Semiquantitative Solid-State NMR Study of the Adsorption of Soybean Oils on Silica and Its Significance for Rubber Processing.

Soybean oil (SBO) is a renewable material used as an alternative to conventional petroleum-derived oils in the processing of rubber composites. Upon chemical modifications, such as epoxidation, its performance in the processing of rubber can be significantly improved, as indicated by a considerable reduction of the mixing energy. Although it has been hypothesized that hydrogen bonding between functional groups (e.g., epoxy) of SBOs and silanols present on the silica surface plays a key role, there is still a lack of direct evidence supporting this hypothesis. In this work, it is demonstrated that there is an overall correlation between the epoxy concentration of SBOs and the mixing energy, consistent with the long-held hypothesis. In particular, a correlation between the SBO-silica adsorption affinity and the degree of epoxidation is revealed by a set of surface-selective solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) experiments. In addition, the surface-selective ssNMR technique demonstrated in this work could also be used to evaluate the adsorption affinity of other oils and/or additives more broadly.

Morphological MRI investigations of the hypothalamus in 232 individuals with Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: The pathophysiology of the hypothalamic involvement in Parkinson's disease (PD) is not well understood. The objective of this study was the quantification of hypothalamic volumes in vivo in PD. METHODS: High-resolution T1 -weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 232 individuals with PD and 130 healthy non-PD individuals were used for quantification of the hypothalamic volumes. RESULTS: The hypothalamus in PD was not atrophied, as indicated by volumetric analyses in the prospectively collected subcohort (30 PD, V = 921 ± 78 mm3 vs 30 non-PD, V = 917 ± 67 mm3 ; P = 0.850) and validated in a large cohort (202 PD, V = 925 ± 88 mm3 vs 100 non-PD, V = 932 ± 114 mm3 ; P = 0.602). CONCLUSIONS: Hypothalamic involvement in PD as shown by a large body of histopathological evidence does not appear to be detectable by MRI-based volumetric quantification. © 2019 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Deficiência de vitamina B12 e fenilcetonúria / Vitamin B 12 deficiency and phenylketonuria

A fenilcetonúria, doença metabólica hereditária, autossômica recessiva, é a mais frequente das aminoacidopatias. Quando não diagnosticada e tratada precocemente, causa retardo mental grave. Os programas de triagem neonatal transformaram a histó- ria natural dessa doença, possibilitando o diagnóstico neonatal e a instituição imediata do tratamento dietético. Atualmente, os pacientes com controle adequado têm vida normal. Nas últimas décadas, alterações nutricionais têm sido relacionadas ao tratamento dietético e aos seus desvios, especialmente após a primeira década de vida. Neste artigo apresenta-se o caso de um adolescente que desenvolveu anemia megaloblástica por deficiente ingestão de vitamina B12 e uma revisão da literatura sobre o tema.(AU)

Phenylketonuria, inherited metabolic disease, autosomal recessive, is the most common of aminoacidopathies. If not diagnosed and treated early, causes severe mental retardation. The newborn screening programs have transformed the natural history of this disease, allowing the neonatal diagnosis and the immediate institution of dietary treatment. Currently, patients with adequate control have normal life. In recent decades, nutritional changes have been related to dietary treatment and its deviations, especially after the first decade of life. In this article we present the case of a teenager who developed megaloblastic anemia due to poor intake of vitamin B12 and a literature review on the topic(AU)

Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative potential of four fern species from China intended for use as food supplements.

Inflammation plays a major role in many diseases, for instance in arteriosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune disorders and cancer. Since many plants contain compounds with anti-inflammatory activity, their consumption may be able to prevent the development of inflammatory-based diseases. Edible ferns are some of the most important wild vegetables in China and have traditionally been used both for dietary and therapeutic purposes. In this study we investigated the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of fern extracts from Matteuccia struthiopteris, Osmundajaponica, Matteuccia orientalis and Pteridium aquilinum intended for use as nutraceuticals. Two modes of action were investigated: the inhibition of the pro-inflammatory gene expression of interleukin-1 beta (IL1-ß) and interleukin-6 (IL6), and the gene expression of iNOS by LPS-elicited macrophages. The results showed a decrease of IL1-ß gene expression for the five fern extracts. This effect was more pronounced for the extracts prepared from the roots of O. japonica (IC50 of 17.8 µg/mL) and the young fronds of M orientalis (50.0 µg/mL). Regarding the indirect measurement of NO, via iNOS gene expression, an interesting decrease of 50% was obtained with the extract of M. orientalis fronds at a low concentration (20 µg/mL) compared with P. aquilinum fronds (160 µg/mL) and leaves of O. japonica. The latter showed a higher decrease but at a high concentration of extract (160 µg/mL). The five fern extracts were also evaluated for their ability to scavenge 2,2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS). All fern extracts exhibited antioxidant effects but the roots of O. japonica and the fronds of M orientalis were most efficient. The HPLC-MS analysis of the constituents of the fern extracts confirmed the presence of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, kaempferol and apigenin, molecules known to exhibit antiinflammatory and/or antioxidant properties.

Genetic structuring of remnant forest patches in an endangered medicinal tree in North-western Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Habitat loss and fragmentation may have detrimental impacts on genetic diversity, population structure and overall viability of tropical trees. The response of tropical trees to fragmentation processes may, however, be species, cohort or region-specific. Here we test the hypothesis that forest fragmentation is associated with lower genetic variability and higher genetic differentiation in adult and seedling populations of Prunus africana in North-western Ethiopia. This is a floristically impoverished region where all but a few remnant forest patches have been destroyed, mostly by anthropogenic means. RESULTS: Genetic diversity (based on allelic richness) was significantly greater in large and less-isolated forest patches as well as in adults than seedlings. Nearly all pairwise FST comparisons showed evidence for significant population genetic differentiation. Mean FST values were significantly greater in seedlings than adults, even after correction for within population diversity, but varied little with patch size or isolation. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of long-lived adult trees suggests the formerly contiguous forest in North-western Ethiopia probably exhibited strong spatial patterns of genetic structure. This means that protecting a range of patches including small and isolated ones is needed to conserve the extant genetic resources of the valuable forests in this region. However, given the high livelihood dependence of the local community and the high impact of foreign investors on forest resources of this region, in situ conservation efforts alone may not be helpful. Therefore, these efforts should be supported with ex situ gene conservation actions.