Search

Mega scientific conferences increasingly suffer from the need for short and poster presentations without discussion. An alternative is to organize workshops in hotels large enough to accommodate all participants. This significantly increases the opportunities for constructive discussion during breakfasts, lunches, dinners and long evenings that can bring together experts of scientific and clinical sub-specialties and young fellows. Time for groups' discussions and new collaborations are increased so as the job opportunities for the young researchers. The Padova Muscle Days have offered in the previous thirty-five years these opportunities, which have matured into innovative and multidisciplinary results to the point that it came naturally to underline it with a neologism now included in the title of the 2025 event: “Mobility Medicine”, a discipline not yet officially recognised, that makes explicit the call for rejoining knowledges dispersed in sub-specialisations. The included program of the Padua Days on Muscle and Mobility Medicine 2025 (2025Pdm3) will be hosted at the Hotel Petrarca in Euganean Thermae (Padua, Italy) from 25 to 29 March 2025. It further testifies by listing unique Sessions that it is possible to organize valid countermeasures to the inevitable tendencies towards hyperspecialization that the explosive increase in scientific progress brings with it. Furthermore, the European Journal of Translational Myology and Mobility Medicine (Ejtm3) will accept typescripts on results presented at the 2025Pdm3, together with the Special Section: New Trends in Musculoskeletal Imaging of the MDPI (Basel) Journal Diagnostics, because diagnosis is essential to prevent, manage and follow-up not only neuro-metabolic-muscular disorders, but the unavoidable physiologicical decay of performances in early and late aging. Hoping many others share our dreams, we look forward to meeting you at 2025Pdm3 conference.

The article reviews recent research on new technologies for assisting the elderly based on Artificial Intelligence: Utilities for smart houses and Ambient Assisted Living, wearable and monitoring devices, virtual and augmented reality, and assistive robotics.These smart technological tools can reduce the isolation of older adults by assisting them in their daily activities, but without completely replacing direct interventions, and requiring human support to facilitate interaction.In determining the effectiveness of assistive technologies, older people's perceptions of them, acceptability, and willingness to use them are key variables. Also relevant is the perception by caregivers and healthcare professionals, and the socio-cultural dimension of acceptability.Finally, the paper presents the ethical issues related to the use of technologies with the elderly population, to ensure the autonomy, safety, and dignity of the person. Some suggestions are offered for developers of new technologies for older adults.In conclusion, the challenges for the future of assistive technologies are highlighted, so that they can best be used to assist large and differentiated elderly populations.

Ptilostemon greuteri Raimondo & Domina is a rare Sicilian paleoendemic species. The aim of study was to investigate the micro-morphological features of leaves by light and scanning electron microscopy, to elucidate the phytochemical profile of essential oil (EO), n-hexane (HE) and hydroalcoholic extract (HAE) by gas and liquid chromatographic methods, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties by in vitro assays. Leaves had a large lanceolate blade, dark green on the upper side and greyish on the lower one with a dense tomentum. Epidermis showed many protruding stomata. By lipid-specific dyes, lipophilic droplets within cells surrounding the secretory ducts and within palisade cells were detected, whereas the presence of polyphenols in the mesophyll was highlighted by toluide blue O. These observations have driven the subsequent phytochemical analyses. EO showed germacrene D (29.94%), carvacrol (14.3%) and eugenol (12.93%) as the most abundant compounds. In the HE, docosane, oleic and palmit acid, and lupeol were the predominant compounds, whereas caffeoylquinic acid and quercetin derivatives were the most common polyphenols in HAE. Considering the detected mean half-inhibitory concentrations (IC50), HAE showed predominant antioxidant activity (IC50 30.54 µg/mL), while EO showed predominant anti-inflammatory activity (IC50 397.59 µg/mL). Finally, HE, rich in medium-to-long fatty acids, showed the best protease inhibitory activity

