Effects of Acidification, Sodium Chloride, and Moisture Levels on Wheat Dough: I. Modeling of Rheological and Microstructural Properties

The rheological attributes of polymers as wheat dough are strongly related to its microstructure. To quantify dough protein microstructure confocal laser scanning microscopy combined with image analysis was used. The effect of three experimental factors pH (addition of lactic acid and sodium hydroxide), water addition, and sodium chloride (NaCl) addition on empirical and fundamental rheological properties as well as microstructural protein properties were studied and modeled by applying a response surface methodology. The obtained models revealed high correlations between the experimental factors and the complex shear modulus (R ²?=?0.97), dough resistance (R_max ^k; R ²?=?0.91) and stickiness (R ²?=?0.93). Furthermore it was possible to determine microstructural attributes as the area fraction (R ²?=?0.88) and Feret??s diameter (R ²?=?0.86) as a function of pH, water and NaCl addition. Especially measures of R^k _max revealed highly significant correlations with the protein microstructure as the branching index (r?=?0.79).     

Distribution of detritivores in tropical forest streams of peninsular Malaysia: role of temperature,canopy cover and altitude variability

The diversity and abundance of macroinvertebrate shredders were investigated in 52 forested streams (local scale) from nine catchments (regional scale) covering a large area of peninsular Malaysia. A total of 10,642 individuals of aquatic macroinvertebrates were collected, of which 18.22 % were shredders. Biodiversity of shredders was described by alpha (α_average ), beta (β) and gamma diversity (γ) measures. We found high diversity and abundance of shredders in all catchments, represented by 1,939 individuals (range 6–115 and average per site of 37.29?±?3.48 SE) from 31 taxa with 2–13 taxa per site (α_average?=?6.98?±?0.33 SE) and 10–15 taxa per catchment (γ?=?13.33?±?0.55 SE). At the local scale, water temperature, stream width, depth and altitude were correlated significantly with diversity (Adj-R ²?=?0.205). Meanwhile, dissolved oxygen, stream velocity, water temperature, stream width and altitude were correlated to shredder abundance (Adj-R ²?=?0.242). At regional scale, however, water temperature was correlated negatively with β and γ diversity (r ²?=?0.161 and 0.237, respectively) as well as abundance of shredders (r ²?=?0.235). Canopy cover was correlated positively with β diversity (r ²?=?0.378) and abundance (r ²?=?0.266), meanwhile altitude was correlated positively with β (quadratic: r ²?=?0.175), γ diversity (quadratic: r ²?=?0.848) as well as abundance (quadratic: r ²?=?0.299). The present study is considered as the first report describing the biodiversity and abundance of shredders in forested headwater streams across a large spatial scale in peninsular Malaysia. We concluded that water temperature has a negative effect while altitude showed a positive relationship with diversity and abundance of shredders. However, it was difficult to detect an influence of canopy cover on shredder diversity.     

Mercury Transfer During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding: Hair Mercury Concentrations as Biomarker

Hair mercury (HHg) concentration is a biomarker of exposure that is widely used to assess environmental contamination by fish methylmercury and neurodevelopment in children. In the Rio Madeira basin (Brazilian Amazon), total HHg concentrations in 649 mother–infant pairs were measured at birth (prenatal exposure) and after 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding; these mother–infant pairs were from high fish-eating communities (urban, n?=?232; rural, n?=?35; and Riverine, n?=?262) and low fish-eating tin-miner settlers (n?=?120). Differences in kinetics were seen between Hg exposure from fish consumption and environmental exposure to a tin-ore mining environment. Overall maternal HHg concentrations (at childbirth and after 6 months of lactation) were higher than those of infant HHg. However, the relative change in HHg after 6 months of lactation showed that mothers decreased HHg while infants increased HHg. The relative change showed a consistently higher increase for girls than boys with a statistical significance only in high fish-eating mothers. The correlation coefficients between maternal and newborn hair were high and statistically significant for mothers living in urban (r?=?0.66, p?<?0.001), rural (r?=?0.89, p?<?0.001), and Riverine (r?=?0.89, p?<?0.001) communities not for tin miner settlers (r?=?0.07, p?=?0.427). After 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding, correlation coefficients showed high correlation coefficients and statistical significance for all groups (urban, r?=?0.73, p?<?0.001; rural, r?=?0.88, p?<?0.001; Riverine, r?=?0.91, p?<?0.001) except for Tin miners (r?=??0.07, p?=?0.428). A linear model analysis was used to assess the longitudinal associations of maternal total HHg and total HHg at birth (0 days) and 6 months of age in exclusively breastfed infants. Regression analysis significantly predicted HHg in newborn from maternal HHg for high fish-eating maternal-infant pairs. Conclusion: The concentration of mercury accumulated in newborn tissues (in utero and during breastfeeding) relevant to both, maternal sources and infant exposure, can be reliably assessed from maternal hair.     

Improvement of the quality of wheat bread by addition of glycoside hydrolase family 10 xylanases

Although many xylanases are widely used in the baking industry, only one glycoside hydrolase family 10 (GH 10) xylanase has previously been reported to be effective in baking. In this study, we compared the effectiveness of two GH 10 xylanases, psychrophilic XynA from Glaciecola mesophila and mesophilic EX1 from Trichoderma pseudokoningii, in bread making. The optimal dosages needed to improve wheat flour dough and bread quality were 270-U/kg flour for EX1 and 0.9-U/kg flour for XynA. At their optimal dosage, both XynA and EX1 had significant dough-softening ability, resulting in a 50% reduction in Brabender units. XynA was more effective than EX1 in reducing the time to reach maximum consistency. XynA and EX1 showed similar effects in improving the bread volume (~30% increase). EX1 was more effective in reducing the initial crumb firmness. Although both enzymes exhibited similar anti-staling effects on the bread, based on a decrease in the bread firmness, XynA had a greater effect on reducing the firming rate, and EX1 showed an enhanced reduction in the initial firmness. These results show that these two GH 10 xylanases have unique advantages in improving dough and bread quality and indicate their potential in bread making.     

Carbon Stocks in an African Woodland Landscape: Spatial Distributions and Scales of Variation

Current knowledge of Africa’s carbon (C) pools is limited despite its importance in the global C budget. To increase the understanding of C stocks in African woodlands, we asked how C stocks in soil and vegetation vary across a miombo woodland landscape and to what degree and at what scales are these stocks linked? We sampled along a 5-km transect using a cyclic sampling scheme to allow geostatistical analyses. Soil C stocks in the top 5?cm (12.1?±?0.6?Mg?C?ha^?1 (±?SE)) and 30?cm depths (40.1?±?2.5?Mg?C?ha^?1) varied significantly at scales of a few meters (autocorrelation distance 14?m in 0–5-cm and 26?m in 0–30-cm interval), and aboveground (AG) woody C stocks (20.7?±?1.8?Mg?C?ha^?1) varied significantly at kilometer scales (1,426?m). Soil textural distributions were linked to topography (r ²?=?0.54) as were large-tree AG C stocks (r ²?=?0.70). AG C stocks were constrained to an upper boundary by soil texture with greater AG C being associated with coarser textured soils. Vegetation and soil C stocks were coupled in the landscape in the top 5?cm of soil (r ²?=?0.24) but not with deeper soil C stocks, which were coupled to soil clay content (r ²?=?0.38). This study is one of the most complete transect studies in an African miombo woodland, and suggests that C stock distributions are strongly linked to topography and soil texture. To optimize sampling strategies for C stock assessments in miombo, soil C should be sampled at more than 26?m apart, and AG C should be sampled at more than 1,426?m apart in plots larger than 0.5?ha.     

