Life Sciences Commons^™

Solvent Stable Microbial Lipases: Current Understanding And Biotechnological Applications, Barry Ryan, Priyanka Priyanka, Yeqi Tan, Gemma K Kinsella, Gary T. Henehan

Articles

Objective: This review examines on our current understanding of microbial lipase solvent tolerance, with a specific focus on the molecular strategies employed to improve lipase stability in a non-aqueous environment.

Results: It provides an overview of known solvent tolerant lipases and of approaches to improving solvent stability such as; enhancing stabilising interactions, modification of residue flexibility and surface charge alteration. It shows that judicious selection of lipase source supplemented by appropriate enzyme stabilisation, can lead to a wide application spectrum for lipases.

Conclusion: Organic solvent stable lipases are, and will continue to be, versatile and adaptable biocatalytic workhorses commonly employed …

The Goldilocks Approach: A Review Of Employing Design Of Experiments In Prokaryotic Recombinant Protein Production, Barry Ryan, Albert Uhoraningoga, Gemma K. Kinsella, Gary T. .. Henehan

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The production of high yields of soluble recombinant protein is one of the main objectives of protein biotechnology. Several factors, such as expression system, vector, host, media composition and induction conditions can influence recombinant protein yield. Identifying the most important factors for optimum protein expression may involve significant investment of time and considerable cost. To address this problem statistical models, such as Design of Experiments (DoE), have been used to optimise recombinant protein production. This review explores the application of DoE in the production of recombinant proteins, focusing on prokaryotic expression systems with a specific emphasis on media composition and …

Food Safety Knowledge And Practices Among Saudi Mothers, Wafa O. Ayaz, Anushree Priyadarshini, Amit Jaiswal

Articles

This study examines food safety knowledge and practices of mothers in Saudi Arabia. A total of 979 respondents participated in the study and completed a questionnaire that accessed their knowledge of food storage, food handling, usage and maintenance of kitchen facilities, personal hygiene and food poisoning. Results showed that mothers in Saudi Arabia had moderate knowledge of food storage (passing rate 64.9%) and usage and maintenance of kitchen facilities (passing rate 66.5%). While they had good knowledge of personal hygiene (passing rate 83.8%) and food poisoning (passing rate 78.5%), their knowledge with regard to food handling was poor (passing rate …

The Effect Of Temperature During Retail Display On The Colour Stability Of Co Pretreated Vacuum Packaged Beef Steaks, Lauren Anne Van Rooyen, Paul Allen, Eimear Gallagher, David I. O'Connor

Articles

The effect of CO pretreatments applied to beef striploin steaks (Longissimus thoracis et lumborum, LTL) prior to vacuum packaging and display temperature on colour stability, shelf life and tenderness was determined. Steaks were exposed to 5% CO, 60% CO2 and 35% N2for 3 (CO3), 5 (CO5) or 7 (CO7) h, followed by 28 days display at 2 °C (good industry practice) or 6 °C (mild abuse). CO5 was the optimum exposure time as it induced the desirable colour while not retaining the bright colour, irrespective of display temperature. K/Sratios confirmed that CO pretreatment did not mask spoilage and …

A Review On Bioconversion Of Agro-Industrial Wastes To Industrially Important Enzymes, Rajeev Ravindran, Shady S. Hassan, Gwilym A. Williams, Amit K, Jaiswal

Articles

Agro-industrial waste is highly nutritious in nature and facilitates microbial growth. Most agricultural wastes are lignocellulosic in nature; a large fraction of it is composed of carbohydrates. Agricultural residues can thus be used for the production of various value-added products, such as industrially important enzymes. Agro-industrial wastes, such as sugar cane bagasse, corn cob and rice bran, have been widely investigated via different fermentation strategies for the production of enzymes. Solid-state fermentation holds much potential compared with submerged fermentation methods for the utilization of agro-based wastes for enzyme production. This is because the physical–chemical nature of many lignocellulosic substrates naturally …

Theobromine And Related Methylxanthines As Inhibitors Of Primary Amine Oxidase, Padraig Shanahan, Jeffrey O’Sullivan, Keith Tipton, Gemma Kinsella, Barry Ryan, Gary Henehan

Articles

Methylxanthines are the most widely consumed drugs in the world and evidence of their health benefits has been growing in recent years. Primary Amine Oxidase (PrAO) has been recognised as a therapeutic target for amelioration of inflammatory, vascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Previous work in our laboratories showed that caffeine inhibited Bovine PrAO with a Ki of 1.0mM using benzylamine as substrate.

