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Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences Jan 2024L. is an annual halophyte that originated from southern Africa. However, little has been reported about factors that modulate the quantity of secondary metabolites in...
L. is an annual halophyte that originated from southern Africa. However, little has been reported about factors that modulate the quantity of secondary metabolites in the plant. In this study, the twin effect of different nitrogen concentrations (0.36, 0.6, 0.8 g/L) and growing media (LECA clay, peat, vermiculite and silica sand) on plant growth, chlorophyll contents, minerals, proximate and antioxidant metabolites in hydroponically cultivated was investigated. This is important to determine the dosage of N fertilizer that will optimize the bio-productivity and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and antioxidants in grown in a hydroponic system. The untreated plant (0 g/L N) was taken as the control. At the end of the experiment, optimum yields in leaf number (9.2), fresh weight (50.40 g), Ca, N, and Protein (34.04 %) were recorded in grown with peat enhanced with different dosages of N-fertilizer. Likewise, chlorophyll level, dry weight, ABTS/TEAC, FRAP, ADF and NDF contents were optimized in LECA clay treated with N-fertilizer. Silica sand with 0.36 g/L dosage of nitrogen fertilizer optimized P, Mn and Zn levels, so also the moisture (9.83 % at 0.8 g/L N), fat (2.38 %, 0 g/L N) and carbohydrates (44.98 and 44.95 %). The highest ash content, Mg and Fe were recorded in the untreated vermiculite as well as polyphenols and K, at 0.6 g/L; Cu and root length (14.60 cm), at 0.8 g/L. In conclusion, different dosages of nitrogen fertilizer and growing media could enhance the growth potential, chlorophyll, phytochemicals, and nutritional properties of .
PubMed: 38161387
DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2023.103876 -
Environmental Research Mar 2024Fluoride pollution in water has become a global challenge. This challenge especially affects China as a country experiencing serious fluoride pollution. While the have...
Fluoride pollution in water has become a global challenge. This challenge especially affects China as a country experiencing serious fluoride pollution. While the have been past studies on the spatial distribution of fluoride, there has been less attention on different forms of fluoride. This study collected 176 samples (60, 40, and 76 ice, water, and sediment samples, respectively) from Lake Ulansuhai during the freezing period. The occurrence and spatial distribution characteristics of fluoride in lake ice-water-sediment were explored using Kriging interpolation, Piper three-line diagram, and Gibbs diagram analysis methods. The migration and transformation of fluoride during the freezing period were revealed and the factors influencing fluoride concentration in the water body were discussed considering the hydrochemical characteristics of lake surface water. The results showed that the average fluoride concentrations in the upper ice, middle ice and lower ice were 0.18, 0.09, and 0.12 mg/L, respectively, decreasing from north to south in the lake. The average concentrations of fluoride in surface water and bottom water were 0.63 and 0.83 mg/L, respectively. The concentrations of fluoride in ice and water were within the World Health Organisation drinking water threshold of 1.50 mg/L and the Class III Chinese surface water standard (GB3838-2002). The average sediment total fluorine was 1344.38 ± 200 mg/kg, significantly exceeding the global average (321 mg/kg) and decreasing with depth. The contents of water soluble, exchangeable, Fe/Mn bound, organic bound, and residual fluorides were 40.22-47.18, 13.24-43.23, 49.52-160.48, and 71.59-173.03 mg/kg, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between fluoride concentration in ice and that in water. The change in fluoride concentration in water was mainly due to specific climatic and geographical conditions, pH, hydrochemical characteristics and ice sealing. This study is of great significance for the management of high-fluorine lakes in arid and semi-arid areas.
Topics: Fluorides; Ice; Lakes; Freezing; Fluorine; Environmental Monitoring; Water; China; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 38109953
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117899 -
Beijing Da Xue Xue Bao. Yi Xue Ban =... Dec 2023Sjögren's syndrome(SS)is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects exocrine glands, especially salivary and lacrimal glands. The main clinical manifestations are dry...
