Innovative Process for Dried Caper (Capparis spinosa L.) Powder Production.

This research aimed to develop a new time, energy, and cost-saving production process for obtaining dried powder from Capparis spinosa floral buds. Four different trials, including dry salting with 40% NaCl (for 10 days and 40 days) and brine salting with 18% NaCl (at room temperature for 3 days and at 60 °C for 6 h), were carried out, and two different air-drying temperatures (40 and 50 °C) were used. The effects on chemical and sensory characteristics were investigated and compared with traditional undried caper samples. Spectroscopy and chromatographic techniques such as UV-VIS, GC-MS, and FTIR were used for chlorophylls, carotenoids, polyphenols, flavonoids, and volatile aroma compounds' analyses. Moreover, a sensory descriptive analysis and acceptability were applied to individuate the product most appreciated by the consumers. Among the different trials, brine salting at 60 °C and drying at 50 °C constituted the fastest process that yielded an appreciated powder by consumers; the chemical analyses demonstrated that this process did not lead to the formation of extraneous aroma compounds that could influence the typical sensory properties of capers and maintained high levels of chlorophylls, carotenoids, and polyphenols. Altogether, the results could be of great significance to industrial production and potentiate positive impacts on the economy of production areas.

Volatile composition, antidiabetic, and anti-obesity potential of Brassica incana leaf and flowering top extracts.

CONTEXT: Brassica incana Ten. (Brassicaceae) is an edible plant with very limited available information. Previous studies have demonstrated the polyphenolic profile and the antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of the leaf and flowering top hydroalcoholic extracts. OBJECTIVE: The volatile composition and the antidiabetic and anti-obesity potential of B. incana leaf and flowering top extracts have been investigated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The volatile characterization of the extracts was attained by HS-SPME-GC/MS analysis. The antidiabetic and anti-obesity potential was investigated spectrophotometrically in vitro by the ability to modulate pancreatic lipase and α-glucosidase at different concentrations using orlistat and acarbose as reference drugs. The inhibition of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) was measured with aminoguanidine as reference and the antioxidant activity with the xanthine/xanthine oxidase system and Trolox for comparative purposes. RESULTS: Several volatiles belonging to different chemical classes were identified, being sulphur compounds the most abundant in both leaf and flowering top extracts (56.33% and 64.40% of all volatiles). Although the leaf extract showed lower IC50 values in most of the assays (0.968 and 1.921 mg/mL for α-glucosidase; 0.192 and 0.262 mg/mL for AGEs; 0.022 and 0.038 mg/mL for superoxide scavenging), there were no statistically significant differences between both samples. These extracts showed a similar behaviour to Trolox in the xanthine oxidase assay (IC50 values of 0.022 mg/mL for leaf extract; 0.038 mg/mL for flowering top and 0.028 for Trolox). CONCLUSIONS: Leaves and flowering tops from B. incana can be used as sources of functional compounds that could act as antidiabetic and anti-obesogenic agents.

Technological, Nutritional, and Sensory Characteristics of Gnocchi Enriched with Hemp Seed Flour.

Hemp seed flour (HSF) is a by-product of the hemp oil production process and is a valuable source of protein, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins. In line with sustainable food production and a circular economy, this research aimed to utilize HSF as fortifying ingredient in the production of gnocchi, a typical Italian potato-based fresh pasta, and to investigate the effects of the addition on the quality and consumers' acceptability of the enriched products. Three formulations have been developed using 5-20% HSF in substitution of soft wheat flour. Nutritional value, cooking quality, color, texture and sensory profile, and the consumers' acceptability of gnocchi samples were evaluated, as well as the functional properties of pure and composite flours and the HSF aroma compounds. HSF addition allowed to enhance the nutritional value of gnocchi, gaining the nutritional claim of "source of fiber" in case of formulations with ≥10% of HSF. Moreover, the fortified gnocchi had a high technological quality in terms of cooking loss, cooking resistance and textural properties, and average sensory quality; however, the vegetable and hemp odor and the bitter taste make them not well appreciated by consumers highlighting the need for improving the HSF sensory quality for consumers' satisfaction.

Evaluation of serological response to anti-SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination in hematological patients.

