Xanthan gum and pectin as beverage stabilizers reduce the digestive enzyme hydrolysis of antioxidant and antihypertensive peptides obtained from a brewery byproduct.

An acidic beverage was formulated with xanthan gum (XG), pectin (P) and brewer spent grain (BSG) peptides with antioxidant and antihypertensive properties. The impact of hydrocolloids levels on peptide bioaccessibility was studied. Peptides were obtained from BSG using Purazyme and Flavourzyme enzymes. BSG peptides were fractionated by ultrafiltration (UF) and four fractions were obtained: F1 (>10 kDa), F2 (10-5 kDa), F3 (1-5 kDa), and F4 (<1 kDa). F3 showed the highest protein purity, ferulic acid content, proportion of amphipathic peptides, and bioactive properties (ABTS+ radical scavenging and ACE-I inhibitory activity). The identified peptides from F3 by tandem mass spectrometry were 138. In silico analysis showed that 26 identified peptides had ABTS+ inhibitory activity, while 59 ones presented good antihypertensive properties. The effect of XG and P levels on bioaccessibility of F3 peptides in the formulated beverages was studied by a central composite experimental design. It was observed that F3 peptides interacted with hydrocolloids by electrostatic forces at pH of formulated beverages. The addition of hydrocolloids to formulation modulated the release of the antioxidant peptides and protected the degradation of ACE-I inhibitory peptides from F3 during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Finally, the level of hydrocolloids that produced intermediate viscosities in the formulated beverages improved the bioaccessibility of the F3 peptides.

Plutonium reactive transport in fractured granite: Multi-species experiments and simulations.

Plutonium (Pu) in the subsurface environment can transport in different oxidation states as an aqueous solute or as colloidal particles. The transport behavior of Pu is affected by the relative abundances of these species and can be difficult to predict when they simultaneously exist. This study investigates the concurrent transport of Pu intrinsic colloids, Pu(IV)(aq) and Pu(V-VI)(aq) through a combination of controlled experiments and semi-analytical dual-porosity transport modeling. Pu transport experiments were conducted in a fractured granite at high and low flow rates to elucidate sorption processes and their scaling behavior. In the experiments, Pu(IV)(aq) was the least mobile of the Pu species, Pu(V-VI)(aq) had intermediate mobility, and the colloidal Pu, which consisted mainly of precipitated and/or hydrolyzed Pu(IV), was the most mobile. The semi-analytical modeling revealed that the sorption of each Pu species was rate-limited, as the sorption could not be described by assuming local equilibrium in the experiments. The model was able to describe the sorption of the different Pu species that occurring either on fracture surfaces, in the pores of the rock matrix, or simultaneously in both locations. While equally good fits to the data could be achieved using any of these assumptions, a fracture-dominated process was considered to be the most plausible because it provided the most reasonable estimates of sorption rate constants. Importantly, a key result of this work is that the sorption rate constant of all Pu species tends to decrease with increasing time scales, which implies that Pu will tend to be more mobile at longer time scales than observations at shorter time scales suggest. This result has important implications for predicting the environmental impacts of Pu in the safety assessments of geologic repositories for radioactive waste disposal, and we explore potential mechanistic bases for upscaling the sorption rate constants to time and distance scales that cannot be practically evaluated in experiments.

Accountancy for intrinsic colloids on thorium solubility: The fractionation of soluble species and the characterization of solubility limiting phase.

The extensive hydrolysis of tetravalent actinides leads to polynuclear formations through oxygen bridging facilitating the formation of colloids as end products. The pH, ionic strength has phenomenal effects on Thorium colloids formation. The quantitative estimation of colloids facilitates the fraction of soluble fraction into ionic, polymeric and colloidal forms of thorium. The colloids accountability and precipitate characterization explains the discrepancies in estimated solubility limits. The supernatants of long equilibrated (∼3 years) saturated thorium solution under various pH (5- 11) and ionic strengths (0-3 M NaClO4) were analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) and Ion Chromatography (IC) to determine total and ionic thorium respectively. Laser Induced Breakdown Detection (LIBD) was employed to determine the colloid size and concentrations. The precipitates were characterized by calorimetry and XRD to determine the solubility limiting phase. The results of pH, IC, ICP-MS, and LIBD measurements on the aged thorium samples are discussed with regard to the mechanism of the formation of thorium colloids. The results revealed the formation of colloids having particle size (10-40 nm) at concentrations (109-1011 particles/mL). The colloids accountancy resulted in estimated solubility products to 2-4 orders lower than their inclusion as soluble thorium. The soluble thorium was fractionated quantitatively into ionic, polymeric and colloidal forms of thorium. The precipitates formed are found to be semi amorphous.

