Determination of the content of wax esters in some sea foods and their molecular composition. A comparison with ω-3 enriched wax esters

Wax esters enriched in ω-3 fatty acids have been recently shown to be readily absorbed by rats after dietary supplementation. Wax esters are less prone to oxidation and can be better formulated than liquid ω-3 derivatives. All these characteristics suggest a possible use of wax esters enriched in ω-3 as food supplements. However, some naturally occurring wax esters are defined as scarcely digestible (jojoba oil, spermaceti). On the other hand, wax esters have been found in several sources of marine origin, which can enter normal foodstuff. In order to better understand the digestibility of wax esters, we have analysed some foods from marine sources. The content of triglycerides and wax esters of the foods has been determined. Moreover, wax esters have been analysed for their composition in alcohols and fatty acids. Wax esters have been shown to be a part of the neutral lipid extract of the foods analysed. Their content, if compared with the content in triglycerides, shows striking differences. In the case of two botargo preparations, it has been shown that wax esters are more than 90% of the total neutral lipid extract. The content of fatty acids and alcohols found in the foods analysed is consistent with published data.     

Effect of H2O Vapor on the Internal Friction of Binary Alkali Silicate Glasses

Internal friction and shear modulus of Na, K, and Li disiticate glasses were measured by a torsional pendulum as a function of H₂O vapor treatment at T=300°C. H₂O produced changes in the acoustic spectra (between—100° and 400°C and f=0.5 Hz) similar to the mixed-alkali effect which appears upon introduction of a second alkali to a single-alkali glass. An Na₂O·2SiO₂ glass free from the common nonbridging oxygen relaxation was produced .     

Gemfibrozil-warfarin drug interaction resulting in profound hypoprothrombinemia

The following describes a patient on a stable regimen of warfarin who developed severe hypoprothrombinemia and bleeding 4 weeks after starting gemfibrozil. Despite a warning by the manufacturer, only one report of this interaction has been published in the literature. This interaction may be overlooked by clinicians, which may result in a serious bleeding risk for patients on warfarin.     

The internal friction of glasses

Basic fundamentals of the elastic behaviour of a standard linear solid and the internal friction technique based on this model are briefly described. The internal friction (Q ^–1) caused by various thermally activated processes in vitreous solids are reviewed for several glass compositions in relation to ionic mobility and other relevant properties. Similar relaxation mechanisms characterize many vitreous solids. The relaxation of alkali ions is essentially independent of the glass network former and has an activation energy of 15 to 25 kcal mol^–1. Other processes like the interaction of oxygen ions and protons, alkali ions and protons, mixed-alkali ion interaction and the motion of single bonded oxygen ions have an activation energy of 30 to 40 kcal mol^–1. The activation energy for relaxation of the glass network is 100 to 120 kcal mol^–1.     

Gas-phase reaction of phenol with NO3

The fast gas-phase reaction of NO3 radicals with phenol was found to yield 2-nitrophenol as the only relevant nitration product. The yield of this product was high and independent of the concentration of NO2 at the concentrations applied. In the presence of ozone, also significant amounts of 4-nitrophenol and p-benzoquinone were formed. The rate constant of the reaction between NO3 radicals and phenol was determined to be 5.8 x 10(-12) cm3 molecule-1 s-1. The selective formation of 2-nitrophenol (2) is suggested to derive from either the concerted keto-enol tautomerism in the reaction of a phenoxy radical with NO2 or the concerted elimination of nitric acid from a cyclohexa-3,5-diene intermediate.     

OXIDATION AND REDUCTION OF GLASSES BY MEANS OF ELECTROLYSIS*

The existing need for better understanding and influencing the state of oxidation of colored glasses led to an investigation of the possibilities of oxidizing or reducing a glass melt by means of electrolysis. A method was developed for the electrolytic oxidations of molten glass in which the anodic and cathodic reaction zones were separated by means of a refractory diaphragm. Low-melting alkali-borate and alkali-phosphate glasses containing a minor addition of colorant were electrolyzed using voltages up to 10 volts. It was found that electrolysis could be used to lower the “gas content” of a glass as well as to produce color changes.