Plasma Ethanol Research Articles

The information about the metrological traceability pedigree of the in vitro diagnostic calibrators should be improved: the case of plasma ethanol

The information about the metrological traceability pedigree of the <i>in vitro</i> diagnostic calibrators should be improved: the case of plasma ethanol

Ethanol Kinetics in the Human Brain Determined by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

In many parts of the world, ethanol is a widely consumed substance that displays its effect in the brain, the target organ for desired, but also negative impact. In a previous study, the ethanol concentrations were analyzed in different regions of the brain by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). In this study, the same method is used to demonstrate the kinetics of the ethanol concentration in the human brain after oral ethanol uptake. A drinking study was performed with 10 healthy participants. After the uptake of ethanol in a calculated amount leading to a plasma ethanol concentration of 0.92 g/L (19.95 mM corresponding to a blood ethanol concentration of 0.7 g/kg), brain ethanol concentrations were continuously measured by means of MRS on a 3 Tesla human magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. For the data acquisition a single-voxel sLASER sequence was used, with the volume of interest located in the occipital cortex. Intermittently, blood samples were taken and plasma was analyzed for ethanol using headspace gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (HS-GC-FID). The obtained MRS brain ethanol curves showed distinct inter-individual differences; however, a good intra-individual correlation of plasma and brain ethanol concentrations was observed. The results suggest a rapid equilibration between blood and brain. The ethanol concentrations measured in the brain were substantially lower than the measured plasma ethanol results, suggesting an MRS visibility of about 63% for ethanol in brain tissue. The maximum individual ethanol concentrations in the brain (normalized to water content) ranged between 7.1 and 14.1 mM across the cohort, while the highest measured plasma concentrations were in the range between 0.35 g/L (9.41 mM) and 0.95 g/L (20.52 mM).

A “Green” Reaction Cycle Pathway for Synthesizing Metal Oxide Quantum Dots

Synthesis of highly stable quantum dots (QDs) is always a challenge for researchers in nanomaterial community because of involved complexities of the process time and steps. In the past few years, we have demonstrated a simple and single step synthesis process for a range of metal oxide (MO) QDs using plasma-induced non-equilibrium electrochemistry (PiNE).1 , 2 , 3 PiNE is a new and emerging technique based on electrochemical process taking place in liquids from plasma interaction.4 This method is rapid and produces highly stable QDs starting from a metal foil and ethanol as electrolyte. As MO QDs semiconductors in general are a promising candidate for energy harvesting application mainly from their nanoscale effects.5 , 6 In this work, we will present the general applicability of this method for a range of metal oxides and the provide more an in-depth case study for CuO QDs providing details of the reaction mechanisms. An extensive analysis of the solution along with the quantum dots was carried out with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass (GC-MS) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, pH and the plasma-ethanol interface using optical emission spectroscopy. Thus, the study discloses important aspects of plasma interactions with a non-aqueous medium particularly the trace products and QD purity shows the entire process is a ‘green’ synthesis cycle.7 Reference (1) Ni, C.; Carolan, D.; Rocks, C.; Hui, J.; Fang, Z.; Padmanaban, D. B.; Ni, J.; Xie, D.; Maguire, P.; Irvine, J. T. S.; Mariotti, D. Microplasma-Assisted Electrochemical Synthesis of Co 3 O 4 Nanoparticles in Absolute Ethanol for Energy Applications. Green Chem. 2018, 20 (9), 2101–2109. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8GC00200B.(2) Ni, C.; Carolan, D.; Hui, J.; Rocks, C.; Padmanaban, D.; Ni, J.; Xie, D.; Fang, Z.; Irvine, J.; Maguire, P.; Mariotti, D. Evolution of Anodic Product from Molybdenum Metal in Absolute Ethanol and Humidity Sensing under Ambient Conditions. Cryst. Growth Des. 2019, 19 (9), 5249–5257. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.9b00646.(3) Chakrabarti, S.; Carolan, D.; Alessi, B.; Maguire, P.; Svrcek, V.; Mariotti, D. Microplasma-Synthesized Ultra-Small NiO Nanocrystals, a Ubiquitous Hole Transport Material. Nanoscale Adv. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1039/C9NA00299E.(4) Mariotti, D.; Patel, J.; Švrček, V.; Maguire, P. Plasma-Liquid Interactions at Atmospheric Pressure for Nanomaterials Synthesis and Surface Engineering. Plasma Process. Polym. 2012, 9 (11–12), 1074–1085. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201200007.(5) Velusamy, T.; Liguori, A.; Macias-Montero, M.; Padmanaban, D. B.; Carolan, D.; Gherardi, M.; Colombo, V.; Maguire, P.; Svrcek, V.; Mariotti, D. Ultra-Small CuO Nanoparticles with Tailored Energy-Band Diagram Synthesized by a Hybrid Plasma-Liquid Process. Plasma Process. Polym. 2017, 14 (7), 1600224. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201600224.(6) McGlynn, R.; Chakrabarti, S.; Alessi, B.; Moghaieb, H. S.; Maguire, P.; Singh, H.; Mariotti, D. Plasma-Induced Non-Equilibrium Electrochemistry Synthesis of Nanoparticles for Solar Thermal Energy Harvesting. Sol. Energy 2020, 203 (April), 37–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2020.04.004.(7) Padmanaban, D. B.; McGlynn, R.; Byrne, E.; Velusamy, T.; Swadźba-Kwaśny, M.; Maguire, P.; Mariotti, D. Understanding Plasma–Ethanol Non-Equilibrium Electrochemistry during the Synthesis of Metal Oxide Quantum Dots. Green Chem. 2021, 23 (11), 3983–3995. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0GC03291C.

