Intake of unused palm olein and palm olein used in frying does not affect calcium and phosphorus bioavailability in rats

Palm oil is widely used as a cooking medium. This study was undertaken to examine whether extensive use leading to the formation of polar compounds has any effect on calcium and phosphorus balances. Three isocaloric diets containing 8% olive oil (O), palm olein (P) and palm olein from 80 repeated potato frying uses (PF) without turnover, and which nearly reached the limit of 25% polar compounds allowed by law, were prepared and given to three groups of growing rats during a study period of 28 days. Body weight and food intake were monitored and faeces and urine were collected to calculate calcium and phosphorus balances during the last week of the study. At the end of the experiment the animals were killed and their livers, serum and carcases stored. No differences were observed between food intake, body weight and food efficiency of rats which consumed palm olein, whether unused or used in frying, and the control group (O). The liver mass index was higher in PF than O rats. No significant differences were observed in apparent absorption and retention of calcium and phosphorus. Faecal calcium (p = 0.065) and the percentage of phosphorus absorbed (p = 0.084) showed a tendency to increase in rats fed diets with both unused and used palm olein and could be due to the known higher affinity of fat for Ca than P. No variations in serum calcium and carcase calcium and phosphorus levels were seen. The conclusion of this study was that consumption of palm olein, whether unused or used in frying, does not alter calcium and phosphorus bioavailability. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Allelic loss at 1p is associated with tumor progression of meningiomas

Next to chromosome 22 anomalies, deletions of the short arm of chromosome 1 have previously been described as the most frequent alteration detected by cytogenetic analysis of meningiomas. To determine the incidence of these deletions, we have analyzed a series of 50 meningiomas for the loss of alleles at four chromosome 1 loci. Thirteen samples displayed LOH for the markers studied; in one instance, the results were compatible with loss of the entire chromosome 1, whereas in the other 12 samples deletions of the short arm were observed. Eleven of the meningiomas had previously been shown to have loss of alleles on chromosome 22, and 12 of them were characterized by increased tumor aggressiveness. These findings suggest that deletion of Ip (or the alteration of a locus located there) might represent a secondary, but nonrandom alteration in meningiomas, perhaps contributing to meningioma tumor progression.     

Clinical evaluation of a new non-radiometric automatic system for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is again a public health problem un many countries and is considered a re-emerging disease. The fastest possible diagnosis in our patients is essential for TB control programs. ESP is a non-radioactive, totally automated, continuously monitored system designed to detect mycobacteria. METHODS: Clinical evaluation of this new system for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis. During 1997 a total of 1,022 clinical sputum specimens were investigated. Specimens were processed in triplicate for ESP, BACTEC 460 TB and L?wenstein-Jensen systems. The validity, isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and time required for detecting M. tuberculosis by the three systems were determined. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive values of the new systems were 98%, 99.8%, 98% and 99.8%, respectively. No significant differences were found between the recovery rates by the three systems. The mean time for detection was 10 days (range: 7-13 days) for specimens with positive bacilloscopy and 14 days (range: 10-28 days) for specimens with negative bacilloscopy. The difference was statistically significant between ESP and L?wenstein-Jensen, but not between ESP and BACTEC. CONCLUSIONS: The new system proved to have an excellent sensitivity and specificity, which along with its total automation renders it a system of great clinical interest for the rapid diagnosis of TB and an alternative method for radiometric systems.     

The effects of GABA and glycine on horizontal cells of the rabbit retina

Intracellular and patch-clamp recordings have been used to characterize GABA-activated channels in axonless horizontal cells (ALHC) of the rabbit retina. In our intracellular recordings on an everted eyecup preparation, GABA depolarized the horizontal cells (HC), diminished their light response amplitude and slowed the response rise time. Glycine showed similar effects on the HC light responses. In our whole cell patch-clamp recordings on dissociated ALHC, all HCs responded to 3 microM GABA but none to glycine, even at 100 microM. Dose-response relationship for GABA gave EC50 values around 10 microM and Hill slopes of 1.3. Whole-cell current-voltage (I-V) relationships of GABA-activated currents reversed close to the predicted Cl- equilibrium potential. Partial replacement of intracellular Cl- with isothetionate shifted the GABA reversal potential to a more negative value. Muscimol (30 microM), a GABAA agonist mimicked the effect of GABA, but baclofen (30 microM), a GABAB agonist and cis-aminocaprionic acid (30 microM), a GABAC agonist did not elicit any effect on ALHC. Responses to GABA were blocked by the GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline (10 microM) and picrotoxin (100 microM). According to our results, we conclude that ALHC express GABA receptors coupled to ion channels, and they correspond to GABAA receptor subtypes.