The Impact of Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Surfactants in the Microstructure and Rheological Behaviour of Emulsions Made With Melted Fat From Cupuassu (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Theobroma grandiflorum</Emphasis>)

Cupuassu fat is a good candidate for partial substitution of cocoa butter in many products, including emulsions. However, for such use it is necessary to know the characteristics of the products prepared with cupuassu fat. Therefore, the main goal of this work is to characterize emulsions prepared with cupuassu fat using the surfactants Tween^® 60, Tween^® 80 and Tween^® 85 as emulsifiers. The emulsions were prepared at 43 °C with addition of 0.5 or 1.5 % (w/v) of surfactant and compared with an emulsion without surfactant. All emulsions were analysed by conductivity, stability, pH, optical microscopy, rheology and oxidative stability. It was verified that the emulsions prepared with Tween^® 60 and Tween^® 80 have higher stability, smaller droplet size and higher apparent viscosity. Also, these properties are positively influenced by the concentration of the surfactant. On the other hand, emulsions prepared with Tween 85 or without surfactant reached unsatisfactory results. The rheological behaviour of the emulsions was adequately described by both Herschel-Bulkley and Mizhari-Berki models revealing pseudoplastic character. These emulsions also present strong gel behaviour, with storage modulus higher than loss modulus. In conclusion, cupuassu fat can be used as oil phase for emulsions products and this characterization helps to understand their behaviour in order to increase their use in food industry.     

Colloidal thiophosphorus calcium salt as antiwear additive

This paper describes the synthesis of an oil-soluble colloidal calcium thiophosphate by a direct route. It consists of the reaction of calcium oxide or hydroxide with tetraphosphorus decasulphide and water in the presence of a surfactant such as a calcium alkylaryl sulphonate in an organic medium. Reaction and micellisation occurred simultaneously according to a one-step process. The product is characterised by a high calcium, phosphorus and sulphur content. The colloidal nature of the product has been confirmed by dialysis. The ³¹P-NMR spectrum showed signals characteristic of a blend of different calcium thiophosphates, plus calcium phosphate. The product could be defined as a core of different calcium (thio)phosphates surrounded by a calcium alkylaryl sulphonate shell, according to a reverse micelle type association in oil. This compound was evaluated as an antiwear additive in a 130 Neutral Solvent mineral oil by anti-wear and extreme-pressure four-ball tests. The extreme-pressure characteristics depend on the concentration of mineral colloidal core in oil. The antiwear properties are a function not only of the concentration, but also of the colloidal core/surfactant shell ratio. Thermogravimetric analysis of these colloidal species shows a weight loss in the 350°C to 450°C range, due to surfactant degradation. The further evolution of weight loss up to 900°C demonstrates the high thermal stability of the colloidal calcium (thio)phosphate core.     

Antibiotic susceptibility of Bifidobacterium thermophilum and Bifidobacterium pseudolongum isolates from animal sources

The widespread use of antimicrobial substances has led to resistant populations of microorganisms in several ecosystems. In animal husbandry, the application of antibiotics has contributed to resistance development in pathogenic and commensal bacteria. These strains or their resistance genes can be spread along several ecological routes, including the food chain. Antibiotic resistance is important in terms of the safety of industrial strains, such as probiotics for food and feed. Bifidobacterium thermophilum and Bifidobacterium pseudolongum are known to comprise the major part of the bifidobacterial microbiota in the gut and feces of cattle and pigs. In this study, the antimicrobial susceptibility in bifidobacterial isolates of these species was investigated. Isolates from the beef and pork production chain were identified and typed to strain level, and the antimicrobial susceptibility level was tested to a set of antibiotics. Isolates with low susceptibility levels were screened by PCR for already described resistance genes. Strains atypically resistant to clindamycin, erythromycin, and tetracycline were determined. The resistance genes tet(O), tet(W), and erm(X) were detected in the bifidobacterial species that were examined.     

Effect of Bacterial Infection on Ghrelin Receptor Regulation in Periodontal Cells and Tissues

The effect of bacterial infection on the expression of growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) was investigated in periodontal cells and tissues, and the actions of ghrelin were evaluated. GHS-R was assessed in periodontal tissues of rats with and without periodontitis. Human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) were exposed to Fusobacterium nucleatum in the presence and absence of ghrelin. GHS-R expression was determined by real-time PCR and immunocytochemistry. Furthermore, wound healing, cell viability, proliferation, and migration were evaluated. GHS-R expression was significantly higher at periodontitis sites as compared to healthy sites in rat tissues. F. nucleatum significantly increased the GHS-R expression and protein level in HGFs. Moreover, ghrelin significantly abrogated the stimulatory effects of F. nucleatum on CCL2 and IL-6 expressions in HGFs and did not affect cell viability and proliferation significantly. Ghrelin stimulated while F. nucleatum decreased wound closure, probably due to reduced cell migration. Our results show original evidence that bacterial infection upregulates GHS-R in rat periodontal tissues and HGFs. Moreover, our study shows that ghrelin inhibited the proinflammatory actions of F. nucleatum on HGFs without interfering with cell viability and proliferation, suggesting that ghrelin and its receptor may act as a protective molecule during bacterial infection on periodontal cells.     

The yield,fatty acid composition and physical properties of milk fat obtained by feeding soya oil to dairy cows

The presence in the bovine mammary gland of a desaturase specific for the conversion of stearic to oleic acid allows the manipulation of the physical properties of milk fat by varying the dietary intake of C₁₆ and C₁₈ fatty acids. In particular, feeding the dairy cow an oil with a high C₁₈: C₁₆ ratio should allow the proportion of milk fat that is liquid at 5°C to be increased, with a consequent improvement in the low-temperature spreadability of butter. In this paper, the effect of feeding concentrate rations containing (a) soya oil as the free oil and as cracked soya beans; (b) various levels of soya oil, the ration being offered twice or 24-times daily, on the thermal properties of the milk fat and on the yield of milk constituents is examined in detail. Feeding ratios containing free soya oil greatly increased the proportion of milk fat liquid at 5°C, whereas cracked soya oil gave only slight increases. Proportion and yield of milk fat were decreased by feeding soya oil twice daily but were increased by continuous feeding.     

