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Organic residue analysis (ORA) of pott ery is a frequently used and important part of archaeological research today. It can provide information about the diet or the use of pott ery and many other aspects of daily lives of archaeological populations, which would otherwise be lost. The chemical compounds that are most often preserved in ceramics and are therefore very suitable for this type of analysis are lipids (e.g. fatt y acids, triglycerides, alcohols, alkanes, wax esters, ketones). There are several methods of extracting lipids from ceramics, depending on what we want to fi nd out; those most commonly used are direct acid extraction and solvent extraction. After the extraction, analyses are performed by gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) and, when possible, 13C isotope analysis from palmitic and stearic acid (GC-C-IRMS). This paper briefl y describes the mentioned methods, the chemical background, and the possibilities and examples of the already conducted research including ORA. Organic residue analysis begins with sampling, where it is very important to avoid contamination; therefore, a proposal is made for the procedure of sampling pott ery sherds for ORA, with the emphasis on adequate sample packaging (aluminium foil). It is also important to note that the researcher should be provided with as much contextual information as possible. Also, a proposal for a sampling form for ORA is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with the rare syndromic forms of monogenic diabetes: Alström syndrome (ALMS) and Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) have multiple metabolic abnormalities, including early-onset obesity, insulin resistance, lipid disorders and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to determine if the expression of circulating miRNAs in patients with ALMS and BBS differs from that in healthy and obese individuals and determine if miRNA levels correlate with metabolic tests, BMI-SDS and patient age. Methods: We quantified miRNA expression (Qiagen, Germany) in four groups of patients: with ALMS (n=13), with BBS (n=7), patients with obesity (n=19) and controls (n=23). Clinical parameters including lipids profile, serum creatinine, cystatin C, fasting glucose, insulin and C-peptide levels, HbA1c values and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were assessed in patients with ALMS and BBS. Results: We observed multiple up- or downregulated miRNAs in both ALMS and BBS patients compared to obese patients and controls, but only 1 miRNA (miR-301a-3p) differed significantly and in the same direction in ALMS and BBS relative to the other groups. Similarly, 1 miRNA (miR-92b-3p) was dysregulated in the opposite directions in ALMS and BBS patients, but diverged from 2 other groups. We found eight miRNAs (miR-30a-5p, miR-92b-3p, miR-99a-5p, miR-122-5p, miR-192-5p, miR-193a-5p, miR-199a-3p and miR-205-5p) that significantly correlated with at least of the analyzed clinical variables representing an association with the course of the diseases. Conclusions: Our results show for the first time that serum miRNAs can be used as available indicators of disease course in patients with ALMS and BBS syndromes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemp seed (Cannabis sativa L.) is rich in many substances beneficial in human nutrition, especially proteins, lipids, and total dietary fibre. Contents of these primary metabolites were analysed in seeds of hemp cultivar Finola grown at three locations in Slovakia (Borovce, Vígľaš-Pstruša, Milhostov) within two years (2013, 2014). The average content of total dietary fibre was 36.10 ± 1.92%, lipids 32.05 ± 0.42%, and proteins 24.66 ± 0.55%. The main fatty acids in oil were linoleic, α-linolenic, and oleic acids. About 75% of all fatty acids were polyunsaturated ones. The content of lipids and fatty acids such as γ-linolenic, stearidonic, linoleic, α-linolenic, oleic, cis-vaccenic, stearic, and gadoleic acids, as well as total dietary fibre were significantly affected (P≤0.05) by the year of cultivation. Content of proteins, gadoleic and arachidonic acids were significantly (P≤0.05) influenced by maturity of seeds. The growing location significantly influenced the content of lipids, total dietary fibre, proteins, fatty acids, and the ratio saturated:polyunsaturated fatty acids.