Sjögren's syndrome(SS)is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects exocrine glands, especially salivary and lacrimal glands. The main clinical manifestations are dry mouth and dry eyes, but also multi-organ and multi-system can be involved. Cold agglutinin disease(CAD)is an autoimmune disease characterized by red blood cell agglutination in the blood vessels of extremities caused by cold agglutinin at low temperature, resulting in skin microcirculation disturbance, or hemolytic anemia. Cold agglutinin disease is divided into two categories, primary cold agglutinin disease and secondary cold agglutinin disease. Primary cold agglutinin disease is characterized with cold agglutinin titer of 1 ∶4 000 or more and positive Coomb's test. However, the Coomb's test is not necessarily positive and the cold agglutinin titer is between 1 ∶32 and 1 ∶4 000 in secondary cold agglutinin disease. Here, we reported an elderly patient admitted to hospital due to fever. He was diagnosed with respiratory infection, but he showed incompletely response to the anti-infection treatment. Further laboratory tests showed the patient with positive ANA and anti-SSA antibodies. Additionally, the patient complained that he had dry mouth and dry eyes for 1 year. Schirmer test and salivate gland imaging finally confirmed the diagnosis Sjogren's syndrome. During the hospital stay, the blood clots were found in the anticoagulant tubes. Hemolytic anemia was considered as the patient had anemia with elevated reticulocytes and indirect bilirubin. In addition, further examination showed positive cold agglutination test with a titer of 1 ∶1 024, and cold agglutinin disease was an important type of cold-resistant autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Furthermore, the patient developed cyanosis after ice incubating at the tip of the nose. Hence, the patient was diagnosed as CAD and he was successfully treated with glucocorticoids instead of anti-infection treatments. Hence, the patient was diagnosed with SS combined with secondary CAD. SS combined CAD are rarely reported, and they are both autoimmune diseases. The abnormal function of B lymphocytes and the production of autoantibodies might be the common pathogenesis of them. Cold agglutinin disease can lead to severe hemolytic anemia, even life-threatening. In clinical practice, timely recognizing and dealing with CAD might promote the prognosis of the patient.
Topics: Male; Humans; Aged; Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune; Sjogren's Syndrome; Anemia, Hemolytic; Dry Eye Syndromes; Autoantibodies
PubMed: 38101800
DOI: 10.19723/j.issn.1671-167X.2023.06.027 -
Journal of Safety Research Dec 2023In parts of Europe and North America, cycling volumes decrease in winter due to a reduction in subjective safety. To counter this, high-quality winter maintenance is...
INTRODUCTION
In parts of Europe and North America, cycling volumes decrease in winter due to a reduction in subjective safety. To counter this, high-quality winter maintenance is required on cycle paths. At the moment, grit and sodium chloride are considered state-of-the-art gritting/de-icing materials in Germany. However, grit has to be removed after winter because it poses a serious injury risk on dry streets, and, in various German cities, using sodium chloride is prohibited on segregated bike paths due to the harmful impact on surrounding trees. Therefore, there is a need for alternative gritting/de-icing materials.
METHOD
We used a mixed-methods approach consisting of qualitative and quantitative surveys together with laboratory investigations and a life cycle assessment to find suitable alternatives to sodium chloride and grit for use on segregated bike paths, and tested four de-icing materials (sodium chloride as a reference, sodium formate, calcium magnesium acetate or CMA, and potassium acetate) at two sites in Hamburg, Germany. The tests were accompanied by on-site cyclist surveys.
RESULTS
The results show that the use of alternative (non-sodium chloride) de-icing materials either reduces or eliminates negative impacts on the environment at a local level, for example on trees along the cycle path. However, this reduction goes hand in hand with increasing negative environmental impacts at a global level due to higher overall emissions associated with the tested alternative de-icing materials. Regarding cyclists' safety, sodium formate was the only de-icing material which delivered comparable results to sodium chloride and should therefore be tested in extended conditions.
CONCLUSIONS
Further research is needed on the large-scale application of the investigated de-icing agents on cycle paths in different cities, along with a survey of a larger number of cyclists. A final evaluation of the environmental aspects can only be made when the supply and production conditions for large-scale use are clear.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Basically there are two options for the practical application of de-icing materials: The usage of the costlier alternatives with better properties at a local level in the hope of fast development towards a better global GHG footprint in their manufacturing processes, or sticking to the use of grit and sodium chloride (where it is possible) while committing to improving clean-up after the snow and ice melt to prevent unsafe road conditions in spring.
Topics: Humans; Sodium Chloride; Cities; Bicycling; Formates
PubMed: 38081698
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2023.09.020 -
Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences May 2024Development of novel pharmaceutical drug modalities has created a need for frozen storage and transportation. Accurate and easy assessment of container closure integrity...
