Interpretation of 25-OH-D3, NEFA, and calcium correlations among cow and calf pairs

In the present study, the aim was to determine alteration of NEFA, calcium and vitamin D3 levels in cow and calf pairs at parturition as well as correlation between each parameter levels. For this purpose, a cow-side device employing the enzymatic colorimetric method was used for measurement of NEFA and calcium levels. On the other hand, serum 25(OH)D3 analysis was performed using the fluorescence immunochromatographic method at the laboratory in the Faculty. Blood samples were taken from Vena jugularis of 15 Simmental cow and calf pairs immediately after parturition and placed in serum and heparinized tubes. In cow and calf pairs, concentration of vitamin D3 (15.6-120 and 31.8-120 ng/mL, respectively), NEFA (0.12-1.2 and 0.09-0.8 mmol/L, respectively) and calcium (1.8 ± 0.9 and 2.2 ± 0.6 mmol/L, respectively) were determined. There was no significant correlation between NEFA, Ca, and vitamin D3 in cows and calf pairs. Taking into account several co-factors that influenced test results, which could not easily be excluded, further studies may be warranted with larger cow-calf pair populations. In conclusion, vitamin D3 concentration in calves is not affected by the negative energy balance of dams in the parturition period.

Impact of sports participation on components of metabolic syndrome in adolescents: ABCD growth study

Objectives This study aimed to analyze the impact of sports participation (12 months of practice) on the components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in both sexes. Methods This is an observational longitudinal study, a part of which is entitled “Analysis of Behaviors of Children During Growth” (ABCD Growth Study), Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil. The sample was composed of 171 adolescents (112 boys and 59 girls), divided into non-sports and sports groups. High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), triglycerides, and glucose were analyzed by the colorimetric method of dry chemistry and processed biochemically. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were measured using an automatic device. Body fat was estimated using a densitometry scanner. Results Adolescents who practiced sports were younger (p-value=0.001) and had a lower peak height velocity (p-value=0.001) than the non-sports group. The differences (Δ) after 12 months were of greater magnitude for the sports group when compared to the non-sports group (p-value=0.013), glucose (moderate magnitude in favor of the sports group; p-value=0.001), HDL-c (small magnitude in favor of the sports group; p-value=0.0015), and MetS (moderate magnitude in favor of the sports group; p-value=0.001). Conclusions The practice of sports in adolescents had a protective effect on the metabolic components of MetS.

A Smart Colorimetric Platform for Detection of Methanol, Ethanol and Formic Acid

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas in the atmosphere and scientists are working on converting it to useful products, thereby reducing its quantity in the atmosphere. For converting CO2, different approaches are used, and among them, electrochemistry is found to be the most common and more efficient technique. Current methods for detecting the products of electrochemical CO2 conversion are time-consuming and complex. To combat this, a simple, cost-effective colorimetric method has been developed to detect methanol, ethanol, and formic acid, which are formed electrochemically from CO2. In the present work, the highly efficient sensitive dyes were successfully established to detect these three compounds under optimized conditions. These dyes demonstrated excellent selectivity and showed no cross-reaction with other products generated in the CO2 conversion system. In the analysis using these three compounds, this strategy shows good specificity and limit of detection (LOD, ~0.03–0.06 ppm). A cost-effective and sensitive Internet of Things (IoT) colorimetric sensor prototype was developed to implement these dyes systems for practical and real-time application. Employing the dyes as sensing elements, the prototype exhibits unique red, green, and blue (RGB) values upon exposure to test solutions with a short response time of 2 s. Detection of these compounds via this new approach has been proven effective by comparing them with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). This novel approach can replace heavy-duty instruments such as high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (G.C.), and NMR due to its extraordinary selectivity and rapidity.

Compound Dragon’s blood capsule alleviates the degree of myocardial ischemia by improving inflammation and oxidative stress

Background: Compound Dragon's blood capsule (CDC) is a patent medicine mainly composed of dragon’s blood (Dracaena cochinchinensis (Lour.) S. C. Chen), notoginseng (Parmx notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen) and borneol (C10H18O) for the treatment of stabilize coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial ischemia (MI). This paper is to investigate the anti-myocardial ischemia properties of CDC both in vivo and vitro.Methods: The fingerprint of CDC was established by UPLC-Q/TOF-MS. The hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) model was established by using H9c2 cells. The levels of LDH, SOD and MDA were detected by colorimetric method. Moreover, the MI model of rats was established by isoprenaline hydrochloride (ISO), the mortality rate was recorded, the changes in J point of electrocardiogram were determined, the expressions of the myocardial markers, oxidative stress markers (CK, CK-MB, LDH and SOD) and inflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, IL-1β and NO) in serum were detected. Results: The fingerprint of CDC was established and 10 mainly active components were identified: 7,4'-dihydroxyflavone, resveratrol, loureirin A, loureirin B, pterostilbene were identified from Dragon's blood, notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Rb1, oleanolic acid, ginsenoside Rd were identified from notoginseng. In vitro study, CDC significantly improved H9c2 cell viability and SOD level (P < 0.05), decreased LDH and MDA level (P < 0.05). In vivo study, CDC increased survival rate and SOD level of serum, decreased J-point of ECG, CK-MB, LDH, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10 level (P < 0.05).Conclusions: CDC had a significant anti-myocardial ischemia effect by alleviating inflammation and oxidative stress, suggesting that CDC is a suitable adjuvent to treat CHD, dragon’s blood has the prospect of developing other new drugs.

