Isolation and Identification of Fungal Strains from Fresh and Smoked Fish from the Sassandra River in Côte d’Ivoire

Introduction: Fresh and smoked fish are widely consumed in Côte d'Ivoire as everywhere in West Africa. However, these foodstuffs, due to certain processing conditions, are likely to be contaminated by molds that produce dangerous mycotoxins. Objective: This study aimed to isolate and identify fungal strains contaminating fresh and smoked fish from the Sassandra River in Côte d'Ivoire. Place and Date of the Study: Sampling was carried out in various processing sites around the Sassandra River, particularly in the towns of Soubré and Guessabo. The microbiological analysis was carried out at Jean Lorougnon Guédé University in Daloa (Ivory Coast). Methods: A total of 108 samples of fresh and smoked fish were collected. Isolation and purification of fungal strains were carried out on Sabouraud medium with chloramphenicol. The identification of isolated strains was made on the basis of morphological and cultural criteria. Results: A total of 126 fungal strains were isolated, including 87 from the Guessabo samples and 39 from the Soubré samples from 54 fresh fish and 54 smoked fish. The predominant species were Aspergillus of the Glaucus group (39%), Aspergillus niger (36%) and Penicillium sp. (25%). Conclusion: This study shows that fresh and smoked fish from the Sassandra River in Côte d'Ivoire are contaminated by several strains of molds, some of which produce mycotoxins that can cause illness in consumers depending on their concentrations. It would therefore be appropriate to improve processing techniques.

Bacteriological Assessment of Smoked-Dried White Shrimp (Nematopalaemon hastatus Aurivillius, 1898) Sold in Calabar, Nigeria

Aim: Enumeration of bacterial counts is an important index of assessing the safety and quality of food products. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria in white shrimp samples obtained from major markets serving consumers in Calabar. Study Design: This study was a cross sectional study conducted between April 2017 and April 2018. Methodology: One hundred and twenty (120) samples of smoked dried Nematopalaemon hastatus (white shrimp) were analyzed for the presence of bacterial pathogens. Bacterial loads and identification of isolated organisms was determined using standard microbiological methods. Results: The results showed that 66.7% of the analyzed shrimps had aerobic bacterial counts exceeding the upper permissible limit (<1.0x106Cfu/g) and 56.7% had unsatisfactory (?20Cfu/g) Vibrio counts. The study revealed the presence of different bacteria genera namely Klebsiella, Salmonella, Pseudomonas, Serratia, Vibrio, Citrobacter, Proteus, Aeromonas, Streptococcus, Escherichia, Coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS), Enterobacter and Bacillus. Predominant organism was Salmonella spp (26.7%), followed by Vibrio spp (21.7%) while the least isolated organisms were Bacillus spp and Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci (1.7%) each. The occurrence of high counts of pathogens in seafood may cause food poisoning; especially in individuals who consume this seafood raw, or lightly or insufficiently cooked. Conclusion: Hence, seafood should be processed and packaged under standard hygienic conditions to reduce the risk of microbial contamination. In addition, public health awareness campaign targeted at consumers and vendors should be optimized with frequent monitoring by regulatory agencies.

Chemical and Sensory Evaluation of Smoked Fish Treated with Ocimum gratissimum Extract

This work aims to the effect of three different concentrations (20%, 40%, and 60%) of Ocimum gratissimum extract on the proximate, mineral composition and sensory acceptability of smoked catfish and mackerel samples. Fresh fish samples were hot smoked in a locally fabricated smoking kiln at 1100C. Results showed that the moisture content of smoked catfish and mackerel was significantly different (P≤0.05) from the control sample. The percentage of crude protein content decreased in smoked catfish and increased in mackerel samples and also differed significantly (P≤0.05) compared with the control. Ash and fat content decreased in smoked fish and the crude fibre content was slightly increased in smoked mackerel. The minerals composition showed a significant difference (P≤0.05) was observed although there were decrease in iodine and potassium content of catfish. There was a significant difference (P≤0.05) in organoleptic scores among the fish samples treated with 20% and 40% Ocimum gratissimum which were significantly higher than the control. This study concluded that Ocimum gratissimum inclusion does not have any adverse effect on the chemical composition of smoked fish sample but could improve their sensory quality.

