Anti-inflammatory activity of

The anti-inflammatory activity of the chloroform, methanol and aqueous extracts of Wigandia urens and Acalypha alopecuroides were investigated on carrageenan-induced paw edema at doses of 400 mg/kg. The three extracts of W. urens, and the aqueous extract of A. alopecuroides caused significantinhibition of the edema (58.1±6.5% and 63.5±5.4%, respectively). Indomethacin was used as positive control (8 mg/kg), and inhibited edema by 66.3±5.2%. The methanol extract of W. urens and the aqueous extract of A. alopecuroides, at doses of 200 mg/kg, inhibited pellet implantation-induced granuloma formation by 69.4±6.5 and 70.6±6.6%, respectively. These levels of inhibition are higher than those exhibited by naproxen at doses of 50 mg/kg (46.1±7.1%). Both extracts showed activity on adjuvantinduced arthritis in rats, with the best effect being observed after 96 h (82.2±4.6 and 80.6±7.3%, respectively)

On competitive bidding: scoring and position probability graphs

Iso-score curves graph (iSCG) and mathematical relationships between Scoring Parameters (SP) and Forecasting Parameters (FP) can be used in Economic Scoring Formulas (ESF) used in tendering to distribute the score among bidders in the economic part of a proposal. Each contracting authority must set an ESF when publishing tender specifications and the strategy of each bidder will differ depending on the ESF selected and the weight of the overall proposal scoring. The various mathematical relationships and density distributions that describe the main SPs and FPs, and the representation of tendering data by means of iSCGs, enable the generation of two new types of graphs that can be very useful for bidders who want to be more competitive: the scoring and position probability graphs

Design and methodology of the screening for CKD among older patients across Europe (SCOPE) study: a multicenter cohort observational study

Background: Decline of renal function is common in older persons and the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is rising with ageing. CKD affects different outcomes relevant to older persons, additionally to morbidity and mortality which makes CKD a relevant health burden in this population. Still, accurate laboratory measurement of kidney function is under debate, since current creatinine-based equations have a certain degree of inaccuracy when used in the older population. The aims of the study are as follows: to assess kidney function in a cohort of 75+ older persons using existing methodologies for CKD screening; to investigate existing and innovative biomarkers of CKD in this cohort, and to align laboratory and biomarker results with medical and functional data obtained from this cohort. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT02691546, February 25th 2016. Methods/design: An observational, multinational, multicenter, prospective cohort study in community dwelling persons aged 75 years and over, visiting the outpatient clinics of participating institutions. The study will enroll 2450 participants and is carried out in Austria, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. Participants will undergo clinical and laboratory evaluations at baseline and after 12 and 24 months-follow-up. Clinical evaluation also includes a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). Local laboratory will be used for 'basic' parameters (including serum creatinine and albumin-to-creatinine ratio), whereas biomarker assessment will be conducted centrally. An intermediate telephone follow-up will be carried out at 6 and 18 months. Discussion: Combining the use of CGA and the investigation of novel and existing independent biomarkers within the SCOPE study will help to provide evidence in the development of European guidelines and recommendations in the screening and management of CKD in older people

Effects of Replacing Dry-rolled Corn with Increasing Levels of Corn Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles on Characteristics of Digestion, Microbial Protein Synthesis and Digestible Energy of Diet in Hair Lambs Fed High-concentrate Diets.

Four male lambs (Katahdin; average live weight 25.9±2.9 kg) with "T" type cannulas in the rumen and proximal duodenum were used in a 4×4 Latin square experiment to evaluate the influence of supplemental dry distillers grain with solubles (DDGS) levels (0, 10, 20 and 30%, dry matter basis) in substitution for dry-rolled (DR) corn on characteristics of digestive function and digestible energy (DE) of diet. Treatments did not influence ruminal pH. Substitution of DR corn with DDGS increased ruminal neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestion (quadratic effect, p<0.01), but decreased ruminal organic matter (OM) digestion (linear effect, p<0.01). Replacing corn with DDGS increased (linear, p≤0.02) duodenal flow of lipids, NDF and feed N. But there were no treatment effects on flow to the small intestine of microbial nitrogen (MN) or microbial N efficiency. The estimated UIP value of DDGS was 44%. Postruminal digestion of OM, starch, lipids and nitrogen (N) were not affected by treatments. Total tract digestion of N increased (linear, p = 0.04) as the DDGS level increased, but DDGS substitution tended to decrease total tract digestion of OM (p = 0.06) and digestion of gross energy (p = 0.08). However, it did not affect the dietary digestible energy (DE, MJ/kg), reflecting the greater gross energy content of DDGS versus DR corn in the replacements. The comparative DE value of DDGS may be considered similar to the DE value of the DR corn it replaced up to 30% in the finishing diets fed to lambs

