Short echo time in vivo prostate ¹H-MRSI

Visualization of short echo time (TE) metabolites in prostate magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging is difficult due to lipid contamination and pulse timing constraints. In this work, we present a modified pulse sequence to permit short echo time (TE=40ms) acquisitions with reduced lipid contamination for the detection of short TE metabolites. The modified pulse sequence employs the conformal voxel MRS (CV-MRS) technique, which automatically optimizes the placement of spatial saturation planes to adapt the excitation volume to the shape of the prostate, thus reducing lipid contamination in prostate magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI). Metabolites were measured and assessed using a modified version of LCModel for analysis of in vivo prostate spectra. We demonstrate the feasibility of acquiring high quality spectra at short TEs, and show the measurement of short TE metabolites, myo-inositol, scyllo-inositol, taurine and glutamine/glutamate for both single and multi-voxel acquisitions. In single voxels experiments, the reduction in TE resulted in 57% improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Additional 3D MRSI experiments comparing short (TE=40 ms), and long (TE=130 ms) TE acquisitions revealed a 35% improvement in the number of adequately fitted metabolite peaks (775 voxels over all subjects). This resulted in a 42 ± 24% relative improvement in the number of voxels with detectable citrate that were well-fitted using LCmodel. In this study, we demonstrate that high quality prostate spectra can be obtained by reducing the TE to 40 ms to detect short T2 metabolites, while maintaining positive signal intensity of the spin-coupled citrate multiplet and managing lipid suppression.     

白芷叶中分泌道显微和超微结构的研究

本文对白芷叶中分泌道的显微和超微结构进行了研究。白芷叶中分泌道是由一层上皮细胞围绕一圆形腔道而成,分布于叶片、叶鞘和叶柄的薄壁组织及较大叶脉或维管组织的次生韧皮部中,分泌道的发生方式为裂生型,其腔隙的扩大主要依靠上皮细胞本身的分裂生长以及周围细胞插入到上皮细胞之间。电镜观察结果表明分泌道原始细胞之间裂开形成腔隙可能与高尔基体分泌果胶酶进入到相邻细胞壁间而导致中层溶解有关,成熟分泌道上皮细胞中含有丰富的质体和内质网,其中大多数质体被内质网鞘所围绕,分泌道发育过程中上皮细胞超微结构最显著变化是质体、内质网和嗜锇滴数量的改变,它们随着分泌道的成熟而增加,随着分泌道的衰老而减少,嗜锇物质主要由质体、鞘内质网和细胞质内质网合成,而线粒体、液泡和细胞质也可参与分泌物的合成和运输过程     

Lung surfactant-particles at fluid interfaces for toxicity assessments

Lung surfactant is a complex mixture of lipids and proteins which plays a major role in the respiratory cycle. This makes necessary to understand the effects of different external factors or agents, for example, inhaled particles, as a potential source of alteration of the normal physiological response of lung surfactant. However, in most cases, in vivo studies are difficult to perform, and preliminary studies based in model systems are required. Films of lipids or mixtures of lipids and proteins at the water–vapor interface are accounted as one of the most useful methodologies for initial assessments of the potential toxicity of inhaled particles. Thus, the study of the modifications induced by the incorporation of colloidal particles in the interfacial properties of layers mimicking some of the physicochemical features of lung surfactant might provide a first evaluation of the risks and hazards associated with the inhalation of particulate matter. Considering the importance of particles in technology and industry, it is mandatory to develop strategies providing information about toxicological aspects of these widespread materials. This review focuses its interest on the recent advancements on the application of studied bases on monolayers at the fluid interface as preliminary assay for deepening on a complex situation with biological interest.     

Development and validation of a UPLC method for quantification of antiviral agent,Acyclovir in lipid-based formulations

PurposeThe objective of the current study is to evaluate the Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) method for quantification of Acyclovir in lipid-based formulations.MethodA simple, rapid, reliable and precise reversed phase UPLC method has been developed and validated according to the regulatory guidelines, which composed of isocratic mobile phase; 0.25% formic acid (FA) in Milli-Q water with a flow rate of 0.5 ml/min, and column BEH C18 (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.7 μm). The detection was carried out at 254 nm.ResultsThe developed UPLC method was found to be rapid (1.2 min run time), selective with well resoluted Acyclovir peak (0.89 min) from different lipid matrices and sensitive (Limit of Detection (LOD) was 0.3 ppm and Lower Limit of Quantification (LLOQ) was 1 ppm). The accuracy and precision were determined and were perfectly matching with the standard FDA limits.ConclusionThe study showed that the proposed UPLC method can be used for the assessment of drug purity, stability, solubility and lipid-formulation release profile with no interference of excipients or related substances of active pharmaceutical ingredient.     

31P NMR assessment of the phosvitin-iron complex in mayonnaise

Lipid oxidation is the main reason for the limited shelf life of mayonnaise. One of the main catalysts of this process is iron, which is introduced in its ferric (Fe(III)) form via phosvitin, an egg yolk phosphoprotein rich in phosphoserines. The binding of Fe(III) to phosvitin and its ability to establish a redox couple with Fe(II) is believed to determine the oxidation rate of unsaturated lipids. In this work, a ³¹P NMR based method was developed to quantify loading of phosvitin with Fe(III) and its reductive release. Both features could be quantified in model phosvitin solutions by exploiting the paramagnetic broadening of ³¹P NMR signal of phosphoserine residues by Fe(III). This method was then successfully applied to quantify the phosvitin-Fe(III) loading in mayonnaise water phase by liquid NMR, whereas ³¹P NMR MAS could only provide a qualitative measure. The ³¹P NMR method showed a direct relation between loading of the Fe(III)-phosvitin complex and lipid oxidation.     

Foodomics revealed the effects of ultrasonic extraction on the composition and nutrition of cactus fruit (Opuntia ficus-indica) seed oil

Cactus is a tropical fruit with a high nutritional value; however, little information is available regarding the comprehensive utilization of its byproducts. This study aimed to explore the composition and nutritional value of cactus fruit seed oil (CFO) and reveal the effects of ultrasound-assisted extraction and traditional solvent extraction on oil quality. Foodomics analysis showed that CFO extracted using a traditional solvent is rich in linolenic acid (9c12cC18:2, 57.46 ± 0.84 %), α-tocopherol (20.01 ± 1.86 mg/100 g oil), and canolol (200.10 ± 1.21 μg/g). Compared to traditional solvent extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction can significantly increase the content of lipid concomitants in CFO, whereas excessive ultrasound intensity may lead to the oxidation of oils and the formation of free radicals. Analysis of the thermal properties showed that ultrasound had no effect on the crystallization or melting behavior of CFO. To further demonstrate the nutritional value of CFO, a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lipid metabolism imbalance model was used. Lipidomics analysis showed that CFO significantly reduced the content of oxidized phospholipids stimulated by LPS and increased the content of highly bioactive metabolites such as ceramides, thus alleviating LPS-induced damage in C. elegans. Hence, CFO is a functional oil with high value, and ultrasound-assisted extraction is advocated. These findings provide new insights into the comprehensive utilization of cactus fruits.