Artifactual seven-day cycles in spontaneous activity in wild rodents and squirrel monkeys.

Found 7-day cycles in spontaneous activity in wild animals (recently trapped Norway rats, chipmunks, ground squirrels, and squirrel monkeys) but not in tame domesticated animals (laboratory Norway rats and hamsters). This cycle turned out to be a function of emotional reaction of the wild animals to hitherto overlooked slight differences in activities of relevant human beings between weekdays and weekends. Elimination of ability of wild animals to react to slight environment differences by blinding or deafening abolished the 7-day cycles. No definite evidence has been found for the presence of inherent 7-day cycles in animals or man. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Continuous EEG monitoring and clinical chemical findings in poisoning from Death cap (Amanita phalloides) (author''s transl)

The orbital manifestations of Graves' disease frequently constitute the major and distressing portion of the morbidity in this poorly understood process. Patients with optic neuropathy, exposure keratopathy or disfiguring proptosis may be aided considerably by decompression to permit swollen orbital contents to move into the maxillary and ethmoid sinus cavities. Experience with 38 patients treated over a five-year period indicates that antral-ethmoidal decompression is a logical, successful form of therapy and generally free of serious complications. it may provide benefit earlier in the course of Graves' exophthalmopathy than has been accepted in the past.     

Antarctic springtime depletion of atmospheric mercury

Unlike other heavy metals that are inherently associated with atmospheric aerosols, mercury in ambient air exists predominantly in the gaseous elemental form. Because of its prolonged atmospheric residence time, elemental mercury vapor is distributed on a global scale. Recently, Canadian researchers have discovered that total gaseous mercury levels in the lower tropospheric boundary layer in the Canadian Arctic are often significantly depleted during the months after polar sunrise. A possible explanation may involve oxidation of elemental mercury, followed by adsorption and deposition of the oxidized form, leading to an increased input of atmospheric mercury into the Arctic ecosystem. Here we present the first continuous high-time-resolution measurements of total gaseous mercury in the Antarctic covering a 12-month period between January 2000 and January 2001 at the German Antarctic research station Neumayer (70 degrees 39' S, 8 degrees 15' W). We report that mercury depletion events also occur in the Antarctic after polar sunrise and compare our measurements with a data setfrom Alert, Nunavut, Canada. We also present indications that BrO radicals and ozone play a key role in the boundary-layer chemistry during springtime mercury depletion events in the Antarctic troposphere.     

Enantioseparation of catechin and epicatechin in plant food by chiral capillary electrophoresis

The enantiomers of catechin and epicatechin were separated by chiral capillary electrophoresis using modified cyclodextrins as chiral selectors. Various conditions for the separation system were optimized, including the pH value and the concentration of the running buffer. A baseline separation of the catechin and epicatechin enantiomers could be achieved by using 0.1 mol l⁻¹ borate buffer (pH 8.5) with 12 mmol l⁻¹ (2-hydroxypropyl)-γ-cyclodextrin as chiral selector, a fused-silica capillary with 40 cm effective length (75 μm I.D.), +18 kV applied voltage, a temperature of 20 °C and direct UV detection at 280 nm. The method was applied to different plant food samples. (+)-Catechin and (−)-epicatechin could be verified as the most common flavan-3-ols. In the case of guaraná, however, we were able to identify all four enantiomers, both (+)- and (−)-catechin and (+)- and (−)-epicatechin, as naturally occurring compounds. This finding was verified by further isolation and purification of the flavan-3-ols and subsequent LC–MS analysis. This method allows for the identification of the authenticity of guaraná through the analysis of the catechin and epicatechin enantiomers, additionally to the conventional methods like HPLC.     