Introduction: In immunocompromised patients, SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine has been used in Italy from the beginning of the vaccination campaign, but several studies have shown that the serological response of onco-hematological patients was reduced compared to healthy subjects, due to the state of immunosuppression because of both underlying disease and administered therapy. Methods: We evaluated the association of anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG titers in 215 hematological patients with clinical and demographic variables to verify if it was possible to identify predictive parameters of serological response, as well as using a control group, consisting of healthy health workers of San Carlo Hospital in Potenza. Anti-SARS-CoV2 IgG titers were evaluated after 30-45 days post second dose vaccine using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay technology. Results: Patients with hematological malignancies, compared with the control arm, had both a mean concentration of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG significantly lower and a seroconversion rate numerically lower. All chronic lymphatic leukemia patients showed levels of antibody titer below the mean concentration, also in only clinical surveillance patients. Comparing serological response in hematological malignancies, only acute leukemia patients who were off therapy had the highest seroconversion rate among the patients' cohorts and a mean antibody concentration greater than the control arm. Patients treated with steroids and rituximab showed a lower level of anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG. Differences in anti-spike IgG levels among chronic myeloid leukemia patients stratified according to tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy and molecular response were observed, and they could have interesting implications on the evaluation of the effects of these drugs on the immune system, but having not reached statistical significance at the moment. The cohort of patients who received a stem cell transplant was very heterogeneous because it included different hematological malignancies and different types of transplant; however, a mean concentration of anti-SARS-CoV2 IgG greater than the control arm was reported. Indeed, among patients who performed a transplant for over 6 months only one had a spike IgG concentration below the cutoff. Conclusions: Our data confirm reduced serological response in hematological patients after anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. However, we found a great diversity of SARS-CoV-2 antibody response according to types of pathologies and therapies.

Phenolic and Volatile Composition and Antioxidant Properties of the Leaf Extract of Brassica fruticulosa subsp. fruticulosa (Brassicaceae) Growing Wild in Sicily (Italy).

In continuation of research conducted on species of the spontaneous flora of Sicily (Italy) belonging to the Brassicaceae family, Brassica fruticulosa subsp. fruticulosa was selected. It is an edible species utilized in Sicilian traditional medicine. In this study, for the first time, the phenolic and the volatile compounds and the antioxidant properties of the hydroalcoholic extract obtained from the leaves of B. fruticulosa subsp. fruticulosa were characterized. Through HPLC-PDA/ESI-MS analysis, a total of 22 polyphenolic compounds (20 flavonoids and 2 phenolic acids) were identified, with 3-hydroxiferuloylsophoroside-7-O-glucoside (1.30 mg/g ± 0.01) and kaempferol-3-O-feruloylsophoroside-7-O-glucoside (1.28 mg/g ± 0.01) as the most abundant compounds. Through SPME-GC/MS several volatiles belonging to different chemical classes were characterized, with nitriles and aldehydes accounting for more than 54% of the whole volatile fraction. The extract of B. fruticulosa subsp. fruticulosa showed moderate activity in the DPPH assay (IC50 = 1.65 ± 0.08 mg/mL), weak reducing power (17.47 ± 0.65 ASE/mL), and good chelating properties (IC50 = 0.38 ± 0.02 mg/mL), reaching approximately 90% activity at the highest tested concentration. Lastly, the extract was non-toxic against Artemia salina, indicating its potential safety. According to the findings, it can be stated that B. fruticulosa subsp. fruticulosa represents a new valuable source of bioactive compounds.

Varietal Aromas of Fortified Wines from Different Moscato Var. (Vitis vinifera L.) under the Same Pedoclimatic Conditions.

Vitis vinifera L. cv. Moscato includes different varieties mainly used to produce sweet wines, such as fortified wines. Moscato grapes are characterized by a large number of free and glycosylated monoterpenoids giving very aromatic wines. However, the literature data on the aroma profile of fortified Moscato wines are very limited. In light of this, the present research aimed to investigate the aroma compounds, mainly the varietal ones, of fortified wines from different Moscato varieties, namely Giallo (Yellow), Bianco (White), Bianco at Petit Grain (Blanc à Petits Grains), Ottonel and Rosa (Pink of Trentino), cultivated under the same pedoclimatic conditions. Using the HS-SPME-GC-MS (head space-solid phase micro extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) technique, numerous varietal and fermentative aroma compounds have been identified and quantified and significant differences were observed among varieties in the levels of mostly volatiles and in their ratios. Based on their composition, the studied wines can be divided in two groups depending on whether linalool or geraniol prevails among varietal aromas. These results are evidence that each Moscato variety has a typical varietal aroma composition, even if some similarities were found between the two white varieties, and between Moscato Giallo and Moscato Ottonel varieties. Moscato Rosa showed a peculiar aroma composition and the lowest ester/terpene ratio.

