Amaranth functional cookies exert potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities

In this study, amaranth flour was used as an ingredient to prepare gluten-free cookies. The production process and attributes of amaranth cookies were characterised, and the potential use of amaranth flour as a functional ingredient was analysed. Cookies exhibited a non-uniform reddish brown colour and a cookie factor ratio of 4.5 ± 0.6. Storage studies indicated that after 3 weeks at room temperature cookies presented slight variations in the texture. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion of this product was able to release peptides capable of exerting potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities, IC₅₀ values of 0.22 ± 0.04 and 0.23 ± 0.03 mg mL⁻¹ protein, respectively. This work demonstrates for the first time that food made with amaranth flour exerts potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activity. In conclusion, these amaranth cookies could be an alternative way of incorporating potentially health beneficial products for people who choose a conscious diet, including coeliac or vegan consumers.     

How to Valorize Peanut Shells by a Simple Thermal-Catalytic Method

Topics in Catalysis - In this work, a simple thermal-catalytic system was used to valorize peanut shells (Arachis hypogaea), the residual biomass from the peanut industry. To accomplish this...     

Universities through the eyes of bibliographic databases: a retroactive growth comparison of Google Scholar,Scopus and Web of Science

Scientometrics - The purpose of this study is to ascertain the suitability of GS’s url-based method as a valid approximation of universities’ academic output measures, taking into...     

Synergistic antimicrobial effect of lactocin AL705 and nisin combined with organic acid salts against Listeria innocua 7 in broth and a hard cheese

The effectiveness of antimicrobial mixtures against Listeria innocua 7, used as a L. monocytogenes surrogate, was investigated in broth and a food system. Synergistic effects were found for nisin (Nis), potassium sorbate (PS), calcium propionate (CP) and sodium lactate (SL), Nis + PS being the most effective binary mixture that exhibited listericidal activity in broth. To assess the effect of adding lactocin AL705 (AL705) to Nis + organic acid salt combinations, tridimensional isobolograms were generated. Sub-MIC combinations of the antimicrobials exerted bactericidal activity against L. innocua 7 after AL705 addition to the binary mixtures. However, when applied on Sardo cheese contaminated with L. innocua 7 (initial inoculum 4.45 ± 0.06 CFU g⁻¹), only Nis + PS + AL705 produced count reductions respect to the control, reaching 3.04 ± 0.35 CFU g⁻¹ counts after 15 days at 15 °C. Ternary combinations containing AL705 showed potential to reduce antimicrobial usages for L. innocua 7 inhibition.     

Nasopharyngeal colonization in Costa Rican children during the first year of life

BACKGROUND: The establishment of the nasopharyngeal flora was followed in Costa Rican children from birth to 1 year of age. METHODS: Nasopharyngeal cultures were obtained at 1 (n = 413), 3 (n = 393), 6 (n = 376) and 12 months (n = 356) of age from children representative of the population in the Puriscal district. Weekly cultures were obtained from a subcohort of these children (n = 101). Mother-infant diads (n = 95) and preschool children (n = 208) attending day-care centers were also studied. RESULTS: The estimated proportion of colonized children in the population differed markedly depending on the frequency of culture. Quarterly cultures showed a slow increase in carrier rates from 3.9% for Haemophilus influenzae, 3.1% for Streptococcus pneumoniae and 6.5% for Moraxella catarrhalis at 1 month of age to 10.1% carrying H. influenzae and 19.4% carrying S. pneumoniae by the end of the first year. By quarterly culture the proportion of children colonized at least once was 36% for S. pneumoniae, 26% for H. influenzae and 28% for M. catarrhalis. In contrast weekly sampling showed that 95 to 100% of the children were colonized at least once during the first year of life with H. influenzae, S. pneumoniae or M. catarrhalis. Nasopharyngeal carriage of H. influenzae, S. pneumoniae and M. catarrhalis was low in the mothers, and very few mother-infant pairs carried identical bacteria at the same time. In contrast carrier rates were high in the siblings attending day care (H. influenzae 27.9%, S. pneumoniae 39.4%, both organisms 26.6%). Infants with siblings had significantly higher bacterial carriage at all ages than infants without siblings. CONCLUSIONS: Quarterly nasopharyngeal cultures showed that Costa Rican infants acquire their nasopharyngeal flora at a rate comparable with that for infants in developed countries and that siblings are an important source of the bacteria. Weekly samplings showed that virtually all children were colonized at least once during the first year of life.     

