On The Drying of Food Products in a Tunnel Dryer

We present a dryer model for simulating the drying of hygroscopic-porous food products in a tunnel dryer. The model employs an improved receding-front formulation by taking into consideration the material volumetric shrinkage and the variation of the heat and mass transfer coefficient during drying. Predicted results show close agreement when compared with experimental data. We report a parametric analysis using the dryer model to study the drying transient and the need to cascade the drying process so as to maximise the drying potential of the air stream.     

Synergistic effect of glucose and prolactin on GLUT2 expression in cultured neonatal rat islets

We studied the synergistic effect of glucose and prolactin (PRL) on insulin secretion and GLUT2 expression in cultured neonatal rat islets. After 7 days in culture, basal insulin secretion (2.8 mM glucose) was similar in control and PRL-treated islets (1.84 +/- 0.06% and 2.08 +/- 0.07% of the islet insulin content, respectively). At 5.6 and 22 mM glucose, insulin secretion was significantly higher in PRL-treated than in control islets, achieving 1.38 +/- 0.15% and 3.09 +/- 0.21% of the islet insulin content in control and 2.43 +/- 0.16% and 4.31 +/- 0.24% of the islet insulin content in PRL-treated islets, respectively. The expression of the glucose transporter GLUT2 in B-cell membranes was dose-dependently increased by exposure of the islet to increasing glucose concentrations. This effect was potentiated in islets cultured for 7 days in the presence of 2 micrograms/ml PRL. At 5.6 and 10 mM glucose, the increase in GLUT2 expression in PRL-treated islets was 75% and 150% higher than that registered in the respective control. The data presented here indicate that insulin secretion, induced by different concentrations of glucose, correlates well with the expression of the B-cell-specific glucose transporter GLUT2 in pancreatic islets.     

Assessment of anastomotic reliability with pulse oximetry in graded intestinal ischemia: an experimental study in dogs

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Pulse oximetry has been proposed as an appropriate and feasible technique in the assessment of intestinal ischemia in recent years. In this study the authors aimed to assess the reliability of anastomoses in the dog small intestine in which there is graded irreversible ischemia as measured by pulse oxymeter. METHODS: In a control group of four dogs, without any devascularization, three small bowel anastomoses were formed in each dog. The study group consisted of 12 dogs. In each animal three intestinal segments with different levels of ischemia were created by ligating the marginal vessels proximally and distally in sequence beginning from the midpoint of the segmental vascular arcade. Preanastomotic pulse oximeter readings between 80% and 90% were assigned to mild ischemia, 70% and 80% to moderate, and 60% and 70% to severe ischemia group. Pulse oximetry measurements were obtained from probes applied to the antimesenteric serosal surfaces at the midpoint of small intestinal segments. A total of 48 intestinal segments (12 nonischemic in the control group and 36 with three different levels of ischemia in the study group) were transected in the midpoint and anastomosed in double layers. Postanastomotic SaO2 values were also noted. The anastomoses were evaluated 48 hours later macroscopically if there was any leakage, and biopsy specimens were obtained for histopathologic ischemic gradings. All results were studied statistically. RESULTS: Histopathologic grades between each group were statistically different (P < .01 for each comparison) except for control and mild ischemia groups (P > .05), worsening as the level of ischemia increased. Pre- and postanastomotic pulse oximetry measurements correlated very well with the histological gradings (r = -0.90, P < .001 and r = -0.93, P < 0.001 respectively). Number of anastomotic leakages were none in control, one in mild, nine in moderate, and 12 (all of the anastomoses) in severe ischemia groups. In the moderate ischemia group with an average preanastomotic pulse reading of 76.75%, each of the leaking anastomoses had a postanastomotic pulse measurement of lower than 70%. The finding that the difference between histopathologic grades of control and mild ischemia groups with average preanastomotic pulse measurements of 96% and 85%, respectively is not statistically significant enables us to suggest that a saturation of at least 85% is necessary for a reliable anastomosis. CONCLUSION: These results suggest clearly that anastomotic reliability can be predicted objectively with pulse oximetry.     

