EFFORT study:Comparing impact of operation and assisted reproductive technologies on fertility for women with deep infiltrating endometriosis - study protocol for a multicentre randomised trial

INTRODUCTION: Deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) affecting the rectum or sigmoid colon is associated with infertility, severe pain and decreased quality of life. As most women with DIE are young, many have a pregnancy intention. Treatment possibilities of endometriosis-associated infertility are surgery or assisted reproductive technologies (ART). However, no studies have compared the two interventions directly. Therefore, this study aims to determine the cumulative pregnancy rate (CPR) and the live birth rate (LBR) after first-line surgery compared with first-line ART for women with rectosigmoid DIE and a pregnancy intention. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Multicentre, parallel-group, randomised trial of women with rectosigmoid DIE and a pregnancy intention for at least 6 months in Aarhus, Denmark and Bordeaux, France. 352 women aged 18–38 years are randomised 1:1 to either surgical management (shaving, disc excision or segmental resection) or ART management (at least two in vitro fertilisation or intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedures if not pregnant after the first cycle). Women in the surgical intervention group will attempt to get pregnant by either spontaneous conception or ART, depending on the endometriosis fertility index score. Primary outcome measures are CPR and LBR at 18 months’ follow-up. Secondary outcomes are: Non-viable pregnancies, time to pregnancy, pain score, quality of life, complication rate, bowel and bladder function, endocrine and inflammatory profile, number of oocytes, blastocysts, frozen embryos and blastocyst morphology score within 18 months after either intervention. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Conduct of this study is approved by the Danish National Committee on Health Research Ethics and Comité de Protection des Personnes Ile de France VIII. Study participants must sign an informed consent form. The results will be presented at national and international conferences and published in international peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (no. NCT04610710). PROTOCOL VERSION: The Danish National Committee on Health Research Ethics: Fifth protocol version approved 7 September 2020 (no. 1-10-72-96-20). Comité de Protection des Personnes Ile de France VIII: Version 1.1 22JAN2021 the 9 March 2021

Poster presentation: "Volatile profiles of seasoned staves used in Balkan cooperage"

The ageing in contact with wood is an important process for improving the aroma, color, taste and astringency of some high-quality alcoholic beverages. One of the important changes is extraction of volatile compounds (i.e. extractable compounds and gradually transformed wooden constituents) as a result of the interaction between compounds present in wood and alcoholic beverages.The aim of this study was to obtain volatile profiles of seasoned wood stave extracts and find potential markers for wood species. The following species were investigated: mulberry (Morus alba L.), Myrobalan plum (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), wild cherry (Prunus avium (L.) L.) and oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., and Q. robur L.). Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used for qualitative and quantitative analyzes of the wood extracts, respectively.The volatile profiles of oak and other wood species were significantly different. Some of the identified compounds were proposed as potential markers for the identification of the specific wood. Oak samples were characterized by presence of many compounds, such as oak lactones, vinylguaiacol, eugenol, vanillin, propiovanillone, homovanillic acid, methyl homovanillate, syringyl propan-2-one, butyrosyringone and dihydrosynapil alcohol. In addition, isoeugenol was characteristic for pedunculate oak from Gornji Radan. On the other hand, the following compounds were characteristic of other wood samples: methylresorcinol and coumaran (mulberry); resacetophenone and o-acetyl-p-cresol (black locust); benzoic acid, 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzoic acid and scopoletin (Myrobalan plum); sakuranin, chrysin, tectochrysin, naringenin, pinocembrin and 2,6-dimethoxybenzoquinone and acetophenone (wild cherry). Sakuranin could be considered as potential marker for wild cherry. Our findings could be used for authenticity of wood species used for cooperage, as well as for reducing fraudulent production.Abstract: [https://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/7285]Poster presentation at: FoodEnTwin Symposium “Novel analytical approaches in food and environmental sciences

