Dietary sitostanol and campestanol: Accumulation in the blood of humans with sitosterolemia and xanthomatosis and in rat tissues

Dietary sitostanol has a hypocholesterolemic effect because it decreases the absorption of cholesterol. However, its effects on the sitostanol concentrations in the blood and tissues are relatively unknown, especially in patients with sitosterolemia and xanthomatosis. These patients hyperabsorb all sterols and fail to excrete ingested sitosterol and other plant sterols as normal people do. The goal of the present study was to examine the absorbability of dietary sitostanol in humans and animals and its potential long-term effect. Two patients with sitosterolemia were fed the margarine Benecol (McNeill Nutritionals, Ft. Washington, PA), which is enriched in sitostanol and campestanol, for 7–18 wk. Their plasma cholesterol levels decreased from 180 to 167 mg/dL and 153 to 113 mg/dL, respectively. Campesterol and sitosterol also decreased. However, their plasma sitostanol levels increased from 1.6 to 10.1 mg/dL and from 2.8 to 7.9 mg/dL, respectively. Plasma campestanol also increased. After Benecol withdrawal, the decline in plasma of both sitostanol and campestanol was very sluggish. In an animal study, two groups of rats were fed high-cholesterol diets with and without sitostanol for 4 wk. As expected, plasma and liver cholesterol levels decreased 18 and 53%, respectively. The sitostanol in plasma increased fourfold, and sitostanol increased threefold in skeletal muscle and twofold in heart muscle. Campestanol also increased significantly in both plasma and tissues. Our data indicate that dietary sitostanol and campestanol are absorbed by patients with sitosterolemia and xanthomatosis and also by rats. The absorbed plant stanols were deposited in rat tissues. Once absorbed by sitosterolemic patients, the prolonged retention of sitostanol and campestanol in plasma might increase their atherogenic potential.     

Wall pressure issues in the aeration of bulk material silos

Operators of bulk material silos frequently face various flow defects. These include defects in flow continuity, vaults, stick rings, and dead zones in the bulk material. The application of aeration systems in bulk material silos is an effective method used in order to eliminate the above defects. This paper presents a study of the effect of an aeration system on wall pressures σ_W of bulk material in a silo during a targeted bulk material aeration and relaxation process, and analyses the results in light of the calculation standards for designing bulk material silos, namely ?SN 73 5570 a DIN 1055.     

Methacrylate hydrogels reinforced with bacterial cellulose

Composite hydrogels consisting of nanofibrous bacterial cellulose (BC) embedded in a biocompatible polymeric matrix of various methacrylates were synthesized by UV polymerization using the ‘ever‐wet’ technique. The effect of monomer(s) type and ratio, system dilution at polymerization, monomer(s) hydrophilicity, crosslink density and cellulose/hydrogel ratio was investigated. The effect of BC reinforcement on equilibrium swelling depends on whether the neat gel swells more when brought into contact with water. The major improvement achieved by introduction of 1%–2% BC concerns mechanical properties. Compared with neat gels, the storage shear modulus G′ increased by a factor 10‐20, and the loss part G″ also rose significantly. The compression modulus ranged from 2 to 5.5 MPa for composites swollen to equilibrium (20‐70 wt% water). The BC‐hydrogel composites are considered for application in the tissue engineering area. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Interaction of Cucurbit[7]uril with Oxime K027, Atropine,and Paraoxon: Risky or Advantageous Delivery System?

Antidotes against organophosphates often possess physicochemical properties that mitigate their passage across the blood–brain barrier. Cucurbit[7]urils may be successfully used as a drug delivery system for bisquaternary oximes and improve central nervous system targeting. The main aim of these studies was to elucidate the relationship between cucurbit[7]uril, oxime K027, atropine, and paraoxon to define potential risks or advantages of this delivery system in a complex in vivo system. For this reason, in silico (molecular docking combined with umbrella sampling simulation) and in vivo (UHPLC—pharmacokinetics, toxicokinetics; acetylcholinesterase reactivation and functional observatory battery) methods were used. Based on our results, cucurbit[7]urils affect multiple factors in organophosphates poisoning and its therapy by (i) scavenging paraoxon and preventing free fraction of this toxin from entering the brain, (ii) enhancing the availability of atropine in the central nervous system and by (iii) increasing oxime passage into the brain. In conclusion, using cucurbit[7]urils with oximes might positively impact the overall treatment effectiveness and the benefits can outweigh the potential risks.     

