Impact of pulsed electric field pre-treatment on nutritional and polyphenolic contents and bioactivities of light and dark brewer's spent grains

peer-reviewedPulsed electric field (PEF) pre-treatment, at 2.8 kV/cm with 3000 pulses of 20 μs pulse-width, was applied on brewer's spent grains (BSG) followed by aqueous extraction at 55 °C, 220 rpm for 16 h. PEF pre-treatment showed significantly increased yields (p 50 mg/mL) with lowest MIC value of 1.56 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus. All the BSG extracts induced the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) and chemokines (IL-8, MCP-1 and MIP-1α) confirming immunomodulatory activity.The authors acknowledge financial support from the ‘NovTechIng’ project funded under the Food Institutional Research Measure (Project No. FIRM/11/F/050) by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine. The immunomodulatory study was performed using funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 634086 (NEPHSTROM). TPG is funded by a Hardiman Research Scholarship from the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway.The authors acknowledge financial support from the ‘NovTechIng’ project funded under the Food Institutional Research Measure (Project No. FIRM/11/F/050) by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine. The immunomodulatory study was performed using funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 634086 (NEPHSTROM). TPG is funded by a Hardiman Research Scholarship from the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway

Valorisation of Phytochemical from Sitka Spruce (Picea Sitchensis) Needles: Impact of Ultrasound/microwave-assisted Extraction

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) needles contain a variety of bioactive compounds including phenolic compounds and flavonoids, many of which have been used in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food industries. This study aimed to investigate the effects of novel extraction techniques, including ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and simultaneous ultrasound–microwave-assisted extraction (UMAE) on the recovery of phenolic, flavonoids and associated antioxidant and anti-cancer properties from Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) needles. The ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay was used to evaluate the antioxidant capacity, and the Alamar Blue assay using the human brain glioblastoma cancer cell line (U-251 MG) was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity activity. Results showed that US-probe accomplished the highest recovery of phenolic and flavonoids at 38 W cm−2 for 10 min (106.3 ± 2.5 mg GAE g−1 DW and 63.2 ± 3.8 mg QE g−1 DW, respectively). Hence, the highest cytotoxicity activity of IC50 (0.0114% w/v) was achieved by US-probe at 19 W cm−2 for 10 min. However, the antioxidant capacity of (2591.3 ± 92.5 mM TE g−1 DW) was achieved under UMAE at ultrasound intensity of 38 W cm−2, microwave power of 302.4 W for 10 min. This study emphasised the potential application of UAE and MAE in the extraction of bioactive as an environmentally friendly method to be used in the valorisation of by-products in food and agro-industries. This supports the use of renewable natural resources in an efficient way to produce high-value compounds therefore it is in line with the new era of bioeconomy and its new biorefinery concepts

Pregnancy Complicated By Maternal Heart Disease: A Clinical Study At A Tertiary Referral Centre

Background: Heart disease remains a leading cause of indirect maternal deaths during pregnancy accounting for 20% of all cases. Many significant circulatory changes accompany pregnancy in women with preexisting cardiovascular disease, these alterations in haemodynamics can be dangerous. Therefore, patients should be evaluated for underlying cardiac disease to select appropriate management. Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of biological factors in Maternal and Perinatal Outcome in Heart Disease Complicating Pregnancy. Materials and Methods: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sri Krishna Medical College & Hospital (SKMCH), Muzaffarpur, Bihar from Sep 2020 to Aug 2022 on 50 pregnant women with heart disease. Results: Based on age among the pregnant women with heart disease, about 38% were in the age group of 21 to 25 years. Gestational age of the pregnant women at the time of admission to the hospital was studied: 66% of the patients belong to term gestation. Preterm labour accounted to 32% & 1 women with heart disease was referred to our hospital as post-dated. Majority of the cases with heart disease were referred with antenatal check-up elsewhere i.e., outside government hospital 84% and 62% of the patients had cardiac disease diagnosed prior to present pregnancy. The cardiac functional status of the pregnant women with heart disease at the time of admission to the hospital was studied: Most of the patients have stable cardiac status and they fall under class I- i.e., 66%. 18% of the pregnant women belong to NYHA class II, 10% belong to NYHA class III and 6% of the cases belong to NYHA class IV at the time of admission. Conclusion: Heart disease is the most common non-obstetric cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. It also has a major impact on neonatal outcome. Favourable outcome is noted in women with NYHA class I and II, avoidance of factors precipitating heart failure like anemia, infections, arrhythmias, regular cardiac follow up, strict adherence to cardiac medications

Ultrasound-assisted extraction of polyphenols from potato peels: profiling and kinetic modelling

Ultrasound‐assisted extraction (UAE) at 33 and 42 kHz has been investigated in the extraction of polyphenols from peels of two potato varieties, cream‐skinned Lady Claire (LC) and pink‐skinned Lady Rosetta (LR), commonly used in snack food production. Extraction efficacy between the UAE‐untreated (control) and the UAE‐treated extracts was assessed on the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacities (DPPH and FRAP). Application of UAE showed significantly higher recovery of phenolic compounds compared to solid–liquid extraction process alone. Lower ultrasonic frequency (33 kHz) was more effective in recovering polyphenols compared to 42 kHz ultrasonic treatment. The liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry revealed that chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid were the most prevalent phenolics in LR peels, whereas caffeic acid was dominant in LC peels. Peleg\u27s equation showed a good correlation (R2 > 0.92) between the experimental values and the predicted values on the kinetics of UAE of phenolic compounds.The authors acknowledge financial support from the ‘NovTechIng’ project funded under the Food Institutional Research Measure (Project No. FIRM/11/F/050) by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine

G-quadruplex Structures Contribute to Differential Radiosensitivity of the Human Genome

DNA, the fundamental unit of human cell, generally exists in Watson-Crick base-paired B-DNA form. Often, DNA folds into non-B forms, such as four-stranded G-quadruplexes. It is generally believed that ionizing radiation (IR) induces DNA strand-breaks in a random manner. Here, we show that regions of DNA enriched in G-quadruplex structures are less sensitive to IR compared with B-DNA in vitro and inside cells. Planar G-quartet of G4-DNA is shielded from IR-induced free radicals, unlike single- and double-stranded DNA. Whole-genome sequence analysis and real-time PCR reveal that genomic regions abundant in G4-DNA are protected from radiation-induced breaks and can be modulated by G4 stabilizers. Thus, our results reveal that formation of G4 structures contribute toward differential radiosensitivity of the human genome

Impact of pulsed electric field pre-treatment on nutritional and polyphenolic contents and bioactivities of light and dark brewer\u27s spent grains

Pulsed electric field (PEF) pre-treatment, at 2.8 kV/cm with 3000 pulses of 20 μs pulse-width, was applied on brewer\u27s spent grains (BSG) followed by aqueous extraction at 55 °C, 220 rpm for 16 h. PEF pre-treatment showed significantly increased yields (p 50 mg/mL) with lowest MIC value of 1.56 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus. All the BSG extracts induced the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) and chemokines (IL-8, MCP-1 and MIP-1α) confirming immunomodulatory activity.The authors acknowledge financial support from the ‘NovTechIng’ project funded under the Food Institutional Research Measure (Project No. FIRM/11/F/050) by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine. The immunomodulatory study was performed using funding from the European Union\u27s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 634086 (NEPHSTROM). TPG is funded by a Hardiman Research Scholarship from the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway