Soy protein isolate nanocomposite film enriched with eugenol,an antimicrobial agent: Interactions and properties

Nanocomposites films were designed from soy protein isolates (SPI), clays (Na⁺‐MMT), and eugenol an antimicrobial agent. Interactions between Na⁺‐MMT and eugenol were evidenced by a shift of the d‐spacing by X‐ray diffraction analysis. The addition of Na⁺‐MMT (5 and 7.5% w/w) in SPI solution increased its shear thinning behavior and its consistency. Accordingly, a good exfoliation of clays in SPI films was observed. The glass transition temperature of SPI films was impacted by the clays addition but not the water vapor permeability. In contrast, the addition of eugenol in SPI solution did not affected the consistency but induced a decrease of the SPI film T_g and an increase of the water vapor permeability. The presence of eugenol counterbalanced the effect of clays on consistency of film‐forming solution. The clay intercalation process was facilitated and the water vapor permeability and active agent release were modified. The presence of clay did not affect the antibacterial effect of eugenol/SPI films. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45941.     

Managed Agreement: Generalizing two fundamental distributed agreement problems

This paper presents a family of agreement problems called Managed Agreement, which is parameterized by the number of aristocrat nodes in the system; NBAC is a special case of this family when all nodes are aristocrats while Consensus is a special case of this family when there are no aristocrats. The paper also presents a parameterized family of failure detectors F(A) such that F(A) is the weakest failure detector class that enables solving Managed Agreement with a set A of aristocrats in an asynchronous environment.     

Phagocytosis of Erythrocytes from Gaucher Patients Induces Phenotypic Modifications in Macrophages,Driving Them toward Gaucher Cells

Gaucher disease (GD) is caused by glucocerebrosidase deficiency leading to the accumulation of sphingolipids in macrophages named “Gaucher’s Cells”. These cells are characterized by deregulated expression of cell surface markers, abnormal secretion of inflammatory cytokines, and iron sequestration. These cells are known to infiltrate tissues resulting in hematological manifestations, splenomegaly, and bone diseases. We have already demonstrated that Gaucher red blood cells exhibit altered properties suggesting their key role in GD clinical manifestations. We hypothesized that Gaucher’s erythrocytes could be prone to premature destruction by macrophages contributing to the formation of altered macrophages and Gaucher-like cells. We conducted in vitro experiments of erythrophagocytosis using erythrocytes from Gaucher’s patients or healthy donors. Our results showed an enhanced erythrophagocytosis of Gaucher red blood cells compared to healthy red blood cells, which is related to erythrocyte sphingolipids overload and reduced deformability. Importantly, we showed elevated expression of the antigen-presenting molecules CD1d and MHC-II and of the iron-regulator hepcidin in macrophages, as well as enhanced secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β after phagocytosis of GD erythrocytes. These results strongly suggested that erythrophagocytosis in GD contribute to phenotypic modifications in macrophages. This present study shows that erythrocytes-macrophages interactions may be crucial in GD pathophysiology and pathogenesis.     

Proteomic and Transcriptomic Responses Enable Clams to Correct the pH of Calcifying Fluids and Sustain Biomineralization in Acidified Environments

Seawater pH and carbonate saturation are predicted to decrease dramatically by the end of the century. This process, designated ocean acidification (OA), threatens economically and ecologically important marine calcifiers, including the northern quahog (Mercenaria mercenaria). While many studies have demonstrated the adverse impacts of OA on bivalves, much less is known about mechanisms of resilience and adaptive strategies. Here, we examined clam responses to OA by evaluating cellular (hemocyte activities) and molecular (high-throughput proteomics, RNASeq) changes in hemolymph and extrapallial fluid (EPF—the site of biomineralization located between the mantle and the shell) in M. mercenaria continuously exposed to acidified (pH ~7.3; pCO₂ ~2700 ppm) and normal conditions (pH ~8.1; pCO₂ ~600 ppm) for one year. The extracellular pH of EPF and hemolymph (~7.5) was significantly higher than that of the external acidified seawater (~7.3). Under OA conditions, granulocytes (a sub-population of hemocytes important for biomineralization) were able to increase intracellular pH (by 54% in EPF and 79% in hemolymph) and calcium content (by 56% in hemolymph). The increased pH of EPF and hemolymph from clams exposed to high pCO₂ was associated with the overexpression of genes (at both the mRNA and protein levels) related to biomineralization, acid–base balance, and calcium homeostasis, suggesting that clams can use corrective mechanisms to mitigate the negative impact of OA.     