Chronic-binge ethanol feeding aggravates systemic dyslipidemia in Ldlr-/- mice, thereby accelerating hepatic fibrosis.

Chronic ethanol consumption is known to cause alcohol-associated liver disease, which poses a global health concern as almost a quarter of heavy drinkers develop severe liver damage. Alcohol-induced liver disease ranges from a mild, reversible steatotic liver to alcoholic steatohepatitis and irreversible liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, ultimately requiring liver transplantation. While ethanol consumption is associated with dysregulated lipid metabolism and altered cholesterol homeostasis, the impact of dyslipidemia and pre-existing hypercholesterolemia on the development of alcohol-associated liver disease remains to be elucidated. To address the influence of systemic dyslipidemia on ethanol-induced liver disease, chronic-binge ethanol feeding was applied to female C57BL/6J (wild type) mice and mice deficient for the low-density lipoprotein receptor (Ldlr-/-), which display a human-like lipoprotein profile with elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels in circulation. Respective control groups were pair-fed an isocaloric diet. Chronic-binge ethanol feeding did not alter systemic lipid levels in wild type mice. While increased systemic cholesterol levels in Ldlr-/- mice were not affected by ethanol feeding, chronic-binge ethanol diet aggravated elevated plasma triglyceride levels in Ldlr-/- mice. Despite higher circulatory triglyceride levels in Ldlr-/- mice, hepatic lipid levels and the development of hepatic steatosis were not different from wild type mice after ethanol diet, while hepatic expression of genes related to lipid metabolism (Lpl) and transport (Cd36) showed minor changes. Immunohistochemical assessment indicated a lower induction of infiltrating neutrophils in the livers of ethanol-fed Ldlr-/- mice compared to wild type mice. In line, hepatic mRNA levels of the pro-inflammatory genes Ly6g, Cd11b, Ccr2, Cxcl1 and F4/80 were reduced, indicating less inflammation in the livers of Ldlr-/- mice which was associated with reduced Tlr9 induction. While systemic ALT and hepatic MDA levels were not different, Ldlr-deficient mice showed accelerated liver fibrosis development after chronic-binge ethanol diet than wild type mice, as indicated by increased levels of Sirius Red staining and higher expression of pro-fibrotic genes Tgfb, Col1a1 and Col3a1. Ldlr-/- and wild type mice had similar plasma ethanol levels and did not show differences in the hepatic mRNA levels of Adh1 and Cyp2e1, important for ethanol metabolism. Our results highlight that chronic-binge ethanol feeding enhances systemic dyslipidemia in Ldlr-/- mice which might accelerate the development of hepatic fibrosis, independent of hepatic lipid levels.

