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Chapatti is whole wheat based unleavened flatbread which is consumed as a staple in most parts of India. Multigrain variants of chapatti are becoming popular with increased health awareness. The process of making chapatti is tedious; hence the practice of storing chapatti dough under refrigeration is common in many households. However, during storage the dough surface undergoes significant browning which is undesirable. The present study reports browning inhibition of multigrain dough by incorporating chemical inhibitors along with microwave treatment of flour. Browning was estimated in terms of brightness (HunterLab L* values) of the surface of dough stored at different temperatures (28 ± 2, 4 and − 18 °C). Additives such as ascorbic acid (AA), citric acid (CA) and L-cysteine (L-cys) were used singly and in combinations. Combinations of 0.3% AA + 90 ppm L-cys and 0.3% CA + AA (1:2 w/w) were effective in browning inhibition. Microwave (80 s) treatment to multigrain flour reduced polyphenol oxidase activity by 39% and peroxidase activity by 66% which helped to retard dough browning. Combination of microwave (80 s) and additives (0.3% CA + AA on 1:2 w/w basis) was found to be the most effective approach due to a synergistic effect. L* values were 61.08 and 60.72 for combination treated dough, while 47.92 and 50.71 for control dough at 96 h, 4 °C and at 30 days, − 18 °C respectively. The treatments did not adversely affect dough properties and the final product (chapatti) had no significant variation in texture and sensory acceptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a clear trend towards increasing consumption of juices as they can reduce imbalance of redox potential and provide necessary health benefits to consumers. Levels of karwanda (Carissa congesta Wight) and vegetable juices were varied to prepare nine different formulations of ash gourd-karwanda (AgK) and bottle gourd-karwanda blends (BgK) of higher nutritive, sensory qualities and storability. Total polyphenols (TP), antioxidant activity (AOA), total soluble solids and acidity were increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with addition of karwanda. AgK blend (35:35) and BgK blend (35:30) were selected based on their higher overall acceptability, TP and AOA. AgK blends had higher α-amylase (31%) while BgK blends had higher α-glucosidase (43%) inhibitory activities. Concentration of TP and anthocyanins decreased significantly (p < 0.05), AOA remained unchanged and anti-inflammatory activities decreased (33-38%) in AgK and BgK blends during accelerated storage at 50 °C for 12 days. Addition of sugar in BgK blend decreased stability of TP (11%), flavonoids (31%) and anthocyanins (8%). During in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, TP, flavonoids and anthocyanins reduction rate was significantly higher for BgK blend with sugar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the formulation and storage stability of Ash gourd (Benincasa hispida) and Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) juice blended with the Jamun (Syzygium cumini). Both the beverages found to be rich in polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. The Ash gourd-Jamun (AGJ) and Bottle gourd-Jamun (BGJ) beverages showed significant bio-accessibility of polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. Moreover, the addition of sugar was found to enhance the bioaccessibility of these fractions in both the beverages. Further, the biochemical attributes such as physiochemical and functional properties of Ash gourd-Jamun and Bottle gourd-Jamun blended juice were evaluated during the accelerated storage. The total soluble solids and acidity and the sensory score did not change significantly during the storage period. The AGJ exhibited a 35%, 73%, 34% and 35%, whereas BGJ shows 32%, 65%, 35% and 20% decrease in total polyphenol, anthocyanin, DPPH and inflammatory activity during the 2 months of storage period respectively. However, the reduction was less in Bottle gourd-Jamun beverage. Results of the study are promising and add to the necessity and potential of gourd family based functional food development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oilseed meal is a good source of nutritional components, especially proteins that gives a health promoting effect in humans. Many of the proteins and peptides in oilseed meal are biologically active. These peptides show various activities such as hypertensive, anti-oxidative, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and hypocholesterolemic. Therefore they are considered to be potential therapeutic agents in enhancing the human health. Moreover, they possess a great scope as prospective ingredients in food industry to improve the quality of consumer’s life. This review assesses the prospective of oilseed meal as a source of bioactive peptides. Also we describe the characteristics of various protein hydrosylates and bioactive peptides derived from oilseed meal in order to enhance the utility and profitability of oilseed meal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lepidium sativum is widely used as a culinary and medicinal herb and is claimed to cure many diseases. In this study, an