Acrylamide is an undesirable carcinogenic component of thermally processed foods being formed from reducing saccharides and asparagine. In this work, the effect of ammonium and sodium raising agents themselves or in their combination with L-asparaginase enzyme catalyzing the conversion of asparagine into aspartic acid resulting in the reduction of acrylamide in gingerbreads was studied. Also, the influence of selected inorganic salts on the content of acrylamide in a model matrix simulating a composition of cereal products was observed. Simultaneously, the impact of these salts on activity of L-asparaginase was examined to find optimal conditions for its application in cereal technology. Based on experiments it was found, that addition of L-asparaginase reduces acrylamide content by 40 % while inorganic salts addition decreases acrylamide content in the range of 30 - 99 % when the most effective compounds were NH4Cl and CaCl2.

Acrylamide (AA) is a probable human carcinogen and undesirable contaminant which is produced by the reaction of reducing sugars with asparagine in plant foods during their thermal treatment above 120 °C. AA is most often determined by GC-MS and LC-MS/MS in isolates from the matrix in a wide range of foods. According to our observations, AA intake from food is higher among young people (from 1.8 to 3.8 µg/kg bw/day), which is consistent with the estimations of JECFA FAO/WHO from the year 2006. Considering the health risk, it is recommended to reduce AA formation in food during its processing, in particular exploiting the available experience. The aim of this thesis was to extend the knowledge of the possibility of AA elimination in selected types of thermally processed foods. The study was focused on cereal foods that contribute significantly to AA exposure, especially bread and sweet biscuits. The whole AA content in the bread is in the crust, which represents 5-15% of the bread. Crust of home-made bread contains approximately 30-75 µg/kg, however the marketed bread contains 2 to 10 times more of AA. This is due to the composition of bread mix, preparation conditions and baking. For maintaining the quality of home-made bread during the dry mixture shelf-life, optimization of bread mixtures was designed by increasing of yeast content, which proved positive effect on the reduction of AA content at sufficiently high activity of the yeast. Monitoring of AA content in assortment of sweet bakery products showed higher levels of AA in diabetic biscuits containing fructose instead of sucrose. Three of them even exceeded the reference value (500 µg/kg) more than 1.5 times for commodity "cookies". Elimination of AA by applications of the enzyme asparaginase has been designed for minimal interference in technology of their production. The concentration of the enzyme and the appropriate method of its use in industrial environment have been tested previously in model systems. In optimized conditions of the enzyme application, AA content in diabetic biscuits was reduced by more than 40% without affecting the organoleptic properties of the final product. Effect of the antioxidants on AA formation was also part of the study. AA content in gingerbread was reduced efficiently by the use of fennel, anise, cloves, vanilla and white pepper (by about 9-21%). Conversely, coriander and cinnamon significantly increased its content (by 18-54%). Since correlations between the DPPH• radical quenching activity of the spice extracts and AA content was not observed, the final content of AA was probably influenced by the chemical composition of spices and reactivity of the individual components in the matrix. Investigated methods appear to be suitable ways of elimination AA in some foods; however their specific use must be optimized with regard to the composition of the food, processing and the technology used. Estimated impact of application of the above-mentioned methods to the overall elimination of AA exposure showed that its intake in high school students from the Czech and Slovak Republic can be reduced on average by 10%. This decrease is a success to reduce the possible risk of cancer disease by eating foods with a high AA content. It is also important piece of information for food producers for further development of relevant methods for AA elimination which would help to reduce the AA intake from foods even more.

Das Ziel der Arbeit bestand darin, ein verbessertes Verfahren zur Ausbildung einer Polyurethanschicht mit poröser Kapillarstruktur zu erarbeiten. Die Fällung (Koagulation) einer Polyurethanlösung erfolgt durch kontrollierte Freisetzung von Fällmittel aus einem zugesetzten, thermisch sensiblen und porös umhüllten Hydrogel. Bei Erwärmung auf eine stoffspezifische Temperatur setzt das Hydrogel Wasser frei, das die Fällung initiiert. Gegenüber der Fällung in einem Fällbad erzielt diese Verfahrensweise deutliche Verbesserungen. Die umhüllten Gele wurden mit Hilfe rheologischer, thermoanalytischer und weiterer Untersuchungsmethoden umfassend charakterisiert. Dadurch gelang es, eine Hüllenstruktur auszuwählen, die den spontanen Austausch von Löse- und Fällmittel verhindert und gleichzeitig die Wasserfreisetzung gewährleistet.

