Search results for "Uric acid."
showing 10 items of 337 documents
New insights on secondary minerals from Italian sulfuric acid caves
2018
Sulfuric acid minerals are important clues to identify the speleogenetic phases of hypogene caves. Italy hosts ~25% of the known worldwide sulfuric acid speleogenetic (SAS) systems, including the famous well-studied Frasassi, Monte Cucco, and Acquasanta Terme caves. Nevertheless, other underground environments have been analyzed, and interesting mineralogical assemblages were found associated with peculiar geomorphological features such as cupolas, replacement pockets, feeders, sulfuric notches, and sub-horizontal levels. In this paper, we focused on 15 cave systems located along the Apennine Chain, in Apulia, in Sicily, and in Sardinia, where copious SAS minerals were observed. Some of the…
Bioplastic recovery from wastewater: A new protocol for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) extraction from mixed microbial cultures
2019
Abstract A new protocol for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) extraction from mixed microbial cultures (MMCs) is proposed. PHA-accumulating capacity of the MMC was selected in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) fed with a synthetic effluent emulating a fermented oil mill wastewater (OMW). The highest recovery yield and purity (74 ± 8% and 100 ± 5%, respectively) was obtained when using NH4-Laurate for which operating conditions of the extraction process such as temperature, concentration and contact time were optimized. Best conditions for PHA extraction from MMC turned to be: i) a pre-treatment with NaClO at 85 °C with 1 h of contact time, followed by ii) a treatment with lauric acid in a ratio ac…
Potential of Propolis Extract as a Natural Antioxidant and Antimicrobial in Gelatin Films Applied to Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Fillets
2020
Usage of edible films and coatings alone or incorporated with natural extracts are a new approach to preservation and packaging of food. In this study, therefore, the microbiological, chemical quality, and sensorial changes of rainbow trout fillets coated with gelatin films supplemented with propolis extract (PE) (2, 8, 16%), as a source of polyphenols, were determined during 15 days of refrigerated storage (4 ±
Spectroscopic analysis of hot-water- and dilute-acid-extracted hardwood and softwood chips
2017
Hot-water and dilute sulfuric acid pretreatments were performed prior to chemical pulping for silver/white birch (Betula pendula/B. pubescens) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) chips to determine if varying pretreatment conditions on the original wood material were detectable via attenuated total reflectance (ATR) infrared spectroscopy. Pretreatment conditions varied with respect to temperature (130 °C and 150 °C) and treatment time (from 30 min to 120 min). The effects of the pretreatments on the composition of wood chips were determined by ATR infrared spectroscopy. The spectral data were compared to those determined by common wood chemistry analyses to evaluate the suitability of ATR spe…
Selective photocatalytic oxidation of aromatic alcohols in water by using P-doped g-C3N4
2018
A set of bare and P-doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) photocatalysts has been prepared by thermal condensation of melamine, urea or thiourea. For the sake of comparison, a g-C3N4 sample obtained in the presence of cyanuric acid and thermally exfoliated C3N4 powders were also studied. The materials were physicochemically characterized and their photocatalytic activity was studied for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BA), 4-methoxy benzyl alcohol (4-MBA) and piperonyl alcohol (PA) in water suspension both under UV and visible light irradiation. The influence of the type and position of the substituents on conversion and selectivity to aldehyde was remarkable. The presence of P…
The Role of Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) in Ageing and Longevity: Focus on Sicilian Long-Living Individuals (LLIs)
2020
Extracellular matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a group of proteins that activate substrates by enzymatic cleavage and, on the basis of their activities, have been demonstrated to play a role in ageing. Thus, in order to gain insight into the pathophysiology of ageing and to identify new markers of longevity, we analysed the activity levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in association with some relevant haematochemical parameters in a Sicilian population, including long-living individuals (LLIs, ≥95 years old). A cohort of 154 healthy subjects (72 men and 82 women) of different ages (age range 20-112) was recruited. The cohort was divided into five subgroups: the first group with subjects less than…
Sportomics in professional soccer players: metabolomics results during preseason.
2021
BACKGROUND Sportomics is the application of metabolomics to study the metabolism shifts of individuals that practice sports or do physical exercise. This aim was reached by the analysis of low molecular weight metabolites (<1.5 kDa) present in biological fluids such as blood, saliva or urine. METHODS In this study, authors performed a 1H-NMR analysis of urine from 21 professional soccer players collected at 3 different time points during the preseason preparation period before the beginning of Serie A Championship (first division) in Italy. RESULTS Urine profile changed during the observational period. In particular, significant variations were observed for trimethylamine-N-oxide, dimethyla…
Indicaxanthin from Opuntia ficus indica (L. Mill) Inhibits Oxidized LDL-Mediated Human Endothelial Cell Dysfunction through Inhibition of NF-κB Activ…
2019
Oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) play a pivotal role in the etiopathogenesis of atherosclerosis through the activation of inflammatory signaling events eventually leading to endothelial dysfunction and senescence. In the present work, we investigated the effects of indicaxanthin, a bioavailable, redox-modulating phytochemical from Opuntia ficus indica fruits, with anti-inflammatory activity, against oxLDL-induced endothelial dysfunction. Human umbilical vein cord cells (HUVEC) were stimulated with human oxLDL, and the effects of indicaxanthin were evaluated in a range between 5 and 20 μM, consistent with its plasma level after a fruit meal (7 μM). Pretreatment with indicaxanthin si…
Redox Status, Dose and Antioxidant Intake in Healthcare Workers Occupationally Exposed to Ionizing Radiation
2020
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between blood redox status, dose and antioxidant dietary intake of different hospital staff groups exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation (LDIR) (Interventional Radiology and Cardiology, Radiation Oncology, and Nuclear Medicine) and non-exposed. Personal dose equivalent (from last year and cumulative), plasma antioxidant markers (total antioxidant capacity, extracellular superoxide dismutase activity, and glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio), oxidative stress markers (nitrites and nitrates, and lipid peroxidation) and dietary intake (antioxidant capacity using ORAC values) were collected and analyzed from 28 non-exposed healt…
Effect of an Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) extract on infarct size in isolated rat hearts: the mechanisms involved
2016
Tea made from Ilex paraguariensis (IP) dried and minced leaves is a beverage widely consumed by large populations in South America as a source of caffeine (stimulant action) and for its medicinal properties. However, there is little information about the action of IP on the myocardium in the ischemia-reperfusion condition. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the effects of an aqueous extract of IP on infarct size in a model of regional ischemia. Isolated rat hearts were perfused by the Langendorff technique and subjected to 40 min of coronary artery occlusion followed by 60 min of reperfusion (ischemic control hearts). Other hearts received IP 30 μg mL-1 during the first 1…