This study aimed to extend our previous work and explore the possibility that related methylxanthines might influence PrAO activity. While paraxanthine, theophylline and 7-methylxanthine had little effect on PrAO, theobromine was a noncompetitive inhibitor with a Ki of 276±44µM. …

Isolation, Purification And Characterization Of A Novel Solvent Stable Lipase From Pseudomonas Reinekei, Barry Ryan, Priyanka Priyanka, Gemma K. Kinsella, Gary T. Henehan

Articles

The Pseudomonas sp. have been long recognized for their exogenous lipolytic activities yet the genus still contains a lot of unexplored strains. Due to the versatile metabolic machinery and their potential for adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions Pseudomonas sp. are of great interest for biotechnological applications. In this study, a new extracellularly produced lipolytic enzyme from Pseudomonas sp. (P. reinekei) was purified and characterized. The production of lipase from P. reinekei (H1) was enhanced 10-fold by optimizing the nitrogen source. The 50 kDa H1 lipase was purified using negative and positive mode anion exchange chromatography. The purified lipase was active …

Multicomponent Analysis Using A Confocal Raman Microscope, Zhengyuan Tang, Sinead J. Barton, Thomas E. Ward, John P. Lowry, Michelle M. Doran, Hugh Byrne, Bryan M. Hennelly

Articles

Measuring the concentration of multiple chemical components in a low volume aqueous mixture by Raman spectroscopy has received significant interest in the literature. All of the contributions to date focus on the design of optical systems that facilitate the recording of spectra with high signal-to-noise ratio, by collecting as many Raman scattered photons as possible. In this study, the confocal Raman microscope set-up is investigated for multicomponent analysis. Partial Least Squares Regression is used to quantify physiologically relevant aqueous mixtures of glucose, lactic acid, and urea. The predicted error is 17.81 mg/dL for glucose, 10.6 mg/dL for lactic acid and …

Investigating The Role Of Gold Nanoparticle Shape And Size In Their Toxicities To Fungi, Kangze Liu, Zhonglei He, Hugh Byrne, James Curtin, Furong Tian Technological University Dublin

Articles

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are increasingly being used in a wide range of applications, and such they are being released in greater quantities into the environment. Consequently, the environmental effects of GNPs, especially toxicities to living organisms, have drawn great attention. However, their toxicological characteristics still remain unclear. Fungi, as the decomposers of the ecosystem, interact directly with the environment and critically control the overall health of the biosphere. Thus, their sensitivity to GNP toxicity is particularly important. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of GNP shape and size in their toxicities to fungi, which could help …

Raman Spectral Analysis For Rapid Screening Of Dengue Infection, Tahir Mahmood, Haq Nawaz, A. Ditta, M.I. Majeed, M.A. Hanif, N. Rashid, H.N. Bhatti, H.F. Nargis, M. Saleem, Franck Bonnier, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Infection with the dengue virus is currently clinically detected according to different biomarkers in human blood plasma, commonly measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assays, including non-structural proteins (Ns1), immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG). However, there is little or no mutual correlation between the biomarkers, as demonstrated in this study by a comparison of their levels in samples from 17 patients. As an alternative, the label free, rapid screening technique, Raman spectroscopy has been used for the characterisation/diagnosis of healthy and dengue infected human blood plasma samples. In dengue positive samples, changes in specific Raman spectral bands associated with …

Clinical Applications Of Infrared And Raman Spectroscopy: State Of Play And Future Challenges, Matthew Baker, Hugh Byrne, John Chalmers, Peter Gardner, Royston Goodacre, Alex Henderson, Sergei Kazarian, Francis Martin, Julian Moger, Nick Stone, Josep Sule-Suso

