scholarly journals Characterization of Bottled Waters by Multielemental Analysis, Stable and Radiogenic Isotopes

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tea Zuliani ◽  
Tjaša Kanduč ◽  
Rok Novak ◽  
Polona Vreča
Keyword(s):  
Carbonic Acid ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Major Elements ◽  
Mineral Waters ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Geochemical Processes ◽  
Soil Zone ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
First Time

Multi-elemental (Ca, Mg, Na, K, Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, P, Pb, Sb, Se, Tl, V, and Zn) and stable isotope (i.e., δ2H, δ18O, and δ13CDIC) analyses were performed on 13 (8 Slovenian and 5 imported) bottled mineral and spring waters from the Slovenian market. In addition, 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios were determined for the first time. In all analyzed bottled waters, the majority of elements were present although in low concentrations, and according to EU legislation, all were suitable for human consumption. Also, concentrations of major elements (Ca, Mg, Na, and K) were in general agreement with the values reported on the bottle labels, and any differences were the consequence of the natural variability of the water source used for bottling. The exception was one spring water, for which the source location changed, which was confirmed by the δ2H, δ18O, and δ13CDIC data. Two mineral waters had distinctive elemental compositions due to the particular geology of their recharge areas. The δ13CDIC was also investigated to decipher the carbonate contribution in the bottled waters. The results suggest that dissolution of carbonates and non-equilibrium carbonate dissolution by carbonic acid produced from soil zone CO2 are the predominant geochemical processes influencing the δ13CDIC values of bottled water.

scholarly journals Resistance Profiling and Molecular Characterization of Extended-Spectrum/Plasmid-Mediated AmpC β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Isolated from Healthy Broiler Chickens in South Korea

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Ju Song ◽  
Dong Chan Moon ◽  
Abraham Fikru Mechesso ◽  
Hee Young Kang ◽  
Mi Hyun Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Resistance Gene ◽  
Broiler Chickens ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Extended Spectrum ◽  
First Time ◽  
Pfge Profiles

We aimed to identify and characterize extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-and/or plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamase (pAmpC)-producing Escherichia coli isolated from healthy broiler chickens slaughtered for human consumption in Korea. A total of 332 E. coli isolates were identified from 339 cloacal swabs in 2019. More than 90% of the isolates were resistant to multiple antimicrobials. ESBL/pAmpC-production was noted in 14% (46/332) of the isolates. Six of the CTX-M-β-lactamase-producing isolates were found to co-harbor at least one plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance gene. We observed the co-existence of blaCMY-2 and mcr-1 genes in the same isolate for the first time in Korea. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the majority of blaCMY-2-carrying isolates belonged to subgroup D. Conjugation confirmed the transferability of blaCTX-M and blaCMY-2 genes, as well as non-β-lactam resistance traits from 60.9% (28/46) of the ESBL/pAmpC-producing isolates to a recipient E. coli J53. The ISECP, IS903, and orf477 elements were detected in the upstream or downstream regions. The blaCTX-M and blaCMY-2 genes mainly belonged to the IncI1, IncHI2, and/or IncFII plasmids. Additionally, the majority of ESBL/pAmpC-producing isolates exhibited heterogeneous PFGE profiles. This study showed that healthy chickens act as reservoirs of ESBL/pAmpC-producing E. coli that can potentially be transmitted to humans.

TBE in Sweden

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Characterization ◽  
Immunoglobulin M ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Specific Immunoglobulin ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus ◽  
First Time

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) was isolated for the first time in Sweden in 1958 (from ticks and from 1 tick-borne encephalitis [TBE] patient).1 In 2003, Haglund and colleagues reported the isolation and antigenic and genetic characterization of 14 TBEV strains from Swedish patients (samples collected 1991–1994).2 The first serum sample, from which TBEV was isolated, was obtained 2–10 days after onset of disease and found to be negative for anti-TBEV immunoglobulin M (IgM) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), whereas TBEV-specific IgM (and TBEV-specific immunoglobulin G/cerebrospinal fluid [IgG/CSF] activity) was demonstrated in later serum samples taken during the second phase of the disease.

Removal of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Constituents by Anion Exchange Resin

1999 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 207-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-P. Croué ◽  
D. Violleau ◽  
C. Bodaire ◽  
B. Legube
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Anion Exchange ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Atomic Ratio ◽  
Size Exclusion ◽  
Salting Out ◽  
Anion Exchange Resins ◽  
Hydrophilic Character ◽  
Exchange Resins

The objective of this work was to compare the affinity of well characterized NOM fractions isolated from two surface waters with strong (gel matrix and macroporous matrix) and weak anion exchange resins (AER) using batch experiment conditions. The structural characterization of the fraction of NOM has shown that the higher the hydrophilic character, the lower the C/O atomic ratio, the lower the SUVA, the lower the aromatic carbon content and the lower the molecular weight. In general (not always), strong AER was more efficient to remove DOC than weak AER. For the same water source (Suwannee River), the higher the molecular weight of the NOM fraction, the lower the affinity with AER. Increasing the ionic strength favored the removal of the hydrophobic NOM fraction (“salting out” effect) while increasing the pH apparently reduced the removal of the hydrophilic NOM fraction. Results were discussed in terms of size exclusion, adsorption, anion exchange and also hydrophobic/hydrophilic repulsion.

