Effects of M/G Ratios of Sodium Alginate on Physicochemical Stability and Calcium Release Behavior of Pickering Emulsion Stabilized by Calcium Carbonate

The gel properties of sodium alginate (SA) have been revealed to be strongly correlated with its ratio of D-mannuronate to L-guluronate (M/G ratio). Herein, we focused on SA with different M/G ratios to conduct an in-depth study on the effect of the M/G ratio difference on physicochemical stability and calcium release behavior of the Pickering emulsion stabilized by calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The oil phase was added to the aqueous phase, prepared by SA with different M/G ratios (2.23, 0.89, and 0.56) and CaCO3, for one-step shearing to obtain the E1, E2, and E3 emulsions, respectively. The results of the particle size, microstructure, long-term stability, rheological, and microrheological properties of the emulsions showed that the E3 emulsion, prepared by SA with a smaller M/G ratio, had a smaller particle size and has remained in a flow condition during the long-term storage, while the E1 and E2 emulsions had a gelation behavior and a stronger viscoelasticity. Moreover, the emulsion, as a liquid calcium supplement, is not only convenient for oral intake while meeting the calcium needs of the body, but also controls the release of Ca2+. The calcium release of the emulsions in a simulated gastric environment demonstrated that the calcium release ratio increased with the decrease of SA concentration, with the increase of M/G ratio, and with the decrease of oil phase volume.

Predictive Factors of Medium-Large Coronary Artery Aneurysm in Children with Acute Kawasaki Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: The severity of the cardiac complications resulting from Kawasaki disease (KD) appears to be directly correlated to the magnitude of the coronary artery aneurysm (CAA). However, there remains some unclear about the risk factors for medium-large CAA identified after acute KD.Methods: We analyzed 90 patients diagnosed with CAA in KD hospitalized from January 2013 through August 2021. Patients were stratified based on the coronary artery z-score adjusted for body surface area as the medium-large CAA group and small-sized CAA group. The association of baseline characteristics was investigated within the groups. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate potential risk factors associated with medium-large CAA development.Results: In total, 353 pediatric cases with KD were investigated during the study period, of whom 90 (25.5%) presented with CAA, including medium-large CAA in 20 patients (5.7%) after acute KD. The medium-large CAA group showed significantly higher Harada risk scores, the incidence of thrombosis, serum globulin concentration values, proportions of C-reactive protein > 40 mg/L, proportions of albumin < 35 g/L, and lower values of albumin-to-globulin ratio (A/G ratio) than those in the small-sized CAA group (P < 0.05). Medium-large CAA was significantly associated with the A/G ratio (odds ratio, 3.503; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.068–11.492). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.684 (95% CI: 0.558–0.810), and the cutoff point of 1.35 showed a sensitivity and specificity for predicting medium-large CAA of 80% and 59%, respectively.Conclusions: A lower A/G ratio independently predicts medium-large CAA in patients with KD. Medium-large CAA is associated with greater odds of developing thrombosis. Thus, close monitoring with routine echocardiography is recommended.

Evaluation of Kraft pulp yield and syringyl/guaiacyl ratio from standing trees (Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. urophylla, Leucaena leucocephala and Casuarina junghuhniana) using portable near infrared spectroscopy

Measurement of pulpwood traits from a standing tree has considerable advantage when screening large populations for tree selection. It reduces time and also eliminates requirements of transport, powdering, and storing the sample. This study describes estimation of Kraft pulp yield (KPY) in Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. urophylla, Leucaena leucocephala, and Casuarina junghuhniana by portable NIR spectroscopy of standing trees. Calibration models were developed for KPY estimation using portable NIR spectroscopy for the four species, along with a calibration model for syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) ratio in E. camaldulensis. The calibration models for KPY showed R2 values ranging from 0.93 ( E. camaldulensis) to 0.83 ( L. leucocephala), and 0.95 for S/G ratio. The developed calibration models for E. camaldulensis and L. leucocephala were compared with laboratory NIR models, and a variation of <±2.0% was found between both methods. The models were validated by both external and cross validation which showed <2.0% RMSEP (root mean square error of prediction) and <2.0% RMECV (root mean square error of cross validation) in external and cross validations, respectively.

