Time-dependence of ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) index in Chilean apples and berries

We hypothesize that the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay that follows the reaction of Fe(3+)-TPTZ at 593 nm underestimates the antioxidant capacity of fruits, since the standardized time of the reaction (4 min) is not enough to titrate all the reducing compounds available. We measured FRAP, total phenolics and anthocyanins content in a variety of Chilean berry fruits (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries) and apples (cv. Fuji, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Red Delicious and Royal Gala). Taking into account the dependence of FRAP on the time course of the reaction, we propose to measure FRAP indexes after 1 min (FRAP-1), 30 min (FRAP-30) and 120 min (FRAP-120) of incubation. Most fruit extracts showed significant correlations between the antioxidant capacity and the incubation time, although in some cases the FRAP indexes did not correlate with the total phenolics and/or anthocyanins content. In fact, in apples and berries the correlation between anthocyanins content and FRAP indexes decreased with the incubation time. It is concluded that the fruit extracts analyzed require an incubation period higher than the established in the original experimental protocol to reach the equilibrium, due to the presence of a complex mixture of antioxidant compounds. In addition, a kinetic profile should be realized in each sample studied to establish the most suitable incubation period to titrate all the reactive antioxidant species.     

Iron and zinc in vitro potential availability in an infant diet with fortified bread with different iron sources or with the addition of different iron absorption promoters

Home-made diets are the most frequently used complementary foods. In the present work we evaluated iron and zinc availability in a usually consumed infant diet containing either iron-fortified bread with different iron sources: ferrous sulfate, ferrous bisglycinate, NaFeEDTA. We also used non-fortified bread with absorption promoters: ascorbic acid, sodium citrate, Na2EDTA, combined with different beverages. The diet (potato, pumpkin, grits, bread, and apple) was combined with water, milk, tea, a soft drink and an orange-based artificial drink. Mineral dialyzability (D) as an indicator of potential availability was determined using an in vitro method. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA, and a posteriori Tukey test. There were no significant differences in FeD between diets with ferrous sulfate or ferrous bisglycinate fortified bread; in NaFeEDTA fortified bread it increased significantly (p<0.05). Iron D increase was greater in diets with bread containing absorption promoters than in those with fortified bread. The orange-based artificial drink increased FeD, while tea and milk decreased it significantly (p < 0.05). Zinc D increased significantly when the bread was fortified either with ferrous sulfate or NaFeEDTA, but remained unchanged in diets with ferrous bisglycinate fortified bread. The addition of tea or milk decreased ZnD while the orange-based artificial drink increased it significantly (p < 0.05). Regarding absorption promoters, the greater values both in FeD and ZnD were observed in diets with iron nonfortified bread containing Na2EDTA.     

Ozone-Based Processes Applied to Municipal Secondary Effluents

This study analyzes the performances of 2 methods of oxidation based on ozone, namely ozonation and ozone combined with hydrogen peroxide (O₃/H₂O₂), on two biotreated municipal wastewater effluents. The main parameters monitored to evaluate the effectiveness of the processes were Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD₅). Ozonation and O₃/H₂O₂ treatment removed 44% and 48%, respectively, of the COD, after 90 min, of the secondary effluent of Calafell wastewater treatment plant (Spain). On the secondary effluent from the Grasse wastewater treatment plant (France), these same treatments (O₃; O₃/H₂O₂) achieved, respectively, a degradation of 52% and 100% of the COD after 60 min. The transferred ozone dose (TOD) during Calafell and Grasse effluents' ozonation were 122 mg·L^?1 and 77 mg·L^?1 after 90 min, respectively. A low removal of DOC was monitored during both O₃ or O₃/H₂O₂ treatments applied to Calafell wastewater, respectively 12% and 14%. Better DOC reductions were obtained on the water of Grasse treated with O₃ or O₃/H₂O₂, respectively, 48% and 60%. In addition, ammonia nitrogen was oxidized to nitrate nitrogen thus giving rise to an over ozone consumption. And finally, both processes proceeded with an increase of pH values. These results highlight the strong dependency of O₃ or O₃/H₂O₂ treatment effectiveness in terms of dissolved organic matter (DOM) removal and ozone consumption on wastewater composition (organic and inorganic substances).     