attempt was made to investigate the biochemical composition and functional properties of L. sativum ethanolic extract. The extract contained a total phenolic content of 11.03 ± 0.75 (mg GAE/g dw plant material) and a flavonoid content of 4.79 ± 0.24 (mg QE/100 g dw plant material). Further, the extract was characterized by LC–ESI-Q-TOF–MS/MS profiling and the results showed that the ethanolic fraction contains many important phenolics such as Kaempferol, Coumaroylquinic acid, p-Coumaroyl glycolic acid, Caffeic acid. The identified compounds are known for their biological properties and therefore, the functional properties of the extract as a whole were also studied. The extract showed significant antioxidant activity (IC50 values) 162.4 ± 2.3, 35.29 ± 1.02, 187.12 ± 3.4 and 119.32 ± 1.5 μg/ml in terms of DPPH, ABTS, Superoxide scavenging activity and metal chelating property respectively. Further, the extract showed IC50 values, 73.72 ± 1.23 and 121.78 ± 1.03 μg/ml in HRBC membrane stabilization ability and protein denaturation inhibition capacity respectively, which in turn is a measure of its anti-inflammatory activity. The results of the study are promising and serve basis for further investigation into the plant and possible consideration for use in nutraceuticals and functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extraction of phenolic compounds from Nigella sativa seed cake was optimized in terms of % of EtOH, extraction time, extraction temperature and solid to solvent ratio to maximize the phenolic content yield. The optimized conditions were 40% ethanol for 60 min, at 40 °C, 1/14 solid to sample ratio. The LC-MS profiling of the extract was found to contain many important phenolics such as Kaempferol, p-coumaroyl acid derivative, Thymol-O-sophoroside etc. The extract showed significant antioxidant activity with IC values 548.5 ± 9.4, 64.3 ± 2.7 μg/ml and 1.85 ± 0.2 mM TE/g in terms of DPPH scavenging activity, TEAC, and FRAP assay respectively. The results also indicated that the extract has a significant anti-inflammatory potential. This was evaluated as a measure of the membrane stabilization ability and protein denaturation inhibition capacity (IC values) and the activities were found to be 318.73 ± 6.98 and 150.39 ± 2.61 μg/ml respectively. Moreover, results of the study are promising and invite to further investigate the above activities in order to confirm them in different experimental situations and to consider for possible use in a nutraceutical approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limited effectiveness of therapy for patients with advanced stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) or recurrent disease is a reflection of an incomplete understanding of the molecular basis of HNSCC pathogenesis. MUC4, a high molecular weight glycoprotein, is differentially overexpressed in many human cancers and implicated in cancer progression and resistance to several chemotherapies. However, its clinical relevance and the molecular mechanisms through which it mediates HNSCC progression are not well understood. This study revealed a significant upregulation of MUC4 in 78% (68/87) of HNSCC tissues compared with 10% positivity (1/10) in benign samples (P=0.006, odds ratio (95% confidence interval)=10.74 (2.0-57.56). MUC4 knockdown (KD) in SCC1 and SCC10B HNSCC cell lines resulted in significant inhibition of growth in vitro and in vivo, increased senescence as indicated by an increase in the number of flat, enlarged and senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal)-positive cells. Decreased cellular proliferation was associated with G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and decrease expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins like cyclin E, cyclin D1 and decrease in BrdU incorporation. Mechanistic studies revealed upregulation of p16, pRb dephosphorylation and its interaction with histone deacetylase 1/2. This resulted in decreased histone acetylation (H3K9) at cyclin E promoter leading to its downregulation. Orthotopic implantation of MUC4 KD SCC1 cells into the floor of the mouth in nude mice resulted in the formation of significantly smaller tumors (170±18.30 mg) compared to those (375±17.29 mg) formed by control cells (P=0.00007). In conclusion, our findings showed that MUC4 overexpression has a critical role by regulating proliferation and cellular senescence of HNSCC cells. Downregulation of MUC4 may be a promising therapeutic approach for treating HNSCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the performance of acclimatized biomass for denitrification of high strength nitrate waste (10,000 mg/L NO) from a nuclear industry in a continuous laboratory scale (32 L) and pilot scale reactor (330 L) operated over a period of 4 and 5 months, respectively. Effect of substrate fluctuations (mainly C/NO-N) on denitrification was studied in a laboratory scale reactor. Incomplete denitrification (95-96 %) was observed at low C/NO-N (≤2), whereas at high C/NO-N (≥2.25) led to ammonia formation. Ammonia production increased from 1 to 9 % with an increase in C/NO-N from 2.25 to 6. Complete denitrification and no ammonia formation were observed at an optimum C/NO-N of 2.0. Microbiological studies showed decrease in