The Generation of Nitric Oxide from Aldehyde Dehydrogenase-2: The Role of Dietary Nitrates and Their Implication in Cardiovascular Disease Management

Reduced bioavailability of the nitric oxide (NO) signaling molecule has been associated with the onset of cardiovascular disease. One of the better-known and effective therapies for cardiovascular disorders is the use of organic nitrates, such as glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), which increases the concentration of NO. Unfortunately, chronic use of this therapy can induce a phenomenon known as “nitrate tolerance”, which is defined as the loss of hemodynamic effects and a reduction in therapeutic effects. As such, a higher dosage of GTN is required in order to achieve the same vasodilatory and antiplatelet effects. Mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is a cardioprotective enzyme that catalyzes the bio-activation of GTN to NO. Nitrate tolerance is accompanied by an increase in oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, and sympathetic activation, as well as a loss of the catalytic activity of ALDH2 itself. On the basis of current knowledge, nitrate intake in the diet would guarantee a concentration of NO such as to avoid (or at least reduce) treatment with GTN and the consequent onset of nitrate tolerance in the course of cardiovascular diseases, so as not to make necessary the increase in GTN concentrations and the possible inhibition/alteration of ALDH2, which aggravates the problem of a positive feedback mechanism. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to summarize data relating to the introduction into the diet of some natural products that could assist pharmacological therapy in order to provide the NO necessary to reduce the intake of GTN and the phenomenon of nitrate tolerance and to ensure the correct catalytic activity of ALDH2.     

3D Printing/Interfacial Polymerization Coupling for the Fabrication of Conductive Hydrogel

In this study, 3D printing is coupled with interfacial polymerization to obtain electroactive hydrogels with complex and defined geometry. Conductive hydrogels are created through a two‐step procedure: first a digital light processing 3D printing system is used to fabricate poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate 3D structure and then pyrrole is oxidized to polypyrrole (PPY), exploiting an interfacial polymerization mechanism through which PPY can be formed in the poly(ethylene glycol) matrix, thus creating a conductive phase.     

Fabrication of Janus particles via a “photografting-from” method and gold photoreduction

Faster and simpler methods for the fabrication of Janus particles are of tremendous importance for a real implementation of these particles. By combining thiol-modified silica particles (SMPs) with the use of UV light, it is possible to rapidly fabricate Janus particles coated with polymer brushes and gold nanoparticles via photochemical emulsion-assisted route. From the silica particle surface, polymeric brushes of polyethylene(glycol), PEG, were grafted via a photografting-from method on one hemisphere by using the thiol groups as photoinitiator of the polymerization. The other hemisphere was coated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) generated in situ via photoreduction of chloroauric acid promoted by Norrish type I photoinitiator. PEG/AuNPs@SMPs coated with Au nanoparticles with average diameter of 12.7 or 22.5 nm were obtained by playing on the mass ratio between thiol-modified silica particles and gold precursor. The Janus PEG/AuNPs@SMPs were fully characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–Vis spectroscopy. This strategy merges the advantages of emulsion-based selective masking and UV-induced reactions, and it is proved to be a feasible and fast route (reactions are completed in dozens of minutes) for Janus particles fabrication.     

Upper trapezius muscle activity in healthy office workers: reliability and sensitivity of occupational exposure measures to differences in sex and hand dominance

Patterns of cervical muscle activity may contribute to overuse injuries in office workers. The purpose of this investigation was to characterise patterns of upper trapezius muscle activity in pain-free office workers using traditional occupational exposure measures and a modified Active Amplitude Probability Distribution Function (APDF), which considers only periods of active muscle contraction. Bilateral trapezius muscle activity was recorded in 77 pain-free office workers for 1–2 full days in their natural work environment. Mean amplitude, gap frequency, muscular rest and Traditional and Active APDF amplitudes were calculated. All measures demonstrated fair to substantial reliability. Dominant muscles demonstrated higher amplitudes of activity and less muscular rest compared to non-dominant, and women demonstrated less muscular rest with no significant difference in amplitude assessed by Active APDF compared to men. These findings provide normative data to identify atypical motor patterns that may contribute to persistence or recurrence of neck pain in office workers.

Practitioner Summary: Upper trapezius muscle activity was characterised in a large cohort of pain-free workers using electromyographic recordings from office environments. Dominant muscles demonstrated higher activity and less rest than non-dominant, and women demonstrated less rest than men. Results may be used to identify atypical trapezius muscle activity in office workers.     

