Assessment of variability sources in grape ripening parameters by using FTIR and multivariate modelling

The variability in grape ripening is associated with the fact that each grape berry undergoes its own biochemical processes. Traditional viticulture manages this by averaging the physicochemical values of hundreds of grapes to make decisions. However, to obtain accurate results it is necessary to evaluate the different sources of variability, so exhaustive sampling is essential. In this article, the factors “grape maturity over time” and “position of the grape” (both in the grapevine and in the bunch/cluster) were considered and studied by analyzing the grapes with a portable ATR-FTIR instrument and evaluating the spectra obtained with ANOVA–simultaneous component analysis (ASCA). Ripeness over time was the main factor affecting the characteristics of the grapes. Position in the vine and in the bunch (in that order) were also significantly important, and their effect on the grapes evolves over time. In addition, it was also possible to predict basic oenological parameters (TSS and pH with errors of 0.3 °Brix and 0.7, respectively). Finally, a quality control chart was built based on the spectra obtained in the optimal state of ripening, which could be used to decide which grapes are suitable for harvest

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

MIBiG 3.0: a community-driven effort to annotate experimentally validated biosynthetic gene clusters

Microbial Biotechnolog

ATR-MIR spectroscopy as a process analytical technology in wine alcoholic fermentation \u2013 A tutorial

The goal of this article is to guide the reader through the critical points to be faced when monitoring a fermentation following a Process Analytical Technology (PAT) approach. To achieve this purpose Attenuated Total Reflectance \u2013 Mid-Infrared (ATR-MIR) spectroscopy coupled to chemometric techniques are proposed. Each of the crucial steps (set up of microvinifications, sampling, spectroscopic analysis and chemometric data treatment) is deeply investigated, revealing how the sampling is decisive for the subsequent modeling phase, suggesting how to set parameters to obtain good quality signals, and explaining how to prepare the data for the chemometric modeling and to perform the calculations. The modeling strategies here presented, based mainly on basic chemometric tools such as principal component analysis and partial least square regression, proved to be effective to the purposes and affordable even for non-expert chemometric users. The article shows, using real examples, how to obtain or predict several parameters from a fermentation data set \u2013 control of the fermentation evolution, prediction of oenological parameters during the alcoholic fermentation and detection of deviations from the normal operation condition

ATR-MIR spectroscopy and multivariate analysis in alcoholic fermentation monitoring and lactic acid bacteria spoilage detection

Wine production processes still rely on post-production evaluation and off-site laboratory analyses to ensure the quality of the final product. Here we propose an at-line methodology that combines a portable ATR-MIR spectrometer and multivariate analysis to control the alcoholic fermentation process and to detect wine fermentation problems. In total, 36 microvinifications were conducted, 14 in normal fermentation conditions (NFC) and 22 intentionally contaminated fermentations (ICF) with different lactic acid bacteria (LAB) concentrations. ATR-MIR measurements were collected during alcoholic and malolactic fermentations and relative density, pH, and L-malic acid were analyzed by traditional methods. Partial Least Squares Regression could suitably predict density and pH in fermenting samples (root mean squared errors of prediction of 0.0014 g mL 121 and 0.06 respectively). With regard to ICF, LAB contamination was detected by multivariate discriminant analysis when the difference in L-malic acid concentration between NFC and ICF was in the order of 0.7\u20130.8 g L 121, before the end of malolactic fermentation. This methodology shows great potential as a fast and simple at-line analysis tool for detecting fermentation problems at an early stage

Monitoring wine fermentation deviations using an ATR-MIR spectrometer and MSPC charts

Despite the winemaker's efforts, deviations such as bacterial spoilage can occur during wine alcoholic fermentation resulting in economic losses and low quality wines. When a deviation is suspected, samples are usually sent to an oenological laboratory for the off-line analysis of specific quality control parameters. The use of ATR-MIR as a fast analytical tool to monitor the fermentation process could be very useful, as getting real-time information of the process allows making readjustments before the process ends. In this study, we aimed at detecting white wine spoilage during alcoholic fermentation due to the action of lactic bacteria using a portable ATR-MIR instrument and MSPC charts. A total of 33 small-scale alcoholic fermentations were conducted (25 in normal operation conditions (NOC) and 8 simulating a bacterial spoilage with the addition of lactic bacteria (MLF)) to evaluate the capability of the MSPC charts to detect deviations from NOC. MSPC control charts were developed based on Q residuals and Hotelling's T2 statistics. Time-wise unfolding was applied to the original three-way data to build different PCA models, obtaining very satisfactory results: MLF samples were detected before the end of alcoholic fermentation in the Q residuals charts after 80 hours and Hotelling T2 chart could also differentiate the samples after 100 hours

Prion protein NMR structures of cats, dogs, pigs, and sheep

The NMR structures of the recombinant cellular form of the prion proteins (PrP(C)) of the cat (Felis catus), dog (Canis familiaris), and pig (Sus scrofa), and of two polymorphic forms of the prion protein from sheep (Ovis aries) are presented. In all of these species, PrP(C) consists of an N-terminal flexibly extended tail with ≈100 amino acid residues and a C-terminal globular domain of ≈100 residues with three α-helices and a short antiparallel β-sheet. Although this global architecture coincides with the previously reported murine, Syrian hamster, bovine, and human PrP(C) structures, there are local differences between the globular domains of the different species. Because the five newly determined PrP(C) structures originate from species with widely different transmissible spongiform encephalopathy records, the present data indicate previously uncharacterized possible correlations between local features in PrP(C) three-dimensional structures and susceptibility of different mammalian species to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies