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Six barley cultivars were grown in locations of Osijek and Nova Gradiska (Croatia) for three successive years. Our study included cultivars of different seasonal type. ‘Zlatko’, ‘Barun’ and ‘Vanessa’ are two-rowed winter type barley cultivars and ‘Fran’, ‘Matej’ and ‘Scarlett’ are spring barley cultivars. The results of grain yield and cytolytic degradation showed significant differences among winter and spring cultivars under different growing conditions. Winter type cultivars ‘Zlatko’ and ‘Barun’ showed significantly higher grain yield in comparison with other cultivars. Generally, spring barley cultivars when compared with winter cultivars had significantly higher malt extract content, lower malt extract fine-coarse difference, lower malt viscosity, higher β-glucanase activity and lower malt β-glucan content, higher friability

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of predicting the concentration of β-glucan from starting barley and malt, as well as malt and wort for different types and purpose of barley groups. The strength of the correlation between types and purpose of barley groups was determined between the values of β-glucans and other indicators of cytolytic degradation. Statistically significant correlations were obtained for β-glucans in barley-malt (r = 0.9717) and barley-wort (r = 0.9998) for brewing (B w-tr) and brewing/feed winter two-row (B/Fe w-tr) varieties, and for brewing/brewing feed/feed spring varieties (B/B-Fe/Fe w-tr) between barley and Δm (Δm = β-glucan difference between barley and malt) (r = 0.8779). For the dual-purpose varieties (B/Fe w-tr), a strong correlation for β-glucans was found between malt and wort (r = 0.8188), malt and Δm* (Δm* = % of degraded β-glucan in malt in regard to the starting β-glucan in barley) (r = w-tr) and brewing/feed winter two-row (B/Fe w-tr) varieties, and for brewing/brewing feed/feed spring varieties (B/B-Fe/Fe w-tr) between barley and Δm (Δm = β-glucan difference between barley and malt) (r = 0.8779). For the dual-purpose varieties (B/Fe w-tr), a strong correlation for β-glucans was found between malt and wort (r = 0.8188), malt and Δm* (Δm* = % of degraded β-glucan in malt in regard to the starting β-glucan in barley) (r = -0.9099), as well as Dm and Dm* (r = 0.9951). The results indicate that the starting concentration of β-glucan in barley and malt can be used as predictors of their concentration in wort only in brewing and dual-purpose (brewing-feed) varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palate fullness (PF) and mouthfeel are important sensory attributes influencing beer quality. The molar mass of starch (dextrins) and non-starch (β-glucans) polysaccharides may influence PF (pleasant) or mouthfeel (sliminess, unpleasant), respectively. Therefore, this research aims to generate beer with wide physico-chemical responses based on various raw material characteristics to study its relation to PF and mouthfeel. To accomplish this, ten barley varieties (two harvest locations and years) were classified into three groups based on their modification characteristics. To intensify response variation, barley was malted at two modification levels (parameter steeping degree), generating 55 independent malts used to brew the same number of standardized bottom fermented beers. A trained sensory panel evaluated PF (intensity and quality) and mouthfeel (e.g., slimy) descriptors. Additionally, beers were fractionated by asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) in three different fractions and their molar masses were determined. The average molar mass of big size (> 10 nm) dextrins and β-glucans AF4 fraction increased analogously to barley modification characteristics. For sensory data evaluation, only beer samples brewed with malts inside the recommended brewing specifications were considered (β-glucan content in malt < 350 mg/L, ISO 65 °C). PF quality was lower on samples with β-glucan content < 100 mg/L. This group also contained fewer dextrins (attenuation > 87.4 ± 1.5%), suggesting that the balance of β-glucans and dextrins is important for PF quality. This work indicates that molar mass of starch and non-starch polysaccharides, affected by barley variety and its modification level, influences sensory perception, and hence, beer quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the influence of malting process parameters on the wheat malt quality obtained from the assortment of winter red wheat. For this assortment, previous research established that strongly restrictive and strongly intensive malting processes are not suitable, that is, they do not significantly improve the quality of the obtained wheat malts, and in some segments, they even disturb it. Therefore, modifications were introduced to both procedures, and malting was performed with moderately intensive procedure D and moderately restrictive procedure E. Starting wheat, indicators of micromalting process success, and finished wheat