Plumeria rubra L. is an ornamental Caribbean plant widely known for its ethnobotanical uses and pharmacological activities. The ‘Tonda Palermitana’ cultivar, on which no data are to date available, is commonly cultivated in Sicily. The aim of our study was to characterize the micro-morphological features of leaves and flowers of this cultivar by light and Scanning Electron Microscopy and to investigate the phytochemical profile and the biological properties of their food-grade extracts (LE and FE, respectively) by LC-DAD-ESI-MS analysis and different in vitro assays. Numerous branched laticifers were observed, and their secretion contained alkaloids and lipophilic compounds as confirmed by histological analyses. Phytochemical analyses showed the presence of alkaloids (9%), terpenoids (13%) and fatty acids (6%), together with a very abundant presence of iridoids (28%) and polyphenols (39%). The most notable biological activity of both extracts appears to be the antioxidant one, showing half-inhibitory concentrations (IC50) about 5 times lower than those detected in anti-inflammatory assays (383.74 ± 5.65 and 232.05 ± 2.87 vs. 1981.23 ± 12.82 and 1215.13 ± 10.15, for FE and LE, respectively), with LE showing the best, and statistically significant (p < 0.001), biological activity. These results allow us to speculate promising nutraceutical and cosmeceutical applications for this old Sicilian cultivar.

This study aims to recover the main by-product of Citrus fruits processing, the raw pomace, known also as pastazzo, to produce plant complexes to be used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Food-grade extracts from orange (OE) and lemon (LE) pomace were obtained by ultrasound-assisted maceration. After a preliminary phytochemical and biological screening by in vitro assays, primary and secondary metabolites were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-ESI-MS) analyses. The intestinal bioaccessibility and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties were investigated by in vitro simulated gastro-intestinal digestion followed by treatments on a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (Caco-2). The tight junctions-associated structural proteins (ZO-1, Claudin-1, and Occludin), transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), reactive oxygen species (ROS)-levels, expression of some key antioxidant (CAT, NRF2 and SOD2) and inflammatory (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-8) genes, and pNFkB p65 nuclear translocation, were evaluated. The OE and LE digesta, which did not show any significant difference in terms of phytochemical profile, showed significant effects in protecting against the LPS-induced intestinal barrier damage, oxidative stress and inflammatory response. In conclusion, both OE and LE emerged as potential candidates for further preclinical studies on in vivo IBD models.

During the 2023 Padua Days on Muscle and Mobility Medicine the 2024 meeting was scheduled from 28 February to 2 March 2024 (2024Pdm3). During autumn 2023 the program was expanded with Scientific Sessions which will take place over five days (in 2024 this includes February 29), starting from the afternoon of 27 February 2024 in the Conference Rooms of the Hotel Petrarca, Thermae of Euganean Hills (Padua), Italy. As per consolidated tradition, the second day will take place in Padua, for the occasion in the Sala San Luca of the Monastery of Santa Giustina in Prato della Valle, Padua, Italy. Confirming the attractiveness of the Padua Days on Muscle and Mobility Medicine, over 100 titles were accepted until 15 December 2023 (many more than expected), forcing the organization of parallel sessions on both 1 and 2 March 2024. The five days will include lectures and oral presentations of scientists and clinicians from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, UK and USA. Only Australia, China, India and Japan are missing from this edition. But we are confident that authors from those countries who publish articles in the PAGEpress: European Journal of Translational Myology (EJTM: 2022 ESCI Clarivate's Impact Factor: 2.2; SCOPUS Cite Score: 3.2) will decide to join us in the coming years. Together with the program established by 31 January 2024, the abstracts will circulate during the meeting only in the electronic version of the EJTM Issue 34 (1) 2024. See you soon in person at the Hotel Petrarca in Montegrotto Terme, Padua, for the inauguration scheduled the afternoon of 27 February 2024 or on-line for free via Zoom. Send us your email address if you are not traditional participants listed in Pdm3 and EJTM address books.