<p>Akrilamid&nbsp; je toksična hemijska supst anca koja je već dugi niz godina prisutna u životnoj sredini,&nbsp; jer se kao važan monomer koristi u različite industrijske i laboratorijske svrhe. U poslednjih petnaest godina, akrilamid je postao posebno zanimljiv za &scaron;ire naučne krugove jer&nbsp; se pokazalo da&nbsp; se&nbsp; nalazi&nbsp; i u&nbsp; hrani&nbsp; biljnog porekla, posebno hrani bogatoj skrobom, koja se priprema pečenjem ili prženjem na temperaturama vi&scaron;im od 120&deg;C.&nbsp; Do sada ustanovljeni negativni zdravstveni efekti akrilamida su veoma raznovrsni i mogu biti rezultat delovanja samog&nbsp; akrilamida ili delovanja njegovog metabolita glicidamida koji nastaje&nbsp; in vivo&nbsp; kada se jedan deo molekula akrilamida metaboli&scaron;e oksigenacijom dvostruke veze pomoću enzima citohrom P450 2E1 (CYP2E1). Akrilamid je supstanca koja ima dokazan negativan efekat&nbsp; na organske sisteme kod ljudi i životinja, i koja je svrstana u moguće humane karcinogene. Negativan efekat akrilamida na egzokrini pankreas je poznat, ali o mogućim efektima akrilamida na endokrini pankreas se i dalje veoma malo zna. Ima puno dokaza koji&nbsp; ukazuju na to da akrilamid ima citotoksični efekat koji se&nbsp; manifestuje kroz uticaj na redoks-status ćelija i dovodi do promena u vrednostima biomarkera oksidativnog i nitrozativnog stresa, kao i u aktivnosti antioksidativnih enzima. Pankreas&nbsp; je&nbsp; jedan od ciljnih&nbsp; organa za delovanje akrilamida te je&nbsp; glavni predmet istraživanja&nbsp; doktorske teze&nbsp; bio proučavanje potencijalnog efekta akrilamida na endokrini pankreas pacova.&nbsp; Ispitivanje je vr&scaron;eno na 3&nbsp; eksperimentalne grupe&nbsp; juvenilnih&nbsp; mužjaka pacova soja Wistar,&nbsp; od kojih je&nbsp; jedna grupa bila kontrolna, dok su dve bile tretirane&nbsp; sa akrilamidom u dozama od 25 mg/kg tm i 50 mg/kg tm,&nbsp; 5 dana nedeljno,&nbsp; tokom 3 nedelje. Po isteku tretmana,&nbsp; nakon dekapitacije, kompletno tkivo pankreasa&nbsp; je&nbsp; fiksirano u 10% rastvoru formalina&nbsp; tokom&nbsp; 24&nbsp; h i obrađeno prema&nbsp; standardnoj proceduri za kalupljenje u parafinu.&nbsp; Parafinski kalupi su sečeni na serijske preseke debljine 5 &micro;m, nakon čega su bojeni&nbsp; histohemijskom i imunohistohemijskim metodama.&nbsp; Kod eksperimentalnih grupa posmatrane&nbsp; su&nbsp; histolo&scaron;ke promene na endokrinom pankreasu, sa akcentom na &alpha;-&nbsp; i &beta;-ćelije.&nbsp; Takođe, posmatrana je&nbsp; i&nbsp; ekspresija&nbsp; hormona insulina i glukagona, enzima inducibilne azot -oksi d&nbsp; sintetaze (iNOS) i&nbsp; CYP2E1,&nbsp; kao&nbsp; i ekspresija&nbsp;&nbsp; antioksidativnih enzima&nbsp; katalaza&nbsp; (CAT) i superoksid dismut aza 1 i 2&nbsp; (SOD1 i SOD2)&nbsp; u ćelijama Langerhansovih ostrvaca. Potencijalna promena u funkcionalnosti &beta;-ćelija je ispitana i kroz analizu nivoa glukoze u serumu pacova tretiranih sa akrilamidom.<br />Budući da &beta;-ćelije čine 80% ćelija koje grade Langerhansova ostrvca pankreasa,&nbsp; pored in vivo&nbsp; eksperimenata, ispitana&nbsp; je&nbsp; i toksičnost akrilamida na&nbsp; Rin-5F ćelijsku liniju insulinoma &beta;-ćelija pacova u in vitro uslovima. Glavni cilj in vitro&nbsp; istraživanja je bio&nbsp; da se&nbsp; ispita&nbsp; uticaj&nbsp; rastućih&nbsp; koncentracija akrilamida na preživljavanje tretiranih&nbsp; Rin-5F&nbsp; ćelija, ali i efekat IC₅₀&nbsp; koncentracije ove supstance primenjene&nbsp; tokom&nbsp; različitih vremenskih intervala&nbsp; (0,5, 1, 3, 6, 12 i 24 h)&nbsp; na pojavu oksidativnog i nitrozativnog stresa. Redoks-status Rin-5F ćelija tretiranih&nbsp; sa akrilamidom je ispitan preko analize prisustva biomarkera oksidativnog i nitrozativnog stresa, akrivnosti CAT i ukupne SOD, kao i promene u ekspresiji gena za CAT, SOD1, SOD2&nbsp;&nbsp; i iNOS.&nbsp; Pored toga, analiziran je i efekat istog tretmana na&nbsp; ekspresiju gena za insulin, CYP2E1, Bax i Bcl-2. U okviru teze je pokazano da akrilamid ne dovodi do&nbsp; značajnih promena u histolo&scaron;koj građi, dijametru i broju Langerhansovih ostrvaca&nbsp; kod&nbsp; tretiranih životinja.&nbsp; Primena stereolo&scaron;kih metoda&nbsp; je&nbsp; ukazala&nbsp; na mikrostrukturne promene na&nbsp; endokrinom pankreasu na nivou &alpha;-&nbsp; i &beta;-ćelija. U ovoj tezi je po prvi put pokazano da tretman akrilamidom negativno utiče na broj i povr&scaron;inu &beta;-ćelija pankreasa.