Isolation and characterization of starch obtained from Brosimum alicastrum Swarts seeds.

In this paper, the Ramon starch was isolated and its chemical composition and physical and microscopic characteristics were determined. Corn starch was used as reference. In general, the proximal composition was similar between starches studied. Ramon starch granules were oval-spherical and rounded with sizes between 6.5 and 15 µm. Starch purity was high (92.57%) with amylose content of 25.36%. The gelatinization temperature was 83.05°C and transition enthalpy was 21.423 J/g. At 90°C, solubility was 20.42%, swelling power 17.64 g water/gstarch and water absorption capacity was 13 gwater/gstarch. The pH, clarity and color (Hue angle) of Ramon starch were higher to those reported for corn starch. The results achieved suggest that Ramon starch has potential for application in food systems requiring high processing temperatures and it is also a promising option for use in the manufacture of biodegradable materials.

Functional properties of proteins from Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) seeds.

Functional properties were identified for the total globulin (TG), 7S and 11S fractions of Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) seeds. The 11S component accounted for 58.3% of TGs and the 7S for 41.7%. Solubility was higher in the 7S fraction, especially at alkaline pHs. Water-holding capacity was similar (3 g water/g sample) in both globulin fractions. Oil-holding capacity was higher in the 11S fraction, which also exhibited better foaming capacity and foam stability than the 7S and TG fractions at alkaline pHs. The TG and 7S fractions exhibited low emulsifying capacity and emulsion stability at different pHs (5, 7 and 9), but the 11S fraction had relatively higher values. In suspension at low concentrations, all fractions exhibited shear-thinning (pseudoplastic) behavior. The studied Lima bean globulin fractions exhibit functional properties which make them potentially apt for use in some industrial food systems.

Functional properties of flours and protein isolates from Phaseolus lunatus and Canavalia ensiformis seeds.

The functional properties of flours and protein isolates from the legumes Phaseolus lunatus and Canavalia ensiformis were evaluated to determine their potential practical applications. The respective protein isolates were obtained from the flours by using isoelectric precipitation, with a protein content of 71.13% for the P. lunatus isolate (PPI) and 73.75% for the C. ensiformis isolate (CPI). Nitrogen solubility was good in both acid and alkaline pHs for isolates and Canavalia flour (CF), with values as high as 80%, but not for the Phaseolus flour (PF). The flours and protein isolates had good water-holding capacities, with values between 2.65 and 3.80 g/g sample. Oil-holding capacity was highest in PPI (4.59 g/g sample) and CF (3.15 g/g sample). Under alkaline pH, the PPI foaming capacity (147%) was higher than those for CPI and CF, though the flours produced greater foam. Emulsifying activities for the PF, CF, PPI, and CPI were similar (46.78-53.84%) for pH range 6-10. Emulsion stability (ES) was superior in the CF and the CPI, where values reached 100% at pH 7 and 8. Apparent viscosity was pH-dependent.

Treatment of facial telangiectasias with a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm.

OBJECTIVE: Facial telangiectasias are a common cause of cosmetic concern. Current treatment modalities present various untoward effects and limits. The pulsed dye laser has been considered the gold standard in efficacy and safety; unfortunately it causes postoperative intracutaneous hematomata, discouraging many patients from undergoing this treatment. Several other vascular lasers (argon, tunable dye, copper, krypton, etc.) are disadvantaged by the risk of hypopigmented and atrophic scars. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We assessed a recent powerful version of the potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) 532 nm laser, which delivers sufficient energy in single pulse lasting 10-50 msec (DioLite 532; IRIDEX, Mountain View, CA, USA). Collateral damage is reduced while the heating of the vessel is slow enough to avoid explosive photothermolysis with its associated purpura. Sixty six patients with facial telangiectasias were treated. RESULTS: In 62/66 patients (93.9%) we achieved a 75-100% clearance of the lesions, while two treatments were needed to reach an acceptable clearance in the remaining 4/66 patients (6.1%). The eventual need for more sessions was well tolerated because the acceptable postoperative appearance allowed patients to continue normal business and social activities between treatments. No permanent complications or undesired effects were noted. CONCLUSION: We conclude that this diode-pumped frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser is an effective device for the treatment of facial telangiectasias, with a low profile of undesired effects that can be well tolerated by patients.