1515-P: Effect of Aging on Insulin Clearance in Mice

Aging is commonly linked with hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. Age-related hyperinsulinemia results from increased insulin secretion and/or decreased insulin clearance as compensatory mechanisms to peripheral insulin resistance. Several studies have reported reduced β-cell function in elderly rodents and humans. Earlier reports on decreased insulin clearance due to aging suggest that hyperinsulinemia in elderly could be explained predominantly by a reduction in insulin clearance. Hence, we aim to better understand the role of aging on insulin clearance following fat infusion. To investigate the aging effect, 3 months and 10-14 months old C57BL6 mice were infused with ethylpalmitate for 48h (hydrolyzed to palmitate and ethanol in plasma), to achieve elevated circulating FFA in a non-toxic manner. Mice were then subjected to hyperglycemic clamp, and during the clamp plasma C-peptide and insulin were measured to evaluate insulin clearance. Glucose infusion rate (GINF), insulin sensitivity index (SI) and disposition index (DI) were also assessed during clamp analysis. GINF is a measure of glucose tolerance whereas DI evaluates β-cell function. Whereas insulin secretion did not increase, insulin clearance was reduced in the aging mice, as indicated by the lower C-peptide/insulin molar ratio, observed during hyperglycemic clamp. No significant changes were observed in GINF between old and young mice; however, SI and DI were lower in elderly group. These results collectively suggest that with advancing age, β-cells may lose their ability to maintain a higher insulin secretion and that reduced hepatic insulin clearance plays a more dominant role to compensate for age-related decline in insulin sensitivity. Disclosure S.Rahman: None. S.Zaidi: Other Relationship; BullFrog AI. H.T.Muturi: None. S.M.Najjar: None. A.Giacca: None.

Efficacy and Safety of Inhaled Ethanol in Early-Stage SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Older Adults: A Phase II Randomized Clinical Trial

Inhaled ethanol in the early stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection may reduce the viral load, decreasing progression and improving prognosis. The ALCOVID-19 trial was designed to study the efficacy and safety of inhaled ethanol in older adults at initial phases of infection. Randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled phase II clinical trial. Experimental group (n = 38) inhaled 65° ethanol through an oxygen flow, while in the control group (n = 37), water for injection was used. General endpoint was to evaluate disease progression according to the modified World Health Organization (WHO) Clinical Progression Scale. Specific effectiveness endpoints were body temperature, oxygen saturation, viral load assessed by cycle threshold (Ct) on real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), analytical biomarkers and use of antibiotics or corticosteroids. Specific safety outcomes were the absence of ethanol in plasma, electrographic, analytical, or respiratory alterations. In the intention-to-treat population, no differences were found regarding disease progression. Mean Ct values increased over time in both groups, being numerically higher in the ethanol group, reaching a value above 33 only in the ethanol group on day 14, a value above which patients are considered non-infective. No differences were found in the other specific effectiveness endpoints. Inhaled ethanol was proven to be safe as no plasma ethanol was detected, and there were no electrocardiographic, analytical, or respiratory alterations. The efficacy of inhaled ethanol in terms of the progression of SARS-CoV-2 infection was not demonstrated in the present trial. However, it is positioned as a safe treatment for elderly patients with early-stage COVID-19.

Improved Principal Component Analysis (IPCA): A Novel Method for Quantitative Calibration Transfer between Different Near-Infrared Spectrometers.

Given the labor-consuming nature of model establishment, model transfer has become a considerable topic in the study of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Recently, many new algorithms have been proposed for the model transfer of spectra collected by the same types of instruments under different situations. However, in a practical scenario, we need to deal with model transfer between different types of instruments. To expand model applicability, we must develop a method that could transfer spectra acquired from different types of NIR spectrometers with different wavenumbers or absorbance. Therefore, in our study, we propose a new methodology based on improved principal component analysis (IPCA) for calibration transfer between different types of spectrometers. We adopted three datasets for method evaluation, including public pharmaceutical tablets (dataset 1), corn data (dataset 2), and the spectra of eight batches of samples acquired from the plasma ethanol precipitation process collected by FT-NIR and MicroNIR spectrometers (dataset 3). In the calibration transfer for public datasets, IPCA displayed comparable results with the classical calibration transfer method using piecewise direct standardization (PDS), indicating its obvious ability to transfer spectra collected from the same types of instruments. However, in the calibration transfer for dataset 3, our proposed IPCA method achieved a successful bi-transfer between the spectra acquired from the benchtop and micro-instruments with/without wavelength region selection. Furthermore, our proposed method enabled improvements in prediction ability rather than the degradation of the models built with original micro spectra. Therefore, our proposed method has no limitations on the spectrum for model transfer between different types of NIR instruments, thus allowing a wide application range, which could provide a supporting technology for the practical application of NIR spectroscopy.

Loaded Slot Cavity Induced Sensing Enhancement and Transparency Based on Plasmonic Structure

Biosensors have proved immensely useful in numerous vital areas for detection and testing. Here, a novel plasmonic nanosensor, based on loaded slot cavity, is proposed and studied. We conduct a detailed analysis of the influence of the load’s parameters on the transmission characteristics based on the finite element method and surface charge and current model. Simulation results reveal that the existence of the load can cause the resonant wavelength to have a linear or nonlinear red shift, and yield an enhanced plasmonic nanosensor with sensitivity about <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${S}={2900}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> nm/RIU and a detection limit about 1 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\times \,\,10^{\text {-3}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> . In addition, the proposed structure is well used in actual biosensing for blood plasma concentration, glucose concentration, ethanol temperature and diseased cell detection with high sensitivity. Finally, an extended structure with detuned loaded slot cavities is proposed to realize PIT/multi-PIT and slow light effect. The special features of our proposed structure are applicable in the realization of various integrated components for the development of high-performance plasmonic biosensor.

Coral Hydrate, a Novel Antioxidant, Improves Alcohol Intoxication in Mice.

Alcohol-drinking culture may cause individuals to periodically experience unpleasant hangovers. In addition, ethanol catabolism stimulates the production of free radicals that may cause liver injury and further lead to the development of chronic alcoholic fatty liver disease. Although a number of studies have suggested that hydrogenated water may be consumed to act as free radical scavenger, its instability limits its application. In this study, we used coral hydrate (i.e., hydrogenated coral materials) as a more stable hydrogen source and evaluated its effects in a murine model of alcohol intoxication. In solution, coral hydrate exhibited much more stable redox potential than did hydrogenated water. Furthermore, administration of coral hydrate by oral gavage significantly prolonged the time to fall asleep and decreased the total sleep time in mice that received intraperitoneal injection of ethanol. The mice receiving coral hydrate also had lower plasma ethanol and acetaldehyde levels than controls. In line with this observation, hepatic expression of alcohol dehydrogenase, acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were all significantly increased by the treatment. Meanwhile, alcohol-induced upregulation of pro-inflammatory factors was attenuated by the administration of coral hydrate. Taken together, our data suggest that coral hydrate might be an effective novel treatment for alcohol intoxication.

1322-P: Role of Macrophage NOD1 in Fat-Induced ß-Cell Dysfunction

In individuals with obesity, free fatty acids (FFA) are chronically raised resulting in ß-cell dysfunction, leading to type 2 diabetes (T2D) . Recent data implicate the role of inflammation in developing ß-cell dysfunction, which is in part mediated by nucleotide-oligomerization domain 1 (NOD1) , an intracellular pattern recognition receptor. NOD1 is activated by peptidoglycans of bacterial cell walls; however, in vitro studies have documented that NOD1 can also be activated by saturated FFA. Previous data from our lab have shown that palmitate-induced ß-cell dysfunction was prevented in whole body and ß-cell specific NOD1 null mice. We have seen earlier reports on increased macrophage infiltration in islets after elevation in circulating palmitate, and much higher expression of NOD1 in macrophages than ß-cells. Hence, we hypothesized that macrophage NOD1 receptors play a pivotal role in FFA-induced ß-cell dysfunction. We have generated myeloid specific NOD1 null mice to target macrophage NOD1 receptors by crossing NOD1 floxed mice with Lyz2 Cre+ mice. Both knockouts and their controls (floxed and Cre) were infused for 48 h with ethylpalmitate (hydrolyzed to palmitate and ethanol in plasma) , to achieve elevated circulating FFA in a non-toxic manner. Ethanol vehicle was infused as control treatment. To assess in vivo ß-cell function, hyperglycemic clamp was performed following the 48 h infusion, and the disposition index (DI) was calculated. Ethylpalmitate resulted in elevated plasma FFA compared to vehicle infusion. Ethylpalmitate caused marked reduction in DI in control mice, while knockout mice displayed no significant changes in DI between ethylpalmitate and vehicle infused groups. These results suggest that macrophage NOD1 plays a causal role in palmitate-induced ß-cell dysfunction in vivo. Overall, our data reveal NOD1 as a key factor and a potential therapeutic target for obesity-associated diabetes. Disclosure S.Rahman: None. J.Yung: None. Y.Zhang: None. A.Giacca: None.

