Monitoring of Natural Pigments in Henna and Jagua Tattoos for Fake Detection

Temporary tattoos are a popular alternative to permanent ones. Some of them use natural pigments such as lawsone in the famous henna tattoos. Recently, jagua tattoos, whose main ingredients are genipin and geniposide, have emerged as an interesting option. This study was conducted to identify the presence and concentration of henna and jagua active ingredients (lawsone; genipin and geniposide, respectively) in commercial tattoo samples. Since natural pigments are often mixed with additives such as p-phenylenediamine (PPD) in the case of henna, PPD has been included in the study. Green and simple extraction methods based on vortex or ultrasound-assisted techniques have been tested. To determine the compounds of interest liquid chromatography (LC) with diode-array detection (DAD) has been applied; and PPD absence was confirmed by LC-QTOF (quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry). This work demonstrated that only one out of 14 henna samples analyzed contained lawsone. For jaguas, genipin was found in all samples, while geniposide only in two. Therefore, quality control analysis on these semi-permanent tattoos is considered necessary to detect these ingredients in commercial mixtures, as well as to uncover possible fraud in products sold as natural hennaThis research was supported by project EQC2018-005011-P (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Spain. The authors belong to the CRETUS Strategic Partnership (ED431E2018/01). All these programmes are co-funded by FEDER (UE). L.R. acknowledges Xunta de Galicia for her predoctoral contractS

High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry for the Comprehensive Characterization of Plant-Pigment-Based Tattoos and Dyes Formulations

There has been little research on emerging natural-pigment-based temporary tattoos and their constituents so far. This study focused on the characterization of natural henna and jagua tattoos and dyes in commercial samples. Sample manipulation and treatment were minimal to analyze natural pigments as they are marketed. The characterization of active compounds was performed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS). A novel untargeted characterization was also applied for these types of samples, searching for compounds ranging from the original ingredients to other additives of interest they may contain. The fact that these products may also be a source of unlabelled allergens was considered. This work showed that not all of the 34 samples analyzed contained their characteristic active ingredients, and in addition, 70 substances of a different nature were found. Therefore, a rapid and high-throughput methodology has been developed for the identification of the components of these dyes, providing a necessary approach for quality control or identification of suspicious substancesThis research was supported by projects EQC2018-005011-P (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Spain) and ED431 2020/06 (Xunta de Galicia). The authors belong to the CRETUS Strategic Partnership (ED431E 2018/01). All these programs are co-funded by FEDER (UE). L.R. acknowledges Xunta de Galicia for her predoctoral contract (ED481A-2018/227)S

The cell density effect in animal cell-based bioprocessing : Questions, insights and perspectives

Altres ajuts: acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICOne of the main challenges in the development of bioprocesses based on cell transient expression is the commonly reported reduction of cell specific productivity at increasing cell densities. This is generally known as the cell density effect (CDE). Many efforts have been devoted to understanding the cell metabolic implications to this phenomenon in an attempt to design operational strategies to overcome it. A comprehensive analysis of the main studies regarding the CDE is provided in this work to better define the elements comprising its cause and impact. Then, examples of methodologies and approaches employed to achieve successful transient expression at high cell densities (HCD) are thoroughly reviewed. A critical assessment of the limitations of the reported studies in the understanding of the CDE is presented, covering the leading hypothesis of the molecular implications. The overall analysis of previous work on CDE may offer useful insights for further research into manufacturing of biologics

Elliptical Crack Identification in a Nonrotating Shaft

It is known that fatigue cracks are one of the most important problems of the mechanical components, since their propagation can cause severe loss, both personal and economic. So, it is essential to know deeply the behavior of the cracked element to have tools that allow predicting the breakage before it happens. The shafts are elements that are specially affected by the described problem, because they are subjected to alternative compression and tension stresses., is work presents, firstly, an analytical expression that allows determining the first four natural frequencies of bending vibration of a nonrotating cracked shaft, assumed as an Euler-Bernoulli beam, with circular cross section under pinned-pinned conditions, taking into account the elliptical shape of the crack. Second, once the direct problem is known, the inverse problem is approached. Genetic Algorithm technique has been used to estimate the crack parameters assuming known the natural frequencies of the cracked shaft.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad for the support for this work through the project DPI2013-45406-P

Osteonecrosis of the jaw as an adverse bisphosphonate event : Three cases of bone metastatic prostate cancer patients treated with zoledronic acid

Bisphosphonates offer a significant improvement in the quality of life for cancer patients; these potent inhibitors of bone resorption have been shown to markedly reduce the morbidity frequently resulting from bone metastases. Despite the success of bisphosphonates as therapeutic agents, however, toxicity in the form of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is a rare complication whose incidence rate has climbed in recent years. ONJ is defined as an unexpected development of necrotic bone in the oral cavity, and is commonly associated with administration of the bisphosphonates Pamidronate and Zoledronate. Clinical features include local pain, soft-tissue swelling, and/or loose teeth; ONJ is also often correlated with previous dental procedures, such as tooth extractions, during biphosphonate therapy. Although additional risk factors--such as corticosteroids, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, trauma or infection?exhibit etiological associations with ONJ, the real pathobiology has not yet been fully elucidated. Here we report our findings on all 2005 OJN cases presented at our institution resulting from bone metastatic prostate cancer treated with zoledronic acid. The incidence of ONJ is nearly 3% (3 out of 104) in these patients

