High-Intensity Ultrasound Mediated Structure-Function Changes of BSA as Affected by pH

The influence of high intensity ultrasound on the structure-function relationship of BSA sonicated at various sonication times at neutral, acidic and basic pH was determined. Protein solutions (3 x 10-4 M) were treated with high-intensity ultrasound at an ultrasonic intensity of 20 Wcm-2 with treatment times ranging from 0 to 90 minutes. Changes in structure-function properties of BSA were monitored using a wide variety of biochemical and physicochemical analytical methods including interfacial tensiometry, free sulfhydryl group assays, zeta potential analysis, hydrophobicity assays, circular dichroism spectroscopy, micro DSC and FTIR. The results were attributed to mechanical and chemical changes in the fundamental protein structure due to cavitational events generated by high-intensity ultrasound. Hence, the results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the interaction of high-intensity ultrasound waves with proteins. The results of the first part of this study showed that application of high intensity ultrasound increased the rate of adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) at the air-water interface both in the short-term and long-term range of the adsorption kinetics. The rate of adsorption increased with increasing sonication duration. Possible structural modifications were monitored using microDSC to investigate phase transitions, Ellman’s assay to determine free sulfhydryl content, zeta-potential analyses to measure surface charge of BSA, photon correlation spectroscopy to determine particle size, blue native PAGE to identify presence of monomeric and/or polymeric units and finally FT-IR spectroscopy to determine the content of secondary structural elements. Results indicated that application of high-intensity ultrasound caused subtle structural changes in BSA and consequently altered its functional properties. In the second part of the study, the influence of pH on the ultrasound-influenced structure-function modification of BSA was investigated. The interfacial activity of BSA generally increased with increasing sonication time, independently of solvent pH. Nevertheless, solvent pH itself had an influence on interfacial activity of BSA i.e. equilibrium surface tension values and diffusion rates calculated from the short- and long-term solution of the adsorption kinetics model varied with both pH and ultrasonic duration. The changes in the structure-function relationship of native protein upon ultrasonication were related to the pH-dependent isomerization states of BSA. The findings in the pH-sonication experiments supported previous findings that suggest the formation of a modified intermediate structure that enhanced the short-term and long-term surface activity of BSA at the air-solvent interface. In conclusion, the results indicate that ultrasonication of proteins does not lead to a complete loss of structure of proteins but instead yields a complex, biopolymer and solvent specific alteration of the underlying molecular structure of the treated biopolymer where functionalities may be preserved or even enhanced. As such, the study also offers an explanation as to previously observed changes in enzyme functionality upon ultrasonication

Patient factors affecting COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy: A survey study

Amaç: Gebe kadınlar, koronavirüs hastalığı (COVID-19) pandemisinde enfeksiyonun ciddi komplikasyonları açısından yüksek riskli bir grup olarak tanımlandı. 2 Haziran 2021 tarihinde Dünya Sağlık Örgütü, aşılamanın faydalarının olası risklerden daha ağır bastığı tüm gebelere COVID-19 aşısının yapılmasını önerdi. Gebe ve emziren kadınların COVID-19 aşısını yaptırması kendilerinin ve doğacak bebeklerinin sağlığını korumaktadır. Bu çalışmada amacımız, maternal mortalite ve morbidite ile perinatal mortalite ve morbiditeyi azaltan COVID-19 aşılarına yönelik gebelerimizin düşünce ve tutumlarını araştırmaktır. Yöntem: Çalışmaya katılan 482 gebeye yapılan ankette, COVID-19 aşıları hakkında kimden ve nereden bilgi aldıkları, aşı olmak istememe nedenleri, diğer aşılara bakış açıları sorgulandı. Bulgular: Gebelerin %51,5’i aşı olmayı kabul etti. Bu oran, amaçlanan genel toplum aşılama oranına göre düşüktür. Gebelerin, kendilerinin veya ailelerinden bir kişinin COVID-19 enfeksiyonu geçirmesi veya bu enfeksiyon nedeniyle bir yakınının kaybedilmiş olması aşıyı kabul etme kararını etkilemiyordu. Aşıyı kabul eden gebeler, COVID-19 enfeksiyonunu geçirmesi halinde kendi sağlığının olumsuz etkileneceğini düşünüyordu. Bu grup gebelerin doğum sonrası bebeğine aşılarını yaptırma ve eşlerinin aşılı olma oranı yüksekti. Aşıyı kabul etmeyenlerde, COVID-19 aşısına güvenmeme oranı anlamlı olarak yüksekti. Bu grupta aynı zamanda doğum sonrası aşıyı kabul etmeme ve doğum sonrası bebeğine aşı yaptırmama oranı da yüksekti. Sonuç: Aşıyı reddeden grup aşı hakkında bilgiyi çoğunlukla yakın çevrelerinden ve ailelerinden, aşıyı kabul eden grup ise bilgiyi çoğunlukla doktorlarından almıştı. Bu nedenle gebelikte aşı uygulamaları ve etkileri ile ilgili bilgilerin, güncellenmiş doğru bilgilerle donanmış sağlık çalışanları tarafından verilmesinin daha etkili olacağını düşünüyoruz. Riskli bir grup olan gebelerin bakış açısının değerlendirilmesinin ve aşı reddi ile aşı tereddütü nedenlerinin sorgulanmasının, COVID-19 enfeksiyonu ile mücadelede önemli bir adım olacağını düşünüyoruz.Objective: Pregnant women are defined as a high-risk group in terms of severe complications of COVID-19 infection. Vaccination of them not only protects their own health but also that of their unborn child. In this study, we aim to investigate the opinion and behavior of pregnant women in regards to COVID-19 vaccines which reduce both maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. Method: Four hundred and eighty-two pregnant women were surveyed on their source of information on COVID-19 vaccines, reasoning behind refusal of vaccination and their general opinion on vaccines. Results: About 51.50% of the participants agreed to get vaccinated during their pregnancy. Self or family history or loss of a relative from COVID-19 infection was not shown to affect the decision to be vaccinated. Those who agreed on vaccination thought that the infection would cause greater harm than the vaccineitself; vaccination of their spouses and consent to pediatric vaccination protocols after birth were also elevated. They primarily obtained information from their health-care provider. In contrary, lack of trust in vaccination was stated as a reason in the rejecting group, they both refuse vaccination even after delivery and pediatric vaccinations after birth. They seem to obtain information on vaccinations from their close relations and their family. Conclusion: In our opinion, it is more effective for information about vaccination during pregnancy to be given by health-care professionals who have up-todate information. We believe that investigating the reason behind rejection and hesitation of COVID-19 vaccine among pregnant women is a crucial step in our battle with the disease