denitrifiers and increase in nitrite-oxidizing bacteria and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria at high C/NO-N (≥2.25). Pilot scale studies were carried out with optimum C/NO-N, and sustainability of the process was checked on the pilot scale for 5 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Folate receptor 1 (FOLR1) is expressed in the majority of ovarian carcinomas (OvCa), making it an attractive target for therapy. However, clinical trials testing anti-FOLR1 therapies in OvCa show mixed results and require better understanding of the prognostic relevance of FOLR1 expression. We conducted a large study evaluating FOLR1 expression with survival in different histological types of OvCa.Methods:Tissue microarrays composed of tumour samples from 2801 patients in the Ovarian Tumour Tissue Analysis (OTTA) consortium were assessed for FOLR1 expression by centralised immunohistochemistry. We estimated associations for overall (OS) and progression-free (PFS) survival using adjusted Cox regression models. High-grade serous ovarian carcinomas (HGSC) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were evaluated independently for association between FOLR1 mRNA upregulation and survival.Results:FOLR1 expression ranged from 76% in HGSC to 11% in mucinous carcinomas in OTTA. For HGSC, the association between FOLR1 expression and OS changed significantly during the years following diagnosis in OTTA (Pinteraction=0.01, N=1422) and TCGA (Pinteraction=0.01, N=485). In OTTA, particularly for FIGO stage I/II tumours, patients with FOLR1-positive HGSC showed increased OS during the first 2 years only (hazard ratio=0.44, 95% confidence interval=0.20-0.96) and patients with FOLR1-positive clear cell carcinomas (CCC) showed decreased PFS independent of follow-up time (HR=1.89, 95% CI=1.10-3.25, N=259). In TCGA, FOLR1 mRNA upregulation in HGSC was also associated with increased OS during the first 2 years following diagnosis irrespective of tumour stage (HR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.25-0.94).Conclusions:FOLR1-positive HGSC tumours were associated with an increased OS in the first 2 years following diagnosis. Patients with FOLR1-negative, poor prognosis HGSC would be unlikely to benefit from anti-FOLR1 therapies. In contrast, a decreased PFS interval was observed for FOLR1-positive CCC. The clinical efficacy of FOLR1-targeted interventions should therefore be evaluated according to histology, stage and time following diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian traditional staple and snack food is typically a heterogeneous recipe that incorporates varieties of vegetables, lentils and other ingredients. Modelling the retorting process of multilayer pouch packed Indian food was achieved using lumped-parameter approach. A unified model is proposed to estimate cold point temperature. Initial process conditions, retort temperature and % solid content were the significantly affecting independent variables. A model was developed using combination of vegetable solids and water, which was then validated using four traditional Indian vegetarian products: Pulav (steamed rice with vegetables), Sambar (south Indian style curry containing mixed vegetables and lentils), Gajar Halawa (carrot based sweet product) and Upama (wheat based snack product). The predicted and experimental values of temperature profile matched with ±10 % error which is a good match considering the food was a multi component system. Thus the model will be useful as a tool to reduce number of trials required to optimize retorting of various Indian traditional vegetarian foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moderate-resolution numerical simulations of the impulsive acceleration of a dense gas curtain in air by a Mach 1.21 planar shock are carried out by solving the 3D compressible multi-species Navier-Stokes equations coupled with localized artificial diffusivity method to capture discontinuities in the flow field. The simulations account for the presence of three species in the flow field: air, $$\hbox {SF}_6$$ and acetone (used as a tracer species in the experiments). Simulations at different concentration levels of the species are conducted and the temporal evolution of the curtain width is compared with the measured data from the experimental studies by Balakumar et al. (Phys Fluids 20:124103-124113, ). The instantaneous density and velocity fields at two different times (prior and after the reshock) are compared with experimental data and show good qualitative agreement. The reshock process is studied by re-impacting the evolving curtain with the reflected shock wave. Reshock causes enhanced mixing and destroys the ordered velocity field causing a chaotic flow. The unsteady flow field is characterized by computing statistics of certain flow variables using two different definitions of the mean flow. The average profiles conditioned on the heavy gas (comprising $$\hbox {SF}_6$$ and acetone) and the corresponding fluctuating fields provide metrics which are more suitable to comparing with experimentally measured data. Mean profiles (conditioned on the heavy gas) of stream-wise velocity, variance of stream-wise velocity, and turbulent kinetic energy and PDF (probability distribution function) of