Fish Oil and Microalga Omega-3 as Dietary Supplements: A Comparative Study on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in High-Fat Fed Rats

Dietary supplementation with marine omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n‐3 PUFA) can have beneficial effects on a number of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). We compared the effects of two n‐3 PUFA rich food supplements (freeze‐dried Odontella aurita and fish oil) on risk factors for CVD. Male rats were randomly divided into four groups of six animals each and fed with the following diets: control group (C) received a standard diet containing 7 % lipids; second group (HF high fat) was fed with a high‐fat diet containing 40 % lipids; third group (HFFO high fat+fish oil) was fed with the high‐fat diet supplemented with 0.5 % fish oil; and fourth group (HFOA high fat+O. aurita) received the high‐fat diet supplemented with 12 % of freeze‐dried O. aurita. After 8 weeks rats fed with the high‐fat diet supplemented with O. aurita displayed a significantly lower bodyweight than those in the other groups. Both the microalga and the fish oil significantly reduced insulinemia and serum lipid levels. O. aurita was more effective than the fish oil in reducing hepatic triacyglycerol levels and in preventing high‐fat diet‐induced steatosis. O. aurita and fish oil also reduced platelet aggregation and oxidative status induced by high fat intake. After an OA supplementation, the adipocytes in the HFOA group were smaller than those in the HF group. Freeze‐dried O. aurita showed similar or even greater biological effects than the fish oil. This could be explained by a potential effect of the n‐3 PUFA but also other bioactive compounds of the microalgae.     

Influence of the environment during a photodegradation of multilayer films

The influence of different stratosphere parameters on the degradation of a multilayer film was investigated. The selected multilayer was a three polymeric layers film, a polyamide 6 film inserted between two poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films. Samples were exposed for several ageing under ultraviolet radiations (filtered at 270 nm), varying the atmosphere at 55 mbar pressure (atm, atm + ozone, N₂, and T = ?55 °C or +23 °C). Evolution of it mechanical properties defined by uniaxial tractions, thermo‐optical properties defined by spectrophotometry UV–vis‐NIR, chemical properties defined by FTIR‐ATR, and thermal and dielectric properties defined, respectively, by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamical dielectric spectroscopy (DDS), were investigated. Our results showed that UV irradiation causes multilayer films degradations, that is, principally decrease of UV transmittance and stress and strain at break (?50%). An increase of the ageing temperature causes an acceleration of these degradations. Degradations principally occur on the PET side of the multilayer exposed to UV radiation. Moreover, the DDS analysis shows a plasticization effect of the primary mode in the polyamide 6 due to photo‐oxidation. Oxygen diffusion is the principal element for this plasticization, indeed it not occurs in a nonoxidative environment (nitrogen), or at low ageing temperature (?55 °C). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44075.     

The Stone Age Revisited: Building a Monolithic Inorganic Lithium‐Ion Battery

A new path for the design of safe and efficient, all‐solid‐state Li‐ion batteries by spark plasma sintering (SPS) is considered. To reach a good electrochemical performance from such batteries, several parameters are investigated, such as the composite‐electrode formulation (active material/electrolyte/carbon ratio) and the influence of the sintering parameters on their compactness. The formulation is optimized to ensure good ionic and electronic percolation through the composite electrode's volume. The compactness has to be sufficient to guarantee a good mechanical aspect, while the residual porosity in the composite electrode allows electrode‐volume changes upon insertion and deinsertion, preserving the electrode/electrolyte interfaces, which are crucial in such technology. Based on these investigations, an all‐solid‐state battery with a surface capacity of 2.2 mA h cm^?2 is assembled by SPS, displaying a promising electrochemical performance at 80 °C.     

Pulsed Electroplating: a Derivate Form of Electrodeposition for Improvement of (Bi1?xSbx)2Te3 Thin Films

Bismuth antimony telluride (Bi_1−x Sb _x )₂Te₃ thermoelectric compounds were synthesized by pulse plating. Due to the large number of parameters available (pulse waveform, on/off pulse time, applied current density), this advanced form of electrodeposition allows better control of the interfacial supply and electrochemical reactions and offers effective ways to improve macroscopic properties such as adhesion and to produce crack-free hard deposits and fine-grained films with higher uniformity and lower porosity. The influence of pulse parameters (pulse time t _on, cathodic current density J _c) on the stoichiometry, roughness, and crystallography of deposits was studied. The thermoelectric properties (electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient) of the films were measured. The results revealed that deposits have p-type conductivity directly after electroplating (Seebeck coefficient around 150 μV K⁻¹), in contrast to films synthesized by direct current, which require annealing. An improvement of resistivity was observed: for a direct-current-deposited film the resistivity is around 5000 μΩ m, whereas for a pulse-deposited film the resistivity was around 200 μΩ m.     

Combinational Therapy of Cardiac Atrial Appendage Stem Cells and Pyridoxamine: The Road to Cardiac Repair?

