Effect of pretreatment on enzymatic hydrolysis of bovine collagen and formation of ACE-inhibitory peptides

Bovine collagen was pre-treated (boiled or high pressure (HP)-treated) and then hydrolysed by 6 proteases. The degree of hydrolysis (DH) and the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity of hydrolysates were measured. All enzymes used were able to partly degrade collagen and release ACE-inhibitory peptides. The highest ACE-inhibitory activity was obtained with Alcalase. Pretreatment significantly influenced the DH and ACE-inhibition. For most enzymes, boiling for 5 min resulted in a significantly higher DH and ACE-inhibitory activity. With Alcalase and collagenase, hydrolysis and release of ACE-inhibitory peptides occurred without any pretreatment, but HP-treatment significantly improved the DH and ACE-inhibitory activity. HP did not markedly affect the hydrolysis with the other enzymes. The major peptides obtained with Alcalase were identified; all were released from the triple helix structure of collagen. Many of these peptides had C-terminal sequences similar to known ACE-inhibitory peptides. The present results suggest that collagen-rich food materials are good substrates for the release of potent ACE-inhibitory peptides, when proper pre-treatment and enzymatic treatment is applied.     

Wastewater management through the ages: A history of mankind

Although much has been written about the history of water supply systems, there is a lack of corresponding information on wastewater management. This is surprising since the lack of sanitation affects human development to the same or even greater extent as the lack of clean water. While there may be an added stigma to discussing waste treatment, sanitation is widely perceived as meriting a significant claim on financial and political resources as well on the evolution of mankind.A literature review is presented on the evolution of wastewater management through the ages and its concurrent impact on human health and environment. Hopefully this information will improve the awareness of the past with a view to impacting future policies and technical developments. The review highlights the connection of environmental contamination with the ability to measure it, as well as the ways pollution control has been changed by advances in scientific knowledge. Attention is also drawn to the effects of political and societal events on wastewater management. A sanitation timeline has been constructed pointing out significant developments in the treatment of wastewater and improvements in analytical environmental chemistry.This review has been written in the belief that historical research showing the collective experience and “philosophy of sanitation” can provide inspiration to face future challenges.     

The anti-staling effect of pre-gelatinized flour and emulsifier in gluten-free bread

The use of gluten-free products is increasing since an increasing number of people (1–2 %) are suffering from Celiac disease and thereby need a gluten-free diet. Gluten-free bread tends to have shorter shelf life and quality compared with white wheat bread. In this study, 3 % (flour basis) of pre-gelatinized oat and barley flour as well as an emulsifier were added to a gluten-free mix to increase the water content by 1.5–2 %, affect the starch retrogradation and the formation of amylose lipid complex. The staling was followed measuring the firmness (texture analyzer), water content and distribution (nuclear magnetic resonance), amylopectin retrogradation and the formation of amylose–lipid complex (differential scanning calorimetry) in order to see the impact of both macroscopic and molecular changes on firmness. Both gluten-free bread and a white wheat bread were used as control loaves. Largest specific volume was found in the gluten-free control. The firmness varied with both the specific volume and the point of measurement. The amount of retrograded amylopectin increased the firmness, although this effect was dependent on the type of bread, in terms of distribution and availability of the water within the system. The proton relaxation time, which was representing movable water, decreased during storage and revealed that both the amylopectin retrogradation and the lipid complex formation were affecting the rigidity of the amorphous domain and not only the crystalline regions. In contrast to the other recipes, the use of emulsifier caused limited retrogradation and a low correlation between the texture properties and time-dependent events.     

Brief screening for psychological and substance abuse disorders in veterans with long-term spinal cord injury.

Objective: To determine rates of positive screens for psychological and substance use disorders in persons with long-term spinal cord injury (SCI). Study Design: A naturalistic cohort design wherein consecutive admissions during an 8-month period completed the screening battery. Setting: Veterans Affairs SCI Center. Participants: One hundred fifteen men, 2 women, mean age 57.4 years, injured an average of 20 years, readmitted for various reasons. Main Outcome Measures: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and screening items for depression and anxiety disorders. Results: Rates of positive screens ranged from 6.2% for alcohol problems to over 40% for anxiety disorders. Positive screens for depression and anxiety correlated positively with the number of recent hospital admissions. Conclusions: Systematic brief screening for psychological and substance abuse disorders in this population revealed rates of positive screens at least equal to those in other medical patient populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence for a genetic etiology of early-onset delinquency.

