naïve cohort of 96 HIV-1-infected patients from multicentric cohorts in the USA, Canada, and Brazil. HIV-1-positive subjects were classified according to their different disease progression status as progressors (Ps, n = 48), long-term non-progressors (LTNPs, n = 37), and elite controllers (ECs, n = 11). HLA-C variants were classified as stable or unstable according to their binding stability to β2-microglobulin/peptide complex. Our results showed a significant correlation between rapid progression to AIDS and the presence of two or one unstable HLA-C variants (p-value: 0.0078, p-value: 0.0143, respectively). These findings strongly suggest a link between unstable HLA-C variants both at genotype and at allele levels and rapid progression to AIDS. This work provides further insights into the impact of host genetic factors on AIDS progression.     

A Curcumin-BODIPY Dyad and Its Silica Hybrid as NIR Bioimaging Probes

In this paper we describe the synthesis of a novel bichromophoric system in which an efficient photoinduced intercomponent energy transfer process is active. The dyad consists of one subunit of curcumin and one of BODIPY and is able to emit in the far-red region, offering a large Stokes shift, capable of limiting light scattering processes for applications in microscopy. The system has been encapsulated in MCM-41 nanoparticles with dimensions between 50 and 80 nm. Both the molecular dyad and individual subunits were tested with different cell lines to study their effective applicability in bioimaging. MCM-41 nanoparticles showed no reduction in cell viability, indicating their biocompatibility and bio-inertness and making them capable of delivering organic molecules even in aqueous-based formulations, avoiding the toxicity of organic solvents. Encapsulation in the porous silica structure directed the location of the bichromophoric system within cytoplasm, while the dyad alone stains the nucleus of the hFOB cell line.     

Effects of aw at packaging time and atmosphere composition on aroma profile,biogenic amine content and microbiological features of dry fermented sausages

The aim was to evaluate the effects of different water contents (corresponding to a_w 0.940, 0.914, 0.895 and 0.875) of sausages at different times on the characteristics of typical Italian dry fermented sausages packaged under two different modified atmospheres (MAP) (100%N₂ or 30%CO₂/70%N₂). During ripening and storage, samples were analyzed to evaluate pH and a_w changes, microbial population, biogenic amine (BA) accumulation and aroma profile.     

Investigating the impact of botanical origin and harvesting period on carbon stable isotope ratio values (13C/12C) and different parameter analysis of Greek unifloral honeys: A chemometric approach for correct botanical discrimination

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of botanical origin and harvesting period on carbon stable isotope ratio (¹³C/¹²C), colour intensity (CI), radical scavenging activity (%RSA), P and Sn content of Greek unifloral honeys. Thus, twenty‐four honey samples were collected during harvesting periods 2011–2012 and 2012–2013, from four different regions in Greece. ¹³C/¹²C ratios and minerals were determined using isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and inductively coupled plasma optical–emission spectroscopy (ICP‐OES), respectively. CI and %RSA were measured using spectrophotometric assays. Results showed that only ¹³C/¹²C values and %RSA were affected by both botanical origin and harvesting period (P < 0.05). Applying then chemometric analyses to the collected data set, honeys were correctly classified according to honey type (correct classification rate 87.5% and 79.2% using the original and cross‐validation method, respectively). The use of different origin parameters has the potential to aid in honey authentication.     

ISICSoo: A class for the calculation of ionization cross sections from ECPSSR and PWBA theory

ISICS, originally a C language program for calculating K-, L- and M-shell ionization and X-ray production cross sections from ECPSSR and PWBA theory, has been reengineered into a C++ language class, named ISICSoo. The new software design enables the use of ISICS functionality in other software systems. The code, originally developed for Microsoft Windows operating systems, has been ported to Linux and Mac OS platforms to facilitate its use in a wider scientific environment. The reengineered software also includes some fixes to the original implementation, which ensure more robust computational results and a review of some physics parameters used in the computation. The paper describes the software design and the modifications to the implementation with respect to the previous version; it also documents the test process and provides some indications about the software performance.Program summaryProgram title: ISICSooCatalogue identifier: AEKN_v1_0Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEKN_v1_0.htmlProgram obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen?s University, Belfast, N. IrelandLicensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.htmlNo. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 26 420No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 459 548Distribution format: tar.gzProgramming language: C++Computer: 80486 or higher-level PC or MacOperating system: Any OS with gcc compiler version 4.1 (or newer); tested on Scientific Linux 5 (gcc 4.1.2), Mac OS X 10.6.5 (gcc 4.2.1) and Windows XP (MS Visual C++ 2010 Express)Classification: 16.7Nature of problem: Ionization and X-ray production cross section calculations for ion–atom collisions.Solution method: Numerical integration of form factor using a logarithmic transform and Gaussian quadrature, plus exact integration limits.Additional comments: This program is a portable version of the program ADDS_v4_0.Reasons for the new version: Capability of using ISICS physics functionality in other software systems; porting the software to other platforms than Microsoft Windows; improved computational robustness and performance.Summary of revisions: Reengineering into a C++ class; several internal modifications to improve correctness and robustness; updated binding energies tabulations; performance improvements.Running time: The running time depends on the selected atomic shell and the number of polynomials used in the Gaussian quadrature integration. The examples provided only take seconds to run.