Selenium, Zinc, and Copper Plasma Levels in Patients with Schizophrenia: Relationship with Metabolic Risk Factors

The aim of this study was to determine the plasma selenium (Se), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) levels and to evaluate their possible association with metabolic syndrome (MetS) components in patients with schizophrenia. The study group consisted of 60 patients with schizophrenia and 60 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, and biochemical analysis of fasting blood were performed in all subjects. Patients with schizophrenia had significantly higher plasma Cu concentrations compared with controls (0.97?±?0.31 vs. 0.77?±?0.32 mg/L, p?=?0.001). The plasma Cu concentration showed a positive correlation with plasma glucose and diastolic blood pressure in the patient groups (r _s ?=?0.263, p?<?0.05 and r _s ?=?0.272, p?<?0.05, respectively). The plasma Se level correlated positive with MetS score (r _s ?=?0.385, p?<?0.01), waist circumference (r _s ?=?0.344, p?<?0.05), plasma glucose (r _s ?=?0.319, p?<?0.05), and triglyceride concentrations (r _s ?=?0.462, p?<?0.001) in patients with schizophrenia. Plasma Zn did not correlate with any of the MetS components. These results suggest that alterations in plasma Cu and Se levels in medicated patients with schizophrenia could be associated with metabolic risk factors.     

Hair Iron and Other Minerals’ Level in Breast Cancer Patients

Little is known about hair minerals in cancer patients, and serum iron level has been shown to be elevated in breast cancer patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate hair iron and hair minerals’ level related to hair iron in breast cancer patients compared to controls. We compared hair mineral analysis data of 40 breast cancer subjects with age and body mass index-matched normal control data (n?=?144) by cross-sectional analysis. All breast cancer patients were newly diagnosed at one Breast Cancer Center in Ajou University and had their hair cut before anti-cancer chemotherapy, and the normal controls (without breast cancer) also had their hair cut for various reasons in out-patient clinics of the Department of Family Practice and Community Health. Breast cancer patients had low calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc, whereas they had high arsenic, sodium, and potassium compared with the normal control. The hair iron level was positively correlated with hair calcium (r?=?0.761, P?<?0.001), magnesium (r?=?0.643, P?<?0.001), and manganese (r?=?0.550, P?<?0.001) and negatively correlated with arsenic (r?=??0.537, P?<?0.001). The hair iron level was significantly associated with the hair calcium (β?=?0.778, P?<?0.001) and manganese (β?=?0.240, P?<?0.001) by using multiple linear regression analysis. We observed different hair mineral patterns in breast cancer patients compared to normal controls. Especially, hair iron level was significantly reduced and associated with hair calcium and manganese levels.     

Comparison of droplet digital PCR and quantitative real-time PCR for examining population dynamics of bacteria in soil

The newly developed droplet digital PCR (DD-PCR) has shown promise as a DNA quantification technology in medical diagnostic fields. This study evaluated the applicability of DD-PCR as a quantitative tool for soil DNA using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) as a reference technology. Cupriavidus sp. MBT14 and Sphingopyxis sp. MD2 were used, and a primer/TaqMan probe set was designed for each (CupMBT and SphMD2, respectively). Standard curve analyses on tenfold dilution series showed that both qRT-PCR and DD-PCR exhibited excellent linearity (R ²?=?1.00) and PCR efficiency (≥92 %) across their detectable ranges. However, DD-PCR showed a tenfold greater sensitivity than qRT-PCR. MBT14 and MD2 were added to non-sterile soil at 0?~?5?×?10⁸ and 0?~?5?×?10⁷ cells per gram of soil, respectively (n?=?5). This bacterial load test indicated that DD-PCR was more sensitive and discriminating than qRT-PCR. For instance, DD-PCR showed a gradual DNA increase from 14 to 141,160 MBT14 rDNA copies μL DNA extract^?1 as the bacterial load increased, while qRT-PCR could quantify the DNA (6,432 copies μL DNA^?1) at ≥5?×?10⁵ MBT14 per gram of soil. When temporal DNA changes were monitored for 3 weeks in the amended soils, the two technologies exhibited nearly identical changes over time. Linearity tests (y?=?a?·?x) revealed excellent quantitative agreement between the two technologies (a?=?0.98, R ²?=?0.97 in the CupMBT set and a?=?0.90, R ²?=?0.94 in the SphMD2 set). These results suggest that DD-PCR is a promising tool to examine temporal dynamics of microorganisms in complex environments.     