malts were analyzed. The results showed that the moderately restrictive malting process (E) significantly improves not only the values for soluble N for almost all tested varieties, but also the values of cytolytic degradation success (wort viscosity, filtration time), and extract yield. The moderately intensive procedure did not improve the determined indicators; for many varieties, the modification even resulted in poorer values. Furthermore, the moderately restrictive procedure allows a strong individual response of a particular variety to the process conditions during malting, which is very important for the assessment of the malting potential for a particular variety. Namely, when assessing the actual malting quality of an individual variety, it is necessary to include amylolytic indicators and indicators of enzymatic strength. In this way, a group of varieties were established which had an increased initial share of total N (varieties no. 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 16). These varieties, by this procedure, gave the best quality wheat malts in the entire examined assortment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basic step in beer production is mashing, during which insoluble starch chains, and to a lesser extent cell walls and proteins are broken down by enzymatic hydrolysis. Since the beginning of the modern brewing process there have been empirical studies into the optimum effective temperatures of the corresponding enzymes, and mashing has been carried out accordingly. The resulting resting temperatures of proteolysis, cytolysis and amylolysis with the maltose and saccharification rest, are now rarely changed, only being adapted to the properties of the raw materials used to a limited extent. New varieties of barley and other raw materials used in breweries, as well as modern processes in malting plants, ensure better enzyme potential and optimized malt gelatinization temperatures. The aim of this paper is to determine enzyme activity in barley malt during mashing. For this purpose, isothermal mashing was used, i.e., a mashing process with a constant resting temperature over the entire mashing period. The obtained worts were analyzed for the attributes of extract, final attenuation, β-glucan, total nitrogen, free amino nitrogen, viscosity, and pH as well as sugar composition and individual amino acids. The change in these attributes indicates the enzyme activity of the malt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although barley malt is considered a traditional appropriate raw material for beer production, there are several reasons to introduce alternative sugar or starchy materials into brewing. Economic and market demands play a crucial role in the selection of raw materials. However, different adjuncts bring various technological challenges due to their specific physicochemical properties as well as the degree of processing when entering to the brewery. This review is focused on the current practice as well as on innovations in the use of several barley malt substitutes. The beer production from various proportions of adjuncts is presented step by step and the pros and cons associated with technological changes and equipment are discussed. The impact on sensory character is also considered. The aim of the paper is to offer theoretical background and reveal the latest possibilities for practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a multistage process involving the deregulation of genes that are crucial to cellular processes. Multiple risk factors are correlated with HCC. MicroRNA is differentially expressed in the development of different types of malignancies, including hepatic malignancy. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most common sequence variation in the human genome. SNPs in miRNAs may affect transcription, processing, or target recognition and result in malignant disease. The aim of the study was to determine the association between microRNA gene polymorphisms and the development of HCC in Egyptian patients.Material and Methods: This study included 200 individuals who were matched in age and sex. Tumour staging was done using the BCLC staging system. Quantification and genotyping of microRNA were performed.Results: Among the 200 patients, 2 groups were described: group I included 90 HCC patients with a male majority (72.2%), and group II comprised 110 controls. Three microRNA SNPs were assayed in both patients and controls. There was a significant association between rs10061133 miR-499b and the risk of HCC. The genotypes GG or G allele were significantly associated with an increased risk of HCC (GG: OR = 2.91, 95% CI: 1.23-4.22, p = 0.013; G allele: OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.12-2.15, p = 0.026) compared with the genotype of AA or AG or A allele.Conclusions: There is an association between the miRNA SNPs and the susceptibility to HCC, to explore some roles and mechanisms of SNPs within miRNAs in the occurrence and