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Mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC) management is centred on 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) derivatives. Whether supplementing 5-ASA with nutraceuticals can provide real advantages in UC-relevant outcomes is unclear. This retrospective multicentre study compared clinical remission, response rates, and faecal calprotectin levels in a two-arm design, including patients treated with 5-ASA alone and those with additional H. erinaceus-based multi-compound supplementation. In the 5-ASA alone group, clinical response rates were 41% at three months (T1) and 60.2% at six months (T2), while corresponding clinical remission rates were 16.9% and 36.1%. In the nutraceutical supplementation group, clinical response rates were 49.6% (T1) and 70.4% (T2), with clinical remission rates of 30.4% (T1) and 50.9% (T2). No significant differences in clinical response rates between the groups at T1 (p = 0.231) and T2 (p = 0.143) emerged. Clinical remission rates differed significantly at both time points (p = 0.029 and p = 0.042, respectively). Faecal calprotectin levels decreased significantly in both groups during the retrospective follow-up (p < 0.05), and this was more pronounced in nutraceutical supplementation patients at both T1 (p = 0.005) and T2 (p = 0.01). No adverse events were reported. This multi-component nutraceutical supplementation offers real-world potential in controlling disease activity in patients with mild-to-moderate UC.

ObjectiveBiosimilars represent a new opportunity for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment and economic sustainability of therapies. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and long-term safety of the adalimumab biosimilar ABP 501 in biologic-naïve vs. biologic-switched IBD patients.MethodsA retrospective observational study was conducted using a database of patients with IBD treated with ABP 501, biologic-naïve or switched from the original, at eight IBD centers. We included adult patients with at least one year of follow-up. The primary objective of this study was to assess the efficacy (persistence) and safety (adverse event rate) of ABP 501 therapy.ResultsA total of 118 patients with IBD were included in the analysis: 84 patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) (39 women, 45 men, mean age 40.4 ± 14.3 years; 33% biologic-naïve) and 34 patients with ulcerative Colitis (UC) (16 women, 18 men, mean age 38.9 ± 14.9 years; 61.8% biologic-naïve). Regarding the primary endpoint, no difference was observed in the efficacy between biologic-naïve patients and patients with Adalimumab (ADA) originator replacement for non-medical reasons in terms of long-term persistence. However, ABP 501 showed a higher percentage of sustained clinical remission at 2 years in patients with CD (64 patients, 77%) than in those with UC (15 patients, 45.5%; p=0.00091). Nine patients (six with CD and three with UC) experienced adverse events that led to drug discontinuation in three.ConclusionsAPB 501 showed a good safety and efficacy profile in maintaining clinical response at 2 years in patients with IBD, both as a treatment-naïve and as a replacement for ADA originator for non-medical reasons.

Mercury is a global pollutant, very dangerous for the aquatic ecosystems and for human health. The sources of mercury in the environment are either anthropogenic or natural. However, historical mining activities and current anthropogenic activities, have led to a significant increase of its level in the environment. Its removal by efficient and cost-effective technologies, is of the utmost importance in order to help restore it back towards natural levels. Here we show that a novel cellulose citrate biopolymer, produced by the reaction of cellulose and citric acid, is an efficient adsorbent of inorganic mercury with a distribution constant close to 105 l/g and an estimated record high maximum adsorption capacity of 1600 mg/g. Moreover, due to the large fraction of citrate moieties on its surface, its adsorption selectivity toward inorganic mercury, is the highest after that for Pb(II), among a series of divalent heavy metals, in different aqueous matrices. Finally, cellulose citrate can be reused for several adsorption cycles by a simple regeneration process without significant adsorption performance loss.

Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine-disrupting compound with estrogenic behavior, is of great concern within the scientific community due to its high production levels and increasing concentration in various surface aquifers. While several materials exhibit excellent capacity for the photocatalytic degradation of BPA, their powdered nature and poor chemical stability render them unsuitable for practical application in large-scale water decontamination. In this study, a new class of nanocomposite membranes based on sulfonated polyethersulfone (sPES) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes decorated with TiO2 nanoparticles (MWCNTs-TiO2) were investigated as efficient and scalable photocatalysts for the photodegradation of BPA in aqueous solutions. The MWCNTs-TiO2 hybrid material was prepared through a facile and inexpensive hydrothermal method and extensively characterized by XRD, Raman, FTIR, BET, and TGA. Meanwhile, nanocomposite membranes at different filler loadings were prepared by a simple casting procedure. Swelling tests and PFG NMR analyses provided insights into the impact of filler introduction on membrane hydrophilicity and water molecular dynamics, whereas the effectiveness of the various photocatalysts in BPA removal was monitored using HPLC. Among the different MWCNTs-TiO2 content nanocomposites, the one at 10 wt% loading (sP-MT10) showed the best photoactivity. Under UV irradiation at 254 nm and 365 nm for 240 min, photocatalytic oxidation of 5 mg/L bisphenol A by sP-MT10 resulted in 91% and 82% degradation, respectively. Both the effect of BPA concentration and the membrane regenerability were evaluated, revealing that the sP-MT10 maintained its maximum BPA removal capability over more than 10 cycles. Our findings indicate that sP-MT nanocomposite membranes are versatile, scalable, efficient, and highly reusable photocatalysts for the degradation of BPA, as well as potentially for other endocrine disruptors.

Pharmaceutical products such as antibiotics, analgesics, steroids, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are new emerging pollutants, often present in wastewater, potentially able to contaminate drinking water resources. Adsorption is considered the cheapest and most effective technique for the removal of pollutants from water, and, recently, membranes obtained by wet filtration method of SWCNT aqueous solutions (SWCNT buckypapers, SWCNT BPs) have been proposed as self-standing porous adsorbents. In this paper, the ability of graphene oxide/single-walled carbon nanotube composite membranes (GO-SWCNT BPs) to remove some important NSAIDs, namely Diclofenac, Ketoprofen, and Naproxen, was investigated at different pH conditions (pH 4, 6, and 8), graphene oxide amount (0, 20, 40, 60, and 75 wt.%), and initial NSAIDs concentration (1, 10, and 50 ppm). For the same experimental conditions, the adsorption capacities were found to strongly depend on the graphene oxide content. The best results were obtained for 75 wt.% graphene oxide with an adsorption capacity of 118 ± 2 mg g−1 for Diclofenac, 116 ± 2 mg g−1 for Ketoprofen, and 126 ± 3 mg g−1 for Naproxen at pH 4. Overall, the reported data suggest that GO-SWCNT BPs can represent a promising tool for a cheap and fast removal of NSAIDs from drinking water resources, with easy recovery and reusability features.

Biomass is currently the most widespread form of renewable energy and its exploitation is further increasing due to the concerns over the devastative impacts of fossil fuel consumption, i.e., climate change, global warming and their negative impacts on human health. In line with that, the present articles reviews the different sources of biomass available, along with their chemical composition and properties. Subsequently, different conversion technologies (i.e., thermo-chemical, biochemical, and physico-chemical conversions) and their corresponding products are reviewed and discussed. In the continuation, the global status of biomass vs. the other renewable energies is scrutinized. Moreover, biomass-derived energy production was analyzed from economic and environmental perspectives. Finally, the challenges faced to further expand the share of biomass-derived energy carriers in the global energy market are presented.

The approval of adalimumab (ADA) biosimilars for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has reduced the cost of treatment. While several ADA biosimilars are currently available, comparative data on the ADA biosimilar GP2017 (HyrimozTM) and its originator (HumiraTM) in IBD are lacking. We compared the efficacy and safety of GP2017 versus originator in IBD outpatients in an Italian real-life setting. This retrospective analysis enrolled consecutive IBD patients with complete clinical, laboratory, and endoscopic data. Clinical activity was assessed with the Mayo score in ulcerative colitis (UC) and the Harvey–Bradshaw Index in Crohn’s disease (CD). The primary endpoints were the induction of remission and the safety of GP2017 versus ADA originator. One hundred and thirty-four patients (30.6% with UC and 69.4% with CD, median age 38 years) were enrolled: 62 (46.3%) patients were treated with GP2017, and 72 (53.7%) with ADA originator; 118 (88.1%) patients were naïve to ADA. Clinical remission was obtained in 105 (78.4%) patients, during a median follow-up of 12 months, 82.3% and 75% in the GP2017 and ADA originator groups, respectively (p = 0.311). Treatment was well tolerated in both groups. This analysis of real-world data suggests that GP2017 and its originator are equivalent in terms of efficacy and safety in patients with IBD.

