Constituents of Leaves and Flowers Essential Oils of Helichrysum pallasii (Spreng.) Ledeb. Growing Wild in Lebanon

Formisano, Carmen,Mignola, Enrico,Rigano, Daniela,Senatore, Felice,Arnold, Nelly Apostolides,Bruno, Maurizio,Rosselli, Sergio The Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition 2009 Journal of medicinal food Vol.12 No.1

The chemical compositions of the essential oils obtained from leaves and flowers of Helichrysum pallasii were analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Among the 102 identified constituents, hexadecanoic acid (16.2%), (Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid (6.8%), tetradecanoic acid (2.6%), and (Z)-caryophyllene (4.2%) were the main constituent of the oil from leaves, while in the oil from flowers hexadecanoic acid (14.7%), (Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid (14.2%), (Z)-caryophyllene (3.6%), and $\delta$-cadinene (3.1%) predominated. The oils were both characterized by sesquiterpenes (33.4% for leaves and 33.7% for flowers, respectively) and fatty acids and esters (30.3% in leaves and 35% in flowers, respectively). The in vitro activity of the essential oils of the plant against some microorganisms in comparison with chloramphenicol by the broth dilution method was determined. The oils exhibited a weak activity as inhibitors of growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis in vitro (minimum inhibitory concentration = $100\;{\mu}g/mL$).

Essential Oil Composition of Teucrium divaricatum Sieb. ssp. villosum (Celak.) Rech. fil. Growing Wild in Lebanon

Carmen Formisano,Francesco Napolitano,Daniela Rigano,Nelly Apostolides Arnold,Franco Piozzi,Felice Senatore 한국식품영양과학회 2010 Journal of medicinal food Vol.13 No.5

Teucrium divaricatum Sieb. ssp. villosum (Celak.) Rech. fil. is a medicinal plant used in Lebanon. The hydrodistillation of the aerial parts of T. divaricatum yielded 0.27% (wt/wt) of essential oil; gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis enabled the identification of 60 compounds representing 94.5% of the total oil. On the whole, the oil was constituted mainly by sesquiterpenes (64.6%), particularly sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (50.0%). The most abundant compounds were (E)-caryophyllene (30.1%) and caryophyllene oxide (6.1%). The in vitro activity of the essential oil against some microorganisms in comparison with gentamicin by the broth dilution method was determined. The oil exhibited a good activity as an inhibitor of growth of Gram-positive bacteria.

Constituents of Leaves and Flowers Essential Oils of Helichrysum pallasii (Spreng.) Ledeb. Growing Wild in Lebanon

Carmen Formisano,Enrico Mignola,Daniela Rigano,Felice Senatore,Nelly Apostolides Arnold,Maurizio Bruno,Sergio Rosselli 한국식품영양과학회 2009 Journal of medicinal food Vol.12 No.1

The chemical compositions of the essential oils obtained from leaves and flowers of Helichrysum pallasii were analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Among the 102 identified constituents, hexadecanoic acid (16.2%), (Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid (6.8%), tetradecanoic acid (2.6%), and (Z)-caryophyllene (4.2%) were the main constituent of the oil from leaves, while in the oil from flowers hexadecanoic acid (14.7%), (Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid (14.2%), (Z)-caryophyllene (3.6%), and δ-cadinene (3.1%) predominated. The oils were both characterized by sesquiterpenes (33.4% for leaves and 33.7% for flowers, respectively) and fatty acids and esters (30.3% in leaves and 35% in flowers, respectively). The in vitro activity of the essential oils of the plant against some microorganisms in comparison with chloramphenicol by the broth dilution method was determined. The oils exhibited a weak activity as inhibitors of growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis in vitro (minimum inhibitory concentration = 100 μg/mL).