At the end of the 2023 Padua Days of Muscle and Mobility Medicine the next year's meeting was scheduled from 27 February to 2 March 2024 (2024Pdm3). During the summer and autumn the program was confirmed with Scientific Sessions that will take place over five days, starting in the afternoon of February 27, 2024 at the Conference Room of the Hotel Petrarca, Thermae of Euganean Hills (Padua), Italy. As usual, the next day will be spent in Padua, in this occasion at the San Luca Hall of the Santa Giustina monastery in Prato della Valle, Padua, Italy. Collected during Autumn 2023, many more titles and abstracts than expected were submitted, forcing the organization of parallel sessions both on March 1 and March 2 2024 confirming attractiveness of the 2024 Pdm3. The five days will include oral presentations of scientists and clinicians from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, UK and USA. Together with the preliminary Program at December 1, 2023, the early submitted Abstracts is e-published in this Issue 33 (4) 2023 of the European Journal of Translational Myology (EJTM). You are invited to join, submitting your Last Minute Abstracts to ugo.carraro@unipd.it by February 1, 2024. Furthermore, with the more generous deadline of May 20, 2024, submit please “Communications” to the European Journal of Translational Myology (Clarivate’s ESCI Impact factor 2.2; SCOPUS Cite Score: 3.2). See you soon at the Hotel Petrarca in Montegrotto Terme, Padua, on February 27, 2024, but the complete program can be followed from home via zoom connection.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a lower motor neuron disease due to biallelic mutations in the SMN1 gene on chromosome 5. It is characterized by progressive muscle weakness of limbs, bulbar and respiratory muscles. The disease is usually classified in four different phenotypes (1–4) according to age at symptoms onset and maximal motor milestones achieved. Recently, three disease modifying treatments have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), while several other innovative drugs are under study. New therapies have been game changing, improving survival and life quality for SMA patients. However, they have also intensified the need for accurate biomarkers to monitor disease progression and treatment efficacy. While clinical and neurophysiological biomarkers are well established and helpful in describing disease progression, there is a great need to develop more robust and sensitive circulating biomarkers, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and other small molecules. Used alone or in combination with clinical biomarkers, they will play a critical role in enhancing patients’ stratification for clinical trials and access to approved treatments, as well as in tracking response to therapy, paving the way to the development of individualized therapeutic approaches. In this comprehensive review, we describe the foremost circulating biomarkers of current significance, analyzing existing literature on non-treated and treated patients with a special focus on neurofilaments and circulating miRNA, aiming to identify and examine their role in the follow-up of patients treated with innovative treatments, including gene therapy.

Growing evidence demonstrates a continuous interaction between the immune system, the nerve and the muscle in neuromuscular disorders of different pathogenetic origins, such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the focus of this review. Herein we highlight the complexity of the cellular and molecular interactions involving the immune system in neuromuscular disorders, as exemplified by DMD and ALS. We describe the distinct types of cell-mediated interactions, such as cytokine/chemokine production as well as cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions between T lymphocytes and other immune cells, which target cells of the muscular or nervous tissues. Most of these interactions occur independently of exogenous pathogens, through ligand-receptor binding and subsequent signal transduction cascades, at distinct levels of specificity. Although this issue reveals the complexity of the system, it can also be envisioned as a window of opportunity to design therapeutic strategies (including synthetic moieties, cell and gene therapy, as well as immunotherapy) by acting upon one or more targets. In this respect, we discuss ongoing clinical trials using VLA-4 inhibition in DMD, and in ALS, with a focus on regulatory T cells, both revealing promising results.

