Managing the Everyday Health Puzzle in Swedish Families With Children

In this article, issues of children, food, and health are discussed with the help of the concept of a “health puzzle,” which is defined as the many pieces of family life that need to be put together to reach the goal of a healthy family lifestyle. The data derives from a qualitative study, where parents and children in twelve Swedish families were interviewed at three occasions. The aim was to find out how the healthy life of the family is defined, created, and sustained. The healthy family showed to be composed of different practices and drew on values of bodily, emotional, and social well-being. The dilemmas mentioned concerned how to serve “proper food” and have “proper meals,” and making this fit into a tight time schedule. Solutions to the dilemmas were, for example, to prioritize spending time together; to promote healthy eating by having a weekly menu or a fruit bowl available; and to mark the contrast between weekdays and weekends with the help of “Cosy Friday,” “Saturday Sweets,” and an elaborate weekend dinner. Depending on the family economy, working hours, and the number of children's leisure activities, the solutions were mainly dictated by either money or time.     

Polymorph- and size-dependent uptake and toxicity of TiO₂ nanoparticles in living lung epithelial cells

The cellular uptake and distribution of five types of well-characterized anatase and rutile TiO(2) nanoparticles (NPs) in A549 lung epithelial cells is reported. Static light scattering (SLS), in-vitro Raman microspectroscopy (μ-Raman) and transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM) reveal an intimate correlation between the intrinsic physicochemical properties of the NPs, particle agglomeration, and cellular NP uptake. It is shown that μ-Raman facilitates chemical-, polymorph-, and size-specific discrimination of endosomal-particle cell uptake and the retention of particles in the vicinity of organelles, including the cell nucleus, which quantitatively correlates with TEM and SLS data. Depth-profiling μ-Raman coupled with hyperspectral data analysis confirms the location of the NPs in the cells and shows that the NPs induce modifications of the biological matrix. NP uptake is found to be kinetically activated and strongly dependent on the hard agglomeration size-not the primary particle size-which quantitatively agrees with the measured intracellular oxidative stress. Pro-inflammatory responses are also found to be sensitive to primary particle size.     

Effect of time and temperature of storage after cooking on the sensory quality of Bintje potatoes.

Seventeen trained judges used a scoring technique with nine-point scales to evaluate sensory attributes of cooked potatoes (variety: Bintje) that had been kept hot after cooking for different lengths of time at different temperatures. Maximal storage times before the potatoes were considered unacceptable were determined for each temperature. In addition, comparisons were made with preference data obtained for 55 untrained consumers. For all sensory attributes significant differences in average scores were obtained among samples stored for different periods of time (0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 h) and different temperatures (60, 75 and 90°C), as well as significant interactions between time and temperature. In general the effect of time was largest at the highest temperature. The differences were largest for flavour and smallest for appearance. The maximum times the potatoes could be kept at 60, 75 and 90°C before becoming unacceptable in flavour were 2.9, 2.2 and 1.3 h, respectively. The corresponding values for texture and appearance were higher. Generally potatoes that had been kept hot were described as ‘dark, greyish or brownish, and dry on the surface', and having a 'strong and musty odour; musty, old and bitter flavour, and watery, soggy, and spongy texture ’For 55 untrained consumers, (highly) significant differences were obtained in preference frequencies for appearance, flavour, and texture for pairs of samples stored after cooking at 75°C for different periods of time. The differences were largest for flavour, and smallest for appearance. Generally, the freshly prepared sample was preferred, and the difference in preference increased with increased storage time. The results from the untrained consumers are in close agreement with the results obtained by the trained panel. It was concluded that consumers in general also consider the sensory changes of keeping potatoes hot after cooking as deleterious, and that the unacceptability limits determined by the trained panel were not unreasonably small.     

The magnitude of signal errors introduced by ISIS in quantitative31P MRS

It is well known that the quality of a quantitative³¹P MRS measurement relies largely on the performance of the volume selection method, and that image selected in vivo spectroscopy (ISIS) suffers from contaminating signal caused mostly by Tl smearing. However, these signal errors and their magnitude are seldom addressed in clinical studies. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the magnitude of signal errors in³¹P MRS when using ISIS. The results from the measurements with a homogeneous head phantom are as follows: at low TR/T1 ratios the contamination increases rapidly, especially for small (< 27 cm³) VOI sizes; at TR/T1 = 1, the signal from a 27 cm³ VOI was 20% too high, and from an 8 cm³ VOI 150% too high. The signal obtained from different VOI positions varied between 80 and 127%. The signal varied linearly with the³¹P concentration in the object. However, a too high signal was obtained when the concentration was lower in the region of interest (inner container) than in the rest of the phantom. The agreement between the simulations and measurements shows that the results of this study are generally applicable to the measurement geometry and the ISIS experiment order rather than being specific for the MR system studied. The errors obtained both experimentally and in computer simulations are too large to be ignored in clinical studies using the ISIS pulse sequence.     

