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2011

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Statistical Optimization Of Blanching Time And Temperature Of Irish York Cabbage Using Desirability Function, Amit Jaiswal, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam, Shilpi Gupta Dec 2011

Statistical Optimization Of Blanching Time And Temperature Of Irish York Cabbage Using Desirability Function, Amit Jaiswal, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam, Shilpi Gupta

Articles

The effect of different heat treatments, as a means of preprocessing, on the phytochemicals present in Irish York cabbage was studied. A comparison of blanching (by immersing in water) and microwaving (using water as a medium) indicated that microwaving is detrimental to the phytochemicals present in cabbage. To achieve a blanching time and temperature combination that would result in minimal loss of phytochemicals, central composite design that integrates a desirability approach was used. A second-order polynomial equation was developed, indicating the effect of the blanching time and temperature on the total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl …


A Comparative Study On The Polyphenolic Content, Antibacterial Activity And Antioxidant Capacity Of Different Solvent Extracts Of Brassica Oleracea Vegetables, Amit Jaiswal, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam, Shilpi Gupta Nov 2011

A Comparative Study On The Polyphenolic Content, Antibacterial Activity And Antioxidant Capacity Of Different Solvent Extracts Of Brassica Oleracea Vegetables, Amit Jaiswal, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam, Shilpi Gupta

Articles

Brassica vegetables are rich in polyphenols, flavonoids and glucosinolates. Investigation was undertaken to optimise the best solvents among 60% ethanol, acetone and methanol for the extraction of polyphenols from Brassica vegetables. Furthermore, different properties such as antibacterial activity and antioxidant capacity were also investigated. Results showed that a 60% methanolic extract showed the highest total phenolic content which was 23.6, 20.4 and 18.7 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) g−1 extract for broccoli, Brussels sprouts and white cabbage, respectively. The hydroxybenzoic acid content of various solvent extracts ranged from 5.86 to 8.91 GAE g−1 extract for broccoli, 2.70 to 5.44 GAE …


Activation Of Mmp-9 By Human Lung Epithelial Cells In Response To The Cystic Fibrosis-Associated Pathogen Burkholderia Cenocepacia Reduced Wound Healing In Vitro, Ciara Wright ], Ruth Pilkington, Máire Callaghan, Siobhan Mcclean Oct 2011

Activation Of Mmp-9 By Human Lung Epithelial Cells In Response To The Cystic Fibrosis-Associated Pathogen Burkholderia Cenocepacia Reduced Wound Healing In Vitro, Ciara Wright ], Ruth Pilkington, Máire Callaghan, Siobhan Mcclean

Articles

Burkholderia cepacia complex is a group of bacterial pathogens that cause opportunistic infections in cystic fibrosis (CF). The most virulent of these is Burkholderia cenocepacia. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are upregulated in CF patients. The aim of this work was to examine the role of MMPs in the pathogenesis of B. cepacia complex, which has not been explored to date. Real-time PCR analysis showed that B. cenocepacia infection upregulated MMP-2 and MMP-9 genes in the CF lung cell line CFBE41o- within 1 h, whereas MMP-2, -7, and -9 genes were upregulated in the non-CF lung cell line 16HBE14o-. Conditioned media from …


Nonthermal Plasma Inactivation Of Food-Borne Pathogens, N. Misra, B. Tiwari, K. Rahavarao, Patrick Cullen Oct 2011

Nonthermal Plasma Inactivation Of Food-Borne Pathogens, N. Misra, B. Tiwari, K. Rahavarao, Patrick Cullen

Articles

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is electrically energized matter, composed of highly reactive species including gas molecules, charged particles in the form of positive ions, negative ions, free radicals, electrons and quanta of electromagnetic radiation (photons) at near-room temperature. NTP is an emerging nonthermal technology with potential applications for decontamination in the food industries. An upsurge in the research activities for plasma based inactivation of food borne pathogens is evident in the recent years. These studies have shown that NTP can be used for the surface decontamination of raw produce, dried nuts and the packaging materials etc. This paper reviews the action …


Application Of Baranyi Function To Model The Antibacterial Properties Of Solvent Extract From Irish York Cabbage Against Food Spoilage And Pathogenic Bacteria, Amit Jaiswal, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam, Shilpi Gupta, Sabrina Cox Sep 2011

