Life Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Salinity On The Toxicity Of Ionic Silver And Ag-Pvp Nanoparticles To Tisbe Battagliai And Ceramium Tenuicorne, Ailbhe Macken, Hugh Byrne, Kevin Thomas

Articles

The toxic effects of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) coated silver nanoparticles (Ag-NP_PVP) and ionic Ag, to Tisbe battagliai (Tb) and Ceramium tenuicorne (Ct) were investigated and the usefulness of standardised marine guidelines for ENP risk assessment were assessed. The toxicity of Ag-NP_PVP [CtEC₅₀ = 26.6 µg/L, TbEC₅₀ = 7.9 µg/L] and Ag⁺ [CtEC₅₀ = 2312.2µg/L, Tb EC₅₀ = 90.9 µg/L] to both test species differed, with the silver ENPs being more toxic. In contrast to Ag⁺ the toxicity of Ag-NP_PVP increased significantly with increasing salinity, however, after thorough characterisation it was not …

Role Of Polymeric Excipients On Controlled Release Profile Of Glipizide From Plga And Eudragit Rs 100 Nanoparticles, Pratap Naha, Hugh Byrne, Amulya Panda

Articles

Polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) 50:50 and Eudragit RS 100 nanoparticles entrapping glipizide along with excipients were prepared using single emulsion solvent evaporation method. The objective was to develop single oral dose glipizide nano particles for reducing blood sugar level in diabetes induced experimental animals. Incorporation of Polyethylene glycol (PEG) (0.5%), Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) (0.5%) and Tween 20 (0.5%) in the organic phase during particle formulation improved release profile of glipizide from the polymer particles. Entrapment efficiency of glipizide in all the polymeric formulations was around ~70 %. Around 80 % of glipizide was released from both PLGA and Eudragit …

Reactive Oxygen Species Mediated Dna Damage In Human Lung Alveolar Epithelial (A549) Cells From Exposure To Non-Cytotoxic Mfi-Type Zeolite Nanoparticles, Kunal Bhattacharya, Pratap Naha, Izabela Naydenova, Svetlana Mintova, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Increasing utilization of engineered nanoparticles in the field of electronics and biomedical applications demands an assessment of risk associated with deliberate or accidental exposure. Metal based nanoparticles are potentially most important of all the nanoparticles in terms of health risks. Microporousalumino-silicates and pure silicates named as zeolites and zeo-type materials with variety of structures, chemical compositions, particle sizes and morphologies have a significant number of industrial uses such as in catalysis, sorption and ion-exchange processes. In particular, the nanosized particles due to their unique properties are used in hybrid organic-inorganic materials for photography, photonics, electronics, labeling, imaging, and sensing. The …

Immunoproteomics: The Key To Discovery Of New Vaccine Antigens Against Bacterial Respiratory Infections, Ruth Dennehy, Siobhan Mcclean

Articles

The increase in antibiotic resistance and the shortage of new antimicrobials to prevent difficult bacterial infections underlines the importance of prophylactic therapies to prevent infection by bacterial pathogens. Vaccination has reduced the incidence of many serious diseases, including respiratory bacterial infections. However, there are many pathogens for which no vaccine is available and some vaccines are not effective among all age groups or among immunocompromised individuals. Immunoproteomics is a powerful technique which has been used to identify potential vaccine candidates to protect against pathogenic bacteria. The combination of proteomics with the detection of immunoreactive antigens using serum highlights immunogenic proteins …

Quality And Nutritional Status Of Fresh-Cut Tomato As Affected By Spraying Of Delactosed Whey Permeate Compared To Industrial Washing Treatment., Lubna Ahmed, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel Rico, Catherine Barry-Ryan

