Essential (Mg,Fe, Zn and Cu) and Non-Essential (Cd and Pb) Elements in Predatory Insects (Vespa crabro and Vespa velutina): A Molecular Perspective

The recent introduction of the Asian yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina, into Europe has raised concern regarding the threat to honeybees and the competition with the European hornet, Vespa crabro. The aim of this study was to investigated essential (Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu) and non-essential (Cd and Pb) elements in these two species. Element concentrations were determined in the whole body and separately in the head, thorax and abdomen using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The changes in essential element concentration and speciation during metamorphosis were also studied using size exclusion chromatography followed by AAS and proteomic analysis. In both species, the essential elements were more concentrated in the abdomen due to the presence of fat bodies. Magnesium, Fe and Zn concentrations were significantly higher in V. crabro than in V. velutina and could have been related to the higher aerobic energy demand of the former species required to sustain foraging flight. Low concentrations of Cd and Pb were indicative of low environmental exposure. The concentration and speciation of essential elements, particularly Fe, varied among the developmental stages, indicating a modification of ligand preferences during metamorphosis. Overall, the results in the present study provide a better understanding of the hornet metal metabolism and a foundation for additional studies.     

Assessing smoke toxicity of burning combustibles by four expressions for fractional effective dose

Toxicity of smoke generated in a fire is difficult to measure accurately. That is because gas sensors for measuring rapidly varying concentrations of toxic gases are not yet developed. Simple expressions are searched for quick measurement in assessing smoke toxicity practically. Four equations on calculating fractional effective dose (FED) related to toxic effluents were reported in the literature, each based on different assumptions. FED value was proposed to be calculated based on peak carbon monoxide concentration and peak carbon dioxide concentration, and transient carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen concentrations. The four values were compared in this article using literature data on toxic gases from different materials measured by (i) cone calorimeter; (ii) full-scale burning tests; and (iii) tunnel full-scale tests. Measured carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen concentrations by standard equipment of oxygen consumption calorimeters were used to calculate the four FED values. It is found that the values of FED based on peak carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide concentrations (denoted as FED₂) are similar to the average values of FED calculated from the updated equation in the literature using the oxygen consumption calorimeters. Putting the values of FED₂ in fire safety design guides is then recommended.     

Gastric Adenocarcinomas and Signet-Ring Cell Carcinoma: Unraveling Gastric Cancer Complexity through Microbiome Analysis—Deepening Heterogeneity for a Personalized Therapy

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most prevalent cancer worldwide and the third leading cause of global cancer mortality. With the advances of the omic studies, a heterogeneous GC landscape has been revealed, with significant molecular diversity. Given the multifaceted nature of GC, identification of different patient subsets with prognostic and/or predictive outcomes is a key aspect to allow tailoring of specific treatments. Recently, the involvement of the microbiota in gastric carcinogenesis has been described. To deepen this aspect, we compared microbiota composition in signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) and adenocarcinoma (ADC), two distinct GC subtypes. To this purpose, 10 ADC and 10 SRCC and their paired non-tumor (PNT) counterparts were evaluated for microbiota composition through 16S rRNA analysis. Weighted and unweighted UniFrac and Bray–Curtis dissimilarity showed significant community-level separation between ADC and SRCC. Through the LEfSe (linear discriminant analysis coupled with effect size) tool, we identified potential microbial biomarkers associated with GC subtypes. In particular, SRCCs were significantly enriched in the phyla Fusobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Patescibacteria, whereas in the ADC type, Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria phyla were found. Overall, our data add new insights into GC heterogeneity and may contribute to deepening the GC classification.     