fluctuating velocity components are computed at two different times along the flow evolution and are seen to show trend towards grid convergence. The spectra of turbulent kinetic energy and scalar energy (of mass fraction of heavy gas) show the existence of more than half decade of inertial sub-range at late times following reshock. The Reynolds stresses in the domain are reported while identifying the term that is dominant in its contribution to the Reynolds stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbiologically induced calcite precipitation in bricks by bacterium Bacillus pasteurii (NCIM 2477) using a media especially optimized for urease production (OptU) was demonstrated in this study. Effect of biocalcification activity on compressive strength and water absorption capacity of bricks was investigated. Various other parameters such as pH, growth profile, urease activity, urea breakdown and calcite precipitated were monitored during the 28 days curing period. Efficiency of B. pasteurii to form microbial aided calcite precipitate in OptU media resulted into 83.9 % increase in strength of the bricks as compared to only 24.9 % with standard media, nutrient broth (NB). In addition to significant increase in the compressive strength, bricks treated with B. pasteurii grown in OptU media resulted in 48.9 % reduction in water absorption capacity as compared to control bricks immersed in tap water. Thus it was successfully demonstrated that microbial calcification in optimized media by Bacillus pasteurii has good potential for commercial application to improve the life span of structures constructed with bricks, particularly structures of heritage importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dioscorea alata var. purpurae (Indian purple yam) is an important source of diosgenin, a triterpenoid that is used as a raw material in the synthesis of corticosteroid hormones. These drugs are used for the treatment of pharmacological conditions such as arthritis. This paper reports in vitro propagation of explants of various parts of Dioscorea-tuber, leaves, and nodes. Murashige and Skoog media supplemented with hormones and additives was used to get maximum callus initiation and shoot/root induction. All the cultures were maintained at 25 ± 2 °C under cool-white fluorescent tubes with 16-h photoperiod. Callus initiation was observed from 8th to 11th day of inoculation, and subsequent root/shoot was initiated in nodal callus after 21 days. Hormones such as kinetin, indole-3-acetic acid, indole-3-butyric acid, α-naphthalene acetic acid, and thiadizuron did not show significant enhancement. Also, there was no need for supplementing additives (silver nitrate, glutamine, l-asparagine monohydrate, polyethylene glycol). Combination of 6-benzylaminopurine (0.2 ppm) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2 ppm) hormones gave the best results, and all parts of the plants gave similar callus induction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:The Pax8 transcription factor genes have a role in cell differentiation and cell growth, and silencing of Pax8 in cell cultures results in cell death. The aims of this study were to determine the expression and correlation of Pax8 protein with several clinicopathological variables in patients with endometrial cancer.Methods:The following clinical parameters from 229 patients were used for correlation with Pax8 expression; age, histological subtype, myometrial depth of invasion, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics grade, lymph nodes status, and disease status.Results:A positive association of Pax8+ expression was found with high tumour grade (P=0.002), LVI+(P=0.0186), and type II tumour subtype (P<0.0001) in univariate analysis. Survival analysis showed an association of Pax8 and 5-year overall survival probability (P=0.01486), 80.04% for patients with Pax8− and 55.59% for patients with Pax8+. There was also an association of Pax8 and 5-year disease-free survival probability (P=0.02028), 72.12% for patients with Pax8− vs 49.88% for patients with Pax8+. Finally, an association of Pax8+ and shorter recurrence-free survival was also found (P=0.00203), with 74.36% for Pax8− and 52.11% for Pax8+.Conclusion:Overexpression of Pax8 protein by endometrial cancer is associated with poor disease outcomes. Inhibition of Pax8 may be a very attractive targeted therapy for selective patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beta vulgaris or beet root powder is a good natural food colorant since beet contains significant amount of red-colored betalain pigments. This paper reports the process optimization of drying conditions to get beet root powder with maximum retention of red color. Response surface method was used with three factors: five-level central composite design to arrive at optimum drying temperature, sample thickness, and hot air recirculation. Beet powder was evaluated to assess color retention with respect to fresh beet as a control. A 53 °C temperature and 7-mm thickness with 63% air recirculation ratio gave the best product, with 90% retention of red color having acceptable rehydration ratio and final moisture content. Using optimum sample thickness and air recirculation rate, drying process was further improved