Fatty acid composition and antioxidant capacity of cypselas in Centaurea s.l. taxa (Asteraceae, Cardueae) from NE Anatolia

Fatty acid composition, antioxidant capacity of phenolics and oil in cypselas of 10 Centaurea and two related taxa collected from various natural habitats in Turkey were investigated. Total oil (1.88–19.13%) and concentration of the major fatty acids which are palmitic acid: C16:0 (5.22–12.06%), oleic acid: C18:1n9 (8.57–30.29%) and linoleic acid: C18:2n6 (49.15–79.15%) varied significantly (P < 0.05) among the taxa. Polyunsaturated (PUFA, 49.15–79.15%), saturated (SFA, 7.24–19.06%) and monounsaturated (MUFA, 9.02–31.52%) fatty acids also differed significantly (P < 0.05). Concentrations (mg/100 g dw) of total phenolic compounds (TPC; 761.25–352.71 and total flavonoids (TF; 291.90–117.74) were strongly associated and correlated with antioxidant capacity (µmol/g dw) tested by using DPPH (55.52–144.61), FRAP (27.44–86.32) and CUPRAC (27.02–94.38). A higher content of TPC or TF reflected a higher antioxidant capacity, and a reduction in TPC indicated low antioxidant capacity. Relative proportions and quantities of fatty acids can be used as additional biochemical markers in the taxonomy of Centaurea. The current study also revealed that the consumption of these species that is rich in total phenolics and antioxidants would have several beneficial effects in terms of prevention of diseases caused by oxidative stress. © 2017 SAA

Immunohistochemical localization of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-r) and transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α) in developing human ovarian follicles

In this study, we aimed to detect the distribution of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-r) and transforming growth factor alpha in ovarian follicles at different stages. Indirect immunohistochemical methods and EGF-r polyclonal and TGF-α monoclonal antibodies were used; tissues were examined with light microscope. While dense collection of both growth factors were observed in primordial follicles, there was a strong reaction especially for EGF-r in follicles. Strong reactivity for EGF-r and moderate reactivity for TGF- α were observed in the nearby connective tissue. In examinations of primary follicles for EGF-r presence only, dye uptake was moderate in oocytes and dense in apical and basal cytoplasm of follicle cells. Reactivity was moderate in the nearby connective tissue. In the corpus luteum, there was weak reaction for both growth factors. But in stromal cells, reaction was strong. In degenerated follicle cells and in stroma of atretic follicles, reaction was positive for both growth factors; but EGF-r reactivity was more obvious. While strong staining was observed for both factors especially in granulosa cells surrounding the oocyte in Graafian follicle, moderate TGF-a reactivity was determined in oocyte cytoplasm. In conclusion, it is possible that EGF-r and TGF- α have ortocrine and paracrine effects on development and regression of human ovarian follicles

Immunohistochemical localization of β1 and β4 integrins in mouse endometrium during implantation and early pregnancy

Implantation presents the remarkable synchronisation between the development of embryo and differentiation of endometrium. Cell-cell adhesion is an important phenomenon taking place during blastocyst implantation in uterine membrane. We think that the investigation of existence and the level of integrins in women can be a guide for treatment of infertility. Our purpose in this study was to show expression β1 and β4 integrins on gestational days 4, 6, 12 by immunohistochemical methods and to investigate whether β4 integrin is a useful marker for receptivity. β1 and β4 integrin were exhibited on surface epithelium on gestational day 4. On the other hand, strong β4 immunoreactivity was detected on surface epithelium and glandular cells on gestational day 12 but no β1 reactivity was present in the surface epithelium and glandular cells on day 12. In conclusion, both β1 and β4 integrins may have a role in implantation process because positive immunoreactivity was seen on apical membrane of surface epithelium on day 4 when implantation occurred. The localization to apical pole of surface epithelium suggest a role for β1, β4 integrins in initial embryo and endometrium interaction. It does not seem that β1 integrin has a role supporting pregnancy since expression of β4 on surface epithelium and glandular epithelium disappeared on day 12. β4 integrin expression increasing on day 12 of pregnancy leads us to think a possible functional role supporting pregnancy

Microbiota alteration and modulation in Alzheimer's disease by gerobiotics: The gut-health axis for a good mind

