Antioksidativni učinci N-acetilcisteina, lipoične kiseline, taurina i kurkumina u mišićnom tkivu šarana (Cyprinus carpio L.) tretiranih kadmijem

We investigated the muscle tissue of a teleost Cyprinus carpio L. to find out whether N-acetylcysteine (NAC), alpha-lipoic acid (LA), taurine (TAU), and curcumin (CUR) were able to counteract oxidative stress induced by acute exposure to cadmium (Cd). The muscle tissue was dissected 96 h after a single intraperitoneal injection of Cd (5 mg kg-1) and of antioxidant substances (50 mg kg-1). Using spectrophotometry, we determined the glutathione redox status, lipid peroxidation levels and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione disulphide reductase (GR). Accumulation of Cd in the muscle was analysed using inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). All substances lowered Cd levels in the following order of effi ciency; LA=NAC>TAU=CUR. Cadmium increased SOD activity, but CAT activity declined, regardless of antioxidant treatment. Treatment with CUR induced GPx activity. Treatment with TAU lowered Cd due to higher total glutathione (tGSH). The most effective substances on lipid peroxidation were LA and NAC due to a greater Cd-lowering potential. It seems that the protective role of TAU, LA, and NAC is not necessarily associated with antioxidant enzymes, but rather with their own activity.Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi mogu li N-acetilcistein (NAC), α-lipoična kiselina (LA), taurin (TAU) i kurkumin (CUR) svojim antioksidativnim djelovanjem smanjiti razinu oksidativnog stresa u mišićnom tkivu šarana (Cyprinus carpio L.) akutno otrovanih kadmijem. Uzorci mišićnog tkiva skupljeni su 96 h nakon što su ribama intraperitonealno injicirani kadmij (5 mg kg-1) i ispitivani antioksidansi (50 mg kg-1). Primjenom spektrofotometrijskih metoda izmjereni su redoks status glutationa, razine lipidne peroksidacije te aktivnosti enzima superoksid dismutaze (SOD), katalaze (CAT), glutation peroksidaze (GPx) i glutation disulfi d reduktaze (GR). Maseni udio kadmija u mišićnom tkivu izmjeren je s pomoću metode induktivno spregnute plazme – optičke emisijske spektrometrije (ICP-OES). Ispitivani spojevi smanjili su nakupljanje kadmija u tkivu šarana sljedećim redoslijedom: LA=NAC>TAU=CUR. Tretman šarana kadmijem izazvao je porast aktivnosti SOD, ali se aktivnost CAT smanjila bez obzira na primjenu antioksidativnih spojeva. Dodatak CUR pojačao je aktivnost GPx. Dodatak TAU povećao je razinu ukupnoga glutationa te smanjio nakupljanje kadmija. Svi spojevi osim CUR smanjili su razinu lipidne peroksidacije te pretpostavljamo da su LA i NAC pridonijeli detoksifi kaciji kadmija. Rezultati istraživanja upućuju na to da testirani spojevi, osim CUR, imaju antioksidativni učina

New Methods for Detection of Campylobacters in Stool Samples in Comparison to Culture▿†

Campylobacter species, especially Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, are a major cause of human bacterial enteritis. Current detection in stools is done essentially by culture on selective and nonselective media with filtration. These methods were compared to 2 molecular biology methods, an in-house real-time PCR and a multiplex PCR named Seeplex Diarrhea ACE Detection, and 3 immunoenzymatic methods, Premier Campy, RidaScreen Campylobacter, and ImmunoCard Stat!Campy. Out of 242 stool specimens tested, 23 (9.5%) fulfilled the positivity criteria, i.e., they were positive by one or both culture methods or, in case of a negative culture, by a positive molecular method and a positive immunoenzymatic method. The striking feature of this study is the low sensitivity of culture, in the range of 60%, in contrast to immunoenzymatic and molecular tests

Waste Recycling in Thermoelectric Materials

Thermoelectric (TE) technology enables the efficient conversion of waste heat generated in homes, transport, and industry into promptly accessible electrical energy. Such technology is thus finding increasing applications given the focus on alternative sources of energy. However, the synthesis of TE materials relies on costly and scarce elements, which are also environmentally damaging to extract. Moreover, spent TE modules lead to a waste of resources and cause severe pollution. To address these issues, many laboratory studies have explored the synthesis of TE materials using wastes and the recovery of scarce elements from spent modules, e.g., utilization of Si slurry as starting materials, development of biodegradable TE papers, and bacterial recovery and recycling of tellurium from spent TE modules. Yet, the outcomes of such work have not triggered sustainable industrial practices to the extent needed. This paper provides a systematic overview of the state of the art with a view to uncovering the opportunities and challenges for expanded application. Based on this overview, it explores a framework for synthesizing TE materials from waste sources with efficiencies comparable to those made from raw materials