Assessment of Hematological and Biochemical parameters with extended D-Ribose ingestion

D-ribose, a naturally occurring pentose carbohydrate, has been shown to replenish high- energy phosphates following myocardial ischemia and high intensity, repetitive exercise. Human studies have mainly involved short-term assessment, including potential toxicity. Reports describing adverse effects of D-ribose with prolonged ingestion have been lacking. Therefore, this study assessed the toxicity of extended consumption of D-ribose in healthy adults. Nineteen subjects ingested 20 grams/Day (10 grams, twice a Day) of ribose with serial measurements of biochemical and hematological parameters at Days 0, 7, and 14. No significant toxic changes over the 14-day assessment period occurred in complete blood count, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, gamma glutamyltransferase, alanine amiotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase. However, D-ribose did produce an asymptomatic, mild hypoglycemia of short duration. Uric acid levels increased at Day 7, but decreased to baseline values by Day 14. D-ribose consumption for 14 days appears not to produce significant toxic changes in both hematological and biochemical parameters in healthy human volunteers.     

Nisin expression production from Lactococcus lactis in milk whey medium

BACKGROUND: Nisin is a commercially available bacteriocin produced by Lactococcus lactis ATCC 11454 and used as a natural agent in the biopreservation of food. In the current investigation, milk whey, a byproduct from dairy industries was used as a fermentation substrate for the production of nisin. Lactococcus lactis ATCC 11454 was developed in a rotary shaker (30 °C/36 h/100 rpm) using two different media with milk whey (i) without filtration, pH 6.8, adjusted with NaOH 2 mol L^?1 and without pH adjustment, both autoclaved at 121 °C for 30 min, and (ii) filtrated (1.20 µm and 0.22 µm membrane filter). These cultures were transferred five times using 5 mL aliquots of broth culture for every new volume of the respective media. RESULTS: The results showed that culture media composed of milk whey without filtration supplied L. lactis its adaptation needs better than filtrated milk whey. Nisin titers, in milk whey without filtration (pH adjusted), was 11120.13 mg L^?1 in the second transfer, and up to 1628‐fold higher than the filtrated milk whey, 6.83 mg.L^?1 obtained in the first^t transfer. CONCLUSIONS: Biological processing of milk byproducts (milk whey) can be considered a profitable alternative, generating high‐value bioproducts and contributing to decreasing river disposals by dairy industries. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Flavonoid pigments in chalkhill blue (Lysandra coridon Poda) and other lycaenid butterflies

Nine flavonoids, namely, kaempferol, kaempferol 7-rharanoside, kaempferol 3-rhamnoside, kaempferol 3-glucoside, kaempferol 3-glucoside, 7-rhamnoside, quercetin 3-glucoside, quercetin 3,7-diglucoside, isorhamnetin 3-glucoside, and isorhamnetin 3,7-diglucoside, have been identified in the body and wings of the chalkhill blue butterflyLysandra coridon Poda. Flavonoids have also been found in 15 of a further 17 lycaenid species examined. Analysis of the two-dimensional paper chromatographic flavonoid patterns and aglycone results has shown that the flavonoid content ofL. coridon and the other lycaenids is dependent on the flavonoid content of the larval diet. Differences in the flavonoid patterns ofL. coridon and its leguminous larval food plantsHippocrepis comosa, Anthyllis vulneraria, andLotus corniculatus, indicate that the ingested flavonoids are metabolized byL. coridon or its gut flora before sequestration. Despite the presence of fiavones, glycoflavones, and isoflavones in the larval food plant species, only flavonols are sequestered by the lycaenid species examined. The relationship between lycaenid butterflies and their larval food plants, and the possible role(s) of flavonoids in lycaenids has been discussed. Interactions between ants, plants, flavonoids, and myrmecophilous lycaenids have also been considered.     

How to maneuver in the world of negative online reviews,the important ethical considerations for attorneys,and changes needed to protect the legal profession

The advent of the Internet and social media has revolutionized the way society communicates, the speed in which news is disseminated, and the approach that people take in their daily decision-making. Online reviews are now common place on nearly every consumer-related website. Consequently, attorneys are also being publicly scrutinized by their clients on a range of topics from price, competence, satisfaction, personality, communication, and effectiveness. On one side of the coin, this new phenomenon can be very rewarding since attorneys were previously limited to receiving a small number of referrals from the word-of-mouth promotion before the creation of online reviews. However, the exact opposite is true. Negative online reviews, whether accurate or not, may deter potential clients from even giving the attorney a second thought. As a result, a firm's business can feel the immediate impact of negative reviews. Attorneys, who legitimately need and want to protect their business and reputation, cannot speak freely online to defend their honor. Rather, an attorney must be mindful of not disclosing confidential client information or crossing other ethical lines that may then expose the attorney to potential discipline. There are several interests that must be considered such as allowing attorneys to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech, respect and adherence to the ethical rules of non-disclosure of confidential information, allowing attorneys to preserve their reputation, and protecting an attorney's marketability and means of generating income. This article explores the trend in offering reviews online in a variety of industries, including legal services, the statistical findings regarding the prevalence of this information and consumers' reliance on the information while making a purchasing decision. This article also considers the positive and negative implications of the reviews being so widely spread, while highlighting unique considerations as it relates to the practice of law and factors that may greatly skew a reviewer and reader's perceptions. Next, this article outlines the ethical considerations of attorneys if they want to respond to negative online feedback, such as disclosure of confidential information. Then, this article analyzes the American Bar Association (ABA) and several US states' ethics opinions for guidance for attorneys who wish to respond negative reviews. Finally, this article details the author's recommendations for attorneys, the ABA, and the US states and propose the areas where additional ethics opinions, rules and guidelines should be focused to establish a proper balance between the valuable insights discovered from a client's review and attorneys' legitimate interests in protecting their reputation and livelihood from inaccurate, malicious, or erroneous postings.     

Computational auditory models in predicting noise reduction performance for wideband telephony applications

The performance of several noise reduction algorithms intended for wideband telephony was evaluated both subjectively and objectively. The chosen algorithms were based on statistical modeling, spectral subtraction, Wiener filtering, or subspace modelling principles. A customized wideband noise reduction database containing speech samples corrupted by three types of background noises at three SNR levels, along with their enhanced versions was created. The overall quality of the speech samples in the database was subsequently rated by a group of listeners with normal hearing capabilities. Comprehensive statistical analyses were performed to assess the reliability of the subjective data, and to assess the performance of noise reduction algorithms across varied noisy conditions. The subjective quality ratings were then used to investigate the performance of several auditory model-based objective quality metrics. Key results from these investigations include: (a) there was a high degree of inter- and intra-subject reliability in the subjective ratings, (b) noise reduction algorithms enhance speech quality for only a subset of the noise conditions, and (c) auditory model-based metrics perform similarly in predicting speech quality ratings, when speech quality scores pertaining to a particular noise condition were averaged.     

Sorafenib delivery nanoplatform based on superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles magnetically targets hepatocellular carcinoma

Currently,sorafenib is the only systemic therapy capable of increasing overall survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients.Unfortunately,its side effects,particularly its overall toxicity,limit the therapeutic response that can be achieved.Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are very attractive for drug delivery because they can be targeted to specific sites in the body through application of a magnetic field,thus improving intratumoral accumulation and reducing adverse effects.Here,nanoformulations based on polyethylene glycol modified phospholipid micelles,loaded with both SPIONs and sorafenib,were successfully prepared and thoroughly investigated by complementary techniques.This nanovector system provided effective drug delivery,had an average hydrodynamic diameter of about 125 nm,had good stability in aqueous medium,and allowed controlled drug loading.Magnetic analysis allowed accurate determination of the amount of SPIONs embedded in each micelle.An in vitro system was designed to test whether the SPION micelles can be efficiently held using a magnetic field under typical flow conditions found in the human liver.Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells were selected as an in vitro system to evaluate tumor cell targeting efficacy of the superparamagnetic micelles loaded with sorafenib.These experiments demonstrated that this delivery platform is able to enhance sorafenib's antitumor effectiveness by magnetic targeting.The magnetic nanovectors described here represent promising candidates for targeting specific hepatic tumor sites,where selective release of sorafenib can improve its efficacy and safety profile.     

Novel poly(etheraroyl-co-terephthal) hydrazides with liquid crystalline behaviour

Novel poly(etheraroyl-co-terephthal)hydrazides with liquid crystalline (LC) behaviour, synthesized by solution polycondensation followed by non-solvent coagulation in water, have been characterized by means of Fourier Transform infrared (FT-i.r.), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) techniques. DSC thermograms and WAXS intensity profiles of as polymerized and coagulated homo- and copolymers are strongly dependent upon the molecular structure and constitution of the polymers: the poly(etheraroyl-hydrazide) homopolymer shows an LC behaviour and such a characteristic is maintained in copolymers with low content of terephthaloyldichloride comonomer, while a further increase in comonomer content attenuates this LC attitude. Annealing treatments on as polymerized and coagulated copolymers are able to transform the LC phase metastable at room temperature into crystalline and/or amorphous phases.     

Sleep in a live-in mining operation: The influence of start times and restricted non-work activities

The amount of sleep obtained between shifts is influenced by numerous factors including the length of work and rest periods, the timing of the rest period relative to the endogenous circadian cycle and personal choices about the use of non-work time. The current study utilised a real-world live-in mining environment to examine the amount of sleep obtained when access to normal domestic, family and social activities was restricted. Participants were 29 mining operators (26 male, average age 37.4 ± 6.8 years) who recorded sleep, work and fatigue information and wore an activity monitor for a cycle of seven day shifts and seven night shifts (both 12 h) followed by either seven or fourteen days off. During the two weeks of work participants lived on-site. Total sleep time was significantly less (p < 0.01) while on-site on both day (6.1 ± 1.0 h) and night shifts (5.7 ± 1.5 h) than days off (7.4 ± 1.4 h). Further, night shift sleep was significantly shorter than day-shift sleep (p < 0.01). Assessment of subjective fatigue ratings showed that the sleep associated with both days off and night shifts had a greater recovery value than sleep associated with day shifts (p < 0.01). While on-site, participants obtained only 6 h of sleep indicating that the absence of competing domestic, family and social activities did not convert to more sleep. Factors including shift start times and circadian influences appear to have been more important.