Updating the Status quo on the Eco-Friendly Approach for Antioxidants Recovered from Plant Matrices Using Cloud Point Extraction.

The concepts of "green chemistry" are gaining importance in the agri-food sector due to the need to minimize pollution from toxic chemicals, improve the safety and sustainability of industrial processes, and provide "clean-labeled products" required by consumers. The application of the cloud point extraction (CPE) is considered a promising alternative to conventional organic solvents. In the CPE, the separation of compounds from the bulk solution occurs by adding a surfactant (either non-ionic or ionic). When the solution is heated to or above a critical temperature, referred to as the cloud point, two phases are formed-micellar and aqueous. Recently, the horizons of the traditional CPE have been increasingly expanding by improved procedures and integration with other techniques, such as the microwave- and ultrasonic-assisted extraction. This article provides an updated overview of the theory and research articles on the CPE from 2018 to 2023 and critically discusses the issues relevant to the potential applicability of the CPE as a promising and green technique for antioxidants recovered from plant materials. Finally, some future perspectives and research needs for improved CPE are presented.

Augmenting Functional and Sensorial Quality Attributes of Kefir through Fortification with Encapsulated Blackberry Juice.

Kefir is a fermented dairy product claimed to confer many health-promoting effects, but its acidic taste is not appealing to some consumers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to enhance the functional and sensorial quality attributes of kefir through fortification with encapsulated blackberry juice (EBJ). The blackberry juice was successfully encapsulated via freeze-drying using lentil protein isolate (LPI) as the carrier. The encapsulated blackberry juice showed good physicochemical, functional, and morphological properties, as well as microbiological safety for use as a food additive. The kefir was fortified with EBJ in concentrations of 1, 2.5, 5, and 7.5% (w/w), stored for up to 28 days under refrigeration, and periodically evaluated. Parameters such as the viscosity, titrable acidity, and pH indicate that the kefir fortification did not affect its stability during storage. EBJ significantly increased the antioxidant properties of the kefir, depending on the fortification level. Additionally, all the fortified samples provided more anthocyanins than the daily recommended intake. Microbiological profiling demonstrated that good laboratory practice and hygiene were implemented during the experiments. Finally, the panelists showed that higher EBJ concentrations in the kefir resulted in greater overall acceptability, indicating that this encapsulate has the potential to be a substitute synthetic color additive in the dairy industry.

Integration of enzymatic modification and ultrafiltration for the production of pectin fractions with highly potent antioxidant capacity as green valorization of sugar beet pulp.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of pectin followed by ultrafiltration of hydrolysate was applied with the aim to produce fractions with potent antioxidant capacity. Pectin was isolated from waste sugar beet pulp by acidic extraction, washed by diafiltration and concentrated by ultrafiltration. Enzymatic hydrolysis was performed with endo-polygalacturonase, and hydrolysate was processed by ultrafiltration into four fractions using membranes in series of decreasing cut-offs from 10 to 1 kDa. Hydrolysis with endo-polygalacturonase increased total antioxidant capacity by twofold in comparison to un-hydrolyzed pectin. Antioxidant capacity of all fractions was considerably higher than that of pectin-from 14.7 to 25-fold, for fraction containing fragments 10 kDa > Mw > 5 kDa and Mw < 1 kDa, respectively. Considerable increase of total antioxidant capacity of pectin through the integration of enzymatic modification and ultrafiltration fractionation indicated great potential of applied green protocol for the production of high-value hydrolysates of pectin from waste sugar beet pulp.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy alone in the management of early cervical carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy aims to assess lymph node status with reduced surgical morbidity. The aim of the study was to determine the accuracy and safety of SLN biopsy in the management of early cervical carcinoma using a double technique (technetium-99m (Tc-99m) nanocolloid and methylene blue dye injection). METHODS: This was a 10-year study from January 2009 to January 2019 that recruited 103 consecutive women undergoing surgery for early cervical carcinoma, FIGO 2009 stage IA1 (grade 3, and grade 2 with lymphovascular space invasion) to IB1 (<2 cm), at the West Kent Gynaecological Oncology Centre, Maidstone, UK. All patients were given the choice of pelvic node dissection and SLN mapping or SLN only. All patients elected to undergo SLN only. In total 97 patients had SLN mapping performed laparoscopically. We used the combined method (Tc-99m nanocolloid and/or methylene blue dye). All SLN routinely underwent ultrastaging. RESULTS: At least one SLN was detected in all 103 patients, using at least one of the combined methods (Tc-99m nanocolloid or blue dye). Bilaterally SLN were removed in 85/103 women with an 83% bilateral detection rate. The median SLN count was 2.3 (range 1-6) nodes. Of 103 patients, 7 (6.7%) patients had lymph node involvement. There were no pelvic or para-aortic lymph node recurrences with a median follow-up of 53 (range 8-120) months. The specificity and negative predictive value of a negative SLN was 100%. None of our 103 patients reported lower extremity lymphedema. CONCLUSION: In carefully selected patients with early cervical carcinoma, SLN biopsy alone appears to be a safe method for lymph node assessment of women undergoing surgical staging. Ultrastaging is an essential part of histologic examination of SLN.

