Improvement of olive oil phenolics content by means of enzyme formulations: Effect of different enzyme activities and levels

The present work deals with the development of an enzymatic treatment aiming at producing high-quality olive oil with increased phenolics content and antioxidant activity. Three different enzyme formulations, specifically pectinase, hemicellulase and cellulase (A), pectinase and hemicellulase (B), and only pectinase (C), were used either at three different level of each or in ternary and binary mixtures at a constant level. All of them were added to the olive paste (Italian cultivar Coratina) at the beginning of the malaxation step. Results demonstrated that an increased enzyme level led to higher phenolics content in the oils, and such an effect was found to be enzyme dependent, being greater when using formulation A, followed by formulations B and C. Two significant correlations were obtained between total polyphenols and o-diphenols contents versus antiradical power (R² = 0.8743 and R² = 0.8635, respectively), which pointed out the effectiveness of the proposed enzymatic treatment to produce olive oils characterized by low susceptibility to oxidation. A synergistic effect between the different enzymatic activities contained in the single formulations was observed by combining enzymes A and B. The ternary mixture was selected as the most efficient enzymatic system ensuring the highest phenolics content increase (40 and 37% for total polyphenols and o-diphenols contents, respectively) compared to the other enzymes when used at the same level.     

Morphology of aortic arch obstruction with patent ductus arteriosus

Thirty-one hearts with aortic arch obstruction and patent ductus arteriosus were examined with special reference to associated cardiac anomalies. Six presented with complete interruption of the aortic arch, four with atretic isthmus, twelve with coarctation, and three with tubular hypoplasia. Associated cardiac anomalies were divided into two main groups: (1) septal defect with left-to-right shunt, and (2) left ventricular inflow and/or outflow obstruction. A high incidence (9/19=47.4%) of ventriculo-infundibular malalignment type of ventricular septal defect with subaortic stenosis was observed. Associated cardiac lesions that reduce blood flow in the aortic arch during fetal life may be responsible for poor development of this structure.     

Abscisic acid signaling through cyclic ADP-ribose in hydroid regeneration

Cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) is an intracellular calcium (Ca(2+)(i)) mobilizer involved in fundamental cell functions from protists to higher plants and mammals. Biochemical similarities between the drought-signaling cascade in plants and the temperature-sensing pathway in marine sponges suggest an ancient evolutionary origin of a signaling cascade involving the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA), cADPR, and Ca(2+)(i). In Eudendrium racemosum (Hydrozoa, Cnidaria), exogenously added ABA stimulated ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity via a protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated phosphorylation and increased regeneration in the dark to levels observed under light conditions. Light stimulated endogenous ABA synthesis, which was conversely inhibited by the inhibitor of plant ABA synthesis Fluridone. The signal cascade of light-induced regeneration uncovered in E. racemosum: light --> increasing ABA --> PKA --> cyclase activation --> increasing [cADPR](i) --> increasing [Ca(2+)](i) --> regeneration is the first report of a complete signaling pathway in Eumetazoa involving a phytohormone.     

Rapid desensitization for brentuximab vedotin (Adceteris<Superscript>®</Superscript>) allergy: a case report

Background

Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is an antibody–drug conjugate formed by an anti-CD30 chimeric IgG₁ conjugated with monomethyl-auristatin-E. BV targets the CD30⁺ cells, which characterize Hodgkin lymphoma as well as anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Once bound to the CD30⁺ cells BV exerts its cytotoxic effect via the monomethyl-auristatin-E moiety. So far, accounts on immediate adverse reactions to BV remain anecdotal. Moreover, few reports exist on desensitization for BV.

Case presentation

A 20-year old male patient was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in July 2014. The first line treatment with adriblastine, bleomicine, vinblastine and dacarbazine lead to a partial remission. Thus, a treatment with BV was started. However, during the second BV infusion, he developed generalized urticaria and dyspnea. In order not to discontinue the treatment with BV, we performed a thorough allergological workup and designed a 12-step rapid desensitization protocol. Overall the desensitization procedure was well tolerated and no major adverse reactions occurred.

Conclusion

Rapid desensitization is a suitable and safe option in the case of BV allergy and prevents the BV treatment withdrawal.

