Application of the novel Droplet digital PCR technology for identification of meat species

The authenticity and traceability of meat products are issues of primary importance to ensure food safety. Unfortunately, food adulteration (e.g. the addition of inexpensive cuts to minced meat products) and mislabelling (e.g. the inclusion of meat from species other than those declared) happens frequently worldwide. The aim of this study was to apply a droplet digital PCR assay for the detection and quantification (copies μL⁻¹) of the beef, pork, horse, sheep, chicken and turkey in meat products. The analysis conducted on commercial meat showed the presence of traces of DNA from other animal species than those declared. We show that the method is highly sensitive, specific and accurate (accuracy = 100%). This method could be adopted by competent food safety authorities to verify compliance with the labelling of meat products and to ensure quality and safety throughout the meat supply chain, from primary production to consumption.     

The AFLATOX® Project: Approaching the Development of New Generation,Natural-Based Compounds for the Containment of the Mycotoxigenic Phytopathogen Aspergillus flavus and Aflatoxin Contamination

The control of the fungal contamination on crops is considered a priority by the sanitary authorities of an increasing number of countries, and this is also due to the fact that the geographic areas interested in mycotoxin outbreaks are widening. Among the different pre- and post-harvest strategies that may be applied to prevent fungal and/or aflatoxin contamination, fungicides still play a prominent role; however, despite of countless efforts, to date the problem of food and feed contamination remains unsolved, since the essential factors that affect aflatoxins production are various and hardly to handle as a whole. In this scenario, the exploitation of bioactive natural sources to obtain new agents presenting novel mechanisms of action may represent a successful strategy to minimize, at the same time, aflatoxin contamination and the use of toxic pesticides. The Aflatox^® Project was aimed at the development of new-generation inhibitors of aflatoxigenic Aspergillus spp. proliferation and toxin production, through the modification of naturally occurring molecules: a panel of 177 compounds, belonging to the thiosemicarbazones class, have been synthesized and screened for their antifungal and anti-aflatoxigenic potential. The most effective compounds, selected as the best candidates as aflatoxin containment agents, were also evaluated in terms of cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and epi-genotoxicity to exclude potential harmful effect on the human health, the plants on which fungi grow and the whole ecosystem.     

Macrophage-Mediated Melanoma Reduction after HP-NAP Treatment in a Zebrafish Xenograft Model

The Helicobacter pylori Neutrophil Activating Protein (HP-NAP) is endowed with immunomodulatory properties that make it a potential candidate for anticancer therapeutic applications. By activating cytotoxic Th1 responses, HP-NAP inhibits the growth of bladder cancer and enhances the anti-tumor activity of oncolytic viruses in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and neuroendocrine tumors. The possibility that HP-NAP exerts its anti-tumor effect also by modulating the activity of innate immune cells has not yet been explored. Taking advantage of the zebrafish model, we examined the therapeutic efficacy of HP-NAP against metastatic human melanoma, limiting the observational window to 9 days post-fertilization, well before the maturation of the adaptive immunity. Human melanoma cells were xenotransplanted into zebrafish embryos and tracked in the presence or absence of HP-NAP. The behavior and phenotype of macrophages and the impact of their drug-induced depletion were analyzed exploiting macrophage-expressed transgenes. HP-NAP administration efficiently inhibited tumor growth and metastasis and this was accompanied by strong recruitment of macrophages with a pro-inflammatory profile at the tumor site. The depletion of macrophages almost completely abrogated the ability of HP-NAP to counteract tumor growth. Our findings highlight the pivotal role of activated macrophages in counteracting melanoma growth and support the notion that HP-NAP might become a new biological therapeutic agent for the treatment of metastatic melanomas.     

Molecular Mechanisms and Physiological Changes behind Benign Tracheal and Subglottic Stenosis in Adults

Laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS) is a complex and heterogeneous disease whose pathogenesis remains unclear. LTS is considered to be the result of aberrant wound-healing process that leads to fibrotic scarring, originating from different aetiology. Although iatrogenic aetiology is the main cause of subglottic or tracheal stenosis, also autoimmune and infectious diseases may be involved in causing LTS. Furthermore, fibrotic obstruction in the anatomic region under the glottis can also be diagnosed without apparent aetiology after a comprehensive workup; in this case, the pathological process is called idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS). So far, the laryngotracheal scar resulting from airway injury due to different diseases was considered as inert tissue requiring surgical removal to restore airway patency. However, this assumption has recently been revised by regarding the tracheal scarring process as a fibroinflammatory event due to immunological alteration, similar to other fibrotic diseases. Recent acquisitions suggest that different factors, such as growth factors, cytokines, altered fibroblast function and genetic susceptibility, can all interact in a complex way leading to aberrant and fibrotic wound healing after an insult that acts as a trigger. However, also physiological derangement due to LTS could play a role in promoting dysregulated response to laryngo-tracheal mucosal injury, through biomechanical stress and mechanotransduction activation. The aim of this narrative review is to present the state-of-the-art knowledge regarding molecular mechanisms, as well as mechanical and physio-pathological features behind LTS.     

Discrimination of vegetation types in alpine sites with ALOS PALSAR-, RADARSAT-2-, and lidar-derived information

Natural vegetation monitoring in the alpine mountain range is a priority in the European Union in view of climate change effects. Many potential monitoring tools, based on advanced remote sensing sensors, are still not fully integrated in operational activities, such as those exploiting very high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) or light detection and ranging (lidar) data. Their testing is important for possible incorporation in routine monitoring and to increase the quantity and quality of environmental information. In this study the potential of ALOS PALSAR and RADARSAT-2 SAR scenes' synergic use for discrimination of different vegetation types was tested in an alpine heterogeneous and fragmented landscape. The integration of a lidar-based canopy height model (CHM) with SAR data was also tested. A SPOT image was used as a benchmark to evaluate the results obtained with different input data. Discrimination of vegetation types was performed with maximum likelihood classification and neural networks. Six tested data combinations obtained more than 85% overall accuracy, and the most complex input which integrates the two SARs with lidar CHM outperformed the result based on SPOT. Neural network algorithms provided the best results. This study highlights the advantages of integrating SAR sensors with lidar CHM for vegetation monitoring in a changing environment.     

Viable synthesis of a self-assembling regioregular thiophenic copolymer for second-order non-linear optics

Regioregular azobenzene-substituted polythiophenic copolymers were prepared by a regiospecific organometallic polycondensation procedure based on a Grignard metathesis reaction. Copolymers with a high content of chromophoric groups in the side chains and a high degree of configurational order of the backbones were obtained. A sample was also functionalized with hydroxyalkyl chains capable of setting up ordered supramolecular structures through hydrogen bonds. The final materials were fully characterized via NMR, IR, elemental analysis, GPC, DSC and X-ray diffraction. Moreover, measurements of NLO activity on polymer films showed the synthetic strategies adopted and monomers used to be correct. Values obtained by the in situ deprotection of the interacting functional groups after the alignment of the chromophorized side chains were very promising, proving the procedure to be suitable for industrial and commercial applications.     

Heat pump enhanced gas turbine cogeneration

A significant fraction of the gaseous fuel supplied to industry will be used in medium- and small-size cogeneration plants. In this paper, a gas turbine and a gas engine of about 800 kW power output are compared at full and part load operation. When low-temperature heat (e.g., for space heating) is produced, the higher exhaust losses of the gas turbine yield a lower system efficiency, particularly at part load. A scheme is proposed to recover the exhaust gas energy by cooling to a temperature near ambient. The system features a heat pump to raise the recovered heat temperature to a usable level and an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) engine to drive the heat pump. The ORC engine uses the high-temperature fraction of the heat recovered from the exhaust. The data for the ORC engine are derived from an actual experimental engine. The performance is calculated for the system at full load.     

New High-Power Ozone Generators and Their Application In Industry

BBC ozone generators, with their high efficiency and high production density, have opened up for the exceptionally strong oxidizing agent ozone, a wide range of new possibilities in industrial applications. The article reports on measurements carried out on type OH ozone generators and on their use in industrial processes. An indication of future developments is given.