Phytochemistry, nutritional and pharmacological properties of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam (jackfruit): A review

Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam, commonly known as the jackfruit tree and belonging to the family Moraceae, is an exotic tree originally native to the Western Ghats of India. The fruits are of dietary use and are an important source of carbohydrate, protein, fat, minerals and vitamins. The heart wood is a very durable timber and is used in the preparation of furniture. The bark, roots, leaves, and fruit are attributed with diverse medicinal properties and are used in the various traditional and folk systems of medicine to treat a range of ailments. Preclinical studies have shown that jackfruit possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anticariogenic, antifungal, antineoplastic, hypoglycemic, wound healing effects and causes a transient decrease in the sexual activity. Clinical studies have also shown that the decoction of the leaves possesses hypoglycemic effects in both healthy individuals and non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Phytochemical studies have shown that jackfruit contains useful compounds like the flavonoids, sterols and prenylflavones which may have been responsible for the various pharmacological properties. The present paper reviews the nutritional value, culinary uses, the phytochemical compounds, traditional usage and validated pharmacological properties of jackfruit.     

Dissolved organic matter: Precautions for the study of hydrophilic substances using XAD resins

This study concerns the possible changes in the repartition and the molecular characteristics of hydrophilic substances (HyS) isolated by XAD resins from the same source of organic matter as a function of the distribution coefficient k′ and the DOM concentration. We tested that on two different sources of organic matter (a surface water and a landfill leachate). Breakthrough curves column experiments highlighted a modification of the repartition between hydrophilic and humic substances according to the k′ value applied. But, we find that the composition of HyS is significantly modified between k′ = 50 and 100. Our observations tend to suggest a higher contribution of humic-like matter (high-molecular weight aromatic compounds) with an increase of the k′ value. This results in a shift of fluorescence bands to longer wavelengths and changing patterns of the SEC profiles and molecular fingerprints performed by flash pyrolysis. Our results show that DOM concentration also influences the composition of HyS while little effect is observed on their quantification at k′ = 50 or 100.     

Redox and pH microenvironments within Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 biofilms reveal an electron transfer mechanism

The goal of this research was to quantify the variations in redox potential and pH in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 biofilms respiring on electrodes. We grew S. oneidensis MR-1 on a graphite electrode, which was used to accept electrons for microbial respiration. We modified well-known redox and pH microelectrodes with a built-in reference electrode so that they could operate near polarized surfaces and quantified the redox potential and pH profiles in these biofilms. In addition, we used a ferri-/ferrocyanide redox system in which electrons were only transferred by mediated electron transfer to explain the observed redox potential profiles in biofilms. We found that regardless of the polarization potential of the biofilm electrode, the redox potential decreased toward the bottom of the biofilm. In a fully redox-mediated control system (ferri-/ferrocyanide redox system), the redox potential increased toward the bottom when the electrode was the electron acceptor. The opposite behavior of redox profiles in biofilms and the redox-controlled system is explained by S. oneidensis MR-1 biofilms not being redox-controlled when they respire on electrodes. The lack of a significant variation in pH implies that there is no proton transfer limitation in S. oneidensis MR-1 biofilms and that redox potential profiles are not caused by pH.     

Fungal diversity in cow, goat and ewe milk

Knowledge of fungal diversity in the environment is poor compared with bacterial biodiversity. In this study, we applied the denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (D-HPLC) technique, combined with the amplification of the ITS1 region from fungal rDNA, for the rapid identification of major fungal species in 9 raw milk samples from cow, ewe and goat, collected at different periods of the year. A total of 27 fungal species were identified. Yeast species belonged to Candida, Cryptococcus, Debaryomyces, Geotrichum, Kluyveromyces, Malassezia, Pichia, Rhodotorula and Trichosporon genera; and mold species belonged to Aspergillus, Chrysosporium, Cladosporium, Engyodontium, Fusarium, Penicillium and Torrubiella genera. Cow milk samples harbored the highest fungal diversity with a maximum of 15 species in a single sample, whereas a maximum of 4 and 6 different species were recovered in goat and ewe milk respectively. Commonly encountered genera in cow and goat milk were Geotrichum candidum, Kluyveromyces marxianus and Candida spp. (C. catenulata and C. inconspicua); whereas Candida parapsilosis was frequently found in ewe milk samples. Most of detected species were previously described in literature data. A few species were uncultured fungi and others (Torrubiella and Malassezia) were described for the first time in milk.     

