Potentially Bio-Accessible Metabolites from an Extract of Cornus mas Fruit after Gastrointestinal Digestion In Vitro and Gut Microbiota Ex Vivo Treatment

Targeting pancreatic lipase and α-amylase by digestion-derived fractions of ethanolic-aqueous (60%, v/v) extract from Cornus mas fruit (CM) in relation to the control and prevention of metabolic disorders, including diabetes, was the first purpose of the present study. Taking into consideration the significance of bio-accessibility of compounds, we attempted to identify metabolites of CM after gastrointestinal digestion in vitro, as well as their kinetic changes upon gut microbiota treatment. The digestion of extract was simulated with digestive enzymes in vitro and human gut microbiota ex vivo (1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 24 h), followed by chromatographic analysis using the UHPLC-DAD-MSⁿ method. The effect of fractions from gastrointestinal digestion in vitro on the activity of pancreatic lipase and α-amylase was studied with fluorescence-based assays. The gastric and intestinal fractions obtained after in vitro digestion of CM inhibited pancreatic lipase and α-amylase. Loganic acid as the main constituent of the extract was digested in the experimental conditions in contrast to cornuside. It was found in most analytes such as salivary, gastric, intestinal, and even colon (fecal slurry, FS) fractions. In all fractions, kaempferol hexoside and reduced forms of kaempferol, such as aromadendrin, and benzoic acid were assigned. The signals of tannins were detected in all fractions. Cornusiin A was tentatively assigned in the gastric fraction. The metabolites originating from kinetic analytes have been classified mainly as phenolic acids, hydrolyzable tannins, and flavonoids. Phenolic acids (protocatechuic acid, gallic acid), tannins (digalloylglucose, tri-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose), and flavonoids (aromadendrin, dihydroquercetin) were detected in the late phases of digestion in fecal slurry suspension. Cornuside was found in FS analyte after 3 h incubation. It was not detected in the samples after 6 and 24 h incubation with FS. In conclusion, cornuside, aromadendrin, and phenolic acids may be potentially bio-accessible compounds of CM. The presence of plants’ secondary metabolites in the intestinal fractions allows us to indicate them as responsible for decreasing glucose and lipid absorption.     

Early Feeding Factors and Eating Behaviors among Children Aged 1–3: A Cross-Sectional Study

Early nutrition plays a crucial role not only in providing essential nutrients for proper child development, but may also be an important step in creating desirable eating behaviors, which can be transmitted into adulthood. The aim of this study was to assess possible links between early feeding factors, such as breastfeeding, complementary feeding (timing and method) as well as types of complementary foods and mealtime environment during the first three months of complementary feeding and eating behaviors in children aged 1–3 years old. This cross-sectional, online survey involved 467 mothers of toddlers aged 1–3 years old from the whole of Poland. The questionnaire consisted of questions about early feeding and the Children’s Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ). The adjusted linear regression model revealed that longer duration of any breastfeeding was negatively related to enjoyment of food (EF), desire to drink (DD) and positively related to satiety responsiveness (SR) and slowness in eating (SE) subscales. Moreover, offering homemade complementary foods more often than commercial may be related to higher SR. Eating meals during distraction seems to be negatively associated with EF, and positively with DD and SE subscales. Our study highlights possible links between early feeding factors and toddlers’ eating behaviors, so further investigation, also including dietary factors, is needed.     

Pathogenesis of West Nile Virus Lineage 2 in Domestic Geese after Experimental Infection

West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging infectious pathogen circulating between mosquitoes and birds but also infecting mammals. WNV has become autochthonous in Germany, causing striking mortality rates in avifauna and occasional diseases in humans and horses. We therefore wanted to assess the possible role of free-ranging poultry in the WNV transmission cycle and infected 15 goslings with WNV lineage 2 (German isolate). The geese were monitored daily and sampled regularly to determine viremia, viral shedding, and antibody development by molecular and serological methods. Geese were euthanized at various time points post-infection (pi). All infected geese developed variable degrees of viremia from day 1 to day 10 (maximum) and actively shed virus from days 2 to 7 post-infection. Depending on the time of death, the WN viral genome was detected in all examined tissue samples in at least one individual by RT-qPCR and viable virus was even re-isolated, except for in the liver. Pathomorphological lesions as well as immunohistochemically detectable viral antigens were found mainly in the brain. Furthermore, all of the geese seroconverted 6 days pi at the latest. In conclusion, geese are presumably not functioning as important amplifying hosts but are suitable sentinel animals for WNV surveillance.     

Vaccination with BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Induces Cross-Reactive Anti-RBD IgG against SARS-CoV-2 Variants including Omicron

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) have caused a significant increase in infections worldwide. Despite high vaccination rates in industrialized countries, the fourth VOC, Omicron, has outpaced the Delta variant and is causing breakthrough infections in individuals with two booster vaccinations. While the magnitude of morbidity and lethality is lower in Omicron, the infection rate and global spread are rapid. Using a specific IgG multipanel-ELISA with the spike protein’s receptor-binding domain (RBD) from recombinant Alpha, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron variants, sera from health-care workers from the Medical University of Vienna were tested pre-pandemic and post-vaccination (BNT162b2; ChAdOx1 nCoV-19). The cohort was continuously monitored by SARS-CoV-2 testing and commercial nucleocapsid IgG ELISA. RBD IgG ELISA showed significantly lower reactivity against the Omicron-RBD compared to the Alpha variant in all individuals (p < 0.001). IgG levels were independent of sex, but were significantly higher in BNT162b2 recipients <45 years of age for Alpha, Gamma, and Delta (p < 0.001; p = 0.040; p = 0.004, respectively). Pre-pandemic cross-reactive anti-Omicron IgG was detected in 31 individuals and was increased 8.78-fold after vaccination, regardless of vaccine type. The low anti-RBD Omicron IgG level could explain the breakthrough infections and their presence could also contribute to a milder COVID-19 course by cross-reactivity and broadening the adaptive immunity.     

