scholarly journals Biocatalyzed Flow Oxidation of Tyrosol to Hydroxytyrosol and Efficient Production of Their Acetate Esters

Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1142
Author(s):  
Francesca Annunziata ◽  
Martina L. Contente ◽  
Cecilia Pinna ◽  
Lucia Tamborini ◽  
Andrea Pinto

Tyrosol (Ty) and hydroxytyrosol (HTy) are valuable dietary phenolic compounds present in olive oil and wine, widely used for food, nutraceutical and cosmetic applications. Ty and HTy are endowed with a number of health-related biological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. In this work, we developed a sustainable, biocatalyzed flow protocol for the chemo- and regio-selective oxidation of Ty into HTy catalyzed by free tyrosinase from Agaricus bisporus in a gas/liquid biphasic system. The aqueous flow stream was then in-line extracted to recirculate the water medium containing the biocatalyst and the excess ascorbic acid, thus improving the cost-efficiency of the process and creating a self-sufficient closed-loop system. The organic layer was purified in-line through a catch-and-release procedure using supported boronic acid that was able to trap HTy and leave the unreacted Ty in solution. Moreover, the acetate derivatives (TyAc and HTyAc) were produced by exploiting a bioreactor packed with an immobilized acyltransferase from Mycobacterium smegmatis (MsAcT), able to selectively act on the primary alcohol. Under optimized conditions, high-value HTy was obtained in 75% yield, whereas TyAc and HTyAc were isolated in yields of up to 80% in only 10 min of residence time.

Coronaviruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaurav Dhiman

: In this letter, the psychological impact of COVID-19 on cancer infected patients is discussed. Cancer is a serious health-related problem in the human body nowadays. The 2019 pandemic of coronavirus disease has developed into an unheard-of pandemic. Given the havoc wreaked by this pathogen worldwide, many countries have implemented a severe, legally enforced method of social distancing, in the form of a lockdown. Unless adequate preventive measures are taken, the cost of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown can prove to be irreparable. The obvious consequences of this lockout, such as the escalating levels of unemployment, imminent economic crisis, and extreme food scarcity faced by the sudden unemployed migrant labour population, have been widely reported. Cancer patients are a highly vulnerable group even during non-pandemic periods, often presenting late in the course of their illness, without the services required to avail recommended care. The incidence of psychological complications and emotional distress is considerably higher than in the general population, and the trauma of both the pandemic and subsequent lockdown contributes significantly to their mental trauma. This analysis is geared at solving the challenges faced by cancer patients in the face of this pandemic and subsequent lockdown, with a look at potential solutions that can be enforced.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Sola Aluko-Arowolo, ◽  
Saheed Akinmayowa Lawal ◽  
Isaac A. Adedeji ◽  
Ebun O. Oduwole ◽  
Victor Kolo

In connection with the global prevalence of prostate cancer, the incidence of prostate cancer in Nigeria is an emerging burden that requires urgent attention. While most health policies have focused on the female gender and children, it has left most men at significant risk of health problems and challenges which are dire. In the general context of cancer and its predominance in the population of people aged 40 and over, middle aged and older men have been found to be increasingly at risk. Hence the paper examines the dimension of prostate cancer in rural Nigeria. Although socio-cultural and economic factors play significant role in the health-related decisions of the human population, the paper discusses the cultural interpretations associated with prostate cancer. It also engages previous studies being a review paper on the cost and care for people affected with the disease. In conclusion, the lack of commensurate coping resources, rural dwellers are disproportionally impacted, both by the disease and the socio-economic burdens of prostate cancer, hence the need for more policies/action to address prostate cancer prevalence and incidence in rural areas of Nigeria


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Olha Mykhailenko ◽  
Vilma Petrikaite ◽  
Michal Korinek ◽  
Fang-Rong Chang ◽  
Mohamed El-Shazly ◽  
...  