Volatile profiles of seasoned staves used in Balkan cooperage

The ageing in contact with wood is an important process for improving the aroma, color, taste and astringency of some high-quality alcoholic beverages. One of the important changes is extraction of volatile compounds (i.e. extractable compounds and gradually transformed wooden constituents) as a result of the interaction between compounds present in wood and alcoholic beverages.The aim of this study was to obtain volatile profiles of seasoned wood stave extracts and find potential markers for wood species. The following species were investigated: mulberry (Morus alba L.), Myrobalan plum (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), wild cherry (Prunus avium (L.) L.) and oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., and Q. robur L.). Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used for qualitative and quantitative analyzes of the wood extracts, respectively.The volatile profiles of oak and other wood species were significantly different. Some of the identified compounds were proposed as potential markers for the identification of the specific wood. Oak samples were characterized by presence of many compounds, such as oak lactones, vinylguaiacol, eugenol, vanillin, propiovanillone, homovanillic acid, methyl homovanillate, syringyl propan-2-one, butyrosyringone and dihydrosynapil alcohol. In addition, isoeugenol was characteristic for pedunculate oak from Gornji Radan. On the other hand, the following compounds were characteristic of other wood samples: methylresorcinol and coumaran (mulberry); resacetophenone and o-acetyl-p-cresol (black locust); benzoic acid, 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzoic acid and scopoletin (Myrobalan plum); sakuranin, chrysin, tectochrysin, naringenin, pinocembrin and 2,6-dimethoxybenzoquinone and acetophenone (wild cherry). Sakuranin could be considered as potential marker for wild cherry. Our findings could be used for authenticity of wood species used for cooperage, as well as for reducing fraudulent production.Poster: [https://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5299

Volatile profiles of seasoned staves used in Balkan cooperage

The ageing in contact with wood is an important process for improving the aroma, color, taste and astringency of some high-quality alcoholic beverages. One of the important changes is extraction of volatile compounds (i.e. extractable compounds and gradually transformed wooden constituents) as a result of the interaction between compounds present in wood and alcoholic beverages. The aim of this study was to obtain volatile profiles of seasoned wood stave extracts and find potential markers for wood species. The following species were investigated: mulberry (Morus alba L.), Myrobalan plum (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), wild cherry (Prunus avium (L.) L.) and oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., and Q. robur L.). Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used for qualitative and quantitative analyzes of the wood extracts, respectively. The volatile profiles of oak and other wood species were significantly different. Some of the identified compounds were proposed as potential markers for the identification of the specific wood. Oak samples were characterized by presence of many compounds, such as oak lactones, vinylguaiacol, eugenol, vanillin, propiovanillone, homovanillic acid, methyl homovanillate, syringyl propan-2-one, butyrosyringone and dihydrosynapil alcohol. In addition, isoeugenol was characteristic for pedunculate oak from Gornji Radan. On the other hand, the following compounds were characteristic of other wood samples: methylresorcinol and coumaran (mulberry); resacetophenone and o-acetyl-p-cresol (black locust); benzoic acid, 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzoic acid and scopoletin (Myrobalan plum); sakuranin, chrysin, tectochrysin, naringenin, pinocembrin and 2,6-dimethoxybenzoquinone and acetophenone (wild cherry). Sakuranin could be considered as potential marker for wild cherry. Our findings could be used for authenticity of wood species used for cooperage, as well as for reducing fraudulent production.Abstract; [https://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5301

Exploring new horizons and sustainable technologies for highly efficient wastewater remediation and decontamination: Multifunctional biochar

