Berry antioxidants: small fruits providing large benefits

Small berry fruits are consumed because of their attractive colour and special taste, and are considered one of the richest sources of natural antioxidants. Their consumption has been linked to the prevention of some chronic and degenerative diseases. The term ‘berry fruits’ encompasses the so‐called ‘soft fruits’, primarily strawberry, currants, gooseberry, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry and cranberry. The objective of this review is to highlight the nutraceutical value of berries and to summarize the factors affecting berry fruit antioxidants. Particular attention is given to postharvest and processing operation factors that may affect fruit phytochemical content. The structure–antioxidant relationships for phenolic compounds – the main group of antioxidants in this fruit group – are presented and major areas for future research are identified. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

A hand-held, two-channel stimulator-ophthalmoscope

A hand-held optical system for presenting focused stimuli on known retinal areas by direct ophthalmoscopy is described. The optical system provides a time-modulated stimulus beam of variable dimension, retinal illuminance, wave-length, and polarization, and a steady background beam of variable retinal illuminance and wavelength. Both beams enter the patient's eye in maxwellian-view for precise control of the ratio of stimulus to background retinal illuminance. The stimulator-ophthalmoscope allows the examiner to compensate easily for variable fixation.     

LIQUID - LIQUID DISTRBUTION EQUILIBRIUM IN THE TERNARY SYSTEM : CITRIC ACID - 2-BUTANOL - WATER 298.15 K

Partition of citric acid, 2-butanol and water between the aqueous and alcoholic phases is reported. Distribution of citric acid is expressed in terms of, H₃Cit (2-BuOH)₅, complex formation in the organic phase. Detailed thermodynamic analysis of the investigated system is presented.     

Extracellular Vesicle MicroRNA That Are Involved in β-Thalassemia Complications

Beta thalassemia major (βT) is a hereditary anemia characterized by transfusion-dependency, lifelong requirement of chelation, and organ dysfunction. MicroRNA (miRNA) can be packed into extracellular vesicles (EVs) that carry them to target cells. We explored EV-miRNA in βT and their pathophysiologic role. Circulating EVs were isolated from 35 βT-patients and 15 controls. EV miRNA was evaluated by nano-string technology and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). We explored effects of EVs on cell culture proliferation, apoptosis, and signal transduction. Higher amounts of small EV (exosomes) were found in patients than in controls. The expression of 21 miRNA was > two-fold higher, and of 17 miRNA < three-fold lower in βT-EVs than control-EVs. RT-qPCR confirmed differential expression of six miRNAs in βT, particularly miR-144-3p, a regulator of erythropoiesis. Exposure of endothelial, liver Huh7, and pancreatic 1.1B4 cells to βT-EVs significantly reduced cell viability and increased cell apoptosis. βT-EV-induced endothelial cell apoptosis involved the MAPK/JNK signal-transduction pathway. In contrast, splenectomized βT-EVs induced proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC). In summary, the miR-144-3p was strongly increased; βT-EVs induced apoptosis and decreased endothelial, pancreatic, and liver cell survival while supporting BM-MSC proliferation. These mechanisms may contribute to βT organ dysfunction and complications.     

Fatigue crack growth rate in underwater wet welds: out of water evaluation

The characteristics of fatigue crack propagation in welds produced in conventional conditions (welds made out of water) and in underwater repair welding conditions (underwater wet welding) were evaluated out of water. The fatigue crack growth rates da/dN showed considerable dependence on pore density and distribution, factors that vary significantly with the welding process and the environment. Variations in the fatigue crack propagation rate were correlated with analysis of the fracture surface in the zone of stable crack propagation. The results of this study show that the underwater wet welding procedure produces weld metal resistant to fatigue, which is suitable for use at low applied stresses in offshore structures.     

Evolutionary History of Bioessential Elements Can Guide the Search for Life in the Universe

Our understanding of life in the universe comes from one sample, life on Earth. Current and next-generation space missions will target exoplanets as well as planets and moons in our own solar system with the primary goal of detecting, interpreting and characterizing indications of possible biological activity. Thus, understanding life's fundamental characteristics is increasingly critical for detecting and interpreting potential biological signatures elsewhere in the universe. Astrobiologists have outlined the essential roles of carbon and water for life, but we have yet to decipher the rules governing the evolution of how living organisms use bioessential elements. Does the suite of life's essential chemical elements on Earth constitute only one possible evolutionary outcome? Are some elements so essential for biological functions that evolution will select for them despite low availability? How would this play out on other worlds that have different relative element abundances? When we look for life in the universe, or the conditions that could give rise to life, we must learn how to recognize it in extremely different chemical and environmental conditions from those on Earth. We argue that by exposing self-organizing biotic chemistries to different combinations of abiotic materials, and by mapping the evolutionary history of metalloenzyme biochemistry onto geological availabilities of metals, alternative element choices that are very different from life's present-day molecular structure might result. A greater understanding of the paleomolecular evolutionary history of life on Earth will create a predictive capacity for detecting and assessing life's existence on worlds where alternate evolutionary paths might have been taken.