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In the present work, fiber mats of poly(lactic acid), PLA, plasticized by different amounts of oligomer lactic acid, OLA, were obtained by electrospinning in order to investigate their long term hydrolytic degradation. This was performed in a simulated body fluid for up to 352 days, until the complete degradation of the samples is reached. The evolution of the plasticized electrospun mats was followed in terms of morphological, thermal, chemical and crystalline changes. Mass variation and water uptake of PLA-based electrospun mats, together with pH stability of the immersion media, were also studied during the in vitro test. The results showed that the addition of OLA increases the hydrolytic degradation rate of PLA electrospun fiber mats. Moreover, by adding different amounts of OLA, the time of degradation of the electrospun fiber mats can be modulated over the course of a year. Effectively, by increasing the amount of OLA, the diameter of the electrospun fibers decreases more rapidly during degradation. On the other hand, the degree of crystallinity and the dimension of the α crystals of the electrospun fiber mats are highly affected not only by the presence but also by the amount of OLA during the whole process.

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is an extremely rare tumour, which usually affects elderly males and presents in the skin with frequent involvement of the bone-marrow, peripheral blood and lymph nodes. It has a dismal prognosis, with most patients dying within one year when treated by conventional chemotherapies. The diagnosis is challenging, since neoplastic cells can resemble lymphoblasts or small immunoblasts, and require the use of a large panel of antibodies, including those against CD4, CD56, CD123, CD303, TCL1, and TCF4. The morphologic and in part phenotypic ambiguity explains the uncertainties as to the histogenesis of the neoplasm that led to the use of various denominations. Recently, a series of molecular studies based on karyotyping, gene expression profiling, and next generation sequencing, have largely unveiled the pathobiology of the tumour and proposed the potentially beneficial use of new drugs. The latter include SL-401, anti-CD123 immunotherapies, venetoclax, BET-inhibitors, and demethylating agents. The epidemiologic, clinical, diagnostic, molecular, and therapeutic features of BPDCN are thoroughly revised in order to contribute to an up-to-date approach to this tumour that has remained an orphan disease for too long.

Fully bio-based and biodegradable active films based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blended with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and incorporating lactic acid oligomers (OLA) as plasticizers and carvacrol as active agent were extruded and fully characterized in their functional properties for antimicrobial active packaging. PLA_PHB films showed good barrier to water vapor, while the resistance to oxygen diffusion decreased with the addition of OLA and carvacrol. Their overall migration in aqueous food simulant was determined and no significant changes were observed by the addition of carvacrol and OLA to the PLA_PHB formulations. However, the effect of both additives in fatty food simulant can be considered a positive feature for the potential protection of foodstuff with high fat content. Moreover, the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the proposed formulations increased by the presence of carvacrol, with enhanced activity against Staphylococcus aureus if compared to Escherichia coli at short and long incubation times. These results underlined the specific antimicrobial properties of these bio-films suggesting their applicability in active food packaging.

In the perspective of producing a rigid renewable and environmentally friendly rigid packaging material, two comb-like copolymers of cellulose acetate (AC) and oligo(lactic acid) OLA, feeding different percentages of oligo(lactic acid) segments, were prepared by chemical synthesis in solvent or reactive extrusion in the melt, using a diepoxide as the coupling agent and were used as compatibilizers for poly(lactic acid)/plasticized cellulose acetate PLA/pAC blends. The blends were extruded at 230 °C or 197 °C and a similar compatibilizing behavior was observed for the different compatibilizers. The compatibilizer C1 containing 80 wt% of AC and 14 wt% of OLA resulted effective in compatibilization and it was easily obtained by reactive extrusion. Considering these results, different PLAX/pAC(100-X) compounds containing C1 as the compatibilizer were prepared by extrusion at 197 °C and tested in terms of their tensile and impact properties. Reference materials were the uncompatibilized corresponding blend (PLAX/pAC(100-X)) and the blend of PLA, at the same wt%, with C1. Significant increase in Young’s modulus and tensile strength were observed in the compatibilized blends, in dependence of their morphologic features, suggesting the achievement of an improved interfacial adhesion thanks to the occurred compatibilization.