Assessment of exposure of broiler chicken in Brazil to mycotoxins through naturally contaminated feed

The objective of the present study was to assess the degree of exposure of broiler chicken to mycotoxins through naturally contaminated feed and the hygienic quality of feeds. For this purpose the total fungal count and occurrence of fumonisins and aflatoxins were evaluated in four feed types intended for broilers (n?=?158), collected from a poultry breeding farm in northern Paraná State, Brazil. In most feed samples (94 % pre-starter, 91 % starter, 99 % grower and 97 % finisher feeds) the total mould and yeast counts were below 1.0?×?10⁴ CFU/g, the maximum limit established to assure a good hygienic quality of the product. Fumonisins were detected in 94.9 % feed samples at mean levels ranging from 0.52 mg/kg (finisher) to 0.68 mg/kg (pre-starter and grower), while aflatoxins were detected in 72.1 % feed samples at mean levels ranging from 0.0022 mg/kg (pre-starter) to 0.0064 mg/kg (grower). The maximum estimated daily intake of fumonisin B₁ for broilers (0.057 mg/kg body weight/day) was below the Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level (2 mg/kg bw/day). Concerning aflatoxins, most of the positive samples (97 %) showed aflatoxin levels below the maximum limit allowed by the European Commission 0.02 mg aflatoxin B₁/kg. Nevertheless, a rigorous monitoring program of the feed producing chain is essential in order to minimize human health hazards. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the degree of exposure of broilers to mycotoxins through naturally contaminated feed in Brazil.     

Hydrolytic Stability of l-(+)-Ascorbic Acid in Low Methoxyl Pectin Films with Potential Antioxidant Activity at Food Interfaces

l-(+)-Ascorbic acid (AA) was compartmentalized into a low methoxyl pectin (LMP) film in view of localized antioxidant activity at food interfaces. The AA hydrolysis was specifically studied in the present work in order to determine the ability of the formulated LMP film to stabilize AA. Hence, films were stored at controlled relative humidity (RH) in the absence of air. A commercial LMP characterized by a 40% degree of methylesterification (DM) was used. Since sucrose is normally added for its standardization, films were also made with the dialyzed LMP in order to determine the sucrose effect. Glycerol was used for plasticization. Kinetics of AA loss and subsequent browning development were determined, which are dependent on the RH. Considerable AA retention (t _1/2?=?744, 727, and 185 days) was achieved at 33.3%, 57.7%, or 75.2% RH, respectively, at 25 °C. Browning rate constants decreased in one order of magnitude with respect to kinetic constants determined from films previously developed with high methoxyl pectin (HMP; DM of 73%). Absence of sucrose in the LMP network only affected the browning kinetics at 75.2% RH. The glass transition temperature (T _g) decreased with the increment of moisture content of the films and in a similar degree (T _g?≈??90 °C) to that observed for the HMP films, indicating the contribution of water to the network plasticization. However, water was more confined in the LMP network as inferred from the water availability determined by the ¹H-NMR and DSC. This was attributed to the water interaction at the Ca²⁺ junction zones. Sucrose seemed to hinder the retention of water molecules by the polymeric network at 75.2% RH.     

Objective and subjective optical-quality measurements in subjects with keratitis and age-related macular degeneration

The use of commercial devices that objectively measure retinal image quality has increased in recent years although limited mostly to the analysis of surgical emmetropization techniques. In this work, we propose the use of optical-quality devices (an aberrometer and a double-pass device) to be extended to other highly prevalent ocular pathologies such as keratitis and age-related macular degeneration. For this, we determined whether the objective data correlate with visual performance. Data, including the contrast-sensitivity function, were taken for 26 patients. The results show a clear correspondence between objective and psychophysical measurements, revealing that optical-quality devices can be useful for additional visual clinical applications.     

