Effect of SDS Micelles on Actinomycin D – DNA Complexes

DNA thermal denaturation was evaluated as a measure of the effect of antitumor drug actinomycin D on the stability of the double helix and also the effect of SDS micelles on actinomycin D – DNA complexes. The results indicated that the melting temperature of DNA was dependent on drug concentration, increasing with actinomycin D concentration. High thermal stabilization (about 10 °C) of the DNA helix after the association with actinomycin D clearly demonstrates the intercalative binding mode. The presence of SDS micelles leads to the release of intercalated actinomcyin D molecules from DNA double helix and their further relocation in surfactant micelles. These results highlighted that the drug release can be controlled in time and by varying the concentration and nature of surfactant

THE AROMATIC PROFILE OF WHITE WINES OBTAINED FROM BIODYNAMIC AND CONVENTIONAL GROWN GRAPES IN ROMANIA

This study analyses the differences between wines obtained from grapes cultivated conventionally and those cultivated biodynamically. The wine samples studied were obtained from Rhein Riesling, Italian Riesling, Muscat Ottonel and Chardonnay grape varieties. Among these, four variants (one from each grape variety) were obtained from grapes following conventional cultural technologies, while the rest were from the same grape varieties cultivated biodynamically. All grapes and wines were produced in the Murfatlar vineyard, in south-east Romania. Basic chemical and sensorial analyses were applied to evaluate the differences appearing between the conventional and organic wine samples. All sets of data, PCA analysed, underlined that there are no systematic differences between the two grape cultivation methods and the obtained products

A review of representative methods used in wine authentication

Authenticity and the methods for determining fraud are two of the most important issues in the field of quality control and food safety. In the winemaking field, the study of authenticity is all the more necessary, with wine being one of the most adulterated foods, as the monthly reports of the European Commission show. This results in a two-fold problem: consumer expectations are not met and there is a disloyal competition among wine producers in the field. Authenticity has been a priority research direction worldwide for centuries. Today, researchers are working on improving already existing methods of authenticity monitoring, but also on creating new ones. The intention is to have results that are as accurate, fast and inexpensive as possible for confirmation or rejection of the hypothesis. The bibliographic study of the literature undertaken for the development of this article aims to identify the classical methods of establishing authenticity, describe them and establish their degree of efficiency. Moreover, a review of the current research trends is presented in this work

The aromatic profile of white wines obtained from biodynamic and conventional grown grapes in Romania

This study analyses the differences between wines obtained from grapes cultivated conventionally and those cultivated biodynamically. The wine samples studied were obtained from Rhein Riesling, Italian Riesling, Muscat Ottonel and Chardonnay grape varieties. Among these, four variants (one from each grape variety) were obtained from grapes following conventional cultural technologies, while the rest were from the same grape varieties cultivated biodynamically. All grapes and wines were produced in the Murfatlar vineyard, in south-east Romania. Basic chemical and sensorial analyses were applied to evaluate the differences appearing between the conventional and organic wine samples. All sets of data, PCA analysed, underlined that there are no systematic differences between the two grape cultivation methods and the obtained products

Increasing amino acids and biogenic amines content of white and rosé wines during ageing on lees

The presence of biogenic amines in wine is more and more important both to consumers and producers alike, due to the potential threats of toxicity of humans and consequent trade implications. Biogenic amines are formed from amino acids by decarboxylation carried out by various enzymes located in yeasts and bacteria. During ageing of wines on lees, the release of different compounds, especially proteins, peptides, amino acids, breakdown products of yeasts, can impact on the quality of wine. The aim of this study is to describe the evolution of twenty-two amino acids, precursors of seven biogenic amines during ageing on lees for 12 months, respectively 18 months, using 12 commercial maturation products. The number of experimental samples is 26 (V1SB-V13SB, V1BB-V13BB), produced in Iasi vineyard, vintage 2020, from Sauvignon Blanc and Busuioaca de Bohotin grapes variety. Data indicated a major impact of the variables (commercial maturation products, autolysis process and grape variety) on wine’s characteristics. Considerable amounts of some essential amino acids, such as L-alanine, L-leucine, L-lysine, L-valine and L-glutamic acid were found in samples treated with commercial products, which contained significant amounts of mannoproteins, amino acids and vitamins (samples V6SB, V4SB, V5SB, V5BB, V4BB and V6BB). Vitamins and nitrogenous compounds released by autolysis are used as a support in the decarboxylation process, thus forming biogenic amines

Translation of the Fugl-Meyer assessment into Romanian: Transcultural and semantic-linguistic adaptations and clinical validation