Inhibition of acid rock drainage from uranium ore waste using a conventional neutralization and precipitation treatment

Glass columns (length 50 cm, i.d. 4 cm) containing 900 g of uranium ore waste were subjected to a three-step process: (1) acid drainage generation, (2) neutralization and precipitation treatment and, again, (3) acid drainage generation. In the first acid generation step, lasting about one year, different variables (pyrite addition, inoculation and irrigation solution) were tested by measuring effluent pH, redox potential, total iron and sulphate. Conditions of acid generation were satisfactorily reproduced, reaching stable pH values around 2.0 that were determined mainly by pyrite addition and the type of irrigation solution used (distilled water or ferrous sulphate). The neutralization and precipitation treatment consisted of alternating irrigations of a neutralizing solution (CaO saturated plus NaOH) and a precipitating solution (ferric sulphate saturated). This treatment caused accumulation of basic iron sulphate and iron oxide precipitates according to SEM studies. After this treatment, the barrier effect created by the reaction products was checked, using irrigation solutions similar to the first step. The effluents collected showed higher pH and lower redox potential, total iron and sulphate values than those observed before the treatment, evidencing inhibition of acid drainage generation.     

Ni/Pillared Clays as Catalysts for the Selective Catalytic Reduction of Nitrogen Oxides by Propene

Different and alternative methods for the preparation of Ni/pillared clays based on impregnation and encapsulation procedures are reported. Several nickel precursors and metal loadings are considered in order to evaluate their influence on the structural, textural and catalytic properties of the resulting solids. The behaviour of the optimum solids as catalysts has been proved in the selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides with propene, and the relevance of the oxidant nature was checked by changing the composition of the oxidant mixture. Of all the factors studied, the nature of the nickel precursors appears as the most important one, owing to the formation of different active nickel species during the synthesis procedure.     

Lowered antioxidant status of red blood cells in post-parturient haemoglobinuria of buffaloes

Vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis with FSME-Immun vaccine was started in the Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical School of Bia?ystok, Poland, in 1992. No serious adverse reactions after vaccine administration were observed. Post-vaccine side effects were reported in 242 (11.3%) persons after the first dose (n = 2,135) and only in 14 patients (1.2%) after the second one (n = 1,183). These effects were mild and transitory. No relationship was observed between the frequency of adverse reactions, general or local, and the initial anti-TBE virus antibody titres or the age of the immunized individuals. Post-vaccine side effects were reported significantly more frequently among people not bitten by ticks.     

Cadmium uptake by Caco-2 cells. Effect of some milk components

The effect of some milk components on the cellular uptake of cadmium has been studied using a human intestinal cell line (Caco-2). Cadmium uptake by Caco-2 cells increased with the concentration of this metal in the culture medium, in a saturable way. These cells were exposed to different concentrations of cadmium and the synthesis of metallothionein was studied by a cadmium-saturation method. The levels of metallothionein increased with the cadmium concentration in the medium up to 20 microM of metal. Supplementation of the culture medium with 10% bovine milk caused a 25% decrease in the uptake of cadmium with respect to that internalized by the cells maintained in the culture medium alone. However, the uptake of cadmium from the medium supplemented with 10% human milk was similar to that with serum-free medium. beta-Lactoglobulin interacted with cadmium when studied by equilibrium dialysis, showing a stoichiometric binding constant of 5 x 10(4) l/mol. Interaction of lactoferrin with cadmium, however, was negligible. When Caco-2 cells were incubated in culture medium containing lactoferrin, cadmium uptake decreased with respect to that observed incubating the cells in a medium containing beta-lactoglobulin or in the free-protein medium. The inhibitory effect of lactoferrin on the uptake of cadmium might be due to a reduction of the cell surface charge, through its binding to the membrane.