Cast-extruded syndiotactic polypropylene films: preliminary structural and mechanical results

Syndiotactic polypropylene (sPP) was cast-extruded with a laboratory single screw extruder, obtaining a crystalline and still highly transparent film. The structural studies showed that the film crystallized at room temperature in the disordered helical form I, containing a fraction of a mesophase with the chains in trans-planar conformation. X-ray patterns, taken either along the extrusion direction (MD) or along the orthogonal directions (TD and ND), indicated a low orientation of the c axis parallel to the machine direction (MD) and a partial orientation of the a axis along the transverse direction (TD). Mechanical properties performed in either direction showed a very similar behaviour, but a different strain at the breaking point. The mechanical parameters were derived in both directions.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Multifunctional Nanovesicles Composed of POPC Lipid Molecules for Nuclear Imaging

The integration of nuclear imaging analysis with nanomedicine has tremendously grown and represents a valid and powerful tool for the development and clinical translation of drug delivery systems. Among the various types of nanostructures used as drug carriers, nanovesicles represent intriguing platforms due to their capability to entrap both lipophilic and hydrophilic agents, and their well-known biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this respect, here we present the development of a labelling procedure of POPC (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine)-based liposomes incorporating an ad hoc designed lipophilic NOTA (1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetic acid) analogue, derivatized with an oleic acid residue, able to bind the positron emitter gallium-68(III). Based on POPC features, the optimal conditions for liposome labelling were studied with the aim of optimizing the Ga(III) incorporation and obtaining a significant radiochemical yield. The data presented in this work demonstrate the feasibility of the labelling procedure on POPC liposomes co-formulated with the ad hoc designed NOTA analogue. We thus provided a critical insight into the practical aspects of the development of vesicles for theranostic approaches, which in principle can be extended to other nanosystems exploiting a variety of bioconjugation protocols.     

The Importance of Nutraceuticals in COVID-19: What’s the Role of Resveratrol?

Since COVID-19 has affected global public health, there has been an urgency to find a solution to limit both the number of infections, and the aggressiveness of the disease once infected. The main characteristic of this infection is represented by a strong alteration of the immune system which, day by day, increases the risk of mortality, and can lead to a multiorgan dysfunction. Because nutritional profile can influence patient’s immunity, we focus our interest on resveratrol, a polyphenolic compound known for its immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory properties. We reviewed all the information concerning the different roles of resveratrol in COVID-19 pathophysiology using PubMed and Scopus as the main databases. Interestingly, we find out that resveratrol may exert its role through different mechanisms. In fact, it has antiviral activity inhibiting virus entrance in cells and viral replication. Resveratrol also improves autophagy and decreases pro-inflammatory agents expression acting as an anti-inflammatory agent. It regulates immune cell response and pro-inflammatory cytokines and prevents the onset of thrombotic events that usually occur in COVID-19 patients. Since resveratrol acts through different mechanisms, the effect could be enhanced, making a totally natural agent particularly effective as an adjuvant in anti COVID-19 therapy.     

A Multifield Study on Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate: A Reagent Able to Build a New Cycle on Diaminoimidazoles

A new effective method for the synthesis of imidazo[1,5-b]pyridazines derivatives (yields = 68–89%) by the interaction of 1,2-diamino-4-phenylimidazole with DMAD, in methanol and in the presence of a catalytic amount of acetic acid, is proposed. The course of reaction has been examined by classical organic methods, HPLC-MS analysis, and quantum-chemical calculations.     

Anti-Inflammatory and Wound Healing Properties of Leaf and Rhizome Extracts from the Medicinal Plant Peucedanum ostruthium (L.) W. D. J. Koch

Peucedanum ostruthium (L.) W. D. J. Koch (Apiaceae) is a worldwide perennial herb native to the mountains of central Southern Europe. The rhizome has a long tradition in popular medicine, while ethnobotanical surveys have revealed local uses of leaves for superficial injuries. To experimentally validate these uses, plant material was collected in the Gran Paradiso National Park, Aosta Valley, Italy, and the rhizome and leaves were micromorphologically and phytochemically characterized. Polyphenol-enriched hydroalcoholic rhizome and leaf extracts, used in cell-free assays, showed strong and concentration-dependent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. In vitro tests revealed cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase inhibition by the leaf extract, while the rhizome extract induced only lipoxygenase inhibition. MTT assays on HaCaT keratinocytes and L929 fibroblasts showed low cytotoxicity of extracts. In vitro scratch wound test on HaCaT resulted in a strong induction of wound closure with the leaf extract, while the effect of the rhizome extract was lower. The same test on L929 cells showed similar wound closure induction with both extracts. The results confirmed the traditional medicinal uses of the rhizome as an anti-inflammatory and wound healing remedy for superficial injuries but also highlighted that the leaves can be exploited for these purposes with equal or superior effectiveness.     

