Archivio istituzionale della ricerca - Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna
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Conversion of grape pomace into fungal biomass: a study of Pleurotus cultivation for a sustainable agro-residue management
Get PDFBackground Grape production generates substantial agricultural waste, particularly grape pomace, a by-product rich in bioactive compounds. Moreover, its reuse is strongly recommended to prevent environmental issues from improper disposal. This study explores the feasibility of using exhausted grape pomace, alone and in combination with anaerobic digestate, as substrates for Pleurotus mushroom cultivation. Grape pomace is rich in fiber, lipids, sugars, proteins, and phenolic compounds, which makes it a promising substrate for this purpose.Results Elemental analyses of this substrate revealed high carbon (46%) and nitrogen (2.5%) contents, along with greater levels of macro and microelements (P, Ca, Mg, Fe) compared to conventional substrates. Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy identified aliphatic groups from seed fatty acids and polysaccharide bands, typical of the seedless part of grape pomace. Fatty acid evaluation confirmed the presence of partial glycerides with linoleic acid content exceeding 62%, while phenolic composition analysis highlighted a predominance of bound phenols. These chemical characteristics significantly increased mushroom production, with statistically significant increases in fresh weights observed upon the addition of grape pomace, resulting in variations exceeding 130% in some instances. The mixture with digestate exhibited the most promising results, probably due to improved pH values. FTIR and Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) spectra of mushrooms grown on different matrices were similar, but with some differences likely related to substrate composition. In addition, SERS analysis identified ergothioneine, a significant fungal amino acid, which was not detectable in the FTIR spectra. Conclusions This study highlights grape pomace as an effective and sustainable substrate for mushroom cultivation, offering a viable alternative to conventional growth mediums. The high yield and consistent quality of mushrooms grown on grape pomace, particularly when mixed with anaerobic digestate, demonstrate its potential for commercial mushroom production. The findings support the broader goals of sustainable agriculture by promoting the recycling of agricultural by-products, minimizing waste, and adding economic value. This innovative approach to utilizing grape pomace contributes to improved environmental management and opens new opportunities for enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of mushroom cultivation practices
Utility of a TDM-Guided Expert Clinical Pharmacological Advice Program for Optimizing the Use of Novel Beta-Lactam/Beta-Lactamase Inhibitor Combinations and Cefiderocol in a Tertiary University Hospital: An Interim Analysis
No full textBackground: This study assessed the utility of a therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)-guided expert clinical pharmacological advice (ECPA) program to optimize aggressive pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) target attainment of novel beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor (BL/BLIc) combinations and cefiderocol. Methods: All hospitalized patients who received TDM-guided ECPA with BL/BLIc (ceftazidime-avibactam, ceftolozane-tazobactam, or meropenem-vaborbactam) or cefiderocol were assessed retrospectively. Three performance indicators were identified: the average number of ECPAs delivered per month of availability of the program and the ratio between the total number of ECPAs recommending dosing adjustment and the total number of ECPAs, at the first and at subsequent TDM assessments. The relationships between aggressive PK/PD target attainment and clinical and microbiological outcomes were assessed. Results: A total of 595 ECPAs were administered to 263 patients to optimize 319 treatment courses. Novel agents were mostly used for targeted therapy (79.6%) by continuous infusion (CI; 82.8%). In the first TDM assessment, dose increases were mostly required for patients receiving intermittent/extended infusion (II/EI) (51.9% vs. 6.4%; P < 0.0001), whereas dose decreases were mostly recommended for patients receiving CI (60.3% vs. 23.1%; P < 0.001). In subsequent TDM assessments, the overall proportion of ECPAs recommending dosing adjustments decreased in both groups (57.1% and 39.3% in the II/EI and CI groups, respectively). Aggressive PK/PD target attainment was associated with the highest microbiological eradication rate for ceftazidime-avibactam (79.6% out of 86.0%; P < 0.001), and the highest clinical cure rate for ceftazidime-avibactam (64.2% out of 78.1%; P < 0.001) and cefiderocol (50.0% out of 51.5%; P = 0.006). Conclusions: A dedicated TDM-guided ECPA program may be helpful for optimizing the use of novel agents in settings with a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant pathogens
Cardiovascular therapeutic targets of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors beyond heart failure
No full text: Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are oral antidiabetic agents that have shown significant improvements in cardiovascular and renal outcomes among patients with heart failure (HF), regardless of diabetic status, establishing them as a cornerstone therapy. In addition to glycemic control and the osmotic diuretic effect, the inhibition of SGLT2 improves endothelial function and vasodilation, optimizing myocardial energy metabolism and preserving cardiac contractility. Moreover, SGLT2 inhibitors may exhibit anti-inflammatory properties and attenuate acute myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, thereby reducing cardiac infarct size, enhancing left ventricular function, and mitigating arrhythmias. These pleiotropic effects have demonstrated efficacy across various cardiovascular conditions, ranging from acute to chronic coronary syndromes and extending to arrhythmias, valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathies, cardio-oncology, and cerebrovascular disease. This review provides an overview of the current literature on the potential mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of SGLT2 inhibitors across a wide range of cardiovascular diseases beyond HF
Causes of embryo implantation failure: A systematic review and metaanalysis of procedures to increase embryo implantation potential
No full textIntroduction: Infertility is characterized by the failure to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. In assisted reproduction technologies (ARTs), in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) are pivotal, with the quality of embryo quality essential for successful implantation.
Objective: This systematic review with meta-analysis aimed to explore the prevalence of embryonic factors involved in the implantation process, concentrating on the following research inquiries: 1) the implantation rates of euploid versus untested embryo transfers; 2) the efficiency of transferring good embryos in different age groups; 3) the impact of age on good embryo transfers to gestational carriers; and 4) the transfer of donated gametes/embryos. The goal is to identify critical points in implantation to improve therapies.
Methods: A comprehensive literature search identified 1474 relevant papers, 11 of which met the inclusion criteria. The information was gathered using a standardized form, and the risk of bias was evaluated. A meta-analysis of subgroups to determine euploid embryo transfer efficiency was conducted to synthesize and explore the results. Furthermore, data extracted from registries document the persistent secondary role of extraembryonic determinants in successful implantation.
Results: The meta-analysis demonstrated that preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) significantly increased the odds of implantation. Age was found to influence extraembryonic factors, with older women experiencing reduced embryo implantation as gestational carriers. However, the overall incidence of extraembryonic factors was low. This review highlights the need to focus on PGT-A, diagnostic hysteroscopy, and endometrial receptivity for improving implantation rates.
Conclusion: Implantation success in ARTs largely depends on embryo euploidy. While achieving three euploid embryos greatly increases success rates, it is challenging in older women. Extraembryonic factors, although present, have a marginal impact. Subsequent studies ought to concentrate on modulating endometrial responses immunologically and developing algorithms to improve the precision of predicting implantation success; as well as the timing of endometrial receptivity and the occurrence of dormant embryo phenomena also warrants further investigation
Sordità e carcere: un binomio antitetico? Riflessioni per un diritto penitenziario più umano ed inclusivo
Get PDFLa funzione rieducativa della pena rischia di essere largamente compromessa dall’inadeguatezza dell’assetto penitenziario italiano, i cui profili di problematicità risultano amplificati con riguardo ai detenuti disabili. Il presente contributo, focalizzandosi sulla condizione della popolazione carceraria sorda e sull’assoluta lacunosità normativa, prospetta due possibili soluzioni: l’adozione di misure alternative alla detenzione per questo target di detenuti o l’adeguamento dei penitenziari esistenti attraverso l’uso di dispositivi finalizzati all’abbattimento delle barriere sensoriali e l’assistenza di professionisti ad alta specializzazione, come gli interpreti LIS. In questa seconda ipotesi, utili spunti si potrebbero trarre dall’esperienza statunitense, cui viene dedicato un ampio raffronto comparatistico, e dai centri di reclusione italiani per i portatori di handicap motori, pur nella consapevolezza che la disabilità sensoriale va considerata, anche e soprattutto a livello legislativo, come un tertium genus rispetto a quella fisica e a quella psichica.The re-educative function of punishment might be largely compromised by the inadequacy of the Italian prison system, whose problematics are amplified with regard to prisoners with disabilities. The present work, focusing on the condition of the deaf prison population and on the absolute lack of legislation, proposes two possible solutions: the adoption of alternative measures to detention for this target group or the adaptation of existing penitentiaries through the use of devices aimed at eliminating sensory barriers and the assistance of highly specialized professionals, such as LIS interpreters. In this second hypothesis, useful hints could be drawn from the US experience, which is object of an extensive comparison, and from the Italian detention centers for paralyzed prisoners. However, this must be done in the knowledge that sensory disability has specificities that distinguish it from both physical and mental diseases
Near-infrared phosphorescence in a ruthenium(ii) complex equipped with a pyridyl-1,2-azaborine ligand
Get PDFThe 4-methyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)-2,1-borazaronaphthalene molecule Hazab-py has been successfully used, for the first time, as a ligand in a ruthenium(ii) polypyridine complex A (with the formula [Ru(dtbbpy)2(azab-py)]+, where dtbbpy = 4,4′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine). This compound was characterized by NMR spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS), and its electrochemical and photophysical properties were fully investigated and compared to those of its homoleptic analogue [Ru(dtbbpy)3]2+ (B), an archetypical mono-cationic cyclometalated complex C (with the formula [Ru(dtbbpy)2(ppy)]+, where Hppy = 2-phenylpyridine), and the more structurally similar analogue [Ru(dtbbpy)2(naft-py)]+ (D), where the B-N unit of the azaborine ligand is replaced by a standard C 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 11111111 00000000 11111111 00000000 00000000 00000000 C one, resulting in the 2-(naphthalen-2-yl)pyridine ligand (Hnaft-py). The presence of the novel 1,2-azaborine ligand induces a 0.51 V decrease in the redox gap of complex A, compared to that of B, leading to electrochemical and photophysical properties that resemble those of C and D. Accordingly, the azaborine complex displays an emission band extending up to the near infrared region of the spectrum (with the maximum at 765 nm in room-temperature acetonitrile solution), arising from a triplet metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (3MLCT) state. As in the case of other mono-cationic cyclometalated ruthenium(ii) complexes, A shows modest photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs), but higher PLQYs when compared to those of its direct C C analogue D (e.g., PLQY = 0.6 vs. 0.1% in a PMMA matrix at 298 K). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to provide complete rationalization of the electronic properties of all the complexes and to identify lower-lying metal-centred triplets (3MC), responsible for the low PLQYs of such an azaborine-based ruthenium(ii) complex
