Applications of Wine Pomace in the Food Industry: Approaches and Functions

Winemaking generates large amounts ofwine pomace, also called grape pomace. This by-product has attracted the attention of food scientists and the food industry, due to its high content in nutrients and bioactive compounds. This review mainly focuses on the different published approaches to the use of wine pomace and its functions in the food industry. Traditionally, wine pomace has been used to obtain wine alcohol, food colorings, and grape seed oil. More recently, research has focused in the production of other value-added products, such as extracts of bioactive compounds, mainly phenols, recovery of tartaric acid, and the making of flours. The most common functions associated with wine pomace products are their use as antioxidants, followed by their use as fortifying, coloring, and antimicrobial agents. These products have mainly been applied to the preparation of meat and fish products and to, a lesser extent, cereal products.Autonomous Government of Castilla y León, Spain, through the research project BU282U13

Prioritizing the dimensions of university independence from the perspective of academic experts

Introduction: Independence is one of the structural and functional requirements of university. The purpose of this study was to prioritize the dimensions of university independence from the perspective of academic experts at Babol University of Medical Sciences and Noshirvani University of Technology. Methods: This descriptive survey was conducted in 2017. Thirty faculty members of Noshirvani University of Technology and Babol University of Medical Sciences were selected by purposive sampling method to participate as academic experts in higher education, teaching and learning. Data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire based on paired comparison matrix whose validity was confirmed by the academic experts. Also, the incompatibility rate of the questionnaire was obtained at 0.085 and 0.074 at University of Medical Sciences and Noshirvani University of Technology, respectively. Data were analyzed using the AHP method in expert choice-11 software. Results:The dimensions of university independence from the viewpoints of experts at Noshirvani University of Technology, in priority order, was academic freedom (weight=1.37), actual independence (weight=1.23), financial independence (weight=1.21), organizational independence and staff independence (weight=0.86). The dimensions of university independence from the viewpoints of experts at Babol University of Medical Sciences, in priority order, was financial independence (weight=2.33), actual independence (weight=1.25), organizational independence (weight=0.9), academic freedom (weight=0.61), and staff independence (weight=0.44). Conclusion:Achieving a desired university independence is one of the most important strengths of higher education systems. Assessment of the university independence priorities of the two universities showed that the importance of each dimension is influenced by the mission, goals and functions of the university. It is therefore suggested that in order to achieve independence, a plan should be developed for sensitization towards university independence and promotion of all of the dimensions

Effects of Micronutrients on the Growth and Phytochemical Composition of Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) in the Field and Greenhouse (Hydroponics and Soil Culture)

The current research was conducted to compare the growth, yield, and phytochemical composition of basil (Ocimum basilicum) in the open field and the soil and hydroponic cultivation in a greenhouse. Furthermore, the effect of foliar spraying of micronutrients on this crop was also evaluated. In each of the cultivation systems, foliar spraying of one micronutrient, either iron sulfate (Fe), zinc sulfate (Zn), copper sulfate (Cu), manganese sulfate (Mn), or boric acid (B), at a concentration of 0.1% was applied in a randomized complete block design. Plants grown in the hydroponic system had higher yield and biomass. The concentration of the elements K, Ca, Mg, N, P, Mn, Fe, B, and Zn in the leaves of hydroponic plants was higher. Contrarily, plants cultivated in the field showed higher stem dry weight, essential oil content, phenolic and flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity. The level of methyl chavicol was higher in the hydroponic culture, but the level of 1,8-cineole was much lower in this cropping system. Foliar spraying of Cu, Mn, Zn, Fe, or B significantly increased leaf dry weight and anthocyanin content. In field conditions, the highest levels of phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity were observed with Zn or Mn application. In the hydroponic system, foliar spraying of Zn or B led to the highest antioxidant capacity, and total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Overall, the basil plants cultivated in the field showed higher bioactive ingredients. However, the essential oil of plants cultivated in the hydroponic system had a higher economic value due to its higher percentage of methyl chavicol

Prevalence and Evaluation of Toxin Genes among Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli Clinical Isolates by Duplex PCR