Comparative effects of low-carbohydrate, full-strength and low-alcohol beer on gastric emptying, alcohol absorption, glycaemia and insulinaemia in health.

AimsThe aim of this study was to evaluate the comparative effects of low‐carbohydrate (LC), full‐strength (FS), and low‐alcohol (LA) beer on gastric emptying (GE), ethanol absorption, glycaemia and insulinaemia in health.MethodsEight subjects (four male, four female; age: 20.4 ± 0.4 years; BMI 22.7 ± 0.4 kg/m2) had concurrent measurements of GE, plasma ethanol, blood glucose and plasma insulin for 180 min on three separate occasions after ingesting 600 mL of (i) FS beer (5.0% w/v, 246 kcal, 19.2 g carbohydrate), (ii) LC beer (4.6% w/v, 180 kcal, 5.4 g carbohydrate) and (iii) LA beer (2.6% w/v, 162 kcal, 17.4 g carbohydrate) labelled with 20 MBq 99mTc‐calcium phytate, in random order.ResultsThere was no difference in the gastric 50% emptying time (T50) (FS: 89.0 ± 13.5 min vs LC: 79.5 ± 12.9 min vs LA: 74.6 ± 12.4 min; P = .39). Plasma ethanol was less after LA than LC (P < .001) and FS (P < .001), with no difference between LC and FS (P = 1.0). There was an inverse relationship between plasma ethanol at 15 min and GE after LA (r = −0.87, P < .01) and a trend for inverse relationships after LC (r = −0.67, P = .07) and FS (r = −0.69, P = .06). The AUC 0–180 min for blood glucose was greater for LA than LC (P < .001), with no difference between LA and FS (P = .40) or LC and FS (P = 1.0).ConclusionIn healthy young subjects, GE of FS, LC and LA beer is comparable and a determinant of the plasma ethanol response.

Effect of the precursor aggregate state on the synthesis of CNTs in a DC plasma jet

The transformation of various carbonaceous substances into ordered carbon nanostructures is a fundamental process in nanotechnology. Since this structural transformation is a common property of various methods for producing CNTs, understanding the mechanism of this process in the bulk of a plasma jet will be extremely important, since no substrates are used here. We present an experimental and numerical study of the synthesis of CNTs with and without external catalysts for the pyrolysis of soot, acetylene, and ethanol in a DC argon plasma at a pressure of 350 Torr. By combining various physical methods, including simultaneous thermal analysis, diffraction analysis, electron microscopy, and energy dispersive analysis, we will show that the aggregation state of the precursor significantly affects the structural and morphological properties of CNTs. Theoretical calculations under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium made it possible to study the gas phase composition of a plasma flow in which the CNT precursor is nucleated. It was found that during the pyrolysis of soot (C), the condensation temperature of solid carbon is 3672 K, with the hydrogen in precursor (C2H2) it is lower and equals 3353 K, with the addition of oxygen (C2H5OH) its value becomes even <3141 K. At the lowest condensation temperature, the most thermally stable CNTs are formed.

Молекулярные эффекты плазменной кислоты на ткани капсулы эндометриомы яичника

The aim of the research. To study the molecular effects of water treated with spark-discharge plasma on tissues of the cyst wall of the ovarian endometrium in vitro. Material and methods. Tissues of the ovarian endometrial cyst capsule obtained during the surgical treatment of women through laparoscopic access were incubated in various modes in plasma acid, ethanol and physiological solution at room temperature. Plasma acid was produced by treating water for injection with spark-discharge plasma to a decrease in pH&lt;2.0. Aft er the immunohistochemical study of the preparations, a comparative analysis of ablative and apoptogenic action via TUNEL was performed, as well as analysis of proangiogenic action (VEGFA), endothelial progenitor cells (CD133), protein damage (NT), DNA damage (8-OHdG) and proliferation activity (Ki67) of different treatment methods from the standpoint of potential plasma acid efficacy for sclerotherapy of ovarian endometrioma as compared to standard sclerosant: ethanol. Results. Th e study has demonstrated a more pronounced ablation and pre-apoptogenic effect of plasma acid on tissues of the ovarian endometrium capsule than ethanol. In addition, a decrease in neoangiogenesis and protein damage from active forms of nitrogen (protective action) compared to ethanol was shown. Conclusion. Water treated with spark-discharge plasma can be considered an eff ective alternative to ethanol for ovarian endometrioma sclerotherapy. The sequential action of plasma acid and ethanol increases the sclerosing action of ethanol.

