The power of art and the powers of adolescents with cancer: Age-specific projects at Italian pediatric oncology centers.

This article describes the oncology programs developed in Italy for adolescents and young adults with cancer, with a specific focus on the local projects created in pediatric oncology centers. A common feature of such projects is the emphasis on creative and artistic activities and laboratories (involving music, photography, novel writing, fashion design, and so on) designed to give young patients innovative means of expression.This article highlights the amazing powers of adolescents involved in these projects: the power to produce beautiful things in a place that is not normally associated with the idea of beauty; the power to make their doctors smile and grasp the profound sense of life; the power to make hospitals become places for producing culture.

Unraveling the impact of upfront chemotherapy and proton beam therapy on treatment outcome and follow-up in central nervous system germ cell tumors: a single center experience.

Background: Germ cell tumors (GCT) account for a minority of central nervous system (CNS) malignancies, highly prevalent in adolescents and young adults. Despite their aggressive biological behavior, prognosis is excellent in most cases with risk stratified treatment, consisting in a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Whole ventricular irradiation (WVI) and craniospinal irradiation, the treatment of choice for localized and metastatic disease, pose significant risk of collateral effects, therefore proton beam radiation (PBT) has been recently proposed for its steep dose fallout. Materials and methods: We report our experience in a consecutive series of 17 patients treated for CNS GCT at our Institution from 2015 to 2021. Results: Most frequent lesion location were sellar/suprasellar (35%) and bifocal germinoma (35%), followed by pineal (18%) and thalamic (12%). Two patients (12%), had evidence of disseminated disease at the time of diagnosis. At the latest follow-up all but one patient showed complete response to treatment. The only relapse was successfully rescued by additional chemotherapy and PBT. PBT was well tolerated in all cases. No visual, neurological or endocrinological worsening was documented during and after treatment. Neuropsychological evaluation demonstrated preservation of cognitive performance after PBT treatment. Conclusions: Our data, albeit preliminary, strongly support the favourable therapeutic profile of PBT for the treatment of CNS germ cell tumors.

A phase I study of autologous mesenchymal stromal cells for severe steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome.

BACKGROUNDSevere forms of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) require prolonged immunosuppressive therapies and repeated courses of high-dose glucocorticoids. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have promising immunomodulatory properties that may be employed therapeutically to reduce patient exposure to medications and their side effects.METHODSWe performed a phase I open-label trial assessing safety and feasibility of autologous bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs) in children and young adults with severe forms of steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome. Following autologous BM-MSC preparation and infusion, oral immunosuppression was tapered. Safety, efficacy, and immunomodulatory effects in vivo were monitored for 12 months.RESULTSSixteen patients (10 children, 6 adults) were treated. Adverse events were limited and not related to BM-MSC infusions. All patients relapsed during follow-up, but in the 10 treated children, time to first relapse was delayed (P = 0.02) and number of relapses was reduced (P = 0.002) after BM-MSC infusion, compared with the previous 12 months. Cumulative prednisone dose was also reduced at 12 months compared with baseline (P < 0.05). No treatment benefit was observed in adults.In children, despite tapering of immunosuppression, clinical benefit was mirrored by a significant reduction in total CD19+, mature, and memory B cells and an increase in regulatory T cells in vivo up to 3-6 months following BM-MSC infusionCONCLUSIONTreatment with autologous BM-MSCs is feasible and safely reduces relapses and immunosuppression at 12 months in children with severe steroid-dependent INS. Immunomodulatory studies suggest that repeating MSC infusions at 3-6 months may sustain benefit.TRIAL REGISTRATIONEudraCT 2016-004804-77.FUNDINGAIFA Ricerca Indipendente 2016-02364623.

