367 research outputs found
Functional and bioactive properties of collagen and gelatin from alternative sources: A review
The rising interest in the valorisation of industrial by-products is one of the main reasons why exploring different species and optimizing the extracting conditions of collagen and gelatin has attracted the attention of researchers in the last decade. The most abundant sources of gelatin are pig skin, bovine hide and, pork and cattle bones, however, the industrial use of collagen or gelatin obtained from non-mammalian species is growing in importance. The classical food, photographic, cosmetic and pharmaceutical application of gelatin is based mainly on its gel-forming properties. Recently, and especially in the food industry, an increasing number of new applications have been found for gelatin in products such as emulsifiers, foaming agents, colloid stabilizers, biodegradable film-forming materials and micro-encapsulating agents, in line with the growing trend to replace synthetic agents with more natural ones. In the last decade, a large number of studies have dealt with the enzymatic hydrolysis of collagen or gelatin for the production of bioactive peptides. Besides exploring diverse types of bioactivities, of an antimicrobial, antioxidant or antihypertensive nature, studies have also focused on the effect of oral intake in both animal and human models, revealing the excellent absorption and metabolism of Hyp-containing peptides. The present work is a compilation of recent information on collagen and gelatin extraction from new sources, as well as new processing conditions and potential novel or improved applications, many of which are largely based on induced cross-linking, blending with other biopolymers or enzymatic hydrolysis. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.Peer Reviewe
Functional and bioactive properties of collagen and gelatin from alternative sources: A review
The rising interest in the valorisation of industrial by-products is one of the main reasons why exploring different species and optimizing the extracting conditions of collagen and gelatin has attracted the attention of researchers in the last decade. The most abundant sources of gelatin are pig skin, bovine hide and, pork and cattle bones, however, the industrial use of collagen or gelatin obtained from non-mammalian species is growing in importance. The classical food, photographic, cosmetic and pharmaceutical application of gelatin is based mainly on its gel-forming properties. Recently, and especially in the food industry, an increasing number of new applications have been found for gelatin in products such as emulsifiers, foaming agents, colloid stabilizers, biodegradable film-forming materials and micro-encapsulating agents, in line with the growing trend to replace synthetic agents with more natural ones. In the last decade, a large number of studies have dealt with the enzymatic hydrolysis of collagen or gelatin for the production of bioactive peptides. Besides exploring diverse types of bioactivities, of an antimicrobial, antioxidant or antihypertensive nature, studies have also focused on the effect of oral intake in both animal and human models, revealing the excellent absorption and metabolism of Hyp-containing peptides. The present work is a compilation of recent information on collagen and gelatin extraction from new sources, as well as new processing conditions and potential novel or improved applications, many of which are largely based on induced cross-linking, blending with other biopolymers or enzymatic hydrolysis. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.Peer Reviewe
Detection of a multi-shell planetary nebula around the hot subdwarf O-type star 2MASS J19310888+4324577
(Abridged) The origin of hot subdwarf O-type stars (sdOs) remains unclear
since their discovery in 1947. Among others, a post-Asymptotic Giant Branch
(post-AGB) origin is possible for a fraction of sdOs. We are involved in a
comprehensive ongoing study to search for and to analyze planetary nebulae
(PNe) around sdOs with the aim of establishing the fraction and properties of
sdOs with a post-AGB origin. We use deep Halpha and [OIII] images of sdOs to
detect nebular emission and intermediate resolution, long-slit optical
spectroscopy of the detected nebulae and their sdO central stars. These data
are complemented with other observations for further analysis of the detected
nebulae. We report the detection of an extremely faint, complex PN around 2MASS
J19310888+4324577 (2M1931+4324), a star classified as sdO in a binary system.