This study investigates the chemical composition, nutritional, and biological properties of extracts obtained from A. melanocarpa berries using different extraction methods and solvents. Hydrodistillation and supercritical fluid extraction with CO2 allowed us to isolate fruit essential oil (HDEX) and fixed oil (SFEEX), respectively. A phenol-enriched extract was obtained using a mild ultrasound-assisted maceration with methanol (UAMM). The HDEX most abundant component, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), was italicene epoxide (17.2%), followed by hexadecanoic acid (12.4%), khusinol (10.5%), limonene (9.7%), dodecanoic acid (9.7%), and (E)-anethole (6.1%). Linoleic (348.9 mg/g of extract, 70.5%), oleic (88.9 mg/g, 17.9%), and palmitic (40.8 mg/g, 8.2%) acids, followed by α-linolenic and stearic acids, were the main fatty acids in SFEEX determined using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector and an evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-DAD/ELSD). HPLC-DAD analyses of SFEEX identified β-carotene as the main carotenoid (1.7 mg/g), while HPLC with fluorescence detection (FLU) evidenced α-tocopherol (1.2 mg/g) as the most abundant tocopherol isoform in SFEEX. Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-MS (LC-ESI-MS) analysis of UAMM showed the presence of quercetin-sulfate (15.6%, major component), malvidin 3-O-(6-O-p-coumaroyl) glucoside-4-vinylphenol adduct (pigment B) (9.3%), di-caffeoyl coumaroyl spermidine (7.6%), methyl-epigallocatechin (5.68%), and phloretin (4.1%), while flavonoids (70.5%) and phenolic acids (23.9%) emerged as the most abundant polyphenol classes. UAMM exerted a complete inhibition of the cholesterol oxidative degradation at 140 °C from 75 μg of extract, showing 50% protection at 30.6 μg (IA50). Furthermore, UAMM significantly reduced viability (31–48%) in A375 melanoma cells in the range of 500–2000 μg/mL after 96 h of incubation (MTT assay), with a low toxic effect in normal HaCaT keratinocytes. The results of this research extend the knowledge of the nutritional and biological properties of A. melanocarpa berries, providing useful information on specific extracts for potential food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications.

Abstract Propolis, a resinous substance produced by honeybees from various plant sources, has been used for thousands of years in traditional medicine for several purposes all over the world. The precise composition of propolis varies according to plant source, seasons harvesting, geography, type of bee flora, climate changes, and honeybee species at the site of collection. This apiary product has broad clinical applications such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, analgesic, antidepressant, and anxiolytic as well asimmunomodulatory effects. It is also well known from traditional uses in treating purulent disorders, improving the wound healing, and alleviating many of the related discomforts. Even if its use was already widespread since ancient times, after the First and Second World War, it has grown even more as well as the studies to identify its chemical and pharmacological features, allowing to discriminate the qualities of propolis in terms of the chemical profile and relative biological activity based on the geographic place of origin. Recently, several in vitro and in vivo studies have been carried out and new insights into the pharmaceutical prospects of this bee product in the management of different disorders, have been highlighted. Specifically, the available literature confirms the efficacy of propolis and its bioactive compounds in the reduction of cancer progression, inhibition of bacterial and viral infections as well as mitigation of parasitic-related symptoms, paving the way to the use of propolis as an alternative approach to improve the human health. However, a more conscious use of propolis in terms of standardized extracts as well as new clinical studies are needed to substantiate these health claims.

