Reactions of smectite with phenols were investigated to understand the role of clay minerals in abating transport of these organic pollutants to ground water. Sorption of o-methylphenol, o-chlorophenol, and m-methylphenol by the clay with different exchange cations was accomplished by passing phenol vapors in a slow stream of air or nitrogen through the samples. The resulting products, extracted with methanol and analyzed by using mass spectrometry, included monomers, dimers, trimers, and tetramers of the parent phenol and of the corresponding quinones, the oxidation product of the phenols. In extracts from the Fe-clay-phenol complexes formed in air, traces of the phenolic pentamers were also detected. Both sorption and polymerization were much higher in air than in nitrogen. The greatly reduced polymerization in nitrogen suggests that anaerobic environment of the landfill sites may facilitate phenol transport to ground water. The degree of polymerization and its magnitude was in the order Fe- > Al- > Ca- > Na-clay.

Pea landraces may hold genetic variation that can be exploitable in breeding/selecting new cultivars. In a small-seeded pea landrace, four phenotypes were distinguished according to testa (green, non-spotted and green, spotted) and hilum colour (white, black). The four phenotypes were tested for two growing seasons in the field for pod (seeds/pod) and seed traits (1000-seed weight, toughness, total phenols and tannins, testa colour, protein and carbon concentration, C/N ratio, bruchid infection). Significant differences were found for testa colour parameters, phenolic, tannin and carbon concentration and bruchid tolerance. The larger-seeded, spotted peas had darker testa and more phenols, while white-hilumed peas had lighter testa and more tannins. The spotted, black-hilumed phenotype, with the highest carbon concentration and C/N ratio was the most tolerant to bruchids. However, grouping the phenotypes, neither spotted nor black-hilumed ones showed to be more tolerant compared with their counterparts. Concluding, our results showed that phenotyping variation in seeds of a pea landrace revealed variation in seed traits, which could be exploitable. Since testa and hilum colour were associated with specific seed traits, they could, alone or in combination, be used as biomarkers of seed quality traits in pea. Testing of larger number of phenotypes is needed to solidify our findings.

The influence of phenol-rich dietary grapeseed extract on performance, energy and N balance and methane production was determined in sixteen lambs and thirteen goat kids (body weight 20·5 and 19·0 kg, 2 months of age, day 1 of study). Half of the animals received a concentrate containing grapeseed extract, and the others received concentrate without grapeseed extract (total extractable phenols analysed 27 v. 9 g/kg dietary DM; concentrate and hay 1:1). Diets were fed for 7 weeks with 1 week for determining intake, excretion and gaseous exchange in metabolism crates and respiration chambers. Overall, there was an adverse effect of the phenolic diet on apparent N digestibility and body N retention. Faecal N loss as proportion of N intake increased while urinary N loss declined. Relative to N intake, total N excretion was higher and body N retention lower in goat kids than lambs. Diets and animal species had no effect on methane emissions. The saliva of the goat kids had a higher binding capacity for condensed tannins (CT). Goat kids on the phenolic diet had higher CT concentrations in faeces and excreted more CT compared with the lambs (interaction species × diet P < 0·001). The lambs had overall higher (P < 0·001) urinary phenol concentrations than the goat kids (2·19 v. 1·48 g/l). The negative effect on body N retention and lack of effect on methane emissions make the use of the extract in the dosage applied not appealing. Species differences need to be considered in future studies.

Plant secondary compounds (PSC) are prevalent in many woody, temperate-climate plant species and play a crucial role in dietary attempts to mitigate methane emissions in ruminants. However, their application requires sufficient palatability and feeding value. In the present study, leaves from silver birch (Betula pendula), hazel (Corylus avellana), blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum), green grape vine (Vitis vinifera) and the herbs rosebay willow (Epilobium angustifolium) and wood avens (Geum urbanum) were tested in various doses with the Hohenheim gas test method in vitro and their short-term palatability in dairy cows. For the palatability experiment, the plants were pelleted with lucerne in different proportions to obtain the same phenol content, but realised contents differed from expected contents. The pellets were provided separately from a mixed basal ration (0.4 : 0.6) to each cow, in a randomised order, for 3 days per plant. All plants mitigated in vitro methane and ammonia formation, often in a linear dose response. These levels of effects differed among plants. Significant effects were observed at 100 (hazel, rosebay willow) to 400 g/kg of plant material. The test plants had a lower feeding value than the high-quality basal diet. This was indicated by in vitro organic matter digestibility, short-chain fatty acid formation and calculated contents of net energy of lactation. Simultaneously, the linear depression of ammonia formation indicated a dose-dependent increase of utilisable CP. Only blackcurrant and birch were less preferred to lucerne. However, this aversion subsided on day 3 of offer. The rosebay willow pellets had the highest phenol content but were not the least palatable. Accordingly, PSC may not be the main determinants of palatability for the plants tested. Plants did not differ significantly in their short-term effects on milk yield and composition, and all of the plants substantially reduced milk urea content. Overall, the results suggest that hazel and vine leaves, and rosebay willow and wood avens herbs should be tested for their potential to mitigate methane and N emissions in vivo.

Exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals and metals are near ubiquitous worldwide, and their potential impact on children is a major public health concern. This pilot study was designed to characterize exposures to phthalates, phenols and metals among pregnant women in the first trimester, and to examine associations with fetal biometrics and birth weight. A total of 41 chemicals and elements were analyzed in urine from 56 mothers with full-term newborns from the Michigan Mother–Infant Pairs study. Bivariate analyses identified predictors of exposure biomarkers. Associations between birth weight, Fenton z-scores and second trimester fetal biometrics with toxicants were examined via multivariable linear regression. An average of 30 toxicants were detected in maternal urine. Fast food consumption was associated with several phthalate metabolites, phenols and metals, and canned food consumption with bisphenol F (P <0.05). Mono (3-carboxypropyl) phthalate was significantly associated with higher birth weight and Fenton z-score while the opposite was observed for bisphenol S. Estimated femur length from ultrasonography was significantly inversely associated with arsenic, barium and lead. While limited by sample size, this study is one of the first to evaluate birth outcomes with respect to emerging endocrine disrupting chemicals and to examine associations between toxicants and fetal biometrics. Exposure assessment was provided by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ Children’s Health Exposure Analysis Resource (NIEHS CHEAR), a resource available to children’s studies with the goal of combining data across cohorts in an effort to characterize the impact of toxicants on child health from birth and beyond.

Thermal analysis (DTA-TG-DTG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption and mercury intrusion porosimetry techniques were used to assess the structural changes induced upon heating of two hydrotalcite-phenol (trichloro- and trinitrophenol, HT-TCP and HT-TNP) complexes, and the results were compared with those obtained for the original hydrotalcite (HT) sample. The DTA revealed thermal effects that depended on the nature of the interlayer ion in the complexes. The total weight loss (TG-DTA) increased from 37% for the original HT to 40% for HT-TCP and 77% HT-TNP, as the amount of phenol increased. The XRD and FTIR spectroscopy showed that the calcination product (550°C) of the HT-phenol complexes was indistinguishable from that formed from the original HT. Since HT-phenol complexes were prepared by phenol adsorption on calcined HT, our results confirm the recyclability of HT-like compounds as sorbents for phenols.

The chlorite-group mineral chamosite occurs in nanocrystalline form (~200 nm grain size) as a naturally occurring clay in the Quaternary marine sedimentary deposits near Kudiamozhi, Tuticorin District, Tamil Nadu, India; samples were used in this study as a reusable catalyst. The clay has the usual alternating tetrahedral-octahedral-tetrahedral silicate/aluminate/silicate layer structural arrangement (sometimes called the 2:1 silicate or talc layer structure). The interlayer and the t-o-t layer are bound together by both electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding forces. This natural clay catalyst has been well characterized by various techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), thermal analysis and BET surface area measurements (Sreedhar et al., 2009); it has been utilized for various organic transformations such as acylation of alcohols and amines, cyclization of arylaldehydes with O-phenylenediamines and C-O bond formation reactions.

Active films were developed for food coating applications. Entrapped phenol susceptibility to digestion was studied. Sodium caseinate (Na-CN) coatings were formulated with 0, 10, 20% Casein (CN) incorporating selected phenols as model antioxidants. This study investigated phenol/CN/Na-CN interactions, in vitro bioaccessibility of phenols and CN role in phenols retention during in vitro gastric and pancreatic digestion. The antioxidant activity of catechin (CAT), rutin (RUT), chlorogenic acid (CHL), gallic acid (GAL), and tannic acid (TA) in coatings varied with the phenolic compound type and CN concentration and was related to phenol hydrophobic binding to CN. ABTS method gave activities ranged from 412 down to 213, and DPPH method gave values from 291·7 to 190·9. An inverse relationship was found with CN content due to CN/phenol interaction. During digestion, a part of phenols was degraded by alkaline pH of pancreatic fluid. Simultaneously, CN proteolysis led to release of phenols and the bioaccessibility index remained above 80% for all phenols. The results suggested the possibility of protecting phenols against oxidation and digestive alteration by entrapment in CN and Na-CN coating films. These positive results showed the ability to produce antioxidant-enriched edible coatings to increase food protection and phenol nutritional intake.

Alpine forages are assumed to have specific effects on ruminal digestion when fed to cattle. These effects were investigated in an experiment from two perspectives, either by using such forages as a substrate for incubation or as feed for a rumen fluid donor cow. In total, six 24-h in vitro batch culture runs were performed. Rumen fluid was collected from a non-lactating donor cow after having grazed pastures at ∼2000 m above sea level for 2, 6 and 10 weeks. These ‘alpine runs’ were compared with three lowland samplings from before and 2 and 6 weeks after the alpine grazing where a silage–concentrate mix was fed. In each run, nine replicates of four forages each were incubated. These forages differed in type and origin (alpine hay, lowland ryegrass hay, grass–maize silage mix, pure hemicellulose) as well as in the content of nutrients. Concentrations of phenolic compounds in the incubated forages were (g/kg dry matter (DM)): 20 (tannin proportion: 0.47), 8 (0.27), 15 (0.52) and 0 (0), respectively. Crude protein was highest in the silage mix and lowest with hemicellulose, whereas the opposite was the case for fiber. The total phenol contents (g/kg DM) for the high altitude and the lowland diet of the donor cow were 27 (tannins: 0.50 of phenols) and 12 (0.27), respectively. Independent of the origin of the rumen fluid, the incubation with alpine hay decreased (P < 0.05) bacterial counts, fermentation gas amount, volatile fatty acid (VFA) production as well as ammonia and methane concentrations in fermentation gas (the latter two being not lower when compared with hemicellulose). Alpine grazing of the cow in turn increased (P < 0.001) bacterial counts and, to a lesser extent, acetate proportion compared with lowland feeding. Further, alpine grazing decreased protozoal count (P < 0.05) and VFA production (P < 0.001) to a small extent, whereas methane remained widely unchanged. There were interactions (P < 0.05) between forage type incubated and feeding period of the donor cow in protozoal counts, acetate:propionate ratio, fermentation gas production and its content of methane, in vitro organic matter digestibility and metabolizable energy. Although increased phenolic compounds were the most consistent common property of the applied alpine forages, a clear attribution to certain effects was not possible in this study. As a further result, adaptation (long-term for donor cow, short term for 24 h incubations) appears to influence the expression of alpine forage effects in ruminal fermentation.

The aim of the present study was to confirm that olive oil phenols reduce human platelet aggregability and to verify the hypothesis that cAMP- and cGMP- phosphodiesterases (PDE) could be one of the targets of the biological effect. Four extracts from oils characterized by a high phenol content (HPE), and low phenol levels (LPE) were prepared and analyzed quali- and quantitatively by HPLC-UV and electrospray ionization–MS/MS. Human washed platelets stimulated with thrombin were used for the aggregation assay. Human platelet cAMP-PDE and recombinant PDE5A1 were used as enzyme source. Platelet aggregation and enzyme activity were assayed in the presence of HPE, LPE and individual phenols. The phenol content of HPE ranged between 250 and 500 mg/kg, whereas the LPE content was 46 mg/kg. The compounds identified were hydroxytyrosol (HT), tyrosol (TY), oleuropein aglycone (OleA) and the flavonoids quercetin (QU), luteolin (LU) and apigenin (AP). OleA was the most abundant phenol (range 23·3 to 37·7 %) and LU was the most abundant flavonoid in the extracts. Oil extracts inhibited platelet aggregation with an 50% inhibitory concentration interval of 1·23–11·2 μg/ml. The inhibitory effect of individual compounds (10 μm) including homovanillyl alcohol (HVA) followed this order: OleA>LU>HT = TY = QU = HVA, while AP was inactive. All the extracts inhibited cAMP-PDE, while no significant inhibition of PDE5A1 (50μg/ml) was observed. All the flavonoids and OleA inhibited cAMP-PDE, whereas HT, TY, HVA (100 μm) were inactive. Olive oil extracts and part of its phenolic constituents inhibit platelet aggregation; cAMP-PDE inhibition is one mechanism through which olive oil phenols inhibit platelet aggregation.

