Improved Bio-Oil Quality from Pyrolysis of Pine Biomass in Pressurized Hydrogen

The pyrolysis of pine sawdust was carried out in a fixed bed reactor heated from 30 °C to a maximum of 700 °C in atmospheric nitrogen and pressurized hydrogen (5 MPa). The yield, elemental composition, thermal stability, and composition of the two pyrolysis bio-oils were analyzed and compared. The result shows that the oxygen content of the bio-oil (17.16%) obtained under the hydrogen atmosphere was lower while the heating value (31.40 MJ/kg) was higher than those of bio-oil produced under nitrogen atmosphere. Compounds with a boiling point of less than 200 °C account for 63.21% in the bio-oil at pressurized hydrogen atmosphere, with a proportion 14.69% higher than that of bio-oil at nitrogen atmosphere. Furthermore, the hydrogenation promoted the formation of ethyl hexadecanoate (peak area percentage 19.1%) and ethyl octadecanoate (peak area percentage 15.42%) in the bio-oil. Overall, high pressure of hydrogen improved the bio-oil quality derived from the pyrolysis of pine biomass.

Fresh Basil Infusion: Effect of Sous-Vide Heat Treatment on Their Volatile Composition Profile, Sensory Profile, and Color

Herbs, including basil, are used to enhance the flavor of food products around the world. Its potential is influenced by the quality of fresh herbs and processing practices, wherein conditions of heat treatment play an important role. The aim of the research was to determine the effect of sous-vide heat treatment on the volatile compounds profile, sensory quality, and color of basil infusions. The material used for research was aqueous basil infusion prepared conventionally at 100 °C, and using the sous-vide method (65, 75, and 85 °C). The composition of volatile compounds was identified by GC/MS analysis, the sensory profile was assessed using a group of trained panelists, while the color was instrumentally assessed in the CIE Lab system. No significant differences were found in the intensity of the taste and aroma of basil infusions at different temperatures. Seventy headspace volatile compounds were identified in the analyzed samples, ten of which exceeded 2% of relative area percentage. The most abundant compounds were eucalyptol (27.1%), trans-ocimene (11.0%), β-linalool (9.2%), and β-myrcene (6.7%). Most of the identified compounds belonged to the terpenes and alcohols groups. Our findings show that the conventional herbal infusion was more like a sous-vide infusion prepared at the lowest temperature SV65, while SV75 and SV85 were similar to each other but different from the conventional. However, a smaller number of volatile compounds in the samples heated at higher temperatures of sous-vide were identified. The sous-vide samples showed a higher content of alkanes. The sous-vide method (p ≤ 0.05) resulted in darker, less green, and less yellow basil leaves than fresh and traditionally steeped ones. Long heat treatment under vacuum at higher temperatures causes a pronounced change in the aroma composition.

'Silymarin' a Potential Treatment Targeting Hepatic Fibrosis of Schistosomiasis

Background: Despite all treatment and control efforts, schistosomiasis still thrives in humanity. It is endemic in 78 countries that are anchored by poverty and diseases. Until now, the broad-spectrum praziquantel (PZQ) drug is the only effective treatment of choice. However, reports documented some side effects for PZQ like haemorrhage in lung tissues, resistance, and inefficacy to treat fibrotic tissues. Therefore, alternative drugs that help in reducing the undesired effects of schistosomiasis are required. This study examined the efficacy of Silymarin in interfering with the fibrogenesis process using a mouse model. Silymarin is a herbal extract known to have flavonoids and polyphenols that help in reducing the inflammatory reaction, stimulating hepatocyte regeneration, and inhibiting the fibrogenesis process. Methods: A total of thirty adult tBALB/c male mice were divided into negative, chronically infected control and treated groups. All were killed after 18 weeks from the initial infection. Different histopathological investigations and liver function tests were carried out to detect the difference between the groups. Results: Administration of Silymarin exhibited a significant improvement in all associated histopathology with a considerable decline in the area percentage of collagen fibers. It restored the elevated level of serum ALT as well. Conclusion: Silymarin as a treatment for chronic hepatopathies will only be successful if started during the acute phase of the disease.

