Life Sciences Commons^™

The Science Of Christmas: Dinner Table, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

This article discusses the science of preservation behind two famous Irish and English Christmas foods, Christmas Pudding and Mince Pies.

Raman Spectroscopic Analysis Of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma And Oral Dysplasia In The High-Wavenumber Region, Hugh Byrne, Luis Felipe Carvalho, Fiona Lyng, Franck Bonnier

Articles

Raman spectroscopy can provide a molecular-level signature of the biochemical composition and structure of cells with excellent spatial resolution and could be useful to monitor changes in composition for early stage and non-invasive cancer diagnosis, both ex-vivo and in vivo. In particular, the fingerprint spectral region (400–1,800 cm^-1) has been shown to be very promising for optical biopsy purposes. However, limitations to discrimination of dysplastic and inflammatory processes based on the fingerprint region still persist. In addition, the Raman spectral signal of dysplastic cells is one important source of misdiagnosis of normal versus pathological tissues. The high wavenumber …

Raman Spectroscopy For Screening And Diagnosis Of Cervical Cancer, Fiona Lyng, Damien Traynor, Ines Rm Ramos, Franck Bonnier, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide and mainly affects younger women. The mortality associated with cervical cancer can be reduced if this disease is detected at the pre-cancer stage. Current gold standard methods include cytopathology, HPV testing and histopathology but these methods are limited in terms of subjectivity, cost and time. There is an unmet clinical need for new methods to aid clinicians in the early detection of cervical pre-cancer. These methods should be objective, rapid and require minimal sample preparation. Raman spectroscopy is a vibrational spectroscopic technique by which incident radiation is used to …

Investigating The Role Of Shape On The Biological Impact Of Gold Nanoparticles In Vitro, Furong Tian, Hugh Byrne, Joao Conde, Tobias Stoeger, Martin Clift,, Alan Casey, Pablo Del Pino, Beatriz Pelaz, Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser,, Giovani Estrada, Jesús De La Fuente

Articles

Aim: To investigate the influence of gold nanoparticle (GNP) geometry on the biochemical response of Calu-3 epithelial cells.

Materials and Methods: Spherical, triangular and hexagonal GNPs were used. The GNP-cell interaction was assessed via atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The biochemical impact of GNPs was determined over 72hrs at [0.0001-1mg/mL].

Results: At 1mg/mL, hexagonal GNPs reduced Calu-3 viability below 60%, showed increased reactive oxygen species production and higher expression of pro-apoptotic markers. A cell mass burden of 1:2:12 as well as number of GNPs per cell (2:1:3) was observed for spherical:triangular:hexagonal GNPs.

Conclusion:

These findings do …

Incorporation Of Fibrin Into A Collagen–Glycosaminoglycan Matrix Results In A Scaffold With Improved Mechanical Properties And Enhanced Capacity To Resist Cell-Mediated Contraction, Claire Brougham, Tanya J. Levingstone, Stefan Jockenhoevel, Thomas C. Flanagan, Fergal J. O'Brien

Articles

Fibrin has many uses as a tissue engineering scaffold, however many in vivo studies have shown a reduction in function resulting from the susceptibility of fibrin to cell-mediated contraction. The overall aim of the present study was to develop and characterise a reinforced natural scaffold using fibrin, collagen and glycosaminoglycan (FCG), and to examine the cell-mediated contraction of this scaffold in comparison to fibrin gels. Through the use of an injection loading technique, a homogenous FCG scaffold was developed. Mechanical testing showed a sixfold increase in compressive modulus and a thirtyfold increase in tensile modulus of fibrin when reinforced with …

Age-Related Sexual Dimorphism In Temporal Discrimination And In Adult-Onset Dystonia Suggests Gabaergic Mechanisms, John Butler, Ines M. Beiser, Laura Williams, Eavan Mcgovern, Fiona Molloy, Timothy Lynch, Dan G. Healy, Helena Moore, Richard Walsh, Richard B. Reilly, Sean O'Riordan, Cathal Walsh, Michael Hutchinson

Articles

Background: Adult-onset isolated focal dystonia (AOIFD) presenting in early adult life is more frequent in men, whereas in middle age it is female predominant. Temporal discrimination, an endophenotype of adult-onset idiopathic isolated focal dystonia, shows evidence of sexual dimorphism in healthy participants. Objectives: We assessed the distinctive features of age-related sexual dimorphism of (i) sex ratios in dystonia phenotypes and (ii) sexual dimorphism in temporal discrimination in unaffected relatives of cervical dystonia patients. Methods: We performed (i) a meta-regression analysis of the proportion of men in published cohorts of phenotypes of adult-onset dystonia in relation to their mean age of …

