Volume 66, Issue 12

Authentication of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) has become important because they can be adulterated with relatively cheap herbal medicines similar in appearance. Detection of such adulterated samples is needed because their presence is likely to reduce the pharmacological potency of the original TCM and, in the worst cases, the samples may be harmful. The aim of this study was to develop a rapid near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) analytical method which was supported by multi-variate calibration, e.g. partial least squares regression (PLSR) and radial basis function artificial neural networks (RBF-ANN), in order to quantify the TCM and the adulterants. In this work, Cynanchum stauntonii (CS), a commonly used TCM, in mixtures with one or two adulterants — two morphological types of TCM, Cynanchum atrati (CA) and Cynanchum paniculati (CP), were determined using NIR reflectance spectroscopy. The three sample sets, CS adulterated with CA or CP, and CS with both CA and CP, were measured in the range of 800–2500 nm. Both PLSR and RBF-ANN calibration models provided satisfactory results, even at an adulteration level of 5 mass %, but the RBF-ANN models with better root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) values for CS, CA, and CP arguably performed better. Consequently, this work demonstrates that the NIR method of sampling complex mixtures of similar substances such as CS adulterated by CA and/or CP is capable of producing data suitable for the quantitative analysis of mixtures consisting of the original TCM adulterated by one or two similar substances, provided the spectral data are interrogated by multi-variate methods of data analysis such as PLS or RBF-ANN.

Deoxynivalenol (DON, vomitoxin) is one of several human mycotoxins acquired through residues in foods of plant origin (cereals) and through foods of animal origin (kidneys, liver, milk, eggs). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of deoxynivalenol-contaminated mouldy grain on the health status of rats and their ability to resist oxidative stress. The rats were fed a diet supplemented with DON along with organic and inorganic Zn(II), and vitamins for 28 days. The study focuses particularly on protective mechanisms and levels of reduced glutathione and metallothioneins (MT) against the adverse effects of xenobiotics. The highest concentrations of MT were detected in the tissues of kidneys ((6.70 ± 0.05) μg g−1) and liver ((6.00 ± 0.05) μg g−1), both of which are involved in detoxifying cationic xenobiotics. Lower concentrations were also detected in heart, brain, testes, and muscle tissues (approximately 3.0 μg g−1). Antioxidant capacity, glutathione-S-transferase, and liver enzymes activity were also studied. In conclusion, MT may play an important role in the detoxification of mycotoxins. Even though its role is not fully understood, MT are crucial for the redistribution of ions important for transcription factors and interaction with reactive oxygen species that form mycotoxins.

The tobacco industry produces large quantities of solid and liquid waste. This waste poses a significant environmental problem, as some major components are harmful and toxic. The aim of this work is to isolate and identify the nicotine-degrading microorganisms in the composting of tobacco waste. The bioremediation process for the detoxification of waste was carried out in a column reactor at an airflow-rate of 0.4 L min−1 kg−1. The concentrations of nicotine and number of CFU in the samples taken from reactor were monitored over nineteen days. After nineteen days, 89.8 % of nicotine conversion was obtained. A nicotine-degrading bacterium, strain FN, was isolated from the composting mass and identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the basis of morphology, 16S rDNA sequence, and the phylogenetic characteristics. To confirm that the isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa FN is the actual nicotine degrader, batch experiments were performed using tobacco leachate. It was confirmed that the strain FN possesses a considerable capacity to degrade nicotine with simultaneous COD removal. The Monod kinetic model for single substrate was applied to obtain the substrate degradation rate and half saturation constant.

The production of antimicrobial metabolites by Paenibacillus polymyxa RNC-D was assessed. Two process variables, glucose and inoculum concentrations, were evaluated at different levels (5–40 g L−1, and at φ r = 2.5–5.0 %, respectively), and their effects on biomass formation, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) against Escherichia coli, and surface tension reduction (STR) were studied. When the fermentation process was carried out under non-optimised conditions, the biomass, MIC, and STR achieved the following values: 0.6 g L−1, 1 g L−1, and 18.4 mN m−1, respectively. The optimum glucose (16 g L−1) and inoculum volume ratio (φ r = 5.0 %) were defined in order to maximise the biomass formation, with a low value of MIC and high STR of extract. The experiments carried out under optimal conditions showed the following values for the dependent variables: biomass concentration 2.05 g L−1, MIC 31.2 μg mL−1, and STR 10.7 mN m−1, which represented improvement of 241.7 %, 96.9 %, and 41.9 % for the responses of biomass, MIC, and STR, respectively. This is the first recorded study on the optimisation of culture conditions for the production of antimicrobial metabolites of P. polymyxa RNC-D, and constitutes an important step in the development of strategies to modulate the production of antimicrobial molecules by this microorganism at elevated levels.

Batch electrodialysis of aqueous solutions of oxalic acid was investigated using a laboratory electrodialyzer ED-Z mini equipped with ion-exchange membranes Ralex-AMH-PES and Ralex-CMHPES (Mega, Stráž pod Ralskem, Czech Republic). The paper presents a mathematical model which enables to predict changes in the oxalic acid concentrations in the diluate and concentrate compartments during the electrodialysis process under various conditions specified by combinations of the initial acid concentrations with current densities. The calculation proved a good agreement between the developed model and the experimental results.

