The Usefulness of Intermediate Products of Plum Processing for Alcoholic Fermentation and Chemical Composition of the Obtained Distillates

In this study, an evaluation of intermediate products of plum processing as potential raw materials for distillates production was performed. Effects of composition of mashes on ethanol yield, chemical composition and taste, and flavor of the obtained spirits were determined. The obtained results showed that spontaneous fermentations of the tested products of plum processing with native microflora of raisins resulted in lower ethanol yields, compared to the ones fermented with wine yeast Saccharomyces bayanus. The supplementation of mashes with 120 g/L of sucrose caused an increase in ethanol contents from 6.2 ± 0.2 ÷ 6.5 ± 0.2% v/v in reference mashes (without sucrose addition, fermented with S. bayanus) to ca. 10.3 ± 0.3% v/v, where its highest yields amounted to 94.7 ± 2.9 ÷ 95.6 ± 2.9% of theoretical capacity, without negative changes in raw material originality of distillates. The concentrations of volatile compounds in the obtained distillates exceeding 2000 mg/L alcohol 100% v/v and low content of methanol and hydrocyanic acid, as well as their good taste and aroma make the examined products of plum processing be very attractive raw materials for the plum distillates production.     

Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists—Use in Chronic Kidney Disease

Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA) are drugs with a potentially broad spectrum of action. They have been reported to have healing effects in many diseases, such as chronic heart failure, hypertension, or nephrotic syndrome. Numerous studies suggest that mineralocorticoid receptor activation is pathogenic and a progression factor of chronic kidney disease (CKD); however, results of studies on the use of MRA in the treatment of CKD are inconclusive. Current guidelines recommend against the use of MRA in patients with advanced CKD. Although, there is growing interest on their use in this population due to treatment benefits. In this review, we summarize studies which were purposed to evaluate the impact of MRA therapy on CKD patients. Despite many benefits of this treatment e.g., reducing cardiovascular mortality or alleviating proteinuria, steroidal MRA (such as spironolactone or eplerenone) have a low safety profile. They often lead to hyperkalemia complications which are dangerous in patients with CKD, and diabetic nephropathy, especially in hemodialysis patients. Studies on recently developed nonsteroidal MRA showed that they have fewer side effects. In our review, we discuss steroidal and nonsteroidal MRA treatment effects on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), proteinuria, the cardiovascular system, and hyperkalemia in CKD patients. We present new content and recent publications in this field.     

Electron transport in implant isolation GaAs layers

We report results of ac electrical characterisation of diode structures with Hg electrodes and an implant isolation layer formed on a n⁺GaAs substrate. The C–f and G–f characteristics at varying bias voltage between 0 and 10 V at room temperature were examined. The frequency of 50 mV measuring signal was changed from 100 Hz to 10 MHz. The implant isolation layers were performed by ion implantation of oxygen with 100 keV followed by 250 keV process on well conducting commercial GaAs substrate. Ion doses ranging from 10¹² to 5×10¹³ cm⁻² were used. The high frequency C–V characteristics showed that all tested implant isolation layers were fully depleted beginning from zero bias voltage. The G–f characteristics showed that ac conductance increases as a function of frequency and approximately follows ω^s dependence with s=0.6–0.9. These results are consistently interpreted as the result of the transport of injected carriers through the implant isolation layer via a hopping mechanism involving defects. Only in the samples with low level of defect density (low ion dose of 10¹² cm⁻²) for low frequency from 100 Hz to 5 kHz the high level conductance does not depend on frequency. This can be interpreted as the result of the transport of injected carriers through the extended states in conduction band.     

The Importance of Immunological Disorders in the Pathogenesis of Lichen Sclerosus in Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review

Lichen sclerosus (LS) is defined as a chronic mucocutaneous inflammatory disease with a localization predominantly to the anus and genitals (vulvar sclerosus (VLS)). Pediatric lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with predilection for the anogenital area that if untreated can lead to scarring. Vulvar LS is characterized by two peaks in incidence: it occurs in prepubertal girls and in postmenopausal women. To date, several mechanisms and risk factors have been proposed in the pathogenesis of pediatric vulvar LS; however, the etiology of this condition is still not fully understood and constitutes a challenge for scientists and clinicians. The presented research aimed to systematically review the existing literature on the pathogenesis of pediatric LS and to identify possible underlying autoimmune mechanisms and molecular networks. The clinical presentation of pediatric lichen sclerosus and available treatment modalities are also presented to acquaint a broader audience with this underdiagnosed and undertreated condition. As a result of our review, we discuss several potential mechanisms, molecules, and pathways that have been recognized in this disease. The purpose of our review was also to summarize what we can induce in further studies, which will ultimately help to identify the mechanism responsible for the disease and aid in the development of new, more effective treatment strategies for diagnosis and treatment by clinicians and researchers.     

