Gentisic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Total Phenolic Content and Cholinesterase Inhibitory Activities of Red Wines Made from Various Grape Varieties

Alzheimer’s disease is characterised by a decrease in acetylcholine (ACh) levels in the brain due to the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). As a result, disorders in cholinergic transmission are observed, leading to cognitive impairment. In this work, the inhibition of AChE and BChE activities by red wines made of various grape varieties was determined for the first time.  There was no significant difference in the polyphenol content between the grape varieties; nevertheless, there were significant differences in the content of gentisic acid and salicylic acid, and in the inhibition of AChE and BChE between the wine samples. A statistically significant correlation between AChE inhibitory activity and salicylic acid, as well as between BChE inhibitory activity and total phenolic content, was recorded. In model solution studies, it was shown that salicylic acid effectively inhibited BChE activity at concentrations similar to the maximum concentrations found in the test wines. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) revealed that the wines could be divided into three groups. Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah wines had the highest content of salicylic acid and AChE inhibitory activity, as well as low BChE inhibitory activity. Pinot noir, Tempranillo, Regent and Rondo wines showed the lowest content of salicylic acid and low AChE inhibitory activity. Garnacha tinta, Merlot, Montepulciano and Negroamaro wines had a medium content of salicylic acid, and the highest or medium BChE inhibitory activity. This work is important for both the wine industry and for health protection

Noninfectious complications of acute stroke and their impact on hospital mortality in patients admitted to a stroke unit in Warsaw from 1995 to 2015

Background Medical complications often worsen the prognosis after stroke. Our aim was to investigate the association between particular noninfectious complications and hospital mortality of acute stroke patients admitted to an urban Polish stroke center, and changes in their occurrence from 1995 to 2015. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of 5174 consecutive patients admitted for acute ischemic stroke or cerebral hemorrhage to a Polish urban stroke center between 1995 and 2015. The occurrence of complications was reported for years 1995–2000 (n=883), 2001–2006 (n=1567), 2006–2010 (n=1539) and 2011–2015 (n=1183). Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for stroke unit death were calculated after adjustment for age, congestive heart failure (CHF), pre-existing disability, stroke type and baseline neurological deficit in three different time periods. Results Over time there was a significant decrease in the occurrence of myocardial infarction (MI) (2.2%, 1.4%, 1.0% and 0.3%, respectively), exacerbated CHF (4.6%, 5.1%, 2.6% and 2.0%) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) (4.6%, 2.7%, 1.2% and 1.1%). Adjusted odds for stroke unit death were increased by myocardial infarction (MI) (OR 17.5, 95% CI: 8.5–35.7), exacerbated CHF (OR 15.0, 95% CI: 9.8–23.0), pulmonary embolism (PE) (OR 11.5, 95% CI: 6.1–21.6), gastrointestinal bleeding (OR 9.2, 95% CI: 4.4–18.9) and recurrent stroke (OR 5.4, 95% CI: 3.1–9.3). Conclusions Over the last two decades Polish urban stroke units may have achieved a significant reduction of the occurrence of some noninfectious complications (i.e. MI, exacerbated CHF and DVT). However, the list of conditions associated with stroke unit mortality includes not only MI and exacerbated CHF but also PE, gastrointestinal bleeding and recurrent stroke

New fabrication approach to ZnO multiple nanofiber sensors

In the presented work, ZnO nanofiber sensor structures designed and fabricated using a standard microelectronic device technology were studied. The structures in the configuration of a resistor with chemically active ZnO multiple nanofibers deposited by electrospinning method were prepared. Investigation of inclusion in the process reactive- ly sputtered AlN insulating film to improve the robustness of the nanofibres on the substrate was undertaken. Selective wet chemical etching of AlN film using photoresist developers and a photoresist mask to define the sensor active area was studied. The Ti/Au ohmic contacts were fabricated using the lift-off photolithography process. To- pography of the sensor structure details was investigated using AFM. Electrical charac- terization by means of I-V measurements was made. Sensitivity to the physiologically relevant concentration of Bovine Serum Albumin in water solution was shown. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/2058

