Formation of Heterocyclic Amines in Salami and Ham Pizza Toppings During Baking of Frozen Pizza

Heterocyclic amines (HAs) are formed as Maillard reaction products in the crust of meat products during heating processes. Two typical pizza toppings—salami and cooked ham—were analyzed for the presence of HAs after baking frozen pizzas at top and bottom temperatures of 250 and 230 °C, respectively. After baking pizza slices for 12 min, MeIQx (2‐amino‐3,4,8‐trimethylimidazo[4,5‐f]quinoxaline; 0.2 ng/g), 4,8‐DiMeIQx (2‐amino‐3,8‐dimethylimidazo[4,5‐f]quinoxaline; 0.5 ng/g), PhIP (2‐amino‐1‐methyl‐6‐phenylimidazo[4,5‐b]pyridine; 0.2 ng/g), norharman (4.5 ng/g), and harman (2.5 ng/g) were found in the ham toppings, whereas only the comutagenic norharman (107.4 ng/g) and harman (11.4 ng/g) were found in the salami toppings. The content of MeIQx and 4,8‐DiMeIQx in ham increased from 0.3 to 1.8 ng/g and 0.8 to 1.6 ng/g, respectively, when the recommended baking time was increased from 15 min (manufacturer's specification) to 18 min at 230 °C. MeIQx was formed in salami when the heating time was extended to 18 min. Moreover, higher concentrations of PhIP in salami or ham slices were found when baking temperatures were 250 °C rather than 230 °C (baking time of 12 min). However, sensory tests showed that panelists preferred longer‐baked pizzas due to an increased crispiness. Thus, results show that a substantial formation of HAs may occur in pizza toppings such as ham and salami, with ham being particularly susceptible when compared to salami. Formation of HAs increases with increasing baking time and temperature. The occurrence of the cupping of ham or salami slices during baking may also increase the formation of HAs.     

Bandwidth performance of 16-element thinned phased array withtapped delay-line filter

The bandwidth performance of a thinned phased adaptive array with and without a delay-line processor are compared. Five- and nine-jammer scenarios are considered for two EHF bands, 0.125 and 2.0 GHz. The null-depth which was used as the measure of performance was computed over the nulling band for three different delay-line configurations. The simulation results give some insight into the way in which delay-line compensation provides improved performance as the interference bandwidth increases     

Expression level of a transgenic lambda2 chain results in isotype exclusion and commitment to B1 cells

Two new lambda2 chain-transgenic mouse lines were established, both of which showed stable transgene expression during aging of the mice. The line L23, which expressed the transgene at low levels, exhibited normal B cell development, antibody responses and serum Ig levels. Most of the B cells in this mouse line co-expressed the transgenic lambda2 chain together with an endogenous kappa chain, thus showing poor allelic exclusion of endogenous L chains. On the other hand, high expression of the transgenic lambda2 chain in the other mouse line, L2, resulted in nearly complete exclusion of endogenous L chain isotypes. In this line, the lambda2 transgene was already detectable in the cytoplasm of all preB-II cells and some pro/preB-I cells. Its expression during these early phases obviously inhibited development of conventional B2 cells, since the B cells in the periphery of these mice were almost exclusively of the B1 type. This finding was confirmed by adoptive transfer of transgenic bone marrow into lethally irradiated recipients. Very few B cells were present in the spleen of such recipients. The serum IgM levels of L2 mice were close to normal and the majority of these IgM were associated with the transgenic lambda2 chain. Antibody responses to thymus-dependent antigens in such mice were almost exclusively found to be of IgM class. Together, these findings indicate a developmental bias leading to a predominance of B1 cells in the L2 line.     

Continuous non-invasive blood pressure monitoring by brachial artery displacement method in high-risk surgical patients

Continuous non-invasive blood pressure (CNBP) measurements were compared to invasive radial artery pressure recordings in 26 patients with cardiac, vascular and/or pulmonary disease. Patients were studied during general anaesthesia (n = 6), regional anaesthesia (n = 10), or combined technique (n = 10) for abdominal or transurethral surgery. CNBP was obtained from a cuff placed around the upper arm and simultaneously compared to invasive pressure from the ipsilateral radial artery. A CNBP device (7001 Cortronic) used intermittent oscillometric measurement for calibration. Through a cuff continuously inflated to a pressure of 20 mmHg, a microprocessor-controlled electro-pneumatic acquisition system sensed displacements of the brachial artery wall. Amplified, digitally converted, filtered and transformed data were displayed as a continuous pulse pressure waveform and digital pressure values on the screen. The CNBP method functioned without disturbances before surgery in all patients. Intra-operative use of electrocautery or a spontaneous occurrence of warning on the screen repeatedly triggered oscillometric recalibration, hence CNBP measurements were discontinued in nine patients. Coefficients of correlation (r) of all invasive and CNBP pairs (n = 1111) were 0.68, 0.58 and 0.70 for systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressures, respectively. Prediction errors (bias, mean +/- SD) were -13.6 +/- 22.5 mmHg (on average CNBP < invasive pressure) for systolic, +13.0 +/- 12.4 mmHg (CNBP > invasive pressure) for diastolic and +5.0 +/- 13.9 mmHg (CNBP > invasive pressure) for mean CNBP, as compared to radial artery pressure values. Absolute errors (precision) were 25.3 +/- 9.4 mmHg for systolic, 17.4 +/- 4.5 mmHg for diastolic, and 13.9 +/- 4.6 mmHg for mean CNBP. During anaesthesia induction (n = 672) the difference between consecutive measurements (trend of pressure changes) with invasive and CNBP method exceeded 20 mmHg in 90 (13.3%) instances for systolic, in 33 (4.9%) instances for diastolic, and in 45 (6.6%) instances for mean blood pressure. In conclusion, the CNBP method by brachial artery wall displacement failed to measure the blood pressure reliably and to display the trend of pressure changes correctly during anaesthesia induction. In its present form this CNBP method should not replace invasive blood pressure monitoring in high-risk patients neither for anaesthesia induction nor during non-thoracic surgical procedures.     

