University of Udine

About: University of Udine is a education organization based out in Udine, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 6745 authors who have published 20530 publications receiving 669088 citations. The organization is also known as: Università degli Studi di Udine & Universita degli Studi di Udine.

Review of non-enzymatic browning and antioxidant capacity in processed foods ☆

Abstract: Browning reactions represent an interesting research area for the implications in food technology, nutrition and health. The development of some non-enzymatic browning reactions, such as Maillard reaction, has been recently associated to the formation of compounds with strong antioxidant capacity. In this paper, the relation between colour changes due to non-enzymatic browning and the formation of compounds with antioxidant activity is discussed. Simple positive or complex correlation between colour and antioxidant properties can be found depending on composition and technological history of the product. Complex relations between these variables are generally obtained in multi-component and in formulated foods, where the simultaneous development of a number of reactions, interacting or prevailing Maillard reaction itself, can affect in opposite ways the overall antioxidant properties and colour of the product.

New insights on oxidative stress and diabetic complications may lead to a "causal" antioxidant therapy

Abstract: Evidence implicates hyperglycemia-derived oxygen free radicals as mediators of diabetic complications. However, intervention studies with classic antioxidants, such as vitamin E, failed to demonstrate any beneficial effect. Recent studies demonstrate that a single hyperglycemia-induced process of overproduction of superoxide by the mitochondrial electron-transport chain seems to be the first and key event in the activation of all other pathways involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. These include increased polyol pathway flux, increased advanced glycosylation end product formation, activation of protein kinase C, and increased hexosamine pathway flux. Superoxide overproduction is accompanied by increased nitric oxide generation, due to an endothelial NOS and inducible NOS uncoupled state, a phenomenon favoring the formation of the strong oxidant peroxynitrite, which in turn damages DNA. DNA damage is an obligatory stimulus for the activation of the nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activation in turn depletes the intracellular concentration of its substrate NAD+, slowing the rate of glycolysis, electron transport, and ATP formation, and produces an ADP-ribosylation of the GAPDH. These processes result in acute endothelial dysfunction in diabetic blood vessels that, convincingly, also contributes to the development of diabetic complications. These new findings may explain why classic antioxidants, such as vitamin E, which work by scavenging already-formed toxic oxidation products, have failed to show beneficial effects on diabetic complications and may suggest new and attractive “causal” antioxidant therapy. New low–molecular mass compounds that act as SOD or catalase mimetics or l-propionyl-carnitine and lipoic acid, which work as intracellular superoxide scavengers, improving mitochondrial function and reducing DNA damage, may be good candidates for such a strategy, and preliminary studies support this hypothesis. This “causal” therapy would also be associated with other promising tools such as LY 333531, PJ34, and FP15, which block the protein kinase β isoform, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and peroxynitrite, respectively. While waiting for these focused tools, we may have other options: thiazolinediones, statins, ACE inhibitors, and angiotensin 1 inhibitors can reduce intracellular oxidative stress generation, and it has been suggested that many of their beneficial effects, even in diabetic patients, are due to this property.

A new prognostic score for survival of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia treated with interferon alfa. Writing Committee for the Collaborative CML Prognostic Factors Project Group.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Interferon alfa is a conservative and widely used alternative to bone marrow transplantation in treatment of patients with early chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). A meta-analysis was conducted to develop a reliable prognostic scoring system for estimation of survival of patients with CML treated with interferon alfa. METHODS: Patients treated in prospective studies, including major randomized trials, were separated into learning and validation samples. Cox regression analysis and the minimum P-value approach were used to identify prognostic factors for patient survival and to discover groups in the learning sample with the greatest differences in survival. These findings were then validated by applying the new scoring system to patients in the validation sample. RESULTS: We collected data on 1573 patients who were participants in 14 studies involving 12 institutions; 1303 patients (learning sample, n = 981; validation sample, n = 322) were eligible for inclusion in this analysis, and their median survival time was 69 months (range, 1-117 months). Because two previously described prognostic scoring systems failed to discriminate risk groups satisfactorily, we developed a new scoring system that utilizes the following covariates: age, spleen size, blast count, platelet count, eosinophil count, and basophil count. Among 908 patients with complete data in the learning sample, three distinct risk groups were identified (median survival times of 98 months [n = 369; 40.6%], 65 months [n = 406; 44.7%], or 42 months [n = 133;14.6%]; two-sided logrank test, P< or =.0001). The ability of the new scoring system to discriminate these risk groups was confirmed by analysis of 285 patients with complete data in the validation sample (two-sided logrank test, P = .0002). CONCLUSIONS: A new prognostic scoring system for estimating survival of patients with CML treated with interferon alfa has been developed and validated through use of a large dataset.

ATLAS pixel detector electronics and sensors

Abstract: The silicon pixel tracking system for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider is described and the performance requirements are summarized. Detailed descriptions of the pixel detector electronics and the silicon sensors are given. The design, fabrication, assembly and performance of the pixel detector modules are presented. Data obtained from test beams as well as studies using cosmic rays are also discussed.