The impact of unemployment and non-standard forms of employment on the housing autonomy of young adults

Young people are facing challenges in transitioning to housing autonomy because of changes in labour market conditions in recent years. This article explores the effects of youth unemployment and non-standard employment on the likelihood of leaving the parental home. We adopt a dynamic modelling approach, and use data from a large longitudinal British survey covering the years 2009-2014. We find that unemployment and part-time work, but not the duration of the contract, have a negative effect on the likelihood of obtaining housing autonomy. We also find that past as well as anticipated unemployment have significant negative effects, which suggests that the decision about whether to move out depends on the individual’s longer-term labour market trajectory. The analysis also reveals gender differences in part-time work, but not in unemployment once we take into account unobserved time-invariant heterogeneity

Tm3+/Ho3+ co-doped germanate glass and double-clad optical fiber for broadband emission and lasing above 2 μm

In this paper, a 2 μm broadband emission under 796 nm laser diode excitation in low phonon energy GeO2-Ga2O3-BaO glass system is co-doped with 0.7Tm2O3/(0.07-0.7)Ho2O3 (mol%). The widest emission band (where the Tm3+ → Ho3+ energy transfer efficiency is 63%) was obtained for 0.7Tm2O3/0.15Ho2O3 co-doped glass from which a double-clad optical fiber was realized and investigated. Optimization of Tm3+/Ho3+ concentration enabled the acquisition of broadband amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in double-clad optical fiber with a full width at half maximum (FWHM): 377 nm and 662 nm for 3 dB and 10 dB bandwidth, respectively. ASE spectrum is a result of the superposition of (Tm3+: 3H4 →Η3F4) 1.45 μm, (Tm3+: 3F4 → 3H6) 1.8 μm and (Ho3+:5I7 → 5I8) 2 μm emission bands. Hence, highly rare-earth co-doped germanate glass is characterized by a remarkably broader ASE spectrum than silica and tellurite fibers showed promising lasing properties for their further application in tunable and dual wavelength lasers

Optical characterization of nano- and microcrystals of EuPO4 created by one-step synthesis of antimony-germanate-silicate glass modified by P2O5

Technology of active glass-ceramics (GC) is an important part of luminescent materials engineering. The classic method to obtain GC is based on annealing of parent glass in proper temperature and different time periods. Generally, only the bulk materials are investigated as a starting host for further applications. However, the effect of an additional heat-treatment process on emission and structural properties during GC processing is omitted. Here, we focus on the possibility of obtaining transparent glass-ceramic doped with europium ions directly with a melt-quenching method. The influence of phosphate concentration (up to 10 mol %) on the inversion symmetry of local environment of Eu3+ ions in antimony-germanate-silicate (SGS) glass has been investigated. The Stark splitting of luminescence spectra and the local asymmetry ratio estimated by relation of (5D0→7F2)/(5D0→7F1) transitions in fabricated glass confirms higher local symmetry around Eu3+ ions. Based on XRD and SEM/EDX measurements, the EuPO4 nano- and microcrystals with monoclinic geometry were determined. Therefore, in our experiment, we confirmed possibility of one-step approach to fabricate crystalline structures (glass-ceramic) in Eu-doped SGS glass without additional annealing process

Spectroscopic properties of erbium-doped oxyfluoride phospho-tellurite glass and transparent glass-ceramic containing BaF2 nanocrystals

