ABSTRACT Occupational exposure to wood dust and biohazards associated with wood dust (endotoxins, (1->3)-b-D-glucans, Gram (-)ve bacteria and fungi), their correlation to respiratory function, and symptoms among woodworkers have been investigated in the present study. Wood dust, endotoxins, and allergenic fungi are the main hazards found in woodworking environments. Relatively very few studies have been done on wood dust exposure. The present study was designed to comprehensively investigate the health effects of wood dust exposure, and in particular provide new information regarding: Exposure to (1->3)-b-D-glucans in an occupational environment; Levels of exposure to wood dust and biohazards associated with wood dust in different woodworking environments; Correlations among personal exposures, especially correlations between (1->3)-b-D-glucans and fungi exposures, and endotoxins and Gram (-)ve bacteria exposures; Effects of personal exposure to biohazards on lung function; Effects of personal exposure to biohazards on work-related symptoms; and Determinants of inhalable exposures (provide which factors in the environment influence the personal inhalable exposures). Workers at four different woodworking processes; two logging sites, four sawmills, one major woodchipping operation and five joineries situated in the state of New South Wales in Australia were studied for personal exposure to inhalable dust (n=182) and respirable dust (n=81), fungi (n=120), Gram (-)ve bacteria (n=120), inhalable endotoxin (n=160), respirable endotoxin (n=79), inhalable (1->3)-b-D-glucan (n=105), and respirable (1->3)-b-D-glucan (n=62). The workers (n=168) were also tested for lung function. A questionnaire study (n=195) was carried out to determine the prevalence of work-related symptoms. The geometric mean inhalable exposure at logging sites was 0.56 mg/m3 (n=7), sawmills 1.59 mg/m3 (n=93), the woodchipping mill 1.86 mg/m3 (n=9) and joineries 3.68 mg/m3 (n=66). Overall, sixty two percent of the exposures exceeded the current standards. Among joineries, 95% of the hardwood exposures and 35% of the softwood exposures were above the relevant standards. Compared with green mills, the percentage of samples, which exceeded the hardwood standard was high for dry mills (70% in dry mills, 50% in green mills). The respirable dust exposures were high at the joineries compared with the other worksites. Exposure levels to fungi at logging sites and sawmills were in the range 103-104 cfu/m3, woodchipping 103-105 cfu/m3 and joineries 102-104 cfu/m3. The predominant fungi found at sawmills were Penicillium spp. High exposure levels of Aureobasidium pullulans were also found at two sawmills. At the woodchipping mill the predominant species were Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium spp., and Paecilomyces spp. The sawmills, which employed kiln drying processes, had lower exposure levels of fungi compared with the green mills. Those workplaces which had efficient dust control systems showed less exposure to fungi and bacteria. Although mean endotoxin levels were lower than the suggested threshold value of 20 ng/m3, some personal exposures at sawmills and joineries exceeded the threshold limit value. The mean inhalable (1->3)-b-D-glucan level at the woodchipping mill was 2.32 ng/m3, at sawmills 1.37 ng/m3, at logging sites 2.02 ng/m3, and at joineries 0.43 ng/m3. For the respirable size fraction, mean endotoxin and mean (1->3)-b-D-glucan concentrations were much lower, being similar to observed dust concentrations. Significant correlations were found between mean inhalable endotoxin and Gram (-)ve bacteria levels (p<0.0001), and mean airborne inhalable (1->3)-b-D-glucan and fungi levels (p=0.0003). The correlations between mean respirable endotoxin levels vs Gram (-)ve bacteria exposure levels (p=0.005), and respirable (1->3)-b-D-glucan exposure levels vs total fungi levels (p=0.005) were also significant. Significant correlations were found between lung function and personal exposures. Multivariate analyses showed that the effect of all the personal exposures on cross-shift decrements in lung function was more prominent among sawmill and chip mill workers compared with joinery workers. Woodworkers had markedly high prevalence of cough, phlegm, chronic bronchitis, frequent headaches, throat and eye irritations, and nasal symptoms compared with controls. Among the woodworkers, smokers had a high prevalence of chronic bronchitis (20%) compared with non-smokers (10%). Some workers also reported a variety of allergy problems due to exposure to various types of wood dust. Both joinery workers and sawmill and chip mill workers revealed significant correlations between work-related symptoms and personal exposures. Chronic bronchitis was significantly correlated with personal exposure to wood dust, endotoxin, (1->3)-b-D-glucan, fungi, and Gram (-)ve bacteria among joinery workers. Whereas among sawmill workers chronic bronchitis was significantly correlated with personal exposure to endotoxin, (1->3)-b-D-glucan, and fungi. Woodworkers showed significant positive correlations between percentage cross-shift change (decrease) in lung function and respiratory symptoms. Significant inverse correlations were also found among percentage predicted lung function and respiratory symptoms. The elevated inhalable dust exposures observed in this study can be explained by a combination of factors, including: lack of awareness of potential health effects of wood dust exposure among both management and workers, aging equipment, inadequate and ineffective dust extraction systems or usually none especially for hand held tools, poor maintenance of the ventilation system in some, non-segregation of dusty processes, dry sweeping, and the use of compressed air jets. The determinant-of-exposure analysis confirmed the field observations. The significant determinants of personal inhalable dust exposures (n=163) were found to be: local exhaust ventilation, job title, use of hand-held tools, cleaning method used, use of compressed air, and green or dry wood processed. Type of wood processed was not found to be statistically significant. A majority of workers (~90%) did not wear appropriate respirators approved for wood dust, while the workers who did wear them, used them on average less than 50% of the time. Workers should be protected by controlling dust at its source. When exposure to wood dust cannot be avoided, engineering controls should be supplemented with the use of appropriate personal protective equipment.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2007. / Härtill 6 uppsatser.