Application Of Baranyi Function To Model The Antibacterial Properties Of Solvent Extract From Irish York Cabbage Against Food Spoilage And Pathogenic Bacteria, Amit Jaiswal, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam, Shilpi Gupta, Sabrina Cox

Articles

Cabbage is a rich source of a number of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, glucosinolates and their breakdown products which may have antibacterial, antioxidant and anticancer properties. Outer green leaves of York cabbage were extracted with 60% methanol, ethanol or acetone. Antibacterial activities of vacuum dried crude extracts were estimated against a number of Gram-positive and Gram-negative food spoilage and food pathogenic bacteria. The crude extracts showed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activities but 60% methanol extract exhibited the highest antibacterial effect. Complete growth inhibition for Listeria monocytogenes was achieved with an extract concentration of 1.4%, whereas a two-fold concentration …


Economic And Social Impacts Of Wildfires And Invasive Plants In American Deserts: Lessons From The Great Basin, Mark W. Brunson, John Tanaka Sep 2011

Economic And Social Impacts Of Wildfires And Invasive Plants In American Deserts: Lessons From The Great Basin, Mark W. Brunson, John Tanaka

Articles

Research on the impacts of wildfire and invasive plants in rangelands has focused on biophysical rather than human dimensions of these environmental processes. We offer a synthetic perspective on economic and social aspects of wildfire and invasive plants in American deserts, focusing on the Great Basin because greater research attention has been given to the effects of cheatgrass expansion than to other desert wildfire/invasion cycles. We focus first on impacts at the level of the individual decision-maker, then on impacts experienced at the human community or larger socio-political scales. Economic impacts of wildfire differ from those of invasive grasses because …


Kinetic Evaluation Of Colour, Texture, Polyphenols And Antioxidant Capacity Of Irish York Cabbage After Blanching Treatment, Amit Jaiswal, Shilpi Gupta, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam Aug 2011

Kinetic Evaluation Of Colour, Texture, Polyphenols And Antioxidant Capacity Of Irish York Cabbage After Blanching Treatment, Amit Jaiswal, Shilpi Gupta, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

In the present work, York cabbage was blanched between 80 to100°C with an increment of 5°C for up to 14 min and kinetics of the different physio-chemical properties were studied. Significant reductions in the texture, color, polyphenols (PPs) and antioxidant (AO) capacity were observed due to blanching. Total phenolic and flavonoid content retained ranged from 19.6-24.5 and 22.0-25.7%, respectively. Heavy losses in the AO capacity also occurred as a result of blanching, which was evident with a loss of 74.0-82.0% in activity as compared to raw York cabbage. Textural studies showed that blanching caused a significant reduction in firmness in …


Developing A Model Framework For Predicting Effects Of Woody Expansion And Fire On Ecosystem Carbon And Nitrogen In A Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, Benjamin M. Rau, Robin J. Tausch, Alicia Reiner, Dale W. Johnson, Jeanne C. Chambers, Robert R. Blank Jul 2011

Developing A Model Framework For Predicting Effects Of Woody Expansion And Fire On Ecosystem Carbon And Nitrogen In A Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, Benjamin M. Rau, Robin J. Tausch, Alicia Reiner, Dale W. Johnson, Jeanne C. Chambers, Robert R. Blank

Articles

Sagebrush-steppe ecosystems are one of the most threatened ecosystems in North America due to woodland expansion, wildfire, and exotic annual grass invasion. Some scientists and policy makers have suggested that woodland expansion will lead to increased carbon (C) storage on the landscape. To assess this potential we used data collected from a Joint Fire Sciences Program demonstration area to develop a Microsoft Excel™ based biomass, carbon, and nitrogen (N) spreadsheet model. The model uses input for tree cover, soil chemistry, soil physical properties, and vegetation chemistry to estimate biomass, carbon, and nitrogen accumulation on the landscape with woodland expansion. The …


Woodland Expansion's Influence On Belowground Carbon And Nitrogen In The Great Basin U.S., Benjamin M. Rau, Dale W. Johnson, Robert R. Blank, Robin J. Tausch, Bruce A. Roundy, Richard F. Miller, Todd G. Caldwell, Annmarie Lucchesi May 2011