Chemical Constituents and Antibacterial Activity of Cissus Aralioides.

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balogun Olaoye Solomon ◽  
Ajayi Olukayode Solomon ◽  
Owolabi Temitayo Abidemi ◽  
Oladimeji Abdulkarbir Oladele ◽  
Liu Zhiqiang
Keyword(s):  
Plant Extract ◽  
Chemical Constituents ◽  
Ethyl Acetate Fraction ◽  
Antibacterial Activities ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Chromatographic Purification ◽  
Whole Plant ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
First Time

: Cissus aralioides is a medicinal plant used in sub-Saharan Africa for treatment of infectious diseases; however the chemical constituents of the plant have not been investigated. Thus, in this study, attempt was made at identifying predominant phytochemical constituents of the plant through chromatographic purification and silylation of the plant extract, and subsequent characterization using spectroscopic and GC-MS techniques. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs) for the antibacterial activities of the plant extract, chromatographic fractions and isolated compounds were also examined. Chromatographic purification of the ethyl acetate fraction from the whole plant afforded three compounds: β-sitosterol (1), stigmasterol (2) and friedelin (3). The phytosterols (1 and 2) were obtained together as a mixture. The GC-MS analysis of silylated extract indicated alcohols, fatty acids and sugars as predominant classes, with composition of 24.62, 36.90 and 26.52% respectively. Results of MICs indicated that friedelin and other chromatographic fractions had values (0.0626-1.0 mg/mL) comparable with the standard antibiotics used. Characterization of natural products from C. aralioides is being reported for the first time in this study.

Green Synthesis and Spectroscopic Studies of Ag-rGO Nanocomposites for Highly Selective Mercury (II) Sensing

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shubhangi J. Mane-Gavade ◽  
Sandip R. Sabale ◽  
Xiao-Ying Yu ◽  
Gurunath H. Nikam ◽  
Bhaskar V. Tamhankar
Keyword(s):  
Green Synthesis ◽  
Color Change ◽  
Limit Of Detection ◽  
Aqueous Media ◽  
Suitable Condition ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Spectroscopic Studies ◽  
Calibration Plot ◽  
First Time

Introduction: Herein we report the green synthesis and characterization of silverreduced graphene oxide nanocomposites (Ag-rGO) using Acacia nilotica gum for the first time. Experimental: We demonstrate the Hg2+ ions sensing ability of the Ag-rGO nanocomposites form aqueous medium. The developed colorimetric sensor method is simple, fast and selective for the detection of Hg2+ ions in aqueous media in presence of other associated ions. A significant color change was noticed with naked eye upon Hg2+ addition. The color change was not observed for cations including Sr2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Fe2+, Ba2+ and Mn2+indicating that only Hg2+ shows a strong interaction with Ag-rGO nanocomposites. Under the most suitable condition, the calibration plot (A0-A) against concentration of Hg2+ was linear in the range of 0.1-1.0 ppm with a correlation coefficient (R2) value 0.9998. Results & Conclusion The concentration of Hg2+ was quantitatively determined with the Limit of Detection (LOD) of 0.85 ppm. Also, this method shows excellent selectivity towards Hg2+ over nine other cations tested. Moreover, the method offers a new cost effective, rapid and simple approach for the detection of Hg2+ in water samples.

scholarly journals New Trimethoprim-Like Molecules: Bacteriological Evaluation and Insights into Their Action

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 709
Author(s):  
Marta Jorba ◽  
Marina Pedrola ◽  
Ouldouz Ghashghaei ◽  
Rocío Herráez ◽  
Lluis Campos-Vicens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Concentration ◽  
Efflux Pump ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate ◽  
Detailed Characterization ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Pump Activity ◽  
Bacteriological Evaluation ◽  
Kinetics Of

This work reports a detailed characterization of the antimicrobial profile of two trimethoprim-like molecules (compounds 1a and 1b) identified in previous studies. Both molecules displayed remarkable antimicrobial activity, particularly when combined with sulfamethoxazole. In disk diffusion assays on Petri dishes, compounds 1a and 1b showed synergistic effects with colistin. Specifically, in combinations with low concentrations of colistin, very large increases in the activities of compounds 1a and 1b were determined, as demonstrated by alterations in the kinetics of bacterial growth despite only slight changes in the fractional inhibitory concentration index. The effect of colistin may be to increase the rate of antibiotic entry while reducing efflux pump activity. Compounds 1a and 1b were susceptible to extrusion by efflux pumps, whereas the inhibitor phenylalanine arginyl β-naphthylamide (PAβN) exerted effects similar to those of colistin. The interactions between the target enzyme (dihydrofolate reductase), the coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), and the studied molecules were explored using enzymology tools and computational chemistry. A model based on docking results is reported.

scholarly journals Waste-Based One-Part Alkali Activated Materials

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 2911
Author(s):  
Margarida Gonçalves ◽  
Inês Silveirinha Vilarinho ◽  
Marinélia Capela ◽  
Ana Caetano ◽  
Rui Miguel Novais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Microstructural Analysis ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Sodium Metasilicate ◽  
High Compressive Strength ◽  
Hardened State ◽  
First Time ◽  
Furnace Slag ◽  
Alkali Activated

Ordinary Portland Cement is the most widely used binder in the construction sector; however, a very high carbon footprint is associated with its production process. Consequently, more sustainable alternative construction materials are being investigated, namely, one-part alkali activated materials (AAMs). In this work, waste-based one-part AAMs binders were developed using only a blast furnace slag, as the solid precursor, and sodium metasilicate, as the solid activator. For the first time, mortars in which the commercial sand was replaced by two exhausted sands from biomass boilers (CA and CT) were developed. Firstly, the characterization of the slag and sands (aggregates) was performed. After, the AAMs fresh and hardened state properties were evaluated, being the characterization complemented by FTIR and microstructural analysis. The binder and the mortars prepared with commercial sand presented high compressive strength values after 28 days of curing-56 MPa and 79 MPa, respectively. The mortars developed with exhausted sands exhibit outstanding compressive strength values, 86 and 70 MPa for CT and CA, respectively, and the other material’s properties were not affected. Consequently, this work proved that high compressive strength waste-based one-part AAMs mortars can be produced and that it is feasible to use another waste as aggregate in the mortar’s formulations: the exhausted sands from biomass boilers.

scholarly journals Isolation and characterization of a new cold-active protease from psychrotrophic bacteria of Western Himalayan glacial soil

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saleem Farooq ◽  
Ruqeya Nazir ◽  
Shabir Ahmad Ganai ◽  
Bashir Ahmad Ganai
Keyword(s):  
Specific Activity ◽  
Temperature Range ◽  
Psychrotrophic Bacteria ◽  
Isolation And Characterization ◽  
Cold Active ◽  
Active Protease ◽  
Quantitative Screening ◽  
First Time ◽  
Low K

AbstractAs an approach to the exploration of cold-active enzymes, in this study, we isolated a cold-active protease produced by psychrotrophic bacteria from glacial soils of Thajwas Glacier, Himalayas. The isolated strain BO1, identified as Bacillus pumilus, grew well within a temperature range of 4–30 °C. After its qualitative and quantitative screening, the cold-active protease (Apr-BO1) was purified. The Apr-BO1 had a molecular mass of 38 kDa and showed maximum (37.02 U/mg) specific activity at 20 °C, with casein as substrate. It was stable and active between the temperature range of 5–35 °C and pH 6.0–12.0, with an optimum temperature of 20 °C at pH 9.0. The Apr-BO1 had low Km value of 1.0 mg/ml and Vmax 10.0 µmol/ml/min. Moreover, it displayed better tolerance to organic solvents, surfactants, metal ions and reducing agents than most alkaline proteases. The results exhibited that it effectively removed the stains even in a cold wash and could be considered a decent detergent additive. Furthermore, through protein modelling, the structure of this protease was generated from template, subtilisin E of Bacillus subtilis (PDB ID: 3WHI), and different methods checked its quality. For the first time, this study reported the protein sequence for psychrotrophic Apr-BO1 and brought forth its novelty among other cold-active proteases.

scholarly journals Synthesis and Characterization of Exopolysaccharide Encapsulated PCL/Gelatin Skin Substitute for Full-Thickness Wound Regeneration

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 854
Author(s):  
Ahmad Hivechi ◽  
Peiman Brouki Milan ◽  
Khashayar Modabberi ◽  
Moein Amoupour ◽  
Kaveh Ebrahimzadeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Activity ◽  
Average Diameter ◽  
Skin Substitute ◽  
Full Thickness ◽  
Skin Integrity ◽  
Hematoxylin And Eosin ◽  
First Time ◽  
Full Thickness Wound

Loss of skin integrity can lead to serious problems and even death. In this study, for the first time, the effect of exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by cold-adapted yeast R. mucilaginosa sp. GUMS16 on a full-thickness wound in rats was evaluated. The GUMS16 strain’s EPS was precipitated by adding cold ethanol and then lyophilized. Afterward, the EPS with polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin was fabricated into nanofibers with two single-needle and double-needle procedures. The rats’ full-thickness wounds were treated with nanofibers and Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson’s Trichrome staining was done for studying the wound healing in rats. Obtained results from SEM, DLS, FTIR, and TGA showed that EPS has a carbohydrate chemical structure with an average diameter of 40 nm. Cell viability assessments showed that the 2% EPS loaded sample exhibits the highest cell activity. Moreover, in vivo implantation of nanofiber webs on the full-thickness wound on rat models displayed a faster healing rate when EPS was loaded into a nanofiber. These results suggest that the produced EPS can be used for skin tissue engineering applications.

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