Effects of dietary supplementation of vitamins D(3) and E on quality characteristics of pigs and longissimus muscle antioxidative capacity

The effects of addition of vitamin D₃ and vitamin E to pig diets on blood plasma calcium concentration, meat quality (longissimus muscle) and antioxidative capacity were investigated. Two treatments consisted of supplementation with vitamin D₃ (500,000 IU/d) for 5 days separately (group D) and a combination of vitamin E (500 mg α-tocopheryl acetate/kg diet) for 30 days and vitamin D₃ (500,000 IU/d) for 5 days (group D + E) to growing-finishing pigs before slaughter. Pigs fed with vitamin D₃ had higher (P < 0.01) plasma calcium concentration compared with control pigs. Dietary supplementation of vitamin E significantly (P < 0.05) increased the concentration of α-tocopherol in meat (longissimus muscle). Vitamin D₃ supplementation resulted in higher (P = 0.07) a^∗ values of loin chops at 5 days of storage. Vitamin D₃ and vitamin E supplementation did not affect other meat quality characteristics or tenderness (quantified by Warner–Bratzler shear force). Antioxidative capacity (measured as MDA production after incubation of longissimus muscle homogenates with Fe²⁺/ascorbate) was improved by vitamin E and partly by vitamin D₃ supplementation.     

Tobacco-related disease mortality among men who switched from cigarettes to spit tobacco

Background

Although several epidemiological studies have examined the mortality among users of spit tobacco, none have compared mortality of former cigarette smokers who substitute spit tobacco for cigarette smoking (“switchers”) and smokers who quit using tobacco entirely.

Methods

A cohort of 116 395 men were identified as switchers (n = 4443) or cigarette smokers who quit using tobacco entirely (n = 111 952) when enrolled in the ongoing US American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II. From 1982 to 31 December 2002, 44 374 of these men died. The mortality hazard ratios (HR) of tobacco‐related diseases, including lung cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression modelling adjusted for age and other demographic variables, as well as variables associated with smoking history, including number of years smoked, number of cigarettes smoked and age at quitting.

Results

After 20 years of follow‐up, switchers had a higher rate of death from any cause (HR 1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 to 1.15), lung cancer (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.73), coronary heart disease (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.29) and stroke (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.53) than those who quit using tobacco entirely.

Conclusion

The risks of dying from major tobacco‐related diseases were higher among former cigarette smokers who switched to spit tobacco after they stopped smoking than among those who quit using tobacco entirely.Several epidemiological studies have examined morbidity and mortality among users of spit tobacco (spit‐tobacco users),^1,2 but none have compared the mortality of former cigarette smokers who substitute spit tobacco for cigarette smoking (“switchers”) to those of smokers who quit using tobacco entirely. Comprehensive reviews by the US Surgeon General,³ and the International Agency for Research on Cancer⁴ and others⁵ have concluded that evidence is sufficient that the use of spit tobacco causes several types of cancer in humans. Although the evidence linking use of spit tobacco to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases is limited,⁶ these products cause acute increases in heart rate and blood pressure, as well as long‐term adverse effects on blood pressure and lipid profiles.⁷We compared mortality of switchers to those of former cigarette smokers who quit using tobacco entirely among men enrolled in a large prospective cohort.     

Traditionally Processed Beverages in Africa: A Review of the Mycotoxin Occurrence Patterns and Exposure Assessment

African traditional beverages are widely consumed food‐grade liquids processed from single or mixed grains (mostly cereals) by simple food processing techniques, of which fermentation tops the list. These beverages are very diverse in composition and nutritional value and are specific to different cultures and countries. The grains from which home‐processed traditional beverages are made across Africa are often heavily contaminated with multiple mycotoxins due to poor agricultural, handling, and storage practices that characterize the region. In the literature, there are many reports on the spectrum and quantities of mycotoxins in crops utilized in traditional beverage processing, however, few studies have analyzed mycotoxins in the beverages themselves. The available reports on mycotoxins in African traditional beverages are mainly centered on the finished products with little information on the process chain (raw material to final product), fate of the different mycotoxins during processing, and exposure estimates for consumers. Regulations targeting these local beverages are not in place despite the heavy occurrence of mycotoxins in their raw materials and the high consumption levels of the products in many homes. This paper therefore comprehensively discusses for the 1st time the available data on the wide variety of African traditional beverages, the mycotoxins that contaminate the beverages and their raw materials, exposure estimates, and possible consequent effects. Mycotoxin control options and future directions for mycotoxin research in beverage production are also highlighted.