Full Sails against Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is very disruptive in adolescence and hospitalizations interfere with this development stage in becoming independent, developing social relationships, and making plans for the future. A major challenge in the care of adolescents with cancer is being able to enhance their quality of life. The aim of this project is to increase our understanding of how adventure therapy influenced quality of life for adolescents with cancer. METHODS: Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, in collaboration with the Tender to Nave Italia Foundation (TTNI), has been conducting a unique project, located on a beautiful brigantine of the Italian Navy. Adventure therapy is a form of experiential therapy that consists of various types of adventure, in particular outdoor and sailing activities. Ninety teenagers have been the protagonists of this project to date and filled out two questionnaires about quality of life and self-esteem, before and after the sailing experience. RESULTS: The adventure provides the opportunity for the participants to build interpersonal relationships and develop life skills that they can benefit from in the future experiences. All participants report a significant improvement in their quality of life and self-esteem at the end of this experience. CONCLUSION: This collaborative adventure project is a great way to learn and practice new behaviors, improve interpersonal skills, heal painful emotions, overcome personal obstacles and challenges, and help the teenagers to resume their developmental path after an onco-hematological diagnosis.

Modulatory Properties of Food and Nutraceutical Components Targeting NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation.

Inflammasomes are key intracellular multimeric proteins able to initiate the cellular inflammatory signaling pathway. NLRP3 inflammasome represents one of the main protein complexes involved in the development of inflammatory events, and its activity has been largely demonstrated to be connected with inflammatory or autoinflammatory disorders, including diabetes, gouty arthritis, liver fibrosis, Alzheimer's disease, respiratory syndromes, atherosclerosis, and cancer initiation. In recent years, it has been demonstrated how dietary intake and nutritional status represent important environmental elements that can modulate metabolic inflammation, since food matrices are an important source of several bioactive compounds. In this review, an updated status of knowledge regarding food bioactive compounds as NLRP3 inflammasome modulators is discussed. Several chemical classes, namely polyphenols, organosulfurs, terpenes, fatty acids, proteins, amino acids, saponins, sterols, polysaccharides, carotenoids, vitamins, and probiotics, have been shown to possess NLRP3 inflammasome-modulating activity through in vitro and in vivo assays, mainly demonstrating an anti-NLRP3 inflammasome activity. Plant foods are particularly rich in important bioactive compounds, each of them can have different effects on the pathway of inflammatory response, confirming the importance of the nutritional pattern (food model) as a whole rather than any single nutrient or functional compound.

Protein hydrolysates from anchovy waste: purification and chemical characterization.

The aim of this study is to prompt the recovery of industrial by-products through the production of new functional foods; it takes advantage from new throughput technologies with low environmental impact and high economic sustainability. In the field of fish processing, in order to recover the worthy protein-rich fish waste, residues from the production of Anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus) have been converted into hydrolysate through enzymatic treatment. The obtained hydrolysate product showed a promising biological and nutritional content made by differently sized peptides and free amino acids endowed with assessed benefic effects. The study showed the possibility to produce a dry powder with an activity water (aw) of 0.3-0.5 and an essential amino acids (EAA) fraction of 42.0% over the total amino acids (TAAs). These results pave the way to the smart recovery of commercial products featured by high nutritional value, either as stand-alone items or as components of functional foods.

Development of an antioxidant formula based on peanut by-products and effects on sensory properties and aroma stability of fortified peanut snacks during storage.

BACKGROUND: An antioxidant formula based on peanut skins and hulls was developed and characterized for total and single polyphenols, as well as antioxidant power, considering the contribution provided by each peanut by-product. Subsequently, it was evaluated for its effect on the sensory properties and aroma stability of peanut bars over a 100-day period. To this purpose, snacks fortified, or not, with the natural additive were experimentally produced. RESULTS: Peanut hulls contributed to a greater extent than skins with respect to boosting the content of bioactives and the antioxidnt activity of the antioxidant formula, which was marked by a phenol content of (approximately 807 mg gallic acid equivalents g-1 ) and a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl activity similar to that of butylated hydroxytoluene (85.96% and 89.30%, respectively). From a sensory perspective, the incorporation of the formulation in snacks caused only a slightly stronger perception of astringent and bitter notes. Pyrazines, phenol, furan and pyrrole derivatives defined the aroma of snacks, being more abundant in fortified than in conventional samples. Such volatiles faded over storage, with different trends in the examined products. For example, the sum of 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2-ethylpyrazine and 2,3-dimethylpyrazine was 9.49 and 8.87 ppm at day 15; 5.57 and 7.16 ppm at day 45; and 5.03 and 4.65 ppm at day 100, respectively, in fortified and conventional snacks. Hydroxymethylfurfural decreased constantly over storage in conventional samples and only after day 45 in fortified bars. CONCLUSION: Overall, the antioxidant formulation did not compromise the sensory desirability of peanut snacks and induced a preservative effect on their aroma, especially during the first 15 days of storage. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Assessment and Monitoring of Fish Quality from a Coastal Ecosystem under High Anthropic Pressure: A Case Study in Southern Italy.