Spectrophotometric Assay for the Quantification of Plasma Ethanol Levels in Mice through Chromium-Ethanol Oxidation-Reduction Reaction

The quantification of blood/plasma ethanol concentration (BEC/PEC) is of great importance in experiments involving basic research, clinical studies, and bioethanol production. Traditional methods commonly used to measure BEC can be expensive and require high-cost equipment and qualified labor. The aim of this study was to develop a low-cost method that can be performed with simple infrastructure commonly available in research laboratories. For this, we developed a protocol to quantify PEC in mice, using the method of reduction of potassium dichromate by ethanol. However, this oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction is not specific to ethanol. Thus, the PEC was measured following a sequence of chemical reactions to eliminate the reductive interfering substances presented in the samples. Firstly, we evaluated the sensitivity of the dichromate reactive to ethanol and to different reducing substances found in the plasma, in order to determine which the main interfering substances are. Next, once the main interfering substances were determined in the dichromate reduction, plasma was assayed for PEC. First, mice received intraperitoneally (i.p.) saline (basal reading, 0% ethanol) or ethanol injections (0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 g/kg) and had their plasma collected. After plasma deproteinization and plasma glucose oxidation, it was mixed with the dichromate/acetic acid reactive, and then the products of the redox reaction were determined by the spectrophotometric method. Then, we determined the PEC with the same plasma samples using a commercial ethanol assay kit as a positive control. We found an excellent correlation between the administered ethanol doses and PECs in both the methods analyzed. The values of PEC found in the dichromate reaction method were similar to those obtained in the literature with the same ethanol doses, and to the commercial enzyme activity assay. Therefore, despite the need for a background reading, this method can be successfully applied to determine PEC using low-cost chemical reagents.

Hepatoprotective potential of Dendropanax morbifera leaf extracts on ethanol-induced liver toxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats

This study investigated the preventive effect of Dendropanax morbifera leaf extracts (DMLEs) drew out with water, 30, 50 and 70% ethanol against alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity in vitro and vivo. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-dipenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed to assess cytotoxic activity of DMLEs, and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) ranged between 1.11 and 2.08 mg/mL on Hep3B cells. In preventing ethanol-induced-hepatotoxicity on Hep3B cells, 30 and 50% ethanol DMLEs were significantly effective compared to the 5% ethanol treatment control. In addition, the 30% ethanol DMLE was orally provided to rats 30 min prior to the administration of ethanol (3 mL/kg body weight). At 1, 3 and 5 h after ethanol treatment, the plasma levels of ethanol and acetaldehyde were determined. The 30% ethanol DMLE effectively decreased the plasma ethanol levels during 5 h but increased the plasma acetaldehyde levels until 3 h and then significantly decreased at 5 h, as compared to the control. These results indicate that the 30% ethanol DMLE possesses a potent preventive effect against ethanol-induced liver toxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Hydrogen production from ethanol using a special multi-segment plasma-catalytic reactor

The focus of the research was the process of hydrogen production from a mixture of water and ethanol in plasma and plasma-catalytic reactors. Plasma was produced in a dielectric barrier discharge. The catalyst was cobalt supported on ZrO2 (Co/ZrO2). The catalyst was placed in the grooves of the high voltage electrode. The ethanol conversion was similar in both studied reactors and increased from 34 to 55% with increasing discharge power from 20 to 60 W. However, hydrogen production in the plasma-catalytic reactor was up to 2.4 times greater than in the plasma reactor. The highest energy efficiency of hydrogen production in the plasma catalytic reactor was 7.7 mol(H2)·kWh-1. In the plasma reactor, the concentration of products was constant in the tested range of discharge power. In the plasma-catalytic reactor, H2 and CO2 concentrations increased with increasing discharge power, whereas concentrations of CO, CH4, C2H4, and C2H6 were decreased. The maximum H2 concentration was 56%.

