Cell tracking is an emergent area in nanobiotechnology, promising the study of individual cells or the identification of populations of cultured cells. In our approach, microtools designed for ...extracellular tagging are prepared, because using biofunctionalized polysilicon barcodes to tag cell membranes externally avoids the inconveniences of cell internalization. The crucial covalent biofunctionalization process determining the ultimate functionality was studied in order to find the optimum conditions to link a biomolecule to a polysilicon barcode surface using a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) as the connector. Specifically, a lectin (wheat germ agglutinin, WGA) was used because of its capacity to recognize some specific carbohydrates present on the surface of most mammalian cells. Self-assembled monolayers were prepared on polysilicon surfaces including aldehyde groups as terminal functions to study the suitability of their covalent chemical bonding to WGA. Some parameters, such as the polysilicon surface roughness or the concentration of WGA, proved to be crucial for successful biofunctionalization and bioactivity. The SAMs were characterized by contact angle measurements, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LDI-TOF MS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The biofunctionalization step was also characterized by fluorescence microscopy and, in the case of barcodes, by adhesion experiments to the zona pellucida of mouse embryos. These experiments showed high barcode retention rates after 96 h of culture as well as high embryo viability to the blastocyst stage, indicating the robustness of the biofunctionalization and, therefore, the potential of these new microtools to be used for cell tagging.
Food industry produces a large amount of onion wastes. Due to the high amount of bioactive compounds in onion by-products an idea for their reuse, could be use them as source of high-value functional ...and health ingredients. In this study, outer dry layers of coppery onion “Ramata di Montoro” were used as source of bioactive compounds. Firstly, the chemical profile of secondary metabolites of exhaustive extract, obtained by ultrasound assisted extraction was established by UHPLC-UV-HRMS/MS analysis. Subsequently, the supercritical fluid extraction was used as alternative and green method to recover flavonoids from onion skin. Main parameters such as pressure, temperature and composition of solvent modifier were optimized in order to improve the extraction efficiency of SFE technique, by using a response surface Box–Behnken design.
Macroinvertebrate communities are highly sensitive indicators of physical and chemical soil qualities. Their evaluation in field conditions is rather simple and could serve as proxy for soil-based ...ecosystem services that farmers and field technicians could use. We tested the hypothesis that an indicator of soil macroinvertebrate communities, with 14 taxonomic groups characterized at the order level, could be used in any region of the world to assess these communities. A synthetic indicator was calculated using data from 9 reference sites from tropical, subtropical and temperate regions, a set of 3694 data of the open access Macrofauna database and a new site for validation. Invertebrates were extracted with the standard ISO/TSBF methodology and characterized with a set of 14 large taxonomic units, plus an index of taxonomic richness and total density. At each of the 9 reference sites, 27 to 252 sample points, representing different types of plant covers and/or soil management options, were considered and compared with their respective local synthetic GISQ indicator values. These indicators, elaborated from Principal Component Analysis of the sample points data, are set to vary from 0.1 to 1.0 according to the composition, diversity and abundance of the community. Analyses showed great similarities among sites, with Factors 1 (from 21.9 to 36.9 % variance explained) expressing the overall abundance and diversity of the communities and Factors 2 (8.9 to 15.83 %) opposing sites with dominant soil ecosystem engineer populations (Earthworms, Ants, Termites and some Coleoptera) to sites dominated by litter transformer populations (Diplopoda, Isopoda and others). Indicator formulae were designed based on PCA analyses of each data set and a global formula was established with the Macrofauna database. Very high correlations (>0.95) were obtained among values calculated with local data set and the general formula calculated with data of the Macrofauna database, in 8 of 9 sites and in the validation site. We discuss the importance of having a single formula to transform data obtained with a simple standard field method in the building of public policies for soil-based ecosystem services payment.
•A global indicator of soil macroinvertebrate communities is proposed.•The indicator is built with PCA analyses of abundance of 14 large taxonomic groups.•This global indicator calculated with data from 3694 sites is applicable everywhere.•A simple protocol allows farmers and field technicians to calculate it.
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•Cacao pod husk valorization by using supercritical fluid extraction.•Cacao pod husk, a source of phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity.•Ethanol as co-solvent incremented cacao ...pod husḱs yield and phenols extraction.•SFE a suitable technique to obtain a phenolic extract from cacao pod husk.
Cacao pod husk (CPH) is the main co-product of the chocolate industry. In the present work; a Box-Behnken design was employed to optimize the SC-CO2 for the development of suitable and green process focused on obtaining an extract enriched in phenolic compounds from this by-product, considering temperature, pressure and co-solvent (ethanol) as factors. The response variables selected were yield, total phenolics and total antioxidant capacity (ABTS assay). Extraction pressure and ethanol percentage were the main factors influencing the yield of the target compounds. The extract obtained at the optimum conditions (60°C, 299bar and 13.7% of ethanol) presented 0.52% of yield, 12.97mg GAE/g extract and, 0.213mmol TE/g extract which were well adjusted to the ones predicted. The findings of this study showed that supercritical fluid extraction could be used as a technique to obtain an extract enriched in phenolic compounds from CPH.
