The volatile fraction profiling of fresh tomatoes and triple concentrate tomato pastes as parameter for the determination of geographical origin

Two unsupervised pattern recognition techniques such as stepwise linear discriminant analysis (SLDA) and Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy (SIMCA) were used to classify tomato samples in categories corresponding to the cultivation areas. The same approach was used for triple concentrated pastes for discrimination between two different Italian production areas. Accordingly, HS-SPME-GC-MS with 85 ??m carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane fiber was used for the determination of the volatile fraction in tomatoes and triple concentrate tomato pastes samples. Ethyl isobututanoate was used as internal standard for semiquantitative analysis and the concentration data (??g/kg) of 38 compounds for tomatoes and of 32 compounds for triple concentrates were used in following chemometric analysis. Sixteen and three variables were selected by forward stepwise LDA for tomatoes and pastes, respectively. SLDA and SIMCA models showed respectively 96% and 94% in term of prediction ability for tomatoes. The two supervised techniques provided 100% and 97% in prediction of the production areas of tomato pastes, respectively.     

Thermalism in Argentina. Alternative or complementary dermatologic therapy

We describe the use of weight-bearing foot tomograms. The outline of the food is drawn so as the axes of the metatarsal beyond the toes on the AP plain radiogram and the tomograms are done successively on each metatarsal. This morphological, but also functional, analysis enables exact diagnosis of excessive loading on the metatarsal head. This procedure is used in case of metatarsalgia with normal metatarsal length and in late post-traumatic sequellae of the forefoot. Surgical correction can then be precisely performed.     

Biodegradation of cell wall components of maize stover colonized by white-rot fungi and resulting impact on in-vitro digestibility

Treatment of crop residues with some species of white-rot fungi can enhance digestibility. This study was conducted to investigate changes in in-vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) and degradation of cell wall constituents in maize (Zea maize L) stover treated with three white-rot fungi: Cyathus stercoreus, Phlebia brevispora and Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Solid fermentation of maize stover for 28 days at 27°C improved IVDMD from 409 g kg^?1 (control) to 514 g kg^?1 for P brevispora and 523 g kg^?1 for C stercoreus. In contrast, growth of P chrysosporium reduced IVDMD from 409 to 298 g kg^?1. All fungi degraded cell wall p-coumaric acid (PCA) and ferulic acid (FA), but P chrysosporium was the least effective in degrading PCA and FA. Conversely, P chrysosporium degraded lignin 1·6 times more effectively than C stercoreus and 1·4 times more than P brevispora, indicating that lignin degradation alone cannot account for the IVDMD enhancement and that degradation of PCA and FA may be important. Hemicelluloses were preferentially and highly utilized by all the fungi. Cellulose was extensively degraded only by P chrysosporium (69% lost after 28 days of incubation), while substrate colonized by the other two fungi retained more than 84% original cellulose. Incubation of C stercoreus and P brevispora decreased the concentrations of both xylose and arabinose, but increased glucose concentration, whereas P chrysosporium removed less xylose and decreased glucose concentration. Preferential removal of arabinose over xylose by the fungi caused an increase in the xylose to arabinose ratio of the treated residues. Enhanced digestibility may have resulted from cleavage of lignin-carbohydrate bonds. Results of this study suggest that digestibility enhancement of maize stover colonized by white-rot fungi is regulated by a complex combination of various factors, including the degradation of structural carbohydrates, cell wall phenolic acids and lignin.     

A randomized study comparing methylprednisolone plus chlorambucil versus methylprednisolone plus cyclophosphamide in idiopathic membranous nephropathy

Recent research on development of the implantable artificial pancreas for treatment of diabetes is reviewed, based on a Medline literature search that focused on glucose sensors, insulin pumps, and pump control systems. To achieve a closed feedback loop, a clinically applicable implantable artificial pancreas requires miniaturization and coordination of three components: an insulin pump, a blood glucose monitor, and a control system. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated that implantable insulin pumps are feasible for satisfactory control of diabetes for over a year, with the major complication being obstruction of the infusion catheter. Research on continuous glucose sensors has predominantly used the glucose-oxidase reaction or near-infrared light spectroscopy. Implantable glucose oxidase sensors have been limited by local factors causing unstable signal output, whereas optical sensors must overcome interference by substances with absorption spectra similar to glucose. Investigators have developed control algorithms in an effort to stabilize operation of the integrated artificial pancreas in the face of variations in sensor output and pump function. The ultimate goals of fully automatic glucose control by an artificial pancreas include prevention or delay of chronic complications of diabetes, lowered risk of hypoglycemia, and less patient inconvenience and discomfort than with multiple daily glucose self-tests and insulin injection. The recent developments of optical glucose sensing, radiotelemetry systems to link pump and sensor, and miniaturization and refinement of insulin pumps are significant steps toward a clinically applicable artificial pancreas.     