Cold Plasma Inactivation Of Internalised Bacteria And Biofilms For Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium, Listeria Monocytogenes And Escherichia Coli, Dana Ziuzina, Lu Han, Patrick Cullen, Paula Bourke

Articles

Microbial biofilms and bacteria internalised in produce tissue may reduce the effectiveness of decontamination methods. In this study, the inactivation efficacy of in-package atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) afterglow was investigated against Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli in the forms of planktonic cultures, biofilms formed on lettuce and associated bacteria internalised in lettuce tissue. Prepared lettuce broth (3%) was inoculated with bacteria resulting in a final concentration of ~ 7.0 log₁₀ CFU/ml. For biofilm formation and internalisation, lettuce pieces (5 × 5 cm) were dip-inoculated in bacterial suspension of ~ 7.0 log₁₀ CFU/ml for 2 h and …

Cold Plasma Inactivation Of Bacterial Biofilms And Reduction Of Quorum Sensing Regulated Virulence Factors, Dana Ziuzina, Daniela Boehm, Sonal Patil, Patrick Cullen, Paula Bourke

Articles

The main objectives of this work were to investigate the effect of atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) against a range of microbial biofilms commonly implicated in foodborne and health- care associated human infections and against P. aeruginosa quorum sensing (QS)-regu- lated virulence factors, such as pyocyanin, elastase (Las B) and biofilm formation capacity post-ACP treatment. The effect of processing factors, namely treatment time and mode of plasma exposure on antimicrobial activity of ACP were also examined. Antibiofilm activity was assessed for E. coli, L. monocytogenes and S. aureus in terms of reduction of cultur- ability and retention of metabolic activity using …

Protective Properties Of Functionalised Tetrazine On An Aerospace Aluminium Alloy (Aa 2024-T3), Swarna Jaiswal, P.C. Rajath Varma, Brendan Duffy, Felicia Mutuma, Patrick Mchale

Articles

Environmental health concerns over conventional chromium based surface treatments on aluminium substrates are well known. Current research efforts have concentrated on developing protective technologies for multiple applications. Such properties would enable manufacturers to address both corrosion and bacterial threats in areas such as fuel tanks and delivery systems.

The present study explores the anticorrosion properties of 1,2-dihydro 1, 2, 4, 5 tetrazine-3, 6-dicarboxylic acid (H₂DCTZ) on a copper rich aerospace aluminium alloy (AA 2024-T3). Furthermore the antimicrobial activity of the tetrazine is evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, both capable of inducing corrosion. The protective action of the …

Valorization Of Fish By-Products: Rheological, Textural And Microstructural Properties Of Mackerel Skin Gelatins, Zied Khiari, Daniel Rico, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Catherine Barry-Ryan

Articles

The fish processing industry generates significant amounts of waste which is usually discarded. The present study investigated the recovery of gelatins from Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) skins after pre-treatment with different environmentally-friendly organic acids (acetic, citric, lactic, tartaric or malic acid). The chemical composition, the rheological and the textural properties as well as the microstructural characteristics of the extracted gelatins were analysed and compared to commercial bovine hide gelatin. Although the organic acid used in the pre-treatment step did not affect the extraction yield and the chemical composition of the prepared gelatins, differences were observed in terms of rheology and …

The Surfactant Dipalmitoylphophatidylcholine (Dppc) Modifies Acute Responses In Alveolar Carcinoma Cells In Response To Low Dose Silver Nanoparticle Exposure, Gordon Chambers, Anna Murphy, Kate Sheehy, Alan Casey

Articles

Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing field with silver nanoparticles (AgNP) in particular utilized in a wide variety of consumer products. This has presented a number of concerns relating to exposure and the associated toxicity to humans and the environment. As inhalation is the most common exposure route, this study investigates the potential toxicity of AgNP to A549 alveolar epithelial carcinoma cells and the influence of a major component of lung surfactant dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) on toxicity. It was illustrated that exposure to AgNP generated low levels of oxidative stress and a reduction in cell viability. While DPPC produced no significant effect …