Diss. -- Helsingin yliopisto. / Myös verkkojulkaisuna.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:03:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CelinaMPGD.pdf: 1314503 bytes, checksum: 36d544c2b00794858e90a0efed0d11ea (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-04 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / Fungal polysaccharides have received a great deal of attention due to itsbecause of their potential use in a wide rangegreat variety fromof industries. Some studies have demonstrated that polysaccharides extracted offrom basidiomycetes they have presented significant properties as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-tumoral properties. In spite of thisDespite these potential properties, these mushrooms have not been insufficiently investigated, and the great number of antibiotics number produced forby these organisms suggests that they canmay be a new source of bioactives composites source. In tThe present work, reports onlated the chemical composition, potential antioxidant, antiinflammatory and citotoxycity of extracted polymers extracted offrom the fruits bodies of the fungiius Geastrum saccatum and Polyporus dermoporus, native mushrooms of the Atlantic forest inof the state of the Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The Cchemical analyses had revealed ademonstrated text of total sugar rates of 65% and 49%, and proteins of 7.0% for in extracts of G. saccatum and P. dermoporus extracts, respectively. The analyses ofNMR spectroscopy of RMN had demonstrated that these extracts are composites forof a complex involving &#946;- glucans and- proteins complex. The inhibition of the formation of superoxide radicals formation was of 88.4% in G. saccatum and 83.3% in P. dermoporus, and 75 and 100% for inhibition of hydroxyls radicals inhibition. TopicalThe topic application of extracts the 10, 30 and 50 mg/kg extract in BALBc mice with cutaneous inflammation induced byfor croton oil demonstrated to inhibitedion of ear edema of ear and cells polimorfonuclears cells atin the inflamed siteplace, being this reply more effective in lower concentrations being more effective. The evaluation of the glucans of G. saccatum and P. dermoporus glucans under induced pleurisy for carrageenan-induced pleurisya of showed the antiinflammatory action of these composites., being analyzed tThe frame number in the pleural exudates and thedosage of nitric oxide dosage was also analyzed. The cytotoxic action of these polymers was analyzed throughthrough the mitochondrial function (MTT). The incubation of the glucans with mononuclear cells of the peripheral blood demonstrated that the extracted glucans extracted fromof G. saccatum havepossess a moderate cytotoxic action. These results suggest that these mushrooms possess polymers formed byfor a complex glucana-protein complex, with antiinflammatory and antioxidant actions / Polissacar?deos de fungos t?m recebido grande aten??o devido ao seu uso potencial numa grande variedade de ind?strias. V?rios estudos t?m demonstrado que polissacar?deos extra?dos de basidiomicetos t?m apresentado propriedades significantes como anti-inflamat?rio, antimicrobial , antioxidante e anti-tumoral. Apesar dessas propriedades potenciais, esses cogumelos t?m sido insuficientemente investigados, e o grande n?mero de antibi?ticos produzidos por esses organismos sugere que eles podem ser uma fonte de novos compostos bioativos. No presente trabalho, relatamos a composi??o qu?mica, potencial antioxidante, antiinflamat?rio e citotoxico de pol?meros extra?dos dos corpos de frutifica??o dos fungos Geastrum saccatum e Polyporus dermoporus, cogumelos nativos da mata atl?ntica do estado do Rio Grande do Norte. As an?lises qu?micas demonstraram teor de a??cares totais de 65% e 49%, prote?nas a 7,0% nos extratos de G. saccatum e P. dermoporus, respectivamente. As an?lises de espectroscopia de RMN demonstraram que esses extratos s?o compostos por um complexo envolvendo b - glucanas e por??es prot?icas. A inibi??o da forma??o de radicais super?xido foi de 88,4% G. saccatum e 83,3% em P. dermoporus, e 75 e 100% para inibi??o de radicais hidroxilas. A aplica??o dos extratos a 10, 30 e 50 mg/kg