Water decontamination is an important challenge resulting from the incorrect disposal of heavy metal waste into the environment. Among the different available techniques (e.g., filtration, coagulation, precipitation, and ion-exchange), adsorption is considered the cheapest and most effective procedure for the removal of water pollutants. In the last years, several materials have been tested for the removal of heavy metals from water, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), and graphene oxide (GO). Nevertheless, their powder consistency, which makes the recovery and reuse after adsorption difficult, is the main drawback for these materials. More recently, SWCNT buckypapers (SWCNT BPs) have been proposed as self-standing porous membranes for filtration and adsorption processes. In this paper, the adsorption capacity and selectivity of Pb2+ (both from neat solutions and in the presence of other interferents) by SWCNT BPs were evaluated as a function of the increasing amount of GO used in their preparation (GO-SWCNT buckypapers). The highest adsorption capacity, 479 ± 25 mg g−1, achieved for GO-SWCNT buckypapers with 75 wt.% of graphene oxide confirmed the effective application of such materials for cheap and fast water decontamination from lead.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has raised concerns in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), not only due to consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 itself but also as a possible cause of IBD relapse. The main objective of this study was to assess the role of SARS-CoV-2 in IBD clinical recurrence in a cohort of patients undergoing biological therapy. Second, we evaluated the difference in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels between the start and end of the follow-up period (ΔCRP) and the rate of biological therapy discontinuation. Patients with IBD positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection were compared with non-infected patients. IBD recurrence was defined as the need for intensification of current therapy. We enrolled 95 IBD patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and 190 non-infected patients. During follow-up, 11 of 95 (11.6%) SARS-CoV-2-infected patients experienced disease recurrence compared to 21 of 190 (11.3%) in the control group (p = 0.894). Forty-six (48.4%) SARS-CoV-2-infected patients discontinued biological therapy versus seven (3.7%) in the control group (p < 0.01). In the multivariate analysis, biological agent discontinuation (p = 0.033) and ΔCRP (p = 0.017), but not SARS-CoV-2 infection (p = 0.298), were associated with IBD recurrence. SARS-CoV-2 infection was not associated with increased IBD recurrence rates in this cohort of patients treated with biological agents.

Kefiran is a heteropolysaccharide biopolymer usually extracted from kefir grains cultured in cow milk. Due to the lack of information on exopolysaccharides from other types of animal milk, in the present study, cow, buffalo and goat milks were used as raw materials for fermentation. The kefiran extractions from kefir grains were carried out with cold water (method I), hot water (method II) and mild heated water-ultrasound (method III), and then the recovery yield and the physicochemical properties of the kefirans were evaluated to establish the influence of both the extraction conditions and the type of milk. The highest yield was recorded for the cow kefiran using method III (4.79%). The recoveries of goat and buffalo kefirans with methods II and III were similar (2.75–2.81%). Method I had the lowest yields (0.15–0.48%). The physicochemical characteristics were studied with Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy showed the same qualitative profile for all the samples, regardless of the method and the type of milk, confirming that the extraction methods did not affect the chemical structure of the kefirans. Otherwise, the thermal and morphological features of the samples showed differences according to both the type of the milk and the extraction method. The kefiran samples were very thermally stable, having a temperature of degradation (Td) in the range from 264 to 354 °C. The resulting morphological and thermal differences could lead to different practical applications of kefirans in the fields of nutrition and pharmacology.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has raised several concerns for patients with chronic immune-mediated diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). As the outbreak appears to be in the descending phase, at least in some part of the world, as in most European countries, guidance is urgently needed to provide optimal care for our IBD patients in order to gradually and safely reduce the gap in care that has been accumulated in the months of lockdown and to face all the backlogs. Therefore, we have provided a decalogue of practical recommendations for gastroenterologists to manage patients with IBD in the post-peak phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. They include all the aspects of IBD care, not only pharmacological ones but also endoscopy, surgery, psychological treatment, telemedicine, diagnostics and educational tasks provided by doctors and patient associations.

One of the major problems in book conservation is the long-term deconstructive effect of acidity introduced into the paper by several additives, which, in the presence of humidity, generates a hydrogen cation with a strong catalytic role in cellulose depolymerization. Many types of treatment have been used in the past, but up to now, research for less-invasive, fast and cheap methods is still vividly ongoing. In this study, an approach to book deacidification is presented, where alkaline water solutions are administered to bound books in the form of micrometer-sized aerosol droplets, without using vacuum apparatus accessories. Alkaline clouds treatments were alternated with gentle air fluxes of drying steps. Few cycles are required to achieve uniform deacidification of books. The treatment could be conducted with proper apparatus on large volumes, resulting in rapid treatment time and low cost. The titration curve reporting the variation of book pH, with respect to the amount of absorbed alkaline aerosol, was built and interpreted in terms of a chemical model for the neutralization process. FTIR, PXRD and XRF spectroscopies were used to characterize the book chemistry. The effects of the treatment on the book were evaluated by measuring the degree of polymerization (DP) of the paper and the colorimetric coordinates of the paper and ink. Artificial aging tests revealed a general increase in the aging stability of the deacidified paper samples with respect to the untreated samples. Finally, the alkaline reserve data are discussed.

