Effect of thermosonication process on physicochemical properties and microbial load of goat's milk.

In this study, thermosonication was used as a combined treatment of raw goat milk (RGM) using pasteurization (72 °C for 15 s) and ultrasound treatments (20 kHz at the power variance of 150 W, 200 W, 300 W and 400 W for 10 min). Investigation on the impact of the microbial load, protein content, protein aggregation, the particle size of fat and casein micelles, pH, viscosity, turbidity, color, and soluble calcium and phosphorus contents were carried out, whiles RGM and PGM served as the control. Our results revealed that at 400 W, that thermosonication resulted in a significant reduction (α = 0.05) in the microbial load of the samples to less than 2.3 log cfu/mL in comparison to those of RGM and pasteurized goat milk (PGM) at 5.94 log cfu/mL and 4.76 log cfu/mL respectively. In RGM, the fat size (3.5 µm) decreased to 0.4 µm at 300 W; while those of casein micelles also decreased from 406 to 256.4 nm at 400 W. However, no significant effect was observed in the color and soluble calcium and phosphorus contents of all samples. The effect on the microbial load and fat homogenization would promote thermosonication process in the dairy industry.

Biofilm formation and disinfectant resistance of Salmonella sp. in mono- and dual-species with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the biofilm formation and disinfectant resistance of Salmonella cells in mono- and dual-species biofilms with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and to investigate the role of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the protection of biofilms against disinfection treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS: The populations of Salmonella in mono- or dual-species biofilms with P. aeruginosa on stainless steel (SS) coupons were determined before and after exposure to commercial disinfectant, 50 µg ml-1 chlorine or 200 µg ml-1 Ecolab® Whisper™ V (a blend of four effective quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC)). In addition, EPS amount from biofilms was quantified and biofilm structures were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Antagonistic interactions between Salmonella and P. aeruginosa resulted in lower planktonic population level of Salmonella, and lower density in dual-species biofilms compared to mono-species biofilms. The presence of P. aeruginosa significantly enhanced disinfectant resistance of S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis biofilm cells for 2 days, and led to an average of 50% increase in polysaccharides amount in dual-species biofilms than mono-species biofilms of Salmonella. Microscopy observation showed the presence of large microcolonies covered by EPS in dual-species biofilms but not in mono-species ones. CONCLUSION: The presence of P. aeruginosa in dual-species culture inhibited the growth of Salmonella cells in planktonic phase and in biofilms, but protected Salmonella cells in biofilms from disinfection treatment, by providing more production of EPS in dual-species biofilms than mono-species ones. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study provides insights into inter-species interaction, with regard to biofilm population dynamics and disinfectant resistance. Thus, a sanitation protocol should be designed considering the protective role of secondary species to pathogens in biofilms on SS surface which has been widely used at food surfaces and manufacturers.

The pharmacokinetics of antofloxacin in renally impaired rats.

Our aim was to investigate whether renal impairment induced by cisplatin altered the pharmacokinetics of antofloxacin. Antofloxacin (7.5 mg kg(-1), i.v.) was given to normal or renally impaired rats (induced by cisplatin). Concentrations of antofloxacin in plasma and urine were measured using HPLC. Pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated. The plasma concentrations of antofloxacin in the renally impaired rats were significantly higher than those in the normal rats, accompanied by significant increase of the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) (968.78+/-259.39 microg min mL(-1) versus 509.84+/-46.19 microg min mL(-1) in normal rats P < 0.05). The system clearance (CL) and renal clearance (CL(R)) of antofloxacin decreased from 12.66+/-1.15 mL kg(-1) min(-1) and 3.21+/-1.80 mL kg(-1) min(-1) in normal rats, to 6.63+/-2.82 mL kg(-1) min(-1) and 0.31+/-0.15 mL kg(-1)min(-1), respectively. No differences between two treatments in half-life and mean residence time were found. We concluded that renal impairment induced by cisplatin significantly altered the pharma-cokinetics of antofloxacin and resulted in decrease of the renal elimination.

The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib inhibits intimal hyperplasia of autologous vein grafting in rat model.

OBJECTIVE: Increasing evidence indicates that inflammation plays an important role in intimal hyperplasia (IH) induced by autologous vein grafts. The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib shows anti-inflammatory effects, so we used an autologous vein transplantation model to test whether bortezomib inhibits neointimal formation in transplant-induced vasculopathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We subjected 88 rats to autologous external jugular vein grafting surgery randomly assigned to be treated with bortezomib or vehicle. After 24 or 72 hours, rats were humanely killed and vein grafts processed for real-time RT-PCR (24 and 72 hours), ELISA (24 hours), or neutrophil chemotaxis assay (24 hours). Subsequently, rats were humanely killed at 1 and 2 weeks after grafting with samples processed for morphometric analysis. RESULTS: Bortezomib significantly inhibited IH at 2 weeks compared with untreated controls (P < .05). Expression of mRNA for vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant 2beta, monocyte chemoattractant-1, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha markedly increased in injured vessels during the first day after surgery declining over the following 3 days. Bortezomib significantly attenuated gene expression and protein levels of most inflammatory mediators (P < .05), simultaneously inhibiting neutrophil chemotactic activity of vessel homogenates. CONCLUSIONS: Bortezomib inhibited neointimal formation at least partially by attenuating the inflammatory response in transplant-induced vasculopathy. It may become a novel vasoprotective agent in the clinical field.

Interactions of acylated methylglucoside derivatives with CO2: simulation and calculations.

Carbohydrates have drawn considerable interest from researchers recently due to their affinity for CO2. However, most of the research in this field has focused on peracetylated derivatives. Compared with acetylated carbohydrates, which have already been studied in depth, methyl D-glucopyranoside derivatives are more stable and could have additional applications. Thus, in the present work, ab initio calculations were performed to elucidate the characteristics of the interactions of methylglucoside derivatives with CO2, and to investigate how the binding energy (ΔE) is affected by isomerization or the introduction of various acyl groups. Four methyl D-glucopyranosides (each with two anomers) bearing acetyl, propionyl, butyryl, and isobutyryl moieties, respectively, were designed as substrates, and the 1:1 complexes of a CO2 molecule with each of these sugar substrates were modeled. The results indicate that ΔE is mainly influenced by interaction distance and the number of negatively charged donors or interacting pairs in the complex; the structure of the acyl group present in the substrate is a secondary influence. Except in the case of methyl 2-O-acetyl-D-glucopyranose, the ΔE values of the α- and ß-anomers of each methylglucoside were found to be almost the same. Therefore, we would expect the CO2 affinities of the four derivatives studied here to be as strong as or even stronger than that of peracetylated D-glucopyranose. Graphical Abstract The binding energy between methyl D-glucopyranoside derivatives with various substituted acyl groups and CO2 are evaluated by ab initio calculations. The strong interaction between these methyl dglucopyranoside derivatives and CO2 showed the potential of their application for CO2 capture.

One-stage posterior procedure in treating active thoracic spinal tuberculosis: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical efficacy and feasibility of surgical treatment for thoracic spinal tuberculosis with neurological deficit by one-stage posterior instrumentation, proper transpedicular debridement, without anterior instrumentation and without anterior or posterior bone graft. METHODS: A total of 19 cases with thoracic tuberculosis, neurological deficit and bone destruction (without severe kyphosis) admitted to the hospital from May 2005 to January 2010 were treated by internal fixation, transpedicular debridement without bone graft via the isolated posterior approach. Operating time, blood loss, complications, neurological function, deformity correction, pain relief, and inter-body fusion were investigated. RESULTS: The average mean operating time was 168.9 ± 21.1 min. The average blood loss during operation was 655.8 ± 82.8 ml. All patients were followed for 28-46 months post-operation (average, 36.8 ± 5.8 months). All patients had significant postoperative improvement in ASIA classification scores and VAS scores. The thoracic kyphotic angle was significantly decreased to 11.6°-20.2° after operation (average, 15.6° ± 2.2°), and the angle was 12.3°-21.6° (average, 16.4° ± 2.2°) at final follow-up. No severe complications or spinal cord injury occurred. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein recovered to normal within 3 months after operation in all patients. All patients have got spontaneous bony fusion within 6-9 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: One-stage posterior instrumentation, transpedicular debridement without bone graft can be an effective and feasible treatment method for selected thoracic spinal tuberculosis.

Salicylate-selective electrode based on lipophilic tin(IV)phthalocyanine.

A new PVC membrane electrode based on lipophilic (2,9,16,23-tetra-tert-butylphthalocyanine)tin(IV) dichloride which demonstrates excellent selectivity and fast response toward the salicylate ion is described. The membrane electrode displayed a linear response for salicylate in the concentration range 10(-5)-0.1 M and exhibited an antiHofmeister pattern, with high selectivity for salicylate compared with lipophilic inorganic and biologically important organic anions. The electrode was successfully applied to the determination of salicylate in pharmaceutical preparations and biological samples.

[Construction of yeast fusants of directly transform starch into ethanol].

To obtain strains that are able to efficiently produce ethanol directly from starchy material, we have used the protoplast fusion technique to construct hybrids between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida tropicalis. The isolation of fusants used a selective system by a irreversible biochemical inhibitor-Iodoacetic Acid(ID), and the fusion frequency was 9.2 x 10(-6). The cell size and DNA content of the fusants were determined. Through testing some productive properties such as specific growth rate, saccharification ability, ethanol tolerance and the activities of alpha-amylase, saccharogen amylase, we selected two fusants--F-1 and F-5. They were more superior and their ethanol production came up to 8.8% and 11.5%.