Green tea protects cytoskeleton from oxidative injury in cardiomyocytes

Cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury results in oxidative stress and poor physiological recovery. Episodes of hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) cause some subtle functional and structural alterations in sarcolemma, mithocondria, sarcoplasmic reticulum, nucleus, as well as cytoskeleton. In this report, by using cultured rat cardiomyocytes and laser confocal microscopy we have verified the possibility to counteract cytoskeleton alterations induced by H/R with the supplementation of an antioxidant agent, a green tea extract (GTE), and compared its effects to those of alpha-tocopherol. Moreover the effects of GTE on cell viability and cytosolic antioxidant activity have been evaluated. H/R induced myocardial damage occurs as histological alterations such as degeneration and disorganization of the cytoskeleton and loss of structural integrity of the nucleus. GTE supplementation increases cytosolic antioxidant activity and shows protective effects on cardiomyocyte cytoarchitecture and viability.     

Determination of 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol in wines by LC-MS-MS and HPLC-DAD-fluorescence

Volatile phenols produced by Brettanomyces dekkera have been associate with off-flavors of wines. A versatile liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry together with an HPLC-DAD-fluorescence methods were developed for the quantitation of two phenols, 4-ethylphenol (4EP) and 4-ethylguaiacol (4EG), in red and white wines. For LC-MS-MS analysis, fortified wines were directly injected after a dilution with methanol, and levels of phenols were measured by monitoring the multiple reaction (MRM) transitions of precursor ions mass charge (m/z) 121 --> 106 for 4EP and (m/z) 151 --> 136 for 4EG. Qualitative and quantitative confirmation data were acquired simultaneously by monitoring alternative MRM transitions following an external standard method. Calibration was linear over a working range of 10 and 5000 microg/L. Limit of determination (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 10 and 50 microg/L for both 4EG and 4EP. HPLC analysis phenols were separated with a gradient system of acetonitrile-water and detected using a diode array detector (DAD) at 280 nm, and for the fluorescence analysis, excitation and emission wavelengths of 260 and 305 nm were used. Quantitative analysis of 4EP and 4EG was performed by the standard addition method to avoid matrix interferences. Calibration was linear over a concentration range from 10 to 5000 microg/L for HPLC-DAD, from 1 to 10,000 microg/L for 4EP, and from 10 to 10,000 for 4EG for fluorescence analysis. LOD and LOQ for the DAD analysis were 10 and 50 microg/L for both 4EG and 4EP. For fluorescence analysis, LOD and LOQ were 1 and 5 microg/L for 4EP and 10 and 50, respectively, for 4EG. The proposed methods can be easily used for the qualitative and quantitative determination of 4EP and 4EG in wines affected by microbial contamination with yeasts of the Brettanomyces genus.     

Quantitative characterization of flavonoid compounds in Rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) by LC-UV/DAD

Rooibos tea originates from the leaves and stems of the indigenous South African plant Aspalathus linearis. It has gained much attention for clinical purposes in the case of nervous tension, allergies (dermatitis), and various indigestive problems. Recently, antioxidative activity was also attributed to the tea on the basis of its flavonoid content. Therefore, an HPLC method using a C(18) reversed phase column was developed for the assay of 10 flavonoids in aqueous and methanolic infusions. Main compounds determined were the dihydrochalcone aspalthin, rutin, and orientin, and their content was in the range of 1.0 to 1.3 mg/g. The identity of detected flavonoids was confirmed by comparing their retention times and UV and MS spectra with those of corresponding standards. In addition, the MS analysis showed evidence of the presence of other compounds such as nothofagin, dihydroisoorientin, and dihydroorientin.     

Analysis of the contribution of Mesoamerican and Andean gene pools to European common bean (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phaseolus vulgaris</Emphasis> L.) germplasm and strategies to establish a core collection

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) was introduced in Europe from both Mesoamerican and Andean centres of origin. In this study, a collection including 544 accessions from all European regions showed that the Andean phaseolin types ‘T’ (45.6%) and ‘C’ (30.7%) prevailed over the Mesoamerican ones ‘S’ (23.7%), and accessions with cuboid seed shape (34.9%), maroon coat darker colour seed (44.3%), uniform seed colour (69.6%) were the most frequent. European accessions with phaseolin ‘S’ showed a significantly larger average seed size compared to those from America in the same phaseolin class while those presenting ‘T’ and ‘C’ phaseolin did not. This suggests that, during crop expansion in Europe, sampling or selection favoured the large-seeded races within the Mesoamerican ‘S’ gene pool or, possibly, introgression from Andean germplasm did occur. A core collection was developed using sampling approaches based on the information available in the genebank databases and on phaseolin patterns. Four sampling strategies were used: simple random sampling, and three random-stratified samplings, by logarithm of frequency of accessions by country, by European region, and by phaseolin pattern, respectively. Two sampling strategies resulted in core collections significantly different for phaseolin electrophoretic patterns from the whole collection. Stratification by phaseolin patterns increased the frequency of ‘S’ types (‘C’ type = 33%, ‘T’ type = 5.7% and ‘S’ type = 31.3%). The core collections were validated using seven seed characters, and no significant difference was observed in all strategies. This first developed European bean core collection will help to assess the contribution of the two American gene pools to the European germplasm and their relative importance for breeding purposes.     

Rotenone residues on olives and in olive oil

The disappearance of rotenone on olives under field conditions was studied. The field data showed that rotenone residues on olives decreased with a half-life (t(1/2)) of 4.0 days. After pre-harvest time (10 days) the residues were higher than the maximum residue level fixed in Italy (0.04 mg/kg). Experiments with model systems showed that the mechanism of disappearance of rotenone is not related to evaporation, thermodegradation, or co-distillation, but only to photodegradation. When the olives were processed for oil, the residues in the oil were higher than the residues on the olives by a factor of 2.4-4.8.     