Combining selected immunomodulatory Propionibacterium freudenreichii and Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains: Reverse engineering development of an anti‐inflammatory cheese

Scope : Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) constitutes a growing public health concern in western countries. Bacteria with anti‐inflammatory properties are lacking in the dysbiosis accompanying IBD. Selected strains of probiotic bacteria with anti‐inflammatory properties accordingly alleviate symptoms and enhance treatment of ulcerative colitis in clinical trials. Such properties are also found in selected strains of dairy starters such as Propionibacterium freudenreichii and Lactobacillus delbrueckii (Ld). We thus investigated the possibility to develop a fermented dairy product, combining both starter and probiotic abilities of both lactic acid and propionic acid bacteria, designed to extend remissions in IBD patients. Methods and results : We developed a single‐strain Ld‐fermented milk and a two‐strain P. freudenreichii and Ld‐fermented experimental pressed cheese using strains previously selected for their anti‐inflammatory properties. Consumption of these experimental fermented dairy products protected mice against trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid induced colitis, alleviating severity of symptoms, modulating local and systemic inflammation, as well as colonic oxidative stress and epithelial cell damages. As a control, the corresponding sterile dairy matrix failed to afford such protection. Conclusion : This work reveals the probiotic potential of this bacterial mixture, in the context of fermented dairy products. It opens new perspectives for the reverse engineering development of anti‐inflammatory fermented foods designed for target populations with IBD, and has provided evidences leading to an ongoing pilot clinical study in ulcerative colitis patients.     

Microporous polyacrylate matrix containing hydrogen bonded nanotubular assemblies

We report the straightforward photo-polymerization of polyacrylate films containing bis-urea based self-assembled nanotubes. The obtained materials are characterized by gas adsorption measurements, 129Xe NMR spectroscopy and WAXS. The presence of the bis-ureas is shown by butane adsorption (at 273 K and ambient pressure) to be responsible for the formation of a significant microporosity. This porosity is however not detected by the classical argon adsorption procedure (at 77 K and low pressure). This effect is attributed to the contraction of the material at low temperature and pressure, and may be of general concern for other organic porous materials. One of the potential advantages of the present materials is that the porosity results from the self-assembled nanotubes and should therefore be independent of the matrix mechanical properties. It should in particular be possible to adjust the flexibility of the matrix by changing the monomer composition.     

A New Role for Plastid Thioredoxins in Seed Physiology in Relation to Hormone Regulation

In Arabidopsis seeds, ROS have been shown to be enabling actors of cellular signaling pathways promoting germination, but their accumulation under stress conditions or during aging leads to a decrease in the ability to germinate. Previous biochemical work revealed that a specific class of plastid thioredoxins (Trxs), the y-type Trxs, can fulfill antioxidant functions. Among the ten plastidial Trx isoforms identified in Arabidopsis, Trx y1 mRNA is the most abundant in dry seeds. We hypothesized that Trx y1 and Trx y2 would play an important role in seed physiology as antioxidants. Using reverse genetics, we found important changes in the corresponding Arabidopsis mutant seeds. They display remarkable traits such as increased longevity and higher and faster germination in conditions of reduced water availability or oxidative stress. These phenotypes suggest that Trxs y do not play an antioxidant role in seeds, as further evidenced by no changes in global ROS contents and protein redox status found in the corresponding mutant seeds. Instead, we provide evidence that marker genes of ABA and GAs pathways are perturbed in mutant seeds, together with their sensitivity to specific hormone inhibitors. Altogether, our results suggest that Trxs y function in Arabidopsis seeds is not linked to their previously identified antioxidant roles and reveal a new role for plastid Trxs linked to hormone regulation.     

High-performance deep-ultraviolet optics for free-electron lasers

Working with wavelengths shorter than the deep ultraviolet involves the development of dedicated optics for free-electron lasers with devoted coating techniques and characterizations. High-performance deep-ultraviolet optics are specially developed to create low-loss, high-reflectivity dielectric mirrors with long lifetimes in harsh synchrotron radiation environments. In February 2001, lasing at 189.7 nm, the shortest wavelength obtained so far with free-electron-laser oscillators, was obtained at the European Free-electron-laser project at ELETTRA Synchrotron Light Laboratory, Trieste, Italy. In July 2001, 330-mW extracted power at 250 nm was measured with optimized transmission mirrors. Research and development of coatings correlated to lasing performance are reported.