Crocus sativus L. (saffron) has been traditionally used as a food coloring or flavoring agent, but recent research has shown its potent pharmacological activity to tackle several health-related conditions. Crocus sp. leaves, and petals are the by-products of saffron production and are not usually used in the medicine or food industries. The present study was designed to determine the chemical composition of the water and ethanolic extracts of C. sativus leaves and test their cytotoxic activity against melanoma (IGR39) and triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cell lines by MTT assay. We also determined their anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral activities. HPLC fingerprint analysis showed the presence of 16 compounds, including hydroxycinnamic acids, xanthones, flavonoids, and isoflavonoids, which could contribute to the extracts’ biological activities. For the first time, compounds such as tectoridin, iristectorigenin B, nigricin, and irigenin were identified in Crocus leaf extracts. The results showed that mangiferin (up to 2 mg/g dry weight) and isoorientin (8.5 mg/g dry weight) were the major active ingredients in the leaf extracts. The ethanolic extract reduced the viability of IGR39 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells with EC50 = 410 ± 100 and 330 ± 40 µg/mL, respectively. It was more active than the aqueous extract. Kaempferol and quercetin were identified as the most active compounds. Our results showed that Crocus leaves contain secondary metabolites with potent cytotoxic and antioxidant activities.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pricyllia

The 1930s was the heyday of the Indonesian sugarindustry that is capable of exporting to manycountries and has become the country an exporterof sugar to two after Cuba, but the situation isreversed since 1967 in which Indonesia wouldimport sugar from Brazil, India, and Thailand inorder to meet the needs raw material consumptionand food and beverage industry. The resultsshowed that the cost of sugar production isvery uneconomical because of inefficiency thatstretches from the cultivation to processing inthe factory so difficult to obtain profit margins.Target and beyond sugar self-sufficiency can notbe achieved because highly regulated, there is nosynergy and tends to conflicts of interests amongministries or agencies, and internal conflicts oftenoccur between the sugar mill and the disharmonybetween sugarcane farmers by the sugar millofficials.In the competition of the sugar industry aremore stringent, in the era of the Asean EconomicCommunity, it means the level of efficiency of sugarfactories in the country need special attention,the same thing also applies to industrial users ofsugar, and sugar as a raw material componentscontribute to the creation of products food andbeverage efficient so as to compete with similarproducts from other countries. Observing howthe intense competition in the Asean EconomicCommunity is based on free trade, the yield ofsugar that’s a cost efficient production is veryimportant and urgent at this time, including workto improve the welfare of farmers.


Author(s):  
Malina Jordanova

Brought to life by contemporary changes of our world, e-health offers enormous possibilities. In the World Health Organization’s World Health Assembly resolution on e-health, WHO has defined e-health as the cost-effective and secure use of information and communication technologies in support of health and health-related fields, including healthcare services, health surveillance, health literature, and health education (WHO, 2005). It is impossible to have a detailed view of its potential as e-health affects the entire health sector and is a viable tool to provide routine, as well as specialized, health services. It is able to improve both the access to, and the standard of, health care. The aim of the chapter is to focus on how e-health can help in closing one gap - optimizing patient care. The examples included and references provided are ready to be introduced in practice immediately. Special attention is dedicated to cost effectiveness of e-health applications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (10) ◽  
pp. 476-479
Author(s):  
Laran Chetty

Background: The purpose of this project was to evaluate both health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and cost-utility associated with care for employees with musculoskeletal disorders who received vocational physiotherapy at a North London National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom. Methods: A pre- and post-physiotherapy EuroQol 5 Dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire was administered to employees presenting to the vocational physiotherapy service (VPS) with musculoskeletal disorders. The cost-utility analysis of the physiotherapy service was calculated using cost data provided by VPS billing information and benefits measured using Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs). Findings: Overall, there was a significant improvement in the EQ-5D index from baseline to discharge in all HRQoL domains. The visual analog scale (VAS) improved from a mean of 31.5 (SD = 18.3) at baseline to 73.2 (SD = 18.5) at discharge. A cost-utility analysis indicated that the VPS would continue to be cost-effective until the cost per employee increased by 82.5%. Conclusion/Application to Practice: The project supports integration of vocational physiotherapy services into an occupational health department.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 27-33
Author(s):  
Sanjeev Chandra Gautam ◽  
Yash Bhattarai

