Determination of ethyl carbamate in cachaças produced by selected yeast and spontaneous fermentation

Cachaça is a beverage produced by the distillation of fermented must from sugarcane. During the manufacturing steps, producers commonly use naturally occurring yeasts in the preparation of the fermentation broth, resulting in spontaneous fermentation. The composition of the resulting beverages can vary greatly, especially if various species and strains of yeast are present. The beverages produced with selected yeast strains are an alternative, leading to the production of more standardized beverages. Ethyl carbamate, which is highly toxic and has carcinogenic potential, is among the possible contaminants. The objectives of this study were to determine the levels of ethyl carbamate in cachaça produced by different types of fermentation and follow its formation during the production stages. The cachaças that contained rice bran as a nutrient during the fermentation stage contained the highest levels of ethyl carbamate throughout the production process and storage. Copyright © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

The role of salt abuse on risk for hypercalciuria

Background  

Elevated sodium excretion in urine resulting from excessive sodium intake can lead to hypercalciuria and contribute to the formation of urinary stones. The aim of this study was to evaluate salt intake in patients with urinary lithiasis and idiopathic hypercalciuria (IH).     

A Review of the Design Strategies for Tailored Cathode Catalyst Materials in Rechargeable Li-O2 Batteries

For the purpose of reducing not only the consumption of natural resources, but also the environmental pollution from internal combustion engines, much effort has been dedicated to developing new energy storage systems (ESSs) and electric vehicles (EVs) powered by batteries. There are several stringent requirements, such as high power/energy density, good safety, and high reliability against external environmental abuse. For next-generation batteries to meet these requirements, the development of a new energy conversion system is crucial. Therefore, lithium-oxygen (lithium-O₂) batteries have attracted intensive attention, due to their high theoretical energy density, compared with those of gasoline engines. However, present lithium-O₂ batteries exhibit low round-trip efficiency and cyclic degradation, thus preventing their commercialization as next-generation power sources. This drawback may be attributed to the high thermodynamic stability of discharge products and their intrinsic insulating character, leading to the surge of polarization in oxygen reduction reactions/oxygen evolution reactions (ORRs/OERs). To alleviate cyclic degradation and improve round-trip efficiency, it has been reported that the polarization can be reduced by adopting adequate cathode catalysts, based on their surface structures regulating oxygen adsorption. Here we provide and discuss several design strategies for tailoring catalytic materials from a structural and morphological viewpoint, as well as their effect on discharge products.     

Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation: From Basic Science to Clinical Practice

Heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are two growing epidemics associated with significant morbidity and mortality. They often coexist due to common risk factors and shared pathophysiological mechanisms. Patients presenting with both HF and AF have a worse prognosis and present a particular therapeutic challenge to clinicians. This review aims to appraise the common pathophysiological background, as well as the prognostic and therapeutic implications of coexistent HF and AF.     

Histomorphometric Evaluation of the Small Coronary Arteries in Rats Exposed to Industrial Noise

Morphological changes induced by industrial noise (IN) have been experimentally observed in several organs. Histological observations of the coronary arteries showed prominent perivascular tissue and fibrosis among IN-exposed rats. The effects on the small arteries are unknown. Objective: To evaluate the histomorphometric changes induced by IN on rat heart small arteries. Methods: Twenty Wistar rats exposed to IN during a maximum period of seven months and 20 age-matched controls were studied. Hearts were transversely sectioned from ventricular apex to atria and a mid-ventricular fragment was selected for analysis. The histological images were obtained with an optical microscope using 400× magnifications. A total of 634 arterial vessels (298 IN-exposed and 336 controls) were selected. The mean lumen-to-vessel wall (L/W) and mean vessel wall-to-perivascular tissue (W/P) ratios were calculated using image J software. Results: There were no differences between exposed and control animals in their L/W ratios (p = 0.687) and time variations in this ratio were non-significant (p = 0.110). In contrast, exposed animals showed lower W/P ratios than control animals (p < 0.001), with significant time variations (p = 0.004). Conclusions: Industrial noise induced an increase in the perivascular tissue of rat small coronary arteries, with significant development of periarterial fibrosis.     

Clean catalysis with clean solvents – phosphonium tosylates for transfer hydrogenation reactions

Molten salts have been applied for the first time as solvents in rhodium‐catalysed transfer hydrogenation reactions. The salts are tetraalkyl/aryl phosphonium tosylates; they are liquid at the reaction temperature and solid at room temperature, thereby facilitating catalyst recovery. In certain cases they can give rise to favourable enantioselectivities. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.