Orientation of cellulose nanocrystals in electrospun polymer fibres (dataset)

Dataset supporting the open access article.Polystyrene and poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibres containing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were successfully produced by electrospinning. Knowledge of the local orientation of CNCs in electrospun fibres is critical to understand and exploit their mechanical properties. The orientation of CNCs in these electrospun fibres was investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. A Raman band located at ~1095 cm−1, associated with the C–O ring stretching of the cellulose backbone, was used to quantify the orientation of the CNCs within the fibres. Raman spectra were fitted using a theoretical model to characterize the extent of orientation. From these data, it is observed that the CNCs have little orientation along the direction parallel to the axis of the fibres. Evidences for both oriented and non-oriented regions of CNCs in the fibres are presented from TEM images of nanofibres. These results contradict previously published work in this area and micromechanical modelling calculations suggest a uniform orientation of CNCs in electrospun polymer fibres. It is demonstrated that this explains why the mechanical properties of electrospun fibre mats containing CNCs are not always the same as that would be expected for a fully oriented system

Analysis of nucleotide diversity of NAT2 coding region reveals homogeneity across Native American populations and high intra-population diversity.

N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2), an important enzyme in clinical pharmacology, metabolizes antibiotics such as isoniazid and sulfamethoxazole, and catalyzes the transformation of aromatic and heterocyclic amines from the environment and diet into carcinogenic intermediates. Polymorphisms in NAT2 account for variability in the acetylator phenotype and the pharmacokinetics of metabolized drugs. Native Americans, settled in rural areas and large cities of Latin America, are under-represented in pharmacogenetics studies; therefore, we sequenced the coding region of NAT2 in 456 chromosomes from 13 populations from the Americas, and two from Siberia, detecting nine substitutions and 11 haplotypes. Variants *4 (37%), *5B (23%) and *7B (24%) showed high frequencies. Average frequencies of fast, intermediate and slow acetylators across Native Americans were 18, 56 and 25%, respectively. NAT2 intra-population genetic diversity for Native Americans is higher than East Asians and similar to the rest of the world, and NAT2 variants are homogeneously distributed across native populations of the continent

Dietary administration of a commercial mixed-species probiotic improves growth performance and modulates the intestinal immunity of tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus.

The growth performance, immunological status, intestinal morphology and microbiology of tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, were investigated after dietary administration of the commercial probiotic AquaStar(®) Growout. Tilapia (29.02 ± 0.33 g) were split into five treatments; control (CON), 1.5 g kg(-1) probiotic (PRO-1.5), 3 g kg(-1) probiotic (PRO-3), pulsed probiotic feeding (PRO-PULSE) or an initial probiotic feed followed by control feeding (PRO-INI). After six weeks of experimental feeding, fish fed PRO-3 displayed significantly higher final weight, weight gain and SGR compared to the CON or PRO-INI treatments. Supplementation of the probiotic at this dose induced an up-regulation of intestinal caspase-3, PCNA and HSP70 mRNA levels compared to the CON fed fish. Immuno-modulatory pathways were also affected; significantly higher expression of TLR2, pro-inflammatory genes TNFα and IL-1β, and anti-inflammatory genes IL-10 and TGFβ suggest that the probiotic may potentiate a higher state of mucosal tolerance and immuno-readiness. Histological appraisal revealed significantly higher numbers of intraepithelial leucocytes in the intestine of PRO-3 fed fish compared with treatments CON, PRO-PULSE and PRO-INI but not PRO-1.5. Additionally, fish receiving PRO-3 had a significantly higher abundance of goblet cells in their mid-intestine when compared with fish from all other treatments. Together, these data suggest that continuous provision of AquaStar(®) Growout at 3 g kg(-1) can improve tilapia growth and elevate the intestinal immunological status of the host

Exploitation promotes earlier sex change in a protandrous patellid limpet, Patella aspera Röding, 1798

Exploitation of organisms can prompt the reduction in the number and size of target populations consequently affecting reproductive output and replenishment. Here, we investigated the effects of exploitation on the population structure of a protandrous patellid limpet, Patella aspera, an overexploited Macaronesian endemic. Timed dives were used to collect animals across eleven islands of Macaronesia. Individuals were inspected for sex, size, and gonad stage. Using catch effort (time per person) per island coastal perimeter as a surrogate for exploitation intensity, we found that limpet abundance (CPUE) and mean size tended to decrease with exploitation intensity. When considering the sex of animals separately, the size of the largest male, but not females, decreased with exploitation. In contrast, the size of the smallest male remained relatively consistent, whereas the size of the smallest female decreased significantly with exploitation. As exploitation is mostly targeting larger individuals, results suggest that males are compensating the removal of larger females, by undergoing sex change at smaller and presumably earlier sizes. These results have wider implications for the conservation of P. aspera, as a reduction in female size will likely affect the numbers of oocytes produced, hence fecundity. Regulations promoting the protection of the larger-sized animals should be enforced to safeguard the replenishment of the population