Targeting Proteinase Activated Receptor-4 Reduces Mechanonociception During the Acute Inflammatory Phase but not the Chronic Neuropathic Phase of Osteoarthritis in Rats

Serine proteases are elevated in arthritic joints where they can cleave protease activated receptors (PARs) to modulate pain and inflammation. Activation of protease-activated receptor 4 (PAR4) has been implicated in inflammatory joint pain. Whether PAR4 is involved in osteoarthritis (OA) pain has not yet been explored. The aim of this study was to compare the role of PAR4 in modulating early versus late stage OA pain using two models of OA viz. monoiodoacetate (MIA) and medial meniscal transection (MMT). G-ratio calculation and electron microscopy analysis revealed saphenous nerve demyelination and structural damage during late stage but not early OA in both models. Using immunohistochemistry, neuronal expression of PAR4 was higher in early versus late OA. Systemic administration of the PAR4 antagonist pepducin P4pal10 reduced both secondary allodynia (von Frey hair algesiometry) and joint nociceptor firing (single unit recordings) in MMT and MIA animals compared to vehicle-treated animals in early OA. The PAR4 antagonist was ineffective at altering pain or joint afferent firing in post-inflammatory OA. During the acute phase of the models, joint inflammation as determined by laser speckle contrast analysis and intravital microscopy could be partially blocked by pepducin P4pal10. Compared to late-stage disease, inflammatory cytokines were elevated in early MIA and MMT rats. These findings suggest that PAR4 may be a viable target to treat the pain of early onset OA or during episodic inflammatory flares.

Recycling REEs from the Waste Products of Silius Mine (SE Sardinia, Italy): A Preliminary Study

The present research represents an approach toward the recycling of extractive waste inspired by circular economy and sustainability that is developed in accordance with Goal 12 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals. A new procedure for the recovery of REEs from fluorite–barite–galena ores with calcite gangue from the Silius mine (Sardinia, Italy) is presented. The considered samples are waste materials of Silius mineralization, collected in the old processing plant of Assemini (near Cagliari). In this orebody, REE minerals consist of prevailing synchysite (a REE-bearing fluorocarbonate) and subordinate xenotime-Y (a Y-bearing phosphate). REE fluorocarbonates are extracted using 50% K2CO3 as the leaching solution, at 100 °C. Using a solution (mL)/sample (g) ratio of 25, about 10% of the total REE content of the considered sample is extracted within 1 h. At the laboratory scale, such alkaline leaching of REE from the waste materials allows the recovery of the CO2 produced as K2CO3 from concentrated KOH, in accordance with a circular flow. Further work is ongoing to scale up the process into a pilot plant, to prove that the method developed within this research can be economically feasible, socially suitable, and environmentally respectful.

Seasonal patterns of growth, alginate content and block structure of the alien invader Sargassum muticum (Fucales, Ochrophyta) from the Atlantic coast of Morocco

In the present study, alginate yield and composition were investigated during the seasonal life cycle of the alien brown alga Sargassum muticum harvested from the Atlantic coast of Morocco. Alginate yield ranged from 11.14% in winter to 25.62% in spring/early summer, coinciding with maximum vegetative growth. Monthly monitoring of the alginate block structure showed that the highest mannuronate (M)/guluronate (G) ratio was recorded during the maximum development of S. muticum, before sexual maturity and during resumption of vegetative growth, giving maximum flexibility to the alga. The unusually high molar monad fractions (FG) and dyad fractions (FGG) of guluronic acid in late summer/early autumn appeared to be related to stiffness of senescent thalli. Rheological characterisation showed that the alginate of S. muticum exhibited pseudoplastic behaviour, with the highest apparent viscosities measured in late summer/early autumn when the G blocks dominated the alginate structure. This study suggests that S. muticum could be exploited as an alginophyte for commercial applications. The best harvest time is May-June, which corresponds to the highest alginate yield, maximum thallus growth, and largely completed sexual reproduction, ensuring sustainable exploitation of the species.

Influence of dressing strategy on tool wear and performance behavior in grinding of forming tools with toric grinding pins

The performance of grinding tools in grinding processes and the resulting surface and subsurface properties depend on various factors. The condition of the grinding tool after dressing is one of these factors. However, the influence of the dressing process on the condition of the grinding tool depends on the selected process parameters and is difficult to predict. Therefore, this paper presents an approach to describe the influence of the dressing process on tool wear of toric grinding pins and the resulting subsurface modification. For this purpose, toric grinding pins with a vitrified bond were dressed with two different strategies and the wear and operational behavior were investigated when grinding AISI M3:2 tool steel with two different grinding strategies. In general, the investigations have shown that the dressing process influences the performance and wear behavior differently depending on the grinding strategy used. The degree of clogging is influenced by the geometric contact sizes. In the case of small engagement cross sections with simultaneously large contact lengths the thermal tool load is distributed over a small annular area of the tool and favors clogging. Crushing and additional transverse loading of the grains result in an almost clog-free tool surface. This also leads to a lower G-ratio. Crushing leads to an intensified decrease of the torus radii. The influence of the dressing strategy can also be observed in the induced residual stresses. Toric grinding pins dressed by crushing induce lower compressive residual stresses into the workpiece, which can be attributed to the self-sharpening effect. This effect reduces the mechanical and thermomechanical load of the workpiece during machining.