development of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In malting, the kilning step is by far the dominant user of energy and has, thus, become the main target in reducing the carbon footprint of malting operations. Brewing beer using "green" (germinated, but not dried) malt, thus, saving the substantial energy input associated with kilning and conserving the water contained in the green malt, could improve the energy and water efficiency of malting operations. Furthermore, the high enzyme complement in green malt could enable more efficient brewing using unmalted cereals (e.g., raw barley) to create highly attenuated beers, without the use of exogenous enzymes. The objective of this review is to unravel the major advantages, but also quality and technical challenges, which could serve as a base for future studies on successfully brewing with green malt. Furthermore, the aim is to evaluate the impacts of such a process on beer flavor and flavor (in)stability. This is important to establish because one can make arguments that such a process will either improve flavor stability (reduced heat load should reduce the pool of staling aldehydes) or worsen it (since lipoxygenase activity and dimethyl sulphide potential can be regulated by heat treatment during kilning). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to establish the suitability of new Croatian wheat varieties for the production of pale wheat malt. Four new varieties/breeding lines from the Agricultural Institute Osijek were tested (Indira, OSK. 378/19, OSK. 346/20, and OSK. 353/20). The quality of starting wheat, the success of the micromalting process and the quality of finished malts were analyzed. The obtained results showed that the tested varieties/breeding lines meet the quality criteria for pale beer malt, and can be classified in the II malting quality group. The vast majority of quality indicators examined in this research showed values within the limits recommended for pale wheat malt. The obtained results were very good considering that these varieties are not intended for malting, nor in their selection process attention was paid to meet the brewing quality criteria. Due to the sensory characteristics of beer, the possibility of intervention during the malting process is limited, therefore when selecting wheat for malting, attention should be paid to the lowest possible content of total and soluble proteins, which can be achieved by appropriate agrotechnical measures in cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The malt criteria of viscosity and β-glucan are used as an integral part of routine laboratory control measures to classify the cytolytic malt modification level and to ensure good processability. To optimize separation processes in general, the main focus of barley breeding has been on intensifying the cytolytic modification level and reducing the β-glucan concentration. However, not all new malting barley varieties show good processability despite a low β-glucan content, since the effect of hemicellulose constituents such as arabinoxylan and their enzymatic hydrolysis are largely disregarded. For this reason, the aim of the present work was to investigate the individual cytolytic composition of different malting barley (malt) varieties and to point out differences in cytolytic malt parameters depending on their genetically determined modification level. Appropriate analytical possibilities for arabinoxylan determination and suitable extraction methods for cytolytic evaluation have been further shortcomings in breeding quality control. In addition, the most important cytolytic degrading enzymes have been characterized in this paper. Part one of this two-part study demonstrated that cytolytically highly modified varieties have a lower β-glucan but in consequence a higher arabinoxylan content. With regard to the activity of enzymes, the results suggested small differences in β-glucanase, but not in arabinofuranosidase and xylanase. Finally, a principal component analysis showed that most of the cytolytically highly modified barley varieties (52%) were affected by arabinoxylan. The first part of the paper confirms that while breeding progress has reduced β-glucan, arabinoxylan has become the more dominant impact factor on processability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sensory attribute palate fullness of cereal-based beverages was shown to be affected by polymeric compounds and their macromolecular profile. During malting, the enzymatic degradation of polymers is technologically controlled by the malting parameters, namely the degree of steeping, germination time, and germination temperature. The macromolecular profile of a fermented cereal-based beverage consists of non-fermentable substance classes. Therefore, the macromolecular composition of a final beverage is originally dominated by the raw material, if conventional production methods are used. We investigated the influence of different cytolytic and proteolytic malt