A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of polyphenols on the outcomes of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is commonly associated with hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, oxidative stress and inflammation which are well known cardiovascular risk factors. Pomegranate peel polyphenols have a proven hypolipemic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. However, there is a lack of clinical studies that would confirm its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in diabetic patients. The potential of pomegranate peel extract (PoPEx) to counteract inflammation and oxidative stress in T2DM patients was investigated. For this purpose, a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study involving adult T2DM patients treated with PoPEx or placebo for eight-weeks was conducted. Methods: Patients were randomly divided into two groups: the first group (n = 30) received capsules containing PoPEx 250 mg twice daily, while the placebo group (n = 30) received placebo capsules twice daily. Plasma concentration of inflammatory factors (interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and high sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP)), oxidative stress biomarkers (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), nitrites (NO2−), superoxide anion radical (O2−), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), total antioxidant capacity (TAC)), homocysteine and lipid profile were analyzed. Results: The PoPEx treatment showed a significant reduction of inflammatory factors (IL-6, TNF-α, hsCRP), oxidative stress biomarkers (TBARS, NO2−, O2−) and homocysteine, while the TAC was increased. Moreover, a significant improvement in lipid profile was observed in the PoPEx group. Additional analysis showed a significant inverse correlation between the decrements of all measured inflammatory markers and TAC in the PoPEx group. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that eight-week-long PoPEx administration had favorable effects on inflammatory status and oxidative stress biomarkers in diabetic patients

Beneficial effects of pomegranate peel extract on plasma lipid profile, fatty acids levels and blood pressure in patients with diabetes mellitus type-2: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Pomegranate peel contains high levels of various phytochemicals. We evaluated the effects of pomegranate peel extract (PoPEx) consumption on plasma lipid profile, fatty acids (FA) level and blood pressure (BP) in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2). Thirty-seven subjects were recruited in this double blind, placebo controlled randomized trial. The study group (n = 19) received over 8 week's capsules containing PoPEx twice a daily, while the placebo group received placebo. Treatment with PoPEx induced a significant lowering of both systolic and diastolic BP. The plasma levels of triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (LDL-C/HDL-C), and HbA1c were significantly decreased, while the level of HDL-C was significantly increased, compared with placebo intake. Moreover, the PoPEX treatment significantly improved the plasma lipids fatty acids content. It is concluded that consumption of PoPEx in DMT2 subject had favourable effects on some metabolic parameters, BP, lipid profile and plasma lipid FA composition

Overexpression of MRP1/ABCC1, Survivin and BCRP/ABCC2 Predicts the Resistance of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma to R-CHOP Treatment

Background: Approximately 40% of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) experience treatment resistance to the first-line R-CHOP regimen. ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters and survivin might play a role in multidrug resistance (MDR) in various tumors. The aim was to investigate if the coexpression of ABC transporters and survivin was associated with R-CHOP treatment response. Methods: The expression of Bcl-2, survivin, P-glycoprotein/ABCB1, MRP1/ABCC1, and BCRP/ABCC2 was analyzed using immunohistochemistry in tumor specimens obtained from patients with DLBCL, and classified according to the treatment response as Remission, Relapsed, and (primary) Refractory groups. All patients received R-CHOP or equivalent treatment. Results: Bcl-2 was in strong positive correlation with clinical parameters and all biomarkers except P-gp/ABCB1. The overexpression of MRP1/ABCC1, survivin, and BCRP/ABCC2 presented as high immunoreactive scores (IRSs) was detected in the Refractory and Relapsed groups (p < 0.05 vs. Remission), respectively, whereas the IRS of P-gp/ABCB1 was low. Significant correlations were found among either MRP1/ABCC1 and survivin or BCRP/ABCC2 in the Refractory and Relapsed groups, respectively. In multiple linear regression analysis, ECOG status along with MRP1/ABCC1 or survivin and BRCP/ABCG2 was significantly associated with the prediction of the R-CHOP treatment response. Conclusions: DLBCL might harbor certain molecular signatures such as MRP1/ABCC1, survivin, and BCRP/ABCC2 overexpression that can predict resistance to R-CHOP

Melting and crystallization DSC profiles of different types of meat

The aim of this study was to test the influence of scanning rate and meat type on the thermo-physical properties of meat and content of the freezable water in frozen meat, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In this study, three types of meat were investigated: beef (M. Longissimus dorsi), pork (M. Longissimus dorsi), and chicken meat (Pectoralis major). The cooling rate affected the onset (Tcon), peak (Tc) and end (Tcend) temperatures of crystallization process of beef meat (p < 0.05). Decreasing cooling rate from 20 to 2°C/min resulted in significant (p < 0.05) change of the crystallization enthalpy (ΔHc) of beef meat, from -220.17 to -168.20 J/g, respectively. Reduction of the heating rate caused significant (p < 0.05) decrease in enthalpy of melting (ΔHm) for beef meat, from 228.87 to 161.13 J/g. The heating rate affected the peak (Tm) and end temperatures (Tmend) of melting process of beef meat (p < 0.05). The type of meat did not have effect on ΔHc and ΔHm as well as temperature of crystallization (Tcon, Tc and Tcend) and temperature of melting (Tm and Tmend) in meat. Significant (p < 0.05) change in freezable water content were recorded between heating rate 20 °C/min and other heating rates, for all three meat types