&nbsp; U tezi je, takođe,&nbsp; pokazan&nbsp; značajan dozno-zavisni pad u prisustvu insulina u &beta;-ćelijama&nbsp;&nbsp; pankreasa. Uprkos&nbsp; tome, kod&nbsp; akrilamidom tretiranih&nbsp; životinja&nbsp; nije konstatovana&nbsp; promena&nbsp; u&nbsp; koncentraciji serumske glukoze.&nbsp; U&nbsp; ovoj tezi je pokazano da tretman akrilamidom dovodi do&nbsp;&nbsp; statistički značajnog porasta&nbsp; u broju &alpha;-ćelija&nbsp; kod životinja koje su primale nižu dozu tretmana, dok se&nbsp; broj &alpha;-ćelija&nbsp; kod životinja koje su primale vi&scaron;u dozu tretmana&nbsp; ne razlikuje značajno od kontrole.&nbsp; Tretman akrilamidom je doveo do značajnog&nbsp; porasta u količini&nbsp;&nbsp; prisutnog glukagona&nbsp; u &alpha;-ćelijama pankreasa.<br />Tretman akrilamidom nije doveo do značajne promene u ekspresiji CAT, SOD1 i SOD2 u ćelijama Langerhansovih ostrvaca.&nbsp; Kod&nbsp; tretiranih životinja&nbsp; do&scaron;lo do značajnog dozno-zavisnog porasta&nbsp; u ekspresiji&nbsp; enzima iNOS,&nbsp; dok je ekspresija&nbsp; CYP2E1 značajno dozno-zavisno opala&nbsp; nakon tretmana. U&nbsp; tezi je pokazano da tretman akrilamidom negativno utiče na vijabilnost Rin-5F ćelija, i utvrđeno je da IC50&nbsp; koncentracija akrilamida za Rin-5F ćelije iznosi 10 mM.&nbsp; Rezultati teze pokazuju da tretman akrilamidom u IC₅₀&nbsp; koncentraciji u Rin-5F ćelijskoj liniji značajno povećava nivo malondialdehida (MDA) nakon tretmana u trajanju od 1, 12 i 24 h.&nbsp; Isti tretman&nbsp; značajno smanjuje nivo redukovanog GSH nakon tretmana od 1, 3, 6, 12 i<br />24 h, kao i nivo slobodnih&nbsp; &ndash;SH grupa nakon tretmana od 3 i 6 h. Tretman akrilamidom u IC_50&nbsp; koncentraciji signifikantno pojačava aktivnost CAT nakon tretmana od 1 h, dok tretman u trajanju od 12 h značajno smanjuje aktivnost ovog enzima. Ovaj tretman smanjuje aktivnost SOD nakon 1, 12 i 24 h, dok&nbsp; tretman u trajanju od 6 h značajno pojačava aktivnost enzima SOD.&nbsp; U tezi je, takođe, pokazan i veoma značajan porast&nbsp; u nivou prisutnih nitrita,&nbsp; koji&nbsp; je direktno proporcionalan&nbsp; sa nivoom azot-oksida i nivoom akivnosti enzima iNOS.&nbsp; Ovaj&nbsp; nalaz ukazuje na potencijalnu pojavu nitrozati vnog stresa u akrilamidom-tretiranim Rin-5F ćelijama.&nbsp; U&nbsp; tezi je po prvi put pokazano da tretman&nbsp; akrilamidom dovodi do&nbsp; značajnih&nbsp; varijacija&nbsp; u transkripciji gena za iNOS, SOD1, SOD2,&nbsp; CAT,&nbsp; CYP2E1,&nbsp; Bax i Bcl-2 u tretiranim Rin-5F ćelijama, dok isti tretman ne dovodi do&nbsp; promene nivoa&nbsp; transkripcije gena za insulin.&nbsp; Tretman akrilamidom u koncentraciji od 10<br />mM tokom rastućih vremenskih perioda dovodi do porasta u relativnoj količini iRNK<br />gena za iNOS u svim tačkama tretmana, do porasta&nbsp; nivoa&nbsp; iRNK za SOD1 i SOD2 nakon tretmana od 12 i 24 h, kao i do porasta&nbsp; količine&nbsp; iRNK za CAT nakon tretmana od 3 h.&nbsp; U&nbsp; tezi je pokazano&nbsp; i&nbsp; da akrilamid&nbsp; izaziva&nbsp; promene&nbsp; u sintezi&nbsp; iRNK&nbsp; za enzim&nbsp; CYP2E1&nbsp; koji je&nbsp; posebno značajan u kontekstu detoksikacije ove toksične supstance.&nbsp; Porast u transkripciji gena za&nbsp; CYP2E1&nbsp; je uočen&nbsp; nakon tretmana u trajanju od 0,5 i 1 h, dok je&nbsp; do smanjenja transkripcije&nbsp; do&scaron;lo&nbsp; nakon tretmana od 12&nbsp; i 24&nbsp; h.&nbsp; Tretman akrilamidom u koncentraciji od&nbsp; 10 mM tokom rastućih vremenskih perioda dovodi do porasta u relativnoj količini iRNK&nbsp; gena za Bax u svim tačkama tretmana, i do porasta u transkripciji gena za Bcl-2 nakon tretmana od 0,5, 1 i 3 h.<br />Sumirajući&nbsp; sve&nbsp; rezultate&nbsp; ove teze,&nbsp; moze se zaključiti&nbsp; da je endokrini pankreas&nbsp; jedno od&nbsp; ciljnih tkiva, na koje akrilamid ostvaruje vi&scaron;estruki negativni uticaj.