Determination of Parameters for the Supercritical Extraction of Antioxidant Compounds from Green Propolis Using Carbon Dioxide and Ethanol as Co-Solvent.

The aim of this study was to determine the best processing conditions to extract Brazilian green propolis using a supercritical extraction technology. For this purpose, the influence of different parameters was evaluated such as S/F (solvent mass in relation to solute mass), percentage of co-solvent (1 and 2% ethanol), temperature (40 and 50°C) and pressure (250, 350 and 400 bar) using supercritical carbon dioxide. The Global Yield Isotherms (GYIs) were obtained through the evaluation of the yield, and the chemical composition of the extracts was also obtained in relation to the total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, antioxidant activity and 3,5-diprenyl-4-hydroxicinnamic acid (Artepillin C) and acid 4-hydroxycinnamic (p-coumaric acid).

Environmental contaminants of emerging concern in seafood--European database on contaminant levels.

Marine pollution gives rise to concern not only about the environment itself but also about the impact on food safety and consequently on public health. European authorities and consumers have therefore become increasingly worried about the transfer of contaminants from the marine environment to seafood. So-called "contaminants of emerging concern" are chemical substances for which no maximum levels have been laid down in EU legislation, or substances for which maximum levels have been provided but which require revision.

Non-invasive measurement of tibialis anterior muscle temperature during rest, cycling exercise and post-exercise recovery.

We introduce a non-invasive and accurate method to assess tibialis anterior muscle temperature (Tm) during rest, cycling exercise, and post-exercise recovery using the insulation disk (INDISK) technique. Twenty-six healthy males (23.6  ±  6.

E. coli Induced Experimental Model of Primary Biliary Cirrhosis: At Last.

Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI) have been considered potential triggers of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), an autoimmune cholestatic liver disease characterised by progressive destruction of intrahepatic bile ducts. Additional support for the link made between PBC and UTI was based on early observations of recurrent episodes of bacteriuria in female patients with PBC. A series of large epidemiological studies demonstrated a strong correlation between recurrent UTI and PBC, initiating a series of studies investigating the role of Escherichia coli (E.

The control of reactive oxygen species influences porcine oocyte in vitro maturation.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of varying intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels during oocyte in vitro maturation with enzymatic ROS production systems (xanthine + xanthine oxidase or xanthine + xanthine oxidase + catalase), scavenger systems (catalase or superoxide dismutase + catalase) or cysteine on porcine oocyte maturation. Oocyte ROS levels showed an increase when H2O2 or O2∙(-) production systems were added to the culture medium (p < 0.05).

Human males and females body thermoregulation: perfusion effect analysis.

Skin temperature is a common physiological parameter that reflects thermal responses. Blood perfusion is an important part of the physiological processes that the human body undergoes in order to maintain homeostasis. This study focuses on the effect of perfusion on the temperature distribution in human males and females body in different thermal environment.

Phosphofructokinase and malate dehydrogenase participate in the in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes.

Oocyte maturation depends on the metabolic activity of cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) that performs nutritive and regulatory functions during this process. In this work, the enzymes [phosphofructokinase (PFK) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH)] were tested to elucidate the metabolic profile of porcine COCs during the in vitro maturation (IVM). Enzymatic activity was expressed in U/COC and U/mg protein (specific activity) as mean ± SEM.

Pyrosequencing reveals the effect of mobilizing agents and lignocellulosic substrate amendment on microbial community composition in a real industrial PAH-polluted soil.