Woodland Expansion's Influence On Belowground Carbon And Nitrogen In The Great Basin U.S., Benjamin M. Rau, Dale W. Johnson, Robert R. Blank, Robin J. Tausch, Bruce A. Roundy, Richard F. Miller, Todd G. Caldwell, Annmarie Lucchesi

Articles

Vegetation changes associated with climate shifts and anthropogenic disturbance can have major impacts on biogeochemical cycling and soils. Much of the Great Basin, U.S. is currently dominated by sagebrush (Artemisia tridentate (Rydb.) Boivin) ecosystems. Sagebrush ecosystems are increasingly influenced by pinyon (Pinus monophylla Torr. & Frém and Pinus edulis Engelm.) and juniper (Juniperus osteosperma Torr. and Juniperus occidentalis Hook.) expansion. Some scientists and policy makers believe that increasing woodland cover in the intermountain western U.S. offers the possibility of increased organic carbon (OC) storage on the landscape; however, little is currently known about the distribution of OC …


Optimisation Of Accelerated Solvent Extraction Of Antioxidant Compounds From Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis L.), Marjoram (Origanum Majorana L.) And Oregano (Origanum Vulgare L.) Using Response Surface Methodology, M. Hossain, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, N. Brunton May 2011

Optimisation Of Accelerated Solvent Extraction Of Antioxidant Compounds From Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis L.), Marjoram (Origanum Majorana L.) And Oregano (Origanum Vulgare L.) Using Response Surface Methodology, M. Hossain, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, N. Brunton

Articles

The present study optimised the accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) conditions (Dionex ASE® 200, USA) to maximise the antioxidant capacity of the extracts from three spices of Lamiaceae family; rosemary, oregano and marjoram. Optimised conditions with regard to extraction temperature (66–129 °C) and solvent concentration (32–88% methanol) were identified using response surface methodology (RSM). For all three spices results showed that 129 °C was the optimum temperature in order to obtain extracts with high antioxidant activity. Optimal methanol concentrations with respect to the antioxidant activity of rosemary and marjoram extracts were 56% and 57% respectively. Oregano showed a different response to …


Comparison Of Subcellular Responses For The Evaluation And Prediction Of The Chemotherapeutic Response To Cisplatin In Lung Adenocarcinoma Using Raman Spectroscopy, Haq Nawaz, Franck Bonnier, Aidan Meade, Fiona Lyng, Hugh Byrne Apr 2011

Comparison Of Subcellular Responses For The Evaluation And Prediction Of The Chemotherapeutic Response To Cisplatin In Lung Adenocarcinoma Using Raman Spectroscopy, Haq Nawaz, Franck Bonnier, Aidan Meade, Fiona Lyng, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Confocal Raman Micro spectroscopy (CRM) is employed to examine the chemical and physiological effects of anticancer agents, using cisplatin and A549 adenocarcinoma cells as a model compound and test system respectively. Spectral responses of the membrane and cytoplasm of the cell are analysed independently and the results are compared to previously reported spectroscopic studies of the nucleus. Moreover, Raman spectra from the proteins extracted from the control and exposed samples are acquired and analysed to confirm the origin of the molecular changes of the cell membrane and cytoplasm of the A549 cells. Multivariate data analysis techniques including Principal Component Analysis …


Revisiting Soil C And N Sampling: Quantitative Pits Vs. Rotary Cores, Benjamin M. Rau, April M. Melvin, Dale W. Johnson, Christine L. Goodale, Robert R. Blank, Guinevere Fredriksen, Watkins W. Miller, James D. Murphy, Donald E. Todd Jr., Roger F. Walker Mar 2011

Revisiting Soil C And N Sampling: Quantitative Pits Vs. Rotary Cores, Benjamin M. Rau, April M. Melvin, Dale W. Johnson, Christine L. Goodale, Robert R. Blank, Guinevere Fredriksen, Watkins W. Miller, James D. Murphy, Donald E. Todd Jr., Roger F. Walker

Articles

Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and its feedbacks with global climate have sparked renewed interest in quantifying ecosystem carbon (C) budgets, including quantifying belowground pools. Belowground nutrient budgets require accurate estimates of soil mass, coarse fragment content, and nutrient concentrations. It has long been thought that the most accurate measurement of soil mass and coarse fragment content has come from excavating quantitative soil pits. However, this methodology is labor intensive and time consuming. We propose that diamond-tipped rotary cores are an acceptable if not superior alternative to quantitative soil pits for the measurement of soil mass, coarse fragment content, C and …


Quantitative Assessment Of The Shelf-Life Of Ozonated Apple Juice, Sonal Patil, Vasilis Valdramidis, Brijesh Tiwari, Patrick Cullen, Paula Bourke Mar 2011

Quantitative Assessment Of The Shelf-Life Of Ozonated Apple Juice, Sonal Patil, Vasilis Valdramidis, Brijesh Tiwari, Patrick Cullen, Paula Bourke

Articles

Sterile apple juice inoculated with S. cerevisiae ATCC 9763 (103 CFU/mL) was processed in a bubble column with gaseous ozone of flow rate of 0.12 L/min and concentration of 33-40 µg/mL for 8 min. The growth kinetics of S. cerevisiae as an indicator of juice spoilage was monitored at 4, 8, 12 and 16 ºC for up to 30 days. The kinetics were quantitatively described by the primary model of Baranyi and Robert’s and the maximum specific growth rate was further modeled as a function of temperature by the Ratkowsky type model. The developed model was successfully validated for …


Developing A Nutrition Assessment Tool For Irish Pre-Schools, Charlotte Johnston Molloy, Clare Corish, John Kearney, Noirin Hayes, Corina Glennon Slattery Jan 2011

Developing A Nutrition Assessment Tool For Irish Pre-Schools, Charlotte Johnston Molloy, Clare Corish, John Kearney, Noirin Hayes, Corina Glennon Slattery

Articles

Purpose The provision of nutritious food to children in full day care pre-schools is essential to ensure adequate child growth and development. This paper outlines the development of a nutrition assessment tool (Scored Evaluation Form) for this setting, and describes the nutrition practice findings measured by this tool in full day child care in Ireland. Design / methodology / approach This study involved two phases: a comprehensive literature review carried out on each criterion in the Scored Evaluation Form (SEF) to ensure best practice; use of the SEF in full day care pre-schools to assess their nutrition practice. Findings Use …


Evolutionary History And Spread Of Multidrug Resistant Inchi1 Plasmids In Salmonella Typhi, Kathryn Holt, Minh Duy Phan, Stephen Baker, Pham Thanh Duy, Tran Vu Thieu Nga, Satheesh Nair, Arthur Keith Turner, Ciara Walsh, Seamus Fanning, Sinrad Farrell-Ward, Shanta Dutta, François-Xavier Weill, Julian Parkhill, Gordon Dougan, John Wain Jan 2011

Evolutionary History And Spread Of Multidrug Resistant Inchi1 Plasmids In Salmonella Typhi, Kathryn Holt, Minh Duy Phan, Stephen Baker, Pham Thanh Duy, Tran Vu Thieu Nga, Satheesh Nair, Arthur Keith Turner, Ciara Walsh, Seamus Fanning, Sinrad Farrell-Ward, Shanta Dutta, François-Xavier Weill, Julian Parkhill, Gordon Dougan, John Wain

Articles

Typhoid fever, infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi), remains a serious health concern in many parts of the world, particularly where sanitation is poor. While vaccines against S. Typhi are available, coverage in endemic regions is low, leaving antimicrobial therapy central to disease control. Unfortunately, drug resistant S. Typhi emerged in the mid-1970s and multi-drug resistance (MDR) is now a significant problem in many typhoid endemic areas. In the S. Typhi population, MDR is almost exclusively conferred by self-transmissible IncHI1 plasmids carrying a suite of antimicrobial resistance genes. We compared eight IncHI1 plasmid sequences and identified single nucleotide …


Nano-Enhanced Food Contact Materials And The In Vitro Toxicity To Human Intestinal Cells Of Nano-Zno At Low Dose, Gordon Chambers, Niall Ó Claonadh, Alan Casey, Clement Higginbotham, Sean Lyons, Sanchali Mukherjee Jan 2011

Nano-Enhanced Food Contact Materials And The In Vitro Toxicity To Human Intestinal Cells Of Nano-Zno At Low Dose, Gordon Chambers, Niall Ó Claonadh, Alan Casey, Clement Higginbotham, Sean Lyons, Sanchali Mukherjee

