Steryl ferulates,bioactive compounds in cereal grains

Steryl ferulates are minor bioactive phytochemicals present in various cereal grains and other seeds. They possess well‐established health promoting properties, such as antioxidant and cholesterol lowering activities. However, the health promoting potential of steryl ferulates extracted from different sources can vary depending on their characteristic sterol composition.     

Triglycidyl isocyanurate isomers

Triglycidyl isocyanurate (TGIC) was separated from the resinous reaction product of cyanuric acid and epichlorohydrin by crystallization from methanol. The crystallization fractions were separately characterized by means of functional group analysis, IR-spectroscopy, high-resolution ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, simultaneous thermal analysis and DSC. The structure of the two diastereomer racemates of TGIC (β-TGIC and α-TGIC) was studied by using high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and the ¹H-NMR spectra were calculated for both. It was found that the high-melting fraction (m. p. 156°C) which precipitated from the methanol-solution relates to the β-diastereomeric racemate of TGIC. All other methanol-soluble or slightly soluble fractions crystallized from the methanol solution (melting range 100–103°C) represent the α-diastereomer racemate of TGIC, with the β-diastereomer racemate always being present. Recrystallization from methanol always resulted in the presence of both diastereomers. This may indicate the presence of mixed crystals.     

Heart period variability as mental effort monitor in Human Computer Interaction

Elementary steps of H uman Computer Interaction (HCI), like users' mental actions followed by a series of keystrokes and mouse-clicks, are the basic components of using information technological systems. This is why examination methods capable of assessing users' actual mental effort corresponding to these elementary steps during HCI in a scientifically sound way have great importance. It is known that under certain circumstances, Heart Period Variability (HPV) could be a measure of actual mental effort. This paper gives a short overview of applications of HPV in ergonomics in general and, based on empirical evidence intends to prove that this methodology, after a careful adaptation, could be powerful technique for monitoring mental effort in HCI. The paper outlines the main components of the INTERFACE testing workstation and the related methodology for investigatingamong others-users mental effort. A detailed application example is also provided.     

Impact of Medium-Sized Extracellular Vesicles on the Transduction Efficiency of Adeno-Associated Viruses in Neuronal and Primary Astrocyte Cell Cultures

(1) Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are safe and efficient gene therapy vectors with promising results in the treatment of several diseases. Extracellular vesicles (EV) are phospholipid bilayer-surrounded structures carrying several types of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids with the ability to cross biological barriers. EV-associated AAVs might serve as new and efficient gene therapy vectors considering that they carry the benefits of both AAVs and EVs. (2) We tested vesicle-associated AAVs and vesicles mixed with AAVs on two major cell types of the central nervous system: a neural cell line (N2A) and primary astrocyte cells. (3) In contrast to previously published in vivo observations, the extracellular vesicle packaging did not improve but, in the case of primary astrocyte cells, even inhibited the infection capacity of the AAV particles. The observed effect was not due to the inhibitory effects of the vesicles themselves, since mixing the AAVs with extracellular vesicles did not change the effectiveness. (4) Our results suggest that improvement of the in vivo efficacy of the EV-associated AAV particles is not due to the enhanced interaction between the AAV and the target cells, but most likely to the improved delivery of the AAVs through tissue barriers and to the shielding of AAVs from neutralizing antibodies.     

Initial test results for a passive surface water fluxmeter to measure cumulative water and solute mass fluxes

The theoretical concept and initial test results of a Passive Surface Water Fluxmeter (PSFM) to directly and simultaneously measure cumulative water and solute mass fluxes in surface water flow systems are presented. The PSFM consists of a symmetric hydrofoil that is vertically installed in a stream and one or more sorbent columns that are connected to the nonuniform flow field around the hydrofoil. Depending on the ambient flow velocity, a flow occurs through each column, which elutes portions of initially present "resident" tracers in the column, while, at the same time, solutes in the water (e.g., contaminants or nutrients) are retained in the sorbent column. Quantification of the resident tracer mass remaining and the mass of solutes sorbed in the column enables determination of the local cumulative or time-averaged water and solute mass fluxes. Laboratory flume experiments show good agreement with independent measurements (R(2) > or = 0.96) for instantaneous water fluxes (tested range: 0.3-0.7 m/s), cumulative water fluxes (50-600 L/cm(2)), and cumulative nitrate fluxes (0.4-5.1 g/cm(2)). Future work is required to validate the PSFM performance under a larger range of flow velocities, transient flow, and transport conditions and for different hydrofoil shapes.     

Effects of Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Polypeptide on Cell Death

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) was first isolated as a hypothalamic peptide based on its efficacy to increase adenylate cyclase (AC) activity. It has a widespread distribution throughout the body including the nervous system and peripheral organs, where PACAP exerts protective effects both in vivo and in vitro through its anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant functions. The aim of the present paper was to review the currently available literature regarding the effects of PACAP on cell death in vitro in neural and non-neural cells. Among others, its effect on apoptosis can be detected in cerebellar granule cells against different toxic stimuli. Different neural cell types from the cerebral cortex are also prevented from cell death. PACAP also shows effects on cell death in cells belonging to the peripheral nervous system and protects both neural and non-neural cells of sensory organs. In addition, cell survival-promoting effect can be observed in different peripheral organ systems including cardiovascular, immune, respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary, and reproductive systems. The studies summarized here indicate its noteworthy effect on cell death in different in vitro models, suggesting PACAP’s potential therapeutic usage in several pathological conditions.