Effects of prenatal exposure to low concentrations of carbon monoxide on sexual behaviour and mesolimbic dopaminergic function in rat offspring.

1. Inhalation of low concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) by pregnant rats (75 and 150 p.p.m. from day 0 to day 20 of gestation) leads to changes in mesolimbic dopaminergic transmission associated with an impairment of sexual behaviour in male offspring. 2. Eighty day old males exposed in utero to CO (150 p.p.m.) exhibited a significant increase in mount/ intromission latency as well as a significant decrease in mount/intromission frequency. A significant decrease in ejaculation frequency was also found in CO (150 p.p.m.)-exposed animals. 3. The acute administration of amphetamine, at a dose (0.5 mg kg(-1) s.c.) stimulating copulatory activity in control rats, failed to reduce mount/intromission latency and did not increase mount frequency in 80-day offspring exposed to CO (150 p.p.m.) during gestation. 4. These behavioural alterations were paralleled by neurochemical changes (in vivo microdialysis) showing that prenatal CO exposure, at concentrations (150 p.p.m.) that did not affect basal extracellular levels of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, blunted the amphetamine (0.5 mg kg(-1) s.c.)-induced increase in dopamine release in 80-day old male rats. 5. No significant changes in either behavioural or neurochemical parameters were observed in 10-month old rats exposed prenatally to CO. 6. Since the alterations in sexual behaviour and dopaminergic transmission have been produced by prenatal exposure to CO levels resulting in maternal blood carboxyhaemoglobin concentrations equivalent to those maintained by human cigarette smokers, the present data further point out the large risk that the smoking mother poses for her offspring.

Moderate Alcohol Intake: Behavioral and Neurochemical Correlates in Rats.

A debate is open in the literature concerning the safety of low (dietary) versus high (intoxicating or addicting) alcohol consumption. Epidemiological data do indeed suggest that moderate ethanol intake may have beneficial effects, at least at cardiovascular level. On the other hand there are few data on the effect of low doses ethanol at brain level and few experimental models to investigate it, in spite of a vast literature on the addicting mechanisms. In the last years we have addressed this question by investigating behavioral and neurochemical parameters in rats consuming low ethanol doses, not producing tolerance and dependence, thus mimicking balanced dietary intake of ethanol. Ethanol exposure (3% vol/vol in drinking water for 8 weeks) ameliorates emotional reactivity, evaluated as decrease in ultrasonic calls, and improves learning in animals undergoing a two-way avoidance task. The concomitant measure of neurochemical parameters indicates plastic changes in receptor (dopamine) and post-receptor (protein kinase C) mechanisms. These changes are in some cases qualitatively different from those observed with intoxicating ethanol doses. This model may be useful for the further characterization of the beneficial versus detrimental effect of moderate ethanol consumption at brain level.

Intraoral approach to large dermoid cysts of the floor of the mouth: a technical note.

An intraoral approach to dermoid cysts of the floor of the mouth is described. With this technique, it is possible to obtain adequate surgical access in cases of very large dermoid cysts involving simultaneously the floor of the mouth and the submental space, thus avoiding a skin incision in the submental fold.

Glucose tolerance and insulin secretion in pancreatic cancer.

While the association between pancreatic cancer and diabetes is well recognized, little is known about glucose tolerance and insulin secretion in patients with this tumour. Thirty patients with pancreatic cancer not complicated by diabetes, 10 with nonpancreatic cancer, and 10 healthy subjects were studied for glucose tolerance and insulin secretion in response to an oral glucose load. Twenty of the 30 patients with pancreatic cancer (70%) had impaired glucose tolerance compared with none of the patients in the other two groups. In most of these 20 patients' insulin responses were higher than those of patients with non-pancreatic cancer or healthy subjects. The results indicate that about two-thirds of patients with pancreatic cancer have abnormal glucose tolerance; this intolerance is associated with elevated insulin secretion, suggesting that it may be due to a peripheral resistance to insulin.

Treatment of pancreatic ascites with somatostatin.