Articles

Nano Zinc Oxide (nZnO) has been shown to display antimicrobial effects which have lead to its application in a number of areas such as antimicrobial surface coatings, anti bacterial wound dressings and more recently in polymer composite systems for use in food contact materials. Concerns have been raised due to the incorporation of nanoparticles in food packaging stemming from the possibility of repeated low dose direct exposure, through ingestion, primarily due to degradation and nanoparticle leaching from the polymer composite. To address these concerns, composites consisting of nZnO and polyethylene were formed using twin screw extrusion to mimic commercial methods …


Comparison Of A Novel Fluorogenic Anti-Fxa Assay With A Central Laboratory Chromogenic Anti-Fxa Assay For Measuring Lmwh Activity In Patient Plasmas, Leanne F. Harris, Vanessa Castro-Lopez, James S. O'Donnell, Anthony J. Killard Jan 2011

Comparison Of A Novel Fluorogenic Anti-Fxa Assay With A Central Laboratory Chromogenic Anti-Fxa Assay For Measuring Lmwh Activity In Patient Plasmas, Leanne F. Harris, Vanessa Castro-Lopez, James S. O'Donnell, Anthony J. Killard

Articles

Introduction: Low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) are used worldwide for the treatment and prophylaxis of thromboembolic disorders. Routine laboratory tests are not required due to the predictable pharmacokinetics of LMWHs, with the exception of pregnant patients, children, patients with renal failure, morbid obesity, or advanced age. Anti-Factor Xa (anti-FXa) plasma levels are most often employed in the assessment and guidance of accurate dosing in these patient cohorts. Materials and methods: A LMWH calibration curve was generated using citrated human pooled plasma spiked with pharmacologically relevant concentrations (0–1 U/ml) of two low molecular weight heparins; enoxaparin and tinzaparin. Least squares analysis …


Comparison Of The Anticoagulant Response Of A Novel Fluorogenic Anti-Fxa Assay Wth Two Commercial Anti-Fxa Chromogenic Assays, Leanne F. Harris, Aoife O'Brien, Vanessa Castro-Lopez, James S. O'Donnell, Anthony J. Killard Jan 2011

Comparison Of The Anticoagulant Response Of A Novel Fluorogenic Anti-Fxa Assay Wth Two Commercial Anti-Fxa Chromogenic Assays, Leanne F. Harris, Aoife O'Brien, Vanessa Castro-Lopez, James S. O'Donnell, Anthony J. Killard

Articles

Introduction: Fast and accurate monitoring is crucial in the successful regulation of coagulation therapy. For the treatment of venous thromboembolism, both unfractionated heparin (UFH) and low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) are commonly administered. The chromogenic anti-factor Xa (FXa) assay is currently considered the ‘gold standard’ assay for monitoring LMWH. However different commercial chromogenic methods often differ when tested with the same samples. Fluorogenic anti-FXa assays have the potential to offer greater benefits over chromogenic assays in terms of greater specificity, sensitivity and they are not so influenced by sample opacity or turbidity. Materials and Methods: Commercial plasmas were spiked with …


Bioactive Potential And Possible Health Effects Of Edible Brown Seaweeds, Shilpi Gupta, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam Jan 2011

Bioactive Potential And Possible Health Effects Of Edible Brown Seaweeds, Shilpi Gupta, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

Marine macroalgae (seaweeds) are rich in bioactive compounds that could potentially be exploited as functional ingredients for both human and animal health applications. Despite the intensive efforts that are being made to isolate and identify new compounds with potential medicinal, health or pharmaceutical activities, very few compounds with real potency are available. Bioactive compounds that are most extensively researched include sulfated polysaccharides, phlorotannins and diterpenes. These compounds have been reported to possess strong anti-viral, anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties. At the same time, the prebiotic health potential of the polysaccharides from seaweeds is also increasingly being studied either by feeding whole …


Effect Of Processing Conditions On Phytochemical Constituents Of Edible Irish Seaweed Himanthalia Elongata., Sabrina Cox, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam, Shilpi Gupta Jan 2011