The role of the gut microbiota in human health is one of the most important research topics. There is a strong relationship between the microbiota-gut-brain axis and cognitive functions. Since Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a disease characterized by cognitive impairment, the influence of the gut microbiota in the development and treatment of the disease attracts considerable attention. Gerobiotics is a new concept that includes probiotics or derived postbiotics involved in delaying the aging process. Increasing evidence in the literature suggests that gerobiotics has important roles in the pathogenesis and progression of AD, and even in its treatment, through various mechanisms of action. Several researchers have established the linkage between ingestion of gerobiotics and improved gut dysbiosis and cognitive functions, nevertheless the dose and duration of treatment differ based on strain. Furthermore, oxidative-inflammatory pathways are mainly involved in the neuroprotective effects caused by gerobiotics. This review provides the effects of gerobiotics on microbiota alteration and modulation in AD

The Effects of Epidermal Growth Factor on Pancreas in Alloxan- Diabetic Rats: An Ultrastructural Study

Abstract: To examine the ultrastructural changes of rat pancreas in alloxan induced diabetes mellitus and the follow-up Epidermal Growth Factor treatment. In this study, we used 30 wistar rats. They were divided into three groups; group I: controls, groupII: alloxan induced diabetes mellitus (single intraperitoneal dose 200mg/kg alloxan), group III: diabetes mellitus + EGFtreatment (0.2 ml EGF injected per day for seven days). At the end of the experimental period, animals were sacrificed and their pancreases were removed. The tissue samples were investigated by using electron microscopy techniques. We observed degenerative changes in the � cells, and acinar cells in group II. In contrast, the � cells and acinar cells have revealed positive alterations in the group III. We found that EGF administration on diabetic rats could reserve some of the degenerative changes caused by diabetes

Simultaneous Flame, Spray, and Flow Imaging in a High Pressure Swirl Combustor

This paper presents measurements of the simultaneous flame position and flow velocity in a high pressure, liquid fueled combustor. Liquid fuels injected in swirling flows are commonly used in gas turbines, but data collection and analysis pose a challenge in the two-phase, reacting flow field, particularly when operating at high pressure. Measurements in a liquid fueled, swirl combustor were performed using simultaneous, high speed stereo-PIV, OH-PLIF and fuel-PLIF. The OH and fuel fluorescence were separated, and regions of liquid fuel, OH and liquid fuel+OH were identified during data reduction. The measurements were taken at elevated pressures to visualize the gaseous and liquid flow field, heat release region and fuel spray distribution. This paper extends work in a prior paper by analyzing the sensitivity of the physical locations of these regimes to the processing approach. Introduction Increased knowledge of the highly dynamic, reacting flow fields encountered in gas turbine combus-tors is important to the understanding of operational limits and emissions, and how improvements in one area affect the other. High speed (kHz), spatially resolved imaging techniques, such as particle image ve-locimetry (PIV) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF), contribute to the understanding of the dynamic combustion environment. The morphology of unsteady , three dimensional swirling flows is better understood thanks to high speed PIV measurements [1], [2], while high speed PLIF measurements, primarily using OH, have enabled understanding of the flame location [3-6]. This paper extends work on this topic described in Chterev et al. [12], and the rest of this section and the following summarize several key points described there. There are a number of challenges associated with simultaneous OH-PLIF and fuel-PLIF measurements in high pressure, liquid-fueled, swirling com-bustors. OH-PLIF measurements suffer from [7-10]: (1) reduction of fluorescence yield due to increased collisional quenching (mitigated somewhat by increase in number density); (2) collisional broadening and overlap of the excitation lines; (3) fluorescence trapping due to increased optical density at high pressures ; (4) laser energy absorption by liquid fuel and higher elevated gas concentrations; (5) interference from liquid fuel and unburnt hydrocarbon fluores-cence resulting from fuel decomposition [11]. Our prior study [12] obtained simultaneous high speed ste-reoscopic PIV (sPIV), OH-PLIF and fuel-PLIF measurements in a high pressure, liquid-fueled, swirling combustor. One of the challenges addressed was the difficulty of distinguishing fuel containing regions from OH containing regions using fluorescence measurements when burning complex fuels. A specialized detection method, utilizing both temporal and spectral filtering techniques, was demonstrated. In addition, a post-processing scheme using intensity histograms was developed to provide final separation of the signals. The objective of this paper is to further consider the sensitivity of the results to the thresholds used in the separation technique