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Advances in Food and Nutrition Research 2024Historically vitamin D deficiency had devastating consequences for children causing rickets resulting in severe bone deformities often leading to death. The mystery of... (Review)
Review
Historically vitamin D deficiency had devastating consequences for children causing rickets resulting in severe bone deformities often leading to death. The mystery of the cause of rickets finally came to light when it was observed that cod liver oil and sunlight could prevent and cure rickets. The first vitamin D to be discovered was vitamin D from ergosterol in ultraviolet irradiated yeast. Vitamin D was discovered from UV exposure to the skin. Investigations revealed the two major functions of vitamin D were to increase intestinal calcium and phosphate absorption and mobilize calcium from the skeleton to maintain calcium and phosphorus homeostasis. Later studies demonstrated that vitamin D does not have an active role in bone mineralization. Vitamin D deficiency results in secondary hyperparathyroidism increasing bone resorption. As a result, this decreases bone mineral content and compromises the architectural integrity increasing risk for fracture. Vitamin D deficiency has also been shown to enhance aging of the bone causing cracks and enhancing bone fractures. Vitamin D deficiency also causes osteomalacia. Therefore, vitamin D sufficiency is extremely important to maximize bone health throughout life. It helps to prevent bone loss, but it cannot restore bone loss due to increased bone resorption that can occur under a variety of circumstances including menopause. The Endocrine Society Guidelines recommends for all ages that adequate vitamin D obtained from the sun, foods and supplements is necessary in order to maintain a circulating concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D of at least 30 ng/mL for maximum bone health.
Topics: Humans; Vitamin D; Vitamin D Deficiency; Bone and Bones; Rickets; Bone Density; Osteomalacia; Dietary Supplements
PubMed: 38777417
DOI: 10.1016/bs.afnr.2024.04.002 -
Scientific Reports Dec 2023Rock mechanical property is significant for shale gas development and exploitation. Shale compressive strength, tensile strength, elastic deformation and so on, are...
Rock mechanical property is significant for shale gas development and exploitation. Shale compressive strength, tensile strength, elastic deformation and so on, are necessary parameters for drilling, completion and fracturing work in shale formation. Among all these shale mechanical parameters, brittleness is a tricky and significant rock property, which has been widely used to hydraulic fracturing design. Currently, although so many works have been conducted to investigate shale brittleness, there is no precise definition of brittleness. In particular, there is no consensus on which method is the most reliable for shale brittleness evaluation. It is vital to figure out how to evaluate shale brittleness in a reliable method. Thus, this paper presents an experimental study on shale mechanical properties, analyzing mechanical features in stress strain curve, relation between mineral content and strength, mechanical parameters at varying confined stress. Based on shale mechanical characteristics and its brittle exhibition, stress strain curve from triaxial compression test is divided into 3 stages, namely, elastic stage, plastic stage and post peak stage. In combined with brittle characteristics in 3 stages of axial and radial stress-strain curves, a new brittleness index has been established for assessing shale brittleness. In order to prove the applicability of new brittleness index, its result is compared with shale failure sample after triaxial test and existing brittleness indexes based on mineral content, elastic deformation, energy, stress and strain, showing a good consistency and proving its practicability. Based on this brittleness index, influence factors of shale brittleness have been discussed. It is shown that elastic module is the most important factor of shale brittleness. Bedding plane makes shale brittleness have strong anisotropy. Brittleness is not only relied on its structure and mineral (like bedding plane, silicate and clay mineral content), but is also highly affected by external stress. Large confined pressure is able to impair shale brittleness. Outcome in this study can offer theoretical guidance for shale exploitation.
PubMed: 38129638
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49934-0 -
Analytical Methods : Advancing Methods... Mar 2024The accurate monitoring of oil spills is crucial for effective oil spill recovery, volume determination, and cleanup. Oil slicks become emulsified under the effects of...