PurposeThe Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scale, which is widely used and highly recommended, is an appropriate tool for evaluating poststroke sensorimotor and other possible somatic deficits. It is also well-suited for capturing a dynamic rehabilitation process. The aim of this study was to first translate the entire sensorimotor FMA scale into Romanian using the transcultural and semantic-linguistic adaptations of its official afferent protocols and to then validate it using the preliminary clinical evaluation of inter- and intra-rater reliability and relevant concurrent validity.MethodsThrough three main steps, we completed a standardized procedure for translating FMA's official afferent evaluation protocols into Romanian and their transcultural and semantic-linguistic adaptation for both the upper and lower extremities. For relevant clinical validation, we evaluated 10 patients after a stroke two times: on days 1 and 2. All patients were evaluated simultaneously by two kinesi-physiotherapists (generically referred to as KFT1 and KFT2) over the course of 2 consecutive days, taking turns in the roles of an examiner and observer, and vice versa (inter-rater). Two scores were therefore obtained and compared for the same patient, i.e., being afferent to an inter-rater assay by comparing the assessment outcomes obtained by the two kinesi-physiotherapists, in between, and respectively, to the intra-rater assay: based on the evaluations of the same kinesi-physiotherapist, in two consecutive days, using a rank-based method (Svensson) for statistical analysis. We also compared our final Romanian version of FMA's official protocols for concurrent validity (Spearman's rank correlation statistical method) to both of the widely available assessment instruments: the Barthel Index (BI) and the modified Rankin scale (mRS).ResultsSvensson's method confirmed overall good inter- and intra-rater results for the main parts of the final Romanian version of FMA's evaluation protocols, regarding the percentage of agreement (≥80% on average) and for disagreement: relative position [RP; values outside the interval of (−0.1, 0.1) in only two measurements out of the 56 comparisons we did], relative concentration [RC; values outside the interval of (−0.1, 0.1) in only nine measurements out of the same 56 comparisons done], and relative rank variation [RV; all values within an interval of (0, 0.1) in only five measurements out of the 56 comparisons done]. High correlation values were obtained between the final Romanian version of FMA's evaluation protocols and the BI (ρ = 0.9167; p = 0.0002) for FMA–upper extremity (FMA-UE) total A-D (motor function) with ρ = 0.6319 and for FMA-lower extremity (FMA-LE) total E-F (motor function) with p = 0.0499, and close to the limit, with the mRS (ρ = −0.5937; p = 0.0704) for FMA-UE total A-D (motor function) and (ρ = −0.6615; p = 0.0372) for FMA-LE total E-F (motor function).ConclusionsThe final Romanian version of FMA's official evaluation protocols showed good preliminary reliability and validity, which could be thus recommended for use and expected to help improve the standardization of this assessment scale for patients after a stroke in Romania. Furthermore, this endeavor could be added to similar international translation and cross-cultural adaptations, thereby facilitating a more appropriate comparison of the evaluation and outcomes in the management of stroke worldwide

On the calculation of lanthanide systems. The spectral parameters of praseodymium trivalent ion

In this work, taking the Pr(III) ion as a suitable case study, the authors test the capacity of a series of Gaussian Type Orbitals (GTOs) basis sets to account for the atomic spectra of lanthanide ions. An extended relevance of this assessment can be found in modeling the luminescence of lanthanide-based materials. It was selected the Pr(III) case because it shows a rather rich collection of experimental data, emerging from the f2 and fd configurations. The energy barycenters of spectral multiplets can be equated analytically in terms of the so-called Slater-Condon parameters. By multi-configurational ab initio procedures, with basis sets from existing GTO repositories, the calculated f→f transitions are moderately higher than the experimental values, while the relative energies of fd states undergo both under- and over-estimation. The GTO shortcomings, that are impacting the accuracy, were debated, the critical perspective spreading the seeds of future development

Mitoxantrone-Surfactant Interactions: A Physicochemical Overview

Mitoxantrone is a synthetic anticancer drug used clinically in the treatment of different types of cancer. It was developed as a doxorubicin analogue in a program to find drugs with improved antitumor activity and decreased cardiotoxicity compared with the anthracyclines. As the cell membrane is the first barrier encountered by anticancer drugs before reaching the DNA sites inside the cells and as surfactant micelles are known as simple model systems for biological membranes, the drugs-surfactant interaction has been the subject of great research interest. Further, quantitative understanding of the interactions of drugs with biomimicking structures like surfactant micelles may provide helpful information for the control of physicochemical properties and bioactivities of encapsulated drugs in order to design better delivery systems with possible biomedical applications. The present review describes the physicochemical aspects of the interactions between the anticancer drug mitoxantrone and different surfactants. Mitoxantrone-micelle binding constants, partitions coefficient of the drug between aqueous and micellar phases and the corresponding Gibbs free energy for the above processes, and the probable location of drug molecules in the micelles are discussed