Platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio better predicts inflammation than neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio in end‐stage renal disease patients

Neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was introduced as a potential marker to determine inflammation in end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Recently, platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and NLR were found to positively correlated with inflammatory markers including tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and interleukin (IL)‐6 in cardiac and noncardiac patients. Data regarding PLR and its association with inflammation are lacking in hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Hence, we aimed to determine the relationship between PLR, NLR, and inflammation in ESRD patients. This was a cross‐sectional study involving 62 ESRD patients (29 females, 33 males; mean age, 49.6 ± 14.6 years) receiving PD or HD for ≥6 months in the Dialysis Unit of Necmettin Erbakan University. PLR, NLR, C‐reactive protein, TNF‐α, IL‐6 levels were measured. PLR, NLR, serum high sensitive C‐reactive protein, IL‐6, and TNF‐α levels were significantly higher in PD patients when compared with HD patients. ESRD patients with PLR ≥ 140 had significantly higher NLR, IL‐6, and TNF‐α levels when compared to patients with PLR < 139. In the bivariate correlation analysis, PLR was positively correlated with NLR, IL‐6, and TNF‐α in this population. When we compared the association of PLR and NLR with IL‐6 (r = 0.371, P = 0.003 vs. r = 0.263, P = 0.04, respectively) and TNF‐α (r = 0.334, P = 0.008 vs. r = 0.273, P = 0.032, respectively), PLR was found to be superior to NLR in terms of inflammation in ESRD patients. Simple calculation of PLR can predict inflammation better than NLR in ESRD patients.     

Synthesis,characterization and corrosion protective properties of boron-modified polyurethane from natural polyol

A novel attempt has been made to incorporate boron in the backbone of castor oil to develop boron-modified polyester (BCPE) and polyurethane (BPU). The overall reaction strategy involved “single pot multiple reactions” in minimum solvent achieving about 50% reduction in the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the synthetic procedure. Spectral (I.R., ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR), physicochemical and thermal (TGA and DSC) analyses of BCPE and BPU were carried out by standard methods. The physico-mechanical and corrosion/chemical resistance performances (in various corrosive media) tests of BPU coatings were also conducted to evaluate their coating properties. These studies revealed that (i) the incorporation of boron has a significant influence on structural and physico-chemical aspects, thermal stability as well as on coating properties of BPUs, (ii) interestingly, BPUs showed very good performance in alkaline media (unaffected in 5 wt% NaOH for 50 h) as compared to their other previously reported oil-based counterparts, (iii) boron, here, acts both as a modifier and crosslinker and (iv) BPUs serve as novel and promising candidates for use as corrosion protective coating material, which can be safely employed up to 220 °C.     

Rapid synthesis of thermally stable hydroxyapaptite

We have optimized the wet precipitation synthesis of hydroxyapaptite to obtain thermally stable powder in the short time span of 3 min. Exposure of the reaction mixture to 1000 W microwave for 3 min furnished hydroxyapatite, which was thermally stable at temperatures up to 1200 °C. Powders were analyzed for phase purity using X-ray crystallography; chemical composition was studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy while particle morphology was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy.     

Identification of a gamma-irradiated ingredient (garlic powder) in Korean barbeque sauce by thermoluminescence analysis

Thermoluminescence (TL) analysis was applied to identify gamma-irradiated garlic powder in Korean barbeque sauce before and after pasteurization (85 °C, 30 min), when blended in different ratios (1%, 3%, and 5%). The sauce sample with nonirradiated garlic powder gave a background glow curve. However, the sample blended with irradiated ingredient (1 and 10 kGy) showed typical TL glow curves at temperatures of 150 to 200 °C. The identification properties of sauce samples were more influenced by blending ratios than by irradiation doses, showing that 3% and 5% added samples produced glow curves at 150 to 250 °C. After pasteurization of the samples containing the irradiated ingredient, TL glow intensity decreased but did not change its shape or temperature range. As a result, the pasteurization of Barbeque sauces containing irradiated ingredients had reduced TL glow intensity, but the shape and temperature range of glow curve were still able to provide information required for confirming irradiation treatment. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: To monitor the irradiated food in international market, thermoluminescence (TL) analysis is considered most promising identification technique because of its sensitivity and long-term stability. In this study the applicability of TL analysis to detect an irradiated ingredient (garlic powder) added in low quantity to a food matrix (sauce) was investigated. The effect of processing (pasteurization) on TL results was also evaluated.     

In-house validation for the determination of honey adulteration with plant sugars (C4) by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IR-MS)

The objective of any analytical measurement is to obtain consistent, reliable, and accurate data. Validated analytical methods play a major role in achieving this goal. Although there have been many studies reporting about the isotopic compositions of honeys, little has been documented regarding the validation of these methods. In this study, an Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IR-MS) method for the determination of honey adulteration was validated in-house in terms of selectivity, stability, linearity, accuracy, repeatability, sensitivity, and recovery. This study was the first attempt to describe some important method validation parameters, such as the limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), and recovery for the IR-MS studies. The LOD of the method was 0.11%, and the LOQ was 0.38% based on the percent adulteration ratio. The recovery value for spiked blank honey sample with the in-house standard was 98.57%. To evaluate the usefulness of the method, 13 different brands of honey samples were collected from markets in Turkey and analyzed. The ranges of δ¹³C values of analyzed honey samples and their protein fractions were from −12.87 ± 0.01 to −25.56 ± 0.08‰ and from −23.77 ± 0.09 to −25.98 ± 0.06‰, respectively. Adulteration was found in one honey sample.     

