[Formulating a non-fat diet to induce essential fatty acid deficiency in rats]. / Formulación de una dieta sin grasa para producir deficiencia de ácidos grasos esenciales en ratas.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the manufacture of an experimental diet to cause essential fatty acids deficiencies in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Rats. We used Wistar rats that were given a diet consisting of skimmed milk, starch, and dextrino maltose. The fatty acids were measured by means of gas chromatography. RESULTS: The prepared diet is considerably cheaper than laboratory animal feed and it is effective in causing a fatty acid deficiency.

Influence of different intravenous infusion sets on temperature of refrigerated parenteral nutrition solutions.

We measured the temperature of 10 previously refrigerated parenteral-nutrition solutions (PN solutions) at the end of a standard intravenous-infusion set (IIS) (Intrafix, 145 cm long), an IIS with a mechanical device to control the flow of the solution (Dial-a-Flow, 226 cm long), and an IIS to be used with a volumetric infusion pump (Infusomat, 259 cm long). The temperature of the PN solution just after taking it out of the refrigerator was 6.0 +/- 0.8 degrees C (mean +/- SD), and that of the room was 24.2 +/- 0.7 degrees C. We recorded the temperature again at the end of the IIS after draining it freely, i.e., until there was no air inside the set (time 0), after 5, 10, and 15 min of infusion at 100 ml/h. After 15 min, the temperature at the end of the Intrafix set did not statistically differ (P less than 0.05) from room temperature. With Dial-a-Flow, the temperature of the solution was not statistically different from room temperature at any time. Finally, with Infusomat, the temperature was statistically different from that of the room for the first 5 min. We thus conclude that refrigerated PN solution can be administered to patients without having to warm it whenever an IIS is longer than 145 cm and flow not exceeding 100 ml/h is used. Adverse reactions sometimes observed in patients at the beginning of the administration of PN solution cannot, in our opinion, be attributed to the low temperature of the solution.

[Temperature of refrigerated parenteral nutrition solutions at the end of 2 infusion systems]. / Temperatura de las soluciones de nutrición parenteral refrigeradas al final de dos sistemas de infusión.

It is common practice to let parenteral nutrition bags that are kept refrigerated stand at room temperature before administration. In this study the temperature of the mixtures administration. In this study the temperature of the mixtures flowing at the end of a conventional system (Intrafix 145 cm long) and at the end of a flow-control system (Dial-a-flow 226 cm long) were measured. Mixture temperatures within the parenteral nutrition bag were recorded upon removal from the refrigerator, at the end of the infusion system after purging the system with the fastest flow rate possible (time 0), and at 5, 10, and 15 minutes, after sustaining continuous flow at 100 cc/hour. The conventional system showed no statistically significant differences (P less than 0.05) between room temperature (23.7 +/- 0.5) and mixture temperature at the end of the infusion line at 15 minutes of infusion (23.0 +/- 0.9). The Dial-a-flow system showed no statistically significant differences between room temperature (24.5 +/- 0.9) and mixture temperatures at the end of the system (time 0: 23.7 +/- 2.2; 5 minutes, 24.1 +/- 0.8; 10 minutes, 24.3 +/- 0.7; 15 minutes, 24.4 +/- 0.7) (p less than 0.05). Therefore, the results indicate that refrigerated parenteral nutrition bags can be administered directly to the patient without waiting for the mixture to warm up, anytime the length of the infusion system is over 145 cm. Occasional reactions observed at the onset of parenteral nutrition therapy cannot be attributed to low mixture temperature, and as such, other reasons must be searched for.