One-pot melt synthesis of resorcinol based polyarylates for UV-stable coatings

A new one-pot method for the melt synthesis of polyarylates based on resorcinol and phthalic acids has been developed. The method consists in the reaction of diphenyl carbonate, phthalic acids and resorcinol using titanium butoxide as catalyst. Model reactions have shown that the diaryl ester is generated in situ by reaction of the aromatic diacid and of the aromatic diol with diphenyl carbonate. It is thus possible to obtain polymers with tailored end-groups and molecular weight, by changing the molar ratio of the monomers and the reaction conditions. More specifically, we applied this method to the synthesis of low molecular weight polymers with carboxylic end-groups, suitable for powder coating applications. The literature actually reports that resorcinol based polyarylates present an outstanding long-term UV stability and therefore COOH terminated oligomers are highly promising materials for the preparation of super-durable powder coatings.     

Kinetics of the solvent-free hydrogenation of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol over a structured Pd-based catalyst

The solvent-free selective hydrogenation of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol (MBY) to 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBE) was studied over a Pd/ZnO structured catalyst and compared to its behavior in water-assisted conditions. The catalytic behavior was correlated with the surface properties of the catalysts which were characterized by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The catalyst showed high selectivity and stability with the performance being superior to that of the industrial Lindlar catalyst (50%). The addition of a sulphur-containing modifier in the reaction mixture was found to affect the activity and to hinder the over-hydrogenation reaction. The MBE yield of 97% was attained at MBY conversion >99%. The reuse of the catalyst showed that it deactivated by a 38% and that its selectivity slightly increased (0.5%) over 10 runs. The reaction kinetics was modeled using a Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism considering competitive adsorption for the organic species and dissociative adsorption for hydrogen. The kinetic experiments were planned and the results analyzed following a design of experiments (DOE) methodology. This approach led not only to a robust model that predicts the reaction rate in a wide range of reaction conditions but also to the determination of its kinetic parameters.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Listeria</Emphasis> Inactivation by the Combination of High Hydrostatic Pressure and Lactocin AL705 on Cured-Cooked Pork Loin Slices

The effect of the bacteriocin lactocin AL705 in combination with high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) on the inactivation of Listeria innocua 7, a nonpathogenic indicator for Listeria monocytogenes, deliberately inoculated (ca. 6.4 log CFU/g) onto the surface of ready-to-eat (RTE) sliced cured-cooked pork loin, was evaluated. Nontreated pork slices (control) and treatments subjected to lactocin AL705 (105 AU/ml) and/or HHP (400 or 600 MPa) were prepared. L. innocua 7 was monitored at days 1, 20, and 40 of storage at 4 °C. The results showed a complete inhibition of L. innocua 7 after the combined treatment with lactocin AL705 and 600 MPa and no regrowing of cells up to 40-day storage. The treatment at 600 MPa alone was not enough to avoid regrowth of L. innocua. Ultrastructural cell damage was observed at the cytoplasm and cell membrane/wall levels with all treatments; however, complete cell lysis was observed only with the combined treatment. HHP in combination with lactocin AL705 provided a wider margin of safety as post-processing listericidal treatment of RTE cured-cooked meat products.     

Novel varieties of broccoli for optimal bioactive components under saline stress

BACKGROUND: Consumption of broccoli is increasing steadily worldwide because of the interest in its bioactive composition and nutritive value for health promotion. Novel broccoli cultivars to be established under current adverse conditions in production areas (aggressive environmental conditions and saline irrigation waters) need to maintain physical and nutritional quality for consumption and year‐round supply to the markets. The newly introduced cultivars ‘Naxos’ and ‘Parthenon’ have been selected as potential candidates to replace the currently underperforming ‘Nubia’ variety. We aimed to compare the physical and phytochemical quality (glucosinolates, hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonoids, vitamin C and minerals), as well as the in vitro antioxidant capacity of these three cultivars under conditions of environmental stress. RESULTS: ‘Parthenon’ showed equal productivity and nutritional composition to ‘Nubia’, whereas ‘Naxos’ presented in general the best results when compared to ‘Nubia’ and ‘Parthenon’. For phenolic compounds ‘Nubia’ presented the highest contents, although ‘Naxos’ seemed better adapted to saline stress conditions, as suggested by the lowest degree of variation in the contents of healthy phytochemicals, including phenolic compounds, when grown under such conditions. CONCLUSION: ‘Naxos’ broccoli performed best and is a suitable candidate to replace ‘Nubia’ for marketable, nutritive and phytochemical quality, especially in areas of production under adverse conditions as found in Mediterranean southeast Spain (semiarid climate with saline irrigation water). Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry