Thromboelastography in healthy dairy cows

Thromboelastography is a whole blood-based coagulation assay that can be used to investigate hypocoagulability and hypercoagulability, as seen with thromboembolic diseases and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Numerous coagulopathies due to different causes are reported in cows. The objective was to establish reference intervals for thromboelastography using the TEG 5000 (Haemonetics GmbH, Munich, Germany) with citrated whole blood samples and kaolin activation in dairy cows and to investigate possible thromboelastographic changes between cows in different lactation periods. An additional objective was to test the stability of samples for up to 100 h. Sixty blood samples from healthy Holstein-Friesian cows were examined. The samples were allocated to 3 different lactation groups (≤30 d postcalving, 31–99 d postcalving, ≥100 d postcalving). Thromboelastography was performed by using the TEG 5000 analyzer with citrated whole blood samples with kaolin activation. The calculated reference intervals were as follows: reaction time = 2.2 to 6.2 min, coagulation time = 0.8 to 2.0 min, angle α = 58.2 to 81.8°, maximum amplitude = 64.3 to 89.2 mm, and clot rigidity = 9.2 to 41.2 dyn/cm². The 3 different lactation groups showed no significant differences in TEG parameters. No significant difference was seen in samples stored for up to 48 h at room temperature, which indicates that delays in processing samples, such as those arising during transit, are not an issue.     

Environmental selenium research: from microscopic processes to global understanding

Selenium is a natural trace element that is of fundamental importance to human health. The extreme geographical variation in selenium concentrations in soils and food crops has resulted in significant health problems related to deficient or excess levels of selenium in the environment. To deal with these kinds of problems in the future it is essential to get a better understanding of the processes that control the global distribution of selenium. The recent development of analytical techniques and methods enables accurate selenium measurements of environmental concentrations, which will lead to a better understanding of biogeochemical processes. This improved understanding may enable us to predict the distribution of selenium in areas where this is currently unknown. These predictions are essential to prevent future Se health hazards in a world that is increasingly affected by human activities.     

Contact lens profile: A tale of two countries

Introduction

This study investigated the modality, type and duration of contact lens wear as well as compliance and hygiene related issues (hand and case hygiene, use of tap water, dozing and overnight wear) in the UK and Germany. Questionnaires were collected anonymously from 417 UK and 767 German patients attending optometric practices for contact lens appointments. It is the seventh of a series of contact lens wearer profiles conducted since 2000.

Results

The proportion of rigid gas permeable lenses worn was significantly higher at 55.4% in Germany, compared to 16.1% in the UK. Overall, a significantly larger proportion of German participants used tap water to rinse their lenses and cases (P < 0.001). Also, German respondents changed their lens cases less frequently (p < 0.001). Fewer UK than German respondents stated they washed their hands before lens insertion (p = 0.009), removal (p = 0.01), before eating (p < 0.001). German participants were less likely to wash their hands before preparing food (p = 0.042) and after using the toilet (p = 0.002). The two sample groups differed significantly regarding the care regimens they used for their CLs (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The differences between Germany and the UK highlighted in this study were caused by differences in legal regulations, plumbing and practitioners’ guidance. Although many of the questions relating to hygiene differed statistically between the two participating sample groups, the absolute differences in figures were not considered to be large.     

Cancer, emotions and mental illness: the present state of understanding

The authors review recent and current literature on the relationship between psychological factors and cancer. They discuss the roles of predisposing personality patterns and emotional stress in the development, site, and course of cancer; the influence of awareness of terminal illness on the behavior of cancer patients; and the management of psychiatric symptoms in these patients.     

Cheers,proost, saúde: Cultural,contextual and psychological factors of wine and beer consumption in Portugal and in the Netherlands

Wine and beer consumption are an integral part of European culture: Southern Europe is associated with wine and Northern Europe is associated with beer. When consumed in moderation, these alcoholic beverages can be part of a balanced and healthy diet. In the 1990s, non-alcoholic beer (NAB), which has no cultural roots, became available in the market. This review identifies determinants for consumption of wine, beer, and NAB, using data on consumption patterns from Portugal and the Netherlands. Since the 1960s the image of Portugal as a wine country declined, whereas the image of the Netherlands as a beer country remained stable. In each country beer is now the most consumed alcoholic beverage and is mainly a men's beverage, whereas wine is the second most consumed and is consumed by both genders. Cultural differences define Portuguese as “outdoors, everyday drinkers”, within a meal context, and Dutch as “at home, weekend drinkers.” Wine is perceived as the healthiest beverage, followed by NAB, and regular beer. Motivation for consumption is related to context: wine for special occasions, beer for informal occasions, and NAB for occasions when alcohol is not convenient. Moderate wine and beer consumption seems to be surrounded by positive emotions.

This review is relevant for public health, for industry market strategies, and identifies opportunities of future research on drinking behaviour.     

