Protein structure of the venom in nine species of snake: from bio-compounds to possible healing agents

Due to its various structures in bio-compounds, snake venom is the indisputable result of evolutionary stages of molecules with an increasingly complex structure, high specificity, and of great importance for medicine because of their potential. The present study proposed an underpinning examination of venom composition from nine species of venomous snakes using a useful and replicable methodology. The objective was the extension of the evaluation of protein fractions in the field up to 230 kDa to permit possible identification of some fractions that are insufficiently studied. The gel capillary electrophoresis method on the chip was performed using an Agilent 2100 bioassay with the 80 and 230-LabChip Protein kits. Interpretation of electrophoresis was performed using the Protein 2100 expert (Agilent) test software as follows: a) Protein 80 (peak size scale): 1.60, 3.5, 6.50, 15.00, 28.00, 46.00, 63.00, 95.00 kDa; b) Protein 230 (peak size scale): 4.50, 7.00, 15.00, 28.00, 46.00, 63.00, 95.00, 150.00, 240.00 kDa. The screening revealed the presence of compounds with a molecular weight greater than 80 kDa, in the case of Vipera aspis and Vipera xantina palestinae. For V. aspis, a 125 kDa molecular weight pro-coagulant protein was identified, known as being involved in the reduction of plasma clotting time without any direct activity in the fibrinogen coagulation process. The samples examined on the Protein 230-LabChip electrophoresis chip can be considered as a novelty with possible uses in medicine, requiring further approaches by advanced proteomics techniques to confirm the intimate structural features and biological properties of snake venoms.

Mastering hysteresis in magnetocaloric materials

Hysteresis is more than just an interesting oddity that occurs in materials with a first-order transition. It is a real obstacle on the path from existing laboratory-scale prototypes of magnetic refrigerators towards commercialization of this potentially disruptive cooling technology. Indeed, the reversibility of the magnetocaloric effect, being essential for magnetic heat pumps, strongly depends on the width of the thermal hysteresis and, therefore, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms causing hysteresis and to find solutions to minimize losses associated with thermal hysteresis in order to maximize the efficiency of magnetic cooling devices. In this work, we discuss the fundamental aspects that can contribute to thermal hysteresis and the strategies that we are developing to at least partially overcome the hysteresis problem in some selected classes of magnetocaloric materials with large application potential. In doing so, we refer to the most relevant classes of magnetic refrigerants La-Fe-Si-, Heusler- and Fe2P-type compounds.This article is part of the themed issue 'Taking the temperature of phase transitions in cool materials'.

Towards high-performance permanent magnets without rare earths

Achieving a very strong magnetic anisotropy in a 3d material is a difficult, but not an impossible task. It is difficult because there is no general recipe (necessary condition) for a strong anisotropy in a band magnet. Several strategies can be pursued in this situation. One of them is to re-examine the less studied 3d compounds, somewhat neglected since the discovery of the Nd-Fe-B magnets 30 years ago. As an example, a single crystal of (Fe0.7Co0.3)2B has been investigated in this work.

Fusarium species and fusarium mycotoxins in cereals from West Romania: preliminary survey

Fungal contamination of plant products is an important risk factor for health, because of the high mycotoxin potential deriving from these contaminations with multiple effects: hepatic toxicity, teratogenic, mutagenic and carcinogenic. The contamination of cereals with mycotoxins has been a serious problem in Balkan communities. Several studies implicated mycotoxins, in endemic kidney disease geographically limited to Balkan region (Balkan endemic nephropathy). The trichothecenes are of particular concern because they are ubiquitous found in wheat, corn and barley throughout the world. Fumonisins have been isolated from certain Fusarium species of which FB1, FB2 and FB3 are the major ones produced in naturally contaminated foods.These mycotoxins are produced on cereal grains infected by Fusarium while being grown in-the-field. The aim of this study is to evaluate the presence of the Fusarium species in cereals from West side of Romania and to determinate the concentrations of deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisine (F1+F2). Identification of Fusarium species was done using the total number of fungal species determination method. The level of mycotoxins was determined with the immune-enzymatic method ELISA. 27 cereal samples from rural households in three counties in West Romania were analysed.