to reduce drying time and energy consumption. At different temperatures (50 to 120 °C), drying characteristics were studied. Thus, drying time of 6 h was further reduced to 4 h by applying sequential temperature gradient during drying (initial 120 °C gradually reduced to 53 °C) that also resulted in energy savings with the same degree of color retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MUC16/CA125 is a tumor marker currently used in clinics for the follow-up of patients with ovarian cancer. However, MUC16 expression is not entirely restricted to ovarian malignancies and has been reported in other cancers including breast cancer. Although it is well established as a biomarker, function of MUC16 in cancer remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the role of MUC16 in breast cancer and its underlying mechanisms. Interestingly, our results showed that MUC16 is overexpressed in breast cancer tissues whereas not expressed in non-neoplastic ducts. Further, stable knockdown of MUC16 in breast cancer cells (MDA MB 231 and HBL100) resulted in significant decrease in the rate of cell growth, tumorigenicity and increased apoptosis. In search of a mechanism for breast cancer cell proliferation we found that MUC16 interacts with the ezrin/radixin/moesin domain-containing protein of Janus kinase (JAK2) as demonstrated by the reciprocal immunoprecipitation method. These interactions mediate phosphorylation of STAT3 (Tyr705), which might be a potential mechanism for MUC16-induced proliferation of breast cancer cells by a subsequent co-transactivation of transcription factor c-Jun. Furthermore, silencing of MUC16 induced G2/M arrest in breast cancer cells through downregulation of Cyclin B1 and decreased phosphorylation of Aurora kinase A. This in turn led to enhanced apoptosis in the MUC16-knockdown breast cancer cells through Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-mediated extrinsic apoptotic pathway with the help of c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling. Collectively, our results suggest that MUC16 has a dual role in breast cancer cell proliferation by interacting with JAK2 and by inhibiting the apoptotic process through downregulation of TRAIL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrolytic enzymes, viz. α- and β-glucosidase, were produced from indigenous isolate, Lactobacillus acidophilus, isolated from fermented Eleusine coracana. Production of these enzymes was enhanced by optimizing media using one factor at a time followed by response surface methodology. The optimized media resulted in a 2.5- and 2.1-fold increase in α- and β-glucosidase production compared with their production in basal MRS medium. Localization studies indicated 80% of the total activity to be present in the cell membrane-bound fraction. Lack of sufficient release of these enzymes using various physical, chemical, and enzymatic methods confirmed their unique characteristic of being tightly cell membrane bound. Enzyme characterization revealed that both α- and β-glucosidase exhibited optimum catalytic activity at 50 °C and pH 6.0 and 5.0, respectively. K and V of α-glucosidase were 4.31 mM and 149 μmol min mL for p-nitrophenyl-α- d-glucopyranoside as substrate and 3.8 mM and 120 μmol min mL for β-glucosidase using p-nitrophenyl-β- d-glucopyranoside as the substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convective hot air drying was optimized with the objective of maximum color retention of red beet. The process was mathematically modelled as a function of hot air temperature, batch time, and moisture. New semitheoretical model was tested with experimental data (50 to 120°C) and was found better than 9 other reported models. Estimated effective moisture diffusivity was 3.01×10 to 7.21×10 m/s and it obeyed Arrhenius's equation. Color and rehydration ratio were used to assess the quality of beet powder. An unusual trend of color minima was also observed; which was attributed to the physical phenomena of surface moisture. The final color of beet was temperature dependent and maximum color retention was achieved at lowest drying temperature. Best drying condition required sequential reduction in temperature (120 to 50°C) resulting in good color retention. This reduced batch time to 4 h compared to 6 h batch of conventional isothermal drying at 50°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

h gourd ( Benincasa hispida Cogn) is a vegetable used in Asian countries and the peel contains high edible waxy materials. This paper reports extraction, characterization, and utilization of ash gourd peel wax as an edible coating in fruits; with strawberry ( Fragaria ananassa) as a model system. Crude wax had melting point of 80°C and molecular weight by number (Mn) and molecular weight by weight (Mw) at 2,277 and 2,323 respectively. Dip method was used to coat crude wax as an emulsion on strawberry. Quantity of wax, concentration of sodium benzoate, and dip time were optimized and the values were 0.5%, 1M, and 3 min, respectively. Results were comparable with carnauba wax coating. Fruits without wax coating spoiled completely in less than 2 days at 25°C. Wax coating enhanced the shelf life to 7 days at 25°C and the properties such as texture, color, weight loss, titrable acidity, and microbial counts were well acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study reports statistical media optimization for dextran production for lactic acid bacteria, isolated from Indian traditional fermented idli batter. Morphological, biochemical, and 16S rRNA sequencing analysis identified the strain as Leuconostoc mesenteroides. A sequential statistical methodology comprising of Plackett-Burman and response surface methodology (RSM) were applied to enhance the fermentative production of dextran. A quadratic polynomial equation suggested by the RSM model was then validated experientially. The predicted yield by model was 60.73 g/L. Experimental verification of the model resulted in 60.30 g/L dextran. The experimental values were found to be very close to the predicted values and hence, the model was successfully validated. Simple basal medium gave 7.83 g/L dextran. Thus dextran production was increased by 7.70 fold over the unoptimized basal medium using these statistical techniques. Structural characteristic of the dextran were determined by Fourier transform infrared, 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic cancer is a highly lethal malignancy with a dismal 5-year survival of less than 5%. The scarcity of early biomarkers has considerably hindered our ability to launch preventive measures for this malignancy in a timely manner. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), a 24-kDa glycoprotein, was reported to be upregulated nearly 27-fold in pancreatic cancer cells compared to normal ductal cells in a microarray analysis. Given the need for biomarkers in the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, we investigated the expression of NGAL in tissues with the objective of examining if NGAL immunostaining could be used to identify foci of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia, premalignant lesions preceding invasive cancer. To examine a possible correlation between NGAL expression and the degree of differentiation, we also analysed NGAL levels in pancreatic cancer cell lines with varying grades of differentiation. Although NGAL expression was strongly upregulated in pancreatic cancer, and moderately in pancreatitis, only a weak expression could be detected in the healthy pancreas. The average composite score for adenocarcinoma (4.26±2.44) was significantly higher than that for the normal pancreas (1.0) or pancreatitis (1.0) (P<0.0001). Further, although both well- and moderately differentiated pancreatic cancer were positive for NGAL, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma was uniformly negative. Importantly, NGAL expression was detected as early as the PanIN-1 stage, suggesting that it could be a marker of the earliest premalignant changes in the pancreas. Further, we examined NGAL levels in serum samples. Serum NGAL levels were above the cutoff for healthy individuals in 94% of pancreatic cancer and 62.5% each of acute and chronic pancreatitis samples. However, the difference between NGAL levels in pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer was not significant. A ROC curve analysis revealed that ELISA for NGAL is fairly accurate in distinguishing pancreatic cancer from non-cancer cases (area under curve=0.75). In conclusion, NGAL is highly expressed in early dysplastic lesions in the pancreas, suggesting a possible role as an early diagnostic marker for pancreatic cancer. Further, serum NGAL measurement could be investigated as a possible biomarker in pancreatitis and pancreatic adenocarcinoma.British Journal of Cancer (2008) 98, 1540–1547; doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6604329 www.bjcancer.com Published online 8 April 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the nature of a composition invariant phase transformation from β (B2, TiAlNb) to an orthorhombic O phase (Cmcm) on aging a β quenched Ti-24Al-15Nb alloy. The transformation product is shown to contain a variety of defect structures whose origins are analyzed and explained. The orthorhombic phase is shown in exist in two forms: (1) in which the Nb atoms occupy a specific sublattice and (2) in which the Nb and Ti atoms randomly occupy the same sublattice. The subsequent decomposition of the metastable O product into the equilibrium phases is also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of heat treatments have been employed to explore phase equilibria and the development of microstructure in a Ti-24Al-15Nb alloy. These include solution treatments both above and below the β-transus, followed by controlled cooling and aging at temperatures high enough to preclude ω-phase formation. The phase fields β, β , α + β, α + β + O, and β + O have been identified in the alloy, and schematic time-temperature-transformation (TTT) curves are proposed for continuous cooling transformations from the β phase. The composition of the α and β phases in the α + β region and of the α, β and O phases in the ternary phase field have been obtained by analytical electron microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructural evolution on aging a Co-3 wt pct Ti-2 wt pct Nb alloy has been followed by transmission electron microscopy and diffraction to show that the solid solution decomposed by the spinodal mode. The