Effect of Gastric Digestion pH on Iron, Zinc, and Calcium Dialyzability from Preterm and Term Starting Infant Formulas

ABSTRACT: Iron, zinc, and calcium dialyzability from preterm and term starting infant formulas were determined after in vitro digestion, using special gastric conditions prevailing in preterm and newborn infants. Mineral dialyzability was studied using pH 2.0,3.5, and 4.5 for gastric digestion. The effect of gastric pH was more important on iron dialyzability (FeD) and zinc dialyzability (ZnD) than on calcium dialyzability (CaD). The effect on iron dialyzability was remarkable in fluid formulations with high digestibility: FeD was 18% to 20% when gastric digestion was made at pH 2, decreasing to 3% when made at pH 4.5. In most powder infant formulas with the lowest digestibility, FeD remained close to 10% despite variations in gastric digestion pH. Percent zinc dialyzability (ZnD%) steadily decreased when gastric digestion pH increased. At each pH, percent iron dialyzability (FeD%) and ZnD% from human milk were higher than those from infant formulas. Evaluation of mineral dialyzability from these infant formulas, using a gastric digestion pH prevailing in preterm and newborn infants, can provide valuable information on mineral availability.     

Mesoporous titania/tungstophosphoric acid composites: suitable synthesis of flavones

Mesoporous TiO₂/H₃PW₁₂O₄₀ composites were synthesized by sol–gel reactions using urea as a low-cost template, and adding tungstophosphoric acid (TPA) at the same time as the template. The TPA concentration was varied in order to obtain TPA contents of 0, 10, and 20 (w/w) in the solid. The samples presented mesopores with a diameter higher than 3.0 nm. The specific surface area of the solids decreased with both the increase of the TPA content and the calcination temperature. From Fourier transform infrared and ³¹P magic angle spinning-nuclear magnetic resonance studies it was observed that the main heteropolyoxometallate species present in the composites is the [PW₁₂O₄₀]^3? anion, which was partially transformed into the [P₂W₂₁O₇₁]^6? and [PW₁₁O₃₉]^7? anions during the synthesis and drying step. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the modified samples only exhibited the characteristic peaks of the anatase phase of titanium oxide. The point of zero charge decreased with both the increase of TPA content in the solids and the calcination temperature. The materials were found to be efficient and recyclable catalysts for the synthesis of a series of flavones. The reaction was carried out in different reaction media: heterogeneous and solvent-free conditions. The solvent-free conditions represent the best green conditions. Initially, we optimize the reaction condition to obtain 6-chloroflavone by direct reaction of the cyclodehydration of 1-(2-hydroxy-5-chlorophenyl)-3-phenyl-1,3-propanodione in the presence of a catalytic amount of mesoporous titania modified with tungstophosphoric acid catalyst. Reactions were performed in two conditions: low volume of toluene, at 110 °C, typically 24 h, and solvent-free at the same temperature, 1 h. In all cases the product (6-chloroflavone) was obtained with high selectivity. Conversions up to 76 and 92 % were obtained respectively, using the supported catalyst (TiTPA10). Optimal reaction conditions were applied to the preparation of six substituted flavones in both conditions.      

Synthesis and characterization of biocomposites with different hydroxyapatite–collagen ratios

Hydroxyapatite (HA)-type I collagen (Col) composite is a tissue-engineered bone graft which can act as a carrier or a template structure for cells or any other agents. In this paper, the effect of Col ratio on the scaffold structure and composition was analyzed. Scaffolds composed by HA/Col with different weight ratios (80:20; 50:50; 20:80, and 10:90) were produced by the precipitation method at pH 8–9, 37°C and 6 h of ripening. Using X-ray diffraction data, the Rietveld structure refinement showed that the size of HA crystals along the c-axis direction (002) decreases significantly in the presence of Col. Thus, the HA crystal shape turned from needle-like in pure HA, into spherical, in the 10:90 composite due to Col fibrillogenesis. The homogeneity of the composite was significantly dependent on the amount of Col in it. HA/Col 20/80 composite presented HA particles in a more homogenous way. Such a biocomposite was successfully produced in a rapid way and it is potentially useful for both small tissue repairs and engineering.     