Enrichment Methods for Murine Liver Non-Parenchymal Cells Differentially Affect Their Immunophenotype and Responsiveness towards Stimulation

Hepatocytes comprise the majority of the liver and largely exert metabolic functions, whereas non-parenchymal cells (NPCs)—comprising Kupffer cells, dendritic cells and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells—control the immunological state within this organ. Here, we compared the suitability of two isolation methods for murine liver NPCs. Liver perfusion (LP) with collagenase/DNase I applied via the portal vein leads to efficient liver digestion, whereas the modified liver dissociation (LD) method combines mechanical dissociation of the retrieved organ with enzymatic degradation of the extracellular matrix. In cases of both LP and LD, NPCs were enriched by subsequent gradient density centrifugation. Our results indicate that LP and LD are largely comparable with regards to the yield, purity, and composition of liver NPCs. However, LD-enriched liver NPCs displayed a higher degree of activation after overnight cultivation, and accordingly were less responsive towards stimulation with toll-like receptor ligands that are frequently used as adjuvants, e.g., in nano-vaccines. We conclude that LP is more suitable for obtaining liver NPCs for subsequent in vitro studies, whereas LD as the less laborious method, is more convenient for parallel isolation of larger numbers of samples for ex vivo analysis.     

Anxiety-like Behavior and GABAAR/BDZ Binding Site Response to Progesterone Withdrawal in a Stress-Vulnerable Strain,the Wistar Kyoto Rats

Stress susceptibility could play a role in developing premenstrual anxiety due to abnormalities in the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and impairments in the GABAA receptors’ benzodiazepine (BDZ) site. Hence, we studied the stress-vulnerable Wistar Kyoto rat strain (WKY) to evaluate progesterone withdrawal (PW) effects on anxiety, HPA axis response, and to explore indicators of GABAA functionality in the BDZ site. For five days, ovariectomized WKY rats were administered 2.0 mg/kg of progesterone. Twenty-four hours after the last administration, rats were tested in the anxiety-like burying behavior test (BBT) or elevated plus maze test (EPM), and corticosterone was determined. [3H]Flunitrazepam binding autoradiography served as the BDZ binding site index of the GABAA receptor in amygdala nuclei and hippocampus’s dentate gyrus (DG). Finally, different doses of diazepam in PW-WKY rats were tested in the BBT. PW induced anxiety-like behaviors in both BBT and EPM compared with No-PW rats. PW increased corticosterone, but was blunted when combined with PW and BBT. PW increased [3H]Flunitrazepam binding in the DG and central amygdala compared with No-PW rats. Diazepam at a low dose induced an anxiogenic-like response in PW rats, suggesting a paradoxical response to benzodiazepines. Overall, PW induced anxiety-like behavior, a blunted HPA axis response, and higher GABAAR/BZD binding site sensitivity in a stress-vulnerable rat strain. These findings demonstrate the role of stress-susceptibility in GABAAR functionality in a preclinical approximation of PMDD.     

Inclusion Body Myositis and Neoplasia: A Narrative Review

Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is an acquired, late-onset inflammatory myopathy, with both inflammatory and degenerative pathogenesis. Although idiopathic inflammatory myopathies may be associated with malignancies, IBM is generally not considered paraneoplastic. Many studies of malignancy in inflammatory myopathies did not include IBM patients. Indeed, IBM is often diagnosed only after around 5 years from onset, while paraneoplastic myositis is generally defined as the co-occurrence of malignancy and myopathy within 1 to 3 years of each other. Nevertheless, a significant association with large granular lymphocyte leukemia has been recently described in IBM, and there are reports of cancer-associated IBM. We review the pathogenic mechanisms supposed to be involved in IBM and outline the common mechanisms in IBM and malignancy, as well as the therapeutic perspectives. The terminally differentiated, CD8+ highly cytotoxic T cells expressing NK features are central in the pathogenesis of IBM and, paradoxically, play a role in some cancers as well. Interferon gamma plays a central role, mostly during the early stages of the disease. The secondary mitochondrial dysfunction, the autophagy and cell cycle dysregulation, and the crosstalk between metabolic and mitogenic pathways could be shared by IBM and cancer. There are intermingled subcellular mechanisms in IBM and neoplasia, and probably their co-existence is underestimated. The link between IBM and cancers deserves further interest, in order to search for efficient therapies in IBM and to improve muscle function, life quality, and survival in both diseases.