Effect Of Processing Conditions On Phytochemical Constituents Of Edible Irish Seaweed Himanthalia Elongata., Sabrina Cox, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam, Shilpi Gupta

Articles

Seaweed iswell recognized as an excellent source of phytochemicals. This study was a preliminary screening to investigate the effects of various food processing methods on the phytochemicals of Himanthalia elongata. Hydrothermal processing was carried out until an edible texture was achieved. The total phenolic content (TPC) of fresh H. elongata was 175.27 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g fresh weight (FW) while boiling significantly reduced the TPC to 25.4 mg GAE/100 g FW
(P < 0.05).A drying pretreatment before boiling reduced the cooking time therefore leading to less leaching of antioxidants upon boiling. In terms of extract, drying of H. elongata followed by boiling had the most significant effect on the phytochemicals as TPC increased by 174%. Boiled extracts had the most effective 2, 2-diphenyl- 1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity (EC50 of 12.5 mg/mL). As a comparison, seaweed subjected to the same treatments was studied in terms of antimicrobial activity.Overall, extracts fromfresh H. elongata achieved the highest inhibition.


Application Of Response Surface Methodology For Studying The Influence Of Hydrothermal Processing On The Phytochemical Constituents Of Irish Edible Brown Seaweed, Sabrina Cox Jan 2011

Application Of Response Surface Methodology For Studying The Influence Of Hydrothermal Processing On The Phytochemical Constituents Of Irish Edible Brown Seaweed, Sabrina Cox

Articles

We used response surface methodology to investigate the effect of time and temperature of hydrothermal processing (blanching) on the phytochemical content, texture and colour of a semi-dried brown seaweed ( Himanthalia elongata ). A central composite design was employed with a hydrothermal processing time of 10 – 30 min and temperature of 60 – 90 ° C. Predicted models were found to be signifi cant for total phenolic content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity, total fl avonoids, total condensed tannins, texture and colour. The predicted values for each of the responses were in good agreement with experimental values. Processing time had …


Efficacy Of Biocides Used In The Modern Food Industry To Control Salmonella Enterica, And Links Between Biocide Tolerance And Resistance To Clinically Relevant Antimicrobial Compounds, Orla Condell, Carol Iversen, Shane Cooney, Karen Power, Ciara Walsh, Catherine Burgess, Seamus Fanning Jan 2011

Efficacy Of Biocides Used In The Modern Food Industry To Control Salmonella Enterica, And Links Between Biocide Tolerance And Resistance To Clinically Relevant Antimicrobial Compounds, Orla Condell, Carol Iversen, Shane Cooney, Karen Power, Ciara Walsh, Catherine Burgess, Seamus Fanning

Articles

Biocides play an essential role in limiting the spread of infectious disease. The food industry is dependent on these agents, and their increasing use is a matter for concern. Specifically, the emergence of bacteria demonstrating increased tolerance to biocides, coupled with the potential for the development of a phenotype of cross-resistance to clinically important antimicrobial compounds, needs to be assessed. In this study, we investigated the tolerance of a collection of susceptible and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella enterica strains to a panel of seven commercially available food-grade biocide formulations. We explored their abilities to adapt to these formulations and their active …


Lead Identification Of Β-Lactam And Related Imine Inhibitors Of The Molecular Caperone Heat Shock Protein 90, Niamh O'Boyle, Andrew Js Knox, Trevor P. Price, D. Clive Williams, Daniela M. Zisterer, David G. Lloyd, Mary J. Meegan Jan 2011

Lead Identification Of Β-Lactam And Related Imine Inhibitors Of The Molecular Caperone Heat Shock Protein 90, Niamh O'Boyle, Andrew Js Knox, Trevor P. Price, D. Clive Williams, Daniela M. Zisterer, David G. Lloyd, Mary J. Meegan

Articles

Heat shock protein 90 is an emerging target for oncology therapeutics. Inhibitors of this molecular chaperone, which is responsible for the maintenance of a number of oncogenic proteins, have shown promise in clinical trials and represent a new and exciting area in the treatment of cancer. Heat shock protein 90 inhibitors have huge structural diversity, and here we present the identification of inhibitors based on β-lactam and imine templates. β-Lactam 5 and imines 12 and 18 exhibit binding to heat shock protein 90-α with IC50 values of 5.6 μM, 14.5 μM and 22.1 μM respectively. The binding affinity displayed …