Development of novel pharmaceutical drug modalities has created a need for frozen storage and transportation. Accurate and easy assessment of container closure integrity (CCI) in frozen conditions remains a challenge. Thus, container closure systems (CCS) suitable for low temperatures have been primarily restricted to vials despite the growing popularity of prefillable syringes (PFS) for parenteral administration. A new dye ingress test method, suitable for testing at low temperatures, was developed and applied to PFS across a range of deep-frozen temperatures. The method is versatile and can easily be extended to other common CCS formats over a wide range of temperatures including storage on dry ice (-80 °C). This new method was paired with an orthogonal technique, laser-based CO headspace gas analysis, to evaluate the CCI of a glass PFS at temperatures from -50 °C to -80 °C. Both test methods showed comparable results and consistent CCI failure below a temperature of -70 °C. The primary mode of failure was the plunger-to-barrel interface, likely attributable to dimensional changes and loss of elasticity. This study demonstrates the temperature dependent CCI behavior of glass PFS and underscores the importance of thorough characterization of package integrity for deep frozen drug products.
Topics: Drug Packaging; Drug Storage; Syringes; Cold Temperature; Freezing; Glass
PubMed: 38070774
DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.11.033 -
JDS Communications Nov 2023The objective of this research was to evaluate the suitability of whey permeate powder for ice cream. Three white mixes were formulated with equivalent total solids,...
The objective of this research was to evaluate the suitability of whey permeate powder for ice cream. Three white mixes were formulated with equivalent total solids, fat, and carbohydrates, but different concentrations of lactose and added sugar. Vanilla ice creams contained either reduced lactose (RL, 3.8% lactose and 17% added sugar), standard lactose (SL, 5.8%; 15%), or high lactose (HL, 7.8%; 13%). Trained panelists evaluated 8 body and texture, and 6 flavor characteristics through 10 mo of storage. All ice creams maintained low mean scores (<4.0/15.0 cm) for crumbly, lacks freshness, nonfat dry milk flavor, and whey, and moderate mean scores (5.0-8.3/15.0 cm) for gummy, melt rate, melt viscosity, sweet, and vanilla flavor for 10 mo. In mo 1 and 10, consumers in Iowa (n = 94, n = 55) and in mo 4 and 6, consumers in Kansas (n = 44; n = 56) rated the acceptability of the ice creams. Overall acceptability, flavor, and texture acceptability for products did not significantly differ until mo 10, when HL mean scores decreased lower than SL ice cream mean scores. The lower scores are attributed to crumbly and sandy texture defects, noted by trained panelists, only for HL ice cream stored 10 mo. The research demonstrates that whey permeate powder can be used to produce ice creams of acceptable quality for up to 10 mo.
PubMed: 38045891
DOI: 10.3168/jdsc.2023-0382 -
Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial... 2023The process of decoverslipping is often required in a laboratory to review or examine an older slide which tends to fade over time, making it almost impossible to use it...
BACKGROUND
The process of decoverslipping is often required in a laboratory to review or examine an older slide which tends to fade over time, making it almost impossible to use it for research or study purposes. The sections then need to be re-stained which can only be done after removing the coverslip. The traditional method of decoverslipping using xylene is a time-consuming process. Various methods have been used in the past; however, none were found to be completely effective. Dry ice, the solid form of carbon dioxide, is an easily available, cheap cooling agent with a low freezing temperature (-78.5°C) which was evaluated for its efficacy in decoverslipping process, as an alternative to xylene.
MATERIALS AND METHOD
64 faded haematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained histopathology slides were randomly selected and segregated, according to duration of year, into eight major groups. Each group was further divided into four subgroups according to the time that the slides were subjected for decoverslipping. The slides were placed on dry ice and the time was set. Once the coverslip was removed, the slides were placed in xylene to remove any residual mountant. The tissue sections were evaluated for physical disfigurement followed by re-staining with H&E to check for any change in tissue morphology.
RESULT
The mean time taken for removal of coverslip using dry ice was 35 seconds.
CONCLUSION
This technique is easy, fast, and effective, with no tissue loss or compromise in staining quality, thereby preventing xylene toxicity and its effect on the environment.
PubMed: 38033942
DOI: 10.4103/jomfp.jomfp_332_22 -
Journal of Breath Research Dec 2023Secondary electrospray ionization-high resolution mass spectrometry (SESI-HRMS) is an established technique in the field of breath analysis characterized by its short...