</p> / <p>Acrylamide is a toxic chemical used as an important monomer for various industrial and laboratory purposes, which makes it highly present in the environment. In the last fifteen years, acrylamide has become especially interesting for wider scientific circles when it was found in staple foodstuff rich in starch, prepared at temperatures higher than 120&deg;C. The established negative health effects of acrylamide are very diverse and can be the result of the acrylamide action itself or the action of its metabolite glycidamide that occurs in vivo, when acrylamide molecule is metabolized via oxygenation of the double bond by the cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1). Acrylamide is a substance with a proven adverse effect on humans and animals, and it is classified as a possible human carcinogen. The negative effect of acrylamide on the exocrine pancreas has already been recognized, but the possible effects of acrylamide&nbsp; on endocrine pancreas are still mostly undetermined. There is a significant amount of evidence to suggest that acrylamide exerts a cytotoxic effect which manifests through the changes in level of oxidative and nitrosative stress biomarkers, as well as in the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Since, pancreas is one of the target organs for acrylamide, the main subject of doctoral thesis was to investigate the potential effect of acrylamide on the rat endocrine pancreas. The investigation was conducted on 3 experimental groups of juvenile male Wistar rats, of which one group was the control group, while two groups were treated with acrylamide at doses of 25 mg/kg bw and 50 mg/kg bw, 5 days a week, during 3 weeks. After termination of the treatment, decapitation was performed, and the complete pancreatic tissue was fixed in a 10% formalin solution for 24 h and treated according to the standard paraffin embedding procedure. Paraffin molds were cut into 5 &mu;m thick serial sections, after which they were stained with histochemical and immunohistochemical methods. Histological changes ofthe endocrine pancreas, with the emphasis on &alpha;- and &beta;-cells, were examined in three experimental groups of rats. In addition, the expression of insulin and glucagon hormone, the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and CYP2E1 enzymes, and the expression of antioxidative enzymes catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutases 1 and 2&nbsp; (SOD1 and SOD2) in the islets of Langerhans were also investigated. A potential change in the functionality of &beta;-cells was also examined by analyzing glucose level in the serum of rats treated with acrylamide. In pancreatic islets of Langerhans the majority of cells (&gt;80%) are &beta;-cells. Therefore, in addition to in vivo experiments, the toxicity of acrylamide was examined in vitro on rat insulinoma Rin-5F cell line.The main goal of in vitro research was to investigate the impact of increasing acrylamide concentrations on the viability of treated Rin-5F cells, and also to examine whether IC50 concentration of this substance, applied at different intervals of time (0.5, 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h), induce oxidative and nitrosative stress. Redox-status of Rin-5F cells treated with acrylamide was examined by analyzing oxidative and nitrosative stress biomarkers, CAT and total SOD activity, as well as changes in the expression of the CAT, SOD1, SOD2 and iNOS. In addition, the effect of the same treatment on the transcription of the insulin, CYP2E1, Bax and Bcl-2 gene was analyzed.The results of the thesis showed that acrylamide treatment does not lead to significant changes in the histological structure, diameter and number of islets of Langerhans of treated animals. Application of stereological methods indicated microstructural changes of &alpha;- and &beta;-cells ofendocrine pancreas. It has been shown for the first time that treatment with acrylamide negatively affects the number and surface area of pancreatic &beta;-cells. In addition, a significant dose-dependent decline in the amount of insulin in pancreatic &beta;-cells was also demonstrated. However, no change in serum glucose level was observed in treated animals. Acrylamide treatment led to a statistically significant increase in the number of &alpha;-cells in animals receiving a lower dose of treatment, while the number of &alpha;-cells in animals receiving a higher dose of treatment did not differ significantly from the control. Treatment with acrylamide led to a significant increase in the amount of the glucagon in &alpha;-cells. Treatment with acrylamide