Screening of antioxidant properties of the apple juice using the front-face synchronous fluorescence and chemometrics

Fluorescence spectroscopy is gaining increasing attention in food analysis due to its higher sensitivity and selectivity as compared to other spectroscopic techniques. Synchronous scanning fluorescence technique is particularly useful in studies of multi-fluorophoric food samples, providing a further improvement of selectivity by reduction in the spectral overlapping and suppressing light-scattering interferences. Presently, we study the feasibility of the prediction of the total phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity using front-face synchronous fluorescence spectra of apple juices. Commercial apple juices from different product ranges were studied. Principal component analysis (PCA) applied to the unfolded synchronous fluorescence spectra was used to compare the fluorescence of the entire sample set. The regression analysis was performed using partial least squares (PLS1 and PLS2) methods on the unfolded total synchronous and on the single-offset synchronous fluorescence spectra. The best calibration models for all of the studied parameters were obtained using the PLS1 method for the single-offset synchronous spectra. The models for the prediction of the total flavonoid content had the best performance; the optimal model was obtained for the analysis of the synchronous fluorescence spectra at Delta lambda = 110 nm (R (2) = 0.870, residual predictive deviation (RPD) = 2.7). The optimal calibration models for the prediction of the total phenolic content (Delta lambda = 80 nm, R (2) = 0.766, RPD = 2.0) and the total antioxidant capacity (Delta lambda = 70 nm, R (2) = 0.787, RPD = 2.1) had only an approximate predictive ability. These results demonstrate that synchronous fluorescence could be a useful tool in fast semi-quantitative screening for the antioxidant properties of the apple juices.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Radiographic appearance and clinical implications of the presence of radix entomolaris and radix paramolaris

Background: The variation in mandibular molars’ anatomy is not as rare as it might appear to be. Depending on the location of the additional root found in a mandibular molar, it may be referred to as either radix entomolaris (RE) or radix paramolaris (RP). The aim of the study was to present radiographic appearance of RE and RP and indicate the clinical implications of its presence. Materials and methods: The material consisted of 3,000 panoramic and 300 periapical radiographs of first and second mandibular molars taken in the Department of Dental and Maxillofacial Radiodiagnostics of the Medical University in Lublin which were screened for RE and RP. Results: Among panoramic and periapical radiographs only 14 cases of additional roots were found: 11 teeth with RE/RP in the Polish population and 3 in Taiwanese. Only 2 panoramic radiographs revealed the presence of RE and surprisingly the occurrence was bilateral. Conclusions: Dentists should not be taken by surprise at finding an additional root in mandibular molars. They should be aware of the anatomical diversity of these teeth and know how to recognise possible extra roots during radiograph reading.

Early postnatal development of the lumbar vertebrae in male Wistar rats: double staining and digital radiological studies

The aim of the study was to evaluate the physiological developmental changes of male rats’ lumbar vertebrae during the first 22 days after birth. Morphology and mineralisation of lumbar vertebrae were evaluated using double-staining and digital radiography system, which allowed vertebral width and optical density to be determined. Pup weight, crown-rump length, body mass index and vertebral width increased during postnatal period and significantly correlated with their age. Bone mineralisation, as measured by optical density, did not show any significant differences. The complete fusion of the primary ossification centres had a cranio- -caudal direction and started on day 19 after parturition but was incomplete by day 22. It could be concluded that, unlike significant age-related increase of vertebral size, mineralisation was only slightly elevated during evaluated postnatal period. The method described is supplementary to alizarin red S staining as it provides both qualitative and quantitative data on mineralisation in a similar manner to micro computed tomography but does not allow 3 dimensional and microarchitecture examination

Anatomical classification of the shape and topography of the operated stomach

The aim of the study was to present the classification of anatomical variances of the operated stomach, based on the radiological and historical data. Different anatomical variations of the operated organ were revealed in 431 out of 2034 patients examined in years 2006-2010. Four primary groups were established: abnormal position along longitudinal (I) and horizontal axis (II), as well as abnormal shape (III) and stomach connections (IV). An additional group (V) encloses mixed forms that connect features of two or more primary groups. The first group contains the partial and total translocation of the stomach into the thoracic cavity after the partial or total esophagectomy. Depends on the applied surgical techniques used during the total esophagectomy, the stomach could be located in the front or back to the pericardial sac. An elongated and gestrectatical form often with signs of pylorostenosis is visible in patients treated by the vagotomy. The consequences of fundoplication included: lack or narrow cardiac angle, and often mild form of the stomach cascade. The most common abnormal shape of the stomach was secondary to the gastrectomy and gastric bending. The final organ shape depends on the type of applied surgical procedure that maintains physiological connection with the duodenum or un-anatomical one, mostly with the jejunal loop. In banding, the body of the stomach forms hourglass on the level of the artificial adjustable band, typically fitted for the surgical slim purpose