The PN shows a bipolar and an elliptical shell, whose major axes are oriented
perpendicular to each other, and high-excitation structures outside the two
shells. WISE archive images show faint, extended emission at 12 and 22 microns
in the inner nebular regions. The internal nebular kinematics is consistent
with a bipolar and a cylindrical/ellipsoidal shell, in both cases with the main
axis mainly perpendicular to the line of sight. The nebular spectrum only
exhibits Halpha, Hbeta and [OIII]4959,5007 emission lines, but suggests a very
low-excitation ([OIII]/Hbeta = 1.5), in strong contrast with the absence of
low-excitation emission lines. The spectrum of 2M1931+4324 presents narrow,
ionized helium absorptions that confirm the previous sdO classification and
suggest an effective temperature >= 60000 K. The binary nature of 2M1931+4324,
its association with a complex PN, and several properties of the system provide
strong support for the idea that binary central stars are a crucial ingredient
in the formation of complex PNe.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Quality of thawed deepwater pink shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) treated with melanosis-inhibiting formulations during chilled storage
This work investigates how the treatment of thawed deepwater pink shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) with several melanosis-inhibiting formulations, affects the quality of the shrimp during chilled storage. Formulations were as follows: a formulation containing 4-hexylresorcinol (0.1 and 0.05%), in combination with organic acids and chelating agents, a commercial formula based on sulphites, and a mixture of gluconic acid and commercial sulphites. No noticeable differences were observed for both trimethylamine and total volatile bases during chilled storage. pH evolution was irrespective of the treatment condition. Microbial load enlarged after the sixth day of chilled storage. Higher total bacteria counts were associated with the control and sulphite treatment conditions, while lactic acid bacteria growth seemed to be favoured under formulations based on 4-hexylresorcinol. The appearance of melanosis occurred more rapidly in control shrimp or in shrimp treated with commercial sulphites. 4-hexylresorcinol formulations preserved the quality of thawed shrimp and could replace traditional sulphites. © 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation 2007 Institute of Food Science and Technology Trust Fund.Peer Reviewe
Diagnostic ability of multifocal electroretinogram in early multiple sclerosis using a new signal analysis method
Purpose
To determine if a novel analysis method will increase the diagnostic value of the multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) in diagnosing early-stage multiple sclerosis (MS).
Methods
We studied the mfERG signals of OD (Oculus Dexter) eyes of fifteen patients diagnosed with early-stage MS (in all cases < 12 months) and without a history of optic neuritis (ON) (F: M = 11:4), and those of six controls (F:M = 3:3). We obtained values of amplitude and latency of N1 and P1 waves, and a method to assess normalized root-mean-square error (FNRMSE) between model signals and mfERG recordings was used. Responses of each eye were analysed at a global level, and by rings, quadrants and hemispheres. AUC (area under the ROC curve) is used as discriminant factor.
Results
The standard method of analysis obtains further discrimination between controls and MS in ring R3 (AUC = 0.82), analysing N1 waves amplitudes. In all of the retina analysis regions, FNRMSE value shows a greater discriminating power than the standard method. The highest AUC value (AUC = 0.91) was in the superior temporal quadrant.
Conclusion
By analysing mfERG recordings and contrasting them with those of healthy controls it is possible to detect early-stage MS in patients without a previous history of ON
Evidences of the Cerium Oxide-Catalysed DPF Regeneration in a Real Diesel Engine Exhaust
The active phase Ce0.5Pr0.5O2 has been loaded on commercial substrates (SiC DPF and cordierite honeycomb monolith) to perform DPF regeneration experiments in the exhaust of a diesel engine. Also, a powder sample has been prepared to carry out soot combustion experiments at laboratory. Experiments performed in the real diesel exhaust demonstrated the catalytic activity of the CeâPr mixed oxide for the combustion of soot, lowering the DPF regeneration temperature with regard to a counterpart catalyst-free DPF. The temperature for active regeneration of the Ce0.5Pr0.5O2-containing DPF when the soot content is low is in the range of 500â550 °C. When the Ce0.5Pr0.5O2-containing DPF is saturated with a high amount of soot, pressure drop and soot load at the filter reach equilibrium at around 360 °C under steady state engine operation due to passive regeneration. The uncoated DPF reached this equilibrium at around 440 °C. Comparing results at real exhaust with those at laboratory allow concluding that the Ce0.5Pr0.5O2-catalysed soot combustion in the real exhaust is not based on the NO2-assisted mechanism but is most likely occurring by the active oxygen-based mechanism.The authors thank the financial support of Generalitat Valenciana (Project Prometeo 2009/047), Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project CIT-420000-2009-48) and EU (FEDER funding)
Antioxidant and antimicrobial peptide fractions from squid and tuna skin gelatin
27 pĂĄginas, 4 figuras, 4 tablas.Gelatin extracted from tuna skins and giant squid tunics
were hydrolysed with Alcalase at 50ÂșC for 3h. Two peptide
fractions (1-10K and â€1K) were obtained from each gelatin
hydrolysate by subjecting them to centrifugal ultrafiltration using
successively a 10 kDa and a 1 kDa membrane. The peptide
fractions were characterized in terms of amino acid composition
and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Antioxidant
properties were tested according to the Ferric Reducing
Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay and the radical scavenging
capacity (ABTS) assay. A disk diffusion test was performed to test
antimicrobial action against a panel of Gram-positive and Gramnegative
pathogenic and fish spoilage-associated microorganisms.
