The phospholipid molecular species of freshwater (pangasius, Nile perch, trout), marine fish fillets (horse mackerel, European hake, common sole, European anchovy, European pilchard, Atlantic ...mackerel) and the edible muscle foot of bivalves (clam, mussel, oyster) commonly available in the Italian market during spring and summer were characterized by means of normal-phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled online with positive electrospray ionization ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry. From principal component analysis (PCA), it was observed that the total fatty acid profile was not suitable to differentiate among the shellfish genera. The fatty acid molecular combinations of phosphatidylcholine, the main phospholipid class, as well as phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine allowed for the differentiation of shellfish from the bony fishes. Phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogen profile allowed for the discrimination of each bony fish or shellfish genus since PS and pPE classes included a large number of fatty acid combinations that were specific for a fish genus or group.
The neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid (IMI) affects the insect central nervous system and is successfully applied to control pests for a variety of agricultural crops. In the current study, ...acute toxicity and genotoxicity of the IMI-containing commercial formulation insecticide Glacoxan Imida (35 percent IMI) was evaluated on Hypsiboas pulchellus (Anura: Hylidae) tadpoles exposed under laboratory conditions. A lethal effect was evaluated as the end point for lethality, whereas micronucleus (MN) frequency and DNA single-strand breaks evaluated by the single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay were employed as end points for genotoxicity. Sublethal end points were assayed within the 12.5–37.5mg/L IMI concentration range. Experiments were performed on tadpoles at stage 36 (range, 35–37) according to the classification proposed by Gosner. Lethality studies revealed an LC50 96h value of 52.622mg/L IMI. Increased frequency of MNs was only observed when 25.0mg/L was assayed for 96h, whereas no other nuclear abnormalities were induced. Increase of the genetic damage index was observed at 48h of treatment within the 12.5–37.5mg/L concentration range, whereas an increased frequency of DNA damage was observed only in tadpoles treated with 37.5mg/L IMI for 96h. This study represents the first evidence of the acute lethal and genotoxic effects exerted by IMI on tadpoles of an amphibian species native to Argentina under laboratory conditions.
•IMI lethal and genotoxic properties were evaluated on Hypsiboas pulchellus.•Determination of LC50 96h was employed as lethal end point.•IMI induced micronuclei and DNA single-strand breaks in circulating blood cells.•First evidence of genotoxicity exerted by IMI on an Argentinean amphibian species.
Functioning of the hypothalamic-neurohypophyseal-vasopressin axis is altered in aging, and the pathway may represent a plausible target to slow the process of aging. Arginine vasopressin, a ...nine-amino acid peptide that is secreted from the posterior pituitary in response to high plasma osmolality and hypotension, is central in this pathway. Vasopressin has important roles in circulatory and water homoeostasis mediated by vasopressin receptor subtypes V1a (vascular), V1b (pituitary), and V2 (vascular, renal). A dysfunction in this pathway as a result of aging can result in multiple abnormalities in several physiological systems. In addition, vasopressin plasma concentration is significantly higher in males than in females and vasopressin-mediated effects on renal and vascular targets are more pronounced in males than in females. These findings may be caused by sex differences in vasopressin secretion and action, making men more susceptible than females to diseases like hypertension, cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases, and urolithiasis. Recently the availability of new, potent, orally active vasopressin receptor antagonists, the vaptans, has strongly increased the interest on vasopressin and its receptors as a new target for prevention of age-related diseases associated with its receptor-altered signaling. This review summarizes the recent literature in the field of vasopressin signaling in age-dependent abnormalities in kidney, cardiovascular function, and bone function.