em camundongos BALBc com inflama??o cut?nea induzida por ?leo de cr?ton demonstrou inibi??o de edema de orelha e de c?lulas polimorfonucleares no local inflamado, sendo esta resposta mais efetiva em concentra??es mais baixas. A avalia??o das glucanas de G. saccatum e P. dermoporus sob pleurisia induzida por carragenana de montrou a??o antiinflamat?ria desses compostos, sendo analisado o n?mero de c?lulas no exudato pleural e dosagem de ?xido n?trico. A a??o citot?xica desses pol?meros foi analisada atrav?s da fun??o mitocondrial (MTT). A incuba??o das glucanas com c?lulas mononucleares do sangue perif?rico demonstrou que as glucanas extra?das de G. saccatum possuem um a??o citot?xica moderada. Estes resultados sugerem que esses cogumelos possuem pol?meros formados por um complexo glucana-prote?na, ativos como antiinflamat?rio e antioxidante

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:25:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_solange_silveira.pdf: 808115 bytes, checksum: cba0a524ac921c75e9216b85b9e30bb1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-07-27 / With a good chemical composition of grains, oats are appropriate for human and animal consumption, as an alternative to supplie the demand for functional foods. In this context breeding programs of oats need to understand the dynamics of the characters related to chemical quality of the grain in order to provide the consumers, cultivars with high nutritional quality, adequate for the purpose intended. This study aimed to increase knowledge about the chemical components of oat grains, seeking to evaluate the correlation between these characters and to characterize the cultivars. Experiments were conducted with two segregating populations at the in the experimental field of the Plant Genomics and Breeding Center (FAEM / UFPel) located in the municipality of Capão do Leão/RS and cultivars grown in Capão do Leão and Passo Fundo/RS. One of the populations was generated from crosses between the IAC 7 x UFRGS 19 and the other population was generated from crosses between UPF 15 and ALBASUL. The cultivars adopted in this study were: FAPA Louise, URS FAPA Slava, URS Taura, URS Torena, URS 21, Barbarasul, URS 22, URS Charrua, URS Guapa, Brisasul, FAEM 4 - Carlasul, FAEM 5 - Chiarasul, FAEM 6 - Dilmasul , UPFA Gaudéria and URS Guria. Chemical analyzes were done by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The characters evaluated were the contents of proteins, lipids, total dietary fiber, insoluble fiber, soluble fiber, β-glucans, and carbohydrate. We conducted descriptive analyzes, we sought by associations between traits and we characterized the cultivar s chemical composition of the grains. The populations studied behaved differently in the average performance of the characters, but both populations had transgressive segregants individuals and they showed that the characters content of lipid and of β-glucans have the greatest loss of vigor. Correlation studies revealed that the characters content of lipid and content of total fiber, content of lipid and carbohydrate, protein and content of insoluble fiber, content of total fiber and content of insoluble fiber, carbohydrate and protein, carbohydrate and content of total fiber and carbohydrates and content of insoluble fiber were associated in different genetic constitutions and in different cultivars. The content of carbohydrate is the caracter that showed the most significant and negative correlations with other characters. For feeding animals include The cultivars Barbarasul and Louise FAPA are suitable to feed animals because they have high content of lipids. Cultivars Brisasul and UPFA Gaudéria were superior to the contents of β-glucans and the cultivars URS 22 and URS 21 had more contents of proteins in oats. These cultivars can be explored in relation to the components for the consumption and or compose hybridization blocks that aim to obtain a genetic constitution with high levels of β-glucans and proteins simultaneously. / Com uma adequada constituição química dos grãos, a aveia branca é apropriada para consumo humano e animal, sendo uma alternativa para atender a demanda por alimentos funcionais. Neste contexto programas de melhoramento dessa espécie precisam compreender a dinâmica dos caracteres relacionados a qualidade química dos grãos afim de disponibilizar ao mercado, cultivares com elevada qualidade nutricional, adequadas ao fim a que se destinam. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo ampliar o conhecimento a cerca dos componentes químicos de grãos de aveia, buscando avaliar a correlação existente entre esses caracteres e caracterizando cultivares que já estão disponíveis no mercado. Experimentos foram conduzidos com duas populações segregantes, no campo experimental do Centro de Genômica e Fitomelhoramento (FAEM/UFPel), situado no município do Capão do Leão/RS e com cultivares, cultivadas nos municípios de Capão do Leão e em Passo Fundo/RS. Uma das populações foi gerada do cruzamento entre as cultivares IAC 7 x UFRGS 19 e a outra teve como genitores as cultivares Albasul e UPF 15. As cultivares adotadas no estudo foram: FAPA Louise, URS FAPA Slava, URS Taura,URS Torena, URS 21, Barbarasul, URS 22, URS Charrua, URS Guapa, Brisasul, FAEM 4 Carlasul, FAEM 5 Chiarasul, FAEM 6 Dilmasul, UPFA Gaudéria e URS Guria. Para as análises químicas os grãos inteiros foram descascados e avaliados por espectrofotometria do infravermelho próximo (NIRS). Procederam-se análises descritivas, busca por associações entre caracteres e caracterização de cultivares quanto a constituição química dos grãos. Os caracteres avaliados foram o conteúdo de proteínas, lipídeos, fibras alimentares totais, fibras insolúveis, fibras solúveis, β-glucanas, e carboidrato. As populações estudadas comportaram-se diferentemente quanto ao desempenho médio dos caracteres avaliados, mas ambas apresentaram indivíduos segregantes transgressivos e revelaram que os caracteres conteúdo lipídico e conteúdo de β- glucanas apresentam a maior perda de vigor, na geração F2 que os demais caracteres. O estudo de correlações revelou que os caracteres lipídeo e fibras totais, lipídeo e carboidrato, proteínas e fibras insolúveis, fibras totais e fibras insolúveis, carboidrato e proteína, carboidrato e fibras totais e carboidratos e fibras insolúveis se mantém associados em diferentes constituições genéticas e em diferentes locais de cultivo. O conteúdo de carboidrato é a variável que mantém correlações significativas e negativas com os demais caracteres. Para a alimentação animal destacam-se as cultivares Barbarasul e FAPA Louise devido ao alto conteúdo de lipídeos. As cultivares Brisasul e UPFA Gaudéria apresentam conteúdos superiores quanto ao conteúdo de β-glucanas e as cultivares URS 21 e URS 22 destacam-se pelo acúmulo de proteínas nos grãos de aveia. Essas cultivares podem ser exploradas quanto aos componentes em que se destacam e ou compor blocos de cruzamento visando obter constituição genética com altos teores de proteínas e β-glucanas simultaneamente.

The main goal of this thesis was to analyse the amount of beta glucans in selected mushroom species. The overall characterization of the composition and content of bioactive compounds in mushrooms was studied too. The theoretical part was focused on description of Fungi, especially the Basidiomycota phyla. The overview of fungal morphology and chemical composition was elaborated. Further, theoretical basis of analytical methods used was introduced. In the experimental part, extracts from selected species of mushrooms (shiitake, oyster mushroom, white champignon, brown champignon and jew’s ear) were prepared. Overall group parameters such as polyphenols, flavonoids, antioxidant activity were determined by spectrophotometry. The amount of beta-glucans in the fungi was measured after enzyme hydrolysis using commercial kit. The content and composition of fatty acids was measured by gas spectrometry. Using emission spectrometry (ICP/OES) the presence of heavy metals was analysed in fungal extracts. Cytotoxicity was tested by MTT test on human cell lines. In the last part the antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacterium Micrococcus luteus, Gram-negative Serratia marcescens and yeast Candida labrata was tested. In the thesis, a complex characterization of composition and biological effect of some mushrooms was given.