Antioksidativna aktivnost ferementiranih i nefermentiranih esktrakata iz otpada nastalog pri proizvodnji kave

Coffee pulp contains natural antioxidants like hydroxycinnamic acids, most of which are covalently linked to the cell wall. These compounds can be released by fermentation or enzymatic processes. In this study, the antioxidant properties of fermented and nonfermented coffee pulp have been evaluated. Coffee pulp was fermented by solid-state fermentation using the fungus Aspergillus tamarii. Fermented and nonfermented samples of coffee pulp were extracted with aqueous methanol followed by alkaline hydrolysis. In both cases, the total polyphenol concentration was quantified by Folin-Ciocalteu method, then hydroxycinnamic acids were concentrated using ethyl acetate and quantified by HPLC. The antioxidant properties of samples were determined by radical monocation of 2,2’-azinobis-( 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) [ABTS]·+: the antioxidant activity was determined by kinetic parameters known as ED50, tED50 and antiradical efficiency (AE). Fermented extracts containing free hydroxycinnamic acids showed better antiradical activity against [ABTS]·+ than the other nonfermented ones. There were no significant differences in the total content of polyphenols in fermented and nonfermented coffee pulp, but the content of total hydroxycinnamic acids was higher in the nonfermented coffee pulp extracts (47.1 g/kg) than in the fermented coffee pulp (30.9 g/kg). Nevertheless, the fermentation process increased the fraction of free hydroxycinnamic acids (47 %) and consequently decreased those covalently linked to the cell wall. The results of the antioxidant activity assays could be explained by the presence of free hydroxycinnamic acids. Fermented coffee pulp assays showed that free hydroxycinnamic acids were metabolised by A. tamarii. This study shows the potential of using coffee pulp as a natural source of antioxidants.Otpad nastao pri proizvodnji kave sadržava prirodne antioksidanse, kao što su hidroksicinamične kiseline, od kojih je većina kovalentno vezana za staničnu stijenku. Takvi se spojevi mogu osloboditi fermentacijom ili pomoću enzima. U ovom su radu istražena antioksidativna svojstva fermentiranih i nefermentiranih esktrakata, pri čemu je fermentacija provedena s pomoću plijesni Aspergillus tamarii na čvrstoj podlozi od otpada nastalog pri proizvodnji kave. Fermentirani i nefermentirani spojevi esktrahirani su vodenom otopinom metanola, nakon čega je provedena njihova alkalna hidroliza. U oba je slučaja koncentracija ukupnih polifenola određena Folin-Ciocalteu metodom, a zatim su hidroksicinamične kiseline koncentrirane pomoću etil acetata i analizirane HPLC-om. Antioksidativna su svojstva uzoraka, tj. vrijednosti ED50 i tED50 te antiradikalni učinak, određena pomoću radikala 2,2\u27-azinobis(3-etilbenzotiazolin-6-sulfonske kiseline) [ABTS].+. Fermentirani su ekstrakti sadržavali slobodne hidroksicinamične kiseline i imali su bolju antioksidativnu aktivnost s obzirom na [ABTS].+ od nefermentiranih ekstrakata. Nije bilo bitne razlike u koncentracijama ukupnih polifenola u fermentiranim i nefermentiranim ekstraktima, ali je udio hidroksicinamičnih kiselina bio veći u nefermentiranim (47,1 g/kg) nego u fermentiranim ekstraktima (30,9 g/kg). Fermentacija je povećala udjel slobodnih (na 47 %), a smanjila udjel vezanih hidroksicinamičnih kiselina. Zaključeno je da je antioksidativna aktivnost ekstrakata ovisila o udjelu slobodnih hidroksicinamičnih kiselina, koji se povećao nakon fermentacije otpada nastalog pri proizvodnji kave s pomoću A. tamarii. Time je potvrđeno da se postupak može primijeniti za ekstrakciju prirodnih antioksidanasa