Articles

The aim of this study was to examine the applicability of delactosed whey permeate 28 (DWP) treatment on preserving the quality and antioxidant attributes of fresh-cut 29 tomato. Tomatoes were treated with 3 % DWP by dipping, spraying and a 30 combination of both, stored at 4 °C for 10 days and compared with the industrial 31 standard, chlorine. The combination of dipping and spraying of DWP showed the best 32 results for all the markers tested. The combined treatment of dipping and spraying of 33 DWP significantly lowered total counts (~ 1.0 log cfu/g), yeast and moulds (~ 1.2 …

Spectral Cross Correlation As A Supervised Approach For The Analysis Of Complex Raman Datasets: The Case Of Nanoparticles In Biological Cells, Mark Keating, Franck Bonnier, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Spectral Cross-correlation is introduced as a methodology to identify the presence and subcellular distribution of nanoparticles in cells. Raman microscopy is employed to spectroscopically image biological cells previously exposed to polystyrene nanoparticles, as a model for the study of nano-bio interactions. The limitations of previously deployed strategies of K-means clustering analysis and principal component analysis are discussed and a novel methodology of Spectral Cross Correlation Analysis is introduced and compared with the performance of Classical Least Squares Analysis, in both unsupervised and supervised modes. The previous study demonstrated the feasibility of using Raman spectroscopy to map cells and identify polystyrene …

Influence Of Aboveground Vegetation On Seed Bank Composition And Distribution In A Great Basin Desert Sagebrush Community, Kristen M. Pekas, Eugene W. Schupp

Articles

The quantity, composition, and spatial dispersion of seed banks can greatly affect community dynamics. While seed banks of hot deserts have been studied extensively, little is known about seed banks in cold deserts, in particular the relationship between the seed bank and the aboveground vegetation. We investigated the relationship between the seed bank and aboveground vegetation and the effect of microhabitat (shrub interspace or beneath shrub) and aboveground community phase (high or low perennial bunchgrass cover) on the seed bank of a Great Basin Desert sagebrush community. The seed bank and aboveground vegetation differed in their most dominant species, resulting …

The Effect Of Delactosed Whey Permeate On Phytochemical Content Of Canned Tomatoes., Lubna Ahmed, Ankit Patras, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel Rico, Catherine Barry-Ryan

Articles

The effect of delactosed whey permeate (DWP) treatment on antioxidant and phyto-chemical 26 components of canned Irish plum tomatoes were investigated. Tomatoes were sterilized for 5 27 min (F0) at 120 °C and stored for 6 months. The DWP treatment retained significantly 28 (p

Hyperspectral Imaging For Non-Contact Analysis Of Forensic Traces, Patrick Cullen, G. Edelman, T. Van Leeuwen, M. Aalders, E. Gaston

Articles

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) integrates conventional imaging and spectroscopy, to obtain both spatial and spectral information from a specimen. This technique enables investigators to analyze the chemical composition of traces and simultaneously visualize their spatial distribution. HSI offers significant potential for the detection, visualization, identification and age estimation of forensic traces. The rapid, non-destructive and non-contact features of HSI mark its suitability as an analytical tool for forensic science. This paper provides an overview of the principles, instrumentation and analytical techniques involved in hyperspectral imaging. We describe recent advances in HSI technology motivating forensic science applications, e.g. the development of portable …

Response Surface Methodology Guided Release Of Two Acetate Volatiles From An Oil-In-Water Emulsion, Mark Traynor, Roisin Burke, N. Brunton, Catherine Barry-Ryan

Articles

Optimization of the volatile release of two commonly used flavor compounds (isoamyl acetate and furfuryl acetate) from a food emulsion model system was evaluated using response surface methodology (RSM). Twenty-seven random order settings were established using a central composite face-centered (CCF) experimental design. The main and combined effects of four independent variables—concentration of isoamyl acetate (50–90 ppm), furfuryl acetate (20–30 ppm), salt (NaCl; 0.1–2%), and pH (5–7)—on the responses were examined. The main objective of the present study was to determine the optimal concentration level of the four variables leading to optimal release of the volatile compounds. Quantitative measurements were …