Pancreatic ascites is a rare complication of chronic pancreatitis, whose treatment continues to represent a difficult clinical problem. In this report we describe a case of a patient with chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic ascites who was successfully treated with somatostatin given by continuous intravenous infusion of 1.5 micrograms/kg/h for 2 weeks.

Study of the effect of neurotensin on meal- and cerulein-induced gallbladder contraction.

We studied the effect of a low dose of neurotensin (2.5 pmol/kg/min) on meal- and cerulein-induced gallbladder contraction in 11 healthy volunteers by means of real-time ultrasonography. Ingestion of a meal caused a significant reduction in gallbladder volume which reached a maximum of 57 +/- 2% of the basal value at 60 min after the meal. The infusion of neurotensin caused a slight but not significant attenuation of the contractile response of the gallbladder to the meal (maximal reduction of 49 +/- 6%). Increasing doses of cerulein (10, 20 and 40 ng/kg/h, for 30 min at each dose) caused progressive reductions in gallbladder volume of 18 +/- 5, 72 +/- 5 and 89 +/- 4% with the three respective doses of cerulein used. The simultaneous administration of neurotensin did not significantly modify the gallbladder response to cerulein. The results indicate that neurotensin, at a dose of 2.5 pmol/kg/min, does not influence the gallbladder contraction stimulated by food or cerulein.

Effect of octreotide, a long-acting somatostatin analogue, on plasma amino acid uptake by the pancreas.

Octreotide (SMS 201-995) is a long-acting somatostatin analogue that inhibits exocrine pancreatic secretion and that has been proposed for treatment of various pancreatic disorders. To gain more information about the mechanism by which octreotide inhibits pancreatic enzyme secretion, we studied the effect of this compound on plasma amino acid uptake by the pancreas in six healthy volunteers aged 22-29 years. Pancreatic amino acid uptake was assessed by measuring plasma amino acid concentration before and during pancreatic enzyme synthesis stimulation with cerulein (50 ng/kg/h). The infusion of cerulein caused a significant decrease (p less than 0.001) in plasma amino acid concentration. The subcutaneous injection of octreotide at dosages of 12.5, 25, and 50 micrograms prevented this decrease in a dose-dependent manner. The decrease in amino acid concentration reached a maximum of 19.4 +/- 2.4% during cerulein infusion and a maximum of 10.7 +/- 2.5, 6.8 +/- 1.2, and 2.9 +/- 1.2% (means +/- SD) when cerulein was preceded by injection of octreotide at 12.5, 25, and 50 mg, respectively. These results indicate that octreotide is able to inhibit the plasma amino acid uptake by pancreatic acinar cells and, consequently, synthesis of pancreatic enzymes. Clinically, this effect could be useful in treatment of pathologic conditions of the pancreas in which it is desirable to suppress acinar cell activity and avoid accumulation of enzymes in acinar cells.

Effect of octreotide (SMS 201-995) on meal-stimulated pancreatic secretion in three patients with external pancreatic fistula.

Octreotide (SMS 201-995) is a long-acting somatostatin analogue that inhibits both basal and secretin-cholecystokinin-stimulated pancreatic secretion. This study assesses the effect of this compound on pancreatic secretion induced by ordinary meals. Three patients with stable secretion of pure pancreatic juice from high output pancreatic fistula were studied. In all three, meal ingestion caused a marked and prolonged increase in pancreatic juice flow, and in bicarbonate and protein output. The subcutaneous injection of 50 micrograms octreotide before meals almost totally prevented (by about 90%) this increase. The inhibitory effect of octreotide on postprandial pancreatic secretion appeared soon, and persisted for the duration of the study period (8 h).

Biochemical confirmation of an experimental osteoarthritis model.

Section of the medial collateral and both cruciate ligaments combined with resection of the medial meniscus in rabbit knees caused instability and during the ensuing six months these knees showed progressive histological changes similar to those of human osteoarthritis. Biochemical analysis of the cartilage from such knee joints demonstrated a decrease in proteoglycan, an increase in acid phosphatase, and increases in the rates of synthesis of protein and glycosaminoglycan. These findings, which are quite consistent with those in human osteoarthritis, suggest that this animal model may be of value in the study of the pathogenesis and treatment of human disease.