INFOGEST Digestion Assay of Raw and Roasted Hazelnuts and Its Impact on Allergens and Their IgE Binding Activity

Most of the food allergens sensitized via the gastrointestinal tract resist thermal treatments and digestion, particularly digestion by pepsin. Roasted hazelnuts are more commonly consumed than raw ones. Since no studies have characterized gastric digestion protein fragments of raw and roasted hazelnuts nor their IgE binding properties, we compared these aspects of raw and roasted hazelnuts’ gastric digesta obtained by INFOGEST protocol. Their electrophoretically resolved profiles were probed with hazelnut allergic patients’ sera in 1D and 2D immunoblots. Electrophoretic profiles demonstrated pepsin digestion of all hazelnut allergens to varying extents. While 2D immunoblots indicated that roasting slightly reduced allergenicity, IgE ELISA with the pool of sera showed a slight significant (10%) increase in IgE binding in both gastric digesta. Cor a 9 isolated from the raw and roasted hazelnuts, characterized by far and near CD, remained stable after roasting, with preserved IgE reactivity. Its immunoreactivity contribution by inhibitory ELISA was noticeable in raw and roasted hazelnut digesta; its activity was slightly stronger in the roasted preparations. Roasting has a visible impact on proteins; however, it did not affect overall IgE reactivity. Gastric digestion slightly increases the overall IgE reactivity in raw and roasted hazelnuts, and may therefore impact the profiles of allergens and their fragments available to interact with the immune system in the small intestine

Novo izdvojeni potencijal unutar konvencionalnih plinonosnih pijesaka pleistocena (Prospekt Ida D – Sjeverni Jadran)

Istraživanje ugljikovodika u hrvatskom dijelu Jadrana traje gotovo 50 godina. Prvo plinsko otkriće, polje Ivana ostvareno je 1973. godine u turbiditnim pijescima pleistocena. Sljedeća komercijalna otkrića potvrdila su veliki potencijal ležišta biogenog plina. Gotovo sva otkrivena plinska polja na hrvatskoj strani Jadrana nalaze se u njegovom sjevernom dijelu, odnosno u istočnom dijelu Padske depresije. Do sada je snimljeno 6500 km2 3D seizmike visoke kvalitete čije su interpretacije i analize dovele do novih otkrića plina i bolje definicije postojećih polja. Intenzivnim istraživanjem izrađeno je 112 istražnih bušotina te je otkriveno je 20 plinskih akumulacija, od kojih je 11 privedeno proizvodnji. Preko 90% otkrivenog plina nalazi se u turbiditnim pješčanim ležištima formacije Carola po talijanskoj, odnosno formacije Ivana po hrvatskoj nomenklaturi. Iako se činilo da su sve značajnije akumulacije već otkrivene, uzimajući u obzir činjenicu da eksploatacija plina osjetno pada te da u recentnom razdoblju nije bilo značajnih istražnih radnji, pokrenut je istraživački projekt uz upotrebu najsuvremenijih geofizičkih metoda. Detaljnom interpretacijom i analizom seizmičkih podataka pokušalo se pronaći moguće preostale akumulacije plina koje ranije nisu uočene ili izdvojene unutar formacije Carola kao glavnog play-a te unutar pleistocenskih deltnih kanala i lobova formacije Ravenna kao sekundarnog play-a. Jedan od rezultata istraživanja je izdvajanje prospeka Ida D koji je udaljen 7 km jugoistočno od polja Ida. Potencijalna su ležišta u korelaciji sa ležištima polja Ida i Marica te predstavljaju tipične turbiditne pijeske sjevernoga Jadrana zasićene plinom. Prospekt je strukturiran iznad karbonatnog uzdignuća poput većine jadranskih plinskih polja. Na seizmičkim podacima uočeni su direktni indikatori ugljikovodika (eng. DHI – direct hydrocarbon indicators) pull down, bright spot, dim spot i phase reversal, a također je dobiven vrlo dobar odziv seizmičkih atributa koji indiciraju sadržaj ugljikovodika - RMS (Root Mean Square) amplituda, Instantaneous Amplitude, Instantaneous Frequency i Sweetness. Izdvojena je seizmička anomalija površine 17 km2, izduženog oblika pružanja SZ-JI s dvije kulminacije. Pronalazak prospekta Ida D, kao i više manjih prospekata unutar formacija Carola i Ravenna daje dodatni poticaj za daljnje istraživanje te je shodno tome pokrenuta reobrada seizmike koja će omogućiti i korištenje pre-stack seizmičkih podataka u svrhu umanjivanja geološkog rizika izdvojenih prospekata

Trypsin inhibitor activity in grass pea seeds (Lathyrus sativus L.)

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) is a valuable grain legume known for its high protein content and rich essential amino acid profile. Its exceptional characteristics such as drought tolerance, high adaptability to extreme conditions, disease resistance, and low cultivation inputs, make it particularly suitable for cultivation by resource-poor farmers. However, the potential use of grass pea is limited due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors, including protease inhibitors, especially trypsin inhibitor. This study aimed to develop a rapid and reliable method for measuring TI activity in seeds of grass pea and to investigate the influence of genotype and environment on trypsin inhibitor (TI) activity in seeds of grass pea. A set of 25 grass pea accessions from seven European countries was cultivated in Slovenia at the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, and a set of 12 grass pea accessions from the Serbian gene bank was grown in Serbia at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops. The TI activity varied considerably among the grass pea accessions studied, with values ranging from 26.7 to 90.3 TUI/mg. To further evaluate the effects of environmental conditions on TI activity, eight grass pea accessions originating from Serbia were grown in both Slovenia and Serbia. The TI activity of the accessions grown in Slovenia ranged from 26.7 to 81.0 TUI/mg, while the activity of the accessions grown in Serbia ranged from 40.3 to 57.0 TUI/mg. The correlation of TI activity between grass pea accessions grown in Slovenia and those grown in Serbia was 0.39, with genotype diversity being the largest contributor (55.9%). This study provides a valuable insight into the variability of TI activity in grass pea and shows the possible influence of environmental conditions on this trait. However, since the data are only from a one-year field trial, further studies are needed to fully evaluate the influence of different environmental factors on TI activity