     

Cs+ Uptake in Subapical Maize Root Segments: Mechanism and Effects on H+ Release, Transmembrane Electric Potential and Cell pH

Subapical segments from maize (Zea mays) root took up Cs⁺; atlow external concentrations (     

Effect of aeration and agitation on extractive fermentation of clavulanic acid by using aqueous two‐phase system

In this work, the effects of agitation and aeration rates on aqueous two‐phase system (ATPS)‐based extractive fermentation of clavulanic acid (CA) by Streptomyces variabilis DAUFPE 3060 were investigated through a 2² full factorial design, where oxygen transfer rate (OTR) and oxygen uptake rate (OUR) were selected as the responses. Aeration rates significantly influenced cell growth, OUR, and CA yield, while OTR was practically the same in all the runs. Under the intermediate agitation (950 rpm) and aeration conditions (3.5 vvm) of the central point runs, it was achieved OTR of 1.617 ± 0.049 mmol L^?1 h^?1, OUR of 0.132 ± 0.030 mmol L^?1 h^?1, maximum CA production of 434 ± 4 mg L^?1, oxygen mass transfer coefficient of 33.40 ± 2.01 s^?1, partition coefficient of 66.5 ± 1.5, CA yield in the top and bottom phases of 75% ± 2% and 19% ± 1%, respectively, mass balance of 95% ± 4% and purification factor of 3.8 ± 0.1. These results not only confirmed the paramount role of O₂ supply, broth composition and operational conditions in CA ATPS‐extractive fermentation, but also demonstrated the possibility of effectively using this technology as a cheap tool to simultaneously produce and recover CA. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:1444–1452, 2016     

Impaired renal functional reserve and albuminuria in essential hypertension

The stimulatory effects of an infusion of amino acids on glomerular filtration rate has previously been used to measure renal functional reserve and detect glomerular hyperfiltration. Thirty four patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension and seemingly normal renal function and 22 healthy controls were given infusions of amino acids to investigate whether renal functional reserve is reduced in essential hypertension and to detect patients at risk of renal damage. Although basal creatinine clearance increased after the infusion of amino acids in the controls (mean 27·9 ml/min; 95% confidence interval 18·2 to 37·6), the overall change was lower in the patients (mean 13·4 ml/min; 8·3 to 18·5), 11 of the 34 showing no increase at all. In these 11 non-responders the mean systolic blood pressure was higher than that in the 23 others (178·5 mm Hg v 157 mm Hg, respectively). Mean urinary albumin excretion was abnormal in the patients (93·3 mg/24 h; 44·2 to 142·4); eight of the 11 non-responders had an albumin excretion above the normal range (>20 mg/24 h). In the 11 patients without renal functional reserve a positive correlation was found between basal creatinine clearance and albumin excretion (r=0·695).As consumed renal reserve and albuminuria are markers of glomerular hyperfiltration studying renal function before and after infusion of amino acids can detect hypertensive patients at risk of progressive renal damage.     

Conformation and Orientation of Gramicidin a in Oriented Phospholipid Bilayers Measured by Solid State Carbon-13 NMR

Three analogues of the helical ionophore gramicidin A have been synthesized with ¹³C-labeled carbonyls (¹³C=O) incorporated at either Gly², Ala³, or Val⁷. A fourth compound incorporated ¹³C at both the carbonyl and α-carbon of Gly² within the same molecule. These labels were studied using solid-state, proton-enhanced, ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in hydrated dispersions of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC)-gramicidin A. The dispersions were aligned on glass coverslips whose orientation to the magnetic field could be varied through 180°. The orientation dependence of the NMR spectrum was used to obtain an accurate measurement of the ¹³C chemical shift anisotropy (CSA), and in the case of the fourth compound, the ¹³C—¹³C dipolar coupling constant. From the measured CSA and estimates of the orientation of the ¹³C shielding tensor, we are able to determine the direction of the ¹³C=O bonds and to compare these with the predictions of the various reported models for the configuration of gramicidin A in phospholipid bilayers. Our results are consistent with the left-handed ππ^6.3_LD single-stranded helix (Urry, D. W., J. T. Walker, and T. L. Trapane. 1982. J. Membr. Biol. 69:225-231). The right-handed ππ^6.3_LD single-stranded helix observed for gramicidin A in sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles (Arseniev, A. S., I. L. Barsukov, V. F. Bystrov, A. L. Loize, and Yu A. Ovchinnikov. 1985. FEBS (Fed. Eur. Biochem. Soc.) Lett. 186:168-174) yields a poorer fit to the data. However, the width of the carbonyl resonances suggests a distribution of molecular geometries possibly resulting from a spread in the helix pitch and handedness. Double-stranded helices and β sheet structures are excluded. In dispersions in which the lipid is in the L_α phase, the gramicidin A undergoes rapid reorientation about an axis which is centered on the normal to the plane of the coverslips. When the supporting lipid is in the L_β′ phase the helices are rigid on the timescale of ¹³C-NMR. The configuration of gramicidin A is unaltered by L_α-L_β′ phase transition of the bilayer lipid.