INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING WHEY POWDER TO REDUCE THE TOXICITY OF THE WATER/ALCOHOL MIXTURE

A promising way of reducing the toxicity of ethanol is purifying the water/alcohol mixture with sorbents. This paper proves the effectiveness of the method when prepared whey powder is used to remove toxic elements from a water/alcohol mixture. In the test samples, the mass concentration of toxic substances (methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, methanol) was determined by high-performance gas chromatography. It has been established how the effectiveness of purifying the alcohol/water mixture depends on the amount of the sorbent added and on the resting duration. The amount of the sorbent was 3–9 kg per 1000 dal, when calculated as whey powder, and the resting time was 1–5 hours. The maximum decrease in toxic substances was observed when prepared whey (whey powder equivalent) was added in the amount 6.0±1.0 kg per 1000 dal, with 3 hours’ resting. Under these purification conditions, the mass concentration of aldehydes in the water/alcohol mixture was reduced by 30%, the volume fraction of methanol by 27%, the mass concentration of esters by more than 70%, and the concentration of fusel oil did not exceed the detection threshold. The toxic substances decrease due to the coagulation of whey protein with quite a branched surface, which is accompanied by the sorption of toxic substances dissolved in the water/alcohol mixture, especially of those with a large molecular weight. These toxic components are the ones that can reduce the quality of raw materials and degrade the sensory properties. Purification of the water/alcohol mixture, when toxic compounds are removed with the help of prepared whey powder, improves the sensory characteristics. A sample purified with milk whey has a softer and more rounded flavour and a characteristic shine. The use of prepared whey as a sorbent to purify the water/alcohol mixture allows obtaining a low-toxic product with improved sensory properties.

Hsp70 affects memory formation and behaviorally relevant gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster

Heat shock proteins, in particular Hsp70, play a central role in proteostasis in eukaryotic cells. Due to its chaperone properties, Hsp70 is involved in various processes after stress and under normal physiological conditions. In contrast to mammals and many Diptera species, inducible members of the Hsp70 family in Drosophila are constitutively synthesized at a low level and undergo dramatic induction after temperature elevation or other forms of stress. In the courtship suppression paradigm used in this study, Drosophila males that have been repeatedly rejected by mated females during courtship are less likely than naive males to court other females. Although numerous genes with known function were identified to play important roles in long-term memory, there is, to the best of our knowledge, no direct evidence implicating Hsp70 in this process. To elucidate a possible role of Hsp70 in memory formation, we used D. melanogaster strains containing different hsp70 copy numbers, including strains carrying a deletion of all six hsp70 genes. Our investigations exploring the memory of courtship rejection paradigm demonstrated that a low constitutive level of Hsp70 is apparently required for learning and the formation of short and long-term memories in males. The performed transcriptomic studies demonstrate that males with different hsp70 copy numbers differ significantly in the expression of a few definite groups of genes involved in mating, reproduction, and immunity in response to rejection. Specifically, our analysis reveals several major pathways that depend on the presence of hsp70 in the genome and participate in memory formation and consolidation, including the cAMP signaling cascade.

Complexes between cationic pyridylphenylene dendrimers and ovine prion protein: do hydrophobic interactions matter?

MD simulation predicted the possible binding sites for the dendrimer interactions with protein while ITC data revealed both electrostatic and hydrophobic driving forces for the complexation.

Algorithms for network analysis in systems-ADME/Tox using the MetaCore and MetaDrug platforms

The authors have previously applied two integrated platforms, MetaCore and MetaDrug, for the assembly and analysis of human biological networks as a useful method for the integration and functional interpretation of high-throughput experimental data. The present study demonstrates in detail the specific algorithms that are used in both software platforms. Using a standard set of genes as input, namely CYP3A4 (an enzyme), PXR (a nuclear hormone receptor), MDR1 (a transporter) and hERG (an ion channel) related to the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADME/Tox) of xenobiotics, we have now generated networks with each algorithm. The relative advantages and disadvantages of these algorithms are explained using these examples as well as appropriate instances of utility to illustrate further the particular circumstances for their use. In addition, the benefits of the different network algorithms are identified when compared with algorithms available in other products, where this information is available.