Propylene polymerisations with novel heterogeneous combination metallocene catalyst systems

Propylene was polymerised with novel combination metallocene catalyst systems prepared by an emulsion-based heterogenisation method in liquid monomer conditions. The catalyst combinations investigated were rac-dimethylsilanylbis(2-methyl-4-phenyl-1-indenyl)zirconium dichloride/rac-[ethylenebis(2-(tert-butyldimethylsiloxy)indenyl)]zirconium dichloride/methylaluminoxane (MAO) (1 + 2) and rac-dimethylsilanylbis(2-methyl-4-phenyl-1-indenyl)zirconium dichloride/rac-dimethylsilanylbis(2-isopropyl-4-[3,5-dimethylphenyl]indenyl)zirconium dichloride/MAO (1 + 3). The effects of polymerisation temperature and hydrogen on catalyst performance and polymer properties, as well as copolymerisation with hexene and ethylene were investigated. Depending on the polymerisation conditions, M_w of polypropylene varied from 144 to 286 kg/mol for 1 + 2 and from 200 to 390 kg/mol for 1 + 3. Combination 1 + 2 produced broader molecular weight distribution (MWD) than 1 + 3, and a bimodal MWD with clearly separated low- and high-M_w polymer fractions was observed with 1 + 2. The two catalyst systems showed similar hydrogen and hexene responses. Each metallocene precursor showed individual response towards the polymerisation conditions, especially polymerisation temperature, suggesting that interaction between the catalyst active sites was negligible in the studied systems.     

Behavior of fluoroquinolones and trimethoprim during mechanical, chemical, and active sludge treatment of sewage water and digestion of sludge

The behavior and fate of three fluoroquinolones (norfloxacin, ofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin), one sulfonamide (sulfamethoxazole), and trimethoprim were investigated at a sewage treatment plant in Ume?, Sweden, in 2004. This plant uses conventional mechanical, chemical, and activated sludge methods to treat the sewage water and digest the sludge; the dewatered digested sludge is pelleted (dry weight > 90% of total weight). Raw sewage water and particles as well as effluents and sludge from specific treatment areas within the plant were sampled. In addition to quantifying the antibiotics within the plant, we characterized the sample matrixes to facilitate evaluation of the results. Of the five substances examined, only norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and trimethoprim were present in concentrations higher than their limits of quantification. Norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin sorbed to sludge in a manner that was independent of changes in pH during sewage treatment, and more than 70% of the total amount of these compounds passing through the plant was ultimately found in the digested sludge. The results suggest that fluoroquinolones undergo thermal degradation during pelleting, but more studies are needed to confirm this. Trimethoprim was found in the final effluent at approximately the same concentration and mass flow as in the raw sewage, and could not be quantified in any solid sample. Predicted environmental concentrations, based on consumption data for Ume? municipality, correlated well with the results obtained, especially when the predicted concentrations were corrected to account for the amount of each active substance excreted in urine. The results obtained were compared to those of previous studies of these three substances' behavior and fate and were found to be similar, although some of the other plants studied employed the various treatment steps in different orders.     

Time‐Resolved Quantification of Nanoparticle Uptake,Distribution, and Impact in Precision‐Cut Liver Slices

Much effort within the nanosafety field is currently focused on the use of advanced in vitro models to reduce the gap between in vitro and in vivo studies. Within this context, precision‐cut tissue slices are a unique ex vivo model to investigate nanoparticle impact using live tissue from laboratory animals and even humans. However, several aspects of the basic mechanisms of nanoparticle interactions with tissue have not yet been elucidated. To this end, liver slices are exposed to carboxylated and amino‐modified polystyrene known to have a different impact on cells. As observed in standard cell cultures, amino‐modified polystyrene nanoparticles induce apoptosis, and their impact is affected by the corona forming on their surface in biological fluids. Subsequently, a detailed time‐resolved study of nanoparticle uptake and distribution in the tissue is performed, combining fluorescence imaging and flow cytometry on cells recovered after tissue digestion. As observed in vivo, the Kupffer cells accumulate high nanoparticle amounts and, interestingly, they move within the tissue towards the slice borders. Similar observations are reproduced in liver slices from human tissue. Thus, tissue slices can be used to reproduce ex vivo important features of nanoparticle outcomes in the liver and study nanoparticle impact on real tissue.     