Breast Cancer Is Significantly Associated with Cancers in The First- and Second-Degree Relatives in Ethnic Mizo-Mongoloid Population, Northeast India

Background: High incidence of breast cancer among the endogamous Mizo-Mongoloid tribe stresses the need to explore the disease pertaining to the family history as well as other risk factors. This study in-vestigates the association of risk factors and inherited diseases with breast cancer.Methodology: The study includes 426 unrelated breast cancer cases and 810 healthy controls of female Mizo ethnicity. Association between reproductive history, lifestyle/ dietary habits, tobacco and alcohol exposures, family history in relation to cancer and inheritable diseases was assessed by univariate lo-gistic regression using Chi-square tests and multivariate analyses using Cox regression. Results: Age at diagnosis was highest between 41 to 50 years. Consumption of fermented pork fat, smoked food and Smoke-less tobacco, lower intake of vegetables/ water, having a first/ or second de-gree relative with cancers and inheritable diseases were found to be the major risk factors. Certain known factors were also acting as confounding factors. Conclusions: The present study reveals that Mizo women with first- and second-degree relatives of breast cancer, various other cancers and inheritable diseases have increased risk of breast cancer. This study also highlights the importance of analysing genetic factors which can aid in early detection of in-herited risk factors.

Smoked Food Consumption as Significant Risk Factor for Advanced Breast Cancer on Bone Scan in Southwest Nigerian Hospital

The ingestion of smoked foods has been linked to the development of cancer. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been recognized as carcinogenic compounds which contaminate smoked foods; their ingestion has been linked to the development of cancers such as breast cancer. Breast cancer may be evaluated using the nuclear bone scan as an imaging modality. This study reviewed bone scan results of patients with a positive history of consumption of smoked foods who presented at a Nuclear Medicine facility in South-West Nigeria. Our results show a significant association between a positive history of consumption of smoked foods and the presence of advanced breast cancer on the bone scan ((χ2 = 11.190, p = 0.001, df = 2; Crude Odds Ratio (95% CI) = 1.692 (1.242-2.304). Thus, those patients with a history of eating smoked foods have between 50-100% increase in the risk of having abnormal scan findings. In a logistic regression, this association was retained (AOR=0.591 (0.434-0.805). Recommendations are made to address the significance of these findings

Effects of N-acetylcysteine on oxidative stress in lung tissue of smoked rats / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: N-Acetyl-L-cysteine is a precursor of glutathione, which can directly scavenge oxygen free radicals. However, it is not entirely clear whether N-acetyl-L-cysteine can alleviate smoking-induced lung injury by reducing oxidative stress. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of N-acetylcysteine on oxidative stress in lung tissue of smoked rats, and to clarify its possible mechanism of action. METHODS: Thirty male rats were randomly divided into control, smoked and smoked+N-acetylcysteine groups. The rats in the smoked and smoked+N-acetylcysteine groups were placed in the passive smoking animal exposure system, with smoking of 20 cigarettes, twice/d, 1 hour/times, for 8 consecutive weeks. The rats in the smoked+N-acetylcysteine group were given 200 mg/kg N-acetylcysteine via gavage before passive smoking daily, for 8 consecutive weeks. The control rats were fed normally for 8 consecutive weeks. The study was approved by the Laboratory Animal Ethical Committee of Shenyang Medical College in October 2018, approval No. (2018)85. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Pathological observation showed that the pulmonary tissue was disordered, alveolar septal thickening, inflammatory cell infiltration and interstitial fibrosis in the smoking group, while the pulmonary hemorrhage, the number of inflammatory cells and the degree of fibrosis in the smoking+N-acetylcysteine group were significantly reduced. (2) Compared with the control group, the expression levels of malondialdehyde-5 and inositol-alpha genes were significantly increased, and superoxide dismutase-1 gene expression was significantly decreased in the smoked group, while N-acetylcysteine could inhibit the above changes. (3) Immunofluorescence staining and western blot assay results revealed that the expression levels of malondialdehyde-5 and inositol-alpha in lung tissue of rats in the smoked+N-acetylcysteine group was significantly lower than those in the smoked group, and the expression level of superoxide dismutase-1 was significantly higher than that in the smoked group. In addition, the expression levels of Nrf2 and Keap1 mRNA and protein were significantly increased, and the expression levels of Bach1 mRNA and protein were significantly decreased in the smoking+N-acetylcysteine group. (4) These results suggest that N-acetylcysteine can protect smoking-induced lung injury by reducing oxidative stress, and which might be through activating Nrf2/Keap1 signaling pathway.