Exploring The Unknown: Electrophysiological And Behavioural Measures Of Visuospatial Learning, Brendan Quinlivan, John Butler, Abdur R. Ridwan, Ines Beiser, Laura Williams, Eavan Mcgovern, Sean O'Riordan, Michael Hutchinson, Richard B. Reilly

Articles

Visuospatial memory describes our ability to temporarily store and manipulate visual and spatial information, and is employed for a wide variety of complex cognitive tasks. Here, a visuospatial learning task requiring fine motor control is employed to investigate visuospatial learning in a group of typically developing adults. Electrophysiological and behavioural data are collected during a target location task under two experimental conditions: Target Learning and Target Cued. Movement times (MTs) are employed as a behavioural metric of performance, while dynamic P3b amplitudes and power in the alpha band (approximately 10 Hz) are explored as electrophysiological metrics during visuospatial learning. Results …

Potential Of Biofluid Components To Modify Silver Nanoparticle Toxicity, Gordon Chambers, Anna Murphy, Kate Sheehy, Alan Casey

Articles

Abstract

Establishing realistic exposure scenarios is critical for cytotoxic investigation of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) in the gastrointestinal tract. This study investigated the potential interaction with and effect of biofluid components, namely cholic acid, deoxycholic acid and ursodeoxycholic acid, on AgNP toxicity. Two cell lines corresponding to organs related to the biofluid components were employed. These were HepG-2 a hepatocellular carcinoma derived from liver tissue and Hep2 an epithelial cell line. Physiochemical and cytotoxic screening was performed and the ability of biofluid components to modify AgNP cytotoxicity was explored. No alteration to the physiochemical characteristics of AgNP by biofluid components was …

Cell Viability Assessment Using The Alamar Blue Assay: A Comparison Of 2d And 3d Cell Culture Models, Franck Bonnier, Mark Keating, Tomasz P. Wrobel, Katarsyna Majzner, Malgorzata Baranska, Amaya Garcia, Alfonso Blanco, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Comparisons of 2D and 3D cell culture models in literature have indicated differences in cellular morphology and metabolism, commonly attributed the better representation of in vivo conditions of the latter cell culture environment. Thus, interest in the use of 3D collagen gels for in vitro analysis has been growing. Although comparative studies to date have indicated an enhanced resistance of cells on collagen matrices against different toxicants, in the present study it is demonstrated that non-adapted protocols can lead to misinterpretation of results obtained from classical colorometric dye-based cytotoxic assays. Using the well established Alamar Blue assay, the …

Regional-Scale Simulations Of Fungal Spore Aerosols Using An Emission Parameterization Adapted To Local Measurements Of Fluorescent Biological Aerosol Particles, M. Hummell, C. Hoose, M. Gallagher, D. A. Healy, J. A. Huffmann, David O'Connor, U. Poschl, C. Pohlker, N. H. Robinson, M. Schnaiter, J. R. Sodeau, M. Stengel, E. Toprak, H. Vogel

Articles

Fungal spores as a prominent type of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP) have been incorporated into the COSMO-ART (Consortium for Small-scale Modelling- Aerosols and Reactive Trace gases) regional atmospheric model. Two literature-based emission rates for fungal spores derived from fungal spore colony counts and chemical tracer measurements were used as a parameterization baseline for this study. A third, new emission parameterization for fluorescent biological aerosol particles (FBAP) was adapted to field measurements from four locations across Europe. FBAP concentrations can be regarded as a lower estimate of total PBAP concentrations. Size distributions of FBAP often show a distinct mode at …

Raman Micro-Spectroscopy For Rapid Screening Of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Luis Felipe Carvalho, Franck Bonnier, Kate O'Callaghan, Jeff O'Sullivan, Stephen Flint, Hugh Byrne, Fiona Lyng

Articles

Raman spectroscopy can provide a molecular-level fingerprint of the biochemical composition and structure of cells with excellent spatial resolution and could be useful to monitor changes in composition for dysplasia and early, non-invasive cancer diagnosis (carcinoma in situ), both ex-vivo and in vivo. In this study, we demonstrate this potential by collecting Raman spectra of nucleoli, nuclei and cytoplasm from oral epithelial cancer (SCC- 4) and dysplastic (pre-cancerous, DOK) cell lines and from normal oral epithelial primary cell cultures, in vitro, which were then analysed by principal component analysis (PCA) as a multivariate statistical method to discriminate the spectra. Results …