Agarose Spot as a Comparative Method for in situ Analysis of Simultaneous Chemotactic Responses to Multiple Chemokines

yesWe describe a novel protocol to quantitatively and simultaneously compare the chemotactic responses of cells towards different chemokines. In this protocol, droplets of agarose gel containing different chemokines are applied onto the surface of a Petri dish, and then immersed under culture medium in which cells are suspended. As chemokine molecules diffuse away from the spot, a transient chemoattractant gradient is established across the spots. Cells expressing the corresponding cognate chemokine receptors migrate against this gradient by crawling under the agarose spots towards their centre. We show that this migration is chemokine-specific; meaning that only cells that express the cognate chemokine cell surface receptor, migrate under the spot containing its corresponding chemokine ligand. Furthermore, we show that migration under the agarose spot can be modulated by selective small molecule antagonists present in the cell culture medium

The Deubiquitinating Enzyme AMSH1 and the ESCRT-III Subunit VPS2.1 Are Required for Autophagic Degradation in Arabidopsis

In eukaryotes, posttranslational modification by ubiquitin regulates the activity and stability of many proteins and thus influences a variety of developmental processes as well as environmental responses. Ubiquitination also plays a critical role in intracellular trafficking by serving as a signal for endocytosis. We have previously shown that the Arabidopsis thaliana ASSOCIATED MOLECULE WITH THE SH3 DOMAIN OF STAM3 (AMSH3) is a deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB) that interacts with ENDOSOMAL COMPLEX REQUIRED FOR TRANSPORT-III (ESCRT-III) and is essential for intracellular transport and vacuole biogenesis. However, physiological functions of AMSH3 in the context of its ESCRT-III interaction are not well understood due to the severe seedling lethal phenotype of its null mutant. In this article, we show that Arabidopsis AMSH1, an AMSH3-related DUB, interacts with the ESCRT-III subunit VACUOLAR PROTEIN SORTING2.1 (VPS2.1) and that impairment of both AMSH1 and VPS2.1 causes early senescence and hypersensitivity to artificial carbon starvation in the dark similar to previously reported autophagy mutants. Consistent with this, both mutants accumulate autophagosome markers and accumulate less autophagic bodies in the vacuole. Taken together, our results demonstrate that AMSH1 and the ESCRT-III-subunit VPS2.1 are important for autophagic degradation and autophagy-mediated physiological processes

Effects of zebra mussels on cladoceran communities under eutrophic conditions

The purpose of this study was to determine how zebra mussels affected cladoceran community structure under eutrophic conditions. We conducted a mesocosm study where we manipulated the presence of zebra mussels and the presence of large-bodied Daphnia (Daphnia magna and Daphnia pulicaria). We also conducted a complimentary life-table experiment to determine how water from the zebra mussel treatment affected the life history characteristics of the cladoceran species. We anticipated that small- and large-bodied cladoceran species would respond differently to changes in algal quality and quantity under the effects of zebra mussels. Large-bodied Daphnia successfully established in the zebra mussel treatment but failed to grow in the control. We did not observe positive relationships between food concentrations and cladoceran abundances. However, the phosphorus content in the seston indicated that food quality was below the threshold level for large-bodied cladocerans at the beginning of the experiment. We believe that zebra mussels quickly enhanced the phosphorus content in the seston due to the excretion of inorganic phosphorus, thus facilitating the development of large-bodied Daphnia. In conclusion, our results suggest that zebra mussels can alter the phosphorus content of seston in lakes and this can affect the dynamics of crustacean zooplankton

Extension of WRF-Chem for birch pollen modelling – a case study for Poland.

In recent years, allergies due to airborne pollen have shown an increasing trend, along with the severity of allergic symptoms in most industrialised countries, while synergism with other common atmospheric pollutants has also been identified as affecting the overall quality of citizenly’ life. In this study we propose the state-of-the-art WRF-Chem model, which is a complex Eulerian meteorological model integrated on-line with atmospheric chemistry. We used a combination of the WRF-Chem extended towards birch pollen, and the emission module based on heating degree days, which has not been tested before. The simulations were run for the moderate season in terms of birch pollen concentrations (year 2015) and high season (year 2016) over Central Europe, which were validated against 11 observational stations located in Poland. The results show that there is a big difference in the model’s performance for the two modelled years. In general, the model overestimates birch pollen concentrations for the moderate season and highly underestimates birch pollen concentrations for the year 2016. The model was able to predict birch pollen concentrations for first allergy symptoms (above 20 pollen m-3) as well as for severe symptoms (above 90 pollen m-3) with Probability of Detection at 0.78 and 0.68 and Success Ratio at 0.75 and 0.57, respectively for the year 2015. However, the model failed to reproduce these parameters for the year 2016. The results indicate the potential role of correcting the total seasonal pollen emission in improving the model’s performance, especially for specific years in terms of pollen productivity. The application of chemical transport models such as WRF-Chem for pollen modelling provides a great opportunity for simultaneous simulations of chemical air pollution and allergic pollen with one goal, which is a step forward for studying and understanding the co-exposure of these particles in the air