Microbial Diversity and Heavy Metals Concentration of Wood Smoked Fish from Edonwhii Fishing Settlement in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The microbial diversity and heavy metal concentrations of wood smoked fishes (Clarias gariepinus and Pseudotolithus elongatus) from Edonwhii fishing settlement in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria were investigated using standard microbiological protocols and analytical procedures, to ascertain the level of fish contamination. The study revealed variations in the densities of the different microbial groups. The fresh fish samples of Clarias gariepinus and Pseudotolithus elongates had Total heterotrophic bacterial count of 7.1 x 105 and 4.1 x 107 cfu/g respectively as compared to the smoke-dried fish which had 4.8 x102 and 6.7 x 102 cfu/g respectively obtained 16 hours after smoke dying. The study reveals a rich microbial assemblage of the fish samples. Streptococcus sp, Salmonella sp, Shigella sp, Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae and Bacillus sp. were the different bacteria isolates encountered in the study while Absidia sp., Candida sp., Penicillium sp., Cladosporium sp., Aspergillus sp., Trichophyton sp., Torula sp., Saccharomyces sp., Verticillium sp. and Mucor sp were the fungal isolates identified. The metal analysis result showed that Zn was found to be the most abundant metal. However, Cd levels in Clarias gariepinus (0.23 mg/kg) was relatively higher than the value recorded for Pseudotolithus elongatus (0.16 mg/kg) but all were within the FAO/WHO permissible level of (0.5 mg/kg) of Cd in sea food. Similarly, the Pb levels were within the FAO/WHO permissible level of 0.3 mg/kg, indicating that the smoked fish samples were still suitable for human consumption.

Refined Exposure Assessment of Smoke Flavoring Primary Products with Use Levels Provided by the Industry. A Pilot Study into Data Collection of Use Levels.

Aim: The study was performed on the initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) and the Federation of the Dutch Food and Grocery Industry (FNLI), in order to develop a risk-based monitoring system as requested in EU Regulations EU 1332/2008 (food enzymes), 1333/2008 (food additives) and 1334/2008 (flavorings). In this study, we explored the appropriateness of smoke flavor primary product use levels provided by the industry for refined exposure assessment of these substances. Approach and Results: Previously, exposure estimates were performed with aggregated food categories. In this study, use levels of smoke flavor primary products obtained from the industry were linked to individual food consumption data of children aged 2–6 years and of the population aged 7-69 years, using disaggregated food categories. The reported data were suitable for exposure assessment, provided that they were sufficiently representative for foods consumed in the Netherlands. To evaluate the method, the exposure assessment was performed for the total intake of all smoke flavor primary products. Therefore, the exposure estimates of the current study cannot be used for the risk assessment of individual smoke flavor primary products. Nevertheless, this would be possible with the current dataset using the method described in this report, provided that additional data on market shares of foods or of individual smoke flavor primary products are available. Conclusion: The exposure to smoke flavor primary products can be more accurately assessed using data obtained from the industry. The cooperation between risk managers, exposure assessors and the food industry results in a win-win-situation for all parties by 1) providing a costeffective approach for risk managers, 2) providing exposure assessors a reliable and representative data set and 3) providing a realistic estimate, which is important for both the government and the industry. The monitoring system may be used to assess exposure levels of additives and flavorings in other European Member States. It is recommended to explore the use of the monitoring system in other European Member States, with smoke flavoring primary products as a case study. The complete report can be downloaded for free from: http://www.rivm.nl/dsresource?objectid=rivmp:225311&type=org&disposition=inline Full report is also available as ‘Supplementary File’.

