Comparison between discrete and continuous analysis of facial expressions,elicited by bitter-tasting beverages in overweight and healthy-weight individuals

The aim of the present study was to compare the information provided by a discrete and continuous data analysis of two emotions (disgust and joy), elicited by bitter-tasting beverages (coffee, yerba mate infusion and grapefruit juice) in two groups with different body mass index (BMI): overweight group (25 < BMI < 30), and healthy-weight control group (18.5 < BMI ≤ 25). Participants (n = 66; 34 females, 32 males) evaluated a total of three consecutive sips of the same beverage (taking one sip every 20 s and registering a continuous video for 60 s). The Wilcoxon test (continuous analysis) showed some changes generated as the drinks were being consumed. The biggest difference was the expression of disgust for coffee in the high BMI group, at the first sip (0–10 s). It represented 27% compared to 2% in normal BMI. The continuous analysis allowed to observe the periods where the differences were greater (0–10 and 40–50 s).     

Stability of microencapsulated lactic acid bacteria under acidic and bile juice conditions

The probiotic strains Lactobacillus brevis CCMA1284 and Lactobacillus plantarum CCMA0359 were microencapsulated by spray drying using different matrices – whey powder (W), whey powder with inulin (WI) and whey powder with maltodextrin (WM). Viability of the microencapsulated strains in acid and bile juices and during 90 days of storage (seven and 25 °C) was evaluated. The two strains exhibited high encapsulation efficiency (> 86%) by spray drying. The different matrices maintained L. plantarum viability above six log CFU g⁻¹ at 7 °C for 90 days, whereas similar results for L. brevis were observed only for W. The use of inulin as matrix of encapsulation did not enhance bacterial viability in the evaluated conditions. In general, the use of W and WM as matrices was effective for L. plantarum viability. However, only W was effective for L. brevis in the evaluated conditions. The spray drying technique was successfully adopted for the encapsulation of L. plantarum CCMA0359 and L. brevis CCMA1284 strains.     

Phylogenetic distribution of fungal mycosporines within the Pucciniomycotina (Basidiomycota)

The synthesis of the UV Absorbing compounds named mycosporines (MYCs) has been detected in a few basidiomycetous yeast groups. Conspicuous accumulation of mycosporine-glutaminol-glucoside (MGG) in yeasts requires photo-induction and its photoprotective function has been postulated. The distribution of the ability to produce MYCs appeared to be related to the yeast taxonomic affiliation. In view of the potential significance of MYCs in yeast taxonomy, we here studied the distribution of this trait among dimorphic basidiomycetes of the Pucciniomycotina. Of the 94 fungal species (377 strains and 33 genera) tested, almost half were MYC-positive and MGG was the main compound produced. MGG synthesis was observed for representatives of five of seven Pucciniomycotina classes, indicating that this trait is widely distributed in this group. MGG detection proved useful for the differentiation of species of the polyphyletic genera, such as Rhodotorula and Sporobolomyces, that are phylogenetically separated. MGG quantification and UV tolerance studies in Cystobasidiomycetes supported the idea that the habitat of origin of each strains is important in the level of MGG synthesis and that MYCs have a photoprotective function in yeasts. The taxonomic value of this trait in fungal systematics is discussed.     

Widely distributed lysogeny in probiotic lactobacilli represents a potentially high risk for the fermentative dairy industry

Prophages account for most of the genetic diversity among strains of a given bacterial species, and represent a latent source for the generation of virulent phages. In this work, a set of 30 commercial, collection and dairy-isolated Lactobacillus casei group strains were used. A species-specific PCR assay allowed a reclassification, mainly of strains previously considered Lactobacillus casei, into either Lactobacillus paracasei or Lactobacillus rhamnosus. All the strains were induced with mitomycin C, allowing direct recovering of phage DNA in 25 cases, which corroborates the widely occurrence of lysogeny on Lactobacillus genomes, including probiotic strains of Lactobacillus casei group. Ten out of 11 commercial strains studied contained prophages, evidencing the potential risks of their use at industrial scale. Strains were also induced by treatment with different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide but, however, this agent was not able to evidence a prophage release for any of the strains tested. According to a RAPD-PCR fingerprinting with M13, 1254 and G1 primers, most of the commercial strains presented a high degree of homology and, regarding BglII- and BamHI-restriction profiles of phage DNA, six of them harboured the same prophage. Surprisingly, both Lactobacillus paracasei ATCC 27092 and Lactobacillus paracasei ATCC 27139 shared a second prophage with both an INLAIN collection and a commercial Lactobacillus paracasei strains, whereas two collection strains shared a third one. On the other hand, mitomycin C-inducible prophages were detected only on about a half of the strains isolated from dairy products, which had (with only one exception) from moderate to high correlation coefficients according to RAPD-PCR fingerprinting. After induction, supernatants were filtered and tested against nine Lactobacillus strains of the set sensitive to previously assayed virulent phages, allowing isolation of two new virulent phages: ф iLp1308 and ф iLp84. Both phages were able to lyse all but one strains sensitive to previously assayed phage MLC-A.     