Background: One of the most common infections in human is urinary tract infection (UTI) and Uropathogenic Escherichia coli is one of its major causative agents. UTI is extremely common among young women. Children under age 5 are also highly at risk. Considering the prevalence of this disease, it is necessary to design an appropriate diagnostic method for its effective diagnosis. The aim of present study was to identify the prevalence of two virulence genes (sat and vat) among Uropathogenic E. coli isolates.Methods: Urine samples were taken from 350 patients with urinary tract infection. The samples were cultured on EMB agar and Blood agar. The suspected E. coli colonies were isolated and confirmed by biochemical tests. The genomic DNA was extracted from 297 isolated E. coli and target genes were amplified by PCR. The amplicons were sequenced and analyzed with ClustalW software. Moreover, data analysis was performed by using SPSS software. Subsequently, Duplex PCR was optimized for simultaneous detection of two genes.Results: The prevalence of sat and vat genes were 75 (n: 225) and 36 (n: 106) percent, respectively. In addition, less than 4% (n: 11) of clinical isolates comprised two genes.Conclusion: According to the conducted research, molecular identification of Uropathogenic E .coli strains according to detection of sat gene is potentially an appropriate method and could be noted for diagnosis

Molecular detection of TEM and AmpC (Dha, mox) broad spectrum β-lactamase in clinical isolates of Escherichia coli

Background: Beta- lactamase enzymes are the most important resistant factors to beta lactam antibiotics among gram negative bacteria. Nowadays, the prevalence of betalactamase infection is increasing worldwide and drawn the scientists attention as an important subject. Due to high prevalence of bacteria contained TEM beta lactamase and AmpC enzymes, using molecular methods especially designing universal primers could be valuable to detect all of them. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of TEM and AmpC (Dha and MOX) beta- lactamase genes using universal primers. Methods: A total of 500 clinical specimens from various Hospitals in Tehran, Iran were collected and analyzed for E. coli based on biochemical tests. These clinical specimens were also screened by Disk diffusion agar, combined disk method and PCR to detect the samples producing extended- spectrum beta- lactamase. Results: Overall 200 isolates of Escherichia coli were collected from the 500 clinical specimens out of which 128(64) isolates were positive by PCR assay and showed bla-TEM, bla- AmpC (Dha, MOX) genes, 74(57.8) and 5(3.9) to have bla- TEM and bla Dha, respectively. Mox gene was not detected in any of the specimens. Conclusions: Our results revealed that using the molecular methods with phenotype methods is very essential for complete detection of Beta- lactamases. There is the need for updating the treatment protocol because the prevalence of this resistance is increasing

Molecular detection of TEM and AmpC (Dha, mox) broad spectrum β-lactamase in clinical isolates of Escherichia coli

"nBackground: Beta- lactamase enzymes are the most important resistant factors to beta lactam antibiotics among gram negative bacteria. Nowadays, the prevalence of beta- lactamase infection is increasing worldwide and drawn the scientists attention as an important subject. Due to high prevalence of bacteria contained TEM beta lactamase and AmpC enzymes, using molecular methods especially designing universal primers could be valuable to detect all of them. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of TEM and AmpC (Dha and MOX) beta- lactamase genes using universal primers. "nMethods: A total of 500 clinical specimens from various Hospitals in Tehran, Iran were collected and analyzed for E. coli based on biochemical tests. These clinical specimens were also screened by Disk diffusion agar, combined disk method and PCR to detect the samples producing extended- spectrum beta- lactamase. "nResults: Overall 200 isolates of Escherichia coli were collected from the 500 clinical specimens out of which 128(64%) isolates were positive by PCR assay and showed bla- TEM, bla- AmpC (Dha, MOX) genes, 74(57.8%) and 5(3.9%) to have bla- TEM and bla Dha, respectively. Mox gene was not detected in any of the specimens. "nConclusions: Our results revealed that using the molecular methods with phenotype methods is very essential for complete detection of Beta- lactamases. There is the need for updating the treatment protocol because the prevalence of this resistance is increasing