Blending side streams. A potential solution to reach a resource efficient, circular, zero-waste food system

Reduction of production losses and increasing resource efficiency is needed to improve sustainability of the food supply chain. One approach to reach more resource-efficient, circular food systems is blending and processing side streams, especially when blending increases their value through compositional, nutritional or functional synergies. In this perspective we present a case study for valorizing sunflower oil press cake and whey. As the need for specialty products grows, small and medium-sized seed oil producers will be challenged with by-products. Similarly, small and geographically scattered dairy companies are faced with inadequate supply chains not allowing handling and downstream processing of whey. By combining two side streams, and applying simple processing steps and novel fermentation approaches, it would be possible not only to improve circularity of the value chain, but also to develop innovative ingredient platforms. A series of solutions appealing to various end users, from beverage producers to bakeries and snack applications, can be developed from fermented side stream blends when specific demands to ensure food safety and appropriate sensory quality are met

The frequency of Duchenne muscular dystrophy/Becker muscular dystrophy and Pompe disease in children with isolated transaminase elevation: results from the observational VICTORIA study

IntroductionElevated transaminases and/or creatine phosphokinase can indicate underlying muscle disease. Therefore, this study aims to determine the frequency of Duchenne muscular dystrophy/Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD/BMD) in male children and Pompe disease (PD) in male and female children with isolated hypertransaminasemia.MethodsThis multi-center, prospective study enrolled patients aged 3–216 months with serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and/or aspartate transaminase (AST) levels >2× the upper limit of normal (ULN) for ≥3 months. Patients with a known history of liver or muscle disease or physical examination findings suggestive of liver disease were excluded. Patients were screened for creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) levels, and molecular genetic tests for DMD/BMD in male patients and enzyme analysis for PD in male and female patients with elevated CPK levels were performed. Genetic analyses confirmed PD. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of the patients were analyzed.ResultsOverall, 589 patients [66.8% male, mean age of 63.4 months (standard deviation: 60.5)] were included. In total, 251 patients (188 male and 63 female) had CPK levels above the ULN. Of the patients assessed, 47% (85/182) of male patients were diagnosed with DMD/BMD and 1% (3/228) of male and female patients were diagnosed with PD. The median ALT, AST, and CPK levels were statistically significantly higher, and the questioned neurological symptoms and previously unnoticed examination findings were more common in DMD/BMD patients than those without DMD/BMD or PD (p < 0.001).DiscussionQuestioning neurological symptoms, conducting a complete physical examination, and testing for CPK levels in patients with isolated hypertransaminasemia will prevent costly and time-consuming investigations for liver diseases and will lead to the diagnosis of occult neuromuscular diseases. Trial RegistrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT04120168

Early mobilisation in critically ill COVID-19 patients: a subanalysis of the ESICM-initiated UNITE-COVID observational study