Evaluation of Lathyrus sativus L. seed for protein content and trypsin inhibitor activity

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is a legume with high protein content and good quantities of essential amino acids. It has high tolerance to drought, high adaptability to extreme conditions, disease resistance and low input requirement for cultivation, which makes it very useful for cultivation by resource-poor farmers. Potential usage of grass pea is limited due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors including protease inhibitors, especially trypsin inhibitors. They have a major impact on nutritional value, by inhibiting pancreatic serine proteases (thus impairing protein digestion), but are also likely to protect legume seed against attack by predators. Although once extensively grown throughout Balkan Peninsula, grass pea was nearly forgotten. In recent years there was an effort to reintroduce and increase the interest of researchers and farmers in this crop. The aim of this study was to establish whether genotype and environment have significant influences on trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA) in grass pea and to determine whether TIA is correlated with seed protein content

Assessment of molecular diversity of Brassica oleracea var. acephala

Family Brassicaceae is abundant in species used in food production, but also contains many industrial species, vegetables and ornamentals. Green collard (Brassica oleracea var. acephala L.) was traditionally grown in Balkan Peninsula and its wide green leaves, rich in vitamins A and C, are used for cooking. There is great diversity in B. oleracea acephala germplasm that reflects on agronomic, morphological and molecular characteristics. In this study, was assessed genetic variation of 38 accessions of green collard out of which 3 accessions were standard/commercial varieties and 35 were locally grown populations, collected in Western Balkan: 18 from Bosnia and Herzegovina, 8 from Serbia (Vojvodina), 7 from Croatia and two from Montenegro. Genetic diversity was assessed using twelve species-specific SSR markers (Simple Sequence Repeats) originating from B. oleracea (8), B. rapa (2) and B. napus (2). Each accession was represented with four individual samples

Dagstuhl-Manifest zur Strategischen Bedeutung des Software Engineering in Deutschland

Im Rahmen des Dagstuhl Perspektiven Workshop 05402 "Challenges for Software Engineering Research" haben führende Software Engineering Professoren den derzeitigen Stand der Softwaretechnik in Deutschland charakterisiert und Handlungsempfehlungen für Wirtschaft, Forschung und Politik abgeleitet. Das Manifest fasst die diese Empfehlungen und die Bedeutung und Entwicklung des Fachgebiets prägnant zusammen

Three-dimensional analysis of tumour vascular corrosion casts using stereoimaging and micro-computed tomography

Objective In order to perform effective translational research for cancer therapy, we need to employ pre-clinical models which reflect the clinical situation. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively compare the vascular architecture of human colorectal cancer and experimental tumour models to determine the suitability of animal models for vascular studies and antivascular therapy. Methods In this study we investigated the three-dimensional properties of colonic tumour vasculature in both human clinical tissues (normal mucosa control [n = 20], carcinoma [n = 20] and adenoma [n = 6]) and murine colorectal xenografts (LS147T [n = 6] and SW1222 [n = 6]). Scanning Electron Microscope Stereoimaging (SEM) and X-ray Micro-Computed Tomography (Micro-CT) methods were employed for 3D analyses of the vascular corrosion casts from these tissues. Results Morphological measurements showed that there were significant differences in the underlying morphology in the different tissues. Of the studied xenografts, LS147T is more consistently similar to the vascular architecture of the human carcinoma than SW1222. The only reversal of this is for the inter-vessel distance. Conclusion While SEM stereoimaging provided better surface detailed resolution of the corrosion casts, it was complimented by the fully 3D micro-CT method. Comparison made between the xenografts and clinical tumours showed that the LS147T xenografts shared many similarities with the clinical tumour vasculature. This study provides insight into how to select the most suitable pre-clinical models for translational studies of clinical cancer therapy.peerReviewe

N-chlorotaurine Inactivates Acanthamoeba and Candida albicans in the Porcine Ex Vivo Corneal Infection Model

Purpose: N-chlorotaurine (NCT) is an anti-infective belonging to the class of chloramines and an investigative drug for the topical treatment of keratoconjunctivitis. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate its efficacy against Acanthamoeba and Candida in corneas infected ex vivo. Methods: Corneal buttons from porcine eyes were contaminated with Acanthamoeba castellanii trophozoites or Candida albicans Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures 5982 and incubated for 7 and 3 days, respectively. Subsequently, they were treated with 1% NCT for 5 to 120 minutes. After further incubation for 2 days in the absence of NCT in tests with A. castellanii, the buttons were homogenized, and the amoebae grown for a further 5 days before they were counted in a light microscope. For C. albicans, quantitative cultures were performed from corneal homogenates. Results: Incubation of 120 minutes in NCT completely inhibited the regrowth of A. castellanii and reduced the number of C. albicans colony-forming unit counts by 4 log10. In addition, at 60 minutes, significant reductions of both pathogens could be observed. Histology showed penetration of pathogens into the stroma of the corneal buttons. Conclusions: NCT inactivates A. castellanii and C. albicans in corneal tissue