Bacterial and fungal biodiversity throughout different biostimulation and bioaugmentation treatments applied to an industrial creosote-polluted soil were analyzed by means of polyphasic approach in order to gain insight into the microbial community structure and dynamics. Pyrosequencing data obtained from initial creosote polluted soil (after a biopiling step) revealed that Alpha and Gammaproteobacteria were the most abundant bacterial groups, whereas Fusarium and Scedosporium were the main fungal genera in the contaminated soil. At the end of 60-days laboratory scale bioremediation assays, pyrosequencing and DGGE data showed that (i) major bacterial community shifts were caused by the type of mobilizing agent added to the soil and, to a lesser extent, by the addition of lignocellulosic substrate; and (ii) the presence of the non-ionic surfactant (Brij 30) hampered the proliferation of Actinobacteria (Mycobacteriaceae) and Bacteroidetes (Chitinophagaceae) and, in the absence of lignocellulosic substrate, also impeded polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) degradation.

Epithelial cadherin is present in bovine oviduct epithelial cells and gametes, and is involved in fertilization-related events.

Fertilization is a calcium-dependent process that involves sequential cell-cell adhesion events of spermatozoa with oviduct epithelial cells (OECs) and with cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs). Epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin) participates in calcium-dependent somatic cell adhesion; the adaptor protein β-catenin binds to the E-cadherin cytoplasmic domain and links the adhesion protein to the cytoskeleton. The study was conducted to immunodetect E-cadherin and β-catenin in bovine gametes and oviduct (tissue sections and OEC monolayers), and to assess E-cadherin participation in fertilization-related events.

The role of p38 MAPK in the aetiopathogenesis of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

The pathogenetic mechanisms responsible for the induction of immune-mediated disorders, such as psoriasis, remain not well characterized. Molecular signaling pathways are not well described in psoriasis, as well as psoriatic arthritis, which is seen in up to 40% of patients with psoriasis. Signaling pathway defects have long been hypothesized to participate in the pathology of psoriasis, yet their implication in the altered psoriatic gene expression still remains unclear.

Epidemiology, impact, and treatment options of restless legs syndrome in end-stage renal disease patients: an evidence-based review.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) (or Willis-Ekbom disease) is a neurological disorder with high prevalence among the end-stage renal disease population. This is one of the most predominant types of secondary RLS, and it is called uremic RLS. Despite the fact that uremic RLS has been less studied compared to idiopathic RLS, recent studies now shed light in many aspects of the syndrome including clinical characteristics, impact, epidemiology, and treatment options.

Pentose phosphate pathway activity: effect on in vitro maturation and oxidative status of bovine oocytes.

The relationship between pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) activity in cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) and oxidative and mitochondrial activity in bovine oocytes was evaluated with the aim of analysing the impact of two inhibitors (NADPH and 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN)) and a stimulator (NADP) of the key enzymes of the PPP on the maturation rate, oxidative and mitochondrial activity and the mitochondrial distribution in oocytes. The proportion of COCs with measurable PPP activity (assessed using brilliant cresyl blue staining), glucose uptake, lactate production and meiotic maturation rate diminished when 6-AN (0.1, 1, 5 and 10mM for 22h) was added to the maturation medium (P<0.

CUZD1 and anti-CUZD1 antibodies as markers of cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases.

CUZD1, the CUB, and zona pellucida-like domains-containing protein 1, is a newly identified antigen of pancreatic autoantibodies (PAB) giving a reticulogranular pattern in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, and in particular Crohn's disease. The exact mechanisms by which this pancreatic antigen becomes the target of IBD-specific pancreatic autoantibodies are unclear. At the same time, evolving data strongly support a role for CUZD1 in carcinogenesis.

Crohn's disease-specific pancreatic autoantibodies are specifically present in ruminants with paratuberculosis: implications for the pathogenesis of the human disease.

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) induces paratuberculosis (ptb) in ruminants and has clinical and histological features resebling Crohn's disease (CD). Pancreatic autoantibodies (PAB) targeting glycoprotein 2 (GP2) are specifically found in CD, but it is currently unknown whether these autoantibodies can be found in ruminants with ptb. IgG anti-MAP and anti-GP2 antibodies were tested by ELISA in 286 ruminants (212 sheep and 74 cattle).

Reactive oxygen species production and redox state in parthenogenetic and sperm-mediated bovine oocyte activation.