Anti-Cancer Activity And Mutagenic Potential Of Novel Copper (Ii) Quinolinone Schiff Base Complexes In Hepatocarinoma Cells, Brian Duff, Venkat Reddy Thangella, Bernadette Creaven, Maureen Walsh, Denise Egan

Articles

This study determined the cytotoxic, cyto-selective and mutagenic potential of novel quinolinone Schiff base ligands and their corresponding copper(II) complexes in human-derived hepatic carcinoma cells (Hep-G2) and non-malignant human-derived hepatic cells (Chang). Results indicated that complexation of quinolinone Schiff bases with copper served to significantly enhance cytotoxicity. Here, the complex of (7E)-7-(3-ethoxy-2-hydroxybenzylideamino)-4-methylquinolin-2(1H)-one (TV117-FM) exhibited the lowest IC₅₀ value (17.9 μM) following 96 h continuous exposure, which was comparable to cisplatin (15.0 μM). However, results revealed that TV117-FM lacked cytoselectivity over non-malignant cells. Additionally, the complex was minimally effluxed from cells via Pglycoprotein (P-gp) and was shown to be non-mutagenic …

Comparing Two Methods For Quantifying Soil-Borne Entomophaga Maimaiga Resting Spores, Ann E. Hajek, Ruth C. Plymale, James R. Reilly

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To improve usability of methods for quantifying environmentally persistent entomophthoralean resting spores in soil, we modified and tested two methods using resting spores (azygospores) of the gypsy moth pathogen Entomophaga maimaiga. Both methods were effective for recovering resting spores at concentrations >100 resting spores/g dry soil. While a modification of a method originally described by Weseloh and Andreadis (2002) recovered more resting spores than a modified method based on Percoll density gradients, the ability to estimate true densities from counts was similar for both methods. Regression equations are provided for predicting true resting spore densities from counts, with R 2 …

Inhibition Of Burkholderia Multivorans Adhesion To Lung Epithelial Cells By Bivalent Lactosides, Ciara Wight, Rosaria Leyden, Paul V. Murphy, Máire Callaghan, Trinidad Velasco-Torrijos, Siobhan Mcclean

Articles

Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) is an opportunistic pathogen in cystic fibrosis patients which is inherently resistant to antimicrobial agents. The mechanisms of attachment and pathogenesis of Bcc, a group of 17 species, are poorly understood. The most commonly identified Bcc species in newly colonised patients, Burkholderia multivorans, continues to be acquired from the environment. Development of therapies which can prevent or reduce the risk of colonization on exposure to Bcc in the environment would be a better alternative to antimicrobial agents. Previously, it has been shown that Bcc strains bound to many glycolipid receptors on lung epithelia. Using a …

Concentrated Flow Erodibility For Physically Based Erosion Models: Temporal Variability In Disturbed And Undisturbed Rangelands, Osama Z. Al-Hamdan, Frederick B. Pierson, Mark A. Nearing, C. Jason Williams, Jeffry J. Stone, Patrick R. Kormos, Jan Boll, Mark A. Weltz

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Current physically based overland flow erosion models for rangeland application do not separate disturbed and undisturbed conditions in modeling concentrated flow erosion. In this study, concentrated flow simulations on disturbed and undisturbed rangelands were used to estimate the erodibility and to evaluate the performance of linear and power law equations that describe the relationship between erosion rate and several hydraulic parameters. None of the hydraulic parameters consistently predicted the detachment capacity well for all sites, however, stream power performed better than most of other hydraulic parameters. Using power law functions did not improve the detachment relation with respect to that …

Interaction Of Environmental B. Cenocepacia Strains With Cystic Fibrosis And Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchial Epithelial Cells In Vitro., Annamaria Bevivino, Luisa Pirone, Ruth Pilkington, Noemi Cifani, Claudia Dalmastri, Máire Callaghan, Fiorentina Ascenzioni, Siobhan Mcclean

Articles

Burkholderia cenocepacia is an important human pathogen in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Non-clinical reservoirs may play a role in the acquisition of infections, so it is important to evaluate the pathogenic potential of environmental B. cenocepacia isolates. In this study, we investigated the interactions of two environmental B. cenocepacia strains (Mex1 and MCII-168) with two bronchial epithelial cell lines,16HBE14o- and CFBE41o-, which have a non-CF and a CF phenotype, respectively.