Usefulness of a hub and spoke TDM-guided expert clinical pharmacological advice program of dalbavancin for optimizing very long-term curative or suppressive treatment of chronic staphylococcal infections
Get PDF: A hub and spoke model for optimizing long-term treatment of chronic staphylococcal infections with dalbavancin based on therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)-guided expert clinical pharmacological advice (ECPA) was implemented. This multicentric retrospective cohort study included patients receiving dalbavancin monotherapy lasting >6 weeks at different spoke hospitals having treatment optimized by means of a TDM-guided ECPA program at a hub hospital. Optimal pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic target against staphylococci with an MIC up to 0.125 mg/L was defined as dalbavancin concentrations >8.04 mg/L. Patients received dalbavancin therapy for curative (curative group) or suppressive (suppressive group) purposes. Clinical outcome was assessed by means of repeated ambulatory visits. A total of 12 spoke hospitals applied for 414 TDM-based ECPA for 101 patients, of whom 64.4% (65/101) were treated for curative and 35.6% (36/101) were for suppressive purposes. In the curative and suppressive groups, TDM-based ECPA optimized treatment for up to 14 and 28 months, respectively, and ensured median optimal exposure of 95.7% and 100%, respectively. In the curative group, having <70% of treatment time with concentrations above the optimal target increased failure risk [odds ratio (OR), 6.71; confidence interval (CI), 0.97-43.3; P = 0.05]. In the suppressive group, infective endocarditis was associated with an increased risk of ineffective treatment (OR, 8.65; CI, 1.29-57.62; P = 0.046). Mild adverse events were reported in 4.5% (5/101) of cases. A hub and spoke TDM-guided ECPA program of dalbavancin may be cost-effective for optimizing long-term treatment of chronic staphylococcal infections and for patients admitted to hospitals lacking in-house MD clinical pharmacologists
Introduction - Border criminologies from the periphery: An Introduction
No full textTaking peripheral voices seriously in border criminology debates entails
challenging the unperceived, long-consolidated hierarchies characterizing
the international division of academic labour. This demanding task in turn
requires having an open-minded academic community that may be willing
to challenge its deep-seated assumptions and ultimately to promote equity
within the academic field
An Abstract Account of Up-to Techniques for Inductive Behavioural Relations
No full text‘Up-to techniques’ represent enhancements of the coinduction proof method and are widely used on coinductive behavioural relations such as bisimilarity. Abstract formulations of these coinductive techniques exist, using fixed-points or category theory. A proposal has been recently put forward [27] for transporting the enhancements onto the concrete realms of inductive behavioural relations, i.e., relations defined from inductive observables, such as traces or enriched forms of traces. The abstract meaning of such ‘inductive enhancements’, however, has not been explored. In this paper, we review the theory, and then propose an abstract account of it, using fixed-point theory in complete lattices
Agri-food wastes as natural source of bioactive antioxidants - Third edition
Get PDFThe current food systems are now unsustainable due to population growth, globalization, and climate change, contributing to environmental degradation and social inequalities . The significant waste and losses generated at every stage of the food supply chain are one of the main factors contributing to food unsustainability, causing resource depletion, global greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental degradation. Therefore, reducing food waste is one of the most important strategies for sustainability . The possibility of converting by-products and waste materials into high-value molecules could create a pathway to reduce environmental impact while promoting innovation and economic growth. In particular, agri-food waste includes a wide range of discarded parts from crops, fruits, and vegetables generated at different stages of the agricultural food supply chain, such as farming, harvesting, storage, and processing. These wastes include, but are not limited to, fruit skins, vegetable peels, seeds, stems, and other inedible or underutilized parts with little or no commercial value, and are commonly discarded despite their potential applications in other fields. The chemical composition of these food waste materials makes them a natural reservoir of bioactive compounds with potential health benefits for humans, because they are a source of phytochemicals that can be extracted and repurposed in nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical applications