Cannabidiol Downregulates Myocardial de Novo Ceramide Synthesis Pathway in a Rat Model of High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity

It is known that metabolic disturbances, including obesity, predispose to an increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases. Elevated consumption of dietary fat results in intramyocardial accumulation of lipids and their biologically active derivatives, which can disrupt the contractile function of the heart, its metabolism, and intracellular signaling pathways. Therefore, alternative methods, such as phytocannabinoids, are being sought for the treatment of obesity-related effects. In a model of rodent obesity (seven weeks of high-fat-diet (HFD) regime), we used cannabidiol—CBD therapy (intraperitoneal injections for 14 days; 10 mg/kg). High-performance and gas-liquid chromatographies were applied in order to determine sphingolipids in the heart and plasma as well as Western blotting for protein expression. Two-week CBD administration significantly inhibited the de novo ceramide synthesis pathway in the heart of HFD fed rats by lowering sphinganine and sphinganine-1-phosphate contents. The above reductions were accompanied by markedly diminished expressions of myocardial serine palmitoyltransferase 1 and 2 as well as ceramide synthase 5 and 6 in the HFD group with 2-week CBD treatment. To our knowledge, this research is the first that reveals unknown effects of CBD treatment on the heart, i.e., amelioration of de novo ceramide synthesis pathway in obese rats.     

The Periplasmic Oxidoreductase DsbA Is Required for Virulence of the Phytopathogen Dickeya solani

In bacteria, the DsbA oxidoreductase is a crucial factor responsible for the introduction of disulfide bonds to extracytoplasmic proteins, which include important virulence factors. A lack of proper disulfide bonds frequently leads to instability and/or loss of protein function; therefore, improper disulfide bonding may lead to avirulent phenotypes. The importance of the DsbA function in phytopathogens has not been extensively studied yet. Dickeya solani is a bacterium from the Soft Rot Pectobacteriaceae family which is responsible for very high economic losses mainly in potato. In this work, we constructed a D. solani dsbA mutant and demonstrated that a lack of DsbA caused a loss of virulence. The mutant bacteria showed lower activities of secreted virulence determinants and were unable to develop disease symptoms in a potato plant. The SWATH-MS-based proteomic analysis revealed that the dsbA mutation led to multifaceted effects in the D. solani cells, including not only lower levels of secreted virulence factors, but also the induction of stress responses. Finally, the outer membrane barrier seemed to be disturbed by the mutation. Our results clearly demonstrate that the function played by the DsbA oxidoreductase is crucial for D. solani virulence, and a lack of DsbA significantly disturbs cellular physiology.     

Curcumin and Weight Loss: Does It Work?

Obesity is a global health problem needing urgent research. Synthetic anti-obesity drugs show side effects and variable effectiveness. Thus, there is a tendency to use natural compounds for the management of obesity. There is a considerable body of knowledge, supported by rigorous experimental data, that natural polyphenols, including curcumin, can be an effective and safer alternative for managing obesity. Curcumin is a is an important compound present in Curcuma longa L. rhizome. It is a lipophilic molecule that rapidly permeates cell membrane. Curcumin has been used as a pharmacological traditional medicinal agent in Ayurvedic medicine for ∼6000 years. This plant metabolite doubtless effectiveness has been reported through increasingly detailed in vitro, in vivo and clinical trials. Regarding its biological effects, multiple health-promoting, disease-preventing and even treatment attributes have been remarkably highlighted. This review documents the status of research on anti-obesity mechanisms and evaluates the effectiveness of curcumin for management of obesity. It summarizes different mechanisms of anti-obesity action, associated with the enzymes, energy expenditure, adipocyte differentiation, lipid metabolism, gut microbiota and anti-inflammatory potential of curcumin. However, there is still a need for systematic and targeted clinical studies before curcumin can be used as the mainstream therapy for managing obesity.     

Effect of Acute Sprint Exercise on Myokines and Food Intake Hormones in Young Healthy Men

Physical exercise is known to influence hormonal mediators of appetite, but the effect of short-term maximal intensity exercise on plasma levels of appetite hormones and cytokines has been little studied. We investigated the effect of a 30 s Wingate Test, followed by a postprandial period, on appetite sensations, food intake, and appetite hormones. Twenty-six physically active young males rated their subjective feelings of hunger, prospective food consumption, and fatigue on visual analogue scales at baseline, after exercise was completed, and during the postprandial period. Blood samples were obtained for the measurement of nesfatin-1, ghrelin, leptin, insulin, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), human growth factor (hGH) and cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6), irisin and plasma lactate concentrations, at 30 min before exercise, immediately (210 s) after exercise, and 30 min following a meal and at corresponding times in control sedentary males without ad libitum meal intake, respectively. Appetite perceptions and food intake were decreased in response to exercise. Plasma levels of irisin, IL-6, lactate, nesfatin-1 and ghrelin was increased after exercise and then it was returned to postprandial/control period in both groups. A significant rise in plasma insulin, hGH and PP levels after exercise was observed while meal intake potentiated this response. In conclusion, an acute short-term fatiguing exercise can transiently suppress hunger sensations and food intake in humans. We postulate that this physiological response involves exercise-induced alterations in plasma hormones and the release of myokines such as irisin and IL-6, and supports the notion of existence of the skeletal muscle–brain–gut axis. Nevertheless, the detailed relationship between acute exercise releasing myokines, appetite sensations and impairment of this axis leading to several diseases should be further examined.     