Protein Replacement Therapy Partially Corrects The Cholesterol-Storage Phenotype In A Mouse Model Of Niemann-Pict Type C2 Disease, Gitte Krogh Nielsen, Frederik Dagnaes-Hansen, Ida Elisabeth Holm, Steve Meaney, Derek Symula, Niels Trolle Andersen, Christian Wurtz Heegaard Jan 2011

Protein Replacement Therapy Partially Corrects The Cholesterol-Storage Phenotype In A Mouse Model Of Niemann-Pict Type C2 Disease, Gitte Krogh Nielsen, Frederik Dagnaes-Hansen, Ida Elisabeth Holm, Steve Meaney, Derek Symula, Niels Trolle Andersen, Christian Wurtz Heegaard

Articles

Niemann-Pick type C2 (NPC2) disease is a fatal autosomal recessive neurovisceral degenerative disorder characterized by late endosomal-lysosomal sequestration of low-density lipoprotein derived cholesterol. The breach in intracellular cholesterol homeostasis is caused by deficiency of functional NPC2, a soluble sterol binding protein targeted to the lysosomes by binding the mannose-6-phosphate receptor. As currently there is no effective treatment for the disorder, we have investigated the efficacy of NPC2 replacement therapy in a murine gene-trap model of NPC2-disease generated on the 129P2/OlaHsd genetic background. NPC2 was purified from bovine milk and its functional competence assured in NPC2-deficient fibroblasts using the specific cholesterol …


Evaluation Of Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (Aptt) Reagents For Application In Biomedical Diagnostic Device Development, Magdalena Dudek, Leanne F. Harris, Anthony J. Killard Jan 2011

Evaluation Of Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (Aptt) Reagents For Application In Biomedical Diagnostic Device Development, Magdalena Dudek, Leanne F. Harris, Anthony J. Killard

Articles

Introduction: The most commonly used test for monitoring heparin therapy is the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). The response of available aPTT reagents to heparin varies significantly. The aim of this study was to highlight the differences between aPTT reagents stored in a dried format to select the most suitable formulations to be used for the development of point-of-care diagnostic devices used for monitoring of unfractionated heparin dose response. Methods: Ten reagents were analysed in terms of their performance in liquid and in dried form after storage for 24 h and 14 days. Performance was assessed by measurement of the …


Quantification Of Unfractionated Heparin In Human Plasma And Whole Blood By Means Of Novel Fluorogenic Anti-Fxa Assays, Vanessa Castro-Lopez, Leanne F. Harris, James S. O'Donnell, Anthony J. Killard Jan 2011

Quantification Of Unfractionated Heparin In Human Plasma And Whole Blood By Means Of Novel Fluorogenic Anti-Fxa Assays, Vanessa Castro-Lopez, Leanne F. Harris, James S. O'Donnell, Anthony J. Killard

Articles

Novel and sensitive plate-based fluorogenic anti-factor Xa (FXa) assays were investigated to quantify unfractionated heparin (UFH) in human plasma and whole blood within the therapeutic ranges of 0–1.6 U/mL and 0–0.8 U/mL, respectively. Two fluorogenic anti-FXa assay methods were defined for low (0–0.6 U/mL) and high (0.6–1.2 U/mL) pharmacologically relevant UFH concentration ranges in pooled human plasma. In both cases significant differences were observed at intervals of 0.2 U/mL (P < 0.05). The semi-logarithmic plots of the calibration curves in the low and high UFH range were both fitted to linear regressions with correlation coefficients of 0.96 and >0.99, respectively. The assay was also optimized for whole blood which was capable of differentiating UFH concentrations at intervals of 0.2 U/mL (P < 0.05) in the range of 0–0.4 U/mL. The statistically different results were fitted to a linear regression with a correlation coefficient of >0.99. The results obtained in this study …


An Investigation Of The Subtype Diversity Of Clinical Isolates Of Irish Clostridium Difficile Ribotypes 027 And 078 By Repetitive-Extragenic Palindromic Pcr, Denise Drudy, K. Solomon, S. Murray, L. Scott, S. Mcdermott,, A. Martin, C. O’Donoghue, M. Skally, K. Burns, L. Fenelon, F. Fitzpatrick,, L. Kyne, S. Fanning Jan 2011