The imaginary plays a key role in the construction and perception of our body. For this it takes a long time: so it is necessary to reconstruct genealogies that show, for exemple, how a certain modernity has already observed some conflicts on the frontiers of the human. In the Nineteenth Century, we find two archetypal figures of bodies that are beyond the human. The creature of Dr. Victor Frankenstein was born by assembling parts of dead bodies, and taking advantage of the scientific and technological advances. Count Dracula trades with the blood of human and with the animal forms. So the Frankenstein's creature and Count Dracula have opened a reflection about the power relationships that designed their and our bodies. They show how the body is the result of an continuous crossing with the technosphere and teriosphere. The development of computers and telematics, and on this basis the emerging of the anthropo-technologies, have open an imaginary, a conceptual horizon and various practices, that have made us able to know new figures as the cyborgs, new paradigms related to the post-human, new possibilities for action on our biological life. Today the image of the body is definitely changed from the one that the humanistic tradition has released us.

Diverticulosis of the colon is the most common condition in Western societies and it is the most common anatomic alteration of the human colon. Recurrent abdominal pain is experienced by about 20% of patients with diverticulosis, but the pathophysiologic mechanisms of its occurrence are not completely understood. In the last years, several fine papers have showed clearly the role of low-grade inflammation both in the occurrence of symptoms in people having diverticulosis, both in symptom persistence following acute diverticulitis, even if the evidence available is not so strong. We do not know yet what the trigger of this low-grade inflammation occurrence is. However, some preliminary evidence found colonic dysbiosis linked to low-grade inflammation and therefore to symptom occurrence in those patients. The aim of this paper is to summarize current evidences about the role of inflammation in symptom occurrence in symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease and in symptom persistence after an episode of acute diverticulitis.

By crossing a literary genre such as science fiction and by opening its borders, in the last thirty years the American novelist William Gibson has drawn a deep sociology of the future. He has created a sort of sounding for societies-to-come which highlights some strong discontinuities but also some profound continuities with modern society. In particular, apart from envisaging a mediascape in which we have found ourselves living in, his novels have reported the political centrality of the imaginary related both to technologies and commodities. His character is thus irreducibly conflictual. A conflict which, while bringing new subjectivities into play and unfolding new dimensions, remains fundamentally embodied i.e. still concerned with concrete material interests.

Gastric acid secretion is believed to decrease in the aging stomach, but the number of elderly patients on proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy is increasing. The aim was to assess gastric function by means of serology (PGI, PGII, G17 and IgG antibodies against Helicobacter pylori) in centenarians. Twenty-five centenarians (2 males, 23 females, mean age 101.3 years, range 100- 106 years) underwent to serological gastric markers assessment by means of Gastropanel®. Patients with laboratory signs of severe oxyntic gastric atrophy (OGA) underwent gastroscopy with biopsy samples. Twelve patients (48.0%) had serological values according to normal gastric secretion; 3 patients (12%) had serological values according to severe OGA, confirmed by histology; 21 patients (84.0%) had serological values according to H. pylori infection. Acid secretion seems to be preserved in a large part of centenarians. Serological markers may be helpful to identify patients affected by OGA, in whom the administration of PPI is inappropriate.

