Effects of polyols on the quality characteristics of sucrose-free milk chocolate produced in a ball mill

Sucrose-free milk chocolates containing different types of bulk (isomalt, xylitol and maltitol) and high intensity (Stevia) sweeteners were produced by using a ball mill. The main quality characteristics of the formulated chocolates were evaluated and compared with those of the conventional sample containing sucrose. The Casson model was the best fitting model for the rheological data. Casson viscosity and Casson yield stress were significantly affected by the type of bulking agent in chocolates formulated with xylitol (p < 0.05). However xylitol notably improved the overall acceptability according to the sensory analysis results. Chocolates containing the sucrose replacers demonstrated lower T_onset values and higher enthalpy than the control sample. Sucrose-free chocolates illustrated a higher degree of particle agglomeration. Bulk sweeteners meanwhile seem to have high potential for milk chocolate production with low calorie values by using the ball mill technique. Industrial applications: the production of sucrose-free chocolates with conventional methods requires a lot of time and energy. Recently, using alternative methods for chocolate production has been raising interest in many small industries. This study proposed a ball mill method for the preparation of sucrose-free milk chocolates with physiochemical properties almost ranging in the standard limit defined for chocolate. Although using the ball mill method presents a more cost-effective technique for chocolate production and provides shorter processing times for small chocolate industries, it seems to be less efficient in evaporating moisture than the conventional processing. Challenges are still ahead for upgrading this alternative technique to be efficient in evaporating more moisture during operation ending in a high quality product.

Sucrose-free milk chocolates containing different types of bulk (isomalt, xylitol and maltitol) and high intensity (Stevia) sweeteners were produced by using a ball mill.     

Glutamate Dysfunction Associated with Developmental Cerebellar Damage: Relevance to Autism Spectrum Disorders

Neural abnormalities commonly associated with autism spectrum disorders include prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction and cerebellar pathology in the form of Purkinje cell loss and cerebellar hypoplasia. It has been reported that loss of cerebellar Purkinje cells results in aberrant dopamine neurotransmission in the PFC which occurs via dysregulation of multisynaptic efferents from the cerebellum to the PFC. Using a mouse model, we investigated the possibility that developmental cerebellar Purkinje cell loss could disrupt glutamatergic cerebellar projections to the PFC that ultimately modulate DA release. We measured glutamate release evoked by local electrical stimulation using fixed-potential amperometry in combination with glutamate selective enzyme-based recording probes in urethane-anesthetized Lurcher mutant and wildtype mice. Target sites included the mediodorsal and ventrolateral thalamic nuclei, reticulotegmental nuclei, pedunculopontine nuclei, and ventral tegmental area. With the exception of the ventral tegmental area, the results indicated that in comparison to wildtype mice, evoked glutamate release was reduced in Lurcher mutants by between 9 and 72 % at all stimulated sites. These results are consistent with the notion that developmental loss of cerebellar Purkinje cells drives reductions in evoked glutamate release in cerebellar efferent pathways that ultimately influence PFC dopamine release. Possible mechanisms whereby reductions in glutamate release could occur are discussed.     

Separability analysis of multifrequency SAR polarimetric features for land cover classification

Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) imagery can provide valuable observables at different frequencies for classification tasks. In this paper, we assessed separability rate of various polarimetric features in three frequencies of X-, C-, and L- bands. To this end, Jeffries–Matusita distance was firstly used to measure separability of each polarimetric feature in each frequency band. Random Forest classifier was then applied to map various land cover classes in study area. The classification outputs indicated that C-band results were better and more reliable than L-band results and L-band results were subsequently better than X-band results. These results were perfectly compatible with the results obtained by the separability analysis of multifrequency PolSAR features.     

Leukopenia due to penicillin and cephalosporin homologues.

Leukopenia is an infrequently recognized complication of penicillin-related antibiotic and cephalosporin therapy. We describe our experience with nine individuals and reviewed reports of 11 cases from the literature. Seventy-six percent of cases occurred in individuals receiving 150 mg/kg/day or more of the various penicillin and cephalosporin homologues; 67% received these high doses for two or more weeks before the onset of leukopenia. Leukopenia was unusual within the first week of antibiotic treatment. Standard medical texts often recommend blind administration with 12 to 23 g/day of these antibiotics regardless of weight. It is suggested that these antibiotics be administered according to a maximum milligram per kilogram per day dosage as is done in children. Beyond the first week of administration, careful monitoring of the blood cell count should be conducted for those receiving high doses of these antibiotics.     