Absorption and cutaneous deposition of yellow pigment in male and female broilers in response to different levels of xanthophylls from Tagetes erecta

To determine the saturation point of absorption and cutaneous deposition of yellow xanthophylls (XA) in broilers, two hundred and sixteen Ross 308 chickens (108 males and 108 females) were sorted by sex and randomly assigned to 6 dietary treatments containing 6 replications of 6 birds each. Treatments consisted of increasing levels of xanthophylls from Aztec marigold flower (Tagetes erecta) (65, 92, 119, 146, 173, and 200 ppm). Weight gain, feed consumption, and feed conversion were measuredweekly. Plasma pigment levels and skin yellowness in live birds were measured twice per week. Growth performance was analysed through ANOVA for a 6X2 factorial arrangement, where the first factor was the XA adding at six levels, and the second factor was sex at two levels. Pigment plasma concentration and skin yellowness were fitted into a multiple linear regression model. Results indicated that the highest levels of plasma xanthophylls and skin yellowness were found after 28 d of feeding. Skin yellowness increased by 2.24 b* for every d of xanthophylls consumption. In the females, skin yellowness was 1.35 b* higher than in the males. Increasing dietary xanthophylls by 10 ppm was reflected in 0.83 b* of increase in skin yellowness

LICENCIATURA EN ARQUEOLOGÍA. PROYECTO CURRICULAR

PROYECTO CURRICULAR DE LA LICENCIATURA EN ARQUEOLOGÍA REESTRUCTURADO EN 2016

Biogenic Amines in Plant-Origin Foods: Are they Frequently Underestimated in Low-Histamine Diets?

Abstract: Low-histamine diets are currently used to reduce symptoms of histamine intolerance, a disorder in histamine homeostasis that increases plasma levels, mainly due to reduced diamine-oxidase (DAO) activity. These diets exclude foods, many of them of plant origin, which patients associate with the onset of the symptomatology. This study aimed to review the existing data on histamine and other biogenic amine contents in nonfermented plant-origin foods, as well as on their origin and evolution during the storage or culinary process. The only plant-origin products with significant levels of histamine were eggplant, spinach, tomato, and avocado, each showing a great variability in content. Putrescine has been found in practically all plant-origin foods, probably due to its physiological origin. The high contents of putrescine in certain products could also be related to the triggering of the symptomatology by enzymatic competition with histamine. Additionally, high spermidine contents found in some foods should also be taken into account in these diets, because it can also be metabolized by DAO, albeit with a lower affinity. It is recommended to consume plant-origin foods that are boiled or are of maximum freshness to reduce biogenic amine intake

Electrochemical behaviour of gamma hydroxybutyric acid at a platinum electrode in acidic medium

The electrooxidation of Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB) on a polycrystalline platinum electrode is studied by cyclic voltammetry in acidic medium. Two oxidation peaks, A and B, are obtained in the positive scan within the potential range of the double layer region and of the platinum oxide region, respectively. In the negative going potential sweep an inverted oxidation peak with an onset partially overlapping with the tail of the cathodic peak for the reduction of the platinum oxide formed during the anodic scan is obtained (peak C). This inverted peak can be observed at a potential close to +0.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl at pH 2) and separated 0.4 and 0.8 V from the two other oxidation peaks obtained during the anodic scan and in such conditions that the surface is particularly activated to favour this electrochemical process. The response obtained in the electronic current for the different peaks when GHB concentration and scan rate were changed to allows inferring that these are the result of a potential dependent mechanism. The behaviour observed is according with the oxidation of the alcohol group to the corresponding aldehyde and carboxylic acid (succinic acid) as main products