Hair Mercury Concentrations of Lactating Mothers and Breastfed Infants in Iran (Fish Consumption and Mercury Exposure)

Coastal populations with high seafood consumption in the South Caspian Sea (Iran) have a significant exposure to dietary mercury. This study assesses the biomonitoring of mercury in mothers and breastfed infants in the South Caspian Sea. The mean of mercury concentration in the hair of 93 pairs of mothers and infants was obtained and was 3.55 and 1.89???g?g^?1, respectively. A statistically significant correlation (R?=?0.850, P?=?0.000) was seen between mercury concentration in the hair of mothers and infants. The results of this study indicate that hair mercury concentrations exceeded the USEPA reference dose of 1???g?g^?1 in 82.7?% of mothers and 61.2?% of infants. Also, 31?% of the mothers and 10.7?% of the infants had mercury concentrations more than the WHO ??threshold?? level (5???g?g^?1). The age and fish consumption of mothers were the factors that significantly affected the hair mercury concentration of mothers and infants. Number of dental amalgam fillings of mothers was the factor that only affected mercury in the hair of mothers. According to the results, we can conclude that the main determinant of mercury exposure was the intake of mercury through fish consumption of mothers.     

Identification of chromosomal locations associated with tail biting and being a victim of tail-biting behaviour in the domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)

The objective of this study was to identify loci associated with tail biting or being a victim of tail biting in Norwegian crossbred pigs using a genome-wide association study with PLINK case?Ccontrol analysis. DNA was extracted from hair or blood samples collected from 98 trios of crossbred pigs located across Norway. Each trio came from the same pen and consisted of one pig observed to initiate tail biting, one pig which was the victim of tail biting and a control pig which was not involved in either behaviour. DNA was genotyped using the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assay. After quality assurance filtering, 53,952 SNPs remained comprising 74 animals (37 pairs) for the tail biter versus control comparison and 53,419 SNPs remained comprising 80 animals (40 pairs) for the victim of tail biting versus control comparison. An association with being a tail biter was observed on Sus scrofa chromosome 16 (SSC16; p?=?1.6?×?10^?5) and an unassigned chromosome (p?=?3.9?×?10^?5). An association with being the victim of tail biting was observed on Sus scrofa chromosomes 1 (SSC1; p?=?4.7?×?10^?5), 9 (SSC9; p?=?3.9?×?10^?5), 18 (SSC18; p?=?7?×?10^?5 for 9,602,511?bp, p?=?3.4?×?10^?5 for 9,653,881?bp and p?=?5.3?×?10^?5 for 29,577,783 bp) and an unassigned chromosome (p?=?6.1?×?10^?5). An r ²?=?0.96 and a D???=?1 between the two SNPs at 9?Mb on SSC18 indicated extremely high linkage disequilibrium, suggesting that these two markers represent a single locus. These results provide evidence of a moderate genetic association between the propensity to participate in tail-biting behaviour and the likelihood of becoming a victim of this behaviour.     

Inhalable Ipratropium Bromide Particle Engineering with Multicriteria Optimization

Spray-dried ipratropium bromide (IPB) microspheres for oral inhalation were engineered using Quality by Design. The interrogation of material properties, process parameters, and critical product quality attributes interplay enabled rational product design. A 2^7–3 screening design exhibited the Maillard reaction between L-leucine (LL) and lactose at studied outlet temperatures (OT) >130°C. A response surface custom design was used in conjunction with multicriteria optimization to determine the operating design space to achieve inhalable microparticles. Statistically significant predictive models were developed for volume median diameter (p?=?0.0001, adjusted R ²? =?0.9938), span (p?=?0.0278, adjusted R ²? =?0.7912), yield (p?=?0.0020, adjusted R ²? =?0.9320), and OT (p?=?0.0082, adjusted R ²? =?0.8768). An independent verification batch confirmed the model’s predictive capability. The prediction and actual values were in good agreement. Particle size and span were 3.32?±?0.09 μm and 1.71?±?0.18, which were 4.7 and 5.3% higher than the predicted values. The process yield was 50.3%, compared to the predicted value of 65.3%. The OT was 100°C versus the predicted value of 105°C. The label strength of IPB microparticles was 99.0 to 105.9% w/w suggesting that enrichment occurred during the spray-drying process. The present study can be utilized to initiate the design of the first commercial IPB dry powder inhaler.     