Distinctive Toll-like Receptors Gene Expression and Glial Response in Different Brain Regions of Natural Scrapie

Prion diseases are chronic and fatal neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the accumulation of disease-specific prion protein (PrP^Sc), spongiform changes, neuronal loss, and gliosis. Growing evidence shows that the neuroinflammatory response is a key component of prion diseases and contributes to neurodegeneration. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have been proposed as important mediators of innate immune responses triggered in the central nervous system in other human neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. However, little is known about the role of TLRs in prion diseases, and their involvement in the neuropathology of natural scrapie has not been studied. We assessed the gene expression of ovine TLRs in four anatomically distinct brain regions in natural scrapie-infected sheep and evaluated the possible correlations between gene expression and the pathological hallmarks of prion disease. We observed significant changes in TLR expression in scrapie-infected sheep that correlate with the degree of spongiosis, PrP^Sc deposition, and gliosis in each of the regions studied. Remarkably, TLR4 was the only gene upregulated in all regions, regardless of the severity of neuropathology. In the hippocampus, we observed milder neuropathology associated with a distinct TLR gene expression profile and the presence of a peculiar microglial morphology, called rod microglia, described here for the first time in the brain of scrapie-infected sheep. The concurrence of these features suggests partial neuroprotection of the hippocampus. Finally, a comparison of the findings in naturallyinfected sheep versus an ovinized mouse model (tg338 mice) revealed distinct patterns of TLRgene expression.     

Recent developments in plant oil based functional materials

The increasing interest of academic and industrial sectors in the use of bio‐based materials mirrors the overwhelming need for replacing, as much as possible, petroleum derived chemicals, reducing the negative environmental impact derived from their usage. Vegetable oils fulfill this goal extremely well, because of their worldwide availability, large volume production at comparatively low prices and versatility of the modifications and reactions in which they can participate to produce a large variety of different monomers and polymer precursors. Further reactions of these chemicals can lead to very different types of final materials with varied applications. It is because of this remarkable versatility that many review articles have appeared during the last few years; many of them have dealt with the various routes for vegetable oil modification and options for polymer synthesis, whilst others were dedicated to the analysis of the properties of the derived materials, generally focusing on structural properties. In this review, we focus on the capabilities of vegetable oils to be modified and/or reacted to obtain materials with functional properties suitable for use in coatings, conductive or insulating materials, biomedical, shape memory, self‐healing and thermoreversible materials as well as other special functional applications. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

Silica and alumina impregnated with dimethylformamide solutions of molybdophosphoric or tungstophosphoric acids for hydrotreatment reactions

Heteropolyacid (HPA) based catalysts were prepared by impregnation of silica and alumina with dimethylformamide solutions of molybdophosphoric and tungstophosphoric acids. This solvent allows the preservation of the Keggin unit during the impregnation independently of the nature of the support. Ni-promoted catalysts were prepared by impregnation with nickel nitrate solutions of the supported HPA. The stronger interaction of the HPA with alumina than with silica allows a better dispersion of the polyoxometallate species on the former one whereas the formation of bulk oxides is observed on silica. The performance of these HPA–Ni/support catalysts for hydrodenitrogenation and hydrodesulfurization reactions is related to the precursor–support interaction.     

Feasibility of estimating peanut essential minerals by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy

The use of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to evaluate the nutritional quality of peanut kernels has potential applications in plant breeding as a rapid, non-destructive tool for seed/plant selection, and in quality control. We investigated the feasibility of applying NIRS to the estimation of essential mineral composition in peanut kernels using two sample sets: A, comprising 56 diverse genotypes (N = 163); and B, comprising nine genotypes grown in five distinct environments (N = 156). Essential mineral composition was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and -mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Calibration models were developed by partial least squares (PLS) regression, and explored a variety of data pre-treatments. Models allowing approximate estimation of K (RPD_CV 2.25, r_CV² 0.800, RPD_P 2.22) and Mg (RPD_CV 2.24, r_CV² 0.786, RPD_P 1.74), and to a lesser extent Ca (RPD_CV 1.85, r_CV² 0.649, RPD_P 1.52) and P (RPD_CV 1.77, r_CV² 0.634, RPD_P 1.65), were developed for Set B, but poorer calibrations were obtained for Set A. This level of accuracy does not allow accurate prediction, but permits approximate quantification that may be useful in plant improvement programs for screening breeding populations. The results are remarkable because NIRS is rarely applied to analytes present at such low concentrations, especially inorganic constituents that are not inherently NIR-absorbent. Further analysis of more diverse peanut samples is warranted to confirm batch-to-batch accuracy and to improve the robustness of calibrations.     

