Search results for "Viability"
showing 10 items of 402 documents
Cytometric analysis for drug-induced steatosis in HepG2 cells
2009
Drugs are capable of inducing hepatic lipid accumulation. When fat accumulates, lipids are primarily stored as triglycerides which results in steatosis and provides substrates for lipid peroxidation. An in vitro multiparametric flow cytometry assay was performed in HepG2 cells by using fluorescent probes to analyze cell viability (propidium iodide, PI), lipid accumulation (BODIPY493/503), mitochondrial membrane potential (tetramethyl rhodamine methyl ester, TMRM) and reactive oxygen species generation (ROS) (2',7'-dihydrochlorofluorescein diacetate, DHCF-DA) as functional markers. All the measurements were restricted to live cells by gating the cells that excluded PI or those that exhibited…
Dryofragin, a phloroglucinol derivative, induces apoptosis in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells through ROS-mediated mitochondrial pathway
2012
Dryofragin is a phloroglucinol derivative extracted from Dryopteris fragrans (L.) Schott. In this study, the anticancer activity of dryofragin on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells was investigated. Dryofragin inhibited the growth of MCF-7 cells in a time and concentration-dependent manner. The cell viability was measured using MTT assay. After treatment with dryofragin for 72, 48 and 24 h, the IC₅₀ values were 27.26, 37.51 and 76.10 μM, respectively. Further analyses of DNA fragmentation and Annexin V-PI double-labeling indicated an induction of apoptosis. Dryofragin-treatment MCF-7 cells had a significantly accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as an increased percentage of …
The Credit Cooperative System in Spain
2016
Like other European countries, Spain has a long tradition of cooperative banks. Although some credit unions existed previously, essentially they date from the early twentieth century, originating as institutions founded by medium and small-sized farmers to improve their access to banking services. However, they occupied a marginal position in the financial system until the legislative reforms of the 1970s. During the two last decades of the twentieth century, Spanish cooperative banks suffered a deep crisis, two changes in their organizational model and the shock of transformation and innovation in the financial system. Currently, the sector is made up of 65 small institutions with a relati…
Assessing the feasibility of cogeneration retrofit and district heating/cooling networks in small Italian islands
2017
Sustainability of energy supply strategies in small islands has been emerging as a severe issue, due to the large margins for improvement and rationalization of the most frequently adopted solutions. In most of the European islands, large amounts of heat are wasted by the operation of engine-based power plants; conversely, heat is produced by boilers (supplied by liquid fuels) or by electric equipment for a number of different uses, like domestic hot water production or space heating in winter. In this paper a techno-economic analysis is proposed to assess the feasibility of CHP-retrofit of the existing power plants and the possible utilization of the recovered heat to supply, via a distric…
Promotion of polygeneration for buildings applications through sector- and user-oriented “high efficiency CHP” eligibility criteria
2014
Abstract The eligibility criteria adopted to assess polygeneration plants as “highly efficient” can play a determinant role in favouring or discouraging the market growth of polygeneration systems, especially for buildings applications where economic viability is often more difficult to achieve. Based on the current European framework, in this paper the opportunity to adopt sector- and user-oriented criteria is discussed. After having identified three buildings with different uses (a large hotel, a hospital and an office building), the optimal lay-out and operation strategy of a polygeneration plant serving each building is determined; then, ex-post processing of economic and energetic resu…
Bias of library preparation for virome characterization in untreated and treated wastewaters
2020
The use of metagenomics for virome characterization and its implementation for wastewater analyses, including wastewater-based epidemiology, has increased in the last years. However, the lack of standardized methods can led to highly different results. The aim of this work was to analyze virome profiles in upstream and downstream wastewater samples collected from four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) using two different library preparation kits. Viral particles were enriched from wastewater concentrates using a filtration and nuclease digestion procedure prior to total nucleic acid (NA) extraction. Sequencing was performed using the ScriptSeq v2 RNA-Seq (LS) and the NEBNext Ultra II RNA …
Anaemia in advanced chronic fasciolosis
2008
Abstract The association between fasciolosis-induced anaemia and related factors has been quantified in a rodent model. Haematological parameters were analysed in Wistar rats at 20 and 60 weeks post-infection (p.i.). Pigment stones and bile specimens were collected. Serum IgG1, IgG2a and IgE were determined in rat serum samples. Cytokine levels have been correlated with haematological parameters. The screening for gastrointestinal bleeding was carried out. Bacteriological bile cultures revealed viable bacteria in 53.8% of specimens at 60 weeks p.i. The results show that the type of anaemia in fasciolosis might be considered a biomarker of the chronicity period of the disease, changing from …
Carbon Nanodots as Functional Excipient to Develop Highly Stable and Smart PLGA Nanoparticles Useful in Cancer Theranostics
2020
Theranostic systems have attracted considerable attention for their multifunctional approach to cancer. Among these, carbon nanodots (CDs) emerged as luminescent nanomaterials due to their exceptional chemical properties, synthetic ease, biocompatibility, and for their photothermal and fluorescent properties useful in cancer photothermal therapy. However, premature renal excretion due to the small size of these particles limits their biomedical application. To overcome these limitations, here, hybrid poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA-CDs) nanoparticles with suitable size distribution and stability have been developed. CDs were decisive in the preparation of polymeric nanoparticles, not on…
Microbial inactivation and evaluation of furan formation in high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treated vegetable-based infant food.
2017
Abstract The inactivation of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria as well as the formation of food processing contaminants (e.g. acrylamide, furan, etc.) in infant foods is of utmost importance for industry, consumers as well as regulatory bodies. In this study, the potential of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) for microorganism inactivation including total mesophilic aerobic bacteria (TMA) and total yeasts and molds (TYM) at equivalent processing conditions, as well as its effects on furan formation in vegetable-based infant food was evaluated. The process parameters evaluated were combinations of pressures (200, 300, and 400 MPa), temperatures (25, 35, and 45 °C), and treatment times (5, 10, a…
Inactivation of dried spores of Bacillus subtilis 168 by a treatment combining high temperature and pressure
2019
International audience; Specific treatments combining high temperatures of up to 150 °C and moderate pressure of up to 0.6 MPa have been applied to Bacillus subtilis 168 spores conditioned at different aw levels (between 0.10 and 0.70) corresponding to different residual water contents within the spore core. The spores were treated as a dry powder in a pressurized nitrogen environment or in water/glycerol solutions.These thermodynamic conditions were intended to prevent any water evaporation from the spore core during time/temperature treatments.Our results clearly show that retaining liquid water in the core by applying pressure during the treatment resulted in greater spore destruction (b…