did not cause a significant change in the expression of CAT, SOD1 and SOD2 in islets of Langerhans. However, there was a significant dosedependent increase in the&nbsp; expression of iNOS enzyme, whereas expression of CYP2E1 significantly decreased in dose-dependent manner in treated animals. Results of the thesis showed that acrylamide exerts a negative effect on the viability of Rin-5F cell line. It has been established that the IC50 concentration of acrylamide for the Rin-5F cell line is 10 mM. The results of the thesis indicate that treatment of Rin-5F cell line with IC50 concentration of acrylamide for 1, 12, and 24 h significantly increased the level of malondialdehyde (MDA). Exposure to acrylamide for 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h significantly decreased the level of reduced GSH, while the level of free -SH groups was reduced after 3 and 6 h of acrylamide treatments. Treatment with IC50 concentration of acrylamide significantly enhanced CAT activity after 1 h of acrylamide exposure, while 12 h exposure significantly reduced the activity of this enzyme. Application of acrylamide reduced SOD activity after 1, 12, and 24 h exposure, while 6 h exposure significantly increased the activity of SOD enzymes. Results of the thesis also showed a very significant increase of the nitrite level, which is directly proportional to the level of nitrogen oxide (NO) and the level of the iNOS activity. This finding points to the potential occurrence of nitrosative stress in acrylamide-treated Rin-5F cells. It has been shown for the first time that acrylamide treatment leads to significant variations in transcription of iNOS, SOD1, SOD2, CAT, CYP2E1, Bax and Bcl-2 genes in treated Rin-5F cells, while the same treatment does not affect transcription of the insulin gene. Treatment with acrylamide at a concentration of 10 mM for increasing periods of time leads to an increase in the relative amount of the iNOS gene iRNA at all treatment points. Twelve and and 24 h of acrylamide exposure increased the transcription of the SOD1 and SOD2 genes. Transcription of CAT gene was increased after 3 h&nbsp; ofacrylamide exposure. Furthermore, it has been shown that acrylamide treatment leads to variations in the mRNA synthesis of CYP2E1 gene, which is particularly significant in the context of detoxification of this toxic substance. An increase in the transcription ofthe CYP2E1&nbsp; gene was observed after 0.5 and 1 h of acrylamide exposure, while the reduction of&nbsp; transcription occurred after 12 and 24 h of acrylamide exposure. The treatment with 10 mM acrylamide has led to an increase of the transcription of the Bax gene at all treatment points, and also to an increase of transcription of the Bcl-2 gene after of 0.5, 1, and 3 h of acrylamide exposure. Summarizing all the results of this thesis, it can be concluded that the endocrine pancreas&nbsp; is one of the target tissues of acrylamide, to which this substance exerts a multiple adverse effects.</p>

Several industrial and environmental chemicals cause distal and/or central neuropathy among other diverse toxic effects. Spague-Dawley derived rats were fed doses of 2,5-hexanedione, acrylamide, tri-o-tolyl phosphate, leptophos and methylmercury via gavage. The dose levels and administration periods were established in previous experiments designed to assess clinical neuropathy using rats trained to walk on a rotorod apparatus fitted with an electrode floor. After intravenous injections of 3H-Tryptophan, whole rat brain homogenates were analyzed using liquid scintillation and spectrofluorometric techniques for levels of tryptophan, serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. Serotonin turnover rates were calculated using the specific activities of tryptophan and serotonin at two different time periods. The levels of serotonin as well as the serotonin turnover rates were unaffected by dosages of 5 to 50 mg acrylamide/kg given daily doses, while whole brain concentrations of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid increased significantly in a dose-dependent manner. the rise in 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels coupled with no effects on the other levels in acrylamide and 2,5-hexanedione-fed animals suggests a possible