MRI characterization of rat brain aging at structural and functional level: Clues for translational applications.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) paradigms, using non-invasive approaches, can provide relevant findings about brain aging. The attention has been primarily focused on neurodegenerative diseases, while little or nothing has been done to differentiate physiology from pathology. The present study aimed to test diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional MRI (fMRI) metrics to analyze physiological age-related changes in rats at myelin structure and activation level; findings were validated by ex vivo histology. The purpose is to find comparable biomarkers in rodents and humans to allow a reliable translation from pre-clinical to clinical settings. Data evidenced: i) a significantly higher cerebrospinal fluid volume in middle-aged and aged vs. young rats; ii) a progressive alteration of white matter; iii) a significant reduction of evoked activity in aged animals. These results partially mirror the age-related changes in humans and may represent a preliminary step to find reliable tools for a lifelong monitoring with a value for the clinical practice (e.g., to provide support to the early diagnosis of dementia in asymptomatic subjects).

Ozone Treatment of Grapes During Withering for Amarone Wine: A Multimodal Imaging and Spectroscopic Analysis.

The production of Amarone wine is governed by a disciplinary guideline to preserve its typical features; however, postharvest infections by the fungus Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea) not only represent a phytosanitary problem but also cause a significant loss of product. In this study, we tested a treatment with mild ozoniztion on grapes for Amarone wine production during withering in the fruttaio (the environment imposed by the disciplinary guideline) and evaluated the impact on berry features by a multimodal imaging approach. The results indicate that short and repeated treatments with low O3 concentrations speed up the naturally occurring berry withering, probably inducing a reorganization of the epicuticular wax layer, and inhibit the development of B. cinerea, blocking the fungus in an intermediate vegetative stage. This pilot study will pave the way to long-term research on Amarone wine obtained from O3-treated grapes.

Asparagine in plums detected by CEST-MRI.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) relies on the topological distribution of the intense water NMR signal and may be used to report about changes in the internal structures of fruits associated to ripening, storing, pathogen infection. Herein the use of CEST-MRI (chemical exchange saturation transfer) is introduced to show that in addition to structural information, insights into the presence in the fruits of specific chemicals may be gained. Asparagine is present in plums at relatively high concentration (≈10-20mM) and owns two amide protons (at 2.1 and 2.8ppm down field from water) in slow exchange with water protons. By irradiating the amide resonances with a proper rf-field it is possible to transfer saturated magnetization to the "bulk" water signal. The attained change in signal intensity reflects the extent of prototropic exchange between amide and water protons that is modulated by the local pH.