Effect of complexation of oxidised corn starch with mineral elements on physicochemical properties

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of complexation of oxidised starch with mineral elements on its physicochemical properties. Corn starch was oxidised with sodium hypochlorite and, afterwards, modified with ions of potassium, magnesium and iron. Thus, native and modified starches were analysed for: contents of mineral elements, colour parameters (L*a*b*), water binding capacity and solubility in water at temperature of 60 and 80 °C. Thermodynamic characteristics of gelatinisation by DSC, molecular weight distribution by GPC, intrinsic viscosity and pasting properties by RVA were studied. The efficiency of incorporation of metal ions into oxidised corn starch was about 30%, 20% and 20% for potassium, magnesium and iron ions, respectively. The complexation with potassium ions caused the greatest changes in the molecular weight distribution and the intrinsic viscosity of starches and viscosity of starch pastes. Only modification of starch with iron ions affected the colour parameters of the starch. Incorporation of metal ions into starch resulted also in changes in its water binding capacity and solubility in water.     

The influence of sonication time on the biogenic amines formation as a critical point in uncured dry-fermented beef manufacturing

In this study, the influence of sonication time on the biogenic amines formation as a critical point in uncured dry-fermented beef manufacturing was studied. Samples of musculus semimembranosus were sonicated at different times (5 and 10 min) using ultrasound cold bath (4 °C) in acid whey (US 40 kHz and acoustic power 480 W). The effect of sonication on biogenic amine (BA) formation was investigated during 93 days of ripening period. Other parameters (pH value, water activity, microbial counts) that might provide further information on the product under study were also determined. The use of ultrasound during beef marinating in acid whey has a positive effect on retarding histamine (HIS), cadaverine (CAD), tyramine (TYR) and putrescine (PUT) formation. Moreover, the sonication treatment did not inhibit the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in dry-fermented beef during the whole ripening period. The pathogen bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium sp., Listeria monocytogenes) were not detected in all samples neither after 31 nor after 93 days of ripening period.     

Role of HMOX1 Promoter Genetic Variants in Chemoresistance and Chemotherapy Induced Neutropenia in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Whilst the survival rates of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have increased remarkably over the last decades, the therapy resistance and toxicity are still the major causes of treatment failure. It was shown that overexpression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) promotes proliferation and chemoresistance of cancer cells. In humans, the HO-1 gene (HMOX1) expression is modulated by two polymorphisms in the promoter region: (GT)n-length polymorphism and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) A(−413)T, with short GT repeat sequences and 413-A variants linked to an increased HO-1 inducibility. We found that the short alleles are significantly more frequent in ALL patients in comparison to the control group, and that their presence may be associated with a higher risk of treatment failure, reflecting the role of HO-1 in chemoresistance. We also observed that the presence of short alleles may predispose to develop chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. In case of SNP, the 413-T variant co-segregated with short or long alleles, while 413-A almost selectively co-segregated with long alleles, hence it is not possible to determine if SNPs are actually of phenotypic significance. Our results suggest that HO-1 can be a potential target to overcome the treatment failure in ALL patients.     

Target Score—A Proteomics Data Selection Tool Applied to Esophageal Cancer Identifies GLUT1-Sialyl Tn Glycoforms as Biomarkers of Cancer Aggressiveness

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a life-threatening disease, demanding the discovery of new biomarkers and molecular targets for precision oncology. Aberrantly glycosylated proteins hold tremendous potential towards this objective. In the current study, a series of esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) and EC-derived circulating tumor cells (CTCs) were screened by immunoassays for the sialyl-Tn (STn) antigen, a glycan rarely expressed in healthy tissues and widely observed in aggressive gastrointestinal cancers. An ESCC cell model was glycoengineered to express STn and characterized in relation to cell proliferation and invasion in vitro. STn was found to be widely present in ESCC (70% of tumors) and in CTCs in 20% of patients, being associated with general recurrence and reduced survival. Furthermore, STn expression in ESCC cells increased invasion in vitro, while reducing cancer cells proliferation. In parallel, an ESCC mass spectrometry-based proteomics dataset, obtained from the PRIDE database, was comprehensively interrogated for abnormally glycosylated proteins. Data integration with the Target Score, an algorithm developed in-house, pinpointed the glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1) as a biomarker of poor prognosis. GLUT1-STn glycoproteoforms were latter identified in tumor tissues in patients facing worst prognosis. Furthermore, healthy human tissues analysis suggested that STn glycosylation provided cancer specificity to GLUT1. In conclusion, STn is a biomarker of worst prognosis in EC and GLUT1-STn glycoforms may be used to increase its specificity on the stratification and targeting of aggressive ESCC forms.     

Scales to measure parents and caretakers satisfaction with the food and nutrition component of Child care Centers

Two Likert-type scales for measuring parents' and caretakers' level of satisfaction with the food and nutrition services offered at childcare multi-centers in a peri-urban community in Caracas, were developed and validated. An intentional sample of 20 parents and caretakers were interviewed within the naturalistic-constructivist perspective, to capture their perceptions of distinct aspects of the food and nutrition components of the program. Categories emerged from the interviews that served to construct the items for two scales that measure level of satisfaction of parents and caretakers with the food and nutrition aspects of the program. To validate the scales, they were applied to 73 parents and 32 caretakers. Factor and multiple components analysis showed that overall, the scales explained 61% and 69% of the variation in level of satisfaction of parents and caretakers respectively. Confiability measured with Alpha Cronbach coefficient was 0.74 and 0.77 for parents' and caretakers' scales respectively. These results reveal scales that have content validity and good reliability. Besides, the scales detect specific aspects of the food and nutrition service that should be reinforced or modified, to make the Child-care Centers program more effective and efficient. External validation of the scales is recommended, since they provide an instrument capable of capturing useful information for monitoring and evaluating the Child-care Centers program nation-wide, from the perspective of program managers and parents of program users.     