Identification for the Characteristics of Common Decoction Pieces with Poor Quality and Analysis for the Lab-oratory Test Results / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To explore the relationship between several common traits-identify characteristics of decoction pieces and laboratory test results,and improve the efficiency and accuracy of line inspection work. METHODS:Combined with the Chi-nese Pharmacopoeia(2010 edition)standards and traditional inspection experience,and collected decoction pieces,the accuracy of traits-identification points were inferred and increased by the ways of TLC,contents,aggravated powder,sulfur dioxide residues , staining and extract. RESULTS:The majority of decoction pieces had the relationship between character identification points and laboratory test results and a small part didn’t. CONCLUSIONS:This study has cleared the identification accuracy of several com-mon decoction pieces,and other parts of the differential diagnosis needs further exploration.

Pattern and prevalence of tobacco use and associated oral mucosal lesions: a hospital based cross sectional study at a tertiary care hospital in central India.

Background: Tobacco is known to mankind since ages. Despite the widespread awareness about tobacco related health hazard and vigorous efforts to regulate its use in various form of strict tobacco control legislation; its use is increasing at an alarming rate. Tobacco use carries a high risk of major health-related illness and several forms of cancers. The epidemic of tobacco use in India is inflicting a huge damage on the human health and the associated health care costs are creating a huge financial burden on the government. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of tobacco consumption and related oral mucosal lesions among patients reporting to dental outpatient department of a tertiary care centre in Rewa (M.P.). Methods: Out of the total patients reporting to the outpatient department of dentistry during the study period, 5185 patients were considered for this study, 1285 were found consuming tobacco in one or other form. The consent for participation in the study was given by 1178 tobacco users. They were interviewed through prepared questionnaires and clinically examined for tobacco associated oral lesions. The data were collected, cleaned and compiled. Results: The overall prevalence of tobacco use was 24.78%. Out of the 1178 tobacco users studied, 893 (75.80%) were males and 285 (24.19%) females. Smoked form was the most commonly used tobacco for males (44.56%) while smokeless tobacco was preferred by majority of females (69.12%). 23.94% of the tobacco users were in the age group of 21-30 years. Oral mucosal lesions were seen in 32.51% subjects. Conclusions: The number of tobacco users visiting the dental hospital is reasonably high; Tobacco consumption is a common cause of addiction, preventable illness, disability and death. The public health system should be strengthened for effectively designing, implementing and evaluating tobacco control and prevention programs. All health care professionals should be sensitized and educated for implementing measures for tobacco control and cessation.

¿Cuáles son los beneficios o riesgos del consumo de marihuana fumada o vaporizada?: síntesis rápida de evidencia / What are the benefits or risks of smoking or vaporizing marijuana?: rapid evidence synthesis

ANTECEDENTES Y OBJETIVO La aceptación de que productos herbarios de la Cannabis Sativa tienen uso terapéutico y que su utilización con fines medicinales ha sido autorizada en el país en casos específicos de pacientes, ha obligado a la autoridad central a solicitar modificaciones regulatorias sobre la obtención y registro a nivel nacional de productos fitoterapéuticos con actividad psicotrópica. En este contexto el Gabinete del Subsecretario de Salud Pública solicita esta síntesis de evidencia con el objetivo de informar la toma de decisiones y reglamentación respecto de los beneficios/riesgos de la despenalización de la Cannabis y el uso de Marihuana fumada o vaporizada en la población Chilena. METODOLOGÍA Se formuló una estrategia de búsqueda para ser utilizada en 6 bases de datos con el objetivo de identificar revisiones sistemáticas del tema. Se excluyeron revisiones que incluían estudios caso-control, que estaban en otro idioma fuera del inglés, que se refirieran a otros usos no fumados o vaporizados de marihuana, referidos a fumar con pipa, o que compararan contra otra preparación o medicamento derivado de Cannabis. RESULTADOS Se recuperaron 10 revisiones sistemáticas de las cuales se obtuvieron los siguientes resultados: -El consumo de Cannabis está asociado con un moderado aumento del riesgo de desarrollar un trastorno depresivo. Aunque aún moderado, existe un mayor riesgo de desarrollar depresión para mayores consumidores de la droga. -El uso de Cannabis ha sido consistentemente asociado con logros educacionales más reducidos y con mayor probabilidad de uso de otras drogas. Ha sido también inconsistentemente asociado a problemas psicológicos y con comportamientos antisociales y/o problemático de origen no violento. -Los estudios considerados en este hallazgo muestran que fumar y vapear Cannabis reduce la percepción de intensidad del dolor neuropático, mientras que fumar en dosis mayores a 7% de THC, o la utilización como aerosol no tiene impacto significativo sobre la percepción de la intensidad. -Combinar marihuana fumada de 1.8 ­ 3.9% de THC con THC oral mejora la tolerancia al dolor. -En los pacientes con VIH que consumen marihuana fumada, se ha reportado un mayor promedio de ingesta calórica. Sin embargo, este efecto sería mayor a menores dosis de THC.

