Interactions between iron, phenolic compounds, emulsifiers, and pH in omega-3-enriched oil-in-water emulsions

The behavior of antioxidants in emulsions is influenced by several factors such as pH and emulsifier type. This study aimed to evaluate the interaction between selected food emulsifiers, phenolic compounds, iron, and pH and their effect on the oxidative stability of n-3 polyunsaturated lipids in a 10% oil-in-water emulsion. The emulsifiers tested were Tween 80 and Citrem, and the phenolic compounds were naringenin, rutin, caffeic acid, and coumaric acid. Lipid oxidation was evaluated at all levels, that is, formation of radicals (ESR), hydroperoxides (PV), and secondary volatile oxidation products. When iron was present, the pH was crucial for the formation of lipid oxidation products. At pH 3 some phenolic compounds, especially caffeic acid, reduced Fe(3+) to Fe(2+), and Fe(2+) increased lipid oxidation at this pH compared to pH 6. Among the evaluated phenols, caffeic acid had the most significant effects, as caffeic acid was found to be prooxidative irrespective of pH, emulsifier type, and presence of iron, although the degrees of lipid oxidation were different at the different experimental conditions. The other evaluated phenols were prooxidative at pH 3 in Citrem-stabilized emulsions and had no significant effect at pH 6 in Citrem- or Tween-stabilized emulsions on the basis of the formation of volatiles. The results indicated that phenol-iron complexes/nanoparticles were formed at pH 6.     

Impacts of fine root turnover on forest NPP and soil C sequestration potential

Estimates of forest net primary production (NPP) demand accurate estimates of root production and turnover. We assessed root turnover with the use of an isotope tracer in two forest free-air carbon dioxide enrichment experiments. Growth at elevated carbon dioxide did not accelerate root turnover in either the pine or the hardwood forest. Turnover of fine root carbon varied from 1.2 to 9 years, depending on root diameter and dominant tree species. These long turnover times suggest that root production and turnover in forests have been overestimated and that sequestration of anthropogenic atmospheric carbon in forest soils may be lower than currently estimated.     

Acute paraplegia associated with vasculitis in a dog with leishmaniasis

A 14-month-old female crossbreed dog with leishmaniasis, receiving allopurinol, was presented with acute paraplegia. A diagnosis of renal failure with pelvic limb lower motor neuron signs was made and the dog was euthanased. Histopathological examination demonstrated leukocytoclastic vasculitis in multiple organs. Malacia and haemorrhage affecting the spinal cord was associated with multiple foci of vasculitis within the nervous tissue. Rupture and thrombosis of inflamed vessels caused haemorrhage in the spinal cord and subsequent paralysis.     

Puerarin and conjugate bases as radical scavengers and antioxidants: molecular mechanism and synergism with beta-carotene

The 4'-hydroxyl group of puerarin, a C-glycoside of the isoflavonoid daidzein, was shown, using 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation and stopped-flow spectroscopy and by comparison with the 7-propylpuerarin (A ring derivative) and 4'-propylpuerarin (B ring derivative), to be a more efficient radical scavenger as compared to the 7-hydroxyl group by a factor of 2, a difference increasing upon deprotonation. The difference in radical scavenging agreed with the oxidation potentials (cyclic voltammetry in acetonitrile, 0.1 M Bu4NBF4 at 25 degrees C): E/mV=862+/-3 for puerarin, 905+/-10 for 7-propylpuerarin, and 1064+/-2 for 4'-propylpuerarin relative to ferrocene/ferricenium. In aqueous solution, the reduction potential was shown to decrease for increasing pH, and deprotonation of the 4'-hydroxyl group increased radical scavenging more than deprotonation of the 7-hydroxyl group. The 7-hydroxyl was found to be more acidic (pKa1=7.20+/-0.01 in puerarin and pKa=7.23+/-0.01 in 4'-propylpuerarin) than the 4'-hydroxyl group (pKa2=9.84+/-0.08 in puerarin and pKa=9.51+/-0.02 in 7-propylpuerarin); aqueous solution, ionic strength of 0.1, and 25 degrees C. In phosphatidyl choline liposome of pH 7.4, puerarin and beta-carotene each showed a modest antioxidant activity measured as prolongation of the lag phase for formation of conjugate dienes and using the water-soluble radical initiator APPH with effects of puerarin and beta-carotene being additive. For the lipophilic initiator AMVN, the antioxidative effect decreased for puerarin and increased for beta-carotene as compared to APPH and showed a clear synergism. A regeneration of beta-carotene, effective in the liposome lipid phase as antioxidant, from the cation radical by deprotonated forms of puerarin was demonstrated in 9:1 chloroform/methanol using laser flash photolysis with k2=2.7x10(4) L mol-1 s-1 for the bimolecular process between the cation radical and the puerarin dianion.     

Plant exposure to herbivore-induced plant volatiles: a sustainable approach through eliciting plant defenses

Journal of Pest Science - Modern agricultural policies across the globe are committed to a significant reduction in chemical pesticide dependency; however, pest management strategies are still...     

Canine carcinosarcomas in the head

Four cases of neoplasms in the heads of old dogs were studied. All the dogs showed both carcinomatous and sarcomatous malignant components in an admixed growing pattern. Histologic analysis of the tumors showed that the carcinomatous cells resembled squamous cell carcinoma in all dogs except one, where an adenoid arrangement of the neoplastic cells was also observed. The sarcomatous component showed osteoid matrix produced by pleomorphic poorly differentiated cells, which is regarded as a typical feature of osteosarcomas. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that the components were positive only for cytokeratin (carcinomatous component) or vimentin (sarcomatous component). This observation led us to classify the neoplasms as true carcinosarcomas, thus providing evidence of a new preferential location for this unusual tumor in dog.     

Ecological analyses of the intestinal helminth communities of the wolf, Canis lupus, in Spain

This work describes the ecological characteristics of the intestinal helminth communities of 50 wolves (Canis lupus L.) from Spain. The species found were classified into three groups according to prevalence, intensity and intestinal distribution. Taenia hydatigena Pallas, 1766 and Uncinaria stenocephala (Railliet, 1884) are the core species of the community. Taenia multiceps (Leske, 1780) is a secondary species. The rest of the species, Alaria alata (Goeze, 1782), Taenia serialis (Gervais, 1847). Taenia pisiformis (Bloch, 1780), Dipylidium caninum (Linnaeus, 1758), Mesocestoides sp. aff. litteratus, Toxocara canis (Werner, 1782), Toxascaris leonina (von Linstow, 1902), Ancylostoma caninum (Ercolani, 1859) and Trichuris vulpis (Froelich, 1789), behave as satellite species. The linear intestinal distribution of all helminth species was analysed. The location of most species can be considered predictable, especially for core and secondary species. The analysis of interspecific relationships between infracommunities shows that negative associations are more numerous than positive associations. The role of A. caninum in the community is compared with that of U. stenocephala.     

A native Zn-solubilising bacterium from mine soil promotes plant growth and facilitates phytoremediation

Journal of Soils and Sediments - An important bottleneck in phytoremediation technologies, which focus on extraction of potentially toxic trace elements, is the low solubility and bioavailability...