modifications on the macromolecular profile of lactic acid-fermented cereal-based beverages (a strain was selected that did not produce exopolysaccharides) and their resultant effect on the sensory perception of the attributes of palate fullness and mouthfeel. Asymmetrical-flow field-flow fractionation coupled with multi-angle light-scattering detection and refractive index detection is an analytical tool for macromolecular characterization to indicate differences in the macromolecular profile, molar mass, and molar mass distribution. The beverages produced using different modified malts demonstrated a considerable variation in their final composition, particularly in the composition of their macromolecular compounds. A higher level of malt modification led to a decrease in the high-molar-mass fraction and a consequent shift toward fractions with a lower molar mass. Malts produced from barley with increased crude protein contents resulted in a greater range within the macromolecular profile. The variation of germination time significantly influenced the number average molar mass, the total refractive index detection (dRI) peak area, and the high-molar-mass fraction, which contained cell wall polysaccharides (60–1200 kDa). The perception of the intensity of palate fullness was significantly correlated with specific macromolecular fractions, which were influenced by the malting parameter degree of steeping and the resultant modification. The perception of the mouthfeel descriptor watery varied significantly for different crude protein contents. Our results are beneficial for a targeted design of beverage composition based on the macromolecular profile by an improved selection of raw materials and malting technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Venom is one of the most important sources of regulation factors used by parasitic Hymenoptera to redirect host physiology in favour of the developing offspring. This has stimulated a number of studies, both at functional and "omics" level, which, however, are still quite limited for ectophagous parasitoids that permanently paralyze and suppress their victims (i.e., idiobiont parasitoids). Results: Here we present a combined transcriptomic and proteomic study of the venom of the generalist idiobiont wasp Bracon nigricans, an ectophagous larval parasitoid of different lepidopteran species, for which we recently described the host regulation strategy and the functional role of the venom in the induction of physiological changes in parasitized hosts. The experimental approach used led to the identification of the main components of B. nigricans venom involved in host regulation. Enzymes degrading lipids, proteins and carbohydrates are likely involved in the mobilization of storage nutrients from the fat body and may concurrently be responsible for the release of neurotoxic fatty acids inducing paralysis, and for the modulation of host immune responses. Conclusion: The present work contributes to fill the gap of knowledge on venom composition in ectoparasitoid wasps, and, along with our previous physiological study on this species, provides the foundation on which to develop a functional model of host regulation, based both on physiological and molecular data. This paves the way towards a better understanding of parasitism evolution in the basal lineages of Hymenoptera and to the possible exploitation of venom as source of bioinsecticidal molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is one of the essential cereal crops for humankind, the harvested area with barley ranks the 3rd place regarding grains cereals, after wheat and rice. The yield potential of barley, trait with complex genetic determinism, represents the maximum level of biomass which a genotype can realize under optimal conditions of growth and development as well as in an environment free of diseases, pests and weeds. The inheritance of quantitative traits involves a large number of genes which act additively in determining the character. To increase the yield potential of barley varieties, the present paper studied three traits which are involved in yield: spike length, grain weight/spike and grain number/spike that on 22 cultivars of barley, in ecological condition of ARDS Turda. Significance of the sample F for the genetic factor and interaction between the year and the genotype, for all three studied traits, reflects the fact that between those the 22 distinct genotypes there are very significant differences, which can be used in breeding programmes. As genitors for breeding programmes we can use cultivars Daciana, Romaniţa and To 2170/01 for spike lenght, cultivars Turdeana, Aura, Daciana and Xanadou for grain weight/spike and cultivars Turdeana and Adina for grain number/spike. The correlations between the three studied traits, which influence the barley yield, were posit ive, statistically assured, allowing their simultaneous improvement in the breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to investigate the