Dairy products and inflammation: A review of the clinical evidence

Inflammation is a major biological process regulating the interaction between organisms and the environment, including the diet. Because of the increase in chronic inflammatory diseases, and in light of the immune-regulatory properties of breastfeeding, the ability of dairy products to modulate inflammatory processes in humans is an important but unresolved issue. Here, we report a systematic review of 52 clinical trials investigating inflammatory markers in relation to the consumption of dairy products. An inflammatory score (IS) was defined to quantitatively evaluate this interaction. The IS was significantly positive for the entire data set, indicating an anti-inflammatory activity in humans. When the subjects were stratified according to their health status, the IS was strongly indicative of an anti-inflammatory activity in subjects with metabolic disorders and of a pro-inflammatory activity in subjects allergic to bovine milk. Stratifying the data by product categories associated both low-fat and high-fat products, as well as fermented products, with an anti-inflammatory activity. Remarkably, the literature is characterized by a large gap in knowledge on bioavailability of bioactive nutrients. Future research should thus better combine food and nutritional sciences to adequately follow the fate of these nutrients along the gastrointestinal and metabolic axes.     

A bipolar electrospray source of singly charged salt clusters of precisely controlled composition

The few clusters [B^?_nA⁺_n+1]⁺ (n = 0,1) with resolvable mobilities formed in electrosprays of large salts have been used for nanoparticle instrument testing and calibration at sizes smaller than 2 nm. Extensions of this modest size range by charge reduction with uncontrolled gas phase ions has resulted in impure singly charged clusters. Here, we combine two oppositely charged electrosprays of solutions of the same salt B^?A⁺, including: (C_nH_2n+1)₄N⁺Br^? (n = 4,7,12,16), the large phosphonium cation (C₆H₁₃)₃(C₁₆H₃₃)P⁺ paired with the anions Im^? [(CF₃SO₂)₂N^?] or FAP^? [(C₂F₅)₃PF₃^?], and the asymmetric pair [1-methyl-3-pentylimidazolium⁺FAP^?]. Both polarities are simultaneously produced by this source in comparable abundances, primarily as singly charged A⁺_nB^?_n±1, with tiny contributions from higher charge states. Some but not all of these clusters produce narrow mobility peaks typical of pure ions, even beyond n = 43. Excellent independent stable control of the positive and the negative sprays brought very close to each other is achieved by isolating them electrostatically with a symmetrically interposed metallic screen. Two nanoDMAs covering the size range up to 30 nm (Halfmini and Herrmann DMAs, with classification lengths of 2 and 10 cm) are characterized with these standards, revealing resolving powers considerably higher than previously seen with unipolar electrospray sources. The bipolar source of pure and chemically homogeneous clusters described permits studying size and charge effects in a variety of aerosol instruments in the 1–4 nm size range.

Copyright © 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Study of the nanoparticle/microparticle powder systems by dry dispersion

The study of a nanoparticle/microparticle powder systems by dispersion of different type of nanoparticles over microparticles, as support or substrate, has been afforded by a soft mechanical and solvent-less procedure and its effect on the electrostatic charge was studied. The dispersion degree can be evaluated by using diffuse reflectance measurements due to the non-linear change of the reflectance as a function of the nanoparticles amount in the powder composite. The maximum slope variation of the non-linear curve revealed the point where the nanodispersion attained the highest efficiency. The interaction between the OH groups of the dissimilar surfaces provides the anchoring mechanism of the nanoparticles onto the microparticles and the net charge compensation. Furthermore, the dispersed and anchored nanoparticles provide a roughness increasing of the microparticles surface that is responsible for a formation of nanoparticle/microparticle composite powders in which tribo-charge maximized due to the enhancement of composite packaging.     

2—THE QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT OF THE DEGREE OF WHITENESS OF WOOL TOPS

The aim of the work reported in this paper was to find a method for the instrumental determination of the degree of whiteness of wool tops that have not been treated with fluorescent brightening agents so that a classification similar to that provided by visual assessment can be made. The work is based on the visual classification performed by 54 experts on fourteen wool tops and on the colorimetric data obtained by the use of eight different instruments and applied to eleven formulae defining ways of expressing the degree of whiteness. The results allowed a selection to be made of the equipment and formulae that are adequate to achieve an analogous classification to that given by the experts.     

Development and Preliminary Experience with an Ease of Extractability Rating System for Prescription Opioids

Abstract

One important factor in the abuse potential of an opioid product is the ease with which active drug can be extracted. There are currently no standards for testing or reporting extractability. This article describes the development of an Extractability Rating System for use by the pharmaceutical industry and regulators. Despite several limitations, this effort serves as a call for standardized testing and reporting so that products can be accurately rated, and should help establish goals for drug developers who wish to develop “abuse-resistant” opioid products.     

Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction with saponification (MAES) for the determination of polybrominated flame retardants in aquaculture samples

The efficiency of microwave-assisted extraction with saponification (MAES) for the determination of seven polybrominated flame retardants (polybrominated biphenyls, PBBs; and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, PBDEs) in aquaculture samples is described and compared with microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). Chemometric techniques based on experimental designs and desirability functions were used for simultaneous optimization of the operational parameters used in both MAES and MAE processes. Application of MAES to this group of contaminants in aquaculture samples, which had not been previously applied to this type of analytes, was shown to be superior to MAE in terms of extraction efficiency, extraction time and lipid content extracted from complex matrices (0.7% as against 18.0% for MAE extracts). PBBs and PBDEs were determined by gas chromatography with micro-electron capture detection (GC-μECD). The quantification limits for the analytes were 40–750 pg g^?1 (except for BB-15, which was 1.43 ng g^?1). Precision for MAES-GC-μECD (%RSD?<?11%) was significantly better than for MAE-GC-μECD (%RSD?<?20%). The accuracy of both optimized methods was satisfactorily demonstrated by analysis of appropriate certified reference material (CRM), WMF-01.     

Ultrastructure of the bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus‐Shaw, 1802) oviduct in different seasons

The bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is an exotic animal that adapted perfectly to the climatic conditions of Brazil after introduction in the country. These climatic conditions favor the reproduction and fattening of bullfrogs. However, the development of the bullfrog is significantly reduced in colder regions because low temperatures affect the secretion of gonadotropins and change the sensitivity of the germinal epithelium to gonadotropic hormones. Thus, the temperature and photoperiod are abiotic factors that influence the life cycle of this species, especially with regard to reproduction. Samples from different regions of the oviducts (the infundibulum, magnum, and isthmus) of 9 bullfrogs were collected in the different seasons of the year. The samples were fixed and processed for analysis with scanning and transmission electron microscopy. A comparison of the morphology of the oviducts collected during different seasonal periods suggests that the frogs have greater reproductive potential in the spring due to the development of the structures related to the oviduct, presence of developed cilia, and electron‐dense granules. However, seasonal changes were noted in the animal throughout the year in preparation for reproduction during the spring and summer. Microsc. Res. Tech. 76:523–532, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Synthesis of Cholesterol Analogues Bearing BODIPY Fluorophores by Suzuki or Liebeskind–Srogl Cross‐Coupling and Evaluation of Their Potential for Visualization of Cholesterol Pools

We report a synthetic route to BODIPY–cholesterol conjugates in which the key steps were Suzuki or Liebeskind–Srogl cross‐coupling of cholesterol phenyl moieties with structurally diverse BODIPY scaffolds. All conjugates feature single‐bonded and hydrophobic linkages between the fluorophore and sterol that are devoid of heteroatoms. Using HeLa cells, we show that these BODIPY–cholesterol analogues can be used simultaneously with the parent BODIPY–cholesterol for cell imaging and flow cytometry. The BODIPY–cholesterol analogues exhibit similar cellular localization in HeLa cells and show similar cholesterol efflux properties from THP‐1 cells to HDL acceptors. These results demonstrate that the red‐shifted BODIPY–cholesterol analogues behave in a manner similar to unlabeled cholesterol and are useful probes for simultaneous visualization of intracellular cholesterol pools and for monitoring cholesterol efflux from cells to extracellular acceptors.     

Nanocomposites of poly(vinylidene fluoride) with multiwalled carbon nanotubes

The preparation and characterization of nanocomposites of poly(vinylidene fluoride), PVDF, with acid treated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) with a wide composition range, from 0.1 to 5.0% MWCNT by weight, is reported. Effect of uniaxial orientation by zone drawing on these nanocomposites is discussed and compared with unoriented compression molded films. Static room temperature two‐dimensional wide angle X‐ray scattering and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used for phase identification. Differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and thermogravimetic analysis (TGA) were used to study the thermal and mechanical properties. Incorporation of MWCNT into PVDF has no obvious effect in forming beta phase crystal in the PVDF/MWCNT bulk films, while zone drawing cause a significant alpha to beta transition in PVDF/MWCNT. Results indicate that MWCNTs act as nucleation agent during crystallization and slightly increase the degree of crystallinity of PVDF/MWCNT bulk films. TGA indicates the thermal stability is improved when MWCNT concentration increases for unoriented PVDF/MWCNT film. The modulus also increases significantly when MWCNT concentration increases. The glass transition temperature measured by the peak position of tanδ from DMA does not change with MWCNT concentration, but a slightly higher glass transition can be obtained by zone drawing. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Generating Capacity Reliability Evaluation Based on Monte Carlo Simulation and Cross-Entropy Methods

This paper presents a new Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) approach based on cross-entropy (CE) method to evaluate generating capacity reliability (GCR) indices. The basic idea is to use an auxiliary importance sampling density function, whose parameters are obtained from an optimization process that minimizes the computational effort of the MCS estimation approach. In order to improve the performance of the CE-based method as applied to the GCR assessment, various aspects are considered: system size, rarity of the failure event, number of different units, unit capacity sizes, and load shape. The IEEE Reliability Test System is used to test the proposed methodology, and also various modifications of this system are created to fully verify the ability of the proposed approach against both, a crude MCS and an extremely efficient analytical technique based on discrete convolution. A configuration of the Brazilian South-Southeastern generating system is also used to demonstrate the capability of the proposed CE-based MCS method in real applications.