strengthening observed has been correlated with the differences in lattice parameters of the coexisting phases. The several stages of coarsening have been documented to yield information about their kinetics and morphological changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two Al-rich Al-Ta alloys containing by weight 3 and 6 pct Ta have been rapidly solidified from the melt using the 'gun' technique. The microstructures and the crystal structures of the phases in the as-solidified as well as those formed on subsequent decomposition of the supersaturated solid solution have been characterized. A supersaturated solid solution was obtained in both the alloys in the as-solidified condition indicating a solid solubility extension of Ta in Al to almost 6 wt pct. The supersaturated solid solutions formed in both the alloys have been found to be quite stable up to 673 K (for 1 hour). Annealing at higher temperatures resulted in the formation of rod-shaped precipitates inside the grains and massive precipitates along grain boundaries. The rod-shaped precipitates arranged in a regular pattern constitute a new metastable intermediate phase AlTa having an ordered structure. The massive precipitates which form along grain boundaries constitute the equilibrium AlTa phase with a tetragonal crystal structure. The transformation behavior and the morphology of the transformation products are detailed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel procedures have been developed to estimate the concentration of A B - type clusters in liquid alloys with the aid of regular associated solution model utilizing activity coefficients of the components at infinite dilution and activity data at any one other composition. The equilibrium constant for the dissociation of clusters as well as the nature and magnitude of pairwise interaction energies between unassociated atoms and clusters have been evaluated without making any assumptions whatsoever. These enable estimation of thermodynamic properties of the liquid alloys at any other desired composition. The utility of the procedures has been demonstrated with respect to the thermodynamics of association in molten Mg-Sn and In-Sb alloys. The calculated activities, enthalpies and free energies are shown to be in excellent agreement with experimental values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solidification structure of undercooled melt of Ag-Cu alloy, entrained in its primary Cu-rich phase, has been investigated. The undercooling procedure consisted of equilibration of a Cu-13 pct Ag alloy in the two-phase liquid-solid region, followed by repeated thermal cycling of the liquid. Slow cooling of the sample in the present work established the ability to undercool the melt up to 70 K below the eutectic temperature of this alloy. The microstructure of the undercooled alloy indicated a complete absence of eutectic reaction on subsequent quenching of the melt directly from the equilibration temperature. The compositional analysis of the constituent phases by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) technique provided evidence for the massive diffusionless solidification of the undercooled liquid. The X-ray diffraction study and electron microscopic examination indicated evidence for the spinodal transformation of the metastable solid solution phase. The composition of the phases formed on decomposition matched well with the calculated coherent spinodal boundaries in this system. The evolution of the metastable microstructure in the mushy-state quenching process of this alloy is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been shown that a plot of the Φ function, defined by - ( G - G)/T where G and G are respectively the Gibb's free energies at the hcp → bcc allotropie transformation temperature (T ) and at absolute zero, vs the entropy (S) of the hcp phase at T is linear. This concept of the Φ function and its relation to S can be extended to alloys with the aid of the 'central atoms' solution model. Its use has been demonstrated with respect to the Ti-Zr system where the estimated transformation temperatures are shown to be within the (hcp + bcc) phase field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Levels of three enzymes, leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), and beta-glucuronidase (BGA) were measured in the urine of patients receiving hematologically toxic doses of iproplatin (a) with or (b) without pretreatment hydration. The maximum post-treatment increases in the levels of each of the enzymes were compared between these two groups of patients. In addition, the maximum increases in urinary enzyme levels in iproplatin-treated patients were compared with those in patients treated with 40 mg/m2 cisplatin, a known nephrotoxic agent. Increases in LAP levels after cisplatin treatment in the periods studied are significantly higher than those after iproplatin treatment (P less than 0.05). No differences were found in the increases in BGA and NAG levels between iproplatin treatment and cisplatin treatment. No differences were found in the increases in levels of any of the enzymes between patients receiving iproplatin with pretreatment hydration and no prior hydration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]