CTLA-4 Expression Is a Promising Biomarker of Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Allows Differentiation of the Type of Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an increasingly frequently diagnosed disease, the molecular mechanisms of which have not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of our study was to investigate subpopulations of lymphocytes to better understand their role in the molecular pathomechanisms of various types of PAH and to find a suitable biomarker that could be useful in the differential diagnosis of PAH. Using flow cytometry, we measured the frequencies of lymphocyte subpopulations CD4+CTLA-4+, CD8+ CTLA-4+ and CD19+ CTLA-4+ in patients with different types of PAH, namely pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease (CHD-PAH), pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with connective tissue disorders (CTD-PAH), chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (iPAH), and in an age- and sex-matched control group in relation to selected clinical parameters. Patients in the iPAH group had the significantly highest percentage of CD4+CTLA-4+ T lymphocytes among all PAH groups, as compared to those in the control group (p < 0.001), patients with CTEPH (p < 0.001), CTD-PAH (p < 0.001) and CHD-PAH (p < 0.01). In iPAH patients, the percentages of CD4+CTLA-4+ T cells correlated strongly positively with the severity of heart failure New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Classification (r = 0.7077, p < 0.001). Moreover, the percentage of B CD19+CTLA-4+ cells strongly positively correlated with the concentration of NT-proBNP (r = 0.8498, p < 0.001). We have shown that statistically significantly higher percentages of CD4+CTLA-4+ (p ≤ 0.01) and CD8+ CTLA-4+ (p ≤ 0.001) T cells, measured at the time of iPAH diagnosis, were found in patients who died within 5 years of the diagnosis, which allows us to consider both of the above lymphocyte subpopulations as a negative prognostic/predictive factor in iPAH. CTLA-4 may be a promising biomarker of noninvasive detection of iPAH, but its role in planning the treatment strategy of PAH remains unclear. Further studies on T and B lymphocyte subsets are needed in different types of PAH to ascertain the relationships that exist between them and the disease.     

Impact of the addition of dolomite to cream-firing clays on the technological and color properties of sintered ceramics

Sintered ceramics, represented by ceramic tiles or clinker bricks, are widely used in the building materials industry due to their technological properties and visual qualities. The topic of color changing of ceramic materials from cream-firing clays with the use of mineral additives has not been addressed to date. The aim of the paper was to investigate the effect of granulation of dolomite additives to ceramic masses based on cream-firing Borkowice clay on the color and properties of fired ceramic materials. The paper proposes that grain size of mineral additive affects the color of sintered ceramics. In order to confirm this hypothesis, a number of experiments were performed, consisting of determination of the color and technological properties of ceramic materials. The conducted tests showed that the color and technological properties of sintered ceramics are influenced by the grain size of the additives used.     

The effect of La2O3 and CeO2 modifiers on properties of Ni–Al catalysts for LNG prereforming

Ni/La–Al₂O₃ and Ni/Ce–Al₂O₃ catalysts with a small amount of promoters intended for prereforming of LNG were characterized by XRF, N₂ adsorption-desorption, XRD, H₂ chemisorption, HRTEM and XPS. The catalytic activity was evaluated in methane steam reforming both in the kinetic and diffusion regime, at temperatures characteristic of pre-reforming. Carbonaceous deposit was analysed by TPO-MS method. The nature and location of the coke were studied by HRTEM.La or Ce addition into Ni–Al system causes the increase of the active surface area of Ni by enhancing its dispersion. Studies at kinetic regime have shown that the promoted catalysts have almost twice the activity than reference Ni–Al catalyst. This effect was not confirmed by measurements in the diffusion regime on whole catalyst tablets. Almost identical textural properties of catalysts and diffusive limitations related to them but not the catalytic properties of the material itself appeared to be crucial factors. The presence of La (but not Ce) causes a significant increase in resistance to coking.