Erectile dysfunction of vasculogenic origin: ultrastructural evaluation of cavernous myo-endothelial unit as prognostic index of penile revascularization]

1. The present study examined the effects of various agents on high calcium-induced relaxation of the rabbit thoracic aorta precontracted by phenylephrine (0.1 microM) or KCl (30 mM). 2. The vascular smooth muscle relaxation caused by high calcium was not changed in the presence of endothelium, glibenclamide (3 microM), TEA (5 mM), verapamil (1 microM), lidocaine (0.1 mM) and vanadate (0.1 mM). 3. In the presence of ouabain (0.1 mM) or potassium-free medium, high calcium-induced relaxation was completely abolished. 4. When rings were precontracted by high concentrations of phenylephrine (1 microM, 10 microM) and KCl (30 mM, 45 mM, 60 mM), calcium-induced relaxation was gradually decreased. 5. A low concentration of calcium ionophore A-23187 (0.1 microM) did not change calcium-induced relaxation, but A-23187 at a high concentration (1 microM) depressed this relaxation. 6. These results suggest that Na-K-ATPase activation could be responsible for high calcium-induced relaxation.     

Supercritical carbon dioxide-treated blood orange juice as a new product in the fresh fruit juice market

The work described here deals with the effectiveness of using high-pressure carbon dioxide treatment (HPCD) to stabilise freshly squeezed blood orange juice. Technical planning of a continuous high-pressure supercritical carbon dioxide pilot system, suitable for development on an industrial scale, was carried out in our lab. To determine the optimal operating conditions (temperature, pressure, and CO₂/juice ratio), three different experimental trials were carried out. The first trial was conducted at 230 bar, 36 ± 1 °C, 5.08 L/h juice flow rate, and 3.91 L/h CO₂ flow rate, corresponding to a g_CO2/g_juice ratio of 0.770. The second trial utilised the same conditions except that the operative pressure was reduced (130 bar). The third trial was carried out at 130 bar, 36 ± 1 °C, 5.08 L/h juice flow rate, 1.96 L/h CO₂ flow rate, corresponding to a 0.385 g_CO2/g_juice ratio. The effects of processing were evaluated by determining physicochemical, antioxidant, and microbiological parameters of the treated juices. In addition, once the best operative parameters had been determined, physicochemical, antioxidant, microbiological and sensory evaluation of fresh blood orange juice stabilised by HPCD treatment was carried out during refrigerated storage of juices at 4 ± 1 °C for thirty days. The results showed that HPCD treatment cannot be considered as an alternative to traditional thermal methods but as a new mild technology for producing a stabilised blood orange juice with a shelf-life of 20 days.Industrial relevanceBlood oranges are the main cultivated varieties of Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck in Italy. Freshly squeezed blood orange juice exert a high antiradical and antioxidant activity, due to its rich phenolic profile, but its preservation is usually assured by thermal treatment which affects its nutritional and sensory value. In this study we proposed a “milder” continuous HPCD process suitable for implementation on an industrial scale. The HPCD stabilised juice retains its physicochemical, antioxidant, and sensory properties and could be placed within a new retail framework, namely, that of fresh juices with a shelf-life of 20 days.