Study on Meso-Structure Evolution in Granular Matters Based on the Contact Loop Recognition and Determination Technique

On the mesoscopic scale, granular matter is tessellated into contact loops by a contact network. The stability of granular matter is highly dependent on the evolution of contact loops, including the number and area evolutions of contact loops with different geometric shapes (which can reflect the mechanical variables in the macroscale). For the features of numerous loops with complex geometry shapes in contact network images, a contact loop recognition and determination technique was developed in this study. Then, numerical biaxial compression tests were performed by the discrete element method (DEM) to investigate how the meso-structural indexes evolve along with the macro-mechanical indexes. The results show that the proposed Q-Y algorithm is effective in determining the geometric types of contact loops from contact network images. The evolution of contact loops is most active in the hardening stage, during which the number percentages of L3 (loops with three sides) and L6+ (loops with six or more sides) show opposite evolution patterns. For the area percentage, only L6+ increases while others decrease. Considering the meso-structural indexes (number percentage and area percentage of loops) are sensitive to the change of macro-mechanical indexes (deviatoric stress, axial strain, and volumetric strain) in the hardening stage. Multivariate models were established to build a bridge between the meso-structure and the macro-mechanics.

COMBINED USE OF HYALURONIC ACID WITH NANO-BIOACTIVE GLASS ENHANCED BIOCEMENT BASED SILICATE STIMULATED BONE REGENERATIVE CAPACITY IN TIBIAL BONE DEFECTS OF RABBITS: IN-VIVO STUDY

An ideal biomaterial for bone regeneration is a longstanding quest nowadays. This study aimed to evaluate the osteogenic potentiality of nano-bioactive glass enhanced biocement based silicate with or without hyaluronic acid seeded in rabbits’ tibial bone defects. For this, 24 male rabbits with two 5 mm defects (1 defect per tibia) were divided into three equal groups. Among the predefined three groups, for the rabbits of group 1(control) bone defects were left untreated while for the members of group 2 defects received nano-bioactive glass enhanced biocement based silicate cement, and group 3 defects received nano-bioactive glass cement mixed with hyaluronic acid. Animals of each group were divided equally for euthanization after 3 and 6 weeks. Bone specimens were processed and examined histologically with histomorphometrically analysis of new bone area percentage. The bone defects in group 3 showed significantly improved osseous healing histologically as compared to the group 1&2. The morphometric analysis also revealed a significant increase in the new bone area percentage in group 3 as compared to the group 1 and 2 (P < 0.05). The results of the present study can be concluded that bone defects could be treated with nano-bioactive glass and hyaluronic acid cement. Although, nano-bioactive glass alone was capable of bone regeneration the combination of both had significant regenerative capacity.

Synanthropy of dipterans collected in cattle feces in Brazil

Cattle feces accumulated in pastures and stables constitute an especially favorable microhabitat for the development of a rich and heterogeneous arthropod fauna. This study determined the species of Diptera of Medical, Veterinary and Agricultural importance present in forest, rural and urban areas in the municipality of Monte Alegre, state Minas Gerais Southeast region, Brazil in the period from March to November 2006. The dipterans pupae were individually placed in glass jars until the emergence of the dipterans. A total of 372 dipteran pupae were collected, 107 in the forest area, 194 in the rural area and 71 in the urban area. Percentage of dipterans in forest, rural and urban areas were 28.7%, 52.2% and 19.1%, respectively. Sorcophagula occidua (Fabricius, 1794) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) was the most frequent species with 42.2%. Regarding the synanthropy index of the species Archisepsis scabra (Loew, 1861) (Diptera: Sepsidae) Palaeosepsis pusio (Schiner, 1868) (Diptera: Sepsidae), Brontaea quadristigma (Thomson, 1869) (Diptera: Muscidae) and S. occidua presented an index of 16.0%, - 64%, +18.4% and +7.7%, respectively. Dipterans constitute the adequate model for the study of synanthropy, not only for their ecological importance, but also for their medical-sanitary aspect.

Is Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Antagonism After Ischemia Effective in Alleviating Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rats?

Aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AhRs) have been reported to be important mediators of ischemic injury in the brain. Furthermore, the pharmacological inhibition of AhR activation after ischemia has been shown to attenuate cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Here, we investigated whether AhR antagonist administration after ischemia was also effective in ameliorating hepatic IR injury. A 70% partial hepatic IR (45-minute ischemia and 24-hour reperfusion) injury was induced in rats. We administered 6,2',4'-trimethoxyflavone (TMF, 5 mg/kg) intraperitoneally 10 minutes after ischemia. Hepatic IR injury was observed using serum, magnetic resonance imaging-based liver function indices, and liver samples. TMF-treated rats showed significantly lower relative enhancement (RE) values and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase levels than did untreated rats at three hours after reperfusion. After 24 hours of reperfusion, TMF-treated rats had significantly lower RE values, ΔT1 values, serum ALT levels, and necrotic area percentage than did untreated rats. The expression of the apoptosis-related proteins, Bax and cleaved caspase-3, was significantly lower in TMF-treated rats than in untreated rats. This study demonstrated that inhibition of AhR activation after ischemia was effective in ameliorating IR-induced liver injury in rats.

Pioglitazone combined with atorvastatin promotes plaque stabilization in a rabbit model

Objective It is not yet clear whether plaque inflammation and cardiovascular events are reduced further when pioglitazone and atorvastatin are combined. Our study aimed to determine whether pioglitazone combined with atorvastatin can restrain the progression of atherosclerosis and promote plaque stabilization in a rabbit model Method and Result Thirty rabbits were randomly divided into an atherosclerosis group, an atorvastatin group, and an atorvastatin plus pioglitazone group. The atherosclerosis model was induced using balloon injury and feeding a high-fat diet. Plasma samples were then used to analyze glucose, triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). The area percentage of atherosclerotic plaques was analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The relative reductions in TG and LDL-C and the increase in HDL-C levels were significantly greater in the combination therapy group than in the atorvastatin monotherapy group (TG: −33.60 ± 7.17% vs −24.16 ± 8.04%, p < 0.001; LDL-C: −42.89 ± 1.63% vs −37.13 ± 1.35%, p < 0.001; and HDL-C: 25.18 ± 5.53% vs 10.43 ± 6.31%, p < 0.001). The relative reductions in hs-CRP and MMP-9 levels were significantly greater in the combination therapy group than in the atorvastatin monotherapy group (−69.38 ± 1.06% vs-53.73 ± 1.92%, p < 0.001; −32.77 ± 2.49% vs −13.36 ± 1.66%, p < 0.001). The area percentage of atherosclerotic plaques was significantly smaller in the atorvastatin group (47.75%, p < 0.05) and in the atorvastatin plus pioglitazone group (22.57%, p < 0.05) than in the atherosclerosis group (84.08%, p < 0.05) Conclusion We can thus conclude that the combination treatment of atorvastatin and pioglitazone provided additive benefits on inflammatory parameters and lipid metabolism. Pioglitazone combined with atorvastatin can further restrain the progression of atherosclerosis and promote plaque stabilization in a rabbit model.

CRKL, AIFM3, AIF, BCL2 and UBASH3A during Human Kidney Development

We aimed to investigate the spatio-temporal expression of possible CAKUT candidate genes CRKL, AIFM3, and UBASH3A, as well as AIF and BCL2 during human kidney development. Human fetal kidney tissue was stained with antibodies and analyzed by fluorescence microscopy and RT-PCR. Quantification of positive cells was assessed by calculation of area percentage and counting cells in nephron structures. Results showed statistically significant differences in the temporal expression patterns of the examined markers, depending on the investigated developmental stage. Limited but strong expression of CRKL was seen in developing kidneys, with increasing expression up to the period where the majority of nephrons are formed. Results also lead us to conclude that AIFM3 and AIF are important for promoting cell survival, but only AIFM3 is considered a CAKUT candidate gene due to the lack of AIF in nephron developmental structures. Our findings imply great importance of AIFM3 in energy production in nephrogenesis and tubular maturation. UBASH3A raw scores showed greater immunoreactivity in developing structures than mature ones which would point to a meaningful role in nephrogenesis. The fact that mRNA and proteins of CRKL, UBASH3A, and AIFM3 were detected in all phases of kidney development implies their role as renal development control genes.