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Apple cultivars 'Annurca' and 'Limoncella' are grown locally in the Campania region of Italy and are valued for their distinctive flavour and characteristics, including a high content of nutritionally important bioactive compounds. However, apples are typically stored chilled for several months before consumption, so it is important to assess if the valuable characteristics are still present after postharvest storage. Here, we compare the quality, nutritional parameters, and aroma of these two cultivars with two widely grown international cultivars, 'Golden Delicious' and 'Fuji', after 60 days of storage. The aroma profiles of all four apples were analysed using thermal desorption and gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We show that the local cultivars are distinct from the international cultivars in their bioactive compound content and their antioxidant activity. 'Limoncella' shows high sugar content, which may be acting as a cryoprotectant during storage, and high total phenolics in the flesh, which is of nutritional interest. We identified 104 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and showed that the overall aroma profile is distinct for each cultivar, containing 11 published odorant compounds. The 'Annurca' profile is uniquely low in esters. Seven VOCs retain good discrimination across the four cultivars and, together with the quality and nutritional data, separate the two local cultivars from the international cultivars by hierarchical clustering. Overall, the data emphasize the unique characteristics of the two local cultivars and their value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, the use of biostimulants has become increasingly widespread due to their proven efficiency in improving plant productivity and quality of fruits and mitigating the effects related to environmental stress. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of three biostimulants on oil yield, production of drupes per plant, and nutraceutical components of olive drupes and oil (total polyphenols, anthocyanins, and fatty acids %) for "Racioppella" cultivar trees growing in South Italy (May–October 2021). The biostimulants used were: a tropical plants extract (A) containing amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, phytochelatins, macro- and microelements, a glycine betaine-based product (B), and a Trichoderma spp.-based biostimulant (T). The three biostimulants were compared with a control thesis (C) treated only with water. T treatment increased the polyphenols content of olive drupes by 41.04% compared to C. A and B treatments increased polyphenols content by 21.87% on average compared to C. All three biostimulants showed positive effect by increasing the amount of polyphenols in olive oil compared to C:T showed an increase of 32.19%, B 7.76%, and A 19.78%. Biostimulant application proved useful in boosting fundamental parameters that determine better drupe and oil in terms of antioxidant capacity and nutraceutical potential, other than an increased production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A relative high rate of clinical and device-related adverse events (AE) is generally reported in patients with implantable defibrillators for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT-D). Aim of this study was to compare a daily remote monitoring (RM) to a standard program of in-office visits., Methods and Results: We retrospectively analyzed RM database and hospital files of 99 CRT-D consecutive patients who were visited in the out-patient clinic every 3-4 months; thirty-three patients were in addition controlled remotely with RM (RM group). Kaplan-Meier curves of clinical or device-related AE-free rates were obtained. During a median follow-up of 7 months, clinical AEs were: ventricular and atrial arrhythmias in 14 and 11 patients, low CRT pacing in nine, heart failure, strokes, or death in 15. Device-related AEs were: insufficient pacing/sensing performances in nine patients, lead dislodgement in five. As comparing the RM group with the remaining patients, Kaplan-Meier curves of clinical AEs diverged to significantly different rates: 23.8% (confidence interval [CI] 0.1%-47.5%) in the RM group and 48.7% (21.6-75.7%) in the remaining patients (P = 0.00002), with a hazard ratio of 0.14 (CI 0.06-0.37). Nondivergent Kaplan-Meier curves were obtained for device-related AE-free rates., Conclusion: CRT-D patients followed with quarterly in-office visits without a daily RM system had an 86% higher risk of delayed detection of clinical AEs, during a median follow-up of 7 months., (©2010, The Authors. Journal compilation ©2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) often coexist; however, a small number of patients with DM2 undergoing catheter ablation (CA) of AF have been included in previous studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of ablation therapy in DM2 patients with drug refractory AF., Methods and Results: From January 2005 to September 2006, 70 patients with a diagnosis of DM2 and paroxysmal (n = 29) or persistent (n = 41) AF were randomized to receive either pulmonary vein isolation or a new antiarrhythmic drug treatment (ADT) with a 1-year follow-up. The primary endpoint was the time to first AF recurrence. By Kaplan-Meier analysis, at the end of follow-up, 42.9% of patients in the ADT group and 80% of patients who received a single ablation procedure and were without medications were free of AF (P = 0.001). In the ablation group, a significant improvement in quality-of-life (QoL) scores as compared with ADT group was observed. Six patients in the ADT group (17.1%) developed significant adverse drug effects. Hospitalization rate during follow-up was higher in the ADT group (P = 0.01). The only complication attributable to ablation was one significant access-site hematoma., Conclusion: In patients with DM2, CA of AF provides significant clinical benefits over the ADT and appears to be a reasonable approach regarding feasibility, effectiveness, and low procedural risk.

Introduction: Transseptal puncture (TSP) is the conventional approach to assess the left atrial chamber. This technique has been widely used in interventional cardiology and, in the last years, this approach is mostly applied to electrophysiologic procedures. For atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, two or more transseptal sheaths are often positioned in the left atrium in the majority of centers, therefore requiring two or more transseptal punctures. Theoretically, double puncture could bear additional risks or could increase the risk of persistence of septal defects. We reported the results of a retrospective analysis of a single transseptal puncture as a simplified approach for positioning multiple catheters in the left atrium during AF ablation., Methods: Between November 2003 and November 2005, 1,150 consecutive patients (mean age 54 +/- 8 years, 75% men) were considered for AF ablation and underwent single transseptal puncture for positioning multiple catheters in the left atrium., Results: In only 6 of 1,150 (0.5%) cases a second transseptal puncture was required to position the ablation catheter in the left atrium. Neither acute complications related to transseptal catheterization such as atrial or aortic perforations, pericardial tamponade, thrombotic formation, or air embolism, nor complications due to the attempts of crossing the septum with the ablation catheter were reported. In all cases, each mapping catheter was properly maneuvered at different sites in the left atrium and at the pulmonary veins. In no patient was a residual septal atrial defect after the transseptal maneuvers detected during a mean follow up of 14 +/- 2 months., Conclusions: This retrospective study on a large cohort of patients shows that single transseptal puncture for positioning two or more catheters in the left atrium for AF ablation is a highly successful and safe maneuver with a very low morbidity in the majority of patients. This may avoid potential complications related to a second transseptal puncture.

Aims: Women have an increased risk for atrial fibrillation (AF)-related complications and there is evidence towards a reduced efficacy of the rhythm control strategy than men. A catheter-based strategy is therefore widely attractive, but the impact of gender on catheter ablation (CA) of AF remains undefined., Methods and Results: We included 221 consecutive patients (150 men) who underwent CA of drug-refractory AF. Gender differences in clinical presentation and outcomes were compared. Women were older (P = 0.002), had a longer history of AF (P = 0.04), and were more likely to have hypertension (P = 0.04). Moreover, a concomitant valvular heart disease tended to be more common in women (32.4 vs. 23.3%; P = 0.28) and left atrium dimensions were significantly larger (P = 0.003). However, acute success rate and complications rate were similar between genders. After 22.5 +/- 11.8 months of follow-up, the overall freedom from arrhythmia recurrences was similar (83.1 vs. 82.7% in men), and a similar improvement in SF-36 quality of life scores was achieved in both groups., Conclusion: Women are referred for AF ablation later with a more complex clinical pre-operative presentation. Despite this higher risk profile in women, no differences were detected in clinical outcomes. Our findings indicate that CA of AF appears to be safe and effective in women as in men.