Background Early mobilisation (EM) is an intervention that may improve the outcome of critically ill patients. There is limited data on EM in COVID-19 patients and its use during the first pandemic wave. Methods This is a pre-planned subanalysis of the ESICM UNITE-COVID, an international multicenter observational study involving critically ill COVID-19 patients in the ICU between February 15th and May 15th, 2020. We analysed variables associated with the initiation of EM (within 72 h of ICU admission) and explored the impact of EM on mortality, ICU and hospital length of stay, as well as discharge location. Statistical analyses were done using (generalised) linear mixed-effect models and ANOVAs. Results Mobilisation data from 4190 patients from 280 ICUs in 45 countries were analysed. 1114 (26.6%) of these patients received mobilisation within 72 h after ICU admission; 3076 (73.4%) did not. In our analysis of factors associated with EM, mechanical ventilation at admission (OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.25, 0.35; p = 0.001), higher age (OR 0.99; 95% CI 0.98, 1.00; p ≤ 0.001), pre-existing asthma (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.73, 0.98; p = 0.028), and pre-existing kidney disease (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.71, 0.99; p = 0.036) were negatively associated with the initiation of EM. EM was associated with a higher chance of being discharged home (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.08, 1.58; p = 0.007) but was not associated with length of stay in ICU (adj. difference 0.91 days; 95% CI − 0.47, 1.37, p = 0.34) and hospital (adj. difference 1.4 days; 95% CI − 0.62, 2.35, p = 0.24) or mortality (OR 0.88; 95% CI 0.7, 1.09, p = 0.24) when adjusted for covariates. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that a quarter of COVID-19 patients received EM. There was no association found between EM in COVID-19 patients' ICU and hospital length of stay or mortality. However, EM in COVID-19 patients was associated with increased odds of being discharged home rather than to a care facility. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04836065 (retrospectively registered April 8th 2021)

Effect Of Paramorphogens On The Morphology And The Productivity Of Aspergillus Oryzae

Thesis (M.Sc.) -- İstanbul Technical University, Institute of Science and Technology, 2003Bu çalışmada, Aspergillus oryzae (CL01) suşunun morfojenezine paramorfojenik kimyasalların etkileri ağırlıklı olarak katı kültürlerde incelenmiştir. Katı kültür deneylerinde dört paramorfojenin 32 farklı derişimi denenmiştir. Organizma her kimyasala farklı tepkiler vermiş ve organizmanın morfolojisi her derişim ve kimyasaldan farklı biçimlenmiştir. 2 kimyasala ait 3 kompozisyonun (0.01% ve 0.02% sodyum deoksikolat -en etkili iki derişim- ve 0.5 M L-sorbose) en belirgin paramorfojenik etkileri ortaya çıkardığı gözlenmiştir. Çalışmalar sırasında, 2000’den fazla mikroskop ve densitometre görüntüsü kullanılmıştır. Farklı ekim türleri de denenmiş, misel ekimlerinin spor ekimlerinden daha etkili olduğu gözlenmiştir. Ayrıca söz konusu kimyasalların katı kültürlerde büyümeyi engelleyen derişimleri için üst sınırlar saptanmıştır. Tüm bulgular göz önüne alınarak, daha etkili olan iki kimyasalın Aspergillus oryzae (CL01) lipazının üretimine etkileri incelenmiştir. L-Sorboz kullanımı, dördüncü günde 6.3 kat artışa yol açarak erken ve hızlı bir artış grafiği çizerken sodyum deoksikolat daha düşük (4.3 kat) bir artışı 4.-6. günler aralığında korumuştur. Üretkenlikteki artış üzerine, duyarlılığı yüksek bir test sisteminin (pHstat) çalışma koşulları optimize edilmiştir.In this study, the effect of paramorphogenic chemicals on the morphology of Aspergillus oryzae (CL01) was investigated. Within the solid media experiments, four paramorphogens and totally 32 concentrations were employed. The organism almost responded all of the chemicals to some extent and its morphology was modified differently for each paramorphogen and concentration.Two paramorphogens with three concentration, 0.01% and 0.02% sodium deoxycholate as the best two and 0.5 M L-sorbose, were observed to create the highest paramorphogenic effects. During the studies, more than 2000 microscope and densitometer images were employed. Different types of inoculations were also tested and mycelial inoculations were shown to be more effective than spore inoculations. Also upper limits for chemical concentrations that inhibit growth within solid cultures were found out. Taking these findings into consideration, the effect of these two chemicals on the lipase produtivity of Aspergillus oryzae (CL01) was investigated. L-Sorbose resulted in higher and earlier lipase production, with 6.3 fold increase achieved on the 4th day whereas sodium deoxycholate resulted in relatively lower production, 4.3 fold increase, but held over a longer period 4-6 days. Observing the increase on productivity, conditions for a sensitive assay system (pHstat) were optimized.Yüksek LisansM.Sc