The environmental strains showed a significantly lower level of invasion into both CF- and non-CF cells in comparison with the clinical B. cenocepacia LMG16656^T strain. Exposure of polarized …

Large-Scale Experimental Studies Show Unexpected Amino Acid Effects On Protein Expression And Solubility In Vivo In E. Coli, W. Nicholson Price Ii, Samuel K. Handelman, John K. Everett, Saichiu N. Tong, Ana Bracic, Jon D. Luff, Victor Naumov, Thomas Acton, Philip Manor, Rong Xiao, Burkhard Rost, Gaetano T. Montelione, John F. Hunt

Articles

The biochemical and physical factors controlling protein expression level and solubility in vivo remain incompletely characterized. To gain insight into the primary sequence features influencing these outcomes, we performed statistical analyses of results from the high-throughput protein-production pipeline of the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium. Proteins expressed in E. coli and consistently purified were scored independently for expression and solubility levels. These parameters nonetheless show a very strong positive correlation. We used logistic regressions to determine whether they are systematically influenced by fractional amino acid composition or several bulk sequence parameters including hydrophobicity, sidechain entropy, electrostatic charge, and predicted backbone disorder. …

Preparation And Rapid Analysis Of Antibacterial Silver, Copper And Zinc Doped Sol–Gel Surfaces, Swarna Jaiswal, Brendan Duffy, Patrick Mchale

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The colonisation of clinical and industrial surfaces with microorganisms, including antibiotic-resistant strains, has promoted increased research into the development of effective antibacterial and antifouling coatings. This study describes the preparation of metal nitrate (Ag, Cu, Zn) doped methyltriethoxysilane (MTEOS) coatings and the rapid assessment of their antibacterial activity using polyproylene microtitre plates. Microtitre plate wells were coated with different volumes of liquid sol–gel and cured under various conditions. Curing parameters were analysed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and visual examination. The optimum curing conditions were determined to be 50–70 °C using a volume of 200 μl. The coated wells were challenged …

Evaluation And Identification Of Markers Of Damage In Mushrooms (Agaricus Bisporous) Postharvest Using A Gc/Ms Metabolic Profiling Approach., Aoife O'Gorman, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Jesus Maria Frias

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The aim of this research was to use the gas mass spectrometry (GC/MS) profiling method coupled with chemometric tools to profile mechanically damaged and undamaged mushrooms during storage and to identify specific metabolites that may be used as markers of damage. Mushrooms grown under controlled conditions were bruise damaged by vibration to simulate damage during normal transportation. Three damage levels were evaluated; undamaged, damaged for 20 min and damaged for 40 min and two time levels studied; day zero and day one after storage at 48C. Applying this technique over 100 metabolites were identified, quantified and compiled in a library. …

Quantitative Reagent-Free Detection Of Fibrinogen Levels In Human Blood Plasma Using Raman Spectroscopy, Kelvin Poon, Fiona Lyng, Peter Knief, Orla L. Howe, Aidan Meade, James Curtin, Hugh Byrne, Joseph Vaughan

Articles

Fibrinogen assays are commonly used as part of clinical screening tests to investigate haemorrhagic states, for detection of disseminated intravascular coagulation and as a predictor of a variety of cardiovascular events. The Clauss assay, which measures thrombin clotting time, is the most commonly used method for measuring fibrinogen levels. Nevertheless, inconsistencies are present in inter-manufacturer reagent sources, calibration standards and methodologies. Automated coagulation analysers, which measure changes in optical density during the prothrombin time (PT-Fg), have found use in many hospitals. However, the PT-Fg method is found to give falsely elevated values due to varying choices of calibrants, reagents and …