EFFECTS OF AERATION ON GROUNDWATER QUALITY FOR IRRIGATION

Volatility in agricultural production caused by the reliance on natural factors, and water is one of the basic, which provides greater production. Volatility in agricultural production caused by the reliance on natural factors, and water is one of the basic, which provides greater production. The authors in their professional praxis have seen that the presence and absence of vadose zone in the upper part of aquifer, with inter-granulary porosity type, is a prerequisite for enhanced concentrations of iron and manganese in groundwater. The natural aeration zone in vadose zone of the upper part of aquifer enables additional enrichment of groundwater with oxygen, which is spent on the account of biochemical processes in the direction of their flow. The absence of this zone in aquifer directly influences higher iron and manganese content in groundwater, often above the permissible concentration in drinking water. In order to eliminate this problem, in this paper proposal of future works were made, different of the usual procedure of hydro geological research. It will be possible to examine the effect of aeration of groundwater in the aquifer, during the preparation of wells from which to irrigate the land

Efekti aeracije na kvalitet podzemnih voda za navodnjavanje

Volatility in agricultural production caused by the reliance on natural factors, and water is one of the basic, which provides greater production. Volatility in agricultural production caused by the reliance on natural factors, and water is one of the basic, which provides greater production. The authors in their professional praxis have seen that the presence and absence of vadose zone in the upper part of aquifer, with inter-granulary porosity type, is a prerequisite for enhanced concentrations of iron and manganese in groundwater. The natural aeration zone in vadose zone of the upper part of aquifer enables additional enrichment of groundwater with oxygen, which is spent on the account of biochemical processes in the direction of their flow. The absence of this zone in aquifer directly influences higher iron and manganese content in groundwater, often above the permissible concentration in drinking water. In order to eliminate this problem, in this paper proposal of future works were made, different of the usual procedure of hydro geological research. It will be possible to examine the effect of aeration of groundwater in the aquifer, during the preparation of wells from which to irrigate the land. .Nestabilnost poljoprivredne proizvodnje uslovljena je oslanjanjem na prirodne faktore, a voda je jedan od osnovnih koji obezbeđuje veću proizvodnju. Ulaganja u sisteme za navodnjavanje su neophodna, ali uz konstantna tehnološka poboljšanja i ekonomsku ocenu investicije. U praksi je dokazano da je prisustvo i odsustvu vadosa zona u gornjem delu izdani, sa intergranularim tipom poroznosti, preduslov za pojavu povećane koncentracije jona gvožđa i mangana u podzemnim vodama. Prirodna aeracija oblasti u vadosa zoni u gornjem delu izdani omogućava dodatno obogaćivanje podzemnih voda sa kiseonikom, koje se izvodi na račun biohemijskih procesa u njima. Odsustvo ove zone u akviferu direktno utiče na veći sadržaj gvožđa i mangana u podzemnim vodama, često iznad dozvoljene koncentracije u vodi za piće što će imati negativno dejstvo prilikom navodnjavanja površina. Kako bi se u budućnosti eliminisao ovaj problem u radu su date preporuke, promene uobičajene procedure hidrogeoloških istraživanja, da se sagleda efekat aeracije vode u akviferu, tokom pripreme bunara iz kojih će se navodnjavati zemljište.

UPRAVLJANJE HEMIJSKIM I MIKROBIOLOŠKIM KVALITETOM VODE U BAZENIMA ZA KUPANJE I REKREACIJU

Korištenje voda za rekreaciju ili liječenje je veoma značajno u održavanju zdravlja iradne sposobnosti stanovništva. Značajan broj ljudi, povremeno ili stalno, koristi u tesvrhe bazene. Zbog toga se danas u razvijenim državama, velika pažnja posvećujekvalitetu voda za rekreaciju. Cilj ovog rada jeste upravljanje bazenima sa aspektaupravljanja hemijskim i mikrobiološkim kvalitetom vode. Razmatranje problema upravljanjahemijskim i mikrobiološkim kvalitetom vode u bazenima bazira se na odgovarajućimPreporukama Svjetske zdravstvene organizacije. Retrospektivno-deskriptivna metoda jekorištena da analiziraju rezultati laboratorijskih ispitivanja bazenskih voda na teritorijigrada Banja Luka za 2013. i 2014. godinu. Rezultati sprovedenih analiza pokazali su da sefizička i hemijska neispravnost vode uglavnom odnosi na povećan sadržaj hlorida u vodi,dok mikrobiološka neispravnost uzrokovana je povećanim brojem koliformnih bakterija