Keratin 17-positive Civatte bodies in oral lichen planus-distribution variety, diagnostic significance and histopathogenesis.

Although emergence of keratin 17 (K17) and reciprocal loss of K13 are immunohistochemical hallmarks for oral mucosal malignancy, we report here findings of K17-positive (+) speckles, possibly equivalent to Civatte bodies, in benign oral lichen planus. Sixty-two biopsy samples from oral lichen planus cases were subjected to immunohistochemical examinations to analyze the distribution as well as histopathogenesis of Civatte bodies. K17 was irregularly positive among oral lichen planus-affected epithelial cells, and K17-positive (+) filamentous structures were irregularly distributed within the cytoplasm in confocal images. K17+ speckles were identified as Civatte bodies, and they were mainly distributed in the interface between epithelial cells and lymphocytic infiltrates (type A, 52.8%), followed by distribution within the epithelial layer (type B, 24.7%) or within the lamina propria with lymphocytic infiltration (type C, 22.5%). Apoptotic figures were often engulfed by macrophages and clearly distinguished from Civatte bodies by the presence TUNEL signals. These results indicate that K17 is a sensitive immunohistochemical marker for Civatte bodies and useful for differential diagnosis of oral lichen planus from other oral mucosal lesions. Civatte bodies are generated from denucleation of K17+ epithelial cells during the process of cell death via dyskeratosis, which is possibly related to blood capillary collapse.

A systematic evaluation of Flow Field Flow Fractionation and single-particle ICP-MS to obtain the size distribution of organo-mineral iron oxyhydroxide colloids.

Colloidal iron(III) oxyhydroxides (FeOx) are important reactive adsorbents in nature. This study was set up to determine the size of environmentally relevant FeOx colloids with new methods, i.e. Flow Field Flow Fractionation (FlFFF-UV-ICP-MS) and single-particle ICP-MS/MS (sp-ICP-MS) and to compare these with standard approaches, i.e. dynamic light scattering (DLS), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), microscopy (TEM), membrane filtration, centrifugation and dialysis. Seven synthetic nano- and submicron FeOx with different mineralogy and coating were prepared and two soil solutions were included. The FlFFF was optimized for Fe recovery, yielding 70-90%. The FlFFF determines particle size with high resolution in a 1 mM NH4HCO3 (pH 8.3) background and can detect Fe-NOM complexes <5 nm and organo-mineral FeOx particles ranging 5-300 nm. The sp-ICP-MS method had a size detection limit for FeOx of about 32-47 nm. The distribution of hydrodynamic diameters of goethite particles detected with FlFFF, NTA and DLS were similar but the values were twice as large as the Fe cores of particles detected with sp-ICP-MS and TEM. Conventional fractionation by centrifugation and dialysis generally yielded similar fractions as FlFFF but membrane filtration overestimated the large size fractions. Particles formed from Fe(II) oxidation in the presence of NOM showed strikingly smaller organo-mineral Fe-Ox colloids as the NOM/Fe ratio increased. The soil solution obtained with centrifugation of an acid peat was dominated by small (<30 nm) Fe-OM complexes and organo-mineral FeOx colloids whereas that of a mineral pH neutral soil mainly contains larger (30-200 nm) Fe-rich particles. The FlFFF-UV-ICP-MS is recommended for environmental studies of colloidal FeOx since it has a wide size detection range, it fractionates in an environmentally relevant background (1 mM NH4HCO3) and it has acceptable element recoveries.