Supercritical fluid extraction of fish oil from fish by-products: A comparison with other extraction methods

Fish and fish by-products are the main natural source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), both of them with a great importance in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Comparing to conventional fish oil extraction processes such as cold extraction, wet reduction or enzymatic extraction, supercritical fluid extraction with carbon dioxide under moderate conditions (25 MPa and 313 K) may be useful for reducing fish oil oxidation, especially when fish oil is rich in omega-3 such as salmon oil, and the amount of certain impurities, such as some species of arsenic. Furthermore, taking profit of the advantages of supercritical carbon dioxide as extractive solvent, a coupled extraction-fractionation process is proposed as a way to remove free fatty acids and improve fish oil quality, alternatively to physical and chemical refining procedures.     

Geographical discrimination of honeys through antioxidant capacity,mineral content and colour

The assessment of geographical origin of honey is economically important for producers and consumers as every region may present particular quality characteristics. In this study, honeys from the seven different regions of Buenos Aires province (Argentina) were characterised by their antioxidant capacity (DPPH, FRAP), total phenolic content (TPC), mineral composition, colour and ash. Honeys showed significant differences among their antioxidant capacity (DPPH), ash, colour and mineral content (P ≤ 0.05). Besides, a good antioxidant activity and low amounts of Cu and Zn (<1.0–1.5 and 0.7–1.8 mg kg^?1, respectively) were found in the samples. Significant Pearson's correlations (P ≤ 0.05) among the different parameters were found. Moreover, the linear discriminant analysis allowed the classification of honeys in their original groups with a prediction success of 98%. The present results suggest that honeys could be correctly classified by their geographical origin through their TPC, colour, ash and mineral concentrations.     

Deep Resequencing of 9 Candidate Genes Identifies a Role for ARAP1 and IGF2BP2 in Modulating Insulin Secretion Adjusted for Insulin Resistance in Obese Southern Europeans

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by impairment in insulin secretion, with an established genetic contribution. We aimed to evaluate common and low-frequency (1–5%) variants in nine genes strongly associated with insulin secretion by targeted sequencing in subjects selected from the extremes of insulin release measured by the disposition index. Collapsing data by gene and/or function, the association between disposition index and nonsense variants were significant, also after adjustment for confounding factors (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.11–0.59, p = 0.001). Evaluating variants individually, three novel variants in ARAP1, IGF2BP2 and GCK, out of eight reaching significance singularly, remained associated after adjustment. Constructing a genetic risk model combining the effects of the three variants, only carriers of the ARAP1 and IGF2BP2 variants were significantly associated with a reduced probability to be in the lower, worst, extreme of insulin secretion (OR = 0.223, 95% CI = 0.105–0.473, p < 0.001). Observing a high number of normal glucose tolerance between carriers, a regression posthoc analysis was performed. Carriers of genetic risk model variants had higher probability to be normoglycemic, also after adjustment (OR = 2.411, 95% CI = 1.136–5.116, p = 0.022). Thus, in our southern European cohort, nonsense variants in all nine candidate genes showed association with better insulin secretion adjusted for insulin resistance, and we established the role of ARAP1 and IGF2BP2 in modulating insulin secretion.     

Systematic Review on Tumor Microenvironment in Glial Neoplasm: From Understanding Pathogenesis to Future Therapeutic Perspectives

Despite the multidisciplinary management in the treatment of glioblastomas, the average survival of GBM patients is still 15 months. In recent years, molecular biomarkers have gained more and more importance both in the diagnosis and therapy of glial tumors. At the same time, it has become clear that non neoplastic cells, which constitute about 30% of glioma mass, dramatically influence tumor growth, spread, and recurrence. This is the main reason why, in recent years, scientific research has been focused on understanding the function and the composition of tumor microenvironment and its role in gliomagenesis and recurrence. The aim of this review is to summarize the most recent discovery about resident microglia, tumor-associated macrophages, lymphocytes, and the role of extracellular vesicles and their bijective interaction with glioma cells. Moreover, we reported the most recent updates about new therapeutic strategies targeting immune system receptors and soluble factors. Understanding how glioma cells interact with non-neoplastic cells in tumor microenvironment is an essential step to comprehend mechanisms at the base of disease progression and to find new therapeutic strategies for GBM patients. However, no significant results have yet been obtained in studies targeting single molecules/pathways; considering the complex microenvironment, it is likely that only by using multiple therapeutic agents acting on multiple molecular targets can significant results be achieved.     

Probabilistic seismic damage assessment of reinforced concrete buildings considering directionality effects

Most of buildings and structures are usually projected according to two main axes. However, the geographical position of these buildings varies randomly. Such random distributions of the azimuthal positions of structures, in most of the cities, generally, are not accounted for when assessing their seismic risk; certainly, the direction of the seismic loads is another highly random variable. Moreover, an additional important source of uncertainty is related to the structural response, mainly due to the random character of the mechanical properties. There is a consensus that uncertainties must be considered for adequately assessing the seismic risk of structures, but these directionality effects have not been deeply explored so far. In this article, the influence of the high uncertainty involved in these input variables on the expected seismic damage is analysed. Thus, an actual earthquake, which affected the southern part of Spain, is studied. Notably, damages on a group of affected buildings, located close to the epicentre, are analysed and discussed in detail. The results show that the influence of the random azimuthal position of structures is an important source of uncertainty and that it should be taken into account when estimating the expected seismic risk in urban areas.     

Eco-efficiency and techno-economic analysis for maleic anhydride manufacturing processes

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - Maleic anhydride may be obtained from different technological routes, being the selective oxidation of benzene and oxidation of butane the only ones...