Bioactives and nutraceutical phytochemicals naturally occurring in virgin olive oil. The case study of the Nocellara del Belice Italian olive cultivar.

This work reports on the composition and bionutritional value of organic virgin olive oil from the Nocellara del Belice variety, one cultivated in the olive areas of the Sicily region, Italy. Destoned oils obtained by processing olives with a destoning-based procedure were compared with conventional oils. This innovative technique, consisting in removing the stone from fruits prior to processing, strongly enhanced the already high-quality level of the conventional product. An in-depth analytical investigation from 2008 to 2010 showed how this innovative olive extraction process led to an excellent peculiar final product, mainly attributable to the improved biophenol and volatile composition, as well as higher concentrations of the lipophilic and vitamin antioxidants (tocopherols and tocotrienols). It had higher levels of oleocanthal (p-HPEA-EDA), a nutraceutical compound exerting actions against COX1 and COX2 (cycloxygenases). Its head-space aroma displayed new volatile phytomolecules and also had higher levels of green volatiles from the lipoxygenase (LOX)-pathway (one having as precursors the polyunsaturated fatty acids containing a cis-cis-1,4-pentadiene system). Among the other bioactives, we highlight its significant levels of trans-ß-carotene and xanthophylls (lutein, violaxanthin, neoxanthin and other carotenoids). Its enhanced nutritional value was also attributable to the increased intensity of valuable tasting notes.

Quilty effect has the features of lymphoid neogenesis and shares CXCL13-CXCR5 pathway with recurrent acute cardiac rejections.

Quilty effect (QE) is a frequent, yet enigmatic feature of cardiac allograft, since it is apparently devoid of clinical significance, though its association with acute (A) rejection (R) is strongly suspected. It was observed in 126/379 biopsies from 22 patients during the first posttransplant year. Most grade (G)2R biopsies displayed a concomitant QE. The following features typical of QE were identified: (a) focal angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis associated with bFGF, VEGF-C and VEGF-A expression, (b) marked infiltrate of CD4(+)T and CD20(+)B followed by CD8(+)T lymphocytes arranged around PNAd(+)HEV-like vessels. Most QE appear as distinct B-T-cell-specific areas with lymphoid follicles sometimes endowed with germinal center-like structures containing VCAM-1(+)CD21(+)FDC and CD68(+)macrophages, which frequently expressed CXCL13. These cells were also found in mantle-like zones, where small lymphocytes expressed CXCR5, otherwise in the whole area of not clustered lymphoid aggregates. CXCL13 was also expressed, in association with CD20(+)B lymphocyte recruitment, in G2R biopsies obtained from patients with recurrent AR. QE has features of a tertiary lymphoid tissue suggesting an attempt, by the heart allograft, to mount a local response to a persistent alloantigen stimulation resulting in aberrant CXCL13 production, as also occurs in recurrent AR. CXCL13-CXCR5 emerge as a common molecular pathway for QE and recurrent episodes of AR.

Application of stable isotope ratio analysis to the characterization of the geographical origin of olive oils.

To gain information about the geographical origin of oil samples, measurements of delta(13)C and delta(18)O of the whole oil and some of its fractions have been performed on samples coming from fruits of Olea europaea L. produced in Greece, Morocco, Spain, Italy, Tunisia, and Turkey. The results obtained by applying statistical procedures have given pieces of evidence that oil samples have shown the trend to cluster according to the different climatic areas of growing environment of fruits. Some confusion has been observed for samples coming from neighboring countries having similar climates.