Effects of cooking on anthocyanin concentration and bioactive antioxidant capacity in glutinous and non-glutinous purple rice

Purple rice is a source of bioactive antioxidants for rice consumers. Loss of the major antioxidant compounds after a range of cooking processes was evaluated by measuring the change in anthocyanin concentration (ATC) and antioxidant capacity (DPPH activity) of four non-glutinous and four glutinous genotypes. However, soaking in water prior to cooking generally decreased ATC and DPPH activity more in non-glutinous than in glutinous genotypes. Wet cooking (WC) and soaking before wet cooking (S-WC) led to almost all the ATC and DPPH activity being lost with only slight variation between genotypes. In the glutinous genotype PES, which had the highest raw rice ATC, the highest ATC remained when cooked by the WC method. By contrast, almost no ATC remained after WC and S-WC in the low ATC genotypes such as KDK. Overall, the loss of ATC on cooking was greater in non-glutinous than glutinous genotypes for both WC and S-WC, but the reverse occurred for DPPH activity. Wet cooking using electric rice cooker retained higher ATC than the pressure cooking. Thus, for genotypes with high ATC and antioxidant capacity, the selection of cooking method is critical for retaining and stabilizing rice quality

Easy and rapid detection of iron in rice grain

In this study, we show how a preliminary determination of grain Fe in rice may be made with reaction to Perls’ Prussian blue, a stain for Fe (III). Differential localization of Fe in grain parts was indicated by the intensity of reaction of tissue Fe to the dye. The blue colour reaction was most intense in the embryo, weak in the aleurone layer of the pericarp and invisible in the endosperm. The staining intensity also varied with the region of the embryo, generally being strongest in the scutellum, intermediate in the coleorhiza and weakest in the coleoptile. Variation in the reaction to Perls’ Prussian blue was observed among eleven rice genotypes with varying grain Fe contents. The intensity of the blue colour reaction in the embryo of different rice genotypes was indicative of their grain Fe contents for both brown and white (polished) rice. Those with high grain Fe, >14 mg Fe kg-1, were clearly distinguishable from those with <10 mg Fe kg-1 with Perls’ Prussian blue. We suggest that this simple staining procedure may be used to quickly screen for high Fe contents in large germplasms containing hundreds of rice entries, using reactions in genotypes with known grain contents as standards

Association between Insurance Status and Hospital Outcomes among Acute Kidney Failure Patients

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between insurance status and the risk of acute kidney failure (AKF) and consequential hospitalization outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional regression analysis was conducted for inpatients ages 18-64 in South Carolina 2012–2013. One dichotomous dependent variable - diagnosed with AKF at hospital admission, and two continuous dependent variables of hospital outcomes - total charge and length of stay, were examined. The key explanatory variable was the patient’s insurance status. Other covariates included patient’s age, gender, and race as well as AKF risk factors - Type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM), chronic kidney disease (CKD), hypertension, and proteinuria. Results: No insurance was significantly associated with an increased risk of AKF. The odds of having AKF with concurrent CKD diagnosed among the uninsured patients (OR 10.00) is about 1.5 times as high as that among Medicaid (OR 6.40) or private insurance patients (OR 6.91). Patients without insurance coverage incurred lower charges and were discharged earlier than those with Medicaid or private insurance. However, the presence of T2DM reversed this trend. Self-pay AKF patients with T2DM were charged 6% more and stayed in hospital 25% longer than similar patients with Medicaid. Likewise, their charges and hospital stay were 9% more than patients with private insurance. Discussion: Insurance coverage could play a role in determining the risk of AKF and hospital outcomes. Insurance coverage could reduce underlying risk factors for AKF and its adverse consequences. Hospital investment to treat diabetes among the uninsured people in the catchment area might reduce uncompensated care and improve community health

Quantitative study of calcium uptake by tumorigenic bone (TE-85) and neuroblastoma × glioma (NG108-15) cells exposed to extremely-low-frequency (ELF) electric fields

AbstractTo verify the effect of cell culture state on frequency dependent increase in proliferation as well as Ca2+ flux across the plasma membrane, tumorigenic bone (TE-85) and neuroblastoma × glioma (NG108-15) cells cultured in the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS) were exposed to capacitively coupled electric (CCEF) fields in the extremely low frequency (ELF) range of 10 to 18 Hz. [3H]Thymidine incorporation and 45Ca2+ uptake were used as endpoints. TE-85 cells cultured in the presence of 10% FBS did not exhibit a frequency dependent increase in proliferation in contrast to previous studies under growth arrested culture conditions, in which the cells were deprived of FBS. However, both TE-85 and NG108-15 cells had an increase in 45Ca2+ uptake in response to a 16 Hz 18.3 mV/cm CCEF. Fura-2 digital imaging microscopy was used to verify addition of 0.5 mM La3+ and 0.5 mM ionomycin as negative and positive controls, respectively. Imaging microscopy data was combined with 45Ca2+ incorporation results to quantify free intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) increase in response to CCEF exposure. TE-85 [Ca2+]i increased from 140 to 189–210 nM where as NG108-15 [Ca2+]i increased from 67 to 189–210 nM. These results suggested that serum deprivation may be a requirement for a frequency dependent increase in proliferation in TE-85 cells but is not necessary for the electric field induced increase in 45Ca2+ uptake in both TE-85 adn NG108 cells. The present study also represents the first demonstration of increased45Ca2+ uptake by neuroblastoma and/or glioma cells in response to an electric field exposure

Variation of milling and grain physical quality of dry season Pathum Thani 1 in Thailand

Pathum Thani 1 (PTT1) is a photoperiod-insensitive, aromatic Thai rice variety that is grown year-round. The rice from some locations is often priced lower than others due to sub-standard grain quality. This study sought to determine the limiting grain quality characteristic(s) in dry season PTT1 and their distribution across Thailand’s irrigated rice regions. To do so, we evaluated the milling and physical quality of milled rice grain of dry season PTT1 from 24 provinces in 5 regions in Thailand. Sixty-seven paddy rice samples were collected and evaluated for head rice yield, chalkiness, whiteness, and translucency. Head rice yield varied by region, with the highest (48.1%) found in samples from the Central region, compared to 34.5-39.7% elsewhere. Head rice chalkiness was the physical quality that varied more widely among the provinces within each region than among regions, with chalkiness at a level that would adversely affect price in more than one-half of the samples. Contrary to the general perception that chalky grain is less resistant in milling, head rice yield actually increased with total chalkiness, expressed as % chalky grain by weight. The total chalkiness correlated negatively with translucency, while the head rice chalkiness correlated positively with whiteness. Grain chalkiness was identified as the grain quality attribute of PTT1 rice that varied with location; this directly affected the price of milled rice grain, as well as indirectly through its relationship with head rice yield and visual appearance of the milled rice grai