Beneficial Effects of Supplementation of the Rare Sugar “D‐allulose” Against Hepatic Steatosis and Severe Obesity in Lepob/Lepob Mice

A rare sugar, D‐allulose (also called D‐psicose), has recently been applied as a food supplement in view of controlling diabetes and obesity in Japan. D‐allulose has been proven to have unique effects against hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in a number of studies using several species of rats and mice. However, the antiobesity effects of D‐allulose have not yet been assessed in Lep^ob/Lep^ob (ob/ob) mice. Therefore, this study explored the dietary supplemental effects of this sugar in leptin‐deficient ob/ob mice. Consequently, the subchronic ingestion of D‐allulose in ob/ob mice for 15 wk significantly decreased the body and liver weights, and the loss of body weight was involved in the reduction of the total fat mass, including abdominal visceral fat, and not fat‐free body mass, including muscle. Furthermore, D‐allulose improved hepatic steatosis, as evaluated using hepatic histological studies and MRI. In the normal mice, none of these parameters were influenced by the single or long‐term ingestion of D‐allulose. These results indicate that dietary supplementation of D‐allulose especially influences postprandial hyperglycemia and obesity‐related hepatic steatosis, without exercise therapy or dietary restriction. Therefore, D‐allulose may be useful as a supplement for preventing and improving obesity and obesity‐related disorders.     

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and Cheap Vegetable Oils: Distinction and Detection of Adulteration as Determined by GC and Chemometrics

Refined oils including corn, sunflower, soybean, and palm oils as well as low-quality olive oil such as refined lampante and pomace olive oils are commonly used for extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) adulteration. Indeed, K ₂₇₀ could be used as a parameter for the detection of EVOO fraud for each type of the studied refined oils, 10 % olive, 4 % pomace olive, 10 % palm, 5 % corn, and 2 % soybean oils. Moreover, the adulteration could also be detected by the increase of the trans fatty acid contents with 10 % pomace olive, 3 % soybean, 3 % sunflower, 2 % corn, and 10 % palm oils. Actually, stigmasta-3,5-diene content is one of the most effective means of detecting refined oils in EVOO at low levels: 2 % olive, 0.4 % pomace olive, 1 % palm, 0.2 % soybean, 0.5 % sunflower, and 0.1 % corn oils. Finally, the application of linear discriminant analysis could represent an alternative and innovative tool for faster and cheaper evaluation of EVOO adulteration.     

Effect of current density on enhanced transformation of naphthalene

The effect of current density on electrochemically enhanced transformation of naphthalene is evaluated. Electrochemical reactors, composed of an anode and a cathode separated by a Nafion membrane, were used to evaluatethe effect of three current densities (1,9, and 18 mA/ L) on the transformation of naphthalene at two concentration levels (13 and 25 mg/L). Transformation rates varied based on the concentration and current density. Almost 88% of the 13 mg/L naphthalene is degraded after 8 h of treatment under 18.2 mA/L. At the same time, more than 90 h was required to degrade the same amount under 9 mA/ L. The results show that most of the naphthalene degradation occurred in the first 4 h under transformation rates of 2.24 and 1.11 mg/L h under applied currents of 18.2 and 9 mA/L, respectively. Increasing the naphthalene concentration to 25 mg/L produced similar results. Under 18.2 mA/L, the redox potential increased significantly at the anolyte in the first 8 h to about 900 mV. After that, the redox potential continued to increase, but at a lower rate, until it reached 1380 mV at the end of processing. Similar behavior is noted for the anolyte pH, which decreased significantly in the first 8 h to less than 2.5 and continued to decrease until it reached a pH value of 1.86 at the end of testing. Naphthalene transformation can be attributed to electrochemically enhanced oxidation at the anolyte by chlorine gas produced by electrolysis.     

STUDY OF THE CLOUD POINT OF NORTRIPTYLINE HYDROCHLORIDE: EFFECT OF ADDITIVES

The work focuses on the clouding and dye solubilization phenomena in an amphiphilic drug, nortriptyline hydrochloride (NOT), which is a tricyclic antidepressant. A 30 mM drug solution prepared in 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH: 7.07) showed CP at 45°C, which was found to decrease with the addition of long-chain alcohols and cyclohexanol but remained almost constant with short-chain alcohols. The behavior is explained on the basis of their nature: short-chain alcohols are water soluble and partition very little in micelles, whereas long-chain alcohols are hydrophobic and solubilize in drug aggregates. Diols decreased the CP. Addition of cationic surfactants increased the CP, whereas sugars caused a decrease. Dye solubilization results indicate micellar growth with fixed concentrations of surfactants.