Effects of the drying method on the oxidative stability of the free and encapsulated fractions of microencapsulated sunflower oil

The influence of the drying method, freeze-drying and spray-drying, on the oxidative stability of microencapsulated sunflower oil depended on the type of encapsulation matrix. For a dairy-type matrix, formed by sodium caseinate and lactose, greater losses of tocopherols were detected during spray-drying, but both the free and encapsulated oil fractions were more stable against lipid oxidation than their freeze-dried counterparts. Results suggested that the free oil was also constituted by droplets that preserved their interfacial membrane and were protected by the matrix. Therefore, the free oil was not necessarily the non-encapsulated fraction. For a matrix constituted by gelatine, maltodextrin and sucrose, the emulsion showed low stability and a great destabilisation during spray-drying. No significant effect of the drying method on the oxidative stability of the encapsulated fraction was found with this matrix, but the free oil of the spray-dried sample oxidised faster, probably due to the emulsion destabilisation observed, which gave rise to a great amount of oil on the particle surface as a consequence of large droplets poorly stabilised.     

A Flexi-PEGDA Upconversion Implant for Wireless Brain Photodynamic Therapy

Near-infrared (NIR) activatable upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) enable wireless-based phototherapies by converting deep-tissue-penetrating NIR to visible light. UCNPs are therefore ideal as wireless transducers for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of deep-sited tumors. However, the retention of unsequestered UCNPs in tissue with minimal options for removal limits their clinical translation. To address this shortcoming, biocompatible UCNPs implants are developed to deliver upconversion photonic properties in a flexible, optical guide design. To enhance its translatability, the UCNPs implant is constructed with an FDA-approved poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) core clad with fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP). The emission spectrum of the UCNPs implant can be tuned to overlap with the absorption spectra of the clinically relevant photosensitizer, 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA). The UCNPs implant can wirelessly transmit upconverted visible light till 8 cm in length and in a bendable manner even when implanted underneath the skin or scalp. With this system, it is demonstrated that NIR-based chronic PDT is achievable in an untethered and noninvasive manner in a mouse xenograft glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) model. It is postulated that such encapsulated UCNPs implants represent a translational shift for wireless deep-tissue phototherapy by enabling sequestration of UCNPs without compromising wireless deep-tissue light delivery.     

Bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds in cooked pulses

The aim of this study was to evaluate the bioaccessibility of polyphenols and antioxidant activity in cooked pulses and to study the effect of cooking on their total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity. Cooked faba beans showed the highest TPC, followed by soybeans and lentils or peas. TPC ranged from 10.4 ± 0.2 to 52.9 ± 0.3 mg/100 g and was positively correlated with antioxidant activity. Cooking resulted in increased TPC and antioxidant activity of the methanolic extracts, caused by cell disruption and improved extraction of polyphenols. Although polyphenols were lost in the cooking water, boiled legumes had more polyphenols than those resulting cooking broths. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion resulted in increased TPC and antioxidant capacity of the extracts. Soybeans showed the highest amount of bioaccessible polyphenols. The release of phenolics from cooked legumes was mainly achieved during the intestinal phase. Literature data may underestimate the TPC and antioxidant capacity of pulses.     

Experimental studies on characteristics of fire whirl in a vertical shaft

An internal fire whirl can be generated readily in a tall shaft model with appropriate gap width at one corner. Experimental study was carried out to investigate the relationship between the characteristics of an IFW and the corner gap width in a 9‐m‐tall vertical shaft model. The vertical shaft had a 2.1 m by 2.1 m square section with gasoline pool fire of different diameters burning inside. The gap width was varied to investigate its impact on fire whirl characteristics, such as flame development, swirling intensity, flame height, flame temperature, and heat release rate of the gasoline pool fire. Vigorous flame swirling motions were generated when the ratio of the gap width to the shaft section perimeter was within the range 0.16 to 0.21. From the flame streamline angle, it was observed that the swirling component was much stronger than buoyancy component near the bottom of burning region. The swirling component decreased and became roughly the same as buoyancy near the middle. Finally, it diminished to being much weaker than buoyancy near the top of the fire. These observations suggest that the Froude number Fr decreased from a large number to 1, and then continued to decrease to 0.