Comparison of physical, microstructural, antioxidant and enzymatic properties of pineapple cubes treated with conventional heating, ohmic heating and high-pressure processing

Pineapple cubes in sugar syrup were treated with high-pressure processing (HPP), conventional (DIM) heating and ohmic heating (OHM). Samples were compared in terms of microstructural, physical (total soluble solids, sieve analysis, texture and colour) and residual pectin methylesterase activity (PME) and total antioxidant capacity. OHM yielded relevant changes in cellular microstructure and electroporation of the cell wall. The HPP treatment favoured the presence of soluble solids in the syrup, and the samples were less damaged in terms of shape and microstructure. in the samples were harder following HPP than they were with OHM and DIM, while HPP showed the highest colorimetric (ΔE) differences compared with RAW samples. The PME residual activity was the lowest in pineapple treated by DIM, while the antioxidant capacity was comparable among treated samples

Tisochrysis lutea F&M-M36 Mitigates Risk Factors of Metabolic Syndrome and Promotes Visceral Fat Browning through β3-Adrenergic Receptor/UCP1 Signaling

Pre-metabolic syndrome (pre-MetS) may represent the best transition phase to start treatments aimed at reducing cardiometabolic risk factors of MetS. In this study, we investigated the effects of the marine microalga Tisochrysis lutea F&M-M36 (T. lutea) on cardiometabolic components of pre-MetS and its underlying mechanisms. Rats were fed a standard (5% fat) or a high-fat diet (20% fat) supplemented or not with 5% of T. lutea or fenofibrate (100 mg/Kg) for 3 months. Like fenofibrate, T. lutea decreased blood triglycerides (p < 0.01) and glucose levels (p < 0.01), increased fecal lipid excretion (p < 0.05) and adiponectin (p < 0.001) without affecting weight gain. Unlike fenofibrate, T. lutea did not increase liver weight and steatosis, reduced renal fat (p < 0.05), diastolic (p < 0.05) and mean arterial pressure (p < 0.05). In visceral adipose tissue (VAT), T. lutea, but not fenofibrate, increased the β3-adrenergic receptor (β3ADR) (p < 0.05) and Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1) (p < 0.001) while both induced glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP1R) protein expression (p < 0.001) and decreased interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β gene expression (p < 0.05). Pathway analysis on VAT whole-gene expression profiles showed that T. lutea up-regulated energy-metabolism-related genes and down-regulated inflammatory and autophagy pathways. The multitarget activity of T. lutea suggests that this microalga could be useful in mitigating risk factors of MetS

Enhanced Three-Body Decay of the Charged Higgs Boson

If the charged Higgs boson H+ exists with mh < mt + mb, the conventional expectation is that it will decay dominantly into c s-bar and tau+ nu-tau. However, the three-body decay mode H+ --> W+ b b-bar is also present and we show that it becomes very important in the low tan(beta) region for mh >~ 140 GeV. We explore its phenomenological implications for the charged-Higgs-boson search in top-quark decay.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, revtex and epsf require

A regional audit system for stillbirth: A way to better understand the phenomenon

Background: Implementation of high-quality national audits for perinatal mortality are needed to improve the registration of all perinatal deaths and the identification of the causes of death. This study aims to evaluate the implementation of a Regional Audit System for Stillbirth in Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy. Methods: For each stillbirth ( 65 22 weeks of gestation, 65 500 g) occurred between January 1, 2014 to December 1, 2016 (n = 332), the same diagnostic workup was performed and a clinical record with data about mother and stillborn was completed. Every case was discussed in a multidisciplinary local audit to assess both the cause of death (ReCoDe classification) and the quality of care. Data were reviewed by the Regional Audit Group. Stillbirth rates, causes of death and the quality of care were established for each case. Results: Total stillbirth rate was 3.09 per 1000 births (332/107,528). Late stillbirth rate was 2.3 per 1000 (251/107,087). Sixteen stillbirths were not registered by the Regional Birth Register. The most prevalent cause of death was placental disorder (33.3%), followed by fetal (17.6%), cord (14.2%) and maternal disorders (7.6%). Unexplained cases were 14%. Compared to local audits, the regional group attributed different causes of death in 17% of cases. At multivariate analysis, infections were associated with early stillbirths (OR 3.38, CI95% 1.62-7.03) and intrapartum cases (OR 6.64, CI95% 2.61-17.02). Placental disorders were related to growth restriction (OR 1.89, CI95% 1.06-3.36) and were more frequent before term (OR 1.86, CI95% 1.11-3.15). Stillbirths judged possibly/probably preventable with a different management (10.9%) occurred more frequently in non-Italian women and were mainly related to maternal disorders (OR 6.64, CI95% 2.61-17.02). Conclusions: Regional Audit System for Stillbirth improves the registration of stillbirth and allows to define the causes of death. Moreover, sub-optimal care was recognized, allowing to identify populations which could benefit from preventive measures

Testing the Waste Based Biorefinery Concept: Pilot Scale Cultivation of Microalgal Species on Spent Anaerobic Digestate Fluids

PurposeA waste based biorefinery approach has been tested.MethodsThis has been investigated by culturing in a 800 L photobioreactor two autotrophic microalgae namely Nannochloropsis oceanica and Scenedesmus quadricauda utilising filtered spent anaerobic digestate fluids of N:P ratio 14.22 as substrate.ResultsSignificant rates of bioremediation simultaneously with biomass and associated end product formation were achieved. Nitrogen and phosphorus of waste based media was decreased up to 90%. The biomass biochemical analysis of the microalgae when grown on the waste based formulated media demonstrated the comparable content of lipids and proteins with the species grown on f/2 media.ConclusionsTheoretical biomethane potential generation, should the algal cultures be placed in an anaerobic digester, was calculated at 0.58 L CH4 g−1 VS for N. oceanica and 0.48 L CH4 g−1 VS for S. quadricauda showing comparable results with other studies of different source of biomass