An Investigation Of The Subtype Diversity Of Clinical Isolates Of Irish Clostridium Difficile Ribotypes 027 And 078 By Repetitive-Extragenic Palindromic Pcr, Denise Drudy, K. Solomon, S. Murray, L. Scott, S. Mcdermott,, A. Martin, C. O’Donoghue, M. Skally, K. Burns, L. Fenelon, F. Fitzpatrick,, L. Kyne, S. Fanning

Articles

A repetitive-extragenic palindromic PCR (rep-PCR) subtyping method (DiversiLab) in conjunction with ribotyping, toxinotyping and antimicrobial-susceptibility testing was used to detect subtypes within Clostridium difficile ribotypes 027 and 078. Clinical isolates of ribotypes 027 (toxinotype III) (n530) and 078 (toxinotype V) (n523) were provided by health-care facilities across the Republic of Ireland over 2 months in 2006 and 1 month in 2009. Ribotype 027 isolates were significantly more related to each other (9 different subtype profiles) when compared to ribotype 078 isolates (14 different profiles) (P50.001; cut-off .90 % similarity). Almost half of ribotype 078 isolates (45.5 %) showed no relationship …


Do Organic Cherry Vine Tomatoes Taste Better Than Conventional Cherry Vine Tomatoes? A Sensory And Instrumental Comparative Study From Ireland, Clare Gilsenan, Roisin Burke, Catherine Barry-Ryan Jan 2011

Do Organic Cherry Vine Tomatoes Taste Better Than Conventional Cherry Vine Tomatoes? A Sensory And Instrumental Comparative Study From Ireland, Clare Gilsenan, Roisin Burke, Catherine Barry-Ryan

Articles

A consumer panel was able to distinguish a perceptible difference between organically farmed and conventionally produced tomatoes, and preferred the taste of the conventional tomatoes. The sensory evaluation results of the trained panel revealed that the conventional tomatoes were sweeter and less sour than the organic tomatoes. In addition to this, the conventional tomatoes showed significant differences for oBrix, reducing sugars and electrical conductivity. No significant differences were observed between the organic and conventional tomato samples for color, size, firmness, pH and dry matter values.


Modelling The Effect Of Asparaginase In Reducing Acrylamide Formation In Biscuits, Monica Anese, Barbara Quarta, Jesus Maria Frias Jan 2011

Modelling The Effect Of Asparaginase In Reducing Acrylamide Formation In Biscuits, Monica Anese, Barbara Quarta, Jesus Maria Frias

Articles

The influence of asparaginase on acrylamide formation, as well as colour development, in short dough biscuits was studied. In particular, asparaginase concentration, incubation time and temperature were changed according to an experimental design. As acrylamide formation was found to vary significantly between biscuits obtained by using the same ingredients and process, a mixed effect model was used to model variation of acrylamide concentration. By contrast a fixed effect model was used for colour polynomial analysis. Within the range of study, the overall results allowed the best conditions for minimising acrylamide formation to be found. It can be suggested that acrylamide …


Assessing The Microbial Oxidative Stress Of Ozone: Significant Role Of The Oxidative Stress Proteins In The Survival Of E. Coli In Ozone Treatment, Sonal Patil, Vasilis Valdramidis, A. Katratzas, Patrick Cullen, Paula Bourke Jan 2011

Assessing The Microbial Oxidative Stress Of Ozone: Significant Role Of The Oxidative Stress Proteins In The Survival Of E. Coli In Ozone Treatment, Sonal Patil, Vasilis Valdramidis, A. Katratzas, Patrick Cullen, Paula Bourke

Articles

Aims: To investigate the effect of the oxidative stress of ozone on microbial inactivation, cell membrane integrity, membrane permeability and morphology changes of Escherichia coli during ozone treatment.

Methods and Results: E. coli BW 25113 and its isogenic mutants in soxR, soxS, oxyR, rpoS, dnaK genes were treated with ozone at a concentration of 6 µg mL-1 for a period up to 4 min. A significant effect of ozone exposure on microbial inactivation was observed. After ozonation, minor effects on the cell membrane integrity and permeability were observed. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis showed slightly altered cell …