p-Coumaric acid (3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-propenoic acid; 4CA), is a ubiquitous plant metabolite with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The antiplatelet activity of this compound was analysed both ex vivo and in vitro. 4-CA, administered to rabbits for 2 weeks at the dose of 5 mg/kg, mixed with food, inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation without affecting blood coagulation. This effect was associated with a marked increase in plasma antioxidant activity, measured as ferric reducing ability of plasma, and with the reduction of thromboxane B2 production. The antiplatelet effect was confirmed by in vitro experiments on human blood: 4CA (500 μm and 1 mm) reduced ADP-induced platelet aggregation (55·2 (se 4·01) % and 35·6 (se 2·35) % relative to basal level, respectively). 4CA was able to modify platelet function, measured with PFA-100™, a shear-inducing device that simulates primary haemostasis. 4CA interfered also with arachidonic acid cascade, reducing thromboxane B2 production and lipopolysaccharide-induced prostaglandin E2 generation (ic50 371 and 126 μm, respectively). The data show that 4CA is an antioxidant compound with good antiplatelet activity at doses that can be obtained with dietary intervention, suggesting possible applications for primary prevention of vascular disease.

Extra-virgin olive oils (EVOO), high in phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties, could be partly responsible for the lower mortality and incidence of cancer and CVD in the Mediterranean region. The present study aims to measure oxidative DNA damage in healthy human subjects consuming olive oils with different concentrations of natural phenols. A randomised cross-over trial of high-phenol EVOO (high-EVOO; 592mg total phenols/kg) V low-phenol EVOO (low-EVOO; 147mg/kg) was conducted in ten postmenopausal women in Florence. Subjects were asked to substitute all types of fat and oils habitually consumed with the study oil (50g/d) for 8 weeks in each period. Oxidative DNA damage was measured by the comet assay in peripheral blood lymphocytes, collected at each visit during the study period. Urine samples over 24h were collected to measure the excretion of the olive oil phenols. The average of the four measurements of oxidative DNA damage during treatment with high-EVOO was 30% lower than the average during the low-EVOO treatment (p=0·02). Urinary excretion of hydroxytyrosol and its metabolite homovanillyl alcohol were significantly increased in subjects consuming high-EVOO. Despite the small sample size, the present study showed a reduction of DNA damage by consumption of an EVOO rich in phenols, particularly hydroxytyrosol.

Introduction. Mature-green Golden apples (Spondias cytherea Sonnerat) are used in the French West Indies for the preparation of a nectar. With the aim of improving the fruit processing conditions for a better quality of this beverage, morphological and compositional characteristics of the mature-green fruits were determined. Materials and methods. Mature-green fruits were harvested in Martinique (French West Indies) and characterised: diameter, length, mass, and colour were determined; pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, sugars, proteins, starch, fibre, vitamin C, phenols and green pigments were measured. Results and discussion. Average fruit length, diameter and weight were 71 mm, 54 mm and 116.4 g, respectively. With a low pH (2.6) and a high titratable acidity (1.3 g citric acid Eq·100 g–1 fresh material), mature-green Golden apple is an acidic fruit comparable to the lemon. The fruit is rich in vitamin C (52.0 mg·100 g–1), phenols (349.5 mg gallic acid Eq·100 g–1) and starch (7.1 g·100 g–1). The pale green colour of the pulp is due to pheophytins a and b. Conclusion. Our study provided a detailed analysis of mature-green Golden apples, which will be taken into account for the improvement of nectar processing conditions.

In a double-blind randomized study, the incidence and severity of postoperative nausea and vomiting was investigated with a new formulation of etomidate (Etomidate-®Lipuro, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Germany) compared with propofol for induction of a balanced anaesthesia with isoflurane/fentanyl in air.

The incidence and intensity of nausea was examined by use of a visual analogue scale (VAS; 0–100 mm) at 1, 2, between 6 and 8, and 24 h postoperatively. One-hundred-and-sixty-four patients undergoing orthopedic procedures were studied. For etomidate vs. propofol, 14.6% vs. 14.2% male and 26.8% vs. 27.5% female patients were nauseated during the first two postoperative hours. The median rating for nausea remained below 5 mm at any time in both groups, i.e. the intensity of nausea was very low. The incidence of vomiting was higher in women receiving etomidate (26.8% vs. 10%).