influence of certain wheat and wheat malt quality indicators on limit of attenuation of wort (LAT). The experiment was conducted using wheats that have been proven to display the best malting properties with heightened total and soluble N and very good viscosity. Standard micromalting and brewing processes and analysis were applied. The obtained results showed that the quality of analyzed malts was satisfying. Statistical analysis determined no significant correlation between the limit of attenuation of wort and any of the other analyzed quality indicators. The lack of close correlations between indicators is probably due to the extremely complex intertwine of factors influencing the LAT, pointing to the fact that this particular indicator should be observed as separate and mainly variety-dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to assess the technological quality of three novel Croatian spring barley varieties and lines intended for brewing and distilling. Two tested lines Osk.5.45/2-15 and Osk.5.33/23-15 and one variety Pivarac were developed at the Agricultural Institute Osijek, while the used control sample was the recognised whisky barley variety Grace. The quality of starting barley and final malts were assessed. The results indicate that the tested varieties/lines of spring barley have the potential to become recognised as whisky malt varieties. In order to confirm the obtained results, further monitoring should be employed during the statistically relevant period. The tested quality values the OSK.5.33/23-15 has shown were the closest to the recommended values for whisky malts. In all tested varieties β-glucans content should be reduced which would consequently improve the F/C extract difference and friability values and increase the fermentability and extract yield during fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the influence of malting process parameters on the wheat malt quality obtained from the assortment of winter red wheat. For this assortment, previous research established that strongly restrictive and strongly intensive malting processes are not suitable, that is, they do not significantly improve the quality of the obtained wheat malts, and in some segments, they even disturb it. Therefore, modifications were introduced to both procedures, and malting was performed with moderately intensive procedure D and moderately restrictive procedure E. Starting wheat, indicators of micromalting process success, and finished wheat malts were analyzed. The results showed that the moderately restrictive malting process (E) significantly improves not only the values for soluble N for almost all tested varieties, but also the values of cytolytic degradation success (wort viscosity, filtration time), and extract yield. The moderately intensive procedure did not improve the determined indicators; for many varieties, the modification even resulted in poorer values. Furthermore, the moderately restrictive procedure allows a strong individual response of a particular variety to the process conditions during malting, which is very important for the assessment of the malting potential for a particular variety. Namely, when assessing the actual malting quality of an individual variety, it is necessary to include amylolytic indicators and indicators of enzymatic strength. In this way, a group of varieties were established which had an increased initial share of total N (varieties no. 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 16). These varieties, by this procedure, gave the best quality wheat malts in the entire examined assortment.

This paper examines the influence of the malting process of red hard wheat varieties (which have many characteristics of soft wheat varieties and represent a transitional form between durum and soft wheat). According to the values of total and soluble proteins and viscosity of wort these wheat varieties belong to the second malting quality group. To establish the individual response of each variety and estimate how the chosen varieties respond in groups to different process conditions, sixteen varieties were selected and malted according to the standard procedure (A), restrictive procedure (B), and intense procedure (C). Starting wheat, indicators of micromalting process success, and finished malts were analyzed. It was found that the restrictive procedure (B) gives poor results for the values of proteolysis performance parameters (soluble N, free amino nitrogen (FAN)) with simultaneous disturbance and values of cytolytic degradation (viscosity and filtration time) and extract yield. At the same time, this procedure lacks a stronger individual response of an individual variety to the process conditions during malting (F/C difference and extract yield). The optimal malting process for the specified assortment would include the modification of processes B and C in a way to alleviate the restrictive conditions in process B, or in a way to reduce the intensity of the decomposition in process C.