Emulsified polycolloid substrate biobarrier for benzene and petroleum-hydrocarbon plume containment and migration control - A field-scale study.

The objective of this field-scale study was to assess the effectiveness of applying an emulsified polycolloid substrate (EPS; containing cane molasses, soybean oil, and surfactants) biobarrier in the control and remediation of a petroleum-hydrocarbon plume in natural waters. An abandoned petrochemical manufacturing facility site was contaminated by benzene and other petroleum products due to a leakage from a storage tank. Because benzene is a petroleum hydrocarbon with a high migration ability, it was used as the target compound in the field-scale study. Batch partition and sorption experiment results indicated that the EPS to water partition coefficient for benzene was 232 mg/mg at 25 °C. This suggests that benzene had a higher sorption affinity to EPS, which decreased the benzene concentrations in groundwater. The EPS solution was pressure-injected into three remediation wells (RWs; 150 L EPS in 800 L groundwater). Groundwater samples were collected from an upgradient background well, two downgradient monitor wells (MWs), and the three RWs for analyses. EPS injection increased total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations (up to 786 mg/L) in groundwater, which also resulted in the formation of anaerobic conditions. An abrupt drop in benzene concentration (from 6.9 to below 0.04 mg/L) was observed after EPS supplementation in the RWs due to both sorption and biodegradation mechanisms. Results show that the EPS supplement increased total viable bacteria and enhanced bioremediation efficiency, which accounted for the observed decrease in benzene concentration. The first-order decay rate in RW1 increased from 0.003 to 0.023 d-1 after EPS application. Injection of EPS resulted in significant growth of indigenous bacteria, and 23 petroleum-hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial species were detected, which enhanced the in situ benzene biodegradation efficiency. Results demonstrate that the EPS biobarrier can effectively contain a petroleum-hydrocarbon plume and prevent its migration to downgradient areas, which reduces the immediate risk presented to downgradient receptors.

Roles of reversible and irreversible aggregation in sugar processing.

Colloids (1-1000-nm particles) in sugarcane/beet juice originate from non-sucrose impurities (polyphenolic colorants, residual soil, polysaccharides) of the plant materials; additional colloids form during the high temperature processing. Colloids are reactive toward aggregation, sorption, desorption, and redox/hydrolysis/thermal transformation reactions. Both Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO; van der Waals and electrostatic forces) and non-DLVO (involving hydrophilic colloids) interactions control the stability of colloids in juice. Heteroaggregation causes a range of feedstock and end product problems, including turbidity, viscosity, color, gelling, crystallization, starch ghost, and heat transfer problems. Even after intensive clarification and refining, trace colloidal impurities on white (refined) sugar remain to cause a problem known as acid beverage floc. Acid beverage floc is an example of DLVO-type aggregation of oppositely charged particles at decreased pH. Examples of irreversible aggregates include starch ghost and recalcitrant organomineral composites formed at elevated temperature that resist heat transfer. Fundamental knowledge in aggregation kinetics is necessary to predict the occurrence of undesirable aggregates, as pH, ionic strength, temperature, and sucrose concentration change during the processing of sugarcane/beet juice.

Colloid Oncotic Pressure, Monitoring its Effects in Cardiac Surgery.

Hemodilution is a common perioperative practice. The deleterious effects of excessive hemodilution and subsequent edema formation have been well documented by numerous authors. Colloid oncotic pressure (COP) is a reliable clinical indicator of hemodilution in cardiac surgery. The intent of this study is to determine if a correlation exists between COP and various patient outcome variables. It would also be helpful to know if there is a particular COP value to avoid preventing or limiting patient morbidity. Blood samples from 61 adult patients (mean age = 70 years old) undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery were collected for COP calculation and comparison. Sample collection was performed before heparinization, during cardiopulmonary bypass, at the conclusion of cardiopulmonary bypass, and in the intensive care unit. The resultant values obtained were used to generate a calculated COP. The lowest sustained COP was then compared with various patient outcome variables such as fluid balance, post-operative weight gain, post-operative blood loss, extubation time, length of stay, and blood products administered. A statistically significant difference (p < .05) was found between the COP and each of the monitored continuous variables. The data also suggest that maintaining a patient's COP at or above 15 mmHg could be desirable. Frequent monitoring of a patient's COP can provide a potential benefit to clinical decision making.

