Exhaled breath Volatile metabolites Headspace-solid phase microextraction Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry a b s t r a c t Allergic asthma represents an important public health issue, most common in the paediatric population, characterized by airway inflammation that may lead to changes in volatiles secreted via the lungs. Thus, exhaled breath has potential to be a matrix with relevant metabolomic information to characterize this disease. Progress in biochemistry, health sciences and related areas depends on instrumental advances, and a high throughput and sensitive equipment such as comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-ToFMS) was considered. GC × GC-ToFMS application in the analysis of the exhaled breath of 32 children with allergic asthma, from which 10 had also allergic rhinitis, and 27 control children allowed the identification of several hundreds of compounds belonging to different chemical families. Multivariate analysis, using Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis in tandem with Monte Carlo Cross Validation was performed to assess the predictive power and to help the interpretation of recovered compounds possibly linked to oxidative stress, inflammation processes or other cellular processes that may characterize asthma. The results suggest that the model is robust, considering the high classification rate, sensitivity, and specificity. A pattern of six compounds belonging to the alkanes characterized the asthmatic population: nonane, 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethylheptane, decane, 3,6-dimethyldecane, dodecane, and tetradecane. To explore future clinical applications, and considering the future role of molecular-based methodologies, a compound set was established to rapid access of information from exhaled breath, reducing the time of data processing, and thus, becoming more expedite method for the clinical purposes.

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The volatile compounds of cork were studied by gas chromatography and combined gas chromatography−high-resolution mass spectrometry using simultaneous distillation−extraction to prepare the samples. To assess the origin of the volatiles, three different types of samples were analyzed:  “normal”, attacked by Armillaria mellea, and infested by molds. The study of the volatiles of these different types of corks allowed the identification of the chemical modifications which may occur in cork polymers. The cork attacked by A. mellea showed higher amounts of phenols, vanillin, benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, and chlorinated compounds than normal cork; this may indicate lignin degradation. The cork infested by molds contained higher levels of 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1-octen-3-ol, 1-octanol, 2-methylisoborneol, chlorinated compounds, and methyl ketones. These components resulting from microbial metabolism were also present in cork attacked by A. mellea. The use of cork attacked by A. mellea is not recommended in the manufacture of cork stoppers, since these types of cork have volatile compounds likely to cause off-flavors in wine. For the same reason it is important to reduce the likelihood of mold development during the standing period. Keywords: “Normal” cork; Armillaria mellea; molds; volatile components; musty and moldy odors

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A novel approach is described using chitosan–genipin films as a sustainable method for wine preservation.

There is growing concern that modifications to the global environment such as ocean acidification and increased ultraviolet radiation may interact with anthropogenic pollutants to adversely affect the future marine environment. Despite this, little is known about the nature of the potential risks posed by such interactions. Here, we performed a multifactorial microcosm experiment to assess the impact of ocean acidification, ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation and oil hydrocarbon contamination on sediment chemistry, the microbial community (composition and function) and biochemical marker response of selected indicator species. We found that increased ocean acidification and oil contamination in the absence of UV-B will significantly alter bacterial composition by, among other things, greatly reducing the relative abundance of Desulfobacterales, known to be important oil hydrocarbon degraders. Along with changes in bacterial composition, we identified concomitant shifts in the composition of oil hydrocarbons in the sediment and an increase in oxidative stress effects on our indicator species. Interestingly, our study identifies UV-B as a critical component in the interaction between these factors, as its presence alleviates harmful effects caused by the combination of reduced pH and oil pollution. The model system used here shows that the interactive effect of reduced pH and oil contamination can adversely affect the structure and functioning of sediment benthic communities, with the potential to exacerbate the toxicity of oil hydrocarbons in marine ecosystems.

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Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) comprised of two disorders of idiopathic chronic intestinal inflammation that affect about three million people worldwide: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Nowadays, the first-line of treatment for patients with mild to moderate symptoms of IBD is comprised of corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, antibiotics, and biological agents. Unfortunately, none of these drugs are curative, and their long-term use may cause severe side effects and complications. Almost 40% of IBD patients use alternative therapies to complement the conventional one, and flavonoids are gaining attention for this purpose. The biological properties of flavonoids are well documented and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities have been arousing attention in the scientific community. Flavonoids are the most widely distributed polyphenols in plants and fruits, making part of the human diet. Taking into account that all ingested flavonoids are expected to exert biological actions at the gastrointestinal level, research on the modulatory effect of these compounds in IBD is of paramount importance. This review intends to summarize, in an integrated and comprehensive form, the effect of flavonoids, both in vitro and in vivo, in the different phases of the characteristic IBD inflammatory network.