Geospatial analysis of giant liver flukes among moose: effects of white-tailed deer

Natural infections of giant liver flukes (Fascioloides magna) occur primarily in cervids and bovids. In northeastern North America, a common definitive host for giant liver flukes is the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Giant liver flukes cannot reproduce in moose (Alces alces) and eventually die, but only after causing extensive tissue damage in the liver. We used data on the occurrence of giant liver flukes in adult moose collected between 1972 and 2000 from northeastern Minnesota, USA. These data were recorded by 93 km² sampling units (square grid of 9.66 km on each side). Sample sizes varied between 0 and 45 adult moose examined per sampling unit. We fitted a second-order global polynomial model to adjust for trends in the occurrence of flukes across the study area, modeled the de-trended data using a circular semi-variogram model, and finally kriged our data, arriving at a predicted response surface for the occurrence of liver flukes in moose. Correlational analyses indicated that the occurrence of liver flukes in moose was influenced more by the density of white-tailed deer based on rates of hunter harvest (r?=?0.54) than was the proportion of wetland habitats (r?=?0.25). Ordinary least-squares multiple regression (R _adj?=?0.29, AIC_c?=?795.3) documented a strong relationship between the occurrence of liver flukes in moose and population density of white-tailed deer (p?<?0.001) but a weaker relationship for wetland habitats (p?=?0.16). A geographically weighted multiple regression produced a stronger relationship (R _adj?=?0.60, AIC_c?=?765.7). Disease maps, as we developed here, are a useful geospatial tool that has relevance for understanding disease processes in moose that may be extended to other mammals.     

Depot-specific regulation of autotaxin with obesity in human adipose tissue

Autotaxin (ATX) is a lysophospholipase D involved in synthesis of a bioactive mediator: lysophosphatidic. ATX is abundantly produced by adipocytes and exerts a negative action on adipose tissue expansion. In both mice and humans, ATX expression increases with obesity in association with insulin resistance. In the present study, fat depot-specific regulation of ATX was explored in human. ATX mRNA expression was quantified in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue in obese (BMI?>?40?kg/m²; n?=?27) and non-obese patients (BMI?<?25?kg/m²; n?=?10). Whatever the weight status of the patients is, ATX expression was always higher (1.3- to 6-fold) in subcutaneous than in visceral fat. Nevertheless, visceral fat ATX was significantly higher (42?%) in obese than in non-obese patients, whereas subcutaneous fat ATX remained unchanged. In obese patients, visceral fat ATX expression was positively correlated with diastolic arterial blood pressure (r?=?0.67; P?=?0.001). This correlation was not observed with subcutaneous fat ATX. Visceral fat ATX was mainly correlated with leptin (r?=?0.60; P?=?0.001), inducible nitric oxide synthase (r?=?0.58; P?=?0,007), and apelin receptor (r?=?0.50; P?=?0.007). These correlations were not observed with subcutaneous fat ATX. These results reveal that obesity-associated upregulation of human adipose tissue ATX is specific to the visceral fat depot.     

Coronary microcirculatory dysfunction is associated with left ventricular dysfunction during follow-up after STEMI

Background

Coronary microvascular resistance is increased after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), which may be related in part to changed left ventricular (LV) dynamics. Therefore we studied the coronary microcirculation in relation to systolic and diastolic LV function after STEMI.