Screening of human antibiotic substances and determination of weekly mass flows in five sewage treatment plants in Sweden

Twelve antibiotic substances for human use, including trimethoprim and representatives of the fluoroquinolone (FQ), sulfonamide (SA), penicillin (PE), cephalosporin (CE), nitroimidazole (NI), tetracycline (TC), and macrolide (MA) groups, were subjected to a screening study at five Swedish sewage treatment plants (STPs) during one week in 2002 and one week in 2003. The analytes were extracted from raw sewage water, final effluent, and sludge by solid-phase extraction (SPE) or liquid-solid extraction (as appropriate) and then identified and quantified by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The mostfrequently detected antibiotics in the matrices considered in this study were norfloxacin, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, and doxycycline. The other analytes were only detected in a few samples. Analysis of the weekly mass flows through each STP showed that FQs were partly eliminated from the water during sewage water treatment and the highest amounts of these substances were found in sludge. Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim were mainly found in raw sewage water and final effluent, but these substances had balancing mass flows, indicating that they too can withstand sewage water treatment. The mass flow patterns for doxycycline were more complex, with high amounts occurring in sludge in some cases, suggesting thatthe behavior of this analyte may be more strongly influenced by the treatment process and other variables at individual STPs. The environmental load (the sum of the amounts in the final effluent and sludge) normalized to the number of inhabitants in the catchment area of each investigated STP compared with theoretical predictions based on consumption data (in parentheses) showed good correlations: norfloxacin, 0.8 (0.9); ofloxacin, 0.3 (0.2); ciprofloxacin, 1.3 (3.5); sulfamethoxazole, 0.2 (0.4); trimethoprim, 1.1 (1.0); and doxycycline, 0.7 (0.4) mg per person per week. The results show that reasonably accurate predictions of environmental load of these antibiotics can be time-effectively derived from consumption data without additional measurements.     

Freezing–thawing effects on phosphorus leaching from catch crops

It is suggested that catch crops be grown to reduce phosphorus (P) losses. However, after exposure to freezing–thawing cycles (FTCs), catch crop material can become a source of P losses to waters in moderately cold climates. This study screened potential P leaching from intact plant material of eight catch crop species: chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia L.), white mustard (Sinapis alba L.), oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus L. oleiformis) and white radish (R. longipinnatus). The catch crops were grown in six field experiments on clay soils, where soil lysimeters (0.25 m deep) with intact crops were extracted in autumn and used for leaching experiments before and after seven FTCs in the laboratory. The eight catch crops did not reduce P leaching before FTCs. After FTCs, leachate total-P concentrations from ryegrass, oilseed radish and red clover lysimeters were significantly (p = 0.0022) higher than those from the other species and the control without a catch crop. FTCs significantly (p = 0.0064) altered total-P concentration and the proportions of different forms of P. There was a significant increase in total-P concentration in leachate from ryegrass (p = 0.0008) and oilseed radish (p = 0.02). Thus the potential risk of P leaching from ryegrass and oilseed radish material after FTCs must be considered, since they are commonly grown as nitrogen catch crops in the Nordic countries. Moreover, the roots of the tested catch crops contained 7–86 % total-P, which is important when evaluating P leaching risks.     

Toxicological effects of dehydroabietic acid (DHAA) on the trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson, in fresh water

Toxicological and physiological effects of dehydroabietic acid (DHAA), a major poison to fishes in pulp and paper mill effluents, were studied by two experiments with rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson: in the first, fish were acutely exposed for 4 days to an average DHAA concentration of 1.2 mg l⁻¹ (Exp. I) and in the second for 30 days to an average of 20 μg DHAA l⁻¹ (Exp. II).Compared to the controls, fish of Exp. I displayed a decreased relative weight of liver, an increased blood haematocrit, and increased haemoglobin as well as plasma protein concentrations. The aspartate aminotransferase activity of heart muscle was significantly elevated, as was also the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) of white muscle tissue. In the blood plasma, the proportion of muscle type LDH activity was simultaneously increased. UDP-glucuronyl-transferase activities of liver and kidney were strongly decreased. Results suggest an increased and altered use of body energy reserves, decreased plasma volume and impaired liver function.Fish of Exp. II showed an increased relative weight of spleen. In addition, liver and gill LDH shifted towards heart-type. We conclude that 20 μg l⁻¹ is close to the “minimum effective concentration” of DHAA to rainbow trout.