The knowledge concerning redox and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated regulation of early embryo development is scarce and remains controversial. The aim of this work was to determine ROS production and redox state during early in vitro embryo development in sperm-mediated and parthenogenetic activation of bovine oocytes. Sperm-mediated oocyte activation was carried out in IVF-modified synthetic oviductal fluid (mSOF) with frozen-thawed semen.

Novel UV-spectrophotometric method for quantitative estimation of furazolidone using mixed hydrotropic agent.

A novel, eco friendly, accurate, sensitive, economic and safe spectrophotometric method was developed by application of mixed hydrotropy using 2 M sodium acetate, 8 M urea, 2 M niacinamide and 2 M sodium benzoate solution (25:25:25:25% V/V) as hydrotropic agent, for the solubalizing of poorly water-soluble Furazolidone (FZ) (solubility:- 3.64e-01 mg/mL in water). There were more than 32 times enhancements in the solubility of FZ were found in mixed hydrotropic solution as compared to solubilities in distilled water.

The immunopathogenetic role of autoantibodies in canine autoimmune hepatitis: lessons to learn from human autoimmune hepatitis.

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is not a disease entity restricted to man, but it can be found in other animals including canines. An increasing number of studies have focused on the immunopathogenesis of human autoimmune hepatitis (hAIH), but little is known of what triggers canine autoimmune hepatitis (cAIH). Several drugs, toxins, microbial and viral agents are able to induce autoantibodies and indeed immune-mediated chronic canine hepatitis with immunological and serological features similar of those seen in the human disease.

Modulation of glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway influences porcine oocyte in vitro maturation.

Glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) activities were modulated in porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) during in vitro maturation (IVM) by the addition of inhibitors or stimulators of key enzymes of the pathways to elucidate their relative participation in oocyte maturation. The activities of glycolysis and PPP were evaluated by lactate production per COC and by the brilliant cresyl blue test, respectively. Glucose uptake per COC and the oocyte maturation rate were also evaluated.

Glycolytic pathway activity: effect on IVM and oxidative metabolism of bovine oocytes.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of altering glycolytic pathway activity during bovine IVM on the meiotic maturation rate, oxidative activity, mitochondrial activity and the mitochondrial distribution within oocytes. Glycolytic activity was manipulated using two inhibitors (ATP, NaF) and a stimulator (AMP) of key enzymes of the pathway. Inhibition of glucose uptake, lactate production and meiotic maturation rates was observed when media were supplemented with ATP or NaF.

Influence of the cumulus and gonadotropins on the metabolic profile of porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes during in vitro maturation.

The aim of this work was to examine the influence of the cumulus and gonadotropins on the metabolic profile of porcine cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) during in vitro maturation. Immature COCs were assigned to morphological classes A(1) (with a dense cumulus), A(2) (with a translucent cumulus), B(1) (with the corona radiata), B(2) (with only some remaining cumulus cells) and matured with or without gonadotropins. Glycolysis and ammonia production were higher in the A class COCs; gonadotropins increased both, especially in the A(1) COCs (p < 0.

Capacitation inducers act through diverse intracellular mechanisms in cryopreserved bovine sperm.

The effect of various capacitation inducers, i.e. heparin, superoxide anion, bicarbonate, adenosine, and caffeine, and their role in intracellular mechanisms involved in capacitation, were studied in cryopreserved bovine sperm.

Evaluation of wound-healing activity of Acorus calamus Linn.

The aim of the present study was to assess the wound-healing activity of ethanolic extracts of Acorus calamus leaves. A wound was induced by an excision- and incision-based wound model in rats of either sex. The mature green leaves of A.

Immature oocyte quality and maturational competence of porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes subpopulations.

Porcine immature oocyte quality (i.e., that of live oocytes at the germinal vesicle stage) was evaluated according to features of the surrounding cumulus, aiming to establish maturational competence of different subpopulations of such cumulus-oocyte complexes.