Diverticulosis of the colon is a widespread disease, and its prevalence is increasing especially in the developing world. The underlying pathological mechanisms that cause the formation of colonic diverticula remain unclear but are likely to be the result of complex interactions among age, diet, genetic factors, colonic motility, and changes in colonic structure. The large majority of patients remain asymptomatic throughout their life, one fifth of them become symptomatic (developing the so-called ‘diverticular disease’) while only a minority of these will develop acute diverticulitis. The factors predicting the development of symptoms remain to be identified. Again, it is generally recognized that diverticular disease occurrence is probably related to complex interactions among colonic motility, diet, lifestyle, and genetic features. Changes in intestinal microflora due to low-fiber diet and consequent low-grade inflammation are thought to be one of the mechanisms responsible for symptoms occurrence of both diverticular disease and acute diverticulitis. Current therapeutic approaches with rifaximin and mesalazine to treat the symptoms seem to be promising. Antibiotic treatment is currently advised only in acute complicated diverticulitis, and no treatment has currently proven effective in preventing the recurrence of acute diverticulitis. Further studies are required in order to clarify the reasons why diverticulosis occurs and the factors triggering occurrence of symptoms. Moreover, the reasons why rifaximin and mesalazine work in symptomatic diverticular disease but not in acute diverticulitis are yet to be elucidated.

En el presente artículo analizamos Metalogicon, II, 20 de Juan de Salisbury en vistas de identificar su dependencia de las consideraciones de Boecio respecto a la obtención de los conceptos universales. A su vez, buscaremos subrayan las distintas especificaciones de los universales, lo que culmina en su caracterización como ficciones racionales (esto es, científicas y filosóficas) y poéticas.

En este trabajo presentamos las críticas a los maestros de la dialéctica y sus nueve opiniones sobre la naturaleza de los universales de Juan de Salisbury expuestas en Policraticus, VII, 12 y Metalogicon, II, 17-19. Luego, establecemos sus fuentes. Finalmente, analizamos la interpretación de Agamben de los universales como maneries

The term “microbiota” means genetic inheritance associated with microbiota, which is about 100 times larger than the guest. The tolerance of the resident bacterial flora is an important key element of immune cell function. A key role in the interaction between the host and the microbiota is played by Paneth cell, which is able to synthesize and secrete proteins and antimicrobial peptides, such as α/β defensins, cathelicidin, 14 β-glycosidases, C-type lectins, and ribonuclease, in response to various stimuli. Recent studies found probiotics able to preserve intestinal homeostasis by downmodulating the immune response and inducing the development of T regulatory cells. Specific probiotic strain, as well as probiotic-driven metabolic products called “postbiotics,” has been recently recognized and it is able to influence innate immunity. New therapeutic approaches based on probiotics are now available, and further treatments based on postbiotics will come in the future.

Las glosas no constituyen un género literario. Su denominación responde más bien a un criterio geográfico. Los marginalia no son apuntes. No tienen la complexión del apunte ni su finalidad. E. Poe dice que lo que les da valor es, precisamente, su falta de finalidad. El lector necesita descargarse del peso de un pensamiento en el preciso momento en que lee determinado pasaje. Ello, sumado a lo reducido del espacio, hace que los marginalia tengan la audacia propia de la primera intención y la justeza de la concisión. Los marginalia necesitan del texto corno pretexto para su composición y, a la vez, contexto para su inteligibilidad. Sin contexto, por cierto, los marginalia son de frágil comprensión.

En su Livre de Politiques, Nicolás de Oresme cita de forma casual dos veces el título de la obra condenada de Marsilio de Padua: “livre intitulé Defensor pacis” para comentar el texto aristotélico. Pero quince años antes, en De moneta, Oresme encuentra su teoría monetaría en el Defensor pacis. En este trabajo analizamos las funciones comunitarias que Oresme describe en De moneta en vistas de identificar la valencior eius pars.

En este trabajo analizamos dos tipos de argumentos contra el Imperio en el Tractatus de Juan de París: los primeros, “de iure” o argumentos teóricos, basados en el ‘ius divinum’ y en el ‘ius naturale’; los segundos, “de facto” o argumentos históricos basados en las crónicas y tradiciones históricas. En el primer tipo de argumentos, los Estados individuales se oponen a la Iglesia universal para excluir toda posibilidad de un Imperio como el romano. En el último tipo de argumentos, el reino se utiliza específicamente para Francia y se opone a la Iglesia universal, y por lo tanto al Papa, equiparado al emperador.

En esta nota se presentan comentarios generales respecto a los autores traducidos (Marsilio de Padua, Tomás de Aquino, Guillermo de Ockham, Dante Alighieri), sobre las ediciones críticas de los textos y, finalmente, ciertas apreciaciones respecto a las traducciones mismas.

En la presente nota se exponen y tratan una serie de argumentos propios del Tractatus de regia potestate et papali para observar la propuesta de Jean Quidort respecto al dilema medieval de la doble soberanía. Se atiende especialmente al contexto histórico y doctrinario que rodea esta obra.