Age at onset of antisocial behavior discriminates persistent and transitory offenders. The authors proposed that early-onset delinquency has an underlying genetic influence that manifests in problems related to inhibition, whereas late-onset delinquency is more environmentally mediated. To test these notions, they selected 36 early starters, 86 late starters, and 25 nondelinquent controls from a large sample of 11-yr-old twins and compared them on several measures related to inhibition and a peer group measure. As expected, early starters had more psychological, behavioral, and emotional problems related to inhibition than late starters and controls. A longitudinal analysis indicated an increase in antisocial behavior among peers of late starters shortly before their delinquency onset. Family history data and a twin analysis provided evidence of greater genetic influence on early-onset than late-onset delinquency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

TSUG, the Thomson Scientific User Group in the UK

The forerunner to the UK-based Thomson Scientific User Group (TSUG) was formed in 1990 as a professional interest group for patent information searchers using Derwent patent abstracts and related products. Although discussion and activities still revolve around this area, the group today also exchanges information on and searching experience with any other patent-related information products of interest and relevance to members. The group and its members maintain close links with Thomson Scientific for the purposes of product development and product evaluation.     

The Influence of β-Cyclodextrin on the Solubility of Chlorthalidone and Its Enantiomers

The solubility of chlorthalidone in 16 solvent systems was determined in the absence and presence of different amounts of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). Chlorthalidone (CT) was shown to be more soluble in hydrophilic organic solvents, with the highest solubility in ethylacetate (EtOAc) saturated with water. The solubility of CT in water, butanol, octanol, and dichloromethane (DCM) was enhanced by the addition of β-cyclodextrin. The enantioselective partitioning of CT between water and EtOAc, DCM, butan-1-ol, butan-2-ol, and octan-1-ol was determined in the presence of β-CD at pH 5, 7, and 9. According to the results, both the solubility and partition- ing properties of CT are affected by β-CD in aqueous solution. It was also shown that the solubility of the individual enantiomers differs in the presence of β-CD.     

Nightly home hemodialysis: Five and one-half years of experience in Lynchburg, Virginia

Background: Lynchburg Nephrology Dialysis Incorporated initiated a nightly home hemodialysis (NHHD) program in September 1997. As of April 30, 2003, 40 patients had completed training; 28 patients were at home and 2 patients were in training. The average age of the patients at the initiation of the home‐based therapy was 50 years, with a range of 23 to 81 years. There have been 24,239 treatments at home with a total of 84.86 patient‐years on NHHD, the longest patient for 66.7 months and the shortest for 1 month. Methods: Patients dialyzed using the Fresenius 2008H machine, 6 to 10 hr, 5 to 6 nights per week. Treatment parameters included a blood flow rate of 200 to 250 mL/min; a dialysis flow rate of 200 to 300 mL/min; and a standard dialysis solution with 2.0 mEq/L potassium, 3.0 to 3.5 mEq/L calcium concentrations, 35 mEq/L HCO₃, and 140 mEq/L sodium. The longitudinal data of each patient in the program for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years were compared to the same patient's pre‐NHHD data. There were 25 patients in the program for 1 year, 19 patients for 2 years, 14 patients for 3 years, 6 patients for 4 years, and 4 patients for 5 years. Results: Statistically significant improvement occurred in all five groups' need for antihypertensive medications and phosphate binders, SF36 scores, calcium/phosphorus product, blood pressure, number of hospital admissions, and number of days of stay in the hospital. The mortality rate was 2.4% deaths per patient‐year with a 95% confidence interval of 0.9% to 9.4%. Conclusions: In a longitudinal study, NHHD showed significant improvements in patient secondary outcomes. The improvement in these secondary outcomes was associated with an improvement in mortality rate.     

Using a bilingual group support system

Differences in language and culture among participants in a meeting can present tremendous barriers to efficient and effective communication. Cultural and lingual barriers are becoming increasingly important issues to international managers as businesses continue to expand globally. This paper describes a group support system (GSS) which reduces many of these lingual and cultural barriers in groups composed of Spanish and English speakers.