Aroma compounds in mini-watermelon fruits from different grafting combinations.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, mini-watermelons have increased in popularity. To maintain production and quality standards, various agronomic techniques have been applied. For the Cucurbitaceae family, grafting technique has been used to improve resistance to abiotic stresses, crop productivity and fruit qualitative characteristics. There is some previous literature on this matter, but no information on the influence of grafting on the aroma compounds of mini-watermelons is available. Hence, our research aimed to evaluate the effect of some rootstocks, which were selected on the basis of their tolerance to pathogens, on the quality of mini-watermelons, with particular attention to the volatile aroma compounds. RESULTS: Volatile aroma compounds were analysed using solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The most represented compounds were C6 and C9 aldehydes and alcohols, which characterize the fruit aroma of the Cucurbitaceae family: (Z)-2-nonenal, (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal, (Z)-3-nonen-1-ol and (Z,Z)-3,6-nonadien-1-ol were prevalent. Quantitative differences resulted in relation to the various selected rootstocks. Among these, the RS841 rootstock was found to be the most suitable for maintaining yield, quality parameters, sensory characteristics and volatile aroma compounds of mini-watermelon fruits. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlighted that the rootstock, as for other Cucurbitaceae varieties, influences fruit quality and plant yield also for the mini-water melon; the results show the importance of screening for rootstock/scion combinations in order to select a graft able to provide resistance to abiotic stresses, and at the same time improve yield and fruit quality. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Cutis laxa in Kabuki make-up syndrome.

Kabuki make-up syndrome (KMS; OMIM#147920) is a multiple congenital anomalies/mental retardation syndrome of unknown cause, first described independently by Niikawa and Kuroki. It is characterized by a peculiar facial appearance, mild to moderate mental retardation, skeletal abnormality, joint laxity, short stature, and unusual dermatoglyphic patterns. Several additional malformations (eg, cleft palate), cardiovascular defects, genitourinary and gastrointestinal tract anomalies, otologic and ophthalmologic abnormalities, and recurrent infections are also frequently present. It is mostly sporadic, although some familial cases have been reported. Inheritance is thought to be autosomal dominant or X-linked recessive; several chromosomal abnormalities have been found, but none of them seems to be specific to KMS. The fact that the majority of patients are sporadic and show a wide spectrum of clinical features rules out the hypothesis that KMS is a condition with a microdeletion involving several contiguous genes. We recently observed an Italian boy with typical KMS associated with cutis laxa, which, to our knowledge, is an uncommon finding in KMS, never reported in more than 350 KMS cases previously described in the literature.

Disomy of distal Xq in males: case report and overview.

A 46,XYq 8-year-old male was referred for microcephaly, growth, and mental retardation, hypotonia, genital hypoplasia, and dysmorphisms. FISH analysis showed that the rearranged Y chromosome originated from an unbalanced translocation of Xq27.3-qter onto the deleted Yq11.22. Analysis of reported patients with disomy of region distal to Xq26 suggests that this rare anomaly, associated with failure to dosage compensate X-linked genes that are normally inactivated, when present in two copies, is causing a quite distinct phenotype. This imbalance is the aberrant by product of the recombinogenic pairing of the distal pseudoautosomal Xq-Yq region at male meiosis.

Cadmium concentration in maternal and cord blood and infant birth weight: a study on healthy non-smoking women.

The aim of our study was to measure, at delivery, maternal and cord blood cadmium levels (by means of atomic absorption spectrometry) in 45 healthy non-smoking pregnant women exposed to a low cadmium challenge, and to evaluate the relationship between these cadmium levels and the birth weight of the infants. Our results showed fairly low cadmium levels in maternal blood, in accordance with the fact that all women enrolled in this study lived in areas with low toxic metal contamination and that they did not smoke during their pregnancy. Furthermore, a highly significant direct correlation was found between maternal and cord blood cadmium concentrations. Since cadmium concentration appeared of the same order of magnitudine both in cord and maternal serum, one could speculate that cadmium is transferred easily from the mother to the fetus through the placenta. Finally, we found that birth weight is inversely correlated with maternal and cord blood cadmium concentrations; thus birth weight might be negatively influenced by cadmium levels as a result of the toxic effects of the metal on the placenta. Although preliminary, our data show that (also not-predictable) prenatal exposure to even low cadmium levels might be a risk factor for developmental impairment in infants.