Analysis of the intake of sodium with cereal products by the population of Poland

The study aimed to analyse the intake of Na with cereal products by the population of Poland. In addition, based on available literature, changes in the content of Na in bread sold in the Polish market from 2009 to 2018 were analysed with regard to Na intake reduction campaigns held in Poland since 2009 popularising information about the adverse effect of sodium on the human cardiovascular system. The results led to the conclusion that the analysed products contained 3.042 ± 3.4 g of Na per 1 kg of fresh product. The content of Na in the analysed products was bread > bread rolls > grains > pasta > rice. Cereal products provide 48.3 % of an adult’s intake of Na, where as much as 48.2 % is covered by bread, with only 0.04 % by grains, 0.04 % by pasta, and 0.01 % by rice. According to information available in reference literature from 2009–2017 the content of Na in baked goods has not been subject to significant modifications. In Poland, with regard to an excessive consumption of Na, efficient strategies must be developed to increase the awareness of consumers and to reduce the use of table salt in the most popular products, and in particular in baked goods. One of the ways to reduce the intake of Na would be consumers’ selection of an adequate range of foodstuffs naturally poor in this element or having its content reduced by means of a suitable technology. This can be a significant component of practices preventing the development of hypertension. However, the fact that information about the content of Na in cereal products is often missing from product labels makes consumer choice difficult.     

An effect of suint on sheep wool impedance and heat resistance values

ABSTRACT

The phenomenon of impedance finds an application in many areas of science; however, no studies relate to wool. Thus, the aim of the study was an examination of an effect of from the presence of suint layer on sheep wool fibers on impedance and heat resistance values. Electrical characteristics (impedance [Ω]) and heat resistance were compared in terms of wool washing effect. The impedance of wool samples was tested in the frequency range of 10 Hz to 1 MHz. In order to measure electrical characteristics and heat resistance values, five samples of greasy wool were collected from different sheep breeds, standardized by weight. After the analyses, the samples were washed and reexamined. The results showed significant differences in the impedance between the greasy and washed wool samples in each of the tested breed (p > 0.05). The suint layer reduces the impedance level, which was also confirmed by a heat resistance test results demonstrating that absence of suint layer on wool fibers significantly reduced this feature value (p > 0.05). This was also reflected in the weight differences between the examined wool samples before and after their washing.     

Computer-Aided Search for 5-Arylideneimidazolone Anticancer Agents Able To Overcome ABCB1-Based Multidrug Resistance

ABCB1 modulation is an interesting strategy in the search for new anticancer agents that can overcome multidrug resistance (MDR). Hence, 17 new 5-arylideneimidazolones containing an amine moiety, as potential ABCB1 inhibitors, were designed, synthesized, and investigated. The series was tested in both parental (PAR) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) ABCB1-overexpressing T-lymphoma cancer cells using cytotoxicity assays. The ABCB1-modulating activity was examined in rhodamine 123 accumulation tests, followed by Pgp-Glo™ Assay to determine the influence of the most active compounds on ATPase activity. Lipophilic properties were assessed both, in silico and experimentally (RP-TLC). Pharmacophore-based molecular modelling toward ABCB1 modulation was performed. The studies allowed the identification of anticancer agents (p-fluorobenzylidene derivatives) more potent than doxorubicin, with highly selective action on MDR T-lymphoma cells (selectivity index >40). Most of the investigated compounds showed ABCB1-modulating action; in particular, two 5-benzyloxybenzylidene derivatives displayed activity nearly as strong as that of tariquidar.     

Zapotin,a Polymethoxyflavone,with Potential Therapeutic Attributes

The use of plants as traditional medicines is common and has prevailed in many different cultures over time. Polymethoxyflavones (PMFs) are natural polyphenols from the group of flavonoids. Zapotin, a member of the PMFs, is found mainly in citrus plants and is almost exclusively limited to their peels. The chemical structure of zapotin has been questioned from the very beginning, since the structure of flavonoids with a single oxygen atom in the C2′ position is extremely rare in the plant kingdom. To clarify this, the structural determination and bio-inspired synthesis of zapotin are discussed in detail in this review. Due to the broad biological potential of PMFs, the complication in the isolation process and characterization of PMFs, as well as their purification, have been estimated by adapting various chromatographic methods. According to available data from the literature, zapotin may be a promising curative agent with extensive biological activities, especially as a chemopreventive factor. Apart from that, zapotin acts as an antidepressant-like, anticancer, antifungal, and antioxidant agent. Finally, accessible studies about zapotin metabolism (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) underline its potential in use as a therapeutic substance.     

Biofunctionalized upconverting CaF<Subscript>2</Subscript>:Yb,Tm nanoparticles for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida albicans</Emphasis> detection and imaging

Versatile optimization of the synthesis method and composition of Yb3+ and Tm3+ co-doped CaF2 nanoparticles as well as a novel biofunctionalization method were developed and evaluated.Through multistep synthesis,the luminescence intensity of the Tm3+ activator was enhanced by more than 10-fold compared to standard one-step synthesis.The proposed methods were used to homogenously distribute the doping ions within the nanoparticle's volume and thus reduce luminescence quenching.Optimization of dopant ions concentration led to the selection of the most efficient visible and near-infrared up-converting nanoparticles,which were CaF2 doped with 10％ Yb3+ 0.05％ Tm3+ and 20％ Yb3+ 0.5％ Tm3+,respectively.To illustrate the suitability of the synthesized nanoparticles as bio-labels,a dedicated biofunctionalization method was used,and the nanoparticles were applied for labeling and imaging of Candida albicans cells.This method shows great promise because of extremely low background and high specificity because of the presence of the attached molecules.     

