Overconsumption of energy dense foods and sedentary lifestyle are considered as major causes of obesity-associated insulin resistance and abnormal glucose metabolism. Results from both cohort studies and randomized trials suggested that anthocyanins from berries may lower metabolic risks, however these reports are equivocal. The present study was designed to examine effects of six berries with structurally diverse anthocyanin profiles (normalized to 400 µg/g total anthocyanin content) on development of metabolic risk factors in the C57BL/6 mouse model of polygenic obesity. Diets supplemented with blackberry (mono-glycosylated cyanidins), black raspberry (acylated mono-glycosylated cyanidins), blackcurrant (mono- and di-glycosylated cyanidins and delphinidins), maqui berry (di-glycosylated delphinidins), Concord grape (acylated mono-glycosylated delphinidins and petunidins), and blueberry (mono-glycosylated delphinidins, malvidins, and petunidins) showed a prominent discrepancy between biological activities of delphinidin/malvidin-versus cyanidin-type anthocyanins that could be explained by differences in their structure and metabolism in the gut. Consumption of berries also resulted in a strong shift in the gastrointestinal bacterial communities towards obligate anaerobes that correlated with decrease in the gastrointestinal luminal oxygen and oxidative stress. Further work is needed to understand mechanisms that lead to nearly anoxic conditions in the gut lumens, including the relative contributions of host, diet and/or microbial oxidative activity, and their implication to human health.

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Various wild berry species endemic to Alaska and the circumpolar North that exhibit unique medicinal properties have long been appreciated by indigenous Arctic communities. Traditional use of Alaskan berry preparations in the treatment of skin wounds is recorded but has not been scientifically evaluated. Alaskan wild berries feature diverse phytochemical compositions that contain a variety of bioactive polyphenols exhibiting anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties, making them ideal for wound healing interventions and natural anti-aging cosmeceutical formulations. Given increasing interest in identifying biologically active plant constituents for wound care and cosmeceutical applications, the objective of this study was to screen several wild berry species endemic to Alaska and the circumpolar Artic for wound healing and in the crude, polyphenol-enriched, and further fractionated extracts of: Empetrum nigrum (crowberry), Vaccinium uliginosum (bog blueberry), and V. vitis-idaea (low-bush cranberry or lingonberry). A cell migration assay with human dermal fibroblasts (HDFa) was performed to model promotion of wound closure, revealing that bog blueberry extract most actively promoted migration, whereas divergent effects observed with other berry extracts were related to compositional disparities. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated inflammatory response variables measured in RAW 264.7 macrophages [reactive oxygen species (ROS), NO production, prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (COX-2), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression] were suppressed by most extracts/fractions, but especially bog blueberry and proanthocyanidin (PAC) fractions. Wild berry germplasm contained abundant complex flavonoid structures such as PAC and anthocyanins (ANCs), associated with enhanced repair and inflammatory resolution in these models. Next, underlying mechanisms by which PACs and bioactive metabolites (B2 dimer and epicatechin) could influence wound repair and tissue regeneration were examined. PAC metabolites promoted scratch-wound closure and appeared to exert the highest impacts on early stages of wound healing through stimulating mitochondrial bioenergetics (basal respiration, ATP production, and maximum respiratory capacity) and upregulating expression of important extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (integrin-ß1 and collagen type I α2 chain). Targeting cellular bioenergetics and integrin-mediated cell–ECM signaling with bioactives from Alaskan wild berries shows considerable therapeutic promise to treat chronic skin wounds and inflammatory skin disorders, as well as more generally to support regenerative healing responses and restore function in a variety of tissue and organ settings after injury or aging.

The gravity‐viscous spreading of crude oil on artificially prepared ice surfaces was investigated. Five different types of crudes were studied with three surface roughnesses at ‐14°C. Crude oil No. 1 was also studied at ‐8 and ‐3°C. All spreading experiments were made with an oil volume of 45 and 20 ml. Regardless of temperature, surface roughness, oil type and oil volume, all data may be correlated by: where ρ, V and μ are the density, volume and viscosity of the oil, respectively, R is the radius of the oil slick, t is time, C is a constant and g is the acceleration of gravity.

The changes in the antioxidant capacity, anti‐inflammatory, and wound healing properties of strawberry fruits as a consequence of the storage in atmospheres enriched in oxygen and carbon dioxide were investigated. Berries were exposed to two different gas compositions: 70% O 2 + 20% CO 2 and 90% O 2 + 10% CO 2 , and stored for up to 20 days at 5°C. The antioxidant capacity, assessed through DPPH and FRAP methods, decreased around 17% in samples exposed to 70% O 2 + 20% CO 2 at day 20. However, the antioxidant activity of fruits stored in 90% O 2 + 10% CO 2 was maintained until day 20 and experienced an increase of around 10% on day 10. Moreover, strawberry stored in 90% O 2 + 10% CO 2 at days 5–10 showed an improved suppression of the pro‐inflammatory genes Cox‐2 and iNOS up to 30% higher than samples at day 0 in an in vitro LPS‐stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage culture. In addition, berries exposed to 90% O 2 + 10% CO 2 at day 10 showed a human dermal fibroblast migration 30% higher than samples at day 0 in an in vitro skin‐fibroblast‐migration model. Therefore, evidence suggests that strawberry storage in 90% O 2 + 10% CO 2 can be a promissory alternative to offer fruits with enhanced bioactivity.

ABSTRACT.Field and laboratory studies of the behaviour of isothermal and hot oil spills on snow are described. Alberta crude oil spilled at 0°C is readily absorbed by snow and contaminates an area of about 0.01 square metres per litre. A bot oil spill melts a channel in the snow and flows along the ground under the snow contaminating an area of about 0.024 square metres per litre. There may be considerable spreading of the oil during thaw. The flow regimes by which oil permeates into snow and the clean-up implications are discussed.RhUMfi. Comportement du pdtrole brut rkpandu sur la neige. Les auteurs dkrivent des recherches de terrain et de laboratoire sur le comportement de coulCes isothermes et chaudes de pttrole sur la neige. A O°C, le brut d'Alberta r6pandu est facilement absorb6 par la neige et contamine une surface d'environ 0.01 m&re carr6 par litre. Un 6panchement de pttrole chaud fait fondre la neige et se dpand la surface m2me du sol pour contaminer une surface d'environ 0.024 mi3tre carrd par litre. Au &gel, la tache de &&ole peut se r6pandre consid6rablement. On discute aussi des r6gimes d'boulement selon lesquels le $&ole imprhgne la neige, et des implications sur le nettoyage. PESEOME. floee9enw npommwfi +tu ma mpoü H&U.

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