Repressor titration: a novel system for selection and stable maintenance of recombinant plasmids

The propagation of recombinant plasmids in bacterial hosts, particularly in Escherichia coli, is essential for the amplification and manipulation of cloned DNA and the production of recombinant proteins. The isolation of bacterial transformants and subsequent stable plasmid maintenance have traditionally been accomplished using plasmid-borne selectable marker genes. Here we describe a novel system that employs plasmid-mediated repressor titration to activate a chromosomal selectable marker, removing the requirement for a plasmid-borne marker gene. A modified E.coli host strain containing a conditionally essential chromosomal gene (kan) under the control of the lac operator/promoter, lac O/P, has been constructed. In the absence of an inducer (allolactose or IPTG) this strain, DH1 lackan , cannot grow on kanamycin-containing media due to the repression of kan expression by LacI protein binding to lac O/P. Transformation with a high copy-number plasmid containing the lac operator, lac O, effectively induces kan expression by titrating LacI from the operator. This strain thus allows the selection of plasmids without antibiotic resistance genes (they need only contain lac O and an origin of replication) which have clear advantages for use as gene therapy vectors. Regulation in the same way of an essential, endogenous bacterial gene will allow the production of recombinant therapeutics devoid of residual antibiotic contamination.     

Personal reminiscences of a psychologist married couple on changing perspectives in 20 years of professional psychology.

The authors describe their perspectives as a psychologist married couple and discuss some of the major trends that have affected their work in the last years, including the women's movement and new developments in the field of psychology. They note both positive and negative changes from the last 2 decades. Whereas there are many more new and exciting opportunities for psychologists today, there are also more pressures, more stringent training and credentialing requirements, more competition, and less mobility. Also discussed are some advantages to being married to another psychologist, including understanding each other's roles, combining social and professional lives, and expanding professional networks. They look to the future of psychology with optimism and hope that by examining and changing some of the restrictions on psychologists today, the field of professional psychology can be made more rewarding for future psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hyaluronan Synthase and Hyaluronidase Expression in Serous Ovarian Carcinoma is Related to Anatomic Site and Chemotherapy Exposure

The present study investigated the expression and clinical role of hyaluronan synthases (HAS1-3) and hyaluronidases (Hyal1-3) in serous ovarian carcinoma. HAS and HYAL mRNA expression was analyzed in 97 tumors (61 effusions, 27 primary carcinomas, 9 solid metastases) using PCR and further studied for association with clinicopathologic parameters, including survival. HAS1 mRNA was overexpressed in effusions compared to primary carcinomas and solid metastases (p < 0.001), and an alternatively spliced HAS1 was expressed only in effusions. HAS2 mRNA was overexpressed in solid metastases and primary carcinomas compared to effusions (p = 0.043), and HAS3 mRNA was overexpressed in primary carcinomas and effusions compared to solid metastases (p = 0.008). HYAL1 mRNA was absent in all specimens, whereas HYAL2 was expressed as two splice variants, of which HYAL2-var2 was overexpressed in solid metastases compared to effusions and primary carcinomas (p < 0.001). HYAL3 mRNA was expressed as wild-type and variant 1–3 form, the latter more highly in primary carcinomas and effusions compared to solid metastases (p = 0.006). HAS1 mRNA was overexpressed in pre- compared to post-chemotherapy effusions (p < 0.001), with opposite finding for HYAL2-var1 and HYAL3-WT (p = 0.016 and p = 0.024, respectively). Higher HYAL2-var1 and HAS1 splice variant mRNA expression in effusions was associated with longer (p = 0.033) and shorter (p = 0.047) overall survival, respectively. These data are the first to document a role for HAS and Hyal members in tumor progression in ovarian carcinoma, as evidenced by their differential expression as function of anatomic site and chemotherapy exposure, with a possible prognostic role for patients with malignant effusions.