Exercise rather than fluoxetine promotes oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination in the hippocampus in a male mouse model of depression

Although selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) systems have been meaningfully linked to the clinical phenomena of mood disorders, 15–35% of patients do not respond to multiple SSRI interventions or even experience an exacerbation of their condition. As we previously showed, both running exercise and fluoxetine reversed depression-like behavior. However, whether exercise reverses depression-like behavior more quickly than fluoxetine treatment and whether this rapid effect is achieved via the promotion of oligodendrocyte differentiation and/or myelination in the hippocampus was previously unknown. Sixty male C57BL/6 J mice were used in the present study. We subjected mice with unpredictable chronic stress (UCS) to a 4-week running exercise trial (UCS + RN) or intraperitoneally injected them with fluoxetine (UCS + FLX) to address these uncertainties. At the behavioral level, mice in the UCS + RN group consumed significantly more sugar water in the sucrose preference test (SPT) at the end of the 7th week than those in the UCS group, while those in the UCS + FLX group consumed significantly more sugar water than mice in the UCS group at the end of the 8th week. The unbiased stereological results and immunofluorescence analyses revealed that running exercise, and not fluoxetine treatment, increased the numbers of CC1+ and CC1+/Olig2+/BrdU+ oligodendrocytes in the CA1 subfield in depressed mice exposed to UCS. Moreover, running exercise rather than fluoxetine increased the level of myelin basic protein (MBP) and the G-ratio of myelinated nerve fibers in the CA1 subfield in the UCS mouse model. Unlike fluoxetine, exercise promoted hippocampal myelination and oligodendrocyte differentiation and thus has potential as a therapeutic strategy to reduce depression-like behaviors induced by UCS.

Rheological behavior of honey adulterated with agave, maple, corn, rice and inverted sugar syrups

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of different adulteration agents (agave, maple, corn, rice and inverted sugar) on honey rheology. There was studied the influence of different percentages of adulteration agent on steady state and dynamic state rheology but also on rheology in the negative temperature domain. The authentic honey and adulterated ones behaved as a Newtonian fluid with a liquid-like behavior (Gʺ>>Gʹ). Regarding the physicochemical parameters analyzed (moisture and sugar content), significant changes depending on the adulteration agent/degree used were observed. The viscoelastical parameters (η*—complex viscosity, Gʹ —elastic modulus and Gʺ—viscous modulus) and glass transition temperature (Tg) were predicted in function of the chemical composition (moisture content, glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, raffinose, trehalose, turanose, melesitose, and F/G ratio) using the PLS-R (partial least square regression). All parameters analyzed had a high regression coefficient for calibration (> 0.810) and validation (> 0.790), except for the elastic modulus.

Effective Antioxidant activity of Phytic acid Prevents Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Infarction in Albino wistar Rats

This study aimed to evaluate the preventive effect of phytic acid on cardiac markers, blood glucose, total proteins, albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio, serum uric acid, serum iron, and plasma iron binding capacity in isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial infarction (MI) in male Wistar rats. Rats subcutaneously injected with ISO (85 mg/kg) at an interval of 24 h for 2 days showed a significant increase in the degrees of cardiac troponin T (cTnT), intensity of the bands of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)-isoenzyme (LDH1 and LDH2) and the activities of cardiac marker enzymes such as creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) in serum with subsequent decrease in the activities of CK, LDH, AST and ALT in the heart. ISO-induced rats showed a significant increase in blood glucose, serum uric acid, serum iron and a decrease in the levels of total proteins, A/G ratio and iron binding capacity. Pretreatment with phytic acid (25 and 50 mg/kg) daily for a period of 56 days positively altered the levels of cTnT, intensity of the bands of the LDH1 and LDH2-isoenzyme and the activities of cardiac marker enzymes, and other biochemical parameters. Thus, phytic acid possess cardioprotective effect in ISO-induced oxidative stress in rats.