The Speed Of Sound And Attenuation Of An Iec Agar-Based Tissue-Mimicking Material For High Frequency Ultrasound Applications, Chao Sun, Stephen Pye, Jacinta Browne, Anna Janeczko, Bill Ellis, Mairead Butler, Vassilis Sboros, Adrain Thomson, Mark Brewin, Charles Earnshaw, Carmel Moran

Articles

No abstract provided.

Optimization Of Lactic Acid Fermentation Of York Cabbage For The Development Of Potential Probiotic Products, Amit Jaiswal, Shilpi Gupta, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

In the present study, York cabbage was used as the sole substrate for the lactic acid (LA) fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum. York cabbage was blanched at 95°C for 12min to inactivate surface microflora prior to fermentation. To achieve an optimal fermentation condition which would result in higher release of phytochemicals and antioxidant (AO) capacity in the broth, Box-Behnken design integrating a desirability approach was used. A second-order polynomial equation was developed indicating the effect of solute/liquid ratio, agitation rate and fermentation time on desired parameters. The optimized factors were used for fermenting York cabbage to obtain maximum bacterial growth, …

Water At Room Temperature As A Solvent For The Extraction Of Apple Pomace Phenolic Compounds, Sofia Reis, Dilip Rai, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

A fractionation method was used for the extraction of phenolic compounds from apple pomace (AP) involving a first extraction with water and subsequent extractions of the same residue with two different organic solvents. The water extracts obtained presented high amounts of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant capacity however, the second and third extractions of the same residue still extracted considerable amounts of remaining phenolic compounds with significant antioxidant capacities. Liquid chromatography – electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS) studies showed water to be a good solvent to extract hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols, flavanols, dihydrochalcones and flavones present in the AP. However, water …

Development And Validation Of A Novel Reporter Assay For Human Papillomavirus Type 16 Late Gene Expression, Beatrice Orru, Ciaran Cunniffe, Fergus Ryan, Stefan Schwartz

Articles

To facilitate the investigations of HPV-16 late gene expression HPV-16 reporter plasmids were generated using previously described sub-genomic HPV-16 plasmids, named pBEL and pBELM, that, similar to the full viral genome, produce primarily HPV-16 early mRNAs and very little, if any, late mRNAs in cervical cancer cells. The HPV-16 late L1 gene was replaced by the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene, or green fluorescent protein (GFP), preceded by the poliovirus internal ribosome entry site (IRES). Results show that the reporter genes mimic the expression of L1 from these plasmids. For example, overexpression of adenovirus E4orf4 protein (E4orf4), polypyrimidine tract binding …

Gymnasium-Based Unsupervised Exercise Maintains Benefits In Oxygen Uptake Kinetics Obtained Following Supervised Training In Type 2 Diabetes, Oscar Mac Ananey, D O'Shea, S Warmington, S Green, M Egana

Articles

Abstract

Supervised exercise (SE) in patients with type 2 diabetes improves oxygen uptake kinetics at the onset of exercise. Maintenance of these improvements, however, has not been examined when supervision is removed. We explored if potential improvements in oxygen uptake kinetics following a 12-week SE that combined aerobic and resistance training were maintained after a subsequent 12-week unsupervised exercise (UE). The involvement of cardiac output (CO) in these improvements was also tested. Nineteen volunteers with type 2 diabetes were recruited. Oxygen uptake kinetics and CO (inert gas rebreathing) responses to constant-load cycling at 50% ventilatory threshold (V(T)), 80% V(T), and …

Reversible Lysine Acetylation Regulates Activity Of Human Glycine N-Acyltransferase-Like 2 (Hglyatl2): Implications For Production Of Glycine-Conjugated Signaling Molecules, Dominick P. Waluk, Filip Sucharski, Laszlo Sipos, Jerzy Silberring, Mary Hunt

Articles

Background: Lysine acetylation is a major post-translational modification of proteins.