Quantitative electroencephalographic profiles for children with autistic spectrum disorder.

The present study examined quantitative electroencephalographic (QEEG) profile for children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Five-minute QEEG data were obtained from 90 normal controls (NCs) and 66 children with ASD. Spectrum analyses revealed that ASD children showed significantly less relative alpha and more relative delta than NC. Specifically, 26% of ASD children and 2% of NCs showed 1.5 SDs of relative alpha below the normative mean. Children with this QEEG profile had 17 times the risk of having ASD than those without such a profile. Sensitivity and specificity of relative alpha were 91% and 73%, respectively. Split-half cross-validation yielded a sensitivity of 76%. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coenzymes Q in lemon shark liver

Earlier studies have shown that some extracts of nonpolar lipids from lemon shark liver are able to stimulate the reticuloendothelial system (RES) of experimental animals. This communication reports the identification of the coenzymes Q as the constituents of a fraction from lemon shark liver lipid which showed intense biological activity.     

Molecular Subtyping of Invasive Breast Cancer Using a PAM50-Based Multigene Expression Test-Comparison with Molecular-Like Subtyping by Tumor Grade/Immunohistochemistry and Influence on Oncologist’s Decision on Systemic Therapy in a Real-World Setting

In intermediate risk hormone receptor (HR) positive, HER2 negative breast cancer (BC), the decision regarding adjuvant chemotherapy might be facilitated by multigene expression tests. In all, 142 intermediate risk BCs were investigated using the PAM50-based multigene expression test Prosigna® in a prospective multicentric study. In 119/142 cases, Prosigna® molecular subtyping was compared with local and two central (C1 and C6) molecular-like subtypes relying on both immunohistochemistry (IHC; HRs, HER2, Ki-67) and IHC + tumor grade (IHC+G) subtyping. According to local IHC, 35.4% were Luminal A-like and 64.6% Luminal B-like subtypes (local IHC+G subtype: 31.9% Luminal A-like; 68.1% Luminal B-like). In contrast to local and C1 subtyping, C6 classified >2/3 of cases as Luminal A-like. Pairwise agreement between Prosigna® subtyping and molecular-like subtypes was fair to moderate depending on molecular-like subtyping method and center. The best agreement was observed between Prosigna® (53.8% Luminal A; 44.5% Luminal B) and C1 surrogate subtyping (Cohen’s kappa = 0.455). Adjuvant chemotherapy was suggested to 44.2% and 88.6% of Prosigna® Luminal A and Luminal B cases, respectively. Out of all Luminal A-like cases (locally IHC/IHC+G subtyping), adjuvant chemotherapy was recommended if Prosigna® testing classified as Prosigna® Luminal A at high / intermediate risk or upgraded to Prosigna® Luminal B.     

Impact of Melatonin on RAW264.7 Macrophages during Mechanical Strain

The concentration of melatonin is elevated during the night when patients mainly wear removable orthodontic appliances. Next to periodontal ligament fibroblasts and osteoblasts, macrophages react to mechanical strain with an increased expression of inflammatory mediators. Here, we investigated the impact of melatonin on RAW264.7 macrophages exposed to tensile or compressive strain occurring during orthodontic tooth movement in the periodontal ligament. Before exposure to mechanical strain for 4 h, macrophages were pre-incubated with different melatonin concentrations for 24 h, to determine the dependence of melatonin concentration. Afterwards, we performed experiments with and without mechanical strain, the most effective melatonin concentration (25 µM), and the melatonin receptor 2 (MT2) specific antagonist 4P-PDOT. The expression of inflammatory genes and proteins was investigated by RT-qPCR, ELISAs, and immunoblot. Both tensile and compressive strain increased the expression of the investigated inflammatory factors interleukin-1-beta, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase-2. This effect was inhibited by the addition of melatonin. Incubation with 4P-PDOT blocked this anti-inflammatory effect of melatonin. Melatonin had an anti-inflammatory effect on macrophages exposed to mechanical strain, independent of the type of mechanical strain. As inhibition was possible with 4P-PDOT, the MT2 receptor might be involved in the regulation of the observed effects.     

Genome-Wide Investigation of Multifocal and Unifocal Prostate Cancer—Are They Genetically Different?

Prostate cancer is widely observed to be biologically heterogeneous. Its heterogeneity is manifested histologically as multifocal prostate cancer, which is observed more frequently than unifocal prostate cancer. The clinical and prognostic significance of either focal cancer type is not fully established. To investigate prostate cancer heterogeneity, the genetic profiles of multifocal and unifocal prostate cancers were compared. Here, we report observations deduced from tumor-tumor comparison of copy number alteration data of both focal categories. Forty-one fresh frozen prostate cancer foci from 14 multifocal prostate cancers and eight unifocal prostate cancers were subjected to copy number variation analysis with the Affymetrix SNP 6.0 microarray tool. With the investigated cases, tumors obtained from a single prostate exhibited different genetic profiles of variable degrees. Further comparison identified no distinct genetic pattern or signatures specific to multifocal or unifocal prostate cancer. Our findings suggest that samples obtained from multiple sites of a single unifocal prostate cancer show as much genetic heterogeneity and variability as separate tumors obtained from a single multifocal prostate cancer.