The ErF3-doped oxyfluoride phospho-tellurite glasses in the (40-x) TeO2-10P2O5-45 (BaF2-ZnF2) -5Na2O-xErF3 system (where x = 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, and 1.25 mol%) have been prepared by the conventional melt-quenching method. The effect of erbium trifluoride addition on thermal, structure, and spectroscopic properties of oxyfluoride phospho-tellurite precursor glass was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy as well as emission measurements, respectively. The DSC curves were used to investigate characteristic temperatures and thermal stability of the precursor glass doped with varying content of ErF3. FTIR and Raman spectra were introduced to characterize the evolution of structure and phonon energy of the glasses. It was found that the addition of ErF3 up to 1.25 mol% into the chemical composition of phospho-tellurite precursor glass enhanced 2.7 µm emission and upconversion. By controlled heat-treatment process of the host glass doped with the highest content of erbium trifluoride (1.25 mol%), transparent erbium-doped phospho-tellurite glass-ceramic (GC) was obtained. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the presence of BaF2 nanocrystals with the average 16 nm diameter in a glass matrix. Moreover, MIR, NIR, and UC emissions of the glass-ceramic were discussed in detail and compared to the spectroscopic properties of the glass doped with 1.25 mol% of ErF3 (the base glass)

Prevalence of monogenic diabetes amongst Polish children after a nationwide genetic screening campaign

Aims/hypothesis The aim of this study was to study dynamic changes in the prevalence of different types of diabetes in paediatric populations in Poland, with a specific focus on monogenic diabetes (MD). Methods Using epidemiologic data (PolPeDiab Collaboration) and nationwide genetic test results (TEAM Programme), we compared the prevalence of type 1, type 2 and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) and MD. Genetically confirmed MD included MODY, neonatal diabetes and Wolfram and Alström syndromes. The study covered all children aged 0-18 years treated for diabetes between 2005 and 2011 in three regions, inhabited by 23.7% (1,989,988) of Polish children, with a low prevalence of childhood obesity (<5%). Results The prevalence of type 1 diabetes showed a continuous increase, from 96 to 138/100,000 children. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes and CFRD also increased, from 0.3 to 1.01/100,000 children and from 0.1 to 0.95/100,000 children, respectively. The prevalence of MD was stable at between 4.2 and 4.6/100,000 children, accounting for 3.1-4.2% of children with diabetes, with glucokinase (GCK)-MODY being the most frequent type, amounting to 83% of patients with MD. The percentage of positive test results decreased with the number of referrals, suggesting that children with the highest probability of MD were referred initially, followed by those with a less clear-cut phenotype. The prevalence of neonatal diabetes equalled 1 in 300,000 children. Conclusions/interpretation The prevalence of MD in a paediatric population with a low prevalence of obesity remains stable and is nearly fivefold higher than that of type 2 diabetes and CFRD, justifying a need for increased access to genetic diagnostic procedures in diabetic children

Combinations of cocoa antioxidants: what they tell us about the chemopreventive relevance of interactions between food components?

Antioxidant properties of polyphenols are believed to underlie cocoa chemopreventive potential. However, it has been not recognized if these effects are mainly caused by the most abundant components or result from concerted action of major and minor cocoa bioactives as proposed by food synergy concept. This study was aimed at resolving this question. Initially, the cocoa extract composition was determined by HPLC-DAD-MS. Then, bioactivities of cocoa extract and a series of artificial mixtures of cocoa phytochemicals were tested to compare their redox properties in cell-free system and redox-associated biological effects in human colon cancer HT29 cells serving as a model of human alimentary tract. Under cell-free conditions, DPPH test as well as differential pulse voltammetry showed the highest antioxidant activity for cocoa powder extract (CE), but surprisingly, did not reveal any dose-dependent differences between mixtures despite growing concentration and complexity of antioxidants. Basically, to the same conclusion lead determinations of cellular antioxidant activity; CE was the most efficient in cell protection against ROS whereby concentration of catechins in studied solutions had to be above 10 μM to override cellular redox homeostasis. Cell growth inhibition was dose-dependent only for mixtures that consisted of main catechins at narrow range of low concentrations (0.01 – 1 μM C+EC). Neither clear relationship between composition of cocoa phytochemicals and nutrigenomic activity of CE and matching mixtures was spotted. Therefore, our study indicates that the bioactivity of non-toxic complex natural mixtures such as cocoa is strongly affected by interactions between their components, as predicted by food synergy.Nutraceuticals in balancing redox status in ageing and age-related diseases WGs Meeting of the NutRedOx COST Action CA16112 Belgrade, March 2-3, 202