Ptilostemon greuteri Raimondo & Domina is a rare Sicilian paleoendemic species. The aim of study was to investigate the micro-morphological features of leaves by light and scanning electron microscopy, to elucidate the phytochemical profile of essential oil (EO), n-hexane (HE) and hydroalcoholic extract (HAE) by gas and liquid chromatographic methods, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties by in vitro assays. Leaves had a large lanceolate blade, dark green on the upper side and greyish on the lower one with a dense tomentum. Epidermis showed many protruding stomata. By lipid-specific dyes, lipophilic droplets within cells surrounding the secretory ducts and within palisade cells were detected, whereas the presence of polyphenols in the mesophyll was highlighted by toluide blue O. These observations have driven the subsequent phytochemical analyses. EO showed germacrene D (29.94%), carvacrol (14.3%) and eugenol (12.93%) as the most abundant compounds. In the HE, docosane, oleic and palmit acid, and lupeol were the predominant compounds, whereas caffeoylquinic acid and quercetin derivatives were the most common polyphenols in HAE. Considering the detected mean half-inhibitory concentrations (IC50), HAE showed predominant antioxidant activity (IC50 30.54 µg/mL), while EO showed predominant anti-inflammatory activity (IC50 397.59 µg/mL). Finally, HE, rich in medium-to-long fatty acids, showed the best protease inhibitory activity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood purification represents a treatment option for sepsis, improving inflammation and the hyper-activated immune system. This study investigates the binding efficacy of Seraph®-100 against 108 CFU/mL of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), and Escherichia coli (E. coli) during a simulated hemoperfusion treatment. The fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) technique was used to evaluate the bacteria reduction, whereas kinetic analysis and cultures revealed bacterial detection and counting at established time points. At the end of the experiment, the filter was cut at three different levels, obtaining suspensions for cultures and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. The FACS technique revealed a 78.77% reduction of the total bacterial load at the end of the treatment, with maximum filter sequestration occurring in the first 30 min of the treatment. Non-linear regression analysis of kinetic experiments (T0–240 min) highlighted a lower growth rate of S. aureus than the other two Gram bacteria, demonstrating a greater affinity without influencing a reduction rate of 99% for all three bacteria. The analyses of the suspension aliquots of the filter sections confirmed these data, revealing 1 × 108 CFU/mL, equal to the initial bacterial charge. Furthermore, the filter head adsorbed approximately 50% of bacteria, whereas the remaining amount was equally distributed between the body and the tail, as corroborated by SEM analysis. In conclusion, Seraph®-100 adsorbed 108 CFU/mL of S. aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa during an in vitro simulated hemoperfusion session.

Generalisations can never tend to be exhaustive, nor can they claim to represent all subjectivities and the diverse and consequent political-ideological narratives that are part of them. But they also describe social and behavioural propensities present in the cultural folds of a specific social group. The role of newspapers, sounding boards for certain ethnic, political, economic and social sentiments, is fundamental to study the rapid consumption of these communicative processes whose contents end up being internalised even before they are processed. Beyond the level of scientific substance of which they are composed. In relation to the treatment of Italian mafias in the press, this manuscript aims to analyse, based on a selection of articles published between 2018 and 2022, the narratives produced by “La Gente d’Italia”, an Italian-language ethnic newspaper based in Uruguay, on the combination between persistence and change, between maintaining consolidated structures and adapting to the changes in the economic and social context in which the mafia is present today.

Monarda didyma L. (Lamiaceae) is a medicinal and aromatic herb native to eastern North America and now is also cultivated in Northern Italy, which shows terminal heads of bright scarlet-red flowers, subtended by a whorl of red-tinged leafy bracts. Starting from 2018, M. didyma flowering tops have been included in the Belfrit List of botanicals. However, to date studies on the crude extract of this plant are still lacking. The aim of the present study was to investigate the morphological and anatomical features of the flowering tops and the phytochemical profile of their ethanolic and hydroglyceric extracts (EE and HGE, respectively). HGE was the richest in total phenols (105.75 ± 5.91 vs. 64.22 ± 3.45 mg/100 mL) and especially in flavonoids (71.60 ± 5.09 vs. 47.70 ± 1.27 mg/100 mL), as confirmed also by LC-DAD-ESI-MS. Fifty-three polyphenols were identified and quantified. Even if they showed a common polyphenolic profile, EE and HGE showed quantitative differences. Flavan-3-ols and anthocyanins were the most expressed metabolites in HGE, whereas flavonols were the most expressed metabolites in EE. These features confer to HGE the highest antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-angiogenic properties, detected by several in vitro and in vivo assays, highlighting a promising use of this plant extract for skincare applications.