During natural ageing, paper undergoes colour changes and becomes brittle. It is mainly due to the degradation of cellulose, the main component of paper fibres. From the viewpoint of conservation/protection of paper-based information carriers, as well as of the utilisation of secondary fibres, knowledge of the impact of a decrease of the degree of polymerisation (DP) of cellulose on mechanical properties of paper becomes of key importance. In this paper, correlations between the decrease of DP of cellulose and the loss of paper folding endurance (FE) using three model samples (pure cellulose, groundwood pulp paper, and degraded groundwood pulp paper) at accelerated ageing were investigated. The existence of such correlations between DP and FE is supported by experimental results; the correlations are linear for pure cellulose and groundwood pulp paper ageing, while exponential correlation was observed in case of degraded groundwood pulp paper. The results indicate that the rate of paper degradation can be evaluated by means of the rate of glycosidic bonds breaking in cellulosic polymer chains both for cellulose and groundwood pulp paper.

MoS2 sheathed carbon nanotubes have been successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal route under controlled conditions. The resultant material was studied by XRD, EDS, HRTEM, and Raman spectroscopy. Advantages of the preparation presented here compared to other methods are: a) lower reaction temperature, b) high yield of sheathed nanotubes including ends and full body, c) simple process with non-toxic materials, and d) no damage inflicted to nanotubes.

A direct-methanol fuel cell containing three parts: microchannels, electrodes, and a proton exchange membrane (PEM), was investigated. Nafion resin (NR) and polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)-block-polystyrene (PS) were used as PEMs. Preparation of PEMs, including compositing with other polymers and their solubility, was performed and their proton conductivity was measured by a four point probe. The results showed that the 5 % Nafion resin has lower conductivity than the 5 % PS solution. The micro-fuel cell contained two acrylic channels, PEM, and two platinum catalyst electrodes on a silicon wafer. The assembled micro-fuel cells used 2 M methanol at the flow rate of 1.5 mL min−1 in the anode channel and 5 × 10−3 M KMnO4 at the flow rate of 1.5 mL min−1 in the cathode channel. The micro-fuel cell with the electrode distance of 300 μm provided the power density of 59.16 μW cm−2 and the current density of 125.60 μA cm−2 at 0.47 V.

Acidity constant values of benzoic acid (BA)-modified platinum electrode (Pt-BA) and p-aminobenzoic acid (pABA)-modified platinum electrode (Pt-NHBA) surfaces were determined using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and contact angle measurements (CAM). Diazonium tetrafluoroborate salt reduction and pABA oxidation reactions were used to prepare (Pt-BA) and (Pt-NHBA) surfaces, respectively. Both surfaces exhibited pH dependence with [Fe(CN)6]3−/4− redox probe solutions at different pH; this allowed us to estimate the surface pK a values. Acidity constants for Pt-BA surface were found to be pK a (3.09 ± 0.25), (4.89 ± 0.11), and (3.91 ± 0.54) by CV, EIS, and CAM techniques, respectively, while the values for Pt-NHBA surface were pK a (3.16 ± 0.45), (4.24 ± 0.40), and (5.64 ± 0.12). The Pt-BA surface pK a values were lower in CV and CAM measurements relative to the bulk solution of BA, while a higher value was observed in EIS for Pt-BA surface. The pK a values determined for Pt-NHBA surface via both CV and EIS were lower than the bulk value; however, the result obtained from CAM was one unit higher than pK a of bulk pABA.

The structural, energetic, and thermochemical properties of a number of halogenated nitromethanes, CHnX3−n NO2, and the isomeric nitrites, CHnX3−n ONO, are investigated, using theoretical ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) electronic structure methods. Analysis of the results and comparison with the maternal species, nitromethane, CH3NO2, and methyl nitrite, CH3ONO, reveal strong dependence of the molecular properties on the halogen induction effect. Opposite trends are obtained in the C—N and C—O bond dissociation energies (BDE) upon halogenation and higher stabilities are calculated for the trans-nitrite isomers, in contrast with the plain alkyl families where the nitroalkanes are the most stable species. Formation enthalpies, ΔH fℴ, at 298 K are calculated for all halogenated isomers.

This study aimed to assess the antioxidant compound effects on oxidisable substrates, using an effective bio-mimetic system based on human low density lipoproteins (LDL). Thermally generated radicals induce LDL oxidative changes to be identified and quantified. The bio-mimetic system thus developed responded linearly to radicals’ concentration over a range of 10−6-10−5 mol L−1. Cu2+ accentuates lipoperoxidation but, when rosmarinic acid was present, Cu2+ produced an unexpected effect, i.e. increased antioxidant efficiency against lipoperoxidation. Rosmarinic acid inhibits production of lipoperoxides by up to 30 % in the absence of Cu2+ and up to 70 % in its presence when the rosmarinic acid-to-Cu molar ratio is 1: 1.