Oil production and processing often involve the treatment of water-in-oil emulsions stabilized by asphaltenes. The asphaltenes adsorb irreversibly at the water-oil interface and, by self-association ...at the interface, form a viscoelastic film that stabilizes the emulsions mechanically and sterically. Hydrophobic forces associated with these films may also contribute to the emulsion stability. A key step in treating these emulsions is to weaken the asphaltene film at the interface, and one way to do so is with ultrasonic treatment. The effect of ultrasonic waves on the interactions between asphaltene films was investigated at a silica-water interface using optical tweezers. Silica microparticles were aged in asphaltene solutions to form asphaltene coatings on their surfaces. The particles were dispersed in water, and interparticle force measurements were performed with optical tweezers to capture the steric force and hydrophobic force contributions. The asphaltene coating thickness and hydrophobic coefficient (a factor resembling the strength of the hydrophobic interaction) were obtained from fitting these forces. The effect of ultrasonication on the thickness of the asphaltene films on the surfaces of the particles was investigated. No change in the hydrophobic coefficient was observed upon changing the interfacial asphaltene concentration. The asphaltene film thickness increased with the concentration of the asphaltene solution and aging time. After treatment of the dispersion with ultrasonic waves for different durations (between 5 and 40 min), a significant reduction in the coating thickness was observed. This reduction was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements. It is hypothesized that cavitation at the interface removed part of the surface layer of asphaltenes from the coated particles. Based on these findings, we proved that a low-power ultrasound field can effectively break asphaltene-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions.
The thermal emission of cirrus clouds, spectrally resolved in the 100–1400 cm−1 range (100–7.1 μm), has been modeled and compared with measurements performed during two field campaigns from the ...ground‐based site of Testa Grigia on the Italian Alps at 3480 m of altitude. The analysis of cirrus microphysics, through spectral fitting, shows the importance of using also the far infrared portion of the emitted spectrum at wave numbers below the 667 cm−1 carbon dioxide absorption band, where only a few measurements exist because of the high opacity of the atmosphere caused by the strong water vapor absorption. The resulted distribution of the fitted cloud parameters is in good agreement with the typical statistical distribution of the midlatitude cirrus cloud parameters.
Key Points
Water vapor and temperature profiles, and cirrus cloud microphysics are better simultaneously retrieved using wide band infrared spectra
The far infrared spectral region increases the accuracy for the retrieval of the cirrus particle effective diameter
The retrieved cirrus parameters follow the statistical distribution reported by Heymsfield
•Punica granatum seed ethanolic extract (PSEE) was investigated.•PSEE had anti-proliferative activity against prostate and human breast cancer cells.•PSEE exhibited promising antioxidant activity ...trough different mechanism of action.•Punic acid resulted the main fatty acid of PSEE lipid fraction.•PSEE represents a good source of phospholipids rich in essential fatty acids.
This paper aims to provide a solid base for the utilisation of pomegranate whole seed ethanolic extract (PSEE) as a nutraceutical/functional food ingredient. PSEE was tested for its antioxidant and antiproliferative activities against different human cancer cell lines. Bioactive lipid compounds were identified by studying the PSEE lipid portion.
PSEE exhibited a protection of lipid peroxidation threefold higher than a positive control.
PSEE showed a promising antiproliferative activity against hormone dependent prostate carcinoma LNCaP, with an IC50 value 3 times lower than the positive control vinblastine, and against human breast cancer cell lines (IC50=9.6μg/ml).
PSEE contained lipid bioactive compounds, such as neutral lipids, consisting of 72.8% punicic acid, glycolipids and phospholipids rich in essential fatty acids (α-linoleic and α-linolenic acids).
Due the presence of bioactive compounds and the remarkable antiproliferative activity, the use of PSEE as a value-added ingredient in formulations of products aimed to prevent diseases, especially cancer, could be promoted.
•Effects of imidacloprid (IMI) were evaluated on Hypsiboas pulchellus tadpoles.•Mortality studies revealed a LC5096h value of 84.91mg/L of IMI.•IMI induced both micronuclei and DNA strand breaks in ...circulating blood cells.•Binucleated, blebbed, and notched cells were induced after 48 and 96h of treatment.•First evidence of deleterious effects of IMI on an Argentinean amphibian species.