[The colloid milium: An observation associated with trichinosis]. / Milium colloïde : une observation associée à une trichinose.

The colloid milium has four clinical forms: adult colloid milium, juvenile colloid milium, paracolloid (or nodular colloid degeneration) and pigmented colloid milium. We report the case of an adult colloid milium in a man of 56, who presented episodes of diffuse pruritus associated with myalgia and digestive disorders, indicative of trichinosis. He also developed gradually over the past 10 years, yellowish injuries in the mandibles and neck for whom histology objectified a colloid milium. Etiology and treatment are still unknown; association with a trichinosis is probably coincidental.

Plutonium partitioning in water-granite and water-α-FeOOH systems: from a viewpoint of a three-phase system.

Traditional sorption experiments commonly treat the colloidal species of low-solubility contaminants as immobile species when separated by centrifugation or ultrafiltration. This study shows that, from a viewpoint of a three-phase system, the mobile Pu species, especially the colloidal species, play an important role in Pu partitioning in water-granite and water-α-FeOOH systems. A new distribution coefficient term Ks/(d+c) was defined to take the mobile colloidal species into consideration, and it differs to the traditional distribution coefficient Ks/d by orders of magnitude in the water-granite and water-α-FeOOH systems. This term, Ks/(d+c), can quantitatively describe Pu partitioning in the suspension, in particular the fraction of mobile species that dominate Pu migration in the environment. The effects of ionic strength (I) and pH on the Pu partitioning in water-granite and water-α-FeOOH systems are well interpreted with respect to the zeta potential change of granite grains, α-FeOOH colloid particles and polymeric Pu. It is concluded that the presence of the α-FeOOH colloid with a low concentration (<10 mg L(-1)) is favorable for the stability of colloidal Pu and leads to large proportion of mobile Pu, especially colloid-associated Pu, which will migrate much faster than dissolved Pu in groundwater.

A field investigation on transport of carbon-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) in groundwater.

The application of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) for subsurface remediation of groundwater contaminants is a promising new technology, which can be understood as alternative to the permeable reactive barrier technique using granular iron. Dechlorination of organic contaminants by zero-valent iron seems promising. Currently, one limitation to widespread deployment is the fast agglomeration and sedimentation of nZVI in colloidal suspensions, even more so when in soils and sediments, which limits the applicability for the treatment of sources and plumes of contamination. Colloid-supported nZVI shows promising characteristics to overcome these limitations. Mobility of Carbo-Iron Colloids (CIC) - a newly developed composite material based on finely ground activated carbon as a carrier for nZVI - was tested in a field application: In this study, a horizontal dipole flow field was established between two wells separated by 5.3m in a confined, natural aquifer. The injection/extraction rate was 500L/h. Approximately 1.2kg of CIC was suspended with the polyanionic stabilizer carboxymethyl cellulose. The suspension was introduced into the aquifer at the injection well. Breakthrough of CIC was observed visually and based on total particle and iron concentrations detected in samples from the extraction well. Filtration of water samples revealed a particle breakthrough of about 12% of the amount introduced. This demonstrates high mobility of CIC particles and we suggest that nZVI carried on CIC can be used for contaminant plume remediation by in-situ formation of reactive barriers.