Standard chemotherapies for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), based on the induction of exogenous DNA damage and oxidative stress, are often less effective in the presence of increased MYC and BCL-2 levels, especially in the case of double hit (DH) lymphomas harboring rearrangements of the MYC and BCL-2 oncogenes, which enrich for a patient’s population characterized by refractoriness to anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Here we hypothesized that adaptive mechanisms to MYC-induced replicative and oxidative stress, consisting in DNA damage response (DDR) activation and BCL-2 overexpression, could represent the biologic basis of the poor prognosis and chemoresistance observed in MYC/BCL-2-positive lymphoma. We first integrated targeted gene expression profiling (T-GEP), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis, and characterization of replicative and oxidative stress biomarkers in two independent DLBCL cohorts. The presence of oxidative DNA damage biomarkers identified a poor prognosis double expresser (DE)-DLBCL subset, characterized by relatively higher BCL-2 gene expression levels and enrichment for DH lymphomas. Based on these findings, we tested therapeutic strategies based on combined DDR and BCL-2 inhibition, confirming efficacy and synergistic interactions in in vitro and in vivo DH-DLBCL models. These data provide the rationale for precision-therapy strategies based on combined DDR and BCL-2 inhibition in DH or DE-DLBCL.

Hubstract made for art set up the didactic apparatus and the multimedia contribution of the Sala della Cisterna, the new hall of the Museum of the Imperial Fora at the Markets of Trajan in Rome, with its new collection of about 200 Roman amphorae. At the entrance, the short film \"Journeys of the amphorae and Prof. Heinrich Dressel \" tells the work of classifying the amphorae of Heinrich Dressel. The purpose is to emotionally and empathically engage the audience. In the main room, explanatory didactic panels give to the visitor a continuous crossreference between images, text and archaeological finds.

The main objective of this work was to develop bio-based and biodegradable bilayer systems with antioxidant properties. The outer layer was based on a compression-molded poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)-based material while antioxidant electrospun fibers based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) blends formed the inner active layer. In particular, PLA was blended with 25 wt% of PHB to increase the crystallinity of the fibers and reduce the fiber defects. Moreover, in order to increase the stretchability and to facilitate the electrospinning process of the fiber mats, 15 wt% of oligomeric lactic acid was added as a plasticizer. This system was further loaded with 1 wt% and 3 wt% of catechin, a natural flavonoid with antioxidant activity, to obtain antioxidant-active mats for active food packaging applications. The obtained bilayer systems showed effective catechin release capacity into a fatty food simulant. While the released catechin showed antioxidant effectiveness. Finally, bilayer films showed appropriate disintegration in compost conditions in around three months. Thus, showing their potential as bio-based and biodegradable active packaging for fatty food products.

In the present study, two commercial typologies of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) (Exilva and Celish) with 2% wt % were firstly melt-compounded at the laboratory scale into polylactic acid (PLA) by a microcompounder. To reach an MFC proper dispersion and avoid the well-known aglomeration problems, the use of two kinds of biobased plasticisers (poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and lactic acid oligomer (OLA)) were investigated. The plasticizers had the dual effect of dispersing the MFC, and at the same time, they counterbalanced the excessive stiffness caused by the addition of MFC to the PLA matrix. Several preliminaries dilution tests, with different aqueous cellulose suspension/plasticizer weight ratios were carried out. These tests were accompanied by SEM observations and IR and mechanical tests on compression-molded films in order to select the best plasticizer content. The best formulation was then scaled up in a semi-industrial twin-screw extruder, feeding the solution by a peristaltic pump, to optimize the industrial-scale production of commercial MFC-based composites with a solvent-free method. From this study, it can be seen that the use of plasticisers as dispersing aids is a biobased and green solution that can be easily used in conventional extrusion techniques.

Introduction: Patulin has raised the international attention because of its health risk. In fact, it has mutagenic, neurotoxic, immunotoxic, genotoxic and gastrointestinal effects in animals. In the present work, patulin and patulin-producing Penicillium spp. in apple and apple-based products marketed in Qatar were analysed. Methodology: Sampling was carried out using apple fruits and apple-based products. Fungi were isolated from undamaged apples, apple juice and baby apple food. DNA extraction was carried out with DNeasy Plant Mini Kit (QIAGEN, Valencia, USA). The molecular identification of fungal isolates was carried out using ITS1-ITS4 PCR. PCR products were sequenced and blasted. Patulin was extracted and analyzed by LC/MS/MS, then quantified using Agilent 1290UHPLC coupled to 6460 triple quadruple mass spectrometer. Results: Forty-five samples of undamaged fresh apple fruits, apple juice and apple-based baby food products sold in different markets in Qatar were surveyed for both fungal and patulin contamination using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometery (LC/MS/MS). Twenty-five Penicillium spp. isolates were selected, including 23 P. expansum and one isolate each of P. brevicompactum and P. commune. All the tested Penicillium spp. isolates produced patulin in vitro (from 40 to 100 μg/g on Malt Yeast Extract agar medium). Patulin was detected in 100% of apple juice samples at levels ranging from 5.27 to 82.21 μg/kg. Only 5 samples contained patulin levels higher than European Union recommended limit (50 μg/kg). The average patulin contamination was 30.67 μg/kg and 10.92 μg/kg in baby apple juice and in baby apple compote, respectively.