Turbidimetric determination of raw fat in crop seeds

A variant of a turbidimetric method of raw fat determination from seed, which proved to be simple, fast, and accurate, was described in this paper. The method was based on the extraction of lipids from 20 mg samples into acetone followed by their treatment with 1.5% solution of sulfosalicylic acid and spectral measurement at 440 nm against a blank of the reagents. Suitable volumes of acetone extracts should be taken for oily seed samples such as flax, sunflower, or soybean. A standard curve was made with raw fat extracted from the species being analysed. For analysing a large number of samples, the standardization of the turbidimetric method with a few representative Soxhlet values was recommended. Possible interferences, as well as the real results obtained within large scale analyses ,are also shown

Effect of Heavy Metals on the Germination of Wheat Seeds: Enzymatic Assay

Stress caused by heavy metals is a major problem which affects agricultural productivity and, implicitly, human health. Natural flora presents differences of tolerance to heavy metals. Some plants grow well in a soil enriched with heavy metals, while others cannot develop in such conditions. This study investigates the effect of heavy metals on plant viability at molecular level and draws attention to the danger of the widespread use of toxic compounds

Effect of mineral-enriched diet and medicinal herbs on Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu uptake in chicken

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The goal of our study was to evaluate the effects of different medicinal herbs rich in polyphenol (Lemon balm, Sage, St. John's wort and Small-flowered Willowherb) used as dietary supplements on bioaccumulation of some essential metals (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) in different chicken meats (liver, legs and breast).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In different type of chicken meats (liver, legs and breast) from chickens fed with diets enriched in minerals and medicinal herbs, beneficial metals (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) were analysed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Fe is the predominant metal in liver and Zn is the predominant metal in legs and breast chicken meats. The addition of metal salts in the feed influences the accumulations of all metals in the liver, legs and breast chicken meat with specific difference to the type of metal and meat. The greatest influences were observed in legs meat for Fe and Mn. Under the influence of polyphenol-rich medicinal herbs, accumulation of metals in the liver, legs and breast chicken meat presents specific differences for each medicinal herb, to the control group that received a diet supplemented with metal salts only. Great influence on all metal accumulation factors was observed in diet enriched with sage, which had significantly positive effect for all type of chicken meats.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Under the influence of medicinal herbs rich in different type of polyphenol, accumulation of metals in the liver, legs and breast chicken meat presents significant differences from the group that received a diet supplemented only with metal salts. Each medicinal herb from diet had a specific influence on the accumulation of metals and generally moderate or poor correlations were observed between total phenols and accumulation of metals. This may be due to antagonism between metal ions and presence of other chelating agents (amino acids and protein) from feeding diets which can act as competitor for complexation of metals and influence accumulation of metals in chicken meat.</p> <p><b>Graphical abstract</b></p

Multifactorial Distress, the Warburg Effect, and Respiratory and pH Imbalance in Cancer Development

Oncogenes are thought to play an important role in aberrant regulation of growth factors, which is believed to be an initiation event of carcinogenesis. However, recent genetic and pharmacological studies have shown that the Warburg effect (WE) is needed for tumour growth. It refers to extensively studied aerobic glycolysis over the past decade, although its impact on cancer remains unclear. Meanwhile, a large body of evidence has indicated that oxidative stress (OS) is connected with the occurrence and progression of various forms of cancer. Psychosocial factors (PSF), such as chronic depression, sadness, stressful life experiences, stress-prone personality, and emotional distress or poor quality of life affect the immune system and contribute to cancer outcomes. Here, we examine the relationship between WE, OS, PSF, metal ions, other carcinogens, and the development of different cancers from the viewpoint of physiological and biochemical mechanisms

Saccharomyces cerevisiae as uranium bioaccumulating material: the influence of contact time, pH and anion nature

The possibility of bioaccumulation of uranium species in beer yeast was investigated. The behaviour of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae–UO2 2+ system was studied vs. contact time, pH and anion nature with no ionic competition. Analysis of the data revealed the following optimal working conditions: contact time = 1 h, pH = 6.5 and 10-1 M UO2(CH3COO)2 solution as uranyl source; as a result, the maximum degree of bioaccumulation attends a value nearly 8.75 mmol UO2 2+/g yeast. Both, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and amino acid determinations lead to the conclusion that the uranyl nitrate solution may devastate the yeast cells provoking membrane damage and the release of the cell constituents (including the bioaccumulated uranium species). The results suggest the possible use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a biological decontaminant of uranium containing wastewaters