Development of selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM)-like activity through an indirect mechanism of estrogen receptor antagonism: defining the binding mode of 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene scaffold core ligands

Previously, we discovered estrogen receptor (ER) ligands with a novel three-dimensional oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene core scaffold and good ER binding affinity act as partial agonists via small alkyl ester substitutions on the bicyclic core that indirectly modulate the critical switch helix in the ER ligand binding domain, helix 12, by interactions with helix 11. This contrasts with the mechanism of action of tamoxifen, which directly pushes helix 12 out of the conformation required for gene activation. We now report that a much larger substitution can be tolerated at this position of the bicyclic core scaffold, namely a phenyl sulfonate group, which defines a novel binding epitope for the estrogen receptor. We prepared an array of 14 oxabicycloheptene sulfonates, varying the phenyl sulfonate group. As with the parent compound, 5,6-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2-sulfonic acid phenyl ester (OBHS), these compounds showed preferential affinity for ERα, and the disposition and size of the phenyl substituents were important determinants of the binding affinity and selectivity of these compounds, with those having ortho substituents giving the highest, and para substituents the lowest affinities for ERα. A few analogues exhibit ERα binding affinities that are comparable to or, in the case of the ortho-chloro analogue, higher than that of OBHS itself. In cell-based studies, we found several compounds with activity profiles comparable to tamoxifen, but acting entirely as indirect antagonists, allosterically interfering with recruitment of coactivator proteins to the receptor. Thus, the OBHS binding epitope represents a novel approach to the development of estrogen receptor antagonists via an indirect mechanism of antagonism.     

Processing of printed piezoelectric microdisks: effect of PZT particle sizes and electrodes on electromechanical properties

Nowadays, micro-scale piezoelectric devices with high sensitivity are much in demand for transducer technologies. This work suggests a low cost technology consisting of a screen-printing process associated with a sacrificial layer for preparation of microceramic-disks. These printed microdisks are based on a PZT layer sandwiched between two printed electrodes. The printed microdisks can be released from substrates by co-firing, leading to a complete decomposition of the sacrificial layer. The effect of different electrode materials (Au and Ag/Pd) on the releasing behavior is described. Uniform releasing is obtained by Ag/Pd electrodes whereas Au electrodes perform partial sticking on the substrates. Furthermore, the printed microdisks made of different PZT particle sizes are compared in terms of microstructure, electromechanical, and dielectric properties. The dense microdisks obtained from nanometric PZT particles and Ag/Pd electrodes generate high values of effective electromechanical coupling coefficient (45%) and relative permittivity (1200). Therefore, these printed microdisks are considered to be potential candidates for different sensing and actuating applications.

     

A rating scale for housing-based health hazards

Objectives

This study investigated the validity and responsiveness of a rating scale designed to assess the housing-based hazards and their relationships to burden of disease symptoms in the building occupants.

Study design

A population-based cross-sectional survey.

Methods

Random-digit dialing with computer-assisted phone interviews was conducted to obtain information from 642 households in the City of Saginaw, Michigan about 71 housing-based hazards, symptoms of 43 diseases often associated with environmental exposures and demographic characteristics. The housing-based hazard index (HHI) was calculated from scores of hazards across the following eight dimensions: structural scale (18 items); moisture/mold scale (8 items), electrical scale (7 items), ventilation and combustion appliances scale (6 items); pest scale (6 items); pets scale (4 items), fire scale (6 items) and lifestyle-associated factors scale (12 items). Each item was assigned a relative score based on the likelihood that the housing occupants would be exposed to the hazard, the potential for serious health impacts, and the reported strength of its association with childhood lead poisoning and respiratory diseases. The psychometric properties of HHI and individual domains (scales) were assessed along with the associations between these indicators and the inventory of disease symptoms.

Results

The reliability of HHI was demonstrated by assessments of its dimensionality and internal consistency. Analysis of the predictive validity and responsiveness indicates that HHI and scores for most of the individual scales can discriminate between households in relation to the burden of reported disease symptoms.

Conclusions

The HHI represents a valid, reasonably reliable, and parsimonious measure of hazards that are congruent with the burden of symptoms generally associated with housing-related diseases.     

Bolted steel slip-critical connections with fillers: I. Performance

This paper reports the results of sixteen experiments of bolted slip-critical connections with fillers. Fifteen of the connections used oversized holes and one connection used standard holes. Such connections with oversized holes are commonly fabricated for use with structures such as long-span trusses, since the use of oversized holes allows erection in-place rather than first assessing fit-up on the ground. Filler plates are used to connect members of different depths or widths. The sixteen experiments reported herein highlight the behavior of bolted steel connections with oversized holes in which fillers are included and are undeveloped, partially developed, or fully developed. Both single-ply and multi-ply fillers are investigated, as are welded developed fillers, and specimens fabricated using either turn-of-the-nut or tension control bolts to pretension the connection. The results augmented with previous literature document the slip and shear strengths of these connections, propose formulas for assessing these strengths for the different conditions investigated, and provide recommendations for design of these types of connections.     

Fatty Acid Synthesis in Glial Cells of the CNS

Fatty acids (FAs) are of crucial importance for brain homeostasis and neural function. Glia cells support the high demand of FAs that the central nervous system (CNS) needs for its proper functioning. Additionally, FAs can modulate inflammation and direct CNS repair, thereby contributing to brain pathologies such Alzheimer’s disease or multiple sclerosis. Intervention strategies targeting FA synthesis in glia represents a potential therapeutic opportunity for several CNS diseases.