inhibition of the energy-dependent 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid efflux system in the brain. Animals given five doses of Leptophos (4.5 to 45 mg/kg) or six doses from 30 to 300 mg/kg tri-o-tolyl phosphate, administered every third day, showed slightly eleveated, non-significant, serotonin turnover rates while levels of serotonin and tryptophan remained unchanged with a slight decrease in 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels at the highest dosages. Levels of endogenous indole compounds in methylmercury treated rats showed no significant differences from control values; however, the turnover rates and levels of serotonin were slightly lower in the two lower treatment levels, while the highest dose level had no apparent effect on turnover rates or concentrations. Further studies involving longer treatment periods, alternate species or examination of discrete brain areas, may further clarify the effects of these chemicals on brain biochemistry.

No description available.

SUR2A-mediated regulation of KATP channels is affected by residues belonging to the C terminus of the first nucleotide binding domain (NBD1). We studied the C-terminal region of NBD1 by comparing experiments using NBD1 S615-D914 and NBD1 S615-K972 constructs to studies of NBD1 S615-L933 also performed in our laboratory. Our NMR data suggests that the C-terminal region of NBD1 from residues Q915 to L933 is disordered and transiently contacts the NBD1 core, which may affect NBD1 phosphorylation. Tryptophan quenching fluorescence experiments corroborate that the Q915-L933 C-terminal tail contacts the NBD1 core. Fluorescence thermal denaturation experiments suggest that NBD1 S615-D914 has a higher affinity for MgATP compared with NBD1 S615-L933, implying that the C-terminal tail varies MgATP binding. Additional experiments were performed to identify soluble constructs of hSUR1 NBD1 and rSUR2A NBD2 that would allow detailed biophysical studies of these domains. Some of the constructs studied showed improved solubility and stability.

Introduction: Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and to acrylamide has been suggested to reduce fetal growth. The role of diet, the main source of exposure to these compounds in the general population, remains uncertain. This thesis aimed to characterize women’s exposure during pregnancy to dietary acrylamide and the genotoxic PAH benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P], and to assess the effects of prenatal exposure to these compounds on fetal growth indicators. Methods: This thesis was done within two large European population-based cohort studies conducted in Spain and Norway: the INfancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA; n=657) and The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort (MoBa; n=50651). Dietary B(a)P and acrylamide intakes were estimated based on information from food frequency questionnaires and the concentrations of these compounds in foods. Results: (i) Smokers had higher dietary intakes of B(a)P and acrylamide compared to non-smokers; (ii) the main predictors of B(a)P intake were shellfish and processed/cured meats while the main predictors of acrylamide intake were snacks, fried potatoes, and crisp bread; (iii) higher prenatal exposure to dietary B(a)P and acrylamide may reduce birth weight and increase the risk of small for gestational age, independently of smoking-related exposure and (iv) stronger effects of dietary B(a)P on fetal growth were observed among women with low vitamin C intake. Conclusions: Dietary B(a)P and acrylamide intakes during pregnancy may impair fetal growth. Therefore, reducing the intake of these compounds from the diet should be recommended in dietary guidelines for pregnant women. Likewise, increasing intakes of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C should be recommended given its potential to prevent adverse effects from exposure to such contaminants. / Introducción: La exposición prenatal a los hidrocarburos aromáticos policíclicos (HAP) y a la acrilamida ha sido asociada con la reducción del crecimiento fetal. El papel de la dieta, la principal fuente de exposición a estos compuestos en la población general, sigue siendo incierto. Los objetivos de esta tesis son