Fish is a nutrient-rich food but, at the same time, consumption of fish is a possible source of exposure to heavy metals. Since many coastal Mediterranean areas suffer from great anthropomorphic pressure, the aim of this study was to assess the level of potentially toxic inorganic elements in different fish samples from the coastal zone of Southern Italy (Gela) where there is a high mortality rate linked to cancer disease and congenital malformations. The presence of mercury, cadmium, lead, nickel, arsenic, vanadium, and chromium was measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The risk assessment was evaluated in terms of estimated daily intake by calculating the amount of potentially toxic elements that an average individual adult weighing 60 kg would ingest. Moreover the non-carcinogenic risk was estimated by target hazard quotient (THQ). The study evidenced significant contamination by inorganic elements, especially cadmium, which can be linked to industrial pollution. The THQ indexes, as indicators of human health, suggest that the consumption of fish from the study area is not free of risk.

Oleic Acid Is not the Only Relevant Mono-Unsaturated Fatty Ester in Olive Oil.

(1) Background: Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a precious and universally studied food matrix. Recently, the quantitative chemical composition was investigated by an innovative processing method for the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments called Multi-Assignment Recovered Analysis (MARA)-NMR. (2) Methods: Any EVOO 13-carbon NMR (13C-NMR) profile displayed inconsistent signals. This mismatch was resolved by comparing NMR data to the official gas-chromatographic flame ionization detection (GC-FID) experiments: the analyses concerned many EVOOs but also the "exotic" Capparis spinosa oil (CSO). (3) Results: NMR and GC-FID evidenced the overwhelming presence of cis-vaccenic esters in the CSO and, more importantly, cis-vaccenic 13C-NMR resonances unequivocally matched the misunderstood 13C-NMR signals of EVOOs. The updated assignment revealed the unexpected relevant presence of cis-vaccenic ester (around 3%) in EVOOs; it was neglected, so far, because routine and official GC-FID profiles did not resolve oleic and cis-vaccenic signals leading to the total quantification of both monounsaturated fatty esters. (4) Conclusions: The rebuilt MARA-NMR and GC-FID interpretations consistently show a meaningful presence of cis-vaccenic esters in EVOOs, whose content could be a discrimination factor featuring specific cultivar or geographical origin. The study paves the way toward new quantification panels and scientific research concerning vegetable oils.

Polyphenols contents, heavy metals analysis and in vitro antibacterial activity of extracts from Cladanthus arabicus and Bubonium imbricatum of Moroccan Origin.

Aim of this study was to evaluate polyphenols and major and trace elements of Cladanthus arabicus and Bubonium imbricatum, along with their in vitro antibacterial activity against six multidrug resistant Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia coli S33/16, E. coli S34/16, Proteus mirabilis S32/16, Klebsiella pneumoniae S12/16, Enterobacter cloacae S5/16, and Salmonella sp S12/14). UV spectrophotometry, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry were used to evaluate total polyphenol content, quali-quantitative profile of single polyphenols and inorganic elements of the extract. The antibacterial activity was investigated by standard methods. Twelve polyphenols were identified in both plants and these were more concentrated in B. imbricatum than C. arabicus extracts. High levels of minerals, essential trace elements and tolerable levels of heavy metals (Cd, As and Pb) were found. Furthermore, the extracts showed also a strong in vitro antibacterial activity, particularly versus E. coli S33/16 (MIC, 0.125 mg ml-1).

