Systematic evaluations and integration of Assam indigenous Joha rice starch in intelligent packaging films for monitoring food freshness using beetroot extract.

It is becoming increasingly important to have starch sources with different physicochemical properties to meet the needs of new applications in food, packaging, bioplastic, and pharmaceutical industries. The first part of this study deals with the isolation of starch from culturally, geographically, nutritionally esteemed, and high-yielding Assam Joha rice and its detailed investigation. Fine and uniform particle size (6.3 ±â€¯0.09 µm), high amylose content (28 ±â€¯1.03 %), swelling behavior, viscoelastic rheological behavior, moderate gelatinization temperature (66 ±â€¯1.7 °C), thermostable nature, type A crystallographic pattern with high (45 ±â€¯3.3 %) crystallinity, and suitable microbial quality make the Joha rice derived starch physico-chemically and functionally suitable for potential applications in diverse domains. The latter part of the study focused on one of the applications of derived starch as a suitable matrix for an intelligent packaging film with the incorporation of betanin-enriched beetroot extract (BRE) as a bio-based pH sensor. The addition of 1.0 % w/v BRE to the starch film (Starch-BRE III) significantly increased its functionality by reducing UV-visible light transmittance and water vapor permeability, along with enhancing flexibility and hydrophobicity due to intermolecular bonding between BRE and the starch film matrix. Moreover, starch-BRE films with different BRE concentrations were successfully used to monitor the real-time freshness of white meat (poultry, chicken, and fish) and Indian cottage cheese samples. Overall, the results indicated that Starch-BRE III has great potential as an intelligent packaging material for monitoring food freshness.

Synthesis and characterization of a pH/temperature-dual responsive hydrogel with promising biocompatibility features for stimuli-responsive 5-FU delivery.

The tunable properties of stimuli-responsive copolymers or hydrogels enable their application in different fields such as biomedical engineering, tissue engineering, or even drug release. Here we introduce a new PNIPAM-based triblock copolymer material comprising a controlled amount of a novel hydrophobic crosslinker 2,4'-diacryloyloxy benzophenone (DABP) and acrylic acid (AAc) to achieve lower critical solution temperature (LCST) between ambient and body temperatures. The dual stimuli-responsive p(NIPAM-co-DABP-co-AAc) triblock copolymer material and hydrogel were synthesized, and their temperature and pH-responsive behaviors were systematically investigated. The hydrogel exhibited excellent temperature and pH-responsive properties with an LCST of around 30 °C. Moreover, the synthesized copolymer has been demonstrated to be nontoxic both in vitro and in vivo. When the hydrogel was preloaded with the model drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), the designed hydrogel released the drug in a temperature and pH-controlled fashion. It was observed that the prepared hydrogel has the ability to entrap 5-FU, and the loading is more than 85%. In the case of temperature-controlled release, we observed almost complete release of 5-FU at lower temperatures and sustained release behavior at higher temperatures. In addition, the hydrogel matrix was able to retard the release of 5-FU in an acidic environment and selectively release 5-FU in a basic environment. By realizing how the hydrogel properties influence the release of drugs from preloaded hydrogels, it is possible to design new materials with myriad applications in the drug delivery field.

Assessment of portal hemodynamics by ultrasound color Doppler and laser Doppler velocimetry in liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Color Doppler is a noninvasive method for assessing portal hemodynamics. Laser Doppler velocimetry is useful in assessment of microcirculatory abnormalities in portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG). AIMS: To study portal hemodynamics by color Doppler and gastric mucosal blood flow (GMBF) by laser Doppler velocimetry in patients with cirrhosis. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with cirrhosis of liver (24 men) and 10 healthy subjects (7 men) were studied. Portal venous blood flow (PVBF) and portal flow velocity (PFV) were assessed by color Doppler at the level where the hepatic artery crosses the portal vein, and GMBF was measured by laser Doppler velocimetry. RESULTS: PVBF (379.5 [102.9] mL/min), PFV (5.3 [1.1] cm/sec) and GMBF (3.5 [0.8] volts) were significantly lower in patients with cirrhosis than in controls. PVBF and PFV were significantly lower in patients in Child class B and C than those in class A. Patients with ascites had significantly lower PVBF, PFV and GMBF than those without; values were also lower in patients with PHG than in those without. History of bleeding had no relation with PVBF and PFV. GMBF showed good correlation with PVBF (r=0.58, p<0.001) and with PFV (r=0.48, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In cirrhosis of liver, PVBF, PFV and GMBF are significantly lower, and the changes increase with increasing severity of liver disease.