caracterizar la exposición a través de la dieta a la acrilamida y a los HAP, específicamente el compuesto genotóxico benzo(a)pireno [B(a)P], durante el embarazo, y evaluar los efectos de la exposición prenatal a estos compuestos sobre indicadores del crecimiento fetal. Métodos: Esta tesis se realizó dentro del marco de dos grandes estudios europeos de cohortes de base poblacional realizados en España y Noruega: INfancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA; n=657) y The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort (MoBa; n=50651). La ingesta de B(a)P y acrilamida fue estimada a partir de información de cuestionarios de frecuencia alimentaria y las concentraciones de estos compuestos en los alimentos. Resultados: (i) Las fumadoras tuvieron mayor ingesta de B(a)P y acrilamida a través de la dieta en comparación con las no fumadoras; (ii) los principales predictores de la ingesta de B(a)P fueron los mariscos y los embutidos, mientras que los principales predictores de la ingesta de acrilamida fueron los aperitivos, las patatas fritas y el pan crujiente; (iii) la exposición prenatal al B(a)P y la acrilamida pueden reducir el peso al nacer y aumentar el riesgo de pequeño para la edad gestacional, independientemente de la exposición relacionada con el tabaco y (iv) los efectos de la ingesta de B(a)P a través de la dieta sobre el crecimiento fetal fueron más fuertes entre las mujeres con baja ingesta de vitamina C. Conclusiones: La ingesta de B(a)P y acrilamida a través de la dieta durante el embarazo, puede perjudicar el crecimiento fetal. Consecuentemente, recomendaciones para la reducción de la ingesta de estos compuestos a través de la dieta deberían ser incluidas en las guías dietéticas para mujeres embarazadas. Asimismo, debería recomendarse un aumento en la ingesta de frutas y verduras con alto contenido en vitamina C por su potencial para prevenir efectos relacionados con la exposición a estos contaminantes.

No description available.

Propagations- und Terminierungsgeschwindigkeitskoeffizienten radikalischer Polymerisationen in w&auml;ssriger L&ouml;sung wurden durch Pulslaser-induzierte Polymerisationen und durch chemisch initiierte Polymerisationen bestimmt. Pulslaser-induzierte Polymerisationen wurden von <i>N</i>,2&#8209;Dimethylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid, <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>&#8209;Dimethylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid, 2&#8209;Methylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid und Prop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid durchgef&uuml;hrt. Anschlie&szlig;ende Analyse der Produkte mittels Gr&ouml;&szlig;enausschlusschromatographie erm&ouml;glichte die Bestimmung der Propagationsgeschwindigkeitskoeffizienten. Die beobachtete &Auml;nderung des Propagationsgeschwindigkeitskoeffizienten mit der Monomerkonzentration kann durch die St&auml;rke, mit der innere Rotationen und Vibrationen im &Uuml;bergangszustand des Propagationsschritts gehindert sind, erkl&auml;rt werden. Die Abh&auml;ngigkeit der St&auml;rke der Hinderung von der Monomerkonzentration l&auml;sst sich zur&uuml;ckf&uuml;hren auf sich mit steigendem Monomeranteil verst&auml;rkende intermolekulare Wechselwirkungen der &Uuml;bergangszustandsstruktur mit solvatisierenden Molek&uuml;len. Zur Bestimmung der Aktivierungsvolumina und der Arrhenius-Aktivierungsenergien der Propagation wurden Druck und Temperatur von Umgebungsdruck bis 2&nbsp;000&nbsp;bar beziehungsweise von 10&nbsp;&deg;C bis 80&nbsp;&deg;C variiert. Sowohl die Aktivierungsenergie als auch der Betrag des Aktivierungsvolumens sind im Fall von 2&#8209;Methylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid gr&ouml;&szlig;er verglichen mit <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>&#8209;Dimethylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid. Diese Beobachtung kann dem Umstand, dass <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>&#8209;Dimethylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid keine &alpha;&#8209;Methylgruppe aufweist, zugeschrieben werden. Beide Aktivierungsparameter sind im Fall von <i>N</i>,2&#8209;Dimethylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid denen des <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>&#8209;Dimethylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid &auml;hnlich. Dies ist unerwartet, da <i>N</i>,2&#8209;Dimethylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid eine &alpha;&#8209;Methylgruppe aufweist. Unterschiede zwischen beiden Monomeren hinsichtlich der Konformation der Kohlenstoff&ndash;Kohlenstoff-Doppelbindung relativ zur Kohlenstoff&ndash;Sauerstoff-Doppelbindung k&ouml;nnten diese Beobachtung erkl&auml;ren.