Use of alcohol has been one of the major source of recreation and stress relievers to date and it is one of the most abused substances in the world due to its free availability. The cost that a spouses incur in terms of economic hardships, social isolation and physical strain can be referred to as Spouse Burden. Spouses play an important role inpatient’s support and treatment and with a study like this there might be a better understanding of the problem. A descriptive, cross-Sectional hospital based study was done in 62 patients who met the diagnostic criteria for Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (ICD-10 DCR) and consents were taken from required personnel. Most of the patients examined were in the age group 40 to 60 years of age (72.6%) followed by the age group up to 40 (22.6%). 72.5% of the spouses were up to 40 years of age, followed by spouses of the age group 40-60 (27.5%).Males were the primary alcohol abusers(87%).51.6% of the patients were unemployed and the rest 48.4% was still employed whereas 51.6%of the spouses were employed and the rest48.4% unemployed. 51.6% of the patients were illiterate whereas majority of the spouses were literate(67.7%). There is a significant severity of burden of alcohol dependence syndrome in spouses and these verity of dependence is positively correlated with spouse burden. Financial, spouse routine, spouse interaction, physical and mental health of other members of the family were significantly affected with increase in dependence.


Catalysts ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 428
Author(s):  
Thanawat Phuadraksa ◽  
Jurairat Chittrakanwong ◽  
Kittitouch Tullayaprayouch ◽  
Naruthai Onsirisakul ◽  
Sineewanlaya Wichit ◽  
...  

Serum uric acid (SUA) is an important biomarker for prognosis and management of gout and other diseases. The development of a low-cost, simple, rapid and reliable assay for SUA detection is of great importance. In the present study, to save the cost of enzyme production and to shorten the reaction time for uric acid quantification, bifunctional proteins with uricase and peroxidase activities were engineered. In-frame fusion of Candida utilis uricase (CUOX) and Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb) resulted in two versions of the bifunctional protein, CUOX-VHb (CV) and VHb-CUOX (VC). To our knowledge, this is the first report to describe the production of proteins with uricase and peroxidase activities. Based on the measurement of the initial rates of the coupled reaction (between uricase and peroxidase), CV was proven to be the most efficient enzyme followed by VC and native enzymes (CUOX+VHb), respectively. CV was further applied for the development of an assay for colorimetric detection of SUA, which was based on VHb-catalyzed oxidation of Amplex Red in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Under the optimized conditions, the assay exhibited a linear relationship between the absorbance and UA concentration over the range of 2.5 to 50 μM, with a detection limit of 1 μM. In addition, the assay can be performed at a single pH (8.0) so adjustment of the pH for peroxidase activity was not required. This advantage helped to further reduce costs and time. The developed assay was also successfully applied to detect UA in pooled human serum with the recoveries over 94.8%. These results suggest that the proposed assay holds great potential for clinical application.


Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 849
Author(s):  
Jiroutová ◽  
Mikulík ◽  
Novák ◽  
Strnad ◽  
Oklestkova

We have recently discovered that brassinosteroids (BRs) can inhibit the growth of etiolated pea seedlings dose-dependently in a similar manner to the ‘triple response’ induced by ethylene. We demonstrate here that the growth inhibition of etiolated pea shoots strongly correlates with increases in ethylene production, which also responds dose-dependently to applied BRs. We assessed the biological activities of two natural BRs on pea seedlings, which are excellent material as they grow rapidly, and respond both linearly and uni-phasically to applied BRs. We then compared the BRs’ inhibitory effects on growth, and induction of ethylene and ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid) production, to those of representatives of other phytohormone classes (cytokinins, auxins, and gibberellins). Auxin induced ca. 50-fold weaker responses in etiolated pea seedlings than brassinolide, and the other phytohormones induced much weaker (or opposite) responses. Following the optimization of conditions for determining ethylene production after BR treatment, we found a positive correlation between BR bioactivity and ethylene production. Finally, we optimized conditions for pea growth responses and developed a new, highly sensitive, and convenient bioassay for BR activity.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujiao Wang ◽  
Yingxin Zhang ◽  
Tianyi Jiang ◽  
Jingjing Meng ◽  
Binbin Sheng ◽  
...  

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