Acute toxicity and genotoxicity of imidacloprid (IMI) was evaluated on Hypsiboas pulchellus (Anura: Hylidae) tadpoles exposed under laboratory conditions. A lethal effect was used as the end point for lethality, whereas the frequency of micronuclei (MNs) and DNA single-strand breaks evaluated by the single cell gel electrophoresis assay were employed as end points for genotoxicity. Experiments were performed on tadpoles at stage 36 (range, 35–37) according to the classification proposed by Gosner. Mortality studies revealed an LC50 (96h) value of 84.91mg/L IMI (95% confidence limits, 77.20–93.04). While increased frequency of MNs was observed when 15 and 30mg/L were assayed for 48h, only 15mg/L increased the frequency of MNs in tadpoles exposed for 96h. Furthermore, other nuclear abnormalities, i.e., binucleated cells and blebbed and notched nuclei, were induced in tadpoles exposed for both 48h when treated with 15mg/L and 96h when treated with 15 and 30mg/L. An increase in the genetic damage index was observed in tadpoles treated with 30mg/L for 48 and 96h. This study represents the first evidence of acute lethal and sublethal effects exerted by IMI on tadpoles of an amphibian species native to Argentina. Finally, our findings highlight the hazardous properties of this insecticide for nontarget living species exposed to this agrochemical.
Amphibians are the most threatened group of vertebrates because they have certain biological and ecological characteristics that make them sensitive to environmental changes. The aim of this study ...was to evaluate the health status of field-collected adult frogs of Leptodactylus luctator (Amphibia, Anura) living in sites with different anthropogenic disturbances (florihorticulture, petrochemical industry and sewage discharges) and a reference site without any detectable influence of such activities. To this end, a battery of 21 biomarkers (hematological, biochemical and individual biomarkers) was studied using a multivariate approach that allows us to evaluate the relationship between them and provide information on their usefulness. The frogs at the florihorticulture, petrochemical and sewage discharges sites exhibited several biomarkers far from homeostasis. In addition, we identified 11 of 21 biomarkers that were useful indicators of the health status of the frogs and allowed discrimination between study sites in the following order: lymphocytes (98 %), neutrophils (45 %), hemoglobin (42 %), monocytes (41 %), fat body index (35 %), eosinophils (35 %), hepatosomatic index (33 %), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (32 %), thrombocytes (27 %), catalase in liver (26 %), and GST in liver (26 %). The results suggest that hematological biomarkers contribute the most to site separation, whereas biochemical biomarkers contribute the least. The integral interpretation of the results also allowed us to diagnose the different health status of L. luctator: The frogs from the petrochemical industry were the most negatively affected, followed by the frogs from the sewages discharges and finally the frogs from the florihorticulture and reference sites. This is the first field study with anurans in which so many biomarkers were examined.
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•Integral analysis of 21 biomarkers allowed diagnosing diverse frog health statuses.•Frogs in disturbed sites showed biomarkers far from homeostasis.•We identified 11 biomarkers indicative of frog health that distinguished each site.•We selected 9 sensitive biomarkers that require non-invasive methods.
ABSTRACT
We present an axi-symmetric model for the ultraviolet (UV)-to-submillimetre (submm) images of the nearly face-on spiral galaxy NGC 628. It was calculated using a radiative transfer (RT) ...code, accounting for the absorption and re-emission of starlight by dust in the interstellar medium of this galaxy. The code incorporates emission from Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, anisotropic scattering, and stochastic heating of the grains. This is the second successful modelling of a face-on spiral galaxy with RT methods, whereby the large-scale geometry of stars and dust is self-consistently determined. The solution was obtained by fitting azimuthally averaged profiles in the UV, optical, and submm. The model predicts remarkably well all characteristics of the profiles, including the increase by a factor of 1.8 of the scale length of the infrared emissivity between 70 and 500 $\mu$m. We find that NGC 628 did not undergo an efficient inside-out disc growth, as predicted by semi-analytical hierarchical models for galaxy formation. We also find large amounts of dust grains at large radii, which could involve efficient transport mechanisms from the inner disc. Our results show that $71{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the dust emission in NGC 628 is powered by the young stellar populations, with the old stellar populations from the bulge contributing $65{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ to the heating of the dust in the central region (R < 0.5 kpc). The derived star formation rate is $\rm SFR=2.00\pm 0.15\, {\rm M}_{\odot }{\rm yr}^{-1}$.
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