<br> Zur Bestimmung von Terminierungsgeschwindigkeitskoeffizienten wurde die Polymerisation durch einen einzelnen Laserpuls initiiert und der Monomer-zu-Polymer-Umsatz anschlie&szlig;end mittels zeitaufgel&ouml;ster Nahinfrarotspektroskopie verfolgt. Die Zeitaufl&ouml;sung ist auf 0.33&nbsp;&mu;s verbessert worden. Wiederholte Einstrahlung von Laserpulsen in Kombination mit nahinfrarotspektroskopischer Analyse liefert Terminierungsgeschwindigkeitskoeffizienten als Funktion des Grades des Monomerumsatzes. Untersuchungen der Terminierungskinetik von Prop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid, 2&#8209;Methylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid, <i>N</i>,2&#8209;Dimethylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid, <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>&#8209;Dimethylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid und 1&#8209;Vinylpyrrolidin&#8209;2&#8209;on wurden, aufgrund des besseren Signal-Rausch-Verh&auml;ltnisses bei hohen Dr&uuml;cken, bei 2&nbsp;000&nbsp;bar durchgef&uuml;hrt. Weitere Messungen wurden im Fall der meisten Prop&#8209;2&#8209;enamide bei Dr&uuml;cken von 500&nbsp;bar, 1&nbsp;000&nbsp;bar und 1&nbsp;500&nbsp;bar durchgef&uuml;hrt. Die dadurch erhaltenen Aktivierungsvolumina k&ouml;nnen zur Absch&auml;tzung des Terminierungsgeschwindigkeitskoeffizienten bei Umgebungsdruck verwendet werden. Die Aktivierungsvolumina der Terminierungsgeschwindigkeitskoeffizienten von <i>N</i>,2&#8209;Dimethylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid und von Prop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid belaufen sich auf 12.4&nbsp;cm³&middot;mol^&minus;1 beziehungsweise 14.3&nbsp;cm³&middot;mol^&minus;1. Das Aktivierungsvolumen im Fall von <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>&#8209;Dimethylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid (4.9&nbsp;cm³&middot;mol^&minus;1) ist kleiner als erwartet. Terminierungsgeschwindigkeitskoeffizienten von 1&#8209;Vinylpyrrolidin&#8209;2&#8209;on konnten f&uuml;r einen gro&szlig;en Bereich der Anfangsmonomerkonzentration und des Grades des Monomerumsatzes erhalten werden. Diese Daten erm&ouml;glichen eine detaillierte Analyse der Parameter, die zur Beschreibung der Monomerumsatzabh&auml;ngigkeit des Terminierungsgeschwindigkeitskoeffizienten verwendet werden. Es wird angenommen, dass der Terminierungsgeschwindigkeitskoeffizient innerhalb des untersuchten Monomerumsatzbereichs durch Segment-, Translations- und Reaktionsdiffusion kontrolliert ist.<br> Im Fall von <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>&#8209;Dimethylprop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid und 1&#8209;Vinylpyrrolidin&#8209;2&#8209;on wurden dynamische Viskosit&auml;ten von Monomer&ndash;Wasser-Gemischen bei Umgebungsdruck bestimmt, um das Verst&auml;ndnis der Terminierungskinetik zu erleichtern. F&uuml;r diese beiden Monomere wurde durch Pulslaser-induzierte Polymerisation eine gro&szlig;e Anzahl von Terminierungsgeschwindigkeitskoeffizienten in Abh&auml;ngigkeit von der Anfangsmonomerkonzentration erhalten.<br> Zur Bestimmung des Terminierungsgeschwindigkeitskoeffizienten von Prop&#8209;2&#8209;enamid in Abh&auml;ngigkeit vom Monomerumsatz wurden chemisch initiierte Polymerisationen bei Umgebungsdruck durchgef&uuml;hrt. Die erhaltenen Werte stimmen gut mit Daten &uuml;berein, die mit Hilfe von Pulslaser-induzierten Polymerisationen ermittelt wurden.<br> Untersuchungen der bin&auml;ren Copolymerisation von 1&#8209;Vinylpyrrolidin&#8209;2&#8209;on und Natriumacrylat zeigten einen ausgepr&auml;gten Einbau von Natriumacrylat in das gebildete Copolymer. Dies wurde mittels Kernspinresonanzspektroskopie gemessen. Die Monomerreaktivit&auml;tsverh&auml;ltnisse wurden mit Hilfe der Lewis&ndash;Mayo-Gleichung bestimmt.