Strong density results in trace spaces of maps between manifolds

We deal with strong density results of smooth maps between two manifolds and in the fractional spaces given by the traces of Sobolev maps in W ^1,p .     

Ring‐ring interconversions. Part 3. On the effect of the substituents on the thiazole moiety in the ring‐opening/ring‐closing reactions of nitrosoimidazo[2,1‐b][1,3]thiazoles with hydrochloric acid

The reaction of 6‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐5‐nitrosoimidazo[2,1‐b][1,3]thiazole 1b , 6‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐2‐methyl‐5‐nitrosoimidazo[2,1‐b][1,3]thiazole 1c , 6‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐2,3‐dimethyl‐5‐nitrosoimidazo‐[2,1‐b][1,3]thiazole 1d and 2‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐3‐nitrosobenzo[d]imidazo[2,1‐b][1,3]thiazole 1e with hydrochloric acid has been carried out in order to investigate the effect of substituents on the thiazole ring in a recently reported ring‐ring interconversion reaction. In every case the corresponding [1,4]‐thiazino[3,4‐c][1,2,4]oxadiazol‐3‐ones 2b‐e have been obtained. In particular, the benzoderivative 1e furnished the 4‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐4‐hydroxy‐4H‐benzo[5,6][1,4]thiazino[3,4‐c][1,2,4]oxadiazol‐1‐one 2e , containing a new tricyclic system with a quasi‐planar geometry whose pharmacological potentialities appear promising.     

Kepler’s equation and limit cycles in a class of PWM feedback control systems

The aim of this paper is to point out some new results concerning the ripple instability in the closed-loop control system using pulse width modulators (PWM), with natural sampling, as power amplifier. The presented analysis, based on the dual-input describing function method and the theoretical framework of Kepler’s problem, shows an equivalence between the computation of switching instants of the PWM and the eccentric anomaly of the planet orbit around the sun, giving a simple stability criterion and a sufficient condition for the absence of solutions of the harmonic balance equation and, therefore, the probable absence of limit cycles of a period of a multiple of that characteristic of the modulator. The derived stability criterion, by using the describing function method, is successively compared with the local stability of the closed-loop PWM system for first- and second-order plants. In the first case it has been formally proved that the proposed criterion ensures the local stability of an equilibrium point, while in the second one a Monte Carlo simulation has confirmed that the selection of the modulator parameters, according to the proposed criterion, gives an effective method to avoid limit cycles and to ensure the local stability.     

Evaluation of a potential prognostic parameter for the inflammatory status in COVID-19 patients: The inflammatory protein ratio

C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, and d -dimer are determined in the human plasma of 2745 hospitalized patients with and without coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by automated-latex enhanced immunoassay and immuno-turbidimetric assay. SARS-COV-2 RNA qualitative test, real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) based, is performed in nasopharyngeal swabs to confirm those with SARS-COV-2 positivity. Furthermore, serum proteins are separated and quantified in all the patients by serum protein electrophoresis (SPE). A new SPE parameter, inflammatory protein ratio (IPR), is elaborated for the first time by a mathematical equation that considers the albumin, α1-globulin, and α2-globulin. IPR normal reference range (10.7%–28.3%) is calculated considering the normal reference range of albumin, α1-globulin, and α2-globulin obtained for controls. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson's, Kruskal–Wallis, and Spearman's tests application show that IPR significantly correlates with direct proportionality with d -dimer, CRP, and fibrinogen. Significant (p < 0.001) increase of these parameters, IPR included, is detected in COVID-19 patients only. Our results show that IPR is more specific for monitoring inflammatory status thanks to its correlation with the only three serum proteins involved in inflammation: albumin, α1-globulin, and α2-globulin. Furthermore, IPR can simplify the interpretation of SPE results about inflammatory status, being of unique value compared to the six-serum protein classes separately presented in the typical SPE clinical reports.     

Transition from enantioselective high performance to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography: A case study of a brush-type chiral stationary phase based on sub-5-micron to sub-2-micron silica particles

Three brush-type chiral stationary phases (CSPs) differing in the particle size of the starting silica particles have been prepared by covalent grafting of the π-acidic bis-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-derivative of trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane (DACH-DNB). Starting silica particles of 4.3, 2.6 and 1.9 micron were used to generate the final CSPs using an improved, highly reproducible synthetic methodology, that allowed to assemble and surface-graft the whole chiral selector in only two steps. The different CSPs have been packed in columns of various length and diameters, and fully characterized in terms of flow permeability, kinetic performances and enantioselectivity using a set of test solutes. Very high speed and high resolution applications together with stereodynamic HPLC examples are demonstrated on the columns with reduced particle diameters, on which separations of several enantiomeric pairs are routinely obtained with analysis times in the 15–40 s range.