Although antioxidant and antimicrobial properties could be
detected in all tested peptide fractions, the lowermost molecular
weight fraction from squid hydrolysate presented the highest
reducing and radical scavenging capacities, whereas microbial
growth inhibition was found to be specifically related to the type of
microorganism.This study was supported by the Spanish âMinisterio de EducaciĂłn y
Cienciaâ (project AGL2005-02380/ALI and AGL2008-02135/ALI).Peer reviewe
Computer-aided diagnosis of multiple sclerosis using a support vector machine and optical coherence tomography features
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) data and a support vector machine (SVM) as an automatic classifier. Forty-eight MS patients without symptoms of optic neuritis and forty-eight healthy control subjects were selected. Swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) was performed using a DRI (deep-range imaging) Triton OCT device (Topcon Corp., Tokyo, Japan). Mean values (right and left eye) for macular thickness (retinal and choroidal layers) and peripapillary area (retinal nerve fibre layer, retinal, ganglion cell layerâGCL, and choroidal layers) were compared between both groups. Based on the analysis of the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC), the 3 variables with the greatest discriminant capacity were selected to form the feature vector. A SVM was used as an automatic classifier, obtaining the confusion matrix using leave-one-out cross-validation. Classification performance was assessed with Matthewâs correlation coefficient (MCC) and the AUCCLASSIFIER. The most discriminant variables were found to be the total GCL++ thickness (between inner limiting membrane to inner nuclear layer boundaries), evaluated in the peripapillary area and macular retina thickness in the nasal quadrant of the outer and inner rings. Using the SVM classifier, we obtained the following values: MCC = 0.81, sensitivity = 0.89, specificity = 0.92, accuracy = 0.91, and AUCCLASSIFIER = 0.97. Our findings suggest that it is possible to classify control subjects and MS patients without previous optic neuritis by applying machine-learning techniques to study the structural neurodegeneration in the retina
Analysis of bacterial communities of infected primary teeth in a Mexican population
The objective of this study was to describe the bacterial communities associated with pediatric patients with endodontic infections of temporal teeth by targeting the 16S rRNA gene using pyrosequencing. Microbiological samples were obtained from the lower primary molars of thirteen 13 pediatric patients with dental infections. An aspiration method for microbiological sampling was used. The identification of microbiota employing the pyrosequencing method by targeting the 16S gene was performed. Ribosomal 16S RNA gene sequences were amplified, obtaining a total of 16,182 sequences from 13 primary infected molars (13 different individuals) by pyrosequencing. Bacteroidetes phyla (35.15%) were the most abundant followed by Firmicutes (33.3%) and Fusobacteria (10.05%); the presence of specific pathogenic bacteria was determined as well. The infected root canal of primary teeth contains a high diversity of anaerobic bacteria, and Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Fusobacteria phyla were the most abundant; Prevotella and Streptococcus genera were the most prevalent
Heterodi- (Fe, Pd/Pt) and heterotrimetallic (Fe2, Pd) complexes derived from 4-(ferrocenylmethyl)-N-(2-methoxyethyl)-3,5-diphenylpyrazole as potential antitumoral agents
The study of the reactivity of the pyrazole derivative 1-[MeO-(CH2)2]-3,5-Ph2-4-(CH2Fc) (C3N2) (1, Fc = ferrocenyl) with Na2[PdCl4], Pd(OAc)2, and [MCl2(dmso)2] (M = Pd or Pt,dmso = dimethyl sulfoxide) has allowed us to isolate trans-[Pd{Îș-N-(1-{MeO(CH2)2}-3,5-Ph2-4-{CH2Fc} {C3N2})}2Cl2] (2), [Pd{Îș2-C,N(1-{MeO(CH2)2}-3-{C6H4}-5-Ph-{C3N2})}{Îș-N-(1-{MeO(CH2)2}-3,5-Ph2-4-{CH2Fc} {C3N2})}Cl] (3), [Pd{Îș2-C,N(1-{MeO(CH2)2}-3-{C6H4}-4-{CH2Fc}-5-Ph-{C3N2})}Cl-(PPh3)] (4), and the trans (5) and cis (6) isomers of [Pt{Îș-N-(1-{MeO(CH2)2}-3,5-Ph24-{CH2Fc} {C3N2})}Cl2(dmso)]. Compound 1 acts as a N (in 2, 5, and 6) or (C,N) donor ligand (in 4) and shows both binding modes in 3. The cytotoxic assessment of 1 6 against MCF7, MDA-MB231 (breast), and HCT-116 (colon) cancer cell lines reveal that (1) 1 is more potent than 1-[MeO(CH2)2]-3,5-Ph2-(C3HN2) (V), (2) 2 6 have cytotoxic activity, (3) 2 and 3 are less active than 4 6, and (4) 6 is the most potent compound against the three cancer cell lines
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