Tohum Protein Konsantrelerince Zenginleştirmiş Pilot Tesis Ölçekli Ekmek Üretimi

For many seeds, cold press technology generates higher quantities of cakes than seed oils, which areconcentrated in proteins. Valorization of the cakes could offer a viable strategy to manufacture proteinfortified foods with comparable characteristics as the conventional products. Here, black cumin, grapeseed and pumpkin seed protein concentrates were prepared based on an alkaline extraction-isoelectricprecipitation technique. The influence of protein concentrate addition on the flour, dough and breadcharacteristics were investigated for textural profile, gluten quality and visual characteristicsincluding color attributes. While the interactions between gluten and seed proteins were mostly weak,some of the physicochemical attributes differed significantly. In terms of volume and visualcharacteristics, pumpkin seed protein concentrates enriched bread demonstrated similarcharacteristics as the controls, while black cumin or grape seed protein concentrate enriched wheatflours were more resistant and less extensible than the controls. Similarities and differences betweencontrols and protein enriched gluten-free or gluten-bearing bread were discussed.Birçok tohumun soğuk pres teknolojisi ile işlenmesi sürecinde, üretilen yağdan daha fazla miktarlarda proteince zengin posa (pres kekleri) açığa çıkmaktadır. Posanın değerlendirilmesi, proteince zenginleştirilmiş ve diğer özellikleri konvansiyonel ürünlere benzeyen gıdaların üretilmesi için uygun bir strateji sunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada çörek otu, üzüm çekirdeği ve kabak çekirdeği protein konsantreleri alkali ekstraksiyon-izoelektrik çökeltme tekniğine uygun olarak üretilmiştir. Protein konsantresi eklemenin un, hamur ve ekmek özelliklerine etkisi tekstür profili, gluten kalitesi ve renk özelliklerini de içermek üzere görsel özellikler açısından incelenmiştir. Gluten ve tohum proteinleri arasındaki etkileşimler çoğunlukla zayıfken, bazı fizikokimyasal özelliklerin değiştiği bulgulanmıştır. Hacim ve görsel özellikler açısından, kabak çekirdeği protein konsantresi ile zenginleştirilmiş ekmek, kontrol grubu ile benzer özellikler gösterirken, çörek otu veya üzüm çekirdeği protein konsantresi ile zenginleştirilmiş buğday unları, kontrollere göre daha fazla direnç gösterdikleri ve daha düşük uzayabilirlik değerlerine sahip oldukları bulunmuştur. Kontroller ve proteinle zenginleştirilmiş glutensiz veya gluten içeren ekmekler arasındaki benzerlikler ve farklılıklar tartışılmıştır

Delivery of Curcumin Using Skim Milk or Oil in Water Emulsions: Effect of the Matrices on Cellular Uptake

peer-reviewedTo enhance the curcumin delivery in a variety of food grade matrices namely spray dried ethanolic curcumin in fresh skim milk (Spray dried Cu-SM), a fresh mixture of ethanolic curcumin and skim milk (Fresh Cu-SM) a powder mixture of curcumin and skim milk powder (Powder Cu-SMP) and oil in water emulsion (Emulsion) were studied. The cellular uptake of curcumin from the respective matrices was studied on Caco-2 cell monolayers. Spray dried Cu-SM showed higher encapsulation efficiency compared to a corresponding Powder Cu-SMP and an oil-in-water emulsion (40% oil) bearing curcumin. Furthermore, ethanolic administration of curcumin in spray dried form enhanced the cellular uptake of curcumin considerably higher than non-ethanolic samples (approx. 4 times). Overall, milk protein based vectors were found to perform better than emulsion samples. These findings highlighted the fact that curcumin uptake may be tailored by fine tuning of curcumin delivery vehicles which highlights possible application of powders as functional foods

Delivery of Curcumin Using Skim Milk or Oil in Water Emulsions: Effect of the Matrices on Cellular Uptake

peer-reviewedTo enhance the curcumin delivery in a variety of food grade matrices namely spray dried ethanolic curcumin in fresh skim milk (Spray dried Cu-SM), a fresh mixture of ethanolic curcumin and skim milk (Fresh Cu-SM) a powder mixture of curcumin and skim milk powder (Powder Cu-SMP) and oil in water emulsion (Emulsion) were studied. The cellular uptake of curcumin from the respective matrices was studied on Caco-2 cell monolayers. Spray dried Cu-SM showed higher encapsulation efficiency compared to a corresponding Powder Cu-SMP and an oil-in-water emulsion (40% oil) bearing curcumin. Furthermore, ethanolic administration of curcumin in spray dried form enhanced the cellular uptake of curcumin considerably higher than non-ethanolic samples (approx. 4 times). Overall, milk protein based vectors were found to perform better than emulsion samples. These findings highlighted the fact that curcumin uptake may be tailored by fine tuning of curcumin delivery vehicles which highlights possible application of powders as functional foods