Articles

Vibrational spectroscopies, based on Infrared absorption and/or Raman scattering provide a detailed fingerprint of a material, based on the chemical content. Diagnostic and prognostic tools based on these technologies have the potential to revolutionise our clinical systems leading to improved patient outcome, more efficient public services and significant economic savings. However, despite these strong drivers, there are many fundamental scientific and technological challenges which have limited the implementation of this technology in the clinical arena, although recent years have seen significant progress in addressing these challenges. This review examines (i) the state of the art of clinical applications of infrared …

Enzymatic Extraction Of Fucoxanthin From Brown Seaweeds, Emer Shannon, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

Brown seaweeds contain a number of bioactive compounds. The xanthophyll, fucoxanthin, has in vivo efficacy against disorders such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and cancer. Organic solvents are traditionally employed to extract fucoxanthin, but carry a toxic chemical and environmental burden. The aim of this study was to optimise a fucoxanthin extraction method using enzymes, water, low-temperature dehydration and mechanical blending, to produce yields comparable to those achieved with an organic solvent (acetone). Response surface methodology was applied, using Fucus vesiculosus as a model species. A fucoxanthin yield of 0.657 mg g^-1 (dry mass) was obtained from F. …

Toxicological Assessment Of Nanomaterials: The Role Of In Vitro Raman Microspectroscopic Analysis, Esen Efeoglu, Marcus Maher, Alan Casey, Hugh Byrne

Articles

The acceleration of nanomaterials research has brought about increased demands for rapid analysis of their bioactivity, in a multi-parametric fashion, to minimise the gap between potential applications and knowledge of their toxicological properties. The potential of Raman microspectroscopy for the analysis of biological systems with the aid of multivariate analysis techniques has been demonstrated. In this study, an overview of recent efforts towards establishing a ‘label-free high content nanotoxicological assessment technique’ using Raman microspectroscopy is presented. The current state of the art for cellular toxicity assessment and the potential of Raman microspectroscopy are discussed, and the spectral markers of the …

Toll-Like Receptor 3 L412f Polymorphism Promotes A Persistent Clinical Phenotype In Pulmonary Sarcoidosis, Gordon Cooke, Ijaz Kamal, Monika Strengert, Emily Hams, Leona Mawhinney, Aisling Tynan, Ciaran O’ Reilly, David N. O’ Dwyer, Steven L. Kunkel, Ulla G. Knaus, Denis C. Shields, David R. Moller, Andrew G. Bowie, Padraic G. Fallon, Cory M. Hogaboam, Michelle E. Armstrong, Seamas C. Donnelly

Articles

Background: Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic disorder of unknown etiology, characterised by the

presence of non-caseating granulomas in target organs. In ninety percent of cases, there is

thoracic involvement. Fifty to seventy percent of pulmonary sarcoidosis patients will experience

acute, self-limiting disease. For the subgroup of patients who develop persistent disease, no

targeted therapy is currently available.

Aim: To investigate the potential of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), Toll-like

receptor 3 Leu412Phe (TLR3 L412F; rs3775291), as a causative factor in the development of,

and in disease persistence in pulmonary sarcoidosis. To investigate the functionality of TLR3

L412F in vitro in …

Cold Atmospheric Plasma Induces Atp-Dependent Endocytosis Of Nanoparticles And Synergistic U373mg Cancer Cell Death, Zhonglei He, Kangze Liu, Eline Manaloto, Alan Casey, George P. Cribaro, Hugh Byrne, Furong Tian, Carlos Barcia, Gillian Conway, Patrick Cullen, James Curtin

Articles

Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) have potential as both diagnostic and therapeutic vehicles. However, selective targeting and uptake in cancer cells remains challenging. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) can be combined with AuNP to achieve synergistic anti-cancer cytotoxicity. To explore synergistic mechanisms, we demonstrate both rate of AuNP uptake and total amount accumulated in U373MG Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells are signifcantly increased when exposed to 75kV CAP generated by dielectric barrier discharge. No signifcant changes in the physical parameters of AuNP were caused by CAP but active transport mechanisms were stimulated in cells. Unlike many other biological efects of CAP, long-lived reactive species …

