43 research outputs found
Antiproliferative activity of synthetic fatty acid amides from renewable resources
AbstractIn the work, the in vitro antiproliferative activity of a series of synthetic fatty acid amides were investigated in seven cancer cell lines. The study revealed that most of the compounds showed antiproliferative activity against tested tumor cell lines, mainly on human glioma cells (U251) and human ovarian cancer cells with a multiple drug-resistant phenotype (NCI-ADR/RES). In addition, the fatty methyl benzylamide derived from ricinoleic acid (with the fatty acid obtained from castor oil, a renewable resource) showed a high selectivity with potent growth inhibition and cell death for the glioma cell line—the most aggressive CNS cancer
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A nationwide evaluation study of the quality of care and respect of human rights in mental health facilities in Ghana: results from the World Health Organization QualityRights initiative
Background
In 2012, Ghana ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and enacted a Mental Health Act to improve the quality of mental health care and stop human rights violations against people with mental health conditions. In line with these objectives, Ghanaian stakeholders collected data on the quality of mental health services and respect for human rights in psychiatric facilities to identify challenges and gather useful information for the development of plans aimed to improve the quality of the services offered. This study aimed to assess psychiatric facilities from different Ghanaian regions and provide evidence on the quality of care and respect of human rights in mental health services.
Methods
Assessments were conducted by independent visiting committees that collected data through observation, review of documentation, and interviews with service users, staff, and carers, and provided scores using the World Health Organization QualityRights Toolkit methodology.
Results
This study revealed significant key challenges in the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities principles in Ghanaian psychiatric services. The rights to an adequate standard of living and enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health were not fully promoted. Only initial steps had been taken to guarantee the right to exercise legal capacity and the right to personal liberty and security. Significant gaps in the promotion of the right to live independently and be included in the community were identified.
Conclusions
This study identifies shortcomings and critical areas that the Ghanaian government and facilities need to target for implementing a human rights-based approach in mental health and improve the quality of mental health care throughout the country
Cyclization reactions of acylium and thioacylium ions with isocyanates and isothiocyanates: Gas phase synthesis of 3,4-dihydro-2,4-dioxo-2H-1,3,5-oxadiazinium ions
Effect of harvesting processes on the lipid yield and fatty acid profile of the marine microalga Nannochloropsis oculata
The effect of different methods of biomass concentration and salt removal on the lipid yield and fatty acid profile of the marine microalga Nannochloropsis oculata was evaluated. The microalgae were subjected to nine treatments: (1) centrifugation, (2) centrifugation + washing with H2O, (3) centrifugation + washing with ammonium formate, (4) flocculation with NaOH, (5) flocculation with NaOH + washing with H2O, (6) flocculation with NaOH + washing with ammonium formate, (7) flocculation with NaOH and neutralization with HCl, (8) flocculation with NaOH, neutralization with HCl + washing with H2O, and (9) flocculation with NaOH, neutralization with HCl + washing with ammonium formate. Flocculation with the addition of NaOH was effective at concentrating biomass (>90%) but interfered with lipid extraction because it exhibited a lower lipid yield (4.40 ± 0.1%) compared with centrifugation (45.4 ± 0.8%). Moreover, important polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA C20:5) and eicosatetraenoic acid (ETA C20:4), disappeared when NaOH was used. Centrifugation plus washing the biomass with ammonium formate was more effective than other treatments, leading to higher lipid yields, as well as larger amounts of the polyunsaturated fatty acids EPA and ETA. However, it is a very expensive harvesting method. Thus, the main finding of the present study is that microalgae concentration processes can affect lipid and fatty acid extraction in massive microalgae production; therefore, it is necessary to carefully choose the harvest process to be used in large-scale microalgae production
Investigation of major and trace element distribution in the extraction–transesterification process of fatty acid methyl esters from microalgae Chlorella sp
This work reports, for the first time, the determination of major and trace elements (Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Se, Sn, Sr, Ti, Tl, U, V, and Zn) in the fractions of the synthesis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). These include fresh microalgae, residual biomass, lipid fraction, crude FAMEs, insoluble fraction and purified FAMEs from microalgae Chlorella sp. A microwave-assisted digestion
procedure in closed vessels was applied for sample digestion and subsequent element determination by inductively coupled plasma-based techniques. The proposed method was suitable for the multielement determination in FAMEs and its fractions obtained from microalgae. The element concentration was compared with results found in the literature and a careful discussion about the use of residual biomass for different applications was performed
Application of 1H HR-MAS NMR-Based Metabolite Fingerprinting of Marine Microalgae
Natural products from the marine environment as well as microalgae, have been known for the complexity of the metabolites they produce due to their adaptability to different environmental conditions, which has been an inexhaustible source of several bioactive properties, such as antioxidant, anti-tumor, and antimicrobial. This study aims to characterize the main metabolites of three species of microalgae (Nannochloropsis oceanica, Chaetoceros muelleri, and Conticribra weissflogii), which have important applications in the biofuel and nutrition industries, by 1H High-resolution magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (1H HR-MAS NMR), a method which is non-destructive, is highly reproducible, and requires minimal sample preparation. Even though the three species were found in the same ecosystem and a superior production of lipid compounds was observed, important differences were identified in relation to the production of specialized metabolites. These distinct properties favor the use of these compounds as leaders in the development of new bioactive compounds, especially against environmental, human, and animal pathogens (One Health), and demonstrate their potential in the development of alternatives for aquaculture
Sulfamic acid: An efficient acid catalyst for esterification of FFA
Esterification is one of the most fundamental reactions in organic chemistry. It has a great application in both laboratory work and industrial processes on account of its versatility. In this study sulfamic acid (H2NSO3H, SA) was used as an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of fatty acid methyl and ethyl esters (FAEEs and FAMEs) under different conditions (fatty acid type, molar ratio, temperature, and % catalyst). Esterification using methanol and ethanol resulted in a higher fatty acid alkyl ester yield. The best result
was obtained with ethanol, which yielded 91.2–97.7% FAEEs. However, in the same conditions the FAMEs were obtained with lower yields. These results demonstrate that this green methodology has high potential for the synthesis of fatty acid alkyl ester