Understanding plasma–ethanol non-equilibrium electrochemistry during the synthesis of metal oxide quantum dots

Rapid cupric oxide quantum dot (CuO QDs) synthesis through plasma–ethanol non-equilibrium electrochemistry process.

Development of a Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model for Prediction of Ethanol Concentration-Time Profile in Different Organs.

A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling approach was used to simulate the concentration-time profile of ethanol (EtOH) in stomach, duodenum, plasma and other tissues upon consumption of beer and whiskey under fasted and fed conditions. A full PBPK model was developed for EtOH using the advanced dissolution, absorption and metabolism (ADAM) model fully integrated into the Simcyp Simulator® 15 (Simcyp Ltd., Sheffield, UK). The prediction performance of the developed model was verified and the EtOH concentration-time profile in different organs was predicted. Simcyp simulation showed ≤ 2-fold difference in values of EtOH area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) in stomach and duodenum as compared to the observed values. Moreover, the simulated EtOH maximum concentration (Cmax), time to reach Cmax (Tmax) and AUC in plasma were comparable to the observed values. We showed that liver is exposed to the highest EtOH concentration, faster than other organs (Cmax=839.50mg/L and Tmax=0.53h), while brain exposure of EtOH (AUC=1139.43mg·h/L) is the highest among all other organs. Sensitivity analyses (SAs) showed direct proportion of EtOH rate and extent of absorption with administered EtOH dose and inverse relationship with gastric emptying time (GE) and steady-state volume of distribution (Vss). The current PBPK model approach might help with designing in vitro experiments in the area of alcohol organ damage or alcohol-drug interaction studies.

Combination of alcohol and glucose consumption as a risk to induce reactive hypoglycemia.

Aims/IntroductionAlcohol consumption has been reported to cause hypoglycemia. However, the mechanism involved has not been unequivocally established. This study comprised healthy volunteers. We carried out a prospective trial to compare the effects of glucose and alcohol consumption, alone or in combination, on glucose and lipid metabolism.Materials and MethodsA 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), a combined 75‐g glucose plus 20‐g alcohol tolerance test (OGATT) and a 20‐g alcohol tolerance test (OATT) were carried out in the participants. Plasma glucose, insulin, triglyceride and ethanol concentrations during each test were compared.ResultsWe studied 10 participants. Their plasma glucose concentrations 15 and 30 min after the intake of 75 g of glucose were significantly higher during the OGATT than the OGTT. Hypoglycemia occurred in five participants after the OGATT, which was significantly more frequently than after the OGTT (P = 0.046). Hypoglycemia did not occur after the OATT, and the ethanol concentration was significantly lower after the OGATT than the OATT. The changes in triglyceride concentration from 30 min after the consumption of 75 g of glucose were significantly greater during the OGATT than the OGTT. The plasma insulin concentrations peaked after 60 min during both the OGTT and OGATT, and were significantly higher during the OGATT (P = 0.047). There were no differences between the two interventions in the Matsuda or disposition indexes.ConclusionsHypoglycemia occurred more frequently after the simultaneous consumption of alcohol plus glucose than after the consumption of glucose alone, suggesting that alcohol in the combination of glucose induces reactive hypoglycemia.

Suppressive Effect of Shiitake Extract on Plasma Ethanol Elevation.

Alcohol is usually consumed with meals, but chronic consumption is a leading cause of alcoholic liver diseases. We investigated if shiitake extracts with a high lentinic acid content (Shiitake-H) and without lentinic acid (Shiitake-N) could suppress the elevation in plasma ethanol concentrations by accelerating ethanol metabolism and preventing ethanol absorption from the gut. Shiitake-H and Shiitake-N suppressed the elevation in concentrations of ethanol and acetaldehyde in plasma, and promoted the activities of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in the liver. However, these effects of Shiitake-H were more prominent than those of Shiitake-N. Furthermore, Shitake-H promoted ADH and ALDH activities in the stomach. We also examined the change in plasma ethanol concentration by injecting Shiitake-H or Shiitake-N into the ligated loop of the stomach or jejunum together with an ethanol solution. Shiitake-H suppressed the absorption of ethanol from the stomach and jejunum. In conclusion, Shiitake-H accelerates ethanol metabolism in the stomach and liver and inhibits ethanol absorption in the stomach and jejunum indicating that lentinic acid is a functional component in shiitake.