Predictive Thermal Inactivation Model for Effects and Interactions of Temperature, NaCl, Sodium Pyrophosphate, and Sodium Lactate on Listeria monocytogenes in Ground Beef

The effects and interactions of heating temperature (60 °C to 73.9 °C), salt (0.0 % to 4.5 %?w/v), sodium pyrophosphate (0.0 % to 0.5 %?w/v), and sodium lactate (0.0 % to 4.5 %?w/v) on the heat resistance of a five-strain mixture of Listeria monocytogenes in 75 % lean ground beef were examined. Meat samples in sterile filtered stomacher bags were heated in a temperature controlled waterbath to determine thermal death times. The recovery medium was tryptic soy agar supplemented with 0.6 % yeast extract and 1 % sodium pyruvate. Weibull survival functions were employed to model the primary survival curves. Then, survival curve-specific estimated parameter values obtained from the Weibull model were used for determining a secondary model. The results indicate that temperature and salt have a large impact on the inactivation kinetics of L. monocytogenes, while sodium lactate (NaL) has an impact in the presence of salt. The model presented in this paper for predicting inactivation of L. monocytogenes can be used as an aid in designing lethality treatments meant to control the presence of this pathogen in ready-to-eat products.     

The aqueous degradation of butylated hydroxyanisole by UV/S2O8(2-): study of reaction mechanisms via dimerization and mineralization

Three distinctive phases of BHA reactivity toward UV/ S2O8(2-) at acidic, neutral, and basic pH range were examined, where 80-100% mineralization has been observed within an hour of irradiation under 254 nm. A reduction in solution pH during the reaction was observed mainly due to the complete conversion of S2O8(2-) to sulfate ion together with proton generation. Seven measurable intermediates were found via an oxidation and dimerization process at all tested pH levels. The BHA decay mechanisms are quite different in acidic condition and at other pH levels. There are three unique intermediates that are only detectable at pH 3 via two additional pathways. This is due to the generation of weaker oxidants or radicals which results in a slower degradation of the BHA, and therefore, the accumulation of these intermediates to detectable levels. The rate of BHA decay generally increases from low to high pH levels; however, the corresponding mineralization at higher pH is retarded due to the futile process of recombining radicals and involvement of intermediates. Therefore, neutral pH was suggested to be the optimum condition in terms of mineralization and moderate efficiency in removing BHA.     

Effects of salt and temperature on proteolysis during ripening of Iberian ham

Fifty-five hams from Iberian pigs were processed using two different dry-curing techniques, traditional and modern. Salt content, non-protein nitrogen and its fractions (peptide, amino acid and volatile basic nitrogen) from Biceps femoris muscles were quantified. The existence of an overlapping effect of both temperature and salt content on the general non-protein nitrogen production was observed. The most intense proteolytic breakdown took place when higher temperatures were reached during the drying stage. The difference in salt concentration seems to contribute to generating different quantities in the non-protein nitrogen fractions. The inclusion at the end of the cellar stage of a stuffing period would permit increasing the accumulation of free amino acid in high salted hams.     

Retention of Antioxidant Capacity of Vacuum Microwave Dried Cranberry

ABSTRACT: In this study, cranberries were dried by vacuum-microwave drying (VMD), freeze-drying (FD), or hot air-drying (AD), to compare the effects of different drying processes on both physical changes as well as the retention of bioactive components in dried samples. Total porosity (%) and average pore radius of dehydrated cranberries were greater using VMD compared to FD and AD (P < 0.05). Crude methanol cranberry powdered extracts were fractionated by solid phase extraction (SPE) into organic acid-, total phenolics-, anthocyanin-, or proanthocyanidin-enriched extracts, respectively. The chemical composition of the 60% acidified methanol fractions contained cyanidin-3-galactoside, cyanidin-3-arabinoside, peonidin-3-galactoside, and peonidin-3-arabinoside, as assessed by HPLC. Antioxidant activities of cranberry fractions were measured using chemical ORAC and ABTS methods. The 60% acidified methanol fraction had a significantly higher (P < 0.05) antioxidant potential than the other chemical fractions, which was largely attributed to the relatively higher anthocyanin content. In general, vacuum-microwave drying and freeze-drying resulted in similar retention of anthocyanins and antioxidant activity, which were both relatively higher (P < 0.05) than that recovered from cranberries dried by hot air drying.     

Removing organic compounds from aqueous medium via wet peroxidation by gold catalysts

A new heterogeneous Fenton-like system, consisting of supported Au catalysts and hydrogen peroxide, was proved to be effective in removing low level organic compounds (ca. 100 ppm) such as phenol, ethanol, formaldehyde, and acetone in aqueous solution. Among all gold catalysts the Au/ hydroxyapatite (Au/HAp) exhibits the highest activity, and even better than the conventional iron ions exchanged zeolite (Fe/ ZSM-5) catalyst. In particular, unlike the limited operational pH range (pH: 2 approximately 5) for the other heterogeneous Fenton catalysts such as Fe/ZSM-5, Au/HAp shows higher stability even in strong acid solution (pH approximately 2), due to almost no leaching of active metal from supports into solution. It can be potentially applied in treating the industrial wastewaters with strong acidity and purifying drinking water. In addition, in the case of complete oxidation of phenol, a plausible route was suggested for deep understanding of this process.