Interdisciplinary Teaching And Learning Within Molecular Gastronomy Education: Does It Benefit Students?, Roisin Burke, Pauline Danaher

Articles

Since the creation of Molecular Gastronomy (MG) as a scientific discipline in 1988 a variety of higher education modules and programmes in that discipline have developed around the world. At the Technological University Dublin, MG has been taught using an interdisciplinary approach since the academic year 2012/2013. A Culinary Science lecturer and a Culinary Arts lecturer work in synergy and teach an interdisciplinary group of Food Science (FS) and Culinary Arts (CA) students. The students’ work is assessed, in each academic year, using summative methods i.e. written exam and a project assignment. In the academic year 2016/2017 the assignment reports …

In Vitro Label Free Screening Of Chemotherapeutic Drugs Using Raman Micro-Spectroscopy: Towards A New Paradigm Of Spectralomics., Zeineb Farhane, Haq Nawaz, Franck Bonnier, Hugh Byrne

Articles

This overview groups some of the recent studies highlighting the potential application of Raman micro-spectroscopy as an analytical technique in preclinical development to predict drug mechanism of action and in clinical application as a companion diagnostic and in personalised therapy due to its capacity to predict cellular resistance and therefore to optimise chemotherapeutic treatment efficacy.

Notably, the anthracyclines, Doxorubicin and Actinomycin D, elicit similar spectroscopic signatures of subcellular interaction characteristic of the mode of action of intercalation. Although Cisplatin and Vincristine show markedly different signatures, at low exposure doses, their signatures at higher doses show marked similarities to those elicited …

Microencapsulated Ascorbic Acid: Development, Characterization, And Release Profile In Simulated Gastrointestinal Fluids, Michele Cristina Rodrigues Da Cruz, Camila Augusto Perussello, Maria Lúcia Masson

Articles

The aim of this study was to produce ascorbic acid (AA) microcapsules by complex coacervation, characterize them, and evaluate the release profile in simulated gastrointestinal fluids. The microcapsules were made of gelatin and pectin at concentrations of 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0%. The coacervated microcapsules were assessed for morphology (by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy), water activity (Aw), hygroscopicity, solubility, encapsulation efficiency (EE), thermal behavior, and AA release profile. The AA microcapsules were characterized by low solubility, low hygroscopicity, high thermal stability, and low diameter (<10 μm), with EE ranging from 23.7 to 94.3%. The release profile was faster in gastric fluid (pH 1.8) than in intestinal fluid (pH 6.8). The sample containing 2.0% of wall material and 50% (w/w) of the simple emulsion (core) had the highest EE and the best in vitro release profile, with release of only 68% of AA in 120 min in the gastric fluid.

Practical applications Ascorbic acid (AA) is widely used in the food industry as an …

Carefree Masculinities In Ireland: Gender Conservatism And Neo-Liberalism, Niall Hanlon

Articles

No abstract provided.

A Conceptual Framework For Understanding The Biogeochemistry Of Dry Riverbeds Through The Lens Of Soil Science, Maria Isabel Arce, Clara Mendoza, Maria Almagro, Nuria Catalan, Anna M. Romani, Eugenia Marti, R. Gomez, Susana Bernal, Arnaud Foulquier, Michael Mutz, Rafael Marce, Annamaria Zoppini, Giulia Gionchetta, Gabriele Weigelhofer, R. Del Campo, Christopher T. Robinson, Alan Gilmer, Martin Rulik, Obrador Biel, Oleksandra Shumilova, Sanja Zlatanovic, Shai Arnon, Petr Baldrian, Gabriel Andreas Singer, Thibault Datry, Nikolaos Th Skoulikidis, Britta Tietjen, Daniel Von Schiller

Articles

Intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) encompass fluvial ecosystems that eventually stop flowing and run dry at some point in space and time. During the dry phase, channels of IRES consist mainly of dry riverbeds (DRBs), prevalent yet widely unexplored ecotones between dry and wet phases that can strongly influence the biogeochemistry of fluvial networks. DRBs are often overlooked because they do not strictly belong to either domain of soil or freshwater science. Due to this dual character of DRBs, we suggest that concepts and knowledge from soil science can be used to expand the understanding of IRES biogeochemistry. Based …