Morning headache (MH) is a frequent condition with a not fully explained pathogenesis. During the past years, several studies have been performed to identify a better diet therapy to reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches. Our study aims to determine if an adequate omega-3 (ω-3) intake in a Modified Mediterranean Diet (MMD) can improve the frequency and intensity of MH and, subsequently, the quality of life. Of the 150 enrolled subjects, 95 met the inclusion criteria (63.3%). Patients were included in the study and randomized into two groups: group A following MMD A and group B following MMD B. The MMD A group was designed to arise at least a 1.5:1 ω-6/ω-3 ratio; the MMD B group was designed to derive at least a 4:1 ω-6/ω-3 ratio. Eighty-four subjects completed the 6 weeks intervention (56%). After 6 weeks (t1), group A showed a significant reduction in both Headache Impact Test-6 and Visual Analog Scale scores (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). During dietary treatment, group A progressively dismissed ketoprofen-based pharmacological treatment (p = 0.002) from baseline to t1. Furthermore, a decrease in the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio at t1 in group A (p = 0.02) was observed compared to group B. Concluding, this study provides evidence of a positive impact of ω-3-enriched MMD regimen on the inflammatory status and MH.Clinical trial registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01890070, identifier: NCT01890070.

The article deals with the psychological reasons pro or against vaccination. After a review of the literature, a study was conducted aimed at evaluating the differences in some psychological characteristics between people who have definitely consented to vaccination and persons opposed to vaccines. Two groups were selected pro or against vaccination (n = 54 each), balanced by gender, age, education and work activity. The research was conducted using an online form, including opinion, attitude and motivation questionnaires, test on stress and attribution of control in health issues, and the 10-item Big Five Inventory Test. The results show that a less favorable attitude toward vaccines correlates with a lack of confidence in institutions, linked to external Locus of Control of Health, and to the perception that the actual risk is artificially increased for hidden reasons in vaccination campaigns; while the personality variables seem to have less influence. These results could be helpful for addressing the vaccination campaign to specific targets, and overcoming psychological biases and prejudices.

Abstract Citrus fruits are among the most ancient known and have always attracted the interest of humans, from both a nutritional and a health point of view. Even though there is substantial scientific literature regarding the Citrus genus and associated isolated bioactive compounds, there are still few studies on the botanical features, the phytochemical profiles, and the biological activities for some ancient Citrus fruits as well as for new hybrids that have become part of the international market. We have witnessed both the rediscovery and revaluation of some cultivated ancient fruits in some limited areas and the introduction of new hybrids destined to the food, ornamental, and food design market. This is the first review that sheds light on the botanical and chemical features as well as on the biological properties of Citrus fruits that are under‐investigated, localizing them in an international context. The manuscript focuses in particular on five under‐investigated species: Citrus australasica F. Muell. (Finger lime), Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis Swingle (Buddha's hand), Citrus junos Sieb ex Tan. (Yuzu), Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck var. pompia Camarda (Pompia), and Citrus lumia Risso (Lumia).

Despite COVID-19 outbreak, the program of the 2022 Padua Days of Muscle and Mobility Medicine (PDM3) was confirmed On-site in February from March 30 to April 2, 2022 to be held at the University of Padua Aula Magna and at Conference Hall of the Hotel Petrarca of Thermae of Euganean Hills (Padua), Italy. Over 130 abstracts, including the last-minute submissions listed below, convinced organizers to extend the program to five days. The sponsorship of the University of Florida and the willingness of attendees to meet friends after two years of virtual conferences were the keys of success, despite concerns for current events in East Europe. Only fourteen Virtual presentations were in the final program, eight due to last-minute Coronavirus infections and six for East Europe problems. The first two days of the programincluded scientists and clinicians of the University of Florida, USA and their invitees from Canada, France, Italy, Swiden, Swiss, UK and USA. Researchers and clinicians from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, UK and USA filled the program of last three days more oriented to aging and rehabilitation. The large majority of abstracts was e-published before the meeting; here are last-minute abstracts and the final program. The program of the 2023 On-site PDM3 was informally designed during the Meeting, but will be circulated during 2022 summer. Fix the dates in your agenda from Thursday March 28 to Friday March 31. For now, please, submit Communications to the European Journal of Translational Myology, PAGEpress, Pavia, Italy and Original Articles or Reviews to the Journal Diagnostics, MDPI, Basel, Swiss. Both journals will host Special PDM3 Sections and will apply 50% discount on editorial processing fees to the first 15 accepted typescripts.