Results: Human glycine N-acyltransferase-like 2 is regulated by acetylation/deacetylation of lysine 19.

Conclusion: Reversible lysine acetylation is important in regulating the activity and function of human glycine N-acyltransferases.

Significance: Our study links post-translational modification of proteins with the production of lipid signaling molecules, the N-acyl glycines.

Editorial: Predicative Modelling Of Food Quality And Safety Special Issue, Vasilis Valdramidis, Jesus Maria Frias

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No abstract provided.

The Frying Pan Or The Fire: Public Attitudes About Using Herbicides To Manage Invasive Weeds, Mariah Evans, Kimberly Rollins

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How do we balance risks? This paper assesses hypotheses derived from instrumental rationality and risk society theories about the reasoning strategies that people will use to develop views supportive or oppositional to the use of herbicides to manage cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), an invasive weed. Cheatgrass is well-known in the population of the American West to increase wildfire risks substantially and to harm the environment in other ways. But are the cures worse than the disease? One demonstrably effective method of cheatgrass suppression is the use of herbicides, and the paper explores sources of support for and opposition to …

Combretazet-3 A Novel Synthetic Cis-Stable Combretastatin-A4-Azetidinone Hybrid With Enhanced Stabilityand Therapeutic Efficacy In Colon Cancer, Lisa M. Greene, Shu Wang, Niamh O'Boyle, Sandra A. Bright, Jane E. Reid, Patrick Kelly, Mary J. Meegan, Daniela M. Zisterer

Articles

In recent years an extensive series of synthetic combretastatin A-4 (CA-4)-azetidinone (β-lactam) hybrids were designed and synthesised with a view to improve the stability, therapeutic efficacy and aqueous solubility of CA-4. Lead compounds containing a 3,4,5-trimethoxy aromatic ring at position 1 and a variety of substitution patterns at positions 3 and 4 of the β-lactam ring were screened in three adenocarcinoma-derived colon cancer cell lines (CT-26, Caco-2 and the CA-4 resistant cell line, HT-29). In both CT-26 and Caco-2 cells all β-lactam analogues analysed displayed potent therapeutic efficacy within the nanomolar range. Substitution of the ethylene bridge of CA-4 with …

Synthesis, Characterisation And Photo-Stability Of A Folate-Modified Β-Cyclodextrin As A Functional Food Additive., Zlata Tofzikovskaya, Christine O'Connor, Mary Mcnamara

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A novel two-step synthetic route was developed and gave the mono-substituted derivative 6-deoxy-6-[(1-(2-amino)ethylamino)folate]-b-cyclodextrin (CDEnFA) with high yield (60 %). Elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, FTIR and Raman spectroscopies demonstrated the successful synthesis of the γ isomer only with no evidence of the presence of other isomers or free folic acid. Electronic absorption spectroscopy was used to study the photochemical properties of CDEnFA and showed that in both the solid state and aqueous solution CDEnFA is considerably more photo-stable than free folic acid.

Bacterial Host Interactions In Cystic Fibrosis, Máire Callaghan, Siobhan Mcclean

Articles

Chronic infection is a hallmark of cystic fibrosis (CF) and the main contributor to morbidity. Microbial infection in CF is complex, due to the number of different species that colonise the CF lung. Their colonisation is facilitated by a host response that is impaired or compromised by highly viscous mucous, zones of hypoxia and the lack of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR). Successful dominant CF pathogens combine an effective arsenal to establish infection and counter-attack the host response, together with an ability to adapt readily to an unfavourable environment. Hypermutability is common among CF pathogens facilitating adaptation and as …