Pre-screening of filamentous fungi isolated from a contaminated site in Southern Brazil for bioaugmentation purposes

Four Aspergillus sp. strains were isolated from contaminated soil in Rio Grande, Southern Brazil. The biodegradation potential of these strains was evaluated using a simple method involving the determination of colony growth rates on plates containing a specific hydrocarbon or petroleumderivative as the only carbon source. The LEBM1 strain presented a high tolerance level to BTX. It was the only strain capable of growth on all the media, with growth rates varying from 1.3 to 2.2 mm/day. The LEBM2 strain presented the potential for phenol degradation, while the LEBM3 strain could be used for gasoline, diesel oil, hexane and chlorobenzene

Different cell disruption methods for astaxanthin recovery by Phaffia rhodozyma

Astaxanthin (3,3'-dihydroxy-b,b'-carotene-4,4'-dione) is carotenoid of high market value whose demand has increased in such fields as aquaculture, pharmaceutical supplements and natural coloring. Cell disruption is the first step for isolating intracellular materials and it depends on the cell wall permeability. In order to maximize the  recovery of astaxanthin from Phaffia rhodozyma NRRL-Y17268, drying and freeze pretreatments were tested by different cell disruption methods: abrasion with celite, glass pearls in vortex agitator, ultrasonic waves, sodium  carbonate (Na2CO3) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The method with Na2CO3 was not effective; meanwhile, the agitator with glass pearls, the abrasion with celite and the ultrasonic waves were found as promising for future  studies. As a result, the DMSO in freeze-dried biomass with 4 process cycles and biomass/DMSO relation of 0.025 g/ml was found to be the most efficient for analytical determination, increasing about up to 25 times the astaxanthin recovery.Key words: Carotenoids, yeast, chemical disruption, dimethyl sulfoxide

Evaluation of orthotic insoles for people with diabetes who are at-risk of first ulceration

Objective This study focussed on pressure relieving orthotic insoles designed for retail footwear and people with diabetes and at risk of first forefoot ulceration. The aim was to investigate whether the pressure relieving effects of a customised metatarsal bar and forefoot cushioning are sensitive to bar location and shape, and material choice. Research Design and Methods Patient-specific foot shape was used to design an orthotic insole, with metatarsal bar location and shape customised according to plantar pressure data. Changes in forefoot plantar pressure were investigated when 60 people with diabetes and neuropathy walked in nine variants of the orthotic insole. These comprised three variations in proximal/distal location of the customised metatarsal bar and three different metatarsal head offloading materials. Results and Conclusions The most frequent reductions in pressure occurred when the anterior edge of the metatarsal bar was placed at 77% of the peak pressure values, and its effects were independent of the choice of EVA or Poron offloading material. In the flat insole, 61% of participants had one or more metatarsal head areas with pressure above the 200 KPa, reducing to 58% when adopting generic orthotic design rules and 51% when using the best orthotic insole of the nine tested. Our results confirm that plantar pressure relief is sensitive to orthotic insole design decisions 39 and individual patient feet. Key words: Diabetic foot, ulcer, orthotic, CAD/CAM, preventio

Treatment of symptomatic macromastia in a breast unit

BACKGROUND: Patients suffering from symptomatic macromastia are usually underserved, as they have to put up with very long waiting lists and are usually selected under restrictive criteria. The Oncoplastic Breast Surgery subspeciality requires a cross-specialty training, which is difficult, in particular, for trainees who have a background in general surgery, and not easily available. The introduction of reduction mammaplasty into a Breast Cancer Unit as treatment for symptomatic macromastia could have a synergic effect, making the scarce therapeutic offer at present available to these patients, who are usually treated in Plastic Departments, somewhat larger, and accelerating the uptake of oncoplastic training as a whole and, specifically, the oncoplastic breast conserving procedures based on the reduction mammaplasty techniques such as displacement conservative techniques and onco-therapeutic mammaplasty. This is a retrospective study analyzing the outcome of reduction mammaplasty for symptomatic macromastia in our Breast Cancer Unit. METHODS: A cohort study of 56 patients who underwent bilateral reduction mammaplasty at our Breast Unit between 2005 and 2009 were evaluated; morbidity and patient satisfaction were considered as end points. Data were collected by reviewing medical records and interviewing patients. RESULTS: Eight patients (14.28%) presented complications in the early postoperative period, two of them being reoperated on. The physical symptoms disappeared or significantly improved in 88% of patients and the degree of satisfaction with the care process and with the overall outcome were really high. CONCLUSION: Our experience of the introduction of reduction mammaplasty in our Breast Cancer Unit has given good results, enabling us to learn the use of different reduction mammaplasty techniques using several pedicles which made it possible to perform oncoplastic breast conserving surgery. In our opinion, this management policy could bring clear advantages both to patients (large-breasted and those with a breast cancer) and surgeons