Myocardial infarction (MI) occurs when the coronary blood supply is interrupted. As a consequence, cardiomyocytes are irreversibly damaged and lost. Unfortunately, current therapies for MI are unable to prevent progression towards heart failure. As the renewal rate of cardiomyocytes is minimal, the optimal treatment should achieve effective cardiac regeneration, possibly with stem cells transplantation. In that context, our research group identified the cardiac atrial appendage stem cells (CASCs) as a new cellular therapy. However, CASCs are transplanted into a hostile environment, with elevated levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which may affect their regenerative potential. In this study, we hypothesize that pyridoxamine (PM), a vitamin B6 derivative, could further enhance the regenerative capacities of CASCs transplanted after MI by reducing AGEs’ formation. Methods and Results: MI was induced in rats by ligation of the left anterior descending artery. Animals were assigned to either no therapy (MI), CASCs transplantation (MI + CASCs), or CASCs transplantation supplemented with PM treatment (MI + CASCs + PM). Four weeks post-surgery, global cardiac function and infarct size were improved upon CASCs transplantation. Interstitial collagen deposition, evaluated on cryosections, was decreased in the MI animals transplanted with CASCs. Contractile properties of resident left ventricular cardiomyocytes were assessed by unloaded cell shortening. CASCs transplantation prevented cardiomyocyte shortening deterioration. Even if PM significantly reduced cardiac levels of AGEs, cardiac outcome was not further improved. Conclusion: Limiting AGEs’ formation with PM during an ischemic injury in vivo did not further enhance the improved cardiac phenotype obtained with CASCs transplantation. Whether AGEs play an important deleterious role in the setting of stem cell therapy after MI warrants further examination.     

40 years of Dogger aquifer management in Ile-de-France, Paris Basin, France

Geothermal energy has been supplying heat to district networks in the Paris Basin for more than 40 years. The most serious difficulties have been corrosion and scaling related problems that occurred in many geothermal loops in the mid-1980s. The main target of all exploration and exploitation projects has been the Dogger aquifer. Most of the operating facilities use the “doublet” technology which consists of a closed loop with one production well and one injection well. Injection of the cooled brines leads to the progressive exhaustion of the resource at the local doublet scale. Consequently, most of the research effort has been focused on quantifying the temporal evolution of the cooling, and to forecast the lifetimes of doublets and the occurrence of the “thermal breakthrough”. At the turn of the 21st century, there was a revival of geothermal energy development in France and new projects are presently being considered. The 40 years of experience in geothermal exploitation of the Paris basin constitutes a firm basis upon which to devise a sustainable regional management approach for the geothermal resource. Several governmental policies seek to promote further geothermal development of the Dogger aquifer with structures in place to facilitate technical studies.     

4th generation synchrotron source boosts crystalline imaging at the nanoscale

New 4th-generation synchrotron sources,with their increased brilliance,promise to greatly improve the performances of coherent X-ray microscopy.This perspective...     

RESVEGA,a Nutraceutical Omega-3/Resveratrol Supplementation,Reduces Angiogenesis in a Preclinical Mouse Model of Choroidal Neovascularization

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that is characterized by damage to the central part of the retina, the macula, and that affects millions of people worldwide. At an advanced stage, a blind spot grows in the center of vision, severely handicapping patients with this degenerative condition. Despite therapeutic advances thanks to the use of anti-VEGF, many resistance mechanisms have been found to accentuate the visual deficit. In the present study, we explored whether supplementation with Resvega^®, a nutraceutical formulation composed of omega-3 fatty acids and resveratrol, a well-known polyphenol in grapes, was able to counteract laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in mice. We highlight that Resvega^® significantly reduced CNV in mice compared with supplementations containing omega-3 or resveratrol alone. Moreover, a proteomic approach confirmed that Resvega^® could counteract the progression of AMD through a pleiotropic effect targeting key regulators of neoangiogenesis in retina cells in vivo. These events were associated with an accumulation of resveratrol metabolites within the retina. Therefore, a supplementation of omega-3/resveratrol could improve the management or slow the progression of AMD in patients with this condition.     

Characterization of the "viable but nonculturable" (VBNC) state in the wine spoilage yeast Brettanomyces

Although the viable but not culturable (VBNC) state has been studied in detail in bacteria, it has been suggested that maintenance of viability with loss of culturability also exists in eukaryotic cells, such as in the wine spoilage yeast Brettanomyces. To provide conclusive evidence for the existence of a VBNC state in this yeast, we investigated its capacity to become viable and nonculturable after sulfite stress, and its ability to recover culturability after stressor removal. Sulfite addition induced loss of culturability but maintenance of viability. Increasing the medium pH to decrease the concentration of toxic SO(2) allowed yeast cells to become culturable again, thus demonstrating the occurrence of a VBNC state in Brettanomyces upon SO(2) exposure. Relative to culturable Brettanomyces, VBNC yeast cells were found to display a 22% decrease in size on the basis of laser granulometry. Assays for 4-ethylguaiacol and 4-ethylphenol, volatile phenols produced by Brettanomyces, indicated that spoilage compound production could persist in VBNC cells. These morphological and physiological changes in VBNC Brettanomyces were coupled to extensive protein pattern modifications, as inferred by comparative two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometric analyses. Upon identification of 53 proteins out of the 168 spots whose abundance was significantly modified in treated cells relative to control, we propose that the SO(2)-induced VBNC state in Brettanomyces is characterized by a reduced glycolytic flux coupled to changes in redox homeostatis/protein turnover-related processes. This study points out the existence of common mechanisms between yeast and bacteria upon entry to the VBNC state.     

Accurate Determination of Optical Functions of Ge–As–Te Glasses via Spectroscopic Ellipsometry

Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry technique was used to characterize optical functions of chalcogenide glasses from Ge–As–Te system in broad spectral range (300 nm–20 μm). Measured real and imaginary parts of pseudodielectric function were modeled with Cody–Lorentz approach and Sellmeier equation. Very good agreement between experimentally measured and modeled imaginary and real parts of pseudodielectric functions leads to precise determination of optical functions (refractive index, extinction coefficient) of studied Ge–As–Te glasses in extremely broad spectral range covering UV–Vis‐NIR‐MIR. The method is generally applicable for other glasses and amorphous materials.