Efficacy of Nutraceutical Combination of Monacolin K, Berberine, and Silymarin on Lipid Profile and PCSK9 Plasma Level in a Cohort of Hypercholesterolemic Patients

Elena Formisano,Andrea Pasta,Anna L. Cremonini,Elda Favari,Annalisa Ronca,Federico Carbone,Tommaso Semino,Francesco Di Pierro,Samir G. Sukkar,Livia Pisciotta 한국식품영양과학회 2020 Journal of medicinal food Vol.23 No.6

The guidelines for the treatment of dyslipidemias include the use of nutraceuticals (NUTs) in association with lifestyle modifications to achieve therapeutic goals. In NUT pill, different substances may be associated; in this study we investigated a combined NUT containing monacolin K (MonK)+KA (1:1), berberine (BBR), and silymarin. The aim of the study was to evaluate low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction in 53 patients suffering from polygenic hypercholesterolemia, characterized by a low/intermediate cardiovascular risk calculated with SCORE algorithm. The effects on lipid profile of 2-month treatment with NUT containing MonK+KA (1:1), BBR, and sylimarin, were compared with Atorvastatin (ATO) 10 mg administrated in a matched control group. Serum proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) levels and the cholesterol loading capacity (CLC) were determined at baseline and at the end of the study in NUT-treated group; variations were assessed. NUT was effective as lipid-lowering agent with a wide interindividual response variability (mean LDL-C from 170.8 ± 19.9 to 123.8 ± 20.0 with a change of −47.0 ± 21.5 mg/dL; P < .001) and the effect was similar to that induced by ATO. The use of NUT significantly modified PCSK9 levels (P < .01) and CLC (P < .001), ultimately suppressing the serum-mediated foam cell generation directly measured on human macrophages. NUT reduces LDL-C levels with an effect similar to what is induced by 10 mg of ATO and ex vivo improves the functional profile of lipoproteins with antiatherogenic action.

Seismic Behaviour Assessment of Steel Moment Resisting Frames Under Near-Field Earthquakes

Farshad Taiyari,Antonio Formisano,Federico M. Mazzolani 한국강구조학회 2019 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.19 No.5

In this paper, some seismic factors, namely response modifi ers, ductility, overstrength and defl ection amplifi cation, of steel moment resisting frames (MRFs) under near-fi eld records are evaluated. To this purpose, two separate groups of near-fi eld records (e.g., pulse-like and non-pulse-like) on the behaviour of MRFs are studied. In particular, four models with diff erent storey heights (3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-storeys) are examined through IDA analyses under 20 pulse-like and 20 non-pulse-like ground motion records. Finally, the achieved results are compared with the recommendation values of the ASCE code to assess their reliability. According to the results, the MRF structures demonstrate better seismic behaviour under the nonpulse- like ground motions rather than pulse-like ones. The average response modifi cation factor obtained from non-pulse-like ground motions is about 5.0, which is 1.19 times higher than the corresponding results achieved from pulse-like records.

Real-life Efficacy of Omalizumab After 9 Years of Follow-up

Francesco Menzella,Carla Galeone,Debora Formisano,Claudia Castagnetti,Patrizia Ruggiero,Anna Simonazzi,Luigi Zucchi 대한천식알레르기학회 2017 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.9 No.4

Omalizumab is frequently used as add-on treatment to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long-acting β2-agonists in patients with suboptimal control of severe asthma. Patients with severe asthma will typically require chronic treatment, although due to the limited amount of data available there are still some concerns about the safety and efficacy of long-term therapy with omalizumab. Herein, in an extension of a previous 4-year study, we report disease-related outcomes of 8 patients with severe persistent allergic asthma who have been followed for a total of 9 years in a real-life setting. Both quality of life (QoL) (evaluated using the Juniper Asthma-Related QoL Questionnaire [AQLQ]) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) showed sustained improvement at 9 years. The median values of AQLQ and FEV1 at 4 years were 5.5 and 82.0% compared to 5.9 and 85.5%, respectively, at 9 years, which were all significantly increased from baseline. After 9 years, the mean annual number of severe exacerbations was 0.63 compared to 5 at baseline. There also appeared to be a trend toward use of a lower dose of ICS at longer follow-up times. After 9 years, there were no safety concerns for continued use of omalizumab, and no asthma-related hospitalizations or emergency department visits were documented over the last 5 years. The present analysis is the longest reported clinical follow-up of omalizumab. Long-term maintenance treatment with omalizumab for up to 9 years is associated with continued benefits in reducing symptoms, exacerbations, and medication burden without any safety concerns.

How does the knowledge level affect the seismic retrofit cost? The case study of a RC building

Andrea Miano,Giovanni Chiumiento,Antonio Formisano,Andrea Prota 국제구조공학회 2022 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.82 No.5

The retrofit of existing structures in high seismic zones is a crucial issue in the earthquake engineering field. The interest of the research community is particularly high for the structures that do not respect current seismic codes and present structural deficiencies such as poor detailing and lack of capacity design provisions. A reinforced concrete (RC) school building is used as case study to show the influence of different knowledge levels on the seismic retrofitting cost assessment. The safety assessment of the case study building highlights deficiencies under both vertical and seismic loads. By considering all the possible knowledge levels defined by the Italian such as by the European codes in order to derive the mechanical properties of the school building constitutive materials, the retrofit operations are designed to achieve different seismic safety thresholds. The retrofit structural costs are calculated and summed up to the costs for in-situ in tests. The paper shows how for the case study building the major costs spent for a large number of in-situ tests allows to save a consistent amount of money for retrofit operations. The hypothesis of demolition and reconstruction of the building is also compared in terms of costs with all the analyzed retrofit options.

Robotic multiple sigmoid and rectal mucosa skinning in a multicentric deep infiltrating bowel endometriotic nodules: a case report

Giorgia Gaia,Margarita Afonina,Maria Chiara Sighinolfi,Giampaolo Formisano,Paolo Pietro Bianchi,Anna Maria Marconi 대한내시경로봇외과학회 2023 Journal of Minimally Invasive Surgery Vol.26 No.3

Endometriosis is a benign gynecological disease characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. The eradication of non-gynecological localizations represents the real surgical challenge. A 29-year-old woman underwent robotic surgery with the Da Vinci system (Intuitive Surgical Inc.) for a diagnosis of stage IV deep endometriosis. The patient presented with 5 cm left ovarian endometrioma, an infiltration of the left posterior parametrium, and bilateral ureteral endometriosis. Once inside the pelvic cavity, deep intestinal infiltrating endometriosis implants were confirmed as triple, multicentric, and multifocal lesions, affected distal sigmoid, rectosigmoid junction, and upper rectum. An expert multiple excision, sparing the intestinal mucosa, was performed. To our knowledge, this is the first description of a multiple robotic shaving of multicentric endometriotic intestinal lesions. After the surgery, a normal diet was quickly restored, accelerating the recovery of the physiological peristalsis and the overall recovery time.

Preparation of the ITER poloidal field conductor insert (PFCI) test

Zanino, R.,Egorov, S.,Kim, K.,Martovetsky, N.,Nunoya, Y.,Okuno, K.,Salpietro, E.,Sborchia, C.,Takahashi, Y.,Weng, P.,Bagnasco, M.,Richard, L.S.,Polak, M.,Formisano, A.,Zapretilina, E.,Shikov, A.,Veder IEEE 2005 IEEE transactions on applied superconductivity Vol.15 No.2

The Poloidal Field Conductor Insert (PFCI) of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) has been designed in the EU and is being manufactured at Tesla Engineering, UK, in the frame of a Task Agreement with the ITER International Team. Completion of the PFCI is expected at the beginning of 2005. Then, the coil shall be shipped to JAERI Naka, Japan, and inserted into the bore of the ITER Central Solenoid Model Coil, where it should be tested in 2005 to 2006. The PFCI consists of a NbTi dual-channel conductor, almost identical to the ITER PF1 and PF6 design, ∼45 m long, with a 50 mm thick square stainless steel jacket, wound in a single-layer solenoid. It should carry up to 50 kA in a field of ∼6 T, and it will be cooled by supercritical He at ∼4.5 K and ∼0.6 MPa. An intermediate joint, representative of the ITER PF joints and located at relatively high field, will be an important new item in the test configuration with respect to the previous ITER Insert Coils. The PFCI will be fully instrumented with inductive and resistive heaters, as well as with voltage taps, Hall probes, pick-up coils, temperature sensors, pressure gauges, strain and displacement sensors. The test program will be aimed at DC and pulsed performance assessment of conductor and intermediate joint, AC loss measurement, stability and quench propagation, thermal-hydraulic characterization. Here we give an overview of the preparatory work toward the test, including a review of the coil manufacturing and of the available instrumentation, a discussion of the most likely test program items, and a presentation of the supporting modeling and characterization work performed so far.