The accurate monitoring of oil spills is crucial for effective oil spill recovery, volume determination, and cleanup. Oil slicks become emulsified under the effects of wind and waves, which increases the consistency of the oil spills. This phenomenon makes oil spills more challenging to handle and exacerbates environmental pollution. In this study, the variation of the solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence spectra obtained from simulated oil spills with different oil types and oil-water ratios was investigated. By designing and constructing a multi-angle excitation and detection system, an apparent fluorescence peak of the oil emulsions was observed at around 290 nm under 220 nm excitation. By utilizing competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) and multi-output neural network algorithms, both the types and concentrations of the emulsified oils were obtained simultaneously. The classification accuracy for identifying the oil type exceeds 98%, and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) for concentration regression is around 2%. The results indicate that active solar-blind UV fluorescence could become a supplementary method for on-site oil spill detection to achieve comprehensive monitoring of oil spills. This study provides potential applications for UV-induced fluorescence spectrometry in oil spill on-site monitoring during the daytime.
PubMed: 38470293
DOI: 10.1039/d3ay01820b -
Scientific Reports Oct 2023Oil-bearing rose is an economically important rose species with a wide range of uses such as cosmetics, perfumery, food and health, but the changes in antioxidant...
Oil-bearing rose is an economically important rose species with a wide range of uses such as cosmetics, perfumery, food and health, but the changes in antioxidant capacity and antioxidant activity during flower development are not well understood. The antioxidant content and free radical scavenging properties of oil-bearing rose flowers are used in the cosmetic industry to modulate skin damage, and in the food industry as a source of antioxidants and sweeteners. The present investigation was carried out to explore the antioxidant capacity, antioxidant enzyme activity, and the composition and distribution of minerals in petals of oil-bearing rose at five flower development stages. The total antioxidant capacity of petals was determined using CUPRAC, DPPH, FRAP, FIC and ABTS methods. The antioxidant capacity of petals decreased during the flower development, suggesting that flowers in stage I and II are valuable sources of antioxidants. CUPRAC, DPPH, FRAP, FIC and ABTS scavenging activity of the petals at various developmental stages are strongly and positively correlated with each other. The activity of the antioxidant enzymes; superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase, ascorbate peroxidase was highest at the bud stage (stage I), whereas the fully opened flowers (stage V) exhibited the lowest activity in oil-bearing rose petals. During the development of flower, malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased significantly from stage I to stage III and decreased at stage IV. Here we detected the contents of 15 elements in petals, some of them, especially calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus showed significant changes during rose flowering. Generally, the highest mineral content was observed in stage I while the lowest content observed in stage V of flower development. These results showed a close link between flower development, antioxidant capacity, enzymatic antioxidant activity and mineral content, with stage I exhibiting the best antioxidant activity, mineral content and free radical scavenging potential. This work will serve as a baseline for understanding the possible roles of antioxidant capacity, antioxidant enzymes, mineral content and their interactions in the regulation of flower development.
Topics: Antioxidants; Rosa; Flowers; Minerals; Free Radicals
PubMed: 37828040
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44461-4 -
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry Sep 2023Mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) contain a wide structural diversity of molecules, for which the reference method of analysis is the online coupled liquid... (Review)
Review
Mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) contain a wide structural diversity of molecules, for which the reference method of analysis is the online coupled liquid chromatography-gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (LC-GC-FID). These compounds are very heterogeneous from a toxicological viewpoint, and an accurate risk assessment when dealing with a MOH contamination can only be performed if sufficient information is available on the types of structures present (i.e., number of carbons, degree of alkylation, number of aromatic rings). Unfortunately, the separation performances of the current LC-GC-FID method are insufficient for such characterization, not even mentioning the possible coelution of interfering compounds which additionally hinder MOH determination. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC), while mostly used for confirmation purposes in the past, starts to prove its relevance for overcoming the weaknesses of the LC-GC method and reaching even better the analytical requirements defined in the latest EFSA opinion. The present paper therefore aims at highlighting how GC × GC has contributed to the understanding of the MOH topic, how it has developed to meet the requirements of MOH determination, and how it could play a role in the field for overcoming many of the current analytical and toxicological challenges related to the topic.
