Ultrasound-assisted extraction of capsaicinoids from peppers

The development of a rapid, reproducible and simple method of extraction of the majority capsaicinoids (nordihydrocapsaicin, capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, homocapsaicin and homodihydrocapsaicin) present in hot peppers by the employment of ultrasound-assisted extraction is reported. The study has covered four possible solvents for the extraction (acetonitrile, methanol, ethanol and water), the optimum temperature for extraction (10-60 degrees C), the extraction time (2-25 min), the quantity of sample (0.2-2 g), and the volume of solvent (15-50 mL). Under the optimum conditions of the method developed, methanol is employed as solvent, at a temperature of 50 degrees C and an extraction time of 10 min. The repeatability and reproducibility of the method (R.S.D.<3%) have been determined. The capsaicinoids extracted have been analysed by HPLC with fluorescence detection and using monolithic columns for the chromatographic separation. The method developed has been employed for the quantification of the various capsaicinoids present in different varieties of hot peppers cultivated in Spain.

Improved Chromatographic Methods for Determination of Bioactive Compounds from Aloe vera Leaves

In this work three chromatographic methods were developed to reduce the total time of the analysis of main compounds in Aloe vera extracts. The first method was developed in a regular reverse phase chromatographic system using a particulate reverse phase C-18 column. Methods already published were used as a starting point for the development of the new method. All the compounds were separated in 32 minutes. The second method was developed in a regular reverse phase chromatographic system employing a monolithic type column. Using a 4.5 mL min−1 flow, the total time of analysis was reduced to 6 minutes with very similar resolution values. The third method was developed in an ultraperformance liquid chromatographic system, and the final time for the analysis of the phenolic compounds was reduced to 4 minutes. The analytical properties of the three chromatographic methods were compared for the main compounds in the chromatograms. Robustness of the three new methods was also checked with regard to the injection volume and the amount of methanol in the sample. A fast method (4 min) is then available for bioactive compounds from Aloe vera determination.

Study and modeling of the thrombosis of small cerebral aneurysms, with and without flow diverter, by the lattice Boltzmann method

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Small cerebral aneurysms are currently commonly treated non-invasively by flow diverter device. These stents lead to thrombotic occlusion of the aneurysm soon after their placement. The purpose of this work is to model clotting into intracranial aneurysms with and without stents, using a non-Newtonian of blood behavior, and to investigate the importance of stent to generate desired thrombus in intracranial aneurysms.

METHOD

The description of blood flow is made by the Boltzmann lattice equations, while thrombosis is modeled by the "fluid age" model. The lattice Boltzmann method is a computational technique for simulating fluid dynamics. The method is based on a mesoscopic approach, where the fluid is represented by a set of particles that move and interact on a grid. The model for blood coagulation is described by lattice Boltzmann Method, and it doesn't take into account the complicated coagulation pathway, this main idea is developed using the model of residence time of blood: all fluid in the domain is assumed to be capable of clotting, given enough time. The fluid age is measured by a passive scalar using a transport equation, and the node coagulates if the fluid age increases enough. Three small aneurysms of different sizes and shapes with three stents of various porosities were used to test the ability of the model to predict thrombosis. The "occlusion rate" parameter is used to assess the effectiveness of the flow diverter device.

RESULTS

For the large aspect ratio factor, the occlusion is: 91% for flow diverter devise with seven struts. For medium aspect ratio, a rate of 80% is achieved. An occlusion rate of slightly more than 30% is obtained for very small aneurysms with low aspect ratio. The Newtonian model underestimates the volume of thrombosis generated. The difference in the prediction of the thrombosis volume between the Newtonian and no-Newtonian Carreau-Yasuda models is approximately 10%.

CONCLUSION

The occlusion rate is proportional to the aspect ratio form factor. For the large and medium aspect ratio factors, the occlusion is satisfactory. Concerning very small aneurysms with low aspect ratio, aneurysm occlusion is low. This rate can be improved to almost complete occlusion if the flow diverter device is doubled. The generality of the model suggests its extensibility toward any other type of thrombosis (stenosis, thrombosis in aortic aneurysms).