The nutritional and health properties of algae make them perfect functional ingredients for nutraceutical and cosmeceutical applications. In this study, the Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin (Phaeodactylaceae), a pleiomorphic diatom commonly found in marine ecosystems, was investigated. The in vitro culture conditions used favoured the fusiform morphotype, characterized by a high accumulation of neutral lipids, as detected by fluorescence microscopy after BODIPY staining. These data were confirmed by HPLC-DAD-APCI-MS/MS analyses carried out on the ethanolic extract (PTE), which showed a high content of xanthophylls (98.99%), and in particular of fucoxanthin (Fx, 6.67 g/100 g PTE). The antioxidant activity (ORAC, FRAP, TEAC and β-carotene bleaching) and photostability of PTE and Fx against UVA and UVB rays were firstly evaluated by in vitro cell-free assays. After this, phototoxicity and photoprotective studies were carried out on in vitro reconstructed human epidermidis models. Results demonstrated that PTE (0.1% Fx) and 0.1% Fx, both photostable, significantly (p < 0.05) reduce oxidative and inflammatory stress markers (ROS, NO and IL-1α), as well as cytotoxicity and sunburn cells induced by UVA and UVB doses simulating the solar radiation, with an excellent safety profile. However, PTE proved to be more effective than Fx, suggesting its effective and safe use in broad-spectrum sunscreens.

Recently, we demonstrated that a Citrus flavanone mix (FM) shows antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, even after gastro-duodenal digestion (DFM). The aim of this study was to investigate the possible involvement of the cyclooxygenases (COXs) in the anti-inflammatory activity previously detected, using a human COX inhibitor screening assay, molecular modeling studies, and PGE2 release by Caco-2 cells stimulated with IL-1β and arachidonic acid. Furthermore, the ability to counteract pro-oxidative processes induced by IL-1β was evaluated by measuring four oxidative stress markers, namely, carbonylated proteins, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, reactive oxygen species, and reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio in Caco-2 cells. All flavonoids showed a strong inhibitory activity on COXs, confirmed by molecular modeling studies, with DFM, which showed the best and most synergistic activity on COX-2 (82.45% vs. 87.93% of nimesulide). These results were also corroborated by the cell-based assays. Indeed, DFM proves to be the most powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent reducing, synergistically and in a statistically significant manner (p < 0.05), PGE2 release than the oxidative stress markers, also with respect to the nimesulide and trolox used as reference compounds. This leads to the hypothesis that FM could be an excellent antioxidant and COX inhibitor candidate to counteract intestinal inflammation.

Exopolysaccharide (EPS) production represents an adaptive strategy developed by extremophiles to cope with environmental stresses. The EPS-producing Bacillus licheniformis B3-15, of shallow marine vent origin (Vulcano Island, Italy), was previously reported as tolerant to arsenate (AsV). In this study, we evaluated: (i) the increasing production of EPS by Bacillus licheniformis B3-15 in the novel SG17 medium; (ii) the arsenic absorption capacity of the EPS by mass spectroscopy; (iii) the functional groups of EPS interacting with As by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy; and (iv) the ability of EPS to prevent arsenic toxicity by the bioluminescent assay. The EPS yield (240 mg L−1) was 45% higher than previously reported. The EPS was mainly constituted of disaccharide repeating units with a manno-pyranosidic configuration and low protein content, attributed to the poly-gamma glutamic acid component as evidenced by NMR analysis. ATR-FTIR spectra indicated that the functional groups of the EPS (O–H, C=O, C–O and C=C and N–O) were involved in the adsorption of the arsenic cations, with greater interactions between EPS and arsenate (AsV) than arsenite (AsIII). Consequently, the EPS at increasing concentration (100 and 300 µg mL−1) adsorbed AsV more efficiently (20.5% and 34.5%) than AsIII (0.7% and 1.8%). The bioluminescence assay showed that the EPS was not toxic, and its addition reduced the toxicity of both As forms by more than twofold. The crude EPS B3-15 could be used in arsenic bioremediation as a possible eco-friendly alternative to other physical or chemical methods.