Temporal Variability And Geographical Origins Of Airborne Pollen Grains Concentrations From 2015 To 2018 At Saclay, France, Roland Sarda Esteve, Dominique Baisnee, Benjamin Guinot, David O'Connor, Jean-Eudes Petit, John Sodeau, Jean-Pierre Besancenot, Michel Thibaudon, Valérie Gros

Articles

The study of the origin and dispersion processes associated with airborne pollen grains are important to understand due to their impacts on health. In this context, a Hirst-type spore trap was utilized over the period 2015–2018 to monitor ambient pollen grains at Saclay, France, a receptor site influenced by both clean air masses originating from the Atlantic Ocean and polluted air masses under anticyclonic conditions. The objective of this work was to use ZeFir (a user-friendly, software tool recently-developed to investigate the geographical origin and point sources of atmospheric pollution) as a method to analyse total and allergenic airborne pollen …

Raman Spectroscopy Detects Biochemical Changes Due To Different Cell Culture Environments In Live Cells In Vitro, Mahmoud Gargotti, E. Efeoglu, Hugh Byrne, Alan Casey

Articles

The in vitro cell culture environment can impact on cell biochemistry and cell cycle. The manifestation of such substrate-induced changes in cell cycle in the Raman microspectroscopic profiles of cell cultures is investigated at the level of nucleolus, nucleus and cytoplasm. HeLa immortalised human cervical cells and HaCaT dermal cells were cultured on three different substrates, conventional polystyrene cell culture dishes, CaF2 slides as a commonly used Raman substrate, and glass slides coated with collagen rat tail, as a mimic of the extra-cellular matrix (ECM) environment. A cell cycle study, based on percentage DNA content, as determined using propidium iodide …

The Potential Of Cold Plasma For Safe And Sustainable Food Production, Paula Bourke, Dana Ziuzina, Daniela Boehm, Patrick Cullen, Kevin Keener

Articles

In-package decontamination of foods using cold plasma has advanced this technology as a unit process for fresh foods decontamination and shelf-life extension.

Chemical residues of agricultural pesticides of varying structure can be degraded to safe or less-toxic structures using cold plasma.

Cold-plasma-mediated control of contaminants, along with the promotion of seed germination and plant growth, offers alternatives to current pesticides and fertilizers for agriculture.

Controlling plasma reactive species formulations in dry and liquid delivery formats advances the potential for understanding and successful translation to multiple points along the agriculture and food sectors.

Employing predictive microbiology, process optimization tools and a …

Blunted Serum 25(Oh)D Response To Vitamin D3 Supplementation In Children With Autism, Conor Kerley, Basil Elnazir, Peter Greally, David Coghlan

Articles

Introduction: Data suggest a potential role for vitamin D in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevention and treatment. It is likely that the serum response to vitamin D supplementation contributes to its effectiveness. Multiple factors affect serum vitamin D 25(OH)D response to supplementation.

Methods: We conducted post-hoc analysis of two double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials (RCT) of vitamin D3 supplementation, one RCT involving children with ASD and another involving children with asthma. Both trials were conducted in the same geographic location (Dublin, Ireland, 53°N), conducted over Winter season and utilized the same vitamin D3 dose (2000 IU/day).

Results: We …

Microfluidics In Coagulation Monitoring Devices: A Mini Review, Leanne Harris, Anthony J. Killard

Articles

Diagnosis and monitoring of disorders of coagulation and disturbances in haemostasis has been around for many years. Thrombotic and bleeding disorders are amongst the leading causes of mortality in the developed world, thus driving research in this area. The simplicity with which miniaturised devices operate and their application to the study of coagulation and haemostasis offer potential advantages over traditional testing, such as improvements in clinical decision making and ultimately patient care. This review looks at progress in microfluidic device development in the field of haemostasis and coagulation biology.