Chemical characterization of a variety of cold-pressed gourmet oils available on the Brazilian market.

Different specialty extra virgin oils, produced by cold-pressing fruits/nuts (olive, pequi, palm, avocado, coconut, macadamia and Brazil nut) and seeds (grapeseed and canola), and retailed in the Brazilian region of Minas Gerais, were chemically characterized. Specifically, for each type of oil, the fatty acid composition was elucidated by GC-FID, the contents of selected polyphenols and squalene were determined respectively by UHPLC-MS and UHPLC-PDA, whereas minerals were explored by means of ICP-MS. Olive oil was confirmed to have the highest MUFA content due to a valuable level of oleic acid, while oils from grapeseed, Brazil nut and canola were marked by nutritionally important PUFA levels. The highest SFA content found in coconut oil was mainly due to the high levels of lauric acid, known for its advantageous HDL-raising effects. As for polyphenols, gourmet oils from palm, coconut and canola showed higher levels of phenolic acids (e.g. p-hydroxybenzoic, ferulic, syringic, acids) than olive oil, which was though characterized by peculiar antioxidants, such as tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol. Also, olive oil had the highest amount of squalene, followed by the oil from Brazil nut. Finally, all the investigated oils had very low levels (order of µg/kg) of pro-oxidant elements, such as Cu, Fe and Mn. Overall, these findings may fill the gaps still present in literature on certain compositional aspects of commercially available gourmet oils.

Combination of separation and spectroscopic analytical techniques: application to compositional analysis of a minor citrus species.

The composition of juice and essential oil of Citrus limetta Risso was investigated. Multidimensional and enantio-gas chromatography were used for the elucidation of the volatile profile and the assessment of enantiomeric distribution. Predominant compounds were linalyl acetate (13.06 g/100 g), ß-pinene (6.79 g/100 g), myrcene (1.40 g/100 g) and sabinene (1.05 g/100 g). Through a ß-cyclodextrin column eight chiral pairs were separated, equally distributed between laevorotatory and dextrorotatory enantiomers. Liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole ESI-MS and PDA detection showed the presence of flavonoids and phenolic compounds (791.34 ± 36.83 and 32.97 ± 1.92 mg L-1, respectively) in the juice. Sugars (i.e. glucose 202.23 ± 26.81 and fructose 146.73 ± 3.17 mM, respectively), aminoacids (i.e. proline 29.40 ± 3.78 and GABA 8.90 ± 0.95 mM) and organic acids (i.e. citrate 4.68 ± 0.81 mM) were determined in juice by means of 1H NMR spectroscopy.

Investigation on the influence of spray-drying technology on the quality of Sicilian Nero d'Avola wines.

The purpose of the present work was to find a correlation between microencapsulation technology applied to wines and the resulting quality of the wine itself in terms of volatile composition and phenolic profile. To this aim, samples of Nero d'Avola wines produced in Sicily (Italy) were investigated in order to: i) elucidate the aromatic composition by means of HS-SPME coupled with GC-MS; ii) assess the polyphenolic content by UHPLC mass spectrometry; iii) compare the results obtained from both the screenings with those relative to the same wines that had previously been subjected to spray-drying. The results showed a marked reductionThe results here obtained evidenced a marked reduction of odour active compounds in microencapsulated wines, after resolubilization in water/ethanol; when considering the total amount of volatiles, a twofold reduction was observed. Conversely, the qualitative analysis of phenolic compounds and anthocyanin-derived pigments showed no influence of the spray-drying process on these functional constituents.

Toxic inorganic pollutants in foods from agricultural producing areas of Southern Italy: Level and risk assessment.

This study focused on the inorganic environmental contaminants in specific food products which form part of the food chain of the population residing in the area of Southern Italy (Gela) where there is a high mortality rate linked to tumor diseases and congenital malformations. Determination of toxic metals was performed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The toxicological data for every toxic element has been applied to evaluate the risk for the consumer by calculating the amount of potentially toxic element that would ingest an average of 60kg weight individual adult. The analysis of the investigated samples shows a high level of metal contamination which can be linked both to the polluted water and air. The obtained results give us an idea about the agricultural products contamination and possible exposure of local people through the food chain.