Antioxidant activities and nutritional characteristics of smoked duck marinated in natural curing agent / 한국영양학회지

PURPOSE: This study investigated the question of whether the addition of natural ingredients (pear fermented solution, celery powder, vitamin C) in curing agents may influence antioxidant activities and nutritional characteristics of smoked duck. METHODS: Smoked duck samples with general or natural curing agent containing three additive ingredients were examined to determine total polyphenol contents, antioxidant activities, pH, TBARS, and food additives residue (nitrite ion, antioxidant, sodium glutamate). RESULTS: Smoked duck with natural curing agent showed a higher level of total polyphenol content and antioxidant activities than smoked duck using general curing agent (p < 0.05). The pH and TBARS of smoked duck were significantly decreased by the addition of natural curing ingredients compared to those of smoked duck using general curing agent (p < 0.05). The residues of food additives were not detected in smoked duck using natural curing agent. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the addition of pear fermented solution, celery powder, and vitamin C in natural duck curing agent may improve the antioxidant activities and nutritional characteristics of smoked duck and provides health benefits.

A descriptive study on the smoking pattern among general population in Xuzhou,2008 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To understand the prevalence of smoking in different sub-populations in Xuzhou area so as to develop effective tobacco control policies. Methods Through multi-stage randomized cluster sampling,a face-to-face study with standard questionnaire was carried out among residents aged above 15 years,from June to December 2008,with descriptive nature. Results Totally,44 686 people,with 21 524 males and 23 162 females at age 15 and over were investigated,including 34 391 of them from rural areas and 10 295 from the urban population. Data regarding rates on ever smoked and current smoking,regular smoking,heavy smoking,and average numbers of cigarettes smoked per day,types of tobacco products smoked,rates on quitting smoking successfully,relapse,passive smoke exposure etc.,were 22.45%,21.40%,15.49%,9.49%,15.09/d,4.68%,5.91% and 14.12% respectively. There were no significant differences in the rates of overall smoking,current smoking and regular smoking among urban and rural residents (P>0.05). However,rates of successfully quitting smoking and passive smoke exposure in the urban areas were higher than those in the rural areas (P<0.05). Rates regarding relapse,heavy smoking and average numbers of cigarettes smoked per day in the rural areas were higher than those in the urban areas(P<0.05). Rates on smoking,current smoking,regular smoking,heavy smoking,relapse and average numbers of cigarettes smoked per day were higher in males than those in females (P<0.05). Rates of quitting smoking successfully and passive smoke exposure were higher in females than those in males (P< 0.05). The major types of tobacco products smoked by people aged 15 years old and above were cigarettes (85.17%),and Chinese pipes (3.24%). Conclusion Smoking was quite common in people from Xuzhou. Our data suggested that health education should be strengthened and sustainable intervention measures be developed and implemented to control the tobacco use in the area.