Methods

The study cohort consisted of 12 consecutive patients, all treated with primary PCI for a first anterior wall STEMI. At 4 months, we assessed pressure-volume loops. Subsequently, we measured intracoronary pressure and flow velocity and calculated coronary microvascular resistance. Infarct size and LV mass were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging.

Results

Patients with an impaired systolic LV function due to a larger myocardial infarction showed a higher baseline average peak flow velocity (APV) than the other patients (26?±?7 versus 17?±?5 cm/s, p?=?0.003, respectively), and showed an impaired variable microvascular resistance index (2.1?±?1.0 versus 4.1?±?1.3 mmHg?cm^?1?s^?1, p?=?0.003, respectively). Impaired diastolic relaxation time was inversely correlated with hyperaemic APV (r?=??0.56, p?=?0.003) and positively correlated with hyperaemic microvascular resistance (r?=?0.48, p?=?0.01). LV dilatation was associated with a reduced variable microvascular resistance index (r?=?0.78, p?=?0.006).

Conclusion

A larger anterior myocardial infarction results in impaired LV performance associated with reduced coronary microvascular resistance variability, in particular due to higher coronary blood flow at baseline in these compromised left ventricles.     

Sleep pattern is associated with adipokine levels and nutritional markers in resident physicians

Shift work and long hours of work are common in medical training and have been associated with a higher propensity for developing nutritional problems and obesity. Changes in leptin and ghrelin concentrations – two hormones that contribute importantly to the central regulation of food intake – are poorly described in this population. The aim of this study was to identify possible negative associations between sleep patterns, nutritional status and serum levels of adipokines. The study included 72 resident physicians (52 women and 20 men) who underwent the following assessments: nutritional assessment (3-day dietary recall evaluated by the Adapted Healthy Eating Index), anthropometric variables, fasting metabolism, physical activity level, sleep quality and sleepiness. Resident physicians with poor sleep quality reported greater weight gain after the beginning of residency (5.1 and 3.0?kg, respectively; p?=?0.01) and higher frequency of abnormal waist circumference (44.2 and 17.6%, respectively; p?=?0.04) than those with better sleep quality. Mean ghrelin concentration was greater in volunteers with poor sleep quality (64.6?±?67.8 and 26.2?±?25.0?pg/mL, respectively; p?=?0.04). Women identified as having excessive daytime sleepiness had lower levels of leptin (9.57?±?10.4?ng/mL versus 16.49?±?11.4?ng/mL, respectively; p?=?0.03) than those without excessive sleepiness. Furthermore, correlations were found between hours of additional work per week and: intake of cereals, bread and pasta (r?=?0.22, p?=?0.01); intake of servings of fruits (r?=??0.20; p?=?0.02) and beans (r?=??0.21; p?=?0.01); and global score for Adapted Healthy Eating Index (r?=??0.23; p?=?0.008; Table 3). The sleep quality total score correlated with servings of beans (r?=??0.22; p?=?0.01) and servings of oils (r?=?0.23; p?=?0.008). Significant correlations were found between mean of time of sleep and servings of cereals, bread and pasta (r?=?0.20; p?=?0.02), servings of meat (r?=??0.29; p?=?0.02) and cholesterol levels (r?=?0.27; p?=?0.03). These observations indicate that sleep patterns and long working hours of resident physicians are negatively associated with biological markers related to central food control, the lipid profile, cholesterol levels and eating healthy foods. These factors may predispose these shift workers to become overweight and develop metabolic disorders.     

Assessing the additive and dominance genetic effects of vegetative propagation ability in Eucalyptus—influence of modeling on genetic gain