A Photoexcited Porphyrin System as a Biomimetic Catalyst for D-limonene Biotransformation

A photoexcited porphyrin system has been found to be an efficient catalyst for D-limonene biotransformation. The catalyst showed high selectivity in hydroxylation of D-limonene. The best catalyst for limonene biotransformation was 5,10,15,20-Tetraphenylporphyrin (H₂TPP), which gave the highest accumulation of carvone and an unknown product with a verbenone-like mass spectrum. The highest conversion yield of these products was favoured at 1:2 molar ratio of H₂TPP to limonene. Some factors affecting the biotransformation yield were also investigated. Maximal yield of carvone was obtained in the medium containing 90% of the substrate, within the period of 18–36 h. Mechanism involved in limonene biotransformation catalysed by H₂TPP is also discussed.     

Effect of coumarin and xanthotoxin on mitochondrial structure,oxygen uptake,and succinate dehydrogenase activity in onion root cells

At concentrations in which they occur on the plant surface and retard mitosis, coumarin and xanthotoxin lowered uptake of oxygen (by 60 and 30%, respectively) by meristematic cells ofAllium cepa root tips. They caused changes in the structure of the mitochondrial matrix to become dense, and protrusions of mitochondrial membranes were visible parallelling their hypertrophy, indicating alteration in the structure and physiology of these organelles. Coumarin and, to a lesser extent, xanthotoxin increased succinate dehydrogenase production in mitochondria and also in the cytoplasm, indicating changes in membrane permeability. Changes in oxygen uptake and mitochondrial structure, in addition to the retardation of mitosis, may be the reason these compounds act as allelochemicals after they have been removed from the plant surface and reach the root meristem.     

Investigation of doped-gadolinium zirconate nanomaterials for high-temperature hydrogen sensor applications

The incorporation of selective nanomaterials, such as common metal oxide semiconductor compositions, into resistive-type gas sensors has been shown by many researchers to lead to very high sensitivities and response rates, especially for micro-sized chemical sensors for room-temperature applications. The same strategy utilizing sensing nanomaterials has not been demonstrated for high-temperature sensors due to the intrinsic instability of typical metal oxide semiconductor nanomaterials at temperatures >500 °C. Within this work, doped Gd₂Zr₂O₇ (GZO) nanomaterial compositions were investigated for H₂ resistive-type sensors for applications between 600 and 1000 °C. This paper investigates the mechanism of H₂ sensing for doped GZO nanomaterials and SnO₂/GZO nanocomposites at the elevated temperatures. By integrating 10 vol.% nano-SnO₂ into yttrium-doped GZO nanomaterials, a sensitivity of 4.15 % was retained for 4000 ppm H₂ levels with a low signal drift of 0.42 %/h at 1000 °C in a 20 % O₂/N₂ gas stream. The signal drift was reduced by more than half of that compared to pure nano-SnO₂ at the same conditions. The nano-GZO limited the grain growth of the nano-SnO₂ particles and also prevented the nano-SnO₂ from fully reducing to Sn at high temperatures in a low oxygen atmosphere. It is among the first resistive-type sensors operating at 1000 °C with sensing times of <5 min. This demonstration provided an example of a strategy of combining traditional metal oxide semiconductor and refractory nanomaterial compositions to form sensing nanocomposites with new sensing mechanisms, as well as, enhanced chemical and microstructural stabilities in high-temperature environments.     

On the Dependence of Prion and Amyloid Structure on the Folding Environment

Currently available analyses of amyloid proteins reveal the necessity of the existence of radical structural changes in amyloid transformation processes. The analysis carried out in this paper based on the model called fuzzy oil drop (FOD) and its modified form (FOD-M) allows quantifying the role of the environment, particularly including the aquatic environment. The starting point and basis for the present presentation is the statement about the presence of two fundamentally different methods of organizing polypeptides into ordered conformations—globular proteins and amyloids. The present study shows the source of the differences between these two paths resulting from the specificity of the external force field coming from the environment, including the aquatic and hydrophobic one. The water environment expressed in the fuzzy oil drop model using the 3D Gauss function directs the folding process towards the construction of a micelle-like system with a hydrophobic core in the central part and the exposure of polarity on the surface. The hydrophobicity distribution of membrane proteins has the opposite characteristic: Exposure of hydrophobicity at the surface of the membrane protein with an often polar center (as in the case of ion channels) is expected. The structure of most proteins is influenced by a more or less modified force field generated by water through the appropriate presence of a non-polar (membrane-like) environment. The determination of the proportion of a factor different from polar water enables the assessment of the protein status by indicating factors favoring the structure it represents.     

Inhibitors of Cyclin-Dependent Kinases: Types and Their Mechanism of Action

Recent studies on cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors have revealed that small molecule drugs have become very attractive for the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Most CDK inhibitors have been developed to target the ATP binding pocket. However, CDK kinases possess a very similar catalytic domain and three-dimensional structure. These features make it difficult to achieve required selectivity. Therefore, inhibitors which bind outside the ATP binding site present a great interest in the biomedical field, both from the fundamental point of view and for the wide range of their potential applications. This review tries to explain whether the ATP competitive inhibitors are still an option for future research, and highlights alternative approaches to discover more selective and potent small molecule inhibitors.