Electrochemical sensor detecting free sulfhydryl groups: evaluation of milk heat treatment

We describe a new and rapid method for the evaluation of reactive sulfhydryl groups in whey proteins obtained after precipitation of casein by acetic acid at pH 4.6. The procedure is based on the use of a wire tungsten electrode operating at -0.2 V versus saturated calomel electrode in flow injection analysis. The method was applied to raw milks and to commercial pasteurized and UHT milks. Results showed that the tungsten electrode constituted a robust amperometric sensor that could be used to differentiate milks that underwent different heat treatments. The decrease of thiol content in the whey proteins from samples was in agreement with the whey protein content found by HPLC. The procedure is suitable for on-line quality control of heat-treated milks.     

Use of an electrochemical method to evaluate the antioxidant activity of herb extracts from the Labiatae family

This paper describes a rapid method for the evaluation of the antioxidant activity of herb extracts from the Labiatae family. Herb methanolic extracts were analysed by using a flow injection (FI) system with an electrochemical detector equipped with a glassy carbon working electrode operating amperometrically at a potential of 0.5 V (vs. Ag/AgCl).     

Technology-enhanced and game based learning for children with special needs: a systematic mapping study

Technology-based education of children with special needs has become the focus of many research works in recent years. The wide range of different disabilities that are encompassed by the term “special needs”, together with the educational requirements of the children affected, represent an enormous multidisciplinary challenge for the research community. In this article, we present a systematic literature review of technology-enhanced and game-based learning systems and methods applied on children with special needs. The article analyzes the state-of-the-art of the research in this field by selecting a group of primary studies and answering a set of research questions. Although there are some previous systematic reviews, it is still not clear what the best tools, games or academic subjects (with technology-enhanced, game-based learning) are, out of those that have obtained good results with children with special needs. The 18 articles selected (carefully filtered out of 614 contributions) have been used to reveal the most frequent disabilities, the different technologies used in the prototypes, the number of learning subjects, and the kind of learning games used. The article also summarizes research opportunities identified in the primary studies.

     

Critical Review of the Evolution of Extracellular Vesicles’ Knowledge: From 1946 to Today

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a family of particles/vesicles present in blood and body fluids, composed of phospholipid bilayers that carry a variety of molecules that can mediate cell communication, modulating crucial cell processes such as homeostasis, induction/dampening of inflammation, and promotion of repair. Their existence, initially suspected in 1946 and confirmed in 1967, spurred a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications. Paradoxically, the increasing interest for EV content and function progressively reduced the relevance for a precise nomenclature in classifying EVs, therefore leading to a confusing scientific production. The aim of this review was to analyze the evolution of the progress in the knowledge and definition of EVs over the years, with an overview of the methodologies used for the identification of the vesicles, their cell of origin, and the detection of their cargo. The MISEV 2018 guidelines for the proper recognition nomenclature and ways to study EVs are summarized. The review finishes with a “more questions than answers” chapter, in which some of the problems we still face to fully understand the EV function and potential as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool are analyzed.     

Patidegib in Dermatology: A Current Review

Background: Basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common types of non-melanoma skin cancers, which can be locally destructive despite low-rate metastasis. Surgery is the treatment of choice, but it lacks of efficacy on advanced cases. Hedgehog pathway inhibitors are a class of drugs providing a new therapeutic option for patients affected by advanced disease. Besides systemic therapy, such as vismodegib and sonidegib, also topical inhibitors have been developed. Patidegib is able to decrease tumor burden, reducing the adverse effects induced by systemic targeted therapies. Methods: We performed comprehensive research to summarize the use of patidegib in advanced and recurrent aggressive basal cell carcinomas. Only English language human studies were included in the search. Results: Seven trials reported the application of patidegib. Both topical and systemic patidegib demonstrated safety, tolerability, and efficacy in naïve patients with stage II and III basal cell carcinomas, while stage IV disease and not-naïve patients did not show any benefit. Conclusion: Unlike systemic Hedgehog pathway inhibitors, patidegib 2% gel is not associated with systemic adverse effects and allows a better patient management. Considering the multidisciplinary management of neoplasia, in the era of precision medicine, it is mandatory to confide in pharmacogenomics to obtain personalized combined or sequential therapies.     

Ultrasonic relaxations in borate glasses

The attenuation and velocity of ultrasonic waves of frequencies in the range from 10 to 70 MHz have been measured in M₂O–B₂O₃ borate glasses (M: Li or Ag) as a function of temperature between 15 and 350 K. The velocity of sound waves decreases with increasing temperature in all the glasses, the decrease as the temperature is increased is larger in glasses containing silver than in those with lithium. A broad relaxation peak characterises the attenuation behaviour of the lithium and silver borate glasses at temperatures below 100 K and is paralleled by a corresponding dispersive behaviour of the sound velocity. Above 100 K, the ultrasonic velocity shows a nearly linear behaviour regulated by the vibrational anharmonicity, which decreases with increasing content of modifier oxide and is smaller in lithium than in silver borates. These results suggest that the relaxation of structural defects and the anharmonicity of borate glasses are strongly affected by two parameters: the number of bridging bonds per network forming ion and the polarising power of network modifier ions which occupy sites in the existing interstices.     

MCAM/MUC18/CD146 as a Multifaceted Warning Marker of Melanoma Progression in Liquid Biopsy

Human malignant melanoma shows a high rate of mortality after metastasization, and its incidence is continuously rising worldwide. Several studies have suggested that MCAM/MUC18/CD146 plays an important role in the progression of this malignant disease. MCAM/MUC18/CD146 is a typical single-spanning transmembrane glycoprotein, existing as two membrane isoforms, long and short, and an additional soluble form, sCD146. We previously documented that molecular MCAM/MUC18/CD146 expression is strongly associated with disease progression. Recently, we showed that MCAM/MUC18/CD146 and ABCB5 can serve as melanoma-specific-targets in the selection of highly primitive circulating melanoma cells, and constitute putative proteins associated with disease spreading progression. Here, we analyzed CD146 molecular expression at onset or at disease recurrence in an enlarged melanoma case series. For some patients, we also performed the time courses of molecular monitoring. Moreover, we explored the role of soluble CD146 in different cohorts of melanoma patients at onset or disease progression, rather than in clinical remission, undergoing immune therapy or free from any clinical treatment. We showed that MCAM/MUC18/CD146 can be considered as: (1) a membrane antigen suitable for identification and enrichment in melanoma liquid biopsy; (2) a highly effective molecular “warning” marker for minimal residual disease monitoring; and (3) a soluble protein index of inflammation and putative response to therapeutic treatments.