High‐retention properties for Hg(II) ions of a resin containing ammonium and pyridine groups

The metal‐ion uptake behavior of the chelating resin poly([(3‐(methacryloylamino)propyl] trimethyl ammonium chloride‐co‐4‐vinyl pyridine) has been investigated. The resin is obtained by radical copolymerization in a yield of 99.6%. The hydrophilic resin shows a high retention capacity and selectivity toward Hg(II) ions in the presence of Cu(II), Pb(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), and Cr(III) ions. A retention of Hg(II) higher than 99% is observed after 5 min. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 2595–2599, 2002     

Oligomerization of Human Cystatin C—An Amyloidogenic Protein: An Analysis of Small Oligomeric Subspecies

Human cystatin C (HCC), an amyloidogenic protein, forms dimers and higher oligomers (trimers, tetramers and donut like large oligomers) via a domain-swapping mechanism. The aim of this study was the characterization of the HCC oligomeric states observed within the pH range from 2.2 to 10.0 and also in conditions promoting oligomerization. The HCC oligomeric forms obtained in different conditions were characterized using size exclusion chromatography, dynamic light scattering and small-angle X-ray scattering. The marked ability of HCC to form tetramers at low pH (2.3 or 3.0) and dimers at pH 4.0–5.0 was observed. HCC remains monomeric at pH levels above 6.0. Based on the SAXS data, the structure of the HCC tetramer was proposed. Changes in the environment (from acid to neutral) induced a breakdown of the HCC tetramers to dimers. The tetrameric forms of human cystatin C are formed by the association of the dimers without a domain-swapping mechanism. These observations were confirmed by their dissociation to dimers at pH 7.4.     

Vascularization Strategies in 3D Cell Culture Models: From Scaffold-Free Models to 3D Bioprinting

The discrepancies between the findings in preclinical studies, and in vivo testing and clinical trials have resulted in the gradual decline in drug approval rates over the past decades. Conventional in vitro drug screening platforms employ two-dimensional (2D) cell culture models, which demonstrate inaccurate drug responses by failing to capture the three-dimensional (3D) tissue microenvironment in vivo. Recent advancements in the field of tissue engineering have made possible the creation of 3D cell culture systems that can accurately recapitulate the cell–cell and cell–extracellular matrix interactions, as well as replicate the intricate microarchitectures observed in native tissues. However, the lack of a perfusion system in 3D cell cultures hinders the establishment of the models as potential drug screening platforms. Over the years, multiple techniques have successfully demonstrated vascularization in 3D cell cultures, simulating in vivo-like drug interactions, proposing the use of 3D systems as drug screening platforms to eliminate the deviations between preclinical and in vivo testing. In this review, the basic principles of 3D cell culture systems are briefly introduced, and current research demonstrating the development of vascularization in 3D cell cultures is discussed, with a particular focus on the potential of these models as the future of drug screening platforms.     

ERAP/HLA-C and KIR Genetic Profile in Couples with Recurrent Implantation Failure

Proper embryo implantation depends on the tolerance of the maternal immune system to the fetus and its foreign paternal antigens. During implantation and early pregnancy, the dominant leukocytes in the uterus are uterine NK cells, expressing killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR). KIRs recognize human leukocyte antigens (HLA-C) on the human trophoblast inherited from the father and mother. The antigenic peptides presented by the HLA are formed via their cleavage by endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidases ERAP1 and ERAP2. The aim of this study was to assess the association of combined KIR genes and their HLA-C ligands, as well as ERAP1 and ERAP2 polymorphisms with recurrent implantation failure after in vitro fertilization (RIF). We tested 491 couples who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) and 322 fertile couples. Genotype CC rs27044 ERAP1 in female with a male’s HLA-C1C1 or HLA-C1C2 protected from RIF (p/p_corr. = 0.005/0.044, OR = 0.343; p/p_corr. = 0.003/0.027, OR = 0.442, respectively). Genotype TT rs30187 ERAP1 in female with a male’s HLA-C1C2 genotype increased the risk of RIF. Summarizing, in the combination of female ERAP1 and an HLA-C partner, the rs30187 C>T and rs27044 C>G polymorphisms play an important role in implantation failure.     

The Size-Dependent Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on Germination,Early Seedling Development and Polar Metabolite Profile of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

The phytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to plant seeds germination and seedlings development depends on nanoparticles properties and concentration, as well as plant species and stress tolerance degrees. In the present study, the effect of citrate-stabilized spherical Ag NPs (20 mg/L) in sizes of 10, 20, 40, 60, and 100 nm, on wheat grain germination, early seedlings development, and polar metabolite profile in 3-day-old seedlings were analyzed. Ag NPs, regardless of their sizes, did not affect the germination of wheat grains. However, the smaller nanoparticles (10 and 20 nm in size) decreased the growth of seedling roots. Although the concentrations of total polar metabolites in roots, coleoptile, and endosperm of seedlings were not affected by Ag NPs, significant re-arrangements of carbohydrates profiles in seedlings were noted. In roots and coleoptile of 3-day-old seedlings, the concentration of sucrose increased, which was accompanied by a decrease in glucose and fructose. The concentrations of most other polar metabolites (amino acids, organic acids, and phosphate) were not affected by Ag NPs. Thus, an unknown signal is released by small-sized Ag NPs that triggers affection of sugars metabolism and/or distribution.