We conclude that etomidate does not increase nausea during the early postoperative period.

Field-grown trees of Alnus incana (L.) Moench, Alnus glutinosa (L.) Geartner and Betula pendula Roth displayed pronounced differences in responses of light-saturated net photosynthesis (Asat) to herbivory by the alder beetle (Agelastica alni L., Galerucinae), a specialized insect which primarily defoliates alders. We found that photosynthetic rates of grazed leaves increased following herbivory in Alnus but not in Betula. Area- and mass-based Asat of grazed leaves declined linearly with increasing amount of leaf perforation in B. pendula, by as much as 57%. By contrast Alnus glutinosa and Alnus incana increased area-based rates of Asat by 10–50% at all levels of leaf grazing. Given increased Asat in the remaining portion of grazed leaves, a net reduction in photosynthesis per leaf occurred only when the proportion of leaf area grazed exceeded 40% for Alnus incana and 23% for Alnus glutinosa. Since vein perforation by Agelastica alni was observed much more frequently in leaves of Betula than in Alnus, we hypothesized that declining Asat in herbivorized Betula was related to this disruption of water transport. A field experiment with artificial leaf perforation demonstrated a greater decline in Asat in vein-perforated Betula leaves than perforated leaves with midrib veins intact. However, regardless of leaf perforation regime, birch never showed post-perforation increases in Asat. In all species, rates of transpiration of grazed leaves linearly increased and water-use efficiency decreased with increased amount of leaf perforation. In grazed Alnus incana leaves, increasing leaf area consumption by Agelastica alni resulted in an increase of total phenols, a reduction in starch content and no changes in nitrogen concentration in the remaining portion. The increase in photosynthesis in Alnus incana might be related to declining leaf starch concentration or increasing stomatal conductance, but was unrelated to leaf nitrogen concentration. These gas exchange and leaf chemistry measurements suggest that in contrast to B. pendula, Alnus incana and Alnus glutinosa, which are the major host species for Agelastica alni, possess leaf-level physiological adaptations and defence mechanisms which can attenuate negative effects of herbivory by the alder leaf-beetle.

Behavioural and electrophysiological (EAG) studies were undertaken to determine the olfactory selectivity of the antennae of Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood and Glossina pallidipes Austen to phenolic kairomones. Responses of both species to 3-alkylphenols increased as the alkyl chain increased from one carbon atom to three, while the opposite trend was observed with 4-alkylphenols. These results indicated that 4-cresol and 3-n-propylphenol are the most stimulatory of the two respective groups of phenols. However, comparison of the responses indicated differences in the sensitivities of the chemoreceptor systems of the two species. Hence different compositions of the phenols may be required to best attract these species. Probable interactions of the phenols with the binding sites on the receptor surface are discussed.

Phenolic tsetse attractants in host urine were shown to form gradually from proattractants identified as a mixture of glucuronates and sulphates. The breakdown of proattractants is predominantly due to microbial activity. Of the eight bacteria isolated from buffalo urine three have demonstrated varying ability to give rise to free phenols the formation of which was monitored by observing the build-up of 4-cresol by means of gas chromatography. These observations may provide a useful biotechnological model for controlled release of these semiochemicals in the field.

Responses of tsetse Glossina morsitans morsitans and Glossina pallidipes (Diptera: Glossinidae) to host-derived phenolic kairomones were investigated using a wind tunnel. Activation behaviour of G. m. morsitans depended on the mixture of the phenols but not on the dose or ratio of the blend used. Up wind orientation behaviour and actual contact with the odour source depended on both the phenolic mixture and on the ratio of the phenols in the blend. In the present studies, a 4:1 blend of 4-cresol and 3-n-propylphenol, respectively, consistently induced more of the flies to fly upwind and contact the odour source as compared to any other combination of the phenols or even when these two crucial phenols were mixed in a ratio of 9:1; the ratio in which they are found in a typical sample of buffalo urine.

Comparison of the responses of the two species indicate that significantly fewer G. m. morsitans fly upwind and contact the odour source on stimulation with a blend of 4-cresol and 3-n-propylphenol as compared to G. pallidipes. This may explain why phenols only produce small improvements in the catches of G. m. morsitans as compared to G. pallidipes.

The simple wind tunnel developed, not only provides a useful tool for rapidly screening candidate attractants, but also a means to investigate how various compounds alone or in various combinations affect tsetse behaviour.