Sulfates in Martian layered terrains: the OMEGA/Mars Express view

The OMEGA/Mars Express hyperspectral imager identified hydrated sulfates on light-toned layered terrains on Mars. Outcrops in Valles Marineris, Margaritifer Sinus, and Terra Meridiani show evidence for kieserite, gypsum, and polyhydrated sulfates. This identification has its basis in vibrational absorptions between 1.3 and 2.5 micrometers. These minerals constitute direct records of the past aqueous activity on Mars.     

Relationship between field resistance to Phytophthora ramorum and constitutive phenolic chemistry of coast live oak

Sudden oak death, caused by Phytophthora ramorum, has resulted in high levels of coast live oak (CLO) mortality. However, some CLO survive in areas with high disease pressure and may thus be resistant. We tested the hypothesis that such field‐resistant trees contain constitutively higher levels of phenolics than susceptible trees. Phloem was sampled from the trunks of two groups of trees (one previously inoculated, one naturally infected with P. ramorum) categorized over the course of several years as putatively resistant (PR, no symptoms), in remission (IR, showed symptoms but then recovered) and symptomatic (S). Individual and total soluble phenolics from these trees were quantified. There were no significant differences in individual or total soluble phenolics between groups of naturally infected trees. However, inoculated PR and IR trees were characterized by higher constitutive levels of ellagic acid, a tyrosol derivative, and an unidentified phenolic than S trees. Ellagic acid and tyrosol‐like compounds in CLO phloem are promising resistance biomarker candidates.     

Lumichrome and phenyllactic acid as chemical markers of thistle (Galactites tomentosa Moench) honey

HPLC-DAD-MS/MS chromatograms of thistle (Galactites tomentosa Moench) unifloral honeys, previously selected by sensory evaluation and melissopalynological analysis, showed high levels of two compounds. One was characterized as phenyllactic acid, a common acid found in honeys, but the other compound was very unusual for honeys. This compound was extracted from honey with ethyl acetate and purified by SPE using C(18), SiOH, and NH(2) phases. Its structure was elucidated on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR experiments as well as HPLC-MS/MS and Q-TOF analysis, and it was identified as lumichrome (7,8-dimethylalloxazine). Lumichrome is known to be the main product of degradation obtained in acid medium from riboflavin (vitamin B(2)), and this is the first report of the presence of lumichrome in honeys. Analysis of the G. tomentosa raw honey and flowers extracts confirmed the floral origin of this compound. The average amount of lumichrome in thistle honey was 29.4 ± 14.9 mg/kg, while phenyllactic acid was 418.6 ± 168.9 mg/kg. Lumichrome, along with the unusual high level of phenyllactic acid, could be used as a marker for the botanical classification of unifloral thistle (G. tomentosa) honey.     

Determination of Biological Stability by Oxygen Uptake on Municipal Solid Waste and Derived Products

A new scientific apparatus and method are proposed for determining biological stability by oxygen uptake (respiration index, RI), on municipal solid waste (MSW) and derived products. For measuring the RI, a dynamic approach (with continuous aeration) was demonstrated to be more effective than the static approach (without aeration). The validity of the method was tested by comparing carbon losses calculated using both respirometric (carbon losses_resp) and analytical data (carbon losses_anal) during four trials performed on MSW and products derived from it. Carbon losses (expressed as g kg^?1C_i, in which C_i represents initial carbon content) were: 219.0 and 248.0, 67.9 and 57.1, 39.6 and 36.4, and 250.7 and 280.3, using respirometric and analytical data alternately for Trials 1,2,3, and 4. The comparison between respirometric data using continuous or no aeration showed, for the latter, an underestimation of RI of between 70% and 90% that was more evident for unstable biomass leading to more similar values when stabilization occurred. The scientific apparatus proposed made it possible to measure oxygen uptake under autothermal conditions and avoid problems connected with the use of a preset temperature, biomass temperature being a consequence of the microbial activity, as is also suggested by the significant linear regression of T versus RI (R² = 0.84, 0.73, 0.82, and 0.90 for the four trials, respectively). The methods proposed could be used with advantage in the future for biological stability measurements, above all for heterogeneous material such as MSW and its products, thus obtaining respirometric data that better reflect what happens during an aerobic process.     

Adapting agricultural land management to climate change: a regional multi-objective optimization approach

In several regions of the world, climate change is expected to have severe impacts on agricultural systems. Changes in land management are one way to adapt to future climatic conditions, including land-use changes and local adjustments of agricultural practices. In previous studies, options for adaptation have mostly been explored by testing alternative scenarios. Systematic explorations of land management possibilities using optimization approaches were so far mainly restricted to studies of land and resource management under constant climatic conditions. In this study, we bridge this gap and exploit the benefits of multi-objective regional optimization for identifying optimum land management adaptations to climate change. We design a multi-objective optimization routine that integrates a generic crop model and considers two climate scenarios for 2050 in a meso-scale catchment on the Swiss Central Plateau with already limited water resources. The results indicate that adaptation will be necessary in the study area to cope with a decrease in productivity by 0–10 %, an increase in soil loss by 25–35 %, and an increase in N-leaching by 30–45 %. Adaptation options identified here exhibit conflicts between productivity and environmental goals, but compromises are possible. Necessary management changes include (i) adjustments of crop shares, i.e. increasing the proportion of early harvested winter cereals at the expense of irrigated spring crops, (ii) widespread use of reduced tillage, (iii) allocation of irrigated areas to soils with low water-retention capacity at lower elevations, and (iv) conversion of some pre-alpine grasslands to croplands.