Accurate identification and quantification of microplastic pollution in marine sediments are crucial for assessing their ecological impact. In this study, we explored the potential of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as an analytical tool for the analysis of microplastics in complex environmental matrices such as marine sediments. Two common plastic polymers, polystyrene (PS) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), were investigated. The marine sediments facing the Tiber River mouth (Italy) were collected according to a bathymetric gradient. Results demonstrated the successful detection and quantification of PS in all sediment samples (within a range of 12.3-64.6 μg/L), while no ABS significant signals were found. An increment trend with depth was observed in the PS signal, relatable to its physicochemical properties and the Tiber River plume hydrodynamic characteristics. The NMR's non-destructive nature and minimal sample preparation represent a promising avenue for standardizing protocols to assess the microplastic distribution and impact in marine sediments.

Urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) is the most common tumor of the urinary system. One of the biggest problems related to this disease is the lack of markers that can anticipate the progression of the cancer. Genomics and transcriptomics have greatly improved the prediction of risk of recurrence and progression. Further progress can be expected including information from other omics sciences such as metabolomics. In this study, we used ¹H-NMR to characterize the intake of nutrients and the excretion of products in the extracellular medium of three UBC cell lines, which are representatives of low-grade tumors, RT4, high-grade, 5637, and a cell line that shares genotypic features with both, RT112. We have observed that RT4 cells show an activated oxidative phosphorylation, 5637 cells depend mostly on glycolysis to grow, while RT112 cells show a mixed metabolic state. Our results reveal the relative importance of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation in the growth and maintenance of different UBC cell lines, and the relationship with their genomic signatures. They suggest that cell lines associated with a low risk of progression present an activated oxidative metabolic state, while those associated with a high risk present a non-oxidative state and high glycolytic activity.

This work will review the metabolic information that various studies have obtained in recent years on bladder cancer, with particular attention to discovering biomarkers in urine for the diagnosis and prognosis of this disease. In principle, they would be capable of complementing cystoscopy, an invasive but nowadays irreplaceable technique or, in the best case, of replacing it. We will evaluate the degree of reproducibility that the different experiments have shown in the indication of biomarkers, and a synthesis will be attempted to obtain a consensus list that is more likely to become a guideline for clinical practice. In further analysis, we will inquire into the origin of these dysregulated metabolites in patients with bladder cancer. For this purpose, it will be helpful to compare the imbalances measured in urine with those known inside tumor cells or tissues. Although the urine analysis is sometimes considered a liquid biopsy because of its direct contact with the tumor in the bladder wall, it contains metabolites from all organs and tissues of the body, and the tumor is separated from urine by the most impermeable barrier found in mammals. The distinction between the specific and systemic responses can help understand the disease and its consequences in more depth.

In this work, an innovative coating strategy that is able to prolong the shelf-life of fresh-cut kiwifruit was proposed, and the effectiveness of the procedure was evaluated for a period of ten days under cold storage (4 °C). Alginate (2% m/v) functionalized with green extracts from hop (Humulus lupulus L.) cones (HE; 0.5 and 1%, v/v) was used as a coating material in order to assess the best performing strategy, leading to the most stable product. At the concentrations used to formulate the edible coatings, no contribution related to hop bitterness on the final product was recorded. The results were compared to control samples (without edible coating and coated only with alginate at 2% m/v). The plant extract was characterized by its main chemical traits and by ¹H NMR profiling, revealing the presence of antioxidant and antimicrobial bioactive compounds (i.e., alpha and beta hop acids, xanthohumol). Furthermore, the characteristics of the samples during cold storage were evaluated by physico-chemical (i.e., weight loss, soluble solid content, titratable acidity, pH, color attributes) and nutraceutical (i.e., total polyphenol, ascorbic acid content, total carotenoids, chlorophylls) traits. The results showed that the incorporation of hop extracts into the edible coatings tested was able to preserve the quality and nutraceutical traits of fresh-cut kiwifruit during cold storage, thus prolonging their shelf life and marketability.

Designing fully green materials for flexible electronics is an urgent need due to the growing awareness of an environmental crisis. With the aim of developing a sustainable, printable, and biocompatible material to be exploited in flexible electronics, the rheological, structural and charge transport properties of water-based hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC)-detonation nanodiamond (DND) viscous dispersions are investigated. A rheological investigation disclosed that the presence of the DND affects the orientation and entanglement of cellulose chains in the aqueous medium. In line with rheological analyses, the NMR diffusion experiments pointed out that the presence of DND modifies the hydrodynamic behavior of the cellulose molecules. Despite the increased rigidity of the system, the presence of DND slightly enhances the ionic conductivity of the dispersion, suggesting a modification in the charge transport properties of the material. The electrochemical analyses, performed through Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), revealed that the HPC-DND system is remarkably stable in the explored voltage range (−0.1 to +0.4 V) and characterized by a lowered bulk resistance with respect to HPC. Such features, coupled with the printability and filmability of the material, represent good requirements for the exploitation of such systems in flexible electronic applications.

Prostate cancer at the castration-resistant stage (CRPC) is a leading cause of death among men due to resistance to anticancer treatments, including chemotherapy. We set up an in vitro model of therapy-induced cancer repopulation and acquired cell resistance (CRAC) on etoposide-treated CRPC PC3 cells, witnessing therapy-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) and chemoresistance among repopulating cells. Here, we explore the metabolic changes leading to chemo-induced CRAC, measuring the exchange rates cell/culture medium of 36 metabolites via Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. We studied the evolution of PC3 metabolism throughout recovery from etoposide, encompassing the degenerative, quiescent, and repopulating phases. We found that glycolysis is immediately shut off by etoposide, gradually recovering together with induction of EMT and repopulation. Instead, OXPHOS, already high in untreated PC3, is boosted by etoposide to decline afterward, though stably maintaining values higher than control. Notably, high levels of EMT, crucial in the acquisition of chemoresistance, coincide with a strong acceleration of metabolism, especially in the exchange of principal nutrients and their end products. These results provide novel information on the energy metabolism of cancer cells repopulating from cytotoxic drug treatment, paving the way for uncovering metabolic vulnerabilities to be possibly pharmacologically targeted and providing novel clinical options for CRPC.