Current Advances In The Application Of Raman Spectroscopy For Molecular Diagnosis Of Cervical Cancer, Ines Martins Ramos, Alison Malkin, Fiona Lyng

Articles

Raman spectroscopy provides a unique biochemical fingerprint capable of identifying and characterizing the structure of molecules, cells and tissues. In cervical cancer, it is acknowledged as a promising biochemical tool due to its ability to detect pre-malignancy and early malignancy stages. This review summarizes the key research in the area and the evidence compiled is very encouraging for ongoing and further research. In addition to the diagnostic potential, promising results for HPV detection and monitoring treatment response suggest more than just a diagnosis prospective. A greater body of evidence is however necessary before Raman spectroscopy is fully validated for clinical …

Identification Of Key Proteins In Human Epithelial Cells Responding To Bystander Signals From Irradiated Trout Skin, Hayley Furlong, Richard Smith, Jiaxi Wang, Colin Seymour, Carmel Mothersill, Orla L. Howe

Articles

Radiation-induced bystander signaling has been found to occur in live rainbow trout fish (Oncorhynchus mykiss). This article reports identification of key proteomic changes in a bystander reporter cell line (HaCaT) grown in low-dose irradiated tissue-conditioned media (ITCM) from rainbow trout fish. In vitro explant cultures were generated from the skin of fish previously exposed to low doses (0.1 and 0.5 Gy) of X-ray radiation in vivo. The ITCM was harvested from all donor explant cultures and placed on recipient HaCaT cells to observe any change in protein expression caused by the bystander signals. Proteomic methods using 2-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis …

Self-Cleaning Applications Of Tio2 By Photo-Induced Hydrophilicity And Photocatalysis, Swagata Banerjee, Dionysios Dionysiou, Suresh Pillai

Articles

Self-cleaning materials have gained considerable attention for both their unique properties and practical applications in energy and environmental areas. Recent examples of many TiO2-derived materials have been illustrated to understand the fundamental principles of self-cleaning hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. Various models including those proposed by Wenzel, Cassie-Baxter and Miwa-Hashimoto are discussed to explain the mechanism of self-cleaning. Examples of semiconductor surfaces exhibiting the simultaneous occurrence of superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic domains on the same surface are illustrated, which can have various advanced applications in microfluidics, printing, photovoltaic, biomedical devices, anti-bacterial surfaces and water purification.

Several strategies to improve the efficiency of …

An Estimation Of Periconceptional Under-Reporting Of Dietary Energy Intake, Laura Mullaney, Amy C. Higgins, Shona Cawley, Anne Doolan, Daniel Mccartney, Michael J. Turner

Articles

Background The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine periconceptional misreporting of energy intake (EI) using the Willet food frequency questionnaire (WFFQ). Methods Women were recruited in the first trimester. Women completed a semi-quantitative WFFQ. Maternal body composition was measured using eight-electrode bioelectrical impedance analysis. Under-reporters were those whose ratio of EI to their calculated basal metabolic rate fell below the calculated plausible threshold for their physical activity category. Results The mean age was 30.1+5.3 years (n ¼ 524). The mean body mass index (BMI) was 25.4+5.6 kg/m2 , and 16.6% were obese (BMI 30.0 kg/m2 ). Under-reported EI …

Endurance Exercise Training Programs Intestinal Lipid Metabolism In A Rat Model Of Obesity And Type 2 Diabetes, Yu-Han Hung, Melissa A. Linden, Alicia Gordon, R. Scott Rector, Kimberly K. Buhman

Articles

Endurance exercise has been shown to improve metabolic outcomes in obesity and type 2 diabetes; however, the physiological and molecular mechanisms for these benefits are not completely understood. Although endurance exercise has been shown to decrease lipogenesis, promote fatty acid oxidation (FAO), and increase mitochondrial biosynthesis in adipose tissue, muscle, and liver, its effects on intestinal lipid metabolism remain unknown. The absorptive cells of the small intestine, enterocytes, mediate the highly efficient absorption and processing of nutrients, including dietary fat for delivery throughout the body. We investigated how endurance exercise altered intestinal lipid metabolism in obesity and type 2 diabetes …