Systemic inflammatory response during cardiac surgery: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: There is a growing body of evidence indicating that perioperative fluid management during cardiac surgery influences patient care and outcome. The choice of fluid therapy and the degree of systemic inflammatory response triggered during surgery control the effects of tissue edema formation and end-organ function. As such, "goal-directed" fluid resuscitation protocols that measure colloid osmotic pressure (COP) may promote improvements in patient morbidity and mortality. METHODS: Thirty patients scheduled for primary coronary artery bypass grafting were prospectively randomized for perioperative fluid treatment under COP guidance [albumin (ALB), n = 17] or conventional fluid protocols without COP support (control, n = 13). Whole-blood samples were drawn at four different time intervals including (A) anesthesia induction, (B) 10 minutes after the initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass, (C) at the completion of sternal skin approximation, and (D) 3 hours after admission to the cardiac intensive care unit. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and IL-8 were measured by immunometric, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays as well as C-reactive protein. Colloid osmotic pressure values were measured using a colloid osmometer. RESULTS: As compared with conventional fluid protocols, the patients treated in the intervention (ALB) group received significantly less total perioperative fluid [7893.6 (1874.5) vs 10,754.8 (2403.9), P = 0.001], and this relationship remained after controlling for age, sex, and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk score (ß = -0.5, t = -3.1, P = 0.005). Colloid osmotic pressure values were significantly higher in the ALB group at time point D after surgery (P = 0.03). There were no significant differences in IL-6, IL-8, and C-reactive protein values between the groups at any of the time blood draw intervals. Perioperative outcomes were evaluated by treatment group. For both groups, the incidence of perioperative morbidity was low and did not differ by treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: The use of COP-guided fluid resuscitation was associated with a significant reduction in perioperative fluid demand. However, patients prescribed to COP-guided fluid therapy did not experience a reduction in whole-body inflammation or improved surgical outcome as compared with conventional fluid management techniques.

Hyaline matrix in hyalinizing trabecular tumor: Findings in fine-needle aspiration smears.

Hyalinizing trabecular tumor (HTT) is a rare neoplasm which usually follows an indolent clinical course. The cytologic diagnosis of HTT can be challenging as these neoplasms share cytomorphological features with other thyroid neoplasms and paraganglioma. In fine-needle aspiration (FNA) smears a diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) or suspicion of PTC is often made. Herein we report cytologic findings in two patients with HTT examined by FNA. The key to a correct diagnosis is the recognition of a hyaline and colloid/amyloid-like material in the background of the smears. Immunocytochemical examination showing aberrant membranous and peripheral cytoplasmic staining for MIB-1 can help in rendering a correct diagnosis.

Plutonium partitioning in three-phase systems with water, colloidal particles, and granites: new insights into distribution coefficients.

The traditional sorption experiments commonly treated the colloid-associated species of low-solubility contaminants as immobile species resulted from the centrifugation or ultrafiltration, and then solid/liquid distribution coefficients (Ks/d) were determined. This may lead to significantly underestimated mobility of the actinides in subsurface environments. Accordingly, we defined a new distribution coefficient (Ks/d+c) to more adequately describe the mobile characteristics of colloidal species. The results show that under alkaline aqueous conditions the traditional Ks/d was 2-3 orders of magnitude larger than the Ks/d+c involving the colloidal species of (239)Pu. The colloid/liquid distribution coefficients Kc/d≫0 (∼10(6)mL/g) revealed strong competition of the colloidal granite particles with the granite grains for Pu. The distribution percentages of Pu in the three-phase systems, depending on various conditions such as particle concentrations, Na(+) concentrations, pH and time, were determined. Moreover, we developed the thermodynamic and kinetic complexation models to explore the interaction of Pu with the particle surfaces.

[Locally advanced rectal cancer management: which role for the pathologist in 2011?]. / Prise en charge des cancers du rectum localement avancés : quel rôle pour le pathologiste en 2011 ?

Locally advanced rectal cancers mainly correspond to lieberkünhien adenocarcinomas and are defined by T3-T4 lesions with or without regional metastatic lymph nodes. Such tumors benefit from neoadjuvant treatment combining chemotherapy and radiotherapy, followed by surgery with total mesorectum excision. Such a strategy can decrease the rate of local relapse and lead to an easier complementary surgery. The pathologist plays an important role in the management of locally advanced rectal cancer. Indeed, he is involved in the gross examination of the mesorectum excision quality and in the exhaustive sampling of the most informative areas. He also has to perform a precise histopathological analysis, including the determination of the circumferential margin or clearance and the evaluation of tumor regression. All these parameters are major prognostic factors which have to be clearly included in the pathology report. Moreover, the next challenge for the pathologist will be to determine and validate new prognostic and predictive markers, notably by using pre-therapeutic biopsies. The goal of this mini-review is to emphasize the pathologist's role in the different steps of the management of locally advanced rectal cancers and to underline its implication in the determination of potential biomarkers of aggressiveness and response.