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells recognize glycolipid antigens bound to CD1d molecules on antigen-presenting cells. Therapeutic activation of iNKT cells with the xenogeneic glycolipid α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) can prevent and reverse tumor growth in murine models, but clinical trials using α-GalCer-stimulated human iNKT cells have shown limited efficacy. We synthesized a series of thioglycoside analogs of α-GalCer with different substituents to the galactose residue and found that two of these compounds, XZ7 and XZ11, bound to CD1d-transfected HeLa cells and activated lines of expanded human iNKT cells. Both compounds stimulated cytolytic degranulation by iNKT cells and while XZ7 preferentially stimulated the production of the antitumor cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ), XZ11 preferentially stimulated interleukin-4 (IL-4) production. This biased T helper type 1 effector profile of XZ7 was also evident when iNKT were stimulated with dendritic cells presenting this glycolipid. Separate analysis of the responses of CD4+, CD8α+ and CD4-CD8-iNKT cells indicated that XZ7 preferentially activated CD8α+ iNKT cells, and to a lesser degree, CD4-CD8- iNKT cells. The partial agonist effect of glycolipid XZ7, inducing cytotoxicity and IFN-γ production but not IL-4 production, indicates that specific protumour activities of iNKT cells can be abolished, while preserving their antitumor activities, by introducing structural modifications to α-GalCer. Since XZ7 was much less potent than α-GalCer as an iNKT cell agonist, it is unlikely to be superior to α-GalCer as a therapeutic agent for cancer, but may serve as a parent compound for developing more potent structural analogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of predicting the concentration of β-glucan from starting barley and malt, as well as malt and wort for different types and purpose of barley groups. The strength of the correlation between types and purpose of barley groups was determined between the values of β-glucans and other indicators of cytolytic degradation. Statistically significant correlations were obtained for β-glucans in barley-malt (r = 0.9717) and barley-wort (r = 0.9998) for brewing (B w-tr) and brewing/feed winter two-row (B/Fe w-tr) varieties, and for brewing/brewing feed/feed spring varieties (B/B-Fe/Fe w-tr) between barley and Δm (Δm = β-glucan difference between barley and malt) (r = 0.8779). For the dual-purpose varieties (B/Fe w-tr), a strong correlation for β-glucans was found between malt and wort (r = 0.8188), malt and Δm* (Δm* = % of degraded β-glucan in malt in regard to the starting β-glucan in barley) (r = −0.9099), as well as Δm and Δm* (r = 0.9951). The results indicate that the starting concentration of β-glucan in barley and malt can be used as predictors of their concentration in wort only in brewing and dual-purpose (brewing-feed) varieties.

2-Methoxy-4-vinylphenol and 4-vinylphenol are important odorants in wheat beer, which are mainly enzymatically formed by decarboxylation during fermentation with the top fermenting yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae from their respective precursors, the free phenolic acids ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid. However, also the undesired toxicologically relevant styrene can be formed from cinnamic acid by the same mechanism. Micro-brewing trials with specially produced barley and wheat malts were performed, and the concentrations of the free phenolic acids (precursors) and the corresponding vinyl aromatics were quantitated in the malts and the intermediates of beer production (unboiled wort, cast wort, and green beer) using stable isotopically labelled internal standards. Thereby, 100% wheat or barley malts produced with either high or low malting parameters (steeping degree, germination temperature, and germination time) were used for brewing. Furthermore, the influence of two different yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain W68 (top fermenting) and Saccharomyces carlsbergensis strain W34/78 (bottom fermenting), on the amounts of the phenolic acids and the corresponding vinyl aromatics was investigated. Results indicated that modifications in barley malting parameters did not have a mitigating influence on the styrene concentration in beer. However, using wheat malt produced with low malting parameters for brewing revealed a reduced styrene amount by about 30% compared to the brew produced with wheat malt obtained by high malting parameters. In addition, the lowered styrene beer did still fulfil the consumer´s expectation in regard to its overall aroma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cereal-based beverages contain a complex mixture of various polymeric macromolecules including polysaccharides, peptides, and polyphenols. The molar mass of polymers and their degradation products affect different technological and especially sensory parameters of beverages. Asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) coupled with multi-angle light scattering (MALS) and refractive index detection (dRI) or UV detection (UV) is a technique for structure and molar mass distribution analysis of macromolecules commonly used for pure compound solutions. The objective of this study was to develop a systematic approach for identifying the polymer classes in an AF4//MALS/dRI/UV fractogram of the complex matrix in beer, a yeast-fermented cereal-based beverage. Assignment of fractogram fractions to polymer substance classes was achieved by targeted precipitations, enzymatic hydrolysis, and alignments with purified polymer standards. Corresponding effects on dRI and UV signals were evaluated according to the detector's sensitivities. Using these techniques, the AF4 fractogram of beer was classified into different fractions: (1) the low molar mass fraction was assigned to proteinaceous molecules with different degrees of glycosylation, (2) the middle molar mass fraction was attributed to protein-polyphenol complexes with a coelution of non-starch polysaccharides, and (3) the high molar mass fraction was identified as a mixture of the cell wall polysaccharides (i.e., β-glucan and arabinoxylan) with a low content of polysaccharide-protein association. In addition, dextrins derived from incomplete starch hydrolysis were identified in all fractions and over the complete molar mass range. The ability to assess the components of an AF4 fractogram is beneficial for the targeted design and evaluation of polymers in fermented cereal-based beverages and for controlling and monitoring quality parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recombinant interferon-alpha (IFN-α) is an approved therapy for chronic hepatitis B (CHB), but the molecular basis of treatment response remains to be determined. The woodchuck model of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection displays many characteristics of human disease and has been extensively used to evaluate antiviral therapeutics. In this study, woodchucks with chronic woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) infection were treated with recombinant woodchuck IFN-α (wIFN-α) or placebo (n = 12/group) for 15 weeks. Treatment with wIFN-α strongly reduced viral markers in the serum and liver in a subset of animals, with viral rebound typically being observed following cessation of treatment. To define the intrahepatic cellular and molecular characteristics of the antiviral response to wIFN-α, we characterized the transcriptional profiles of liver biopsies taken from animals (n = 8–12/group) at various times during the study. Unexpectedly, this revealed that the antiviral response to treatment did not correlate with intrahepatic induction of the majority of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) by wIFN-α. Instead, treatment response was associated with the induction of an NK/T cell signature in the liver, as well as an intrahepatic IFN-γ transcriptional response and elevation of liver injury biomarkers. Collectively, these data suggest that NK/T cell cytolytic and non-cytolytic mechanisms mediate the antiviral response to wIFN-α treatment. In summary, by studying recombinant IFN-α in a fully immunocompetent animal model of CHB, we determined that the immunomodulatory effects, but not the direct antiviral activity, of this pleiotropic cytokine are most closely correlated with treatment response. This has important implications for the rational design of new therapeutics for the treatment of CHB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycobacterium is a genus within the order Actinomycetales that comprises of a large number of well-characterized species, several of which includes pathogens known to cause serious disease in human and animal. Here, we report the whole genome sequence of Mycobacterium sp. strain 012931 isolated from the marine fish, yellowtail ( Seriola quinqueradiata). Mycobacterium sp. 012931 is a fish pathogen causing serious damage to aquaculture farms in Japan. DNA dot plot analysis showed that Mycobacterium sp. 012931 was more closely related to Mycobacterium marinum when compared across several Mycobacterium species. However, little conservation of the gene order was observed between Mycobacterium sp. 012931 and M. marinum genome. The annotated 5,464 genes of Mycobacterium sp. 012931 was classified into 26 subsystems. The insertion/deletion gene analysis shows Mycobacterium sp. 012931 had 643 unique genes that were not found in the M. marinum strains. In the virulence, disease, and defense subsystem, both insertion and deletion genes of Mycobacterium sp. 012931 were associated with the PPE gene cluster of Mycobacteria. Of seven plcB genes in Mycobacterium sp. 012931, plcB_2 and plcB_3 showed low identities with those of M. marinum strains. Therefore, Mycobacterium sp. 012931 has differences on genetic and virulence from M. marinum and may induce different interaction mechanisms between host and pathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on eosinophilias, including the idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. Disease history; Causes; Single-organ eosinophil infiltration without blood eosinophilia; Diagnosis of persistent unexplained eosinophilia.