The Tyrosine Kinase Bcef And The Phosphotyrosine Phosphatase Bced Of Burkholderia Contaminans Are Required For Efficient Invasion And Epithelial Disruption Of A Cystic Fibrosis Lung Epithelial Cell Line, Ana S. Ferreira, Ines N. Silva, Fabio Fernandes, Ruth Pilkington, Máire Callaghan, Siobhán Mcclean, Leonilde M. Moreira

Articles

Bacterial tyrosine kinases and their cognate protein tyrosine phosphatases are best known for regulating the biosynthesis of polysaccharides. Moreover, their roles in the stress response, DNA metabolism, cell division, and virulence have also been documented. The aim of this study was to investigate the pathogenicity and potential mechanisms of virulence dependent on the tyrosine kinase BceF and phosphotyrosine phosphatase BceD of the cystic fibrosis opportunistic pathogen Burkholderia contaminans IST408. The insertion mutants bceD::Tp and bceF::Tp showed similar attenuation of adhesion and invasion of the cystic fibrosis lung epithelial cell line CFBE41o- compared to the parental strain B. contaminans …

Student Attitudes To An Online, Peer-Instruction, Revision Aid In Science Education, Barry Ryan, Aaron Mac Raighne, Morag Casey, Robert Howard

Articles

Peer instruction has been shown to have a positive effect on students’ engagement and learning. However, many of the techniques designed to incorporate peer instruction into the student experience are very heavy on resources. PeerWise is a free, low-maintenance, web-tool designed to allow peer instruction between students within a large class group. Students can write, answer and discuss Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) based on their work in-class.

In this study, we introduce PeerWise to a wide and varied cohort of science students (N=509) across different disciplines, undergraduate years, levels (certificate to honours degree) and institutes. The attitudes of the students …

The Contribution Of Non-Thermal And Advanced Oxidation Technologies Towards Dissipation Of Pesticide Residues, N. Misra

Articles

Background

The use of pesticides has stabilised the food production to a great extent and their usage cannot be avoided anymore. Nevertheless, common food processing operations always allowed dissipating pesticide residues in foods to some extent. Within the food science community and the food processing sector, non-thermal food technologies are being researched and commercialised at a great pace over the past three decades.

Scope and Approach

In this review we provide a critical analysis of the literature pertinent to the fate of pesticide residues during non-thermal processing of solid and liquid foods. We also identify the opportunities for further development …

A Mathematical Model Of Meat Cooking Based On Polymer-Solvent Analogy, M. Chapwanya, Nissreen Misra

Articles

Mathematical modelling of transport phenomena in food processes is vital to understand the process dynamics. In this work, we study the process of double sided cooking of meat by developing a mathematical model for the simultaneous heat and mass transfer. The constitutive equations for the heat and mass transport are based on Fourier conduction, and the Flory–Huggins theory respectively, formulated for a two-phase transport inside a porous medium. We investigate a reduced one-dimensional case to verify the model, by applying appropriate boundary conditions. The results of the simulation agree well with experimental findings reported in literature. Finally, we comment upon …

Postgraduate Researchers Who Teach: How Can National Policy And The Structured Phd Centralise This Forgotten Tribe And Celebrate Their Skills In Tackling Some Of The Current Challenges In Irish Higher Education?, Barry Ryan

Articles

Some of the current challenges faced by Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) include financial constraints imposed by the economic downturn, the requirement to ‘teach more with less’, and the use of the knowledge based economy to drive economic stabilisation and recovery. HEIs have adopted a number of approaches to address these drivers of change including centralising the postgraduate research student who teaches. The role of these postgraduate research students is one that is not often highlighted within the fabric of the HEI; however, these transient researchers play two key roles: full-time researchers and novice educators. Centralising and celebrating the research skills …

Mechanism Of Inactivation By High Voltage Atmospheric Cold Plasma Differs Between Escherichia Coli And Staphylococcus Aureus, Lu Han, Sonal Patil, Daniela Boehm, Vladimir Milosavljević, Patrick Cullen, Paula Bourke

Articles

Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is a promising non-thermal technology effective against a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a crucial inactivation role when air or other oxygen containing gases are used. With strong oxidative stress, cells can be damaged by lipid peroxidation, enzyme inactivation and DNA cleavage. Identifying ROS and understanding their role is important to advance ACP applications to a range of complex microbiological issues. In this study, the inactivation efficacy of in-package, high voltage (80 kV_RMS) ACP (HVACP) and the role of intracellular ROS were investigated. Two mechanisms of inactivation were observed …