Evaluation of colloidal silica suspension as efficient additive for improving physicochemical and in vitro biological properties of calcium sulfate-based nanocomposite bone cement.

In the present study new calcium sulfate-based nanocomposite bone cement with improved physicochemical and biological properties was developed. The powder component of the cement consists of 60 wt% α-calcium sulfate hemihydrate and 40 wt% biomimetically synthesized apatite, while the liquid component consists of an aqueous colloidal silica suspension (20 wt%). In this study, the above mentioned powder phase was mixed with distilled water to prepare a calcium sulfate/nanoapatite composite without any additive. Structural properties, setting time, compressive strength, in vitro bioactivity and cellular properties of the cements were investigated by appropriate techniques. From X-ray diffractometer analysis, except gypsum and apatite, no further phases were found in both silica-containing and silica-free cements. The results showed that both setting time and compressive strength of the calcium sulfate/nanoapatite cement improved by using colloidal silica suspension as cement liquid. Meanwhile, the condensed phase produced from the polymerization process of colloidal silica filled the micropores of the microstructure and covered rodlike gypsum crystals and thus controlled cement disintegration in simulated body fluid. Additionally, formation of apatite layer was favored on the surfaces of the new cement while no apatite precipitation was observed for the cement prepared by distilled water. In this study, it was also revealed that the number of viable osteosarcoma cells cultured with extracts of both cements were comparable, while silica-containing cement increased alkaline phosphatase activity of the cells. These results suggest that the developed cement may be a suitable bone filling material after well passing of the corresponding in vivo tests.

Evidence for strong but dynamic iron-humic colloidal associations in humic-rich coastal waters.

This study investigated the physicochemical forms of dissolved iron in the coastal plume (salinity = 28-35) of a small river draining a peat-rich catchment. Speciation information was obtained through a combination of fractionation by crossflow filtration (CFF) along with voltammetric detection of either naturally occurring iron-humic complexes (July survey) or known, synthetic complexes (September survey) formed by titrating the samples with the competing ligand 2-(2-thiazolylazo)-p-cresol (TAC). The majority of colloidal iron (>5000 Da) was present as iron-humic complexes supplied by the river and showing uniform conditional stability constants throughout the plume (log K'(Fe'HS) = 11.3 ± 0.1, i.e. log K(Fe3+HS) = 21.3 ± 0.1). Noncolloidal or soluble iron was strongly complexed to ligands of marine origin with log K'(Fe'HS) = 11.9 ± 0.1. Equilibrium of the total iron pool with the added TAC ligand was achieved in all but the highest salinity sample, albeit more slowly for colloidal than for soluble iron. In addition, measurements of humic like fluorescence suggested that the conformation of colloids could change over time as a result of dissociation of the iron-humic associations. These results are consistent with the concept that iron in coastal waters is strongly but reversibly bound to humic substances and therefore may be available for complexation by siderophore-type ligands released by microorganisms.

Multiobjective evolutionary optimisation for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

In most optimisation experiments, a single parameter is first optimised before a second and then third one are subsequently modified to give the best result. By contrast, we believe that simultaneous multiobjective optimisation is more powerful; therefore, an optimisation of the experimental conditions for the colloidal SERS detection of L-cysteine was carried out. Six aggregating agents and three different colloids (citrate, borohydride and hydroxylamine reduced silver) were tested over a wide range of concentrations for the enhancement and the reproducibility of the spectra produced. The optimisation was carried out using two methods, a full factorial design (FF, a standard method from the experimental design literature) and, for the first time, a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA), a method more usually applied to optimisation problems in computer science. Simulation results suggest that the evolutionary approach significantly out-performs random sampling. Real experiments applying the evolutionary method to the SERS optimisation problem led to a 32% improvement in enhancement and reproducibility compared with the FF method, using far fewer evaluations.