Interaction of Disabled-1 and the GTPase activating protein Dab2IP in mouse brain

The Reelin signaling pathway controls neuronal positioning during mammalian brain development by binding to the very low density lipoprotein receptor and apolipoprotein E receptor-2, and signaling through the intracellular adapter protein Disabled-1 (Dab1). To identify new components in the Reelin signaling pathway, we used a yeast two-hybrid screen to select Dab1-interacting proteins. Here, we report the characterization of a new mouse Dab1-interacting protein that is orthologous to rat Dab2IP, a Ras-GTPase activating protein previously shown to bind to Dab2/DOC. The interaction of Dab1 and Dab2IP was confirmed in biochemical assays and by co-immunoprecipitation from brain lysates. The site of interaction between Dab1 and Dab2IP was narrowed to the Dab1-PTB domain and the NPxY motif in Dab2IP. The deduced amino acid sequence of mouse Dab2IP encompasses 1,208 residues containing several protein interaction motifs as well as a Ras-like GAP-related domain. Northern blot analysis revealed at least two isoforms of Dab2IP mRNA in the brain, both of which exhibited increased expression during development. In situ hybridization analyses indicated that Dab2IP mRNA is diffusely expressed throughout the developing and the adult brain. Using a polyclonal antiserum specific for Dab2IP, we observed protein expression in the soma and processes of neurons in a variety of brain structures, including the developing cerebral cortex. Our findings suggest that Dab2IP may function as a downstream effector in the Reelin signaling pathway that influences Ras signaling during brain development.     

Improving neuropathy scores in type 2 diabetic patients using micronutrients supplementation

Aim

The aim of the present study was to determine if micronutrients supplementation can improve neuropathy indices in type 2 diabetes.

Materials and methods

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 75 type 2 diabetes patients were assigned to three treatment groups, receiving one of the following daily supplement for 4 months: Group MV: zinc (20 mg), magnesium (250 mg), vitamin C (200 mg) and E (100 mg); Group MVB: both of the above mineral and vitamin supplements plus vitamin B1 (10 mg), B2 (10 mg), B6 (10 mg), biotin (200 μg), B12 (10 μg) and folic acid (1 mg); Group P: placebo.

Results

67 patients completed the study. Neuropathic symptoms based on the MNSI questionnaire improved from 3.45 to 0.64 (p = 0.001) in group MVB, from 3.96 to 1.0 (p = 0.001) in group MV and from 2.54 to 1.95 in placebo group after 4 months. There was no significant difference between three treatment groups in MNSI examinations after 4 months supplementations. Over 4 months of treatment, patients showed no significant changes in glycemic control, capillary blood flow or electrophysiological measures in MV and MVB groups compared with placebo group.

Conclusions

These studies suggest that micronutrients supplementation might ameliorate diabetic neuropathy symptoms.     

Design,synthesis, and evaluation of novel cinnamic acid-tryptamine hybrid for inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase

BackgroundAcetylcholine deficiencies in hippocampus and cortex, aggregation of β-amyloid, and β-secretase over activity have been introduced as main reasons in pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease.MethodsColorimetric Ellman’s method was used for determination of IC₅₀ value in AChE and BChE inhibitory activity. The kinetic studies, neuroprotective and β-secretase inhibitory activities, evaluation of inhibitory potency on β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregations induced by AChE, and docking study were performed for prediction of the mechanism of action.Result and discussionA new series of cinnamic acids-tryptamine hybrid was designed, synthesized, and evaluated as dual cholinesterase inhibitors. These compounds demonstrated in-vitro inhibitory activities against acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) and butyryl cholinesterase (BChE). Among of these synthesized compounds, (E)-N-(2-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl)-3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)acrylamide (5q) demonstrated the most potent AChE inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 11.51 μM) and (E)-N-(2-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl)-3-(2-chlorophenyl)acrylamide (5b) were the best anti-BChE (IC₅₀ = 1.95 μM) compounds. In addition, the molecular modeling and kinetic studies depicted 5q and 5b were mixed type inhibitor and bound with both the peripheral anionic site (PAS) and catalytic sites (CAS) of AChE and BChE. Moreover, compound 5q showed mild neuroprotective in PC12 cell line and weak β-secretase inhibitory activities. This compound also inhibited aggregation of β-amyloid (Aβ) in self-induced peptide aggregation test at concentration of 10 μM.ConclusionIt is worth noting that both the kinetic study and the molecular modeling of 5q and 5b depicted that these compounds simultaneously interacted with both the catalytic active site and the peripheral anionic site of AChE and BChE. These findings match with those resulted data from the enzyme inhibition assay. Graphical abstractOpen in a separate windowA new series of cinnamic-derived acids-tryptamine hybrid derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated as butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors and neuroprotective agents. Compound 5b and 5q, as the more potent compounds, interacted with both the peripheral site and the choline binding site having mixed type inhibition. Results suggested that derivatives have a therapeutic potential for the treatment of AD.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s40199-020-00346-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.