The occurrence of different toxic organic and inorganic contaminants in water is an environmental issue that must be addressed to avoid damage to ecosystems and human health. Inspired by this current issue, in this work, we have fabricated multifunctional biochar and activated carbons capable for highly efficient capture, identification and removal of toxic metals, radionuclides, emerging, priority and hazardous priority substances from water samples. To find facile, eco friendly and cost-effective routes for developing multifunctional materials, which have the capability to resolve many of the challenges associated with wastewater problem, here, we report: The novel design and synthesis details of multifunctional biochar and activated carbons which precursors were lignocellulosic raw materials (sweet/sour cherry, apricot and plum kernels) as fruit processing industry waste [1]; Characterization of multifunctional materials performed by elemental analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Brunauer, Emmett and Taller technique [2]; Detailed evaluation of their capability for highly efficient separation of heavy metals ions (Pb2+, Cd2+, Ni2+), chlorophenols, pharmaceutical compounds (sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, diclofenac, naproxen, ketoprofen and ibuprofen) and radionuclides; The batch studies performed by varying different process conditions: the initial pH of the water solution, adsorbent dosage, contact time, temperature and initial adsorbate concentrations; The time dependant adsorption results fitted to four diffusion and four reaction kinetic models; Equilibrium data fitted to three isotherm models (for better insight into the adsorption process); Calculated thermodynamic parameters of the process: Gibbs energy, enthalpy and entropy; The best conditions for achieving maximum efficiency of biochar, a carbonrich low-cost by-product of naturally abundant waste biomass, which exhibits heterogeneous surface chemistry and strong binding affinity via oxygen-containing group on the surface [3]; Desorption and regeneration study results; Two-stage CSTR reactor design for the real samples treatment; Eco-design of the multifunctional materials production process [4]; Life cycle assessment, comparative adsorption study and cost analysis of the process [4]. Performed study showed encouraging results that are highly beneficial for the development of alternative wastewater management technologies, as well as for modern organic waste disposal solution. Fabricated multifunctional biochar and activated carbons were found to be a promising low-cost and eco-friendly solution for the removal of wide range of micropollutants from aqueous waste as part of sustainable technology involving slurry reactors

Effects of physicochemical properties of TiO2 nanomaterials for pulmonary inflammation, acute phase response and alveolar proteinosis in intratracheally exposed mice

Nanomaterial (NM) characteristics may affect the pulmonary toxicity and inflammatory response, including specific surface area, size, shape, crystal phase or other surface characteristics. Grouping of TiO2 in hazard assessment might be challenging because of variation in physicochemical properties. We exposed C57BL/6 J mice to a single dose of four anatase TiO2 NMs with various sizes and shapes by intratracheal instillation and assessed the pulmonary toxicity 1, 3, 28, 90 or 180 days post-exposure. The quartz DQ12 was included as benchmark particle. Pulmonary responses were evaluated by histopathology, electron microscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid cell composition and acute phase response. Genotoxicity was evaluated by DNA strand break levels in BAL cells, lung and liver in the comet assay. Multiple regression analyses were applied to identify specific TiO2 NMs properties important for the pulmonary inflammation and acute phase response. The TiO2 NMs induced similar inflammatory responses when surface area was used as dose metrics, although inflammatory and acute phase response was greatest and more persistent for the TiO2 tube. Similar histopathological changes were observed for the TiO2 tube and DQ12 including pulmonary alveolar proteinosis indicating profound effects related to the tube shape. Comparison with previously published data on rutile TiO2 NMs indicated that rutile TiO2 NMs were more inflammogenic in terms of neutrophil influx than anatase TiO2 NMs when normalized to total deposited surface area. Overall, the results suggest that specific surface area, crystal phase and shape of TiO2 NMs are important predictors for the observed pulmonary effects of TiO2 NMs.Peer reviewe

Can agricultural cultivation methods influence the healthfulness of crops for foods

The aim of the current study was to investigate if there are any health effects of long-term consumption of organically grown crops using a rat model. Crops were retrieved over two years from along-term field trial at three different locations in Denmark, using three different cultivation systems(OA, organic based on livestock manure; OB, organic based on green manure; and C, conventional with mineral fertilizers and pesticides)with two field replicates. The cultivation system had an impact on the nutritional quality, affecting γ-tocopherol, some amino acids, and fatty acid composition. Additionally, the nutritional quality was affected by harvest year and location. However, harvest year and location rather than cultivation system affected the measured health biomarkers. In conclusion, the differences in dietary treatments composed of ingredients from different cultivation systems did not lead to significant differences in the measured health biomarkers, except for a significant difference in plasma IgGl evels