Dry leaf extracts of eastern teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens L.) were evaluated as a source of bioactive phytocompounds through systematic activity testing and phytochemical profiling. The antioxidant efficiency was tested using five complementary in vitro models (DPPH; FRAP; linoleic acid (LA) peroxidation assay; O2•− and H2O2 scavenging tests) in parallel with standard antioxidants. The 75% methanol extract and its diethyl ether, ethyl acetate (EAF), n-butanol and water fractions exhibited the dose-dependent responses in all assays, with the highest capacities found for EAF (DPPH EC50 = 2.9 μg/mL; FRAP = 12.8 mmol Fe 2+ /g; IC50 for LA-peroxidation = 123.9 μg/mL; O2•− SC50 = 3.9 μg/mL; H2O2 SC50 = 7.2 μg/mL). The EAF had also the highest anti-inflammatory activity in the inhibition tests of lipoxygenase and hyaluronidase (60.14% and 21.83% effects, respectively, at the concentration of 100 μg/mL). Activity parameters of the extracts correlated strongly with the levels of total phenolics (72.4-270.7 mg GAE/g), procyanidins, and phenolic acids, whereas for flavonoids only moderate effects were and HPLC-PDA studies led to the identification of 35 polyphenols with a procyanidin A-type trimer, quercetin 3-O-glucuronide, isomers of caffeoylquinic acids, and (-)-epicatechin being the dominant components. Significant activity levels, high phenolic contents and high extraction yields (39.4%-42.5% DW for defatted and crude methanol extracts, respectively) indicate the value of eastern teaberry leaves as bioactive products.

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b-Chitinous scaffolds isolated from the skeleton of marine cephalopod Sepia officinalis were used as a template for the in vitro formation of ZnO under conditions (70 C) which are extreme for biological materials. Novel b-chitin/ZnO film-like composites were prepared for the first time by hydrothermal synthesis, and were thoroughly characterized using numerous analytical methods including Raman spectroscopy, HR-TEM and XRD. We demonstrate the growth of hexagonal ZnO nanocrystals on the b-chitin substrate. Our chitin/ZnO composites presented in this work show antibacterial properties against Gram positive bacteria and can be employed for development of inorganic-organic wound dressing materials.

Bullet-derived lead in game food products is an important source of human contamination. Careless removal of tissues from around the bullet pathway in the animal body results in elevated lead doses being ingested by humans. To assess bullet-derived lead contamination of soft game tissues, muscle tissue samples were collected from ten wild boars and ten red deer immediately after they had been shot. The samples were collected from around the entry and exit wounds, from around the bullet pathway at different sites along its length, and from a distance of about 5, 15, 25, and 30 cm from the bullet track. The individuals examined differed in the lead contents in their tissues surrounding the entry and exit wounds and at different sites along the bullet pathway. One of the animals showed as much lead as 1,095.9 mg kg −1 wet weight in the tissue surrounding the bullet track near the entry wound, 736.0 mg kg −1 being recorded around the exit wound.

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