Secondary electrospray ionization-high resolution mass spectrometry (SESI-HRMS) is an established technique in the field of breath analysis characterized by its short analysis time, as well as high levels of sensitivity and selectivity. Traditionally, SESI-HRMS has been used for real-time breath analysis, which requires subjects to be at the location of the analytical platform. Therefore, it limits the possibilities for an introduction of this methodology in day-to-day clinical practice. However, recent methodological developments have shown feasibility on the remote sampling of exhaled breath in Nalophan® bags prior to measurement using SESI-HRMS. To further explore the range of applications of this method, we conducted a proof-of-concept study to assess the impact of the storage time of exhaled breath in Nalophan® bags at different temperatures (room temperature and dry ice) on the relative intensities of the compounds. In addition, we performed a detailed study of the storage effect of 27 aldehydes related to oxidative stress. After 2 h of storage, the mean of intensity of allsignals relative to the samples analyzed without prior storage remained above 80% at both room temperature and dry ice. For the 27 aldehydes, the mean relative intensity losses were lower than 20% at 24 h of storage, remaining practically stable since the first hour of storage following sample collection. Furthermore, the mean relative intensity of most aldehydes in samples stored at room temperature was higher than those stored in dry ice, which could be related to water vapor condensation issues. These findings indicate that the exhaled breath samples could be preserved for hours with a low percentage of mean relative intensity loss, thereby allowing more flexibility in the logistics of off-line SESI-HRMS studies.
Topics: Humans; Dry Ice; Polyethylene Terephthalates; Breath Tests; Exhalation; Aldehydes
PubMed: 38029449
DOI: 10.1088/1752-7163/ad10e1 -
American Journal of Physiology.... Feb 2024Dried blood spot (DBS) analysis has existed for >50 years, but application of this technique to fecal analysis remains limited. To address whether dried fecal spots...
Dried blood spot (DBS) analysis has existed for >50 years, but application of this technique to fecal analysis remains limited. To address whether dried fecal spots (DFS) could be used to measure fecal bile acids, we collected feces from five subjects for each of the following cohorts: ) healthy individuals, ) individuals with diarrhea, and ) infected patients. Homogenized fecal extracts were loaded onto quantitative DBS (qDBS) devices, dried overnight, and shipped to the bioanalytical lab at ambient temperature. For comparison, source fecal extracts were shipped on dry ice and stored frozen. After 4 mo, frozen fecal extracts and ambient DFS samples were processed and subjected to targeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based metabolomics with stable isotope-labeled standards. We observed no differences in the bile acid levels measured between the traditional extraction and the qDBS-based DFS methods. This pilot data demonstrates that DFS-based analysis is feasible and warrants further development for fecal compounds and microbiome applications. Stool analysis in remote settings can be challenging, as the samples must be stored at -80°C and transported on dry ice for downstream processing. Our work indicates that dried fecal spots (DFS) on Capitainer quantitative DBS (qDBS) devices can be stored and shipped at ambient temperature and yields the same bile acid profiles as traditional samples. This approach has broad applications for patient home testing and sample collection in rural communities or resource-limited countries.
Topics: Humans; Chromatography, Liquid; Dry Ice; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Technology; Bile Acids and Salts
PubMed: 38014449
DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00188.2023 -
Journal of Visualized Experiments : JoVE Nov 2023This protocol describes how to obtain high-quality retinal cryosections in larger animals, such as rabbits. After enucleation, the eye is briefly immersed in the...
This protocol describes how to obtain high-quality retinal cryosections in larger animals, such as rabbits. After enucleation, the eye is briefly immersed in the fixative. Then, the cornea and iris are removed and the eye is left overnight for additional fixation at 4 °C. Following fixation, the lens is removed. The eye is then placed in a cryomold and filled with an embedding medium. By removing the lens, the embedding medium has better access to the vitreous and leads to better retinal stability. Importantly, the eye should be incubated in embedding medium overnight to allow complete infiltration throughout the vitreous. Following overnight incubation, the eye is frozen on dry ice and sectioned. Whole retinal sections may be obtained for use in immunohistochemistry. Standard staining protocols may be utilized to study the localization of antigens within the retinal tissue. Adherence to this protocol results in high-quality retinal cryosections that may be used in any experiment utilizing immunohistochemistry.
Topics: Animals; Rabbits; Eye; Retina; Lens, Crystalline; Cornea; Iris; Immunohistochemistry
PubMed: 38009731
DOI: 10.3791/66115