Smart and structural thermosets from the cationic copolymerization of a vegetable oil

Copolymers based on tung oil (TO) and presenting a very wide range of properties were obtained. Depending on the chemical composition, materials fitted for structural or functional applications were prepared. The use of divinylbenzene (DVB) as a comonomer in the cationic polymerization of the triglyceride allowed us to obtain polymers with a high thermal stability in an ample temperature range and with a room‐temperature modulus close to 1 GPa for percentages of TO up to 40 wt % styrene (St) as a partial replacement of DVB in a copolymer containing 50 wt % TO resulted in a material with shape‐memory behavior with switch temperatures in the range 25–40°C. The mechanical properties and shape‐memory behavior of copolymers with different chemical compositions were analyzed. It was observed that an increase in the DVB content increased the glass‐transition temperature and modulus, which was associated with an increase in the crosslinking density and the contribution of the rigid aromatic structure of the comonomer. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Effect of crosslinking on the properties of sodium caseinate films

Protein films are used as effective lipid, oxygen, and aroma barriers at moderate relative humidity conditions. However, they perform poorly as moisture barriers. The introduction of crosslinks within or between protein chains by enzymatic or chemical modification has been proposed as an alternative means to achieving a stronger polymeric matrix structure, which would result in better functional film properties. In this article, we report the preparation and characterization of sodium caseinate (SC) films crosslinked by glutaraldehyde (GTA) or heat. The crosslinking density increased with GTA content. The thermal stability and tensile modulus and strength increased with GTA content, although films with a low crosslinking density exhibited lower properties than the uncrosslinked sample. Unexpectedly, water vapor permeability and absorption also increased with crosslinking density. The crosslinking of SC was also induced by simple heating. The resulting films showed enhanced thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties compared to the unmodified SC films and even the GTA‐crosslinked samples. GTA crosslinking was unable to reduce the high hydrophilicity of the SC films. Thermally induced crosslinking was revealed to be a valid alternative for improving the properties of SC films, without the inherent complications associated with the use of a chemical crosslinking agent. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Nanocomposites made from cellulose nanocrystals and tailored segmented polyurethanes

The effect of the addition of microcrystalline cellulose nanofibers into linear segmented polyurethanes (SPU) was investigated. The polymers were synthesized with 4,4‐methylene‐bisphenyldiisocyanate (MDI) and poly(tetramethyleneglycol) (PTMG) with 1,4‐butanediol (BD) as chain extender. The nanocrystals were introduced during the PU polymerization, which resulted in cellulose nanofibrils covalently linked to the polymer. The interactions between the cellulose nanofibrils and the matrix lead to interesting changes in the behavior of the PU, with the hard segment (HS) phase being more affected by these interactions. SPUs with different contents of HS were synthesized to better understand these effects (23 to 45 wt %). Thermal, thermo‐mechanical and mechanical characterization of the nanocomposites were performed. In general, the nanocellulose favored the phase separation between the soft and hard domains generating an upward shift in the melting temperatures of the crystalline phases, an increase in the Young's modulus and a decrease in deformation at break. Comparison of the unfilled polymer responses and that of the nanocomposites showed that by increasing cellulose content, increased dynamic storage and tensile modulus as well as melting temperatures and enthalpy of melting of the soft domains can be achieved. Addition of cellulose during the polymerization essentially erased the potential shape memory behavior originally displayed by some of the SPU. However, a sample prepared by adding the cellulose nanocrystals after the reaction showed that the mechanical properties were still improved, while the shape memory behavior of the polymer was preserved. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010