Modulation of TCDD-induced fetotoxicity and oxidative stress in embryonic and placental tissues of C57BL/6J mice by vitamin E succinate and ellagic acid

Secretory middle ear otitis is of difficult assessment in children with severe hearing impairment. This otitis, very frequent in infants and children, influences negatively the auditive capacity and apprenticeship as well. Our study deals with the prevalence and severity of the secretive middle ear otitis in an scholar population handicapped by a heavy hypoacusia. Demographically, etiologic and seasonal correlations are considered in the paper. The outcome shows a high incidence of the condition, an inversely relation with the age, an evident seasonal distribution and the absence of correlation between etiology of middle ear disease and sensorineural deafness.     

Diphtheria toxin fused to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor eliminates acute myeloid leukemia cells with the potential to initiate leukemia in immunodeficient mice, but spares normal hemopoietic stem cells

We studied the cell kill induced by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF ) fused to Diphtheria Toxin (DT-GM-CSF ) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) samples and in populations of normal primitive hemopoietic progenitor cells. AML samples from three patients were incubated in vitro with 100 ng/mL DT-GM-CSF for 48 hours, and AML cell kill was determined in a proliferation assay, a clonogenic assay colony-forming unit-AML (CFU-AML) and a quantitative long-term bone marrow (BM) culture ie, the leukemic-cobblestone area forming cell assay (L-CAFC). To measure an effect on cells with in vivo leukemia initiating potential DT-GM-CSF exposed AML cells were transplanted into immunodeficient mice. In two out of three samples it was shown that all AML subsets, including those with long-term abilities in vivo (severe combined immunodeficient mice) and in vitro (L-CAFC assay) were reduced in number by DT-GM-CSF. Cell kill induced by DT-GM-CSF could be prevented by coincubation with an excess of GM-CSF, demonstrating that sensitivity to DT-GM-CSF is specifically mediated by the GM-CSF receptor. Therefore, binding and internalization of GM-CSF probably occur in immature AML precursors of these two cases of AML. The third AML sample was not responsive to either GM-CSF or DT-GM-CSF. The number of committed progenitors of normal bone marrow (burst-forming unit-erythroid, colony-forming unit granulocyte- macrophage, and cobble stone area forming cell [CAFC] week 2) and also the number of cells with long-term repopulating ability, assayed as week 6 CAFC, were unchanged after exposure to DT-GM-CSF (100 ng/mL, 48 hours). These studies show that DT-GM-CSF may be used to eliminate myeloid leukemic cells with long-term potential in vitro and in immunodeficient mice, whereas normal hemopoietic stem cells are spared.     

Medical treatment of heart failure at a tertiary hospital of S?o Paulo]

The clinical hemostatic effect of tranexamic acid mouthwash after oral surgery was evaluated in 47 patients receiving oral anticoagulant therapy. Surgery was performed after the anticoagulant medication was reduced in 15 patients (control group) and with no change in anticoagulant therapy in 32 patients (test group). The only statistical difference between the two treatment groups at baseline was the level of anticoagulation, which was significantly higher in the test group. There was no significant difference between the two treatment groups in the incidence of bleeding after oral surgery. The results indicated that a combination of local antifibrinolytic therapy and a local hemostatic agent is effective in preventing postoperative bleeding after oral surgery in patients treated with anticoagulants.     

Rotavirus and reovirus interaction with mouse peritoneal resident phagocytic cells

Rotaviruses and reoviruses are involved in human and animal diseases. It is known that both viruses penetrate the gastrointestinal tract but their interaction with phagocytic cells is unknown. To study this interaction, peritoneal resident phagocytic cells were used and rotavirus and reovirus replication in peritoneal phagocytic cells was observed. However, rotavirus replication in these cells led to the production of defective particles since MA-104 cells inoculated with rotavirus phagocytic cell lysate did not show any evidence of virus replication. On the basis of these results, we suggest that, although reovirus dissemination may be helped by these phagocytic cells, these cells may control rotavirus infection and probably contribute to the prevention of its dissemination.