Emulsion characteristics of salad dressings as affected by caprine whey protein concentrates

Caprine whey protein concentrates (WPC) were incorporated as emulsifiers in a salad dressing. The concentrates were manufactured by ultrafiltration-diafiltration with or without previous clarification by thermocalcic precipitation. Aggregates obtained in the clarification treatment and a commercial bovine WPC were also used as emulsifiers. Good emulsifying properties of caprine products were observed. Dressings made with caprine products showed higher firmness and stability than dressings made with bovine WPC. Thermocalcic precipitation improved the properties of caprine WPC. Aggregates modified the colour of dressings contributing to a more yellowish aspect. Microstructure of emulsions was affected by the type of proteinThe authors thank the Xunta de Galicia (Galicia, Spain), GPC 2016/008 for financial supportS

Discovering three-dimensional patterns in real-time from data streams: An online triclustering approach

Triclustering algorithms group sets of coordinates of 3-dimensional datasets. In this paper, a new triclustering approach for data streams is introduced. It follows a streaming scheme of learning in two steps: offline and online phases. First, the offline phase provides a sum mary model with the components of the triclusters. Then, the second stage is the online phase to deal with data in streaming. This online phase consists in using the summary model obtained in the offline stage to update the triclusters as fast as possible with genetic operators. Results using three types of synthetic datasets and a real-world environmental sensor dataset are reported. The performance of the proposed triclustering streaming algo rithm is compared to a batch triclustering algorithm, showing an accurate performance both in terms of quality and running timesMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades TIN2017-88209-C

Nearest Neighbors-Based Forecasting for Electricity Demand Time Series in Streaming

This paper presents a new forecasting algorithm for time series in streaming named StreamWNN. The methodology has two well-differentiated stages: the algorithm searches for the nearest neighbors to generate an initial prediction model in the batch phase. Then, an online phase is carried out when the time series arrives in streaming. In par-ticular, the nearest neighbor of the streaming data from the training set is computed and the nearest neighbors, previously computed in the batch phase, of this nearest neighbor are used to obtain the predictions. Results using the electricity consumption time series are reported, show-ing a remarkable performance of the proposed algorithm in terms of fore-casting errors when compared to a nearest neighbors-based benchmark algorithm. The running times for the predictions are also remarkableMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades TIN2017-88209-C

High-Content Screening images streaming analysis using the STriGen methodology

One of the techniques that provides systematic insights into biolog ical processes is High-Content Screening (HCS). It measures cells phenotypes simultaneously. When analysing these images, features like fluorescent colour, shape, spatial distribution and interaction between components can be found. STriGen, which works in the real-time environment, leads to the possibility of studying time evolution of these features in real-time. In addition, data stream ing algorithms are able to process flows of data in a fast way. In this article, STriGen (Streaming Triclustering Genetic) algorithm is presented and applied to HCS images. Results have proved that STriGen finds quality triclusters in HCS images, adapts correctly throughout time and is faster than re-computing the triclustering algorithm each time a new data stream image arrives.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2017-88209-C2-1-RTIN2017-88209-C2-2-

Caracterización de la carne de dos aves de caza: zorzal (Turdus philomelos) y tórtola (Streptopelia turtur)

The chemical and fatty acid composition and color of wild thrush (Turdus philomelos) and turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) meat were investigated. No significant differences in the chemical composition were observed between the meat of thrush and that of turtle dove. However, significant differences (p < 0.05) in the fatty acid composition of the three fractions (glycerides, phospholipids, and free fatty acids) and in color parameters were observed. The main fatty acid in thrush meat was oleic acid (around 30%), and the high content of docosahexaenoic acid (C-22:6n-3) (more than 10% in the three fractions) was remarkable. There was a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (more than 50%) in the turtle dove meat; the main PUFA were linoleic (C-18:2n-6) and arachidonic (C-20:4n-6) acidsSe ha estudiado la composición química, de ácidos grasos y el color de la carne de zorzal (Turdus philomelos) y tórtola (Streptopelia turtur). No se observaron diferencias significativas en la composición química entre la carne de ambas especies; sin embargo, sí se detectaron diferencias significativas (p < 0,05) en la composición de ácidos grasos de las tres fracciones lipídicas (glicéridos, fosfolípidos y ácidos grasos libres) y en los parámetros de color. El principal ácido graso en la carne de zorzal fue el ácido oleico (alrededor del 30%), siendo remarcable el alto contenido de ácido docosahexaenoico (C-22:6n-3) (mayor del 10% en las tres fracciones). La carne de tórtola presentó un alto contenido de ácidos grasos poliinsaturados (mayor del 50%), siendo los principales ácidos grasos poliinsaturados el linoleico (C-18:2n-6) y el araquidónico (C-20:4n-6)S