The involvement of oxidative stress in ochratoxin A and fumonisin B1 toxicity in rats

The aim of this study was to find out whether very low doses of nephrotoxic and hepatotoxic mycotoxins ochratoxin A (OTA) and fumonisin B1 (FB1) induce oxidative stress in rat kidney and liver and whether their effect is synergistic. Rats were treated orally with OTA (5 ng/kg b.w. and 50 microg/kg b.w.) and FB1 (200 ng/kg b.w. and 50 microg/kg b.w.), or their combinations. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyls (PCs) concentration in kidney was affected with lower dose of OTA than in liver (p<0.05). FB1 did not affect MDA and PCs concentrations in the liver, while in the kidney both FB1 doses increased MDA concentration (p<0.05). The combination of the lower doses of OTA+FB1 increased the MDA and PCs concentration both in the liver and the kidney, compared to controls and animals treated with respective doses of mycotoxins (p<0.05). The combinations of mycotoxins reduced the catalase activity only in the kidney when compared to controls (p<0.05). In contrast to the increased kidney concentrations of MDA and PCs even with very low doses of OTA and FB1, the activity of catalase and SOD does not change. Combinations of OTA+FB1 affected almost all parameters, which indicates their potential to produce oxidative damage.     

Contribution to the decoupled control of large-scale mechanical systems

This paper presents the concept of decomposition as applied to the control synthesis of multivariable mechanical systems, in which the coupling among the subsystems can be very strong. The system class considered contains subsystems with powered degrees of freedom, as well as subsystems without their own actuators. Global control is introduced to diminish the influence of coupling on the stability of the whole system. The procedure is illustrated by simulation of two examples, one in robotics, the other in biomechanics.     

Structural effects in electrocatalysis: oxidation of formaldehyde on gold and platinum single crystal electrodes in alkaline solution

The oxidation of formaldehyde in sodium hydroxide solution has been studied on platinum and gold single crystal electrodes with the (111), (110) and (100) orientations. There is apparently no structural sensitivity of this reaction, since minor differences have been found between the three low index faces. This is valid for both platinum and gold electrodes. The hydrogen adsorption on platinum and the AuOH formation on gold electrodes exhibit structural sensitivity in the same solution. Similar activity of platinum and gold electrodes is noteworthy. A weak adsorption of gem-diol, formed in the interaction of formaldehyde with H₂O or OH^? appears as the origin of the structural insensitivity of this reaction.     

The effect of Cl(I)− ions on kinetics and mechanism of anodic dissolution and cathodic deposition of copper

The influence of Cl(I)^? ions on kinetics and mechanism of anodic dissolution and cathodic deposition of copper in acidic sulfate was investigated. For this investigation the galvanostatic single-pulse method has been used. The results indicate that Cl(I)^? ions change the exchange current density and transfer coefficients as determined from tafel analyses of the anodic and cathodic reactions.     

Auslegung und Dimensionierung eines mechanischen Schaumzerstörers

Design and dimensions of a mechanical defoamer. This paper presents a newly developed powerful mechanical defoamer which exploits centrifugal force and, thanks to circular channels, also Coriolis force for destruction of foam. It is incorporated into containers such that the expelled foam concentrate is deflected by the lid without producing fresh foam. Model experiments with three geometrically similar but different sized laboratory models led to dimensionaltheoretically formulated process-relations of the defoamer for various material systems (five chemical foamers, two biological substrates). Such process-relations represent a reliable basis for design and dimensions of the defoamer presented, on the one hand, and permit determination of an ?intermediate characteristic”?, having the dimensions of acceleration, which represents the mechanical degradability of the foam.     

Selenium content of breast milk

Selenium levels in human milk in the winter period ranged from 5.3 μg/l to 23.8 μg/l, the mean value being 11.0 μg/l. The nursing women were divided into several groups according to the results of a questionnaire, i.e. according to their social status (refugees or otherwise), number of deliveries, post partum days, the weight they had gained during pregnancy, their age and smoking habits. The mean levels of selenium for each group are presented. Selenium was determined by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry.     

SWCNT-modified carbon paste electrode as an electrochemical sensor for histamine determination in alcoholic beverages

In this work, a simple and rapid electrochemical method is presented for the voltammetric determination of histamine based on carbon paste electrodes bulk-modified with single-walled carbon nanotubes. As monitored in cyclic voltammetry histamine undergoes an irreversible electrochemical oxidation with a peak potential of ca. +1.25 V (vs. Ag/AgCl, 3 mol L^?1 KCl) in phosphate buffer solution (PBS, 0.1 mol L^?1, pH 6.0). At optimized differential pulse voltammetric parameters, the current response of histamine was linearly proportional to its concentration in the range from 4.5 to 720 μmol L^?1. A low limit of detection of 1.26 μmol L^?1 and a limit of quantification of 3.78 μmol L^?1 of histamine, as well as good reproducibility (RSD?=?0.48–3.40 %) were obtained using the carbon paste electrode modified with single-walled carbon nanotubes. The proposed sensor was successfully applied to the determination of histamine in commercial beer and wine samples.     

Changes of hydrogen peroxide and radical-scavenging activity of raspberry during osmotic, convective, and freeze-drying

This study was conducted to investigate the influence of different drying treatments on antioxidant (AO) activity and phenolic content of raspberry (Rubus idaeus), cultivar Willamette. Whole raspberry fruits were dried convectively (air-drying), osmotically, and freeze-dried. Acetone-water extracts of fresh and dried raspberries were assessed for total phenolic content by standard Folin-Ciocalteau method. Two AO assays were applied, a recently developed direct current (DC) polarographic assay based on decrease of anodic oxidation current of hydrogen peroxide and widely used radical scavenge against the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Strong correlation has been obtained between both AO assays and total phenolic content. In addition, some individual phenolic compounds present in raspberry have been assessed using DPPH and DC polarographic assay. Comparison and evaluation of drying methods has been based on preservation of AO activity and total phenolic content. Obtained results confirmed superiority of freeze-drying; convective drying caused slight changes while osmotic dehydration showed a significant decrease of phenolic compounds and AO activity.     

Occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in poultry and poultry products for sale on the Polish retail market

In 2007 and 2008, a monitoring study was carried out in Poland to examine the occurrence of thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. in raw and cooked chicken products available on the retail market. A total of 912 samples were tested: 443 samples of raw chicken meat, 146 samples of giblets, and 323 ready-to-eat poultry products (150 samples of spit-roasted chicken, 56 samples of smoked chicken, and 117 samples of paté and cold meats). A high level of contamination of raw chicken meat (51.7% of samples) and chicken giblets (47.3% of samples) was detected. However, thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. were found in only 1.2% of the ready-to-eat poultry products.