Fast UPLC/PDA determination of squalene in Sicilian P.D.O. pistachio from Bronte: Optimization of oil extraction method and analytical characterization.

A fast reversed-phase UPLC method was developed for squalene determination in Sicilian pistachio samples that entry in the European register of the products with P.D.O. In the present study the SPE procedure was optimized for the squalene extraction prior to the UPLC/PDA analysis. The precision of the full analytical procedure was satisfactory and the mean recoveries were 92.8±0.3% and 96.6±0.1% for 25 and 50mgL-1 level of addition, respectively. Selected chromatographic conditions allowed a very fast squalene determination; in fact it was well separated in ∼0.54min with good resolution. Squalene was detected in all the pistachio samples analyzed and the levels ranged from 55.45-226.34mgkg-1. Comparing our results with those of other studies it emerges that squalene contents in P.D.O. Sicilian pistachio samples, generally, were higher than those measured for other samples of different geographic origins.

Metabolite and mineral profiling of "Violetto di Niscemi" and "Spinoso di Menfi" globe artichokes by 1H-NMR and ICP-MS.

Globe artichoke has been long considered a nutraceutical food for its valuable content of bioactive compounds. However, beside a well-known polyphenol profile, poor information is available about its metabolite and mineral composition. The aim of this study was to investigate edible parts of Sicilian artichokes, 'Spinoso di Menfi' and 'Violetto di Niscemi', by 1H NMR and ICP-MS for elucidating these compositional aspects. Although bracts and hearts of both artichokes shared a very similar metabolite pattern, 'Spinoso di Menfi' showed a higher number of metabolites, such as amino acids and polyphenols, than 'Violetto di Niscemi'. 'Spinoso di Menfi' was also marked by higher levels of macro- and microelements when compared to 'Violetto di Niscemi'. Also, artichoke heart demonstrated to accumulate higher mineral levels than bracts. 1H NMR and ICP-MS successfully profiled metabolites and metals in such plant food, partially covering the lack of literature data about 'Spinoso di Menfi' and 'Violetto di Niscemi' artichokes.

PCB and OCP accumulation and evidence of hepatic alteration in the Atlantic bluefin tuna, T. thynnus, from the Mediterranean Sea.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are known to act as "obesogens", being fat-soluble and affecting lipid metabolism. The Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, are top pelagic predators prone to bioaccumulate and biomagnify environmental contaminants. This study aimed at evaluating POPs-induced ectopic lipid accumulation in liver of adult tuna from the Mediterranean Sea. PCBs and organochlorine pesticides were measured in tuna liver, and marked morphological changes observed, namely poorly compacted tissues, intense vacuolization, erythrocyte infiltration and presence of melanomacrophages. The expression of perilipin, a lipid-droplet marker, positively correlated with the gene expression of PPARγ, a master regulator of adipogenesis, and its heterodimeric partner, RXRα. Changes in metabolites involved in fatty acid biosynthesis and ketogenesis were also observed. Although male bluefin tuna appeared to be more sensitive than females to the adverse effects of environmental obesogens, the alterations observed in tuna liver of both sexes suggest a potential onset of hepatic steatosis.

Statistical Analysis of Mineral Concentration for the Geographic Identification of Garlic Samples from Sicily (Italy), Tunisia and Spain.

We performed a statistical analysis of the concentration of mineral elements, by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), in different varieties of garlic from Spain, Tunisia, and Italy. Nubia Red Garlic (Sicily) is one of the most known Italian varieties that belongs to traditional Italian food products (P.A.T.) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry. The obtained results suggest that the concentrations of the considered elements may serve as geographical indicators for the discrimination of the origin of the different samples. In particular, we found a relatively high content of Selenium in the garlic variety known as Nubia red garlic, and, indeed, it could be used as an anticarcinogenic agent.