Nowadays, green extraction processes are focused on the development of new strategies to achieve sustainable separation processes, promoting the use of alternative solvents from renewable sources. ...Green solvents have risen as an option that can replace petroleum based solvents, however, they should retain the same extraction properties and technological features. The choice of the solvent is a crucial step in the solvent-substitution process, so Hansen solubility parameters (HSP) have been successfully used as a real decision-making tool. For the first time, this work aims to give an overview of HSP as solvent selection tool for extraction of bioactive compounds from natural products. It includes a brief description about the emerging green solvents extraction, the HSP theory and an updated discussion of the most recent publications (from 2009 till January 2019). Finally, some concluding remarks about the importance of using this solvent selection approach in the near future are included.
•Hansen solubility parameters is used as solvent selection tool for green extraction.•In the last 10 years, there has been a notably increase on HSP research publications.•Emerging extraction technologies have been employed Hansen approach with success.•Solubility of terpenes, phenolic compounds and fatty acids have been predicted by HSP.•COSMO-RS is another powerful approach employed to understand solubility mechanism.
Firefighters are repeatedly exposed to work-related potential traumatic events and have an increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the mechanisms implicated in ...this relationship are not clear. The aim of this study was to analyse the risk and protective factors related to the development of PTSD in firefighters. According to PRISMA, a systematic review of scientific literature was conducted in Web of Science, PsycINFO, Scopus, PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) was used as the methodological quality indicator of the selected articles (PROSPERO reference CRD42020213009). Prognostic studies involving active firefighters with presence of post-traumatic symptomatology, presenting original findings, and written in Spanish or English were included. A total of 1768 potentially eligible articles were identified. According to the inclusion criteria, 87 articles were selected to evaluate the full text. Finally, 19 articles were included, comprising 12,298 active firefighters. There is high heterogeneity in the variables evaluated in the different studies. Taking the data for which this review has found more evidence (moderate support), operational stress, job duration, burnout, expressive suppression and rumination could be risk factors of PTSD, and belongingness and dispositional mindfulness could be protective factors. Other variables with weak support (e.g. resilience) were analysed. This review analyses the available literature, highlighting its scarcity for future research on the subject. Due to repeated trauma exposure, it is important to continue investigations and bear these variables in mind for the prevention of PTSD in firefighters.
Phlorotannins are an important class of polyphenolic compounds only found in brown algae. The chemical analysis of these bioactive polyphenols is rather difficult due to the great chemical ...variability and complexity of the natural composition of these components in algae, forming large phloroglucinol polymers. In the present work, a new approach based on the use of comprehensive 2D LC (LC × LC) is shown to analyze this complex family of compounds. The developed LC × LC methodology is based on the coupling of a hydrophilic‐interaction LC (HILIC)‐based separation in the first dimension and an RP‐based separation in the second dimension. The employment of this online coupling together with DAD and MS/MS allowed the separation and identification of more than 50 compounds in a Cystoseira abies‐marina brown alga extract. Phlorotannins containing from 5 to 17 phloroglucinol units were identified in this sample by HILIC × RP‐DAD‐MS/MS. Besides, using the 2,4‐dimethoxybenzaldehyde assay, it was possible to determine that the total amount of phlorotannins present in the extract was 40.2 mg phloroglucinol equivalents per gram of extract. To our knowledge, this work is the first demonstration of the usefulness of HILIC × RP‐DAD‐MS/MS for the determination of phlorotannins.
Healthcare professionals were especially vulnerable to pandemic, both to become infected and to develop a psychological problem. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the effectiveness of ...psychological interventions for healthcare professionals in reducing the experienced psychological impact. From the 405 identified studies, 10 were included in this review. Four databases were searched and the risk of bias of included studies was assessed. The studies considered were randomized controlled trials. The screening and selection process was conducted by two independent reviewers. All studies presented results related with depression, anxiety, and stress during pandemic. Six were delivered using new technologies. The most effective were two psychological interventions with frequent contact and feedback provided by a mental health professional. The psychological interventions compared with non‐intervention groups presented more significant results than those compared with another intervention. The highlights of this systematic review were the urgency of designing effectiveness psychological interventions for healthcare professionals to reduce the emotional burden associate with this job. These interventions should be maintained over the time, supported by a professional and provided from the workplace. These proposals presented promising results but were more psychological resources than psychological interventions.
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