Self-purification of marine environments for heavy metals: a study on removal of lead(II) and copper(II) by cuttlebone

The aim of this study was to determine adsorption properties of cuttlebone, cuttlefish bone as dead biomass, for lead(II) and copper(II) from aqueous solutions. Adsorption kinetic, isotherm and effect of pH (in the range of 2.0–7.0) were investigated in a single component batch system at room temperature (25±1 WC). The heavy metal adsorption by cuttlebone was relatively rapid and reached to equilibrium in 120 min in all the cases. The pseudo-second order rate equation described the adsorption kinetic of both the ions. The adsorption capacities of Pb2þ and Cu2þ were constantly increased by pH and the optimum condition of pH was determined to be 7.0. The Freundlich model was better fitted than other models with the isotherm data indicating sorption of the metal ions in a heterogeneous surface. According to the Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacities (qm) of cuttlebone for Pb2þ and Cu2þ were determined to be 45.9 and 39.9 mg/g, respectively. The results indicated cuttlebone as a promising adsorbent for Pb2þ and Cu2þ that presents a high capacity of self-purification in marine environments as well as can be used for removal of the metal ions from water and wastewater

Quality assessment of flax advanced breeding lines varying in seed coat color and their potential use in the food and industrial applications

Abstract Background With the increasing consumer awareness of the strong relationship between food and health, flax became a promising functional food due to its bioactive nutraceutical composition. Intra-specific crosses of eight contrasting flax genotypes were performed previously, and within segregating F6 progeny families, we investigated a close-up composition of phytochemicals derived from whole seeds. Results The considerable genetic variation among the flax F6 families suggested that intra-specific hybridization is essential in flax breeding to obtain and broaden genetic variability and largely affirmed the opportunity for selecting promising lines. Also, significant variations in the targeted metabolite contents and antioxidant properties were observed among brown and yellow-seeded families. Notably, brown-seeded families expressed the highest average values of saturated fatty acids, protein, fiber, tocopherol, phenolics, SDG, and SECO lignans. Yellow-seeded families represented the highest average content of unsaturated fatty acids and mucilage. The cultivation year significantly affects flaxseed’s composition and functional properties, presumably due to temperature, humidity, and sunshine time differences. Interestingly, the seeds obtained in warmer conditions were more potent and had more chemical constituents. The favorable genetic correlations among all evaluated traits suggest the possibility of joint genetic selection for several nutritional and phytochemical characteristics in flax. The current study highlights the importance and utilization of 19 top families as their seeds and oil play imperative roles in the pharmaceuticals and food industries. The antioxidant capacity of the seeds showed that families 84B, 23B, 35Y, 95Y, 30B, 88B, and 78B serve as a natural source of dietary antioxidants beneficial to human health. To increase the oxidative stability of the flaxseed oil, the quality evaluation identified some families with low levels of linolenic acid. Conclusions These findings are essential to improving flaxseed’s nutritional quality and therapeutic properties through a bulk breeding program

Global longitudinal strain for detection of cardiac iron overload in patients with thalassemia: a meta-analysis of observational studies with individual-level participant data

Background: Although cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the most reliable tool for assessment of CIO in patients with thalassemia, it is not always readily available. Recent studies have explored the potential of GLS as an alternative for diagnosis of CIO. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of global longitudinal strain (GLS) for detection of cardiac iron level (CIO). Methods: We searched SCOPUS, MEDLINE, and Embase to identify the studies which used GLS for assessment of CIO. We searched for individual participant data (IPD) in eligible studies to perform ROC curve analysis. CMR with a T2* cut-off value of 20 ms was considered as the gold standard. A meta-analysis was performed and the risk of bias was assessed using the JBI Checklist. Results: A total of 14 studies with 789 thalassemia patients (310 and 430 with and without CIO respectively and 49 with undetermined condition) were considered eligible for meta-analysis. IPDs of 405 participants were available. GLS was significantly lower in patients with CIO (-17.5 ± 2.7%) compared to those without CIO (-19.9 ± 2.3%; WMD = 1.6%, 95% CI = [0.76-2.4], p = 0.001, I2 = 77.1%) and to normal population (-20.61 ± 2.26%; WMD = 2.2%, 95% CI = [0.91-3.5], p = 0.001, I2 = 83.9%). A GLS < -19.5% could predict CIO with 92.8% sensitivity and 34.63% specificity (AUC = 0.659, 95% CI = [0.6-0.72], p-value < 0.0001). A GLS value < -6% has 100% positive predictive and ≥ -24.5% has 100% negative predictive values for detection of CIO. Conclusions: According to our study, GLS is a strong predictor of CIO and when CMR is not available, it may be a useful screening method for identification of CIO in thalassemia patients