Fluorine containing self‐crosslinking acrylic latexes with reduced flammability and their application as polymer binders for heterogeneous cation‐exchange membranes

In this study, self‐crosslinking core–shell latexes comprising copolymerized perfluorethyl groups and a novel flame retardant based on phosphazene derivative were prepared by the semi‐continuous non‐seeded emulsion polymerization of 2,2,2‐trifluorethyl methacrylate, methyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate, methacrylic acid, and hexaallylamino‐cyclo‐triphosphazene as main monomers. For interfacial crosslinking, diacetone acrylamide was copolymerized into the shell layer of latex particles to provide sites for subsequent reaction with adipic acid dihydrazide. The heterogeneous cation‐exchange membranes were obtained by dispersing commercial strong acid cation‐exchange resin powder in the latex binder and casting the mixture followed by keto‐hydrazide crosslinking reaction. It was found that the increased concentration of fluorine atoms and phosphazene units in the macromolecular structure of interfacially crosslinked emulsion polymers resulted in a significant enhancement of their flame resistance and shape stability in aqueous environment. Moreover, the easily prepared heterogeneous cation‐exchange membranes based on latexes with higher amounts of fluorine and phosphazene units were shown to exhibit satisfactory physicochemical and electrochemical properties. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45467.     

Non-destructive Real Time Monitoring of the Laser Welding Process

Laser welding is a high power density technology of materials joining that has many advantages in comparison with conventional fusion welding methods, for example, high accuracy, flexibility, repeatability and especially very narrow heat-affected zone which results in minimal workpiece distortions. Since it is still quite expensive technology, minimal spoilage is required. Effective system of quality control and processing parameters optimization must be established to reduce total costs, which is particularly required in industrial production. In this article some results of pulsed Nd:YAG laser welding process monitoring based on the measurement of plasma electron temperature are presented. The ability of designed sensor to detect weld penetration depth has been demonstrated. Plasma spectral lines intensities measurement can discover gap instabilities as well as local sheet thickness reduction.     

Analysis of switched networks

Ideal switches are rarely modelled in network analysis because inconsistent conditions can occur at the instant of switching. This causes standard integration routines to fail. If the initial conditions can be determined, the use of ideal switches can considerably speed up analysis and can make the results easier to understand. This paper, partly a review, presents a method which can handle ideal switching, inconsistent initial conditions, Dirac impulses and signals with discontinuities. It is applicable to networks containing linear or non-linear elements.     

Oxidized cellulose: An application in the form of sorption filter materials

Oxidized cellulose (oxycellulose) was very effectively used in the form of filter sheets to remove some metal ions from water and from aqueous solutions. Furthermore, oxycellulose was applied in an ion‐exchange column and in a batch process. The mechanisms of the sorption process inside oxycellulose as well as the kinetics of sorption were studied. A comparison of oxycellulose and other adsorption components such as zeolites and ion‐exchange resins was made. The affinity of oxycellulose to metal ions was determined to be in the following order: Cd²⁺, Zn²⁺ > Ni²⁺ ? Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ ? Na⁺. The use of oxycellulose was very effective, especially in the form of sorption filters, because this allowed us to use a simple filtration process. Moreover, the specific loading amount of the filter cake was higher for filtration than for the column process under comparable conditions. Oxycellulose in a glass column behaved similarly to an ion‐exchange resin. It showed approximately constant efficiency until the sorption capacity of the adsorbent was exhausted, and then it suddenly dropped. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

The use of silver solid amalgam electrode for voltammetric and amperometric determination of nitroquinolines

Solid amalgam electrodes represent a suitable alternative to mercury electrodes due to their similar electrochemical properties and non-toxicity of the amalgam material. Nitro derivatives of quinoline have been proven to be genotoxic, thus their presence in environmental samples is a legitimate cause for concern.In this contribution, meniscus modified silver solid amalgam electrode (m-AgSAE) was employed for the batch voltammetric determination and amperometric determination in connection with flow injection analysis of 5-nitroquinoline and 6-nitroquinoline (5-NQ, 6-NQ). Their electrochemical behavior was characterized by cyclic voltammetry, for their determination direct current voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry were used. Linear calibration curves in the concentration range of 2 × 10⁻⁷ to 1 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ were obtained. These results are comparable with results obtained for polarographic determination of the same substances using mercury electrodes. Further, the meniscus modified silver solid amalgam electrode was employed in amperometric detection cell in “wall jet” arrangement for determination of 5-NQ in flow injection analysis. Under optimized conditions (run buffer 0.05 mol L⁻¹ borate buffer, pH 9.0; flow rate 4 mL min⁻¹; detection potential −1.6 V; injection volume 0.1 mL), the limit of quantitation of ∼4 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ was achieved. The repeatability of the detector response is satisfactory (relative standard deviation ∼2.15% for c(5-NQ) = 1 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹). Practical applicability of the method was verified for the determination of micromolar concentrations of 5-NQ in drinking and river water model samples.