To study the genetic determinism of propagation by cutting, 2,115 individuals of 83 full-sib families of the Eucalyptus urophylla?×?Eucalyptus grandis hybrid were used as stock plants and propagated by cuttings. Shoot production (PROD) and cutting success (CUT) were measured in two periods corresponding to the dry and rainy seasons. The experiments showed a significant effect of propagation period, suggesting the combined influence of environmental conditions and physiological state of stock plants. Using the linear mixed model (LMM) and the generalized one (GLMM) to take into account the non-normal distribution, the additive and dominance variances were estimated. They were significantly different from zero for PROD and CUT, as was the interaction between genetic effects and periods. The dominance variance was equal or higher than additive variance for both traits (1?σ ² _D /σ ² _A ?h ² _ss?=?0.182 and H ² _sl?=?0.443) but high with GLMM (h ² _ss?=?0.431 and H ² _sl?=?0.891). For CUT, the same trend was observed for variances but the genetic control was weaker with heritabilities smaller than 0.3. The selection accuracy (r) was affected by the statistical model, r?=?0.94 and r?=?0.42 for PROD using LMM and GLMM, respectively. Genetic correlations between PROD, CUT, and the field growth of clones at 25 months were relatively low. These results are important elements to consider for breeding strategies that target genetic gain for both field growth and cutting success.     

Plasma metabolic profile in COPD patients: effects of exercise and endurance training

The study examines plasma metabolic profiles of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to prove whether the disease influences metabolism at rest and after endurance training. This is based on the hypothesis that metabolome levels should reflect impaired skeletal muscle bioenergetics in COPD. The study aims to test this hypothesis by evaluating plasma metabolic profiles in COPD patients before and after 8?weeks of endurance exercise training. We studied blood samples from 18 COPD patients and 12 healthy subjects. Pre- and post-training blood plasma samples at rest and after constant-work rate exercise (CWRE) at 70% of pre-training Watts peak were analyzed by ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to assess metabolite profiles. The two groups presented training-induced physiological changes in the VO₂ peak and in blood lactate levels (P?<?0.01 each). Before training, the two groups also showed differences in metabolic profiles at rest (P?<?0.05). Levels of valine (r?=?0.51, P?<?0.01), alanine (r?=?0.45, P?<?0.05) and isoleucine (r?=?0.51, P?<?0.01) were positively associated with body composition (Fat Free Mass Index). While training showed a significant impact on the metabolic profile in healthy subjects (P?<?0.001), with changes in levels of amino acids, creatine, succinate, pyruvate, glucose and lactate (P?<?0.05 each), no equivalent training-induced effects were seen in COPD patients in whom only lactate decreased (P?<?0.05). This study shows that plasma metabolic profiling contributes to the phenotypic characterization of COPD patients.     

Fatty acid composition and biological activities of Isochrysis galbana T-ISO,Tetraselmis sp. and Scenedesmus sp.: possible application in the pharmaceutical and functional food industries

Organic and water extracts of Isochrysis galbana T-ISO (=Tisochrysis lutea), Tetraselmis sp. and Scenedesmus sp. were evaluated for their antioxidant activity, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition, cytotoxicity against tumour cell lines, and fatty acids and total phenolic content (TPC). I. galbana T-ISO had the highest TPC (3.18 mg GAE g^?1) and radical scavenging activity, with an IC₅₀ value of 1.9 mg mL^?1 on the acetone extract. The extracts exhibited a higher ability to chelate Fe²⁺ than Cu²⁺, and the maximum Fe²⁺ chelating capacity was observed in the hexane extract of Scenedesmus sp. (IC₅₀=0.73 mg mL^?1) and Scenedesmus sp. (IC₅₀?=?0.73 mg mL^?1). The highest ability to inhibit AChE was observed in the water and ether extracts of Scenedesmus sp., with IC₅₀ values of 0.11 and 0.15 mg mL^?1, respectively, and in the water extract of I. galbana (IC₅₀?=?0.16 mg mL^?1). The acetone extract of I. galbana T-ISO significantly reduced the viability of human hepatic carcinoma HepG2 cells (IC₅₀?=?81.3 μg mL^?1) as compared to the non-tumour murine stromal S17 cell line, and displayed a selectivity index of 3.1 at the highest concentration tested (125 μg mL^?1). All species presented a highly unsaturated fatty acids profile. Results suggest that these microalgae, particularly I. galbana T-ISO, could be a source of biomolecules for the pharmaceutical industry and the production of functional food ingredients and can be considered as an advantageous alternative to several currently produced microalgae.