PubMed: 37147559
DOI: 10.1007/s00216-023-04718-3 -
International Journal of Biological... Jun 2023Incorporation of an emulsion onto a gel base develops a drug delivery system with improved characteristics, known as emulgel, that can envelop both hydrophilic and... (Review)
Review
Incorporation of an emulsion onto a gel base develops a drug delivery system with improved characteristics, known as emulgel, that can envelop both hydrophilic and lipophilic molecules, and therefore increase stability and penetration of topical formulations. Such a drug delivery system provides controlled drug release that has more patient compliance and higher therapeutic efficacy. Emulgel is prepared in three main stages, preparation of water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsion, providing the gel base, and incorporation of prepared emulsion onto gel base with continuous stirring. Various materials such as different oils (e.g. sesame oil, balsam oil, and mineral oil), emulsifiers (e.g. Tween® and Span® as the non-ionic surfactant, polyvinyl alcohol), and gelling agents including cellulose derivatives such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) in different concentrations are used in emulgel preparation. The physical properties, particle size distribution, spreadability, permeation, and drug release rate are evaluated in their development and characterization. They are used in skin disorders and other diseases such as chronic anal fisher. Also, anti-acne, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory drugs have been formulated as emulgel delivery system and their effects have been studied. In this article, the subject is to review the characteristics, preparation methods, and therapeutic efficacy as well as the potential clinical use of emulgels.
Topics: Humans; Emulsions; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; Drug Delivery Systems; Excipients; Cellulose; Water; Gels
PubMed: 37085064
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124538 -
Environmental Research Aug 2023One of the most important routes for human exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is the ingestion of contaminated food. Food of animal origin safety is...
One of the most important routes for human exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is the ingestion of contaminated food. Food of animal origin safety is strongly related to feed quality. The aim of the study was the assessment of feeds and feed materials quality associated with ten PBDE congeners (BDE-28, 47, 49, 99, 100, 138, 153, 154, 183 and 209) contamination. The quality of 207 feed samples divided into eight categories (277/2012/EU) was checked using the gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS). At least one congener was identified in 73% of the samples. All investigated fish oil, animal fat, and feed for fish were contaminated, and 80% of plant-origin feed samples were free of PBDEs. The highest median content of ∑PBDE was found in fish oils (2260 ng kg) followed by fishmeal (530 ng kg). The lowest median was found in mineral feed additives, plant materials excluding vegetable oil and compound feed. BDE-209 was the most frequently detected congener (56%). All congeners except BDE-138 and BDE-183 were detected in 100% of the fish oil samples. Except for BDE-209, the congener detection frequencies did not exceed 20% in compound feed, feed of plant origin, and vegetable oils. Excluding BDE-209, similar congener profiles were found for fish oils, fishmeal and feed for fish, with BDE-47 in the highest concentration, followed by BDE-49 and BDE-100. Another pattern appeared in animal fat, with a higher median concentration of BDE-99 than BDE-47. Time-trend analysis of PBDE concentrations in fishmeal (n = 75) showed a 63% decrease in ∑PBDE (p = 0.077) and a 50% decrease in the ∑PBDE (p = 0.008) between 2017 and 2021. It proves the international legislation implemented to reduce PBDE environmental levels has been effective.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Environmental Monitoring; Fishes; Fish Oils
PubMed: 37245570
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116257 -
Marine Pollution Bulletin Nov 2023Planning for effective response to crude oil spills into water depends on evidence of oil behavior, including its tendency to become distributed throughout an aquatic...
Planning for effective response to crude oil spills into water depends on evidence of oil behavior, including its tendency to become distributed throughout an aquatic system. An improved laboratory method is employed to quantitatively assess crude oil distribution among different layers that form after mixing within a multi-phase system of water and sediment. Mixtures of conventional crude oil or diluted bitumen with different water types in the presence or absence of mineral sediment are first mixed by a standard end-over-end rotary agitation protocol. After a settling period, each mixture's visibly distinct floating, surface oil (e.g., slick or emulsion), subsurface bulk water, and bottom layers are then separated. Finally, the masses of oil, water, and sediment constituting each layer are isolated, quantified, and compared. The novel results reveal how component properties affect oil distribution among layers to inform spill behavior models, risk assessments, and response plans, including applications of spill-treating agents.