4-Hydroxynonenal and cholesterol oxidation products in atherosclerosis

4-Hydroxynonenal (HNE) is by far the most investigated aldehydic end-product of oxidative breakdown of membrane n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Its potential involvement in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis has been corroborated by its consistent detection in both oxidized LDL and fibrotic plaque in humans. HNE has been shown to activate both macrophage and smooth muscle cells, i.e. the two key cell types in chronic inflammatory processes characterized by excessive fibrogenesis. By signalling to the nucleus, the aldehyde may up-regulate in these cells both expression and synthesis of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1). Oxysterols, namely 27 carbon atoms oxidation products of cholesterol, are found in relatively high amount in LDL from hypercholesterolemic individuals and are consistently detectable in foam cells and necrotic core of human atherosclerotic lesion. As for HNE, the challenge of cells of the macrophage lineage with a mixture of oxysterols like that detectable in hypercholesterolemic individuals led to a marked overexpression of TGFbeta1 and MCP-1. Both HNE and oxysterols then appear to be candidates for a primary role in the progression of the atherosclerotic process.     

Identification of four alcohol oxidases from methylotrophic yeasts

Three yeast strains capable of utilizing methanol as sole carbon and energy source were isolated. Two were classified as Candida boidinii, while the third belonged in the genus Pichia. From these three strains, four alcohol oxidases genes were identified and the sequences of the coding regions were determined: one from each Candida boidinii (aox0673 and aox0680) and two from Pichia sp. 159 (aoxA and aoxB). Methanol induces both alcohol oxidases in Pichia sp. 159: the levels of aoxA and aoxB mRNA reach about 100% and 300%, respectively, of that of his4 mRNA. aoxA, but not aoxB, is expressed at a low level in the presence of glucose. The newly described alcohol oxidases have proper dinucleotide binding sites and PTS1-like C-terminal tripeptides, identified as important elements for peroxisomal localization.     

Study of the respiratory manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus

Following a short discussion of the anatomopathological and clinical features of respiratory signs during systemic l.e., some clinical cases in which involvement of the respiratory system (pleural and/or parenchymal) was observed alone or was clearly predominant are reported. The cases also presented some unusual clinical characteristics. Clinical investigations must be extended to the systemic mesenchyma in the presence of pleuritis or pulmonary fibrosis of unclear aetiology, even where there are no extra-respiratory signs of S.L.E.     

Bowman-Birk inhibitors in lentil: Heterologous expression,functional characterisation and anti-proliferative properties in human colon cancer cells

A full-length cDNA, encoding a Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor (BBI), was isolated from lentil immature seeds. The deduced amino acid sequence was longer than that of the BBI extracted from lentil seeds and contained two binding sites; the first inhibitory site inhibits trypsin whereas the second one inhibits chymotrypsin. In order to characterize this lentil BBI, a longer (complete) and its C-terminally processed (mature) form were heterologously expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris. The recombinant BBI proteins proved to be active against trypsin and chymotrypsin, showing K_i values at nanomolar levels. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that complete BBI was composed of an array of molecular masses, whereas mature BBI showed the presence of a major peak of the expected size. The effects of mature BBI on the growth of human colon adenocarcinoma HT29 and colonic fibroblast CCD-18Co cells were evaluated. Lentil BBI was able to inhibit the growth of such cells at concentrations higher than 19 μM, in a concentration-dependent manner; by contrast, the CCD18-Co cells were unaffected. These data broaden our knowledge of the beneficial biological activities of naturally-occurring BBI proteins and address the need for systematic evaluation of natural variants in order to design novel strategies in preventive medicine.     

Nutritional, textural and sensorial characterisation of Italian table olives (Olea europaea L. cv. 'Intosso d'Abruzzo')

In the present study, we evaluated chemical, nutritional, sensory and textural characteristics of table olives of an Italian double-aptitude olive cultivar ( Olea europaea  L. cv. Intosso d'Abruzzo ). The aim of this work was to focus some physico-chemical characteristics of this end product in order to enhance the value of this fruit from a nutritional point of view. These table olives are fruits with an appreciable content of fibre (2.6 g/100 g) and natural antioxidants such as polyphenols (167.8 mg/100 g) and α-tocopherol (6.44 mg/100 g). In this cultivar, oil content is high (17.5 g/100 g), such as MUFA (13.6 g/100 g). The protein content is low (1 g/100 g), but nutritional quality is high for the presence of essential amino acids.     

NIR and MIR spectroscopy as rapid methods to monitor red wine fermentation

Fifteen micro-fermentation trials were conducted during the 2008 vintage harvest in the Valtellina (Northern Italy) viticultural area. During fermentation, the spectra were achieved in the near and mid-infrared region by a FT-NIR spectrometer and a FT-IR spectrometer, respectively. Samples were also analysed by using chemical methods to evaluate sugars (glucose and fructose), alcohols (ethanol and glycerol) and phenolic compounds (total phenolics, total anthocyanins and total flavonoids). The pretreated spectral data were processed using principal component analysis. After feature selection by the algorithm SELECT, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was applied to spectral data as a classification technique, to predict the fermentation stage from initial to final phase. Moreover, partial least square regression was used to predict sugar content, ethanol, glycerol and phenolic compounds simultaneously. LDA results, characterised by a high percentage of correct classification (87% and 100% as average value in prediction for NIR and MIR spectroscopy, respectively), showed that samples belonging to a particular fermentation step could be correctly classified. Good calibration models for the prediction of the main compositional changes during alcoholic fermentation were obtained with both FT-NIR and FT-IR, suggesting that either instruments could be used to evaluate online and simultaneously these compounds in red wine.