The Relationship Between Early Pregnancy Dietary Intakes And Subsequent Birthweight And Neonatal Adiposity, R.A.K. Kennedy, Laura Mullaney, A.C. O'Higgins, A. Doolan, Daniel Mccartney, M.J. Turner

Articles

Background: Maternal nutrition intakes may influence neonatal birthweight and adiposity; however, inconsistencies within the literature exist. The relationships between maternal dietary intakes in early pregnancy and both birthweight and neonatal adiposity requires elucidation. This study examined the relationship between early pregnancy dietary intakes and subsequent birthweight and neonatal adiposity.

Methods: Women were recruited at their convenience after sonographic confirmation of a singleton pregnancy. Women completed a Willet food frequency questionnaire evaluating habitual food and nutrient intakes at their first antenatal visit. Neonatal body composition was measured using air-displacement plethysmography.

Results: Of the 385 mother-neonate dyads, mean maternal age was 30.8 …

Quality Of Fresh And Stored Mares’ Milk, Grażyna Czyżak-Runowska, Jacek Wójtowski, Alicja Niewiadomska, Maria Markiewicz-Keszycka

Articles

Mares’ milk is characterised by unique nutritional profile. In this study, the microbiological analysis of mares’ milk was performed. The presence of total bacteria, total lactic bacteria, Lactobacillus spp., Streptococcus lactis, Salmonella spp. and coliforms was investigated. Moreover, the influence of refrigerated and frozen storage on the total bacteria count, vitamin C, acidity and colour of milk was examined. Pathogenic Salmonella spp. and coliforms were not detected in the raw milk. It was revealed that mares’ milk can be stored for 72 hours under refrigeration at a temperature of +4 °C without reducing its microbiological quality. Most of the physicochemical …

Translation Of Plasma Technology From The Lab To The Food Industry, Patrick Cullen, James Lalor, Laurence Scally, Daniela Boehm, Vladimir Milosavljevic, Paula Bourke, Kevin Keener

Articles

The potential of cold plasma as a food processing aid has been demonstrated for a range of processes and products. The potential applications of plasma technology are extensive and include microbial decontamination, pest control, toxin elimination, food and package functionalisation and many others. However, studies reported to date have principally been at laboratory scale. This paper discusses the status and challenges of transferring the technology to the industry. The major challenges discussed for adoption of atmospheric plasma as a food processing tool by industry are (1) demonstration of product/process specific efficacies; (2) development of process compatible technology designs and scale‐up; …

The Effects Of Varying Gas Concentrations And Exposure Times On Colour Stability And Shelf-Life Of Vacuum Packaged Beef Steaks Subjected To Carbon Monoxide Pretreatment, Lauren Anne Van Rooyen, Paul Allen, Caragh Kelly-Rees, David I. O'Connor

Articles

There is an emerging demand for more value-added meat packaging technologies which enhance meat quality. Overall, colour is the most important quality trait judged at point of purchase as sensory traits cannot be physically assessed prior to consumption (Carpenter, Cornforth, & Whittier, 2001; Van Rooyen, Allen, Crawley, & O’Connor, 2017). Consumers use colour as an indicator of freshness and wholesomeness and this influences perceived meat quality (Carpenter et al., 2001; Issanchou, 1996), while discoloration is associated with unwholesomeness (Faustman & Cassens, 1990) and leads to economic losses (Kropf, Hunt, & Piske, 1986) and food waste. Packaging directly affects the colour …

The N-Acyltransferase Lnt: Structure-Function Insights From Recent Simultaneous Studies, Wei Chang, Declan A. Doyle, Toufic El Arnaout

Articles

Bacterial lipoproteins have been researched for decades due to their roles in a large number of biological functions. There were no structures of their main three membrane processing enzymes, until 2016 for Lgt and LspA, and then 2017 for Lnt with not one but three simultaneous, independent publications. We have analyzed the recent findings for this apolipoprotein N-acyltransferase Lnt, with comparisons between the novel structures, and with soluble nitrilases, to determine the significance of unique features in terms of substrate's recognition and binding mechanism influenced by exclusive residues, two transmembrane helices, and a flexible loop.