A New Colorimetric Method for Rapid Detection of Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coli Isolates

Background: The quick diagnosis and early initiation of antibiotic therapy in bacteria-induced infections is of paramount importance. Accordingly, the rapid identification of the causative agent, the short-term results of antibiotic sensitivity, the selection and use of right antibiotics for treatment further highlights the significance of this issue. Objectives: This study aimed to develop a new susceptibility testing method to provide rapid results in Escherichia coli clinical isolates and report the antibiotic susceptibility test results to clinicians in a short period. Methods: In the study, one hundred and ten E. coli clinical isolates were tested. In this regard, antibiotics recommended by the "Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)" for testing the sensitivity of E. coli isolates, including amoxicillin-clavulanate, cefixime, ceftriaxone, ertapenem, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and nitrofurantoin were tested. For quality control, E. coli ATCC25922, E. coli ATCC35218, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC29213, and E. coli 13846NTCC strains were used. The broth microdilution method recommended by CLSI was used as the reference method. Minimum inhibitory concentration values were determined, and antimicrobial susceptibilities were then determined according to the “European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST)” criteria. In the next phase, the results of the resazurin microplate method (RMM) were compared. Results: The comparison of the RMM developed in the present study with the reference method revealed that the calculated essential agreement ratios for eight antibiotics varied from 82.72 to 100%, and the categorical agreement values ranged from 95.45 to100%. Conclusions: According to the findings, the RMM results were highly in agreement with the results of the reference method. RMM allows the detection of antibiotic susceptibility quickly (e.g., within 5 hours) as such it is preferred, especially for laboratories with limited facilities. However, further multi-center studies are recommended to use this method in routine laboratories.

Single-Atom Fe-Anchored Nano-Diamond With Enhanced Dual-Enzyme Mimicking Performance for H2O2 and Glutathione Detection

Glutathione (GSH) is an important antioxidant and free radical scavenger that converts harmful toxins into harmless substances and excretes them out of the body. In the present study, we successfully prepared single-atom iron oxide-nanoparticle (Fe-NP)-modified nanodiamonds (NDs) named Fe-NDs via a one-pot in situ reduction method. This nanozyme functionally mimics two major enzymes, namely, peroxidase and oxidase. Accordingly, a colorimetric sensing platform was designed to detect hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and GSH. Owing to their peroxidase-like activity, Fe-NDs can oxidize colorless 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into blue with sufficient linearity at H2O2 concentrations of 1–60 μM and with a detection limit of 0.3 μM. Furthermore, using different concentrations of GSH, oxidized TMB can be reduced to TMB, and the color change from blue to nearly colorless can be observed by the naked eye (linear range, 1–25 μM; detection limit, 0.072 μM). The established colorimetric method based on oxidase-like activity can be successfully used to detect reduced GSH in tablets and injections with good selectivity and high sensitivity. The results of this study exhibited reliable consistency with the detection results obtained using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Therefore, the Fe-NDs colorimetric sensor designed in this study offers adequate accuracy and sensitivity.

Rapid measurement of waterborne bacterial viability based on difunctional gold nanoprobe

A colorimetric method is proposed to measure waterborne bacterial viability by using a difunctional gold nanoprobe that can generate color signals while recognizing bacterial suspensions of different viabilities.

The Association of Higher Composite Biomarker Score of Antioxidant Vitamins with Lower Cardiovascular Diseases Risk: A Cross-Sectional Study

Biomarkers for the dietary system, which includes a mixed fruit and vegetable (FV), are needed to understand the association of FV intake with a reduction in cardiovascular diseases risk. This is a cross-sectional study that aims to find the potential relationship between a high composite score comprised of antioxidant vitamins and a lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). A total of 94 (42 males and 52 females) participants (mean age ± SD: 51.7 ± 9.4 years) completed a specific questionnaire including a quick food scan, which has designed by the American National Institutes of Health. The vitamins A, C, and E were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). An enzymatic colorimetric method was used to determine other biomarkers [fasting blood sugar (FBS), haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and lipid profile]. A Composite Biomarker Score (CBS) comprising of the plasma vitamins (A, C, and E) have been derived. The results showed that male participants demonstrated significantly higher atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk than female participants. Female participants with greater ASCVD risk were associated with significantly higher age, total cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations. Additionally, there is a significant relationship between the CBS with lower ASCVD risk. Consequently, it can be concluded that higher concentrations of serum antioxidant vitamins are related to a reduction in cardiovascular diseases risk.