Contents of tocols in different types of dry shell fruits

ArticleThe aim of this study was to identify all forms of vitamin E in different kinds of dry shell fruits (generally called ‘ nuts ’ ) obtained from different sources and to perform their mutual comparison . All tocols were determined by reversed phase HPLC using is ocratic elution with fluorescence detection. Almonds were evaluated as the most important source of α - tocopherol (average value 1 , 132 mg kg - 1 ), β - tocopherol was present in all samples as a minor component, its maximum content was found in hazelnuts (9.6 mg kg - 1 ). γ - T ocopherol was found in all kinds of nuts and the highest content was found in pistachios (584 mg kg - 1 ), very high amount of δ - tocopherol was contained in Brazil nuts (2 , 29 8 mg kg - 1 ). Tocotrienols were found in a smaller number of nut kinds than tocopherols. α - Tocotrienol was found only in three kinds of nuts - Brazil nuts, which contained the highest amount (399 mg kg - 1 ), pine nuts and hazelnuts grown in the Czech Republic, which were analyzed soon after harvest. Similarly, γ - tocotrienol w as det ermined only in four kinds of nuts (pistachios, macadamias, cashew and walnuts grown in the Czech Republic ) , which were analyzed soon after harvest ; t he most significant amount was found in pistachios (34.8 mg kg - 1 ) , β - and γ - tocotrienols were below the detection limit . In the Czech Republic, walnuts and hazelnuts are the most widely cultivated and consumed nuts. While in walnuts the most important form is γ - tocopherol (459 ± 40 mg kg - 1 ), in hazelnuts it is α - tocopherol ( 863 ± 10 mg kg - 1 )

A study of dynamics of bitter acids and xanthohumol in hop pellets during storage

ArticleEight varieties of hop pellets were analyzed for the contents of α - acids, ß - acids and xanthohumol according to the EBC 7.7 analytical method. The pellets were extracted with acidified mixture methanol - diethylether and analyzed using HPLC with a diode - array detector and a Nova - Pak column C 18 . Four series of analyses were performed: immediately after the unpacking of the pellets and then after five, seven and nine months of storage at 4 °C. According to the first ser i es of analyses, the contents were assayed as following (α - acids, ß - acids, xanthohumol resp., all in weight % in pellets): Galaxy (13.4, 8.0, 0.74), Citra (11.1, 3.0, 0.48), Tradition (8.2, 8.0, 0.58), Cascade (4.5, 5.2, 0.25), Northern Brewer (4.0, 2.9, 0. 37), Sládek (3.5, 4.0, 0.48), Saaz (2.0, 3.4, 0.24), and Triskel (1.7, 3.6, 0.18). According to these results, variety Galaxy was found as the richest in all three parameters. After nine months of storage at 4 °C, the weight loss of α - acids ranged from 4.1 % (Citra and Triskel) to 66.4% (Galaxy). The losses of β - acids and xanthohumol were less distinctive (from zero to 31.3% and 25.7%, resp.) and indicated good long storage possibilities of these compounds at convenient conditions (darkness, low temperature, elimination of direct influence of oxygen)

Diagnostics of hydraulic fluids used in aviation

ArticleDiagnostics is a maintenance industry that monitors performance, parameters, and follow – up. Diagnosing hydraulic fluids means comparing the parameters of the used hydr aulic fluid sample to the parameters of the clean fluid. It is also essentia l to monitor the limit values either by the aircraft manufacturer or by the manufacturer of the hydraulic fluid. This means that the manufacturer recommends the limitations of the liquid parameters. The measurements of the fluid samples give an overview of the liquid quality. Most businesses focus on so – called proactive maintenance. The main senses and objectives of proactive maintenance are: lubricant sample analysis, lubricant sta tus, machine status, next step recommendation, database saving and trend analysis. This article focuses on the quality of hydraulic fluid focused in aviation. The aim of the article was to determine the properties of the hydraulic fluid used in the A320 ai rcraft family, determine the interval of its exchange. Monitoring the state of the hydraulic fluid could contribute to the timely detection of the problem, thus avoiding a failure of the device or the system as a whole. The tracking proposal is an integral part of this article

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme blockade, alone or combined with blockade of soluble epoxide hydrolase, on the course of congestive heart failure and occurrence of renal dysfunction in Ren-2 transgenic hypertensive rats with aorto-caval fistula.

We showed recently that increasing kidney epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) by blocking soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), an enzyme responsible for EETs degradation, retarded the development of renal dysfunction and progression of aorto-caval fistula(ACF)-induced congestive heart failure (CHF) in Ren-2 transgenic hypertensive rats (TGR). In that study the final survival rate of untreated ACF TGR was only 14 % but increased to 41 % after sEH blockade. Here we examined if sEH inhibition added to renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockade would further enhance protection against ACF-induced CHF in TGR. The treatment regimens were started one week after ACF creation and the follow-up period was 50 weeks. RAS was blocked using angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi, trandolapril, 6 mg/l) and sEH with an sEH inhibitor (sEHi, c-AUCB, 3 mg/l). Renal hemodynamics and excretory function were determined two weeks post-ACF, just before the onset of decompensated phase of CHF. 29 weeks post-ACF no untreated animal survived. ACEi treatment greatly improved the survival rate, to 84 % at the end of study. Surprisingly, combined treatment with ACEi and sEHi worsened the rate (53 %). Untreated ACF TGR exhibited marked impairment of renal function and the treatment with ACEi alone or combined with sEH inhibition did not prevent it. In conclusion, addition of sEHi to ACEi treatment does not provide better protection against CHF progression and does not increase the survival rate in ACF TGR: indeed, the rate decreases significantly. Thus, combined treatment with sEHi and ACEi is not a promising approach to further attenuate renal dysfunction and retard progression of CHF

Anaeramoebae are a divergent lineage of eukaryotes that shed light on the transition from anaerobic mitochondria to hydrogenosomes

Discoveries of diverse microbial eukaryotes and their inclusion in comprehensive phylogenomic analyses have crucially re-shaped the eukaryotic tree of life in the 21st century.1 At the deepest level, eukaryotic diversity comprises 9-10 "supergroups." One of these supergroups, the Metamonada, is particularly important to our understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of eukaryotic cells, including the remodeling of mitochondrial function. All metamonads thrive in low-oxygen environments and lack classical aerobic mitochondria, instead possessing mitochondrion-related organelles (MROs) with metabolisms that are adapted to low-oxygen conditions. These MROs lack an organellar genome, do not participate in the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation,2 and often synthesize ATP by substrate-level phosphorylation coupled to hydrogen production.3,4 The events that occurred during the transition from an oxygen-respiring mitochondrion to a functionally streamlined MRO early in metamonad evolution remain largely unknown. Here, we report transcriptomes of two recently described, enigmatic, anaerobic protists from the genus Anaeramoeba.5 Using phylogenomic analysis, we show that these species represent a divergent, phylum-level lineage in the tree of metamonads, emerging as a sister group of the Parabasalia and reordering the deep branching order of the metamonad tree. Metabolic reconstructions of the Anaeramoeba MROs reveal many "classical" mitochondrial features previously not seen in metamonads, including a disulfide relay import system, propionate production, and amino acid metabolism. Our findings suggest that the cenancestor of Metamonada likely had MROs with more classical mitochondrial features than previously anticipated and demonstrate how discoveries of novel lineages of high taxonomic rank continue to transform our understanding of early eukaryote evolution