Fly ash as a sorbent for boron removal from aqueous solutions: Equilibrium and thermodynamic studies

ABSTRACT

This study presents the application of fly ash from brown coal and biomass burning power plant as a sorbent for the removal of boron ions from an aqueous solution. The adsorption process efficiency depended on the parameters, such as adsorbent dosage, pH, temperature, agitation time and initial boron concentration. The experimental data fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm model and the maximum capacity was found to be 16.14 mg g^?1. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order model. Also, the intra-particle diffusion model parameters were calculated. Thermodynamic parameters such as change in free energy (ΔG°), enthalpy (ΔH°), entropy (ΔS°) revealed on exothermic nature of boron adsorption onto the fly ash.     

Photoluminescence and energy transfer in transparent glass-ceramics based on GdF3:RE3+ (RE = Tb,Eu) nanocrystals

In the present work,the transparent oxyfluoride glass-ceramic samples containing GdF_3:RE~(3+)(RE=Tb,Eu) nanocrystals(nGCs) were fabricated via controlled heat-treatment of precursor xerogels prepared using a sol-gel method.The formation of GdF_3 nanocrystalline phase from gadolinium(III) trifluoroacetate was verified based on XRD measurements.The average crystal sizes calculated from Scherrer formula were estimated to～10 nm as well as～6 nm for Tb~(3+)-and Eu~(3+)-doped samples,respectively.The optical behavior of prepared sol-gel samples was evaluated based on photoluminescence excitation(PLE) and emission spectra(PL) as well as luminescence decay analysis.Obtained samples exhibit the ~5D_4→~7F_J(J=6-3,Tb~(3+))and the ~5D_0→~7F_J(J=0-4,Eu~(3+)) emission bands recorded within the visible spectral area under excitation at near-UV(393 nm(Eu~(3+)),351,369,378 nm(Tb~(3+))) as well as middle-UV illumination(273 nm(Gd~(3+))).Additionally,based on recorded decay curves,the luminescence lifetimes(τ_m) for the ~5D_4(Tb3+) and the ~5D_0(Eu~(3+))excited states were also evaluated.In general,recorded luminescence spectra and double-exponential character of decay curves for nGCs indicate a successful migration of Tb~(3+) and Eu~(3+) dopant ions from amorphous silicate framework to lowphonon energy GdF_3 nanocrystal phase.     

A comparison of selected quality features of the tissue and slaughter yield of wild and cultivated pikeperch<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Sander lucioperca</Emphasis> (L.)

The study focused on the comparison of carcass and fillet yields, fillet color, the content of basic components, and the fatty acid composition of tissue from cultivated and wild pikeperch. There was no variation in yield between carcasses and fillets. The brightness and redness of the color of the fillet surfaces of both types of fish were comparable, although the yellowness, chromaticity and shade of color differed. The tissue of cultivated fish had three times more fat (2.87%) than did that of wild fish; the difference was compensated for by water content. The protein and mineral component contents did not vary significantly. The total levels of saturated and monounsaturated acids in the tissue lipids in 1 g of fat varied. No differences were observed between the total amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), PUFAn-3, PUFAn-6, or in the n-3/n-6 proportion. One consequence of the higher fat content in cultivated pikeperch tissue was that the contents of eicosapentaenoic (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic (DHA; 22:6n-3) acids per 100 g of fillet were significantly higher than in the tissue of wild pikeperch.     

THE INFLUENCE OF N-ALKANES ON WETTABILITY DF LOW COAL RANKS

Contact angle measurements were carried out in coal / n-alkanes film - air bubble - water systems. Then theoretical an analysis of the equilibrium state of that system was carried out on the basis of the components of the surface free energy of coal of various ranks. The contact angles were measured for four ranks of Polish coal which surfaces were covered with n-alkanes film in the homological series from n-hexane to n-hexadecane. On the basis of the studies and calculations carried out we have concluded that the values of the contact angle depend on the rank of coal, a thickness of n-alkane film and its structure and the presence of water film under the air bubble. It was also found that the changes of the- values of the contact angles measured in the mentioned sytems as a function of the number of contacted air bubbles were similar to those calculated on the basis of the solution of Young equation in function of the surface free energy of coals precovered with n-alkane film.     

Multi-level backcalculation algorithm for robust determination of pavement layers parameters

The backcalculation procedure applied to a mechanical characterization of the road pavement is usually limited to an identification of the elastic modulus of each layer only. The remaining parameters of the model are usually set as known, while performing an inverse analysis. Among assumed parameters are thicknesses of the model layers and frequently considered as constants on a homogeneous section of the road. This is an obvious simplification, because sections in general are inhomogeneous, i.e. the thickness of each layer changes slightly along each road section. Thus the precise and possibly nondestructive estimation of the layers thicknesses is very important and crucial in the inverse procedure. Here, a hybrid form of the optimization algorithm, where the condition of a constant thickness does not need to be fulfilled is described. Further on, the objective function is formed as a discrepancy between reference and computed deflection derivative instead of a deflection curve. In consequence, the values of backcalculated parameters are several per cent more precise compared to a standard procedure. Whenever the thickness of the asphalt layer of the pavement structure cannot be assumed a priori as a constant, the proposed here method appears to be necessary if one does not want to perform costly and destructive in situ drilling tests.     

Coacervates as a Modern Delivery System of Hand Dishwashing Liquids

Hand dishwashing liquids can be produced in a coacervate form. Such a delivery system can be readily mixed with water and, in the initial dilution stage, may exhibit a high viscosity. This makes it feasible to formulate concentrated products which can be diluted by consumers. The surfactant concentration in the starting formulation is found to affect the possibility of producing hand dishwashing liquids in coacervate form. Hand dishwashing liquids in coacervate form are produced by the separation of the upper phase under the effect of sodium chloride, whose concentration is a key parameter. An increase in the concentration of anionic surfactants in the starting formulation, requires a slight increase in the concentration of sodium chloride to start coacervation and this results in an increase in coacervate volume. The properties of the coacervate, i.e. viscosity, washability, emulsifying power and foamability, are reported and found to be similar to those of typical commercial products.