5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Content in Selected Food Products

5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a common component of heat treated, drying or stored for a long time food products. It is an intermediate product formed in the Maillard reaction as a result of thermal dehydration of reducing sugars (1-2). HMF is also formed during caramelisation while degradation of carbohydrates at high temperature (3). HMF is responsible for the sensory properties of food, especially for the pleasant flavor. Although it is relatively safe food component, there are reports regarding toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic properties of HMF, and of 5-sulphoxymethylfurfural especially, an allylic sulfuric acid ester metabolite from HMF (4-6). The content of HMF in the various products vary within a wide range and depends on the food group type as well as the type of processing. In present work, the HMF content in different types of breakfast cereals, cookies and muesli as well as in several types of bakery products commercially available in Poland was determined. In addition, the influence of flavor and taste additives (honey, cocoa, dry fruits) as well as the type of cereals (gluten or gluten-free) on the HMF content in the tested products was examined

5-hydroxymethylfurfural content in selected gluten- and gluten-free cereal food products

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) was determined with HPLC method in forty one food samples, including gluten-free, breakfast cereals and bakery products. The highest concentration of HMF was found in wheat bread with cranberries (210 mg kg-1) and in breakfast cereals – honey wheat loops (85.099 mg kg-1). In contrast, wholegrain oatmeal and gluten-free sponge cakes had the lowest HMF level of all tested samples, below the detection limit and 0.485 mg kg-1, respectively. In most cases, lack of gluten coincided with the lowest HMF content readings (average 8.488 mg kg-1). The impact of the type of sugar, especially glucose, on the HMF concentration in food is apparent. Sweetened breakfast cereals, with the average content of HMF at 25.55 mg kg-1, took lead over dietary products (8.488 mg kg-1) and bakery products (18.395 mg kg-1), with the exception for wheat bread with cranberries. These cereals contained glucose or glucose-fructose syrup

Zooplankton and sediment fluxes in two contrasting fjords reveal Atlantification of the Arctic

Svalbard fjords are facing a significant increase in Atlantic water inflow, which influences all ecosystem components, thus the objective of this study was to assess how recent Atlantification impacts the functioning of zooplankton community. For this purpose, two year-round operating sediment traps and associated hydrographic instruments, providing continuous time series of zooplankton and sediment fluxes, were deployed in the Atlantic-influenced Kongsfjorden and the typical high Arctic fjord Rijpfjorden. We used multivariate statistical methods to analyze how environmental variables, including the sediment fluxes, influence the zooplankton communities in the fjords. We found out that sedimentation rates were an order of magnitude higher in Kongsfjorden (reaching 39.7 g m−2 d−1 in December) and increased in autumn, while in Rijpfjorden, they peaked in late winter - early spring (2.9 g m−2 d−1 in February). Such sediment flux patterns might result from the redeposition of sediments from shallower, subtidal areas and were probably connected to autumn/winter storms. According to multivariate analyses, zooplankton in Kongsfjorden were significantly influenced by water temperature, which explained 22% of their variation, and the flux of organic and mineral sediments explaining 15% and 7.8%, respectively; while in Rijpfjorden, it was sea ice (25.3%), water temperature (16.2%), salinity (8.1%), and mineral sedimentation (6.3%). The structure of zooplankton communities in both fjords was similar in winter; in Kongsfjorden, zooplankton kept developing through spring and summer, while in the Arctic Rijpfjorden, the community paused until the onset of phytoplankton bloom and sea ice break-up in summer, to finally achieve, in autumn, a similar species and development stage structure as summer in the Atlantic-influenced fjord. Our study demonstrates how integrating multiple pieces of information can provide key insights into the relations between Atlantification, sediment flux, and zooplankton community, thus helping to assess the functioning of high Arctic ecosystems under climate change conditions

Zooplankton and sediment fluxes in two contrasting fjords reveal Atlantification of the Arctic

Svalbard fjords are facing a significant increase in Atlantic water inflow, which influences all ecosystem components, thus the objective of this study was to assess how recent Atlantification impacts the functioning of zooplankton community. For this purpose, two year-round operating sediment traps and associated hydrographic instruments, providing continuous time series of zooplankton and sediment fluxes, were deployed in the Atlantic-influenced Kongsfjorden and the typical high Arctic fjord Rijpfjorden. We used multivariate statistical methods to analyze how environmental variables, including the sediment fluxes, influence the zooplankton communities in the fjords. We found out that sedimentation rates were an order of magnitude higher in Kongsfjorden (reaching 39.7 g m−2 d−1 in December) and increased in autumn, while in Rijpfjorden, they peaked in late winter - early spring (2.9 g m−2 d−1 in February). Such sediment flux patterns might result from the redeposition of sediments from shallower, subtidal areas and were probably connected to autumn/winter storms. According to multivariate analyses, zooplankton in Kongsfjorden were significantly influenced by water temperature, which explained 22% of their variation, and the flux of organic and mineral sediments explaining 15% and 7.8%, respectively; while in Rijpfjorden, it was sea ice (25.3%), water temperature (16.2%), salinity (8.1%), and mineral sedimentation (6.3%). The structure of zooplankton communities in both fjords was similar in winter; in Kongsfjorden, zooplankton kept developing through spring and summer, while in the Arctic Rijpfjorden, the community paused until the onset of phytoplankton bloom and sea ice break-up in summer, to finally achieve, in autumn, a similar species and development stage structure as summer in the Atlantic-influenced fjord. Our study demonstrates how integrating multiple pieces of information can provide key insights into the relations between Atlantification, sediment flux, and zooplankton community, thus helping to assess the functioning of high Arctic ecosystems under climate change conditions

Rekomendacje Polskich Towarzystw Naukowych „Diagnostyka i leczenie raka tarczycy”. Aktualizacja na rok 2018

Significant advances have been made in thyroid can­cer research in recent years, therefore relevant clinical guidelines need to be updated. The current Polish guidelines “Diagnostics and Treatment of Thyroid Carcinoma” have been formulated at the “Thyroid Cancer and Other Malignancies of Endocrine Glands” conference held in Wisła in November 2015 [1].Gwałtowny postęp, dokonujący się w ostatnich latach w badaniach nad rakiem tarczycy spowodował, że konieczne jest aktualizowanie bieżących rekomendacji klinicznych. Obowiązujące dotychczas Rekomendacje „Diagnostyka i leczenie raka tarczycy” zostały ustalone na Konferencji „Rak Tarczycy” w Wiśle w listopadzie 2015 roku [1]