Several yeast strains and microalgae were selected for this diploma thesis. -glucans, lipids, carotenoids, ergosterol and coenzyme Q were determined in selected producers, and the cultivation conditions for yeast strains were optimized to gain enhanced production of -glucans. Microalgae cultivations were carried out according to the instructions of the Collection of Autotrophic organisms (CCALA). Selected microalge strains include Desmodesmus acutus, Dunaliella salina, Arthrospira maxima and Cyanothece sp. Selected yeast species include Rhodotorula glutinis, Cystofilobasidium macerans and Sporidiobolus metaroseus. Edible yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was cultivated to compare with other yeast strains because of it's verified production of -glucans. -glucans were then determined by the enzymatic kit K-YBGL Megazyme, carotenoids, ergosterol and coenzyme Q were analyzed by HPLC/PDA and fatty acids were analyzed by GC/FID. The best producer of yeast -glucans was R. glutinis and S. metaroseus, and the best conditions for the production of -glucans and other metabolites was the C/N ratio of 70. Within the microalgae species, only -glucan production was observed, the best producer was D. acutus.

The aim of the diploma thesis is study of glucans production in selected species of yeasts, algae and plants. Cultivation conditions for yeast strains were performed to gain increased production of glucans under different temperature conditions and in media of different composition. Into the set of tested yeasts species strains Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CCY 6646), Sporidiobolus pararoseus (CCY 19-9-6), Phaffia rhodozyma (CCY 77-1), Rhodotorula glutinis (CCY 20-78-26) and Cystofilobasidium infirmominiatum (CCY 17-18-4) were enrolled. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was cultivated as a control strain because of its verified production of -glucans. -glucans were determinated by the enzyme kit K-YBGL Megazyme. For comparison, algal strain Euglena gracilis (CCALA 349), some species of mushrooms (shiitake, oyster mushroom, garden champignon and Jew’s ear) and cereals (wheat, rye, oats, rice and barley) were analysed too. Further, fatty acid content in the yeast cells was determined by the GC/FID. The best producer of yeast -glucans was R. glutinis CCY 20-7-26, which showed the highest biomass production (12-14 g/l) and also a relatively high amount of -glucans (25-30 %), in cultivation at 15 °C in a medium containing yeast extract in combination with ammonium sulphate. The presence of -glucans has been demonstrated in the microalgae, Euglena gracilis CCALA 349, as well as in samples of higher fungi and cereals.

<p>It is well known that colonic microbiota is influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors; out of all these, diet plays a major role. The traditional human diet has typically been high in overall dietary fiber intake, due its inherent presence in plant-derived foods. However, over the years, dietary patterns have transitioned into a low-fiber Westernized diet. This diet is increasingly implicated in colonic diseases. Dietary fiber consumption is known to increase microbial diversity, yet the mechanisms are still unclear. This is partially true because dietary fiber as a category is composed of a wide variety of structures, which may have divergent effects on the gut microbiome. The food industry has extracted, isolated, refined and purified non-digestible carbohydrates and, in some cases, modified them for improved function, which may influence their interaction with the gut microbiome. This study was developed in two phases: we first hypothesized that glucans produced by different processes were structurally distinct and that these fine structural differences in glucans would govern microbial responses to the polymers. To test this hypothesis, we first determined the structural characteristics of the glucans by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, which revealed substantial structural differences among the glucans with respect to size and linkage patterns, consequently categorizing the glucans by structure (i.e., mixed linkage α-glucans, resistant maltodextrins, and polydextroses). The second study involved the <i>in vitro </i>fecal fermentation of these commercially available soluble glucans which are uniformly composed of glucose linked into different structural arrangements. We further hypothesized that each glucan would select for different microbiota and that there would be glucan-specific general responses across microbiomes. We were able to identify a variety of idiosyncratic metabolic patterns as well as differential organisms selecting for specific glucan structures. Although there were associations with glucan classes at the family level (e.g., <i>Bacteriodaceae </i>and <i>Lachnospiraceae </i>were discriminants of the resistant maltodextrins and polydextroses respectively), associations with glucans across individual species within these families varied. These findings suggest that microbiome responses to structurally distinct glucans depend upon both fine glucan structure and community context, and community metabolic phenotypes emerge from the interaction of the two. These findings are relevant to the food industry as they may enable optimization of synthesis to generate chemical structures that select for specific organisms and/or improve overall gut health.</p>

β-(1,3)-Glucan is present in mould cell walls and frequently detected in house dust mite (HDM) faeces. β-Glucan exposure is thought to be associated with pulmonary allergic inflammation in mouse and man, although the published data are inconsistent. Here, we show that highly purified β-glucan exacerbates HDM-induced eosinophilic, T helper 2 type airway responses by acting as an adjuvant, promoting activation, proliferation and polarisation of HDM-specific T cells (1-Derβ T cells). We therefore provide definitive evidence that β-glucan can influence allergic pulmonary inflammation.