Relación entre el consumo de tabaco, salud mental y malestares físicos en hombres trabajadores de una empresa textil mexicana / Relationship among current tobacco use, mental health and physical distress in male workers of a Mexican textile industry

Introduction Tobacco use is considered a worldwide public health problem because of the amount of death and disease it causes. The WHO reports that 30% of the adult population in the world are cigarette smokers, and that nearly five million of these will die within one year. Prospective studies performed by the WHO show that if current tobacco use continues, in 2020 there will be 8.4 million deaths due to tobacco-related diseases every year; seven out of 10 of these deaths will occur in emergent countries, like Mexico. More than 53000 tobacco users die every year in Mexico because of tobacco-related diseases, and at least 147 of these die daily. Data from the National Addictions Survey (NAS) 2002 showed that 26.4% of the people between 12 and 65 years old were active tobacco consumers; this amounted to nearly 14 million individuals. Of these, 7.1% were under 18 years old. The number of tobacco consumers in Mexico has increased from nine million in 1988 to 14 million in 2002. According to the NAS, 52% of the users smoke on a daily basis, and 61.4% of them began smoking when they were minors. To know the actual consumption levels, it is important to consider some factors: the number of cigarettes a person smokes, the different situations where a person smokes, and the social and physical consequences of smoking. Thus, it would be possible to develop a consumer classification (i. e. soft consumers, mild consumers, and hard consumers). There may be numerous causes for a person to be ill. When speaking about the harmful effects of tobacco use, the literature is clear in stating that these begin with the first cigarette smoked. However, it can take up to 30 years for a consumer to notice the damage on his health after his/her consumption began; but within the first ten years there are problems in lung function and in physical endurance. When a person starts smoking there are acute and unpleasant side effects that are rarely associated with smoked tobacco use. Consumption creates a tolerance which makes unpleasant effects to stop or fade away, giving place to pleasant sensations produced by nicotine; concentration improves and psychomotor skills, alert, and activation get better and there is a reduction in anxiety and stress. The relationship between tobacco use and mental health is evident at the level of the emotional outcomes of suffering a chronic illness, such as lung cancer. On the other hand, nicotine use has been related to a reduction in the severity of depression. Chemical alternatives for reducing consumption, based on the substance physical effects that promote addiction, have not proven to be effective so far. There is also evidence that consumers that fail in quitting smoking or people that have dependence problems with nicotine show a high prevalence of mayor depression when compared to non-dependent consumers. This association was direct with the severity of nicotine dependence. It also has been observed that smoking interferes often with psychological learning tools, mainly when consumption starts at very early ages. Emotional distress can produce low self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence. Therefore, the chances to begin tobacco consumption increase when it is used as a crutch to cope with social pressure and acceptance. Since tobacco use is a conduct that has shown to have serious repercussions on physical health and an important relationship with mental health in human beings, and is therefore a growing public health problem, the objective of this study is to explore a possible link among smoked tobacco consumption, mental health and physical problems in male workers from a textile factory. Method A non-probabilistic convenience sample was used in the study. Subjects voluntarily agreed to complete the questionnaire: 279 male workers were interviewed; 54% were between 18 and 27 years old and 23% were between 28 and 37. Most of them had studied junior high school or higher (74%) and 65% were in a serious relationship (married or living with a couple). Data about tobacco use were collected using a questionnaire with questions from the NAS 2002. To explore mental health the five-item Mental Health Inventory was used (MHI-5). As it is a self-answered screening test, it does not give a diagnosis, but it does allow establishing if subjects have symptoms of a probable mental health problem. Information about physical distress was collected through an 11-item somatization sub-scale from the Symptoms Check List-90 (SCL-90). The number of physical troubles that subjects reported during the last month was considered. All instruments have good levels of reliability and validity. Finally, several socio-demographic questions were included. The questionnaire was answered in groups inside a training room. Trained interviewers participated in the process of collecting information. Subjects' participation was voluntary and their verbal acceptation was obtained before answering the questionnaires. Anonymity and confidentiality were guaranteed. Workers were told that no information would be given to the union or business authorities, and those who asked for their results received them personally. Neither invasive procedures nor intervention techniques were used. The union authorities received a global report so they could acknowledge the importance of smoked tobacco and mental health-related problems among their workers. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 11.