Current evidence supports the use of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and its minor components such as hydroxytyrosol or 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl ethanol (DOPET), to improve cardiovascular and metabolic health. Nevertheless, more intervention studies in humans are needed because some gaps remain in its bioavailability and metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate the DOPET pharmacokinetics on 20 healthy volunteers by administering a hard enteric-coated capsule containing 7.5 mg of bioactive compound conveyed in EVOO. The treatment was preceded by a washout period with a polyphenol and an alcohol-free diet. Blood and urine samples were collected at baseline and different time points, and free DOPET and metabolites, as well as sulfo- and glucuro-conjugates, were quantified by LC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS analysis. The plasma concentration versus time profiles of free DOPET was analyzed by a non-compartmental approach, and several pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax, Tmax, T1/2, AUC0–440 min, AUC0–∞, AUCt–∞, AUCextrap_pred, Clast and Kel) were calculated. Results showed that DOPET Cmax (5.5 ng/mL) was reached after 123 min (Tmax), with a T1/2 of 150.53 min. Comparing the data obtained with the literature, the bioavailability of this bioactive compound is about 2.5 times higher, confirming the hypothesis that the pharmaceutical formulation plays a pivotal role in the bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of hydroxytyrosol.

The Orchidaceae family accounts for about 28,000 species, and most of them are mentioned in the folk medicine of nations around the world. The use of terrestrial orchids in European and Mediterranean regions has been reported since ancient times, but little information is available on their medicinal properties, as well as on their phytochemicals and biological activities. However, plant collection for human use is still listed as one of the main threats for terrestrial orchids, alongside other menacing factors such as wrong habitat management and disturbance to symbionts, such as pollinators and mycorrhizal fungi. Therefore, the primary aim of this review was to resume and discuss available information regarding the past and current popular uses of European orchids. We then grouped phytochemical data to evaluate the presence of bioactive compounds of pharmacological relevance, and we discussed whether these could support the therapeutic employment of the different organs. Finally, we briefly debated the sustainability of orchid utilizations, considering the different threatening factors and conservation actions including plant propagation methods.

Plumeria rubra L. is an ornamental Caribbean plant widely known for its ethnobotanical uses and pharmacological activities. The 'Tonda Palermitana' cultivar, on which no data are to date available, is commonly cultivated in Sicily. The aim of our study was to characterize the micro-morphological features of leaves and flowers of this cultivar by light and Scanning Electron Microscopy and to investigate the phytochemical profile and the biological properties of their food-grade extracts (LE and FE, respectively) by LC-DAD-ESI-MS analysis and different in vitro assays. Numerous branched laticifers were observed, and their secretion contained alkaloids and lipophilic compounds as confirmed by histological analyses. Phytochemical analyses showed the presence of alkaloids (9%), terpenoids (13%) and fatty acids (6%), together with a very abundant presence of iridoids (28%) and polyphenols (39%). The most notable biological activity of both extracts appears to be the antioxidant one, showing half-inhibitory concentrations (IC50) about 5 times lower than those detected in anti-inflammatory assays (383.74 ± 5.65 and 232.05 ± 2.87 vs. 1981.23 ± 12.82 and 1215.13 ± 10.15, for FE and LE, respectively), with LE showing the best, and statistically significant (p < 0.001), biological activity. These results allow us to speculate promising nutraceutical and cosmeceutical applications for this old Sicilian cultivar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]