Topics: Petroleum; Water; Minerals; Petroleum Pollution; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 37826907
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115607 -
EFSA Journal. European Food Safety... Sep 2023Mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) are composed of saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH). Due to the complexity of the MOH composition, their...
Mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) are composed of saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH). Due to the complexity of the MOH composition, their complete chemical characterisation is not possible. MOSH accumulation is observed in various tissues, with species-specific differences. Formation of liver epithelioid lipogranulomas and inflammation, as well as increased liver and spleen weights, are observed in Fischer 344 (F344) rats, but not in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. These effects are related to specific accumulation of wax components in the liver of F344 rats, which is not observed in SD rats or humans. The CONTAM Panel concluded that F344 rats are not an appropriate model for effects of MOSH with wax components. A NOAEL of 236 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day, corresponding to the highest tested dose in F344 rats of a white mineral oil product virtually free of wax components, was selected as relevant reference point (RP). The highest dietary exposure to MOSH was estimated for the young population, with lower bound-upper bound (LB-UB) means and 95th percentiles of 0.085-0.126 and 0.157-0.212 mg/kg bw per day, respectively. Considering a margin of exposure approach, the Panel concluded that the present dietary exposure to MOSH does not raise concern for human health for all age classes. Genotoxicity and carcinogenicity are associated with MOAH with three or more aromatic rings. For this subfraction, a surrogate RP of 0.49 mg/kg bw per day, calculated from data on eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, was considered. The highest dietary exposure to MOAH was also in the young population, with LB-UB mean and 95th percentile estimations of 0.003-0.031 and 0.011-0.059 mg/kg bw per day, respectively. Based on two scenarios on three or more ring MOAH contents in the diet and lacking toxicological information on effects of 1 and 2 ring MOAH, a possible concern for human health was raised.
PubMed: 37711880
DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2023.8215 -
Journal of Environmental Management Oct 2023The characterization of organic contaminants in sewage sludge is a fundamental step to address the relevant most appropriate management practice. In this perspective,...
The characterization of organic contaminants in sewage sludge is a fundamental step to address the relevant most appropriate management practice. In this perspective, C10-C40 hydrocarbon content was considered in Italy a crucial parameter to be considered, in spite of its irrelevance in the literature. The very complex mixture of organic substances of both biogenic and anthropogenic origin the sludge is made up of makes sewage sludge a matrix of uniqueness nature, and the analytic determination of hydrocarbon content through conventional procedures may be subjected to overestimation. In this work, optimization of two conventional protocols for the determination of mineral oil (EN14039 and IRSA CNR gravimetric method) were run with attention to anthropogenic compounds potentially affecting the C10-C40 mineral hydrocarbons determination. Effects from the first manipulations of sewage sludge samples to extraction procedure and clean-up operations were investigated. A new simple procedure was set up and tested on 30 samples from different wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Through a simple extraction with hexane (12 mL per 2 g of dried sludge, acidified with HCl conc.) at room temperature for 2 h, followed by a clean-up on Florisil column (10 mL-2 g) a confident determination of C10-C40 were obtained with respect to conventional optimized procedures. Variability within the range 0.06-9.49% was calculated with respect to the average value determined using three different methods, with an average value of 2.48 ± 2.37%, demonstrating the robustness of the determination. Up to 3% of the total hydrocarbons were identified as naturally occurring, namely terpenes, squalenes and deoxygenized sterols, passed through the clean-up Florisil column. A significant incidence (up to 75%) of the final overall C10-C40 content was found to be related to the C10-C20 component, originally present in the commercial polyelectrolytes in emulsion, widely used for conditioning before mechanical dewatering.
Topics: Sewage; Mineral Oil; Magnesium Silicates; Hydrocarbons
PubMed: 37418922
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118533