The effect of enzymatic pretreatment of chickpea on functional properties and antioxidant activity of alkaline protein isolate.

Functional properties and antioxidant activity of protein isolates extracted by alkali from chickpea seed after treatment with cellulase and xylanase cocktail and individual arabinofuranosidase were evaluated. Both enzymatic treatments improved recovery of protein by more than 30%, moreover, arabinofuranosidase enabled higher extraction efficiency - above 93%. Protein extracted after treatment with enzyme cocktail showed improved solubility and oil holding capacity by 14% and 80%, respectively, while water holding capacity was increased by 130% after both applied enzymatic pretreatments. The action of enzyme cocktail was more beneficial for improving emulsifying activity and stability of alkaline isolate by 22% and 31%, respectively. Whipping properties of alkaline protein isolate were significantly improved when both enzymatic pretreatments were applied with foam stability increased by 150%. Protein from extractions with arabinofuranosidase and enzyme cocktail expressed enhanced antioxidant activity by 70% and 110%, respectively. Analysis of protein pattern and structural characteristics indicated differences between investigated isolates.

Location of Sentinel Lymph Node in Cervical Carcinoma and Factors Associated With Unilateral Detection.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to assess locality of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) in cervical carcinoma and examine factors affecting bilateral SLN detection. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of SLN data (anatomical location, count and laterality) in patients with early-stage cervical cancer (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IA1 with lymphovascular space invasion to stage IIA) using intraoperative gamma probe and blue dye. The preoperative single-photon emission computed tomography with computed tomography was used to detect laterality, number of the SLNs, and rare locations. Patients were treated between January 2005 to January 2015 at the West Kent Gynaecological Oncology Centre, Maidstone Hospital, Maidstone, United Kingdom. RESULTS: A total of 132 women were investigated. The most common SLN location was the external iliac (38.6%) followed by obturator (25.3%) and internal iliac (23.6%) regions. A small percentage was identified in presacral (1.4%) and para-aortic regions (0.7%). Older age (P = 0.01) and an elevated body mass index (P = 0.03) were associated with decreased SLN count by preoperative single-photon emission computed tomography with computed tomography, and only age affected SLN count by gamma probe (P = 0.01). Initial surgery, large loop excision of the transformation zone, or cone biopsy of the cervix had no effect on SLN count. There was no difference observed in bilateral detection with respect to surgical approach (open: n = 48/laparoscopic: n = 84). However, older age was independently associated with a decrease in bilateral SLN detection (P = 0.003). In these patients who underwent unilateral full pelvic lymphadenectomy, all the nonsentinel nodes were negative. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of SLNs were located in the external iliac, obturator, and internal iliac regions. Both older age and an elevated body mass index were associated with a reduced SLN count. Unilateral detection of SLN was independently associated with older age, which may be due to sclerosis in the lymphatic vessels or reduced perfusion in the pelvis in these women. If no SLN is detected on one side, the consensus is to perform a full pelvic lymphadenectomy on that side of the pelvis.

[Analysis of loss of heterozygosity of the tumor suppressor genes p53 and BRCA1 in ovarial carcinomas].

BACKGROUND/AIM: Among the genes involved in ovarian carcinogenesis, there has been increased interest in tumor-suppressor genes p53 and BRCA1. Both of the genes make control of cell cycle, DNA repair and apoptosis. The p53 is a "genome guardian" inactivated in more than 50% of human cancers, while BRCA1 mutations are found mostly in breast and ovarian cancer. The aim of this investigation was to establish the frequency of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in the regions of the genes p53 and BRCA1 in ovarian carcinomas, and to analyze the association of LOH with the disease stage and prognosis. METHODS: We analyzed 20 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of epithelilal ovarian carcinoma. DNA for molecular-genetic analysis was extracted from the tumor tissue and blood as normal tissue of each person. Microsatellite markers of the regions of genes p53 and BRCA1 were amplified by PCR method. The determination of allelic status of microsatellites and detection of LOH was performed after PAA gel electroforesis. RESULTS: Both of the analyzed microsatellite markers were informative in 13/20 (65%) cases. In the region of gene p53, LOH was established in 4/13 (30.7%) tumors. One of them had histological gradus G1, one had gradus G2, and two of them had gradus G3, while all were with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) IIIc stage. In the region of gene BRCA1, LOH was detected in 5/13 (38.5%) tumors. Four of them had histological gradus G2, and one had gradus G3, while by the (FIGO) classification one was with stage Ib, one was with stage IIIb, while the three were with stage IlIc. LOH in both of the analyzed regions was detected in one tumor (7.70), with histological gradus G3 and the FIGO IIIc stage. CONCLUSION: The frequency of LOH in epthelial ovarian carcinomas was 30.7% and 38.5% for p53 and BRCA1 gene regions, respectively. Most of tumors with LOH had histological gradus G2 or G3, and the clinical FIGO stage IIIc, suggesting the association of this occurrence with a later phase of the disease.