Introducción El consumo de tabaco es considerado un problema de salud pública en todo el mundo debido a la cantidad de enfermedades y muertes relacionadas con su uso. La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) reporta que 30% de los adultos son fumadores y, de éstos, aproximadamente cinco millones de personas morirán en un año. También se estima que para 2020 habrá 8.4 millones de muertes anuales por enfermedades relacionadas con el consumo de tabaco, de las cuales siete de cada 10 ocurrirán en países en vías de desarrollo, como México, donde más de 53 mil personas fumadoras mueren al año por enfermedades asociadas al tabaquismo y al menos 147 personas mueren diariamente. Por otro lado, en la bibliografía se ha encontrado que el daño en el organismo por fumar comienza desde el primer cigarro, que a los 10 años se presentan síntomas sutiles en la función pulmonar y disminución de la tolerancia al ejercicio, y que es entre 20 y 30 años después cuando los síntomas hacen a un fumador tomar conciencia del daño a su salud. En cuanto a la relación entre el uso de tabaco y la salud mental, ésta se evidencia por las consecuencias emocionales que conlleva padecer una enfermedad crónica. En este contexto, el objetivo del presente trabajo fue conocer la relación de problemas emocionales y malestares físicos con el consumo de tabaco en hombres trabajadores de una empresa textil mexicana. Método La muestra estuvo conformada por 279 sujetos que laboraban en una empresa textil, en su mayoría jóvenes entre 18 y 27 años (54.5%), con escolaridad de secundaria (59.3%) y casados o en unión libre (65.6%). El instrumento utilizado incluyó las escalas de salud mental (MHI-5), malestares físicos (SCL-90) y consumo de tabaco. La aplicación del instrumento se realizó de manera grupal dentro de la empresa textil en que laboraban los sujetos. Resultados No se encontraron diferencias significativas en cuanto a problemas de salud mental y síntomas físicos entre fumadores y no fumadores. Mediante un modelo de análisis de trayectorias, se analizó la relación existente entre síntomas físicos, problemas de salud mental e indicadores de consumo de tabaco. Se encontró así que el principal predictor de los síntomas físicos en fumadores es el tiempo que llevan consumiendo y que los síntomas físicos son un importante predictor de problemas de salud mental. Discusión Sin importar la cantidad de cigarrillos consumidos, la frecuencia de consumo ni otros indicadores de consumo elevado, el tiempo que se lleva consumiendo es un predictor importante del número de síntomas físicos que se manifiestan, lo que puede deberse a los efectos dañinos que tiene el consumo prolongado del tabaco. De este modo se confirma lo mencionado en otras investigaciones de que, después de los primeros 10 años de consumo, se presentan malestares físicos sutiles y que a lo largo de 20 o 30 años se presentaran malestares importantes. Si bien no se encontró una relación directa entre consumo de tabaco y salud mental, se puede sugerir una relación indirecta derivada de la influencia que tiene el consumo sobre el plano del bienestar físico. En este sentido es de esperarse que, a medida que se continúe consumiendo tabaco y los malestares físicos aumenten, también se incrementen los problemas de salud mental. Por otro lado, el modelo aquí presentado requiere ser completado incluyendo otras áreas que puedan influir sobre el bienestar físico y mental. Sin embargo, se logró evidenciar la importancia que tiene el consumo de tabaco sobre el malestar físico, a la vez que aumenta la probabilidad de que se presenten más problemas en la salud mental de la población consumidora.

The Study on Acceptability of Liver Sausage by Proportions of Liver and Processings

Objectives of this study were to investigate the acceptability of liver sausages, one of the most favorite product of meats, and to examine the applicability of pork liver in manufacturing sausages. Sausages containing different proportions of pork liver were manufactured with various processes and were tested and analysed by means of sensory evaluation. Based on th basic recipe for manufacturing sausages, fifteen recipies were proposed with different combinations of ingredients, followed by evaluations on their physicochemical and nutritional properties. Sausages manufactured with different methods (sliceable, spreadable, smoked spreadable) and different proportions of liver were also evaluated. The Findings from these experiments are summarized as follows: 1. As the percentage of the liver was incresed, outer color of experimental sausages were significantly decreased. 2. The hardness, gumminess, chewiness were significantly decreased as the amount of liver increased. 3. Sausages containing 30% pork liver had best acceptability after swallowing. 4. The flavor and taste of liver in experimental sausages were significantly increased by adding liver. In summary, sausages containing 30% pork liver had best acceptability for consumption in terms of the indices measured in this study.