Using measures of reading time regularity (RTR) to quantify eye movement dynamics,and how they are shaped by linguistic information

In this article, we present the concept of reading time regularity (RTR) as a measure to capture reading process dynamics. The first study is concerned with examining one of the assumptions of RTR, namely, that process measures of reading, such as eye movement fluctuations and fixation durations, exhibit higher regularity when contingent on sequentially structured information, such as texts. To test this, eye movements of 26 German native speakers were recorded during reading-unrelated and reading-related tasks. To analyze the data, we used recurrence quantification analysis and sample entropy analysis to quantify the degree of temporal structure in time series of gaze steps and fixation durations. The results showed that eye movements become more regular in reading compared to nonreading conditions. These effects were most prominent when calculated on the basis of gaze step data. In a second study, eye movements of 27 native speakers of German were recorded for five conditions with increasing linguistic information. The results replicate the findings of the first study, verifying that these effects are not due to mere differences in task instructions between conditions. Implications for the concept of RTR and for future studies using these metrics in reading research are discussed.     

Assessment of the Impact of Ionizing Radiation Absorption on the Structural,Mechanical and Biophysical Properties of Textiles Used in Multilayer Space Suit

The article presents research on ergonomics, biophysical comfort and safety of protective clothing. The resistance of the structural, thermal and mechanical properties of five fabrics (CBXS400, GG200T, Twaron CT736, Dyneema HB26 and T1790C), differing in geometry and raw material composition used in space suits, to dangerous ionizing radiation (β and γ) occurring in space was tested. For both types of radiation, four identical one-time doses in the range of 25–100 kGy were used. The effect of the applied absorbed doses of β and γ radiation on the parameters of textiles influencing ergonomics and safety of the cosmonaut’s work was verified by structural tests (micro-computed tomography and optical microcopy), thermal resistance tests (sweating guarded-hotplate) and strength tests (tensile testing machine). Experimental studies of thermal properties are supplemented with heat transport simulations using the finite volume method performed with 3D models of real textiles. The greatest reduction of thermal resistance for Twaron CT736 (−0.0667 m²·°C·W⁻¹ for 100 kGy of β-radiation) and Dyneema HB26 (−0.0347 m²·°C·W⁻¹ for 50 kGy of β-radiation) is observed. Strength tests have shown that all tested textiles are resistant to both types of radiation. Three textiles were selected to create a three-layer assembly with potential application in a cosmonaut’s glove (Extravehicular Activity—EVA).     

Retroperitoneal fibrosis,a rare entity with urorenal and vascular subtypes – preliminary data

IntroductionRetroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) is a rare disease associated with the formation of hard inflammatory and fibrous tissue in the retroperitoneum. Taking into consideration the fact that RPF is a rare disease with different subtypes, we compared the basal clinical and biochemical characteristics of the vascular and urorenal subtypes.Patients and methodsFrom January 2005 until December 2021, 27 patients were identified as vascular subtype (18 males) and 11 as urorenal subtype (9 males).ResultsPatients with a primary urorenal origin had significantly worse kidney function as reflected by serum creatinine and eGFR (both p < 0.001); they also had higher serum cholesterol (p < 0.01). Hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and nicotinism were significantly more prevalent in vascular subtype (all p < 0.001).ConclusionVascular subtype is more prevalent in our study with more cardiovascular risk factor present. Due to the diversity of symptoms, diagnosis of RPF becomes a challenge for specialists as well as therapy.     

Acoustic Performance of Sound Absorbing Materials Produced from Wool of Local Mountain Sheep

Wool of mountain sheep, treated nowadays as a waste or troublesome byproduct of sheep husbandry, was used for the production of sound-absorbing materials. Felts of two different thicknesses were produced from loose fibres. Additionally, two types of yarn, ring spun and core rug, were obtained. The yarns were used for the production of tufted fabric with cut and loop piles. During the examinations, basic parameters of the obtained materials were determined. Then, according to standard procedure with the use of impedance tube, the sound absorption coefficient was measured, and the noise reduction coefficient (NRC) was calculated. It was revealed that felt produced from coarse wool exhibits high porosity, and its sound absorbing capacity is strongly related to the felt thickness. For thicker felt the NRC achieved 0.4, which is comparable with the NRC of commercial ceiling tiles. It was shown that the crucial parameter influencing the sound absorption of the tufted fabrics was the pile height. For both types of yarns, when the height of the pile was increased from 12 to 16 mm, the NRC increased from 0.4 to 0.42. The manufactured materials made from local wool possess good absorption capacity, similar to commercial products usually made from more expensive wool types. The materials look nice and can be used for noise reduction as inner acoustic screens, panels, or carpets.