Management of penetrating cardiac injury in a tertiary hospital in Northeast India

Background: Penetrating cardiac injuries are rare and considered the most lethal of all trauma patients. Managing cardiac injuries is a great challenge for the trauma surgeons and the outcome of the treatment of such critical condition depends on the mechanism of injury, haemodynamic status of the patients at the time of presentation, heart chamber involved and other associated injuries. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective observational study of consecutive six patients with penetrating cardiac injuries from January 2015 to December 2019 treated in Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, India. eFAST and CT scan of the chest were the main imaging methods used for diagnosis. All patients underwent tube thoracostomy for associated haemothorax in the emergency ward. Results: All the patients had penetrating cardiac injuries due to stabbing. Five (63.3%) patients presented with features of cardiac tamponade or with severe hypotension (systolic BP less than 80 mmHg) and one (16.7%) patient who was haemodynamically stable at the time of presentation had developed features of cardiac tamponade after 24 hours. Four patients had undergone emergency left anterolateral thoracotomy, one patient had undergone median sternotomy, and one patient underwent left anterolateral thoracotomy on the second day after admission. Conclusion: A high index of suspicion for cardiac trauma is extremely important in patients presented with penetrating thoracic injuries or upper abdominal injuries. Computed tomography of the chest can show the haemopericardium giving detailed information of associated pulmonary injury and hemothorax. Prompt diagnosis and early surgical intervention play a vital role to save these critically injured patients

Biocatalizadores para la síntesis de oligosacáridos dericados de lactitol con propiedades prebióticas para la reproducción de alimentos funcionales

La presente invención divulga un biocatalizador para la síntesis de oligosacáridos derivados del lactitol (LaOS), con potenciales propiedades prebióticas aplicables a la mejora de la producción industrial de alimentos funcionales. El biocatalizador comprende una o más enzimas β-galactosidasas inmovilizadas, mediante un enlace covalente, en un soporte mesoporoso de sílice. En un objeto adicional, la invención divulga un método de Síntesis de oligosacáridos para la producción de alimentos funcionales. [ES]The present invention relates to a biocatalyst for the synthesis of lactitol-derived oligosaccharides (LaOS), with potential prebiotic properties, which can be used to improve the industrial production of functional foods. The biocatalyst comprises one or more β-galactosidase enzymes immobilised, by means of a covalent bond, on a mesoporous silica support. The invention also relates to a method for synthesising oligosaccharides for the production of functional foods. [EN]Peer reviewedUniversidad del Cauca, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España)A1 Solicitud de patente con informe sobre el estado de la técnic

Determination of free Zn2+ concentration in synthetic and natural samples with AGNES (Absence of Gradients and Nernstian Equilibrium Stripping) and DMT (Donnan Membrane Techniques)

The determination of free Zn2+ ion concentration is a key in the study of environmental systems like river water and soils, due to its impact on bioavailability and toxicity. AGNES (Absence of Gradients and Nernstian Equilibrium Stripping) and DMT (Donnan Membrane Technique) are emerging techniques suited for the determination of free heavy metal concentrations, especially in the case of Zn2+, given that there is no commercial Ion Selective Electrode. In this work, both techniques have been applied to synthetic samples (containing Zn and NTA) and natural samples (Rhine river water and soils), showing good agreement. pH fluctuations in DMT and N2/CO2 purging system used in AGNES did not affect considerably the measurements done in Rhine river water and soil samples. Results of DMT in situ of Rhine river water are comparable to those of AGNES in the lab. The comparison of this work provides a cross-validation for both techniques

Development of a microwave-assisted extraction method for the recovery of bioactive inositols from lettuce (Lactuca sativa) byproducts

A microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method was developed for the extraction of bioactive inositols (D-chiro- and myo-inositols) from lettuce (Lactuca sativa) leaves as a strategy for the revalorization of these agrofood residues. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was selected for the simultaneous determination of inositols and sugars (glucose, fructose, and sucrose) in these samples. A Box–Behnken experimental design was used to maximize the extraction of inositols based on the results of single factor tests. Optimal conditions of the extraction process were as follows: liquid-to-solid ratio of 100:1 v/w, 40°C, 30 min extraction time, 20:80 ethanol:water (v/v), and one extraction cycle. When compared with conventional solid-liquid extraction (SLE), MAE was found to be more effective for the extraction of target bioactive carbohydrates (MAE 5.42 mg/g dry sample versus SLE 4.01 mg/g dry sample). Then, MAE methodology was applied to the extraction of inositols from L. sativa leaves of different varieties (var. longifolia, var. capitata and var. crispa). D-chiro- and myo-inositol contents varied between 0.57–7.15 and 0.83–3.48 mg/g dry sample, respectively. Interfering sugars were removed from the extracts using a biotechnological procedure based on the use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for 24 h. The developed methodology was a good alternative to classical procedures to obtain extracts enriched in inositols from lettuce residues, which could be of interest for the agrofood industry.This work has been funded by Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (project AGL2016-80475-R, AEI/FEDER, UE), by CSIC (project 202080E216), by the Comunidad of Madrid and European funding from FSE and FEDER programs (project S2018/BAA-4393, AVANSECALII- CM), and by Universidad del Cauca (501100005682) of Colombia (project ID-4486)

Microwave assisted extraction of inositols for the valorization of legume by-products

Currently there is great interest in exploitation of agrofood by-products, such as those from legumes, as source of bioactive ingredients. To that aim, characterization of cyclitol and sugar composition of pods and seeds from different legume species has been carried out. A green Microwave Assisted Extraction (MAE) method was optimized for extraction of bioactive inositols, and both pod and seed yields were compared with those obtained by conventional reflux extraction. A subsequent Saccharomyces cerevisiae treatment was also evaluated for removal of interfering coextracted sugars. myo-Inositol was present in all legume pods and seeds and galactinol in most seeds. chiro-Inositol was found in soybean and basul, whereas outstanding pinitol concentrations were only detected in soybean. The optimized MAE method provided extracts rich in pinitol from soybean pods (41.5–58.0 mg g) and seeds (5.3–7.5 mg g). Removal of 97% of interfering sugars in MAE soybean pod extracts was achieved by yeast treatment.This work has been funded by Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (project AGL2016-80475-R, AEI/FEDER, UE), by the Comunidad of Madrid and European funding from FSE and FEDER programs (project S2018/BAA-4393, AVANSECAL–II–CM) and by Universidad del Cauca of Colombia (projects ID-4486 and ID-4652

Authentication of Garcinia cambogia supplements by GC-MS

This research has been funded by Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (MINEICO) of Spain (project AGL2016‐80475‐R

Application of irradiation as pretreatment method in the production of fermented fish paste

Fermented fish paste, an important source of cheap protein in some regions, is one of the most consumed condiments in the Philippines. Two species of fish, dilis (Stolephrus commersonii) and galunggong (Decapterus macrosoma) were subjected to irradiation as pretreatment method prior to production of bagoong isda. Pre-treatment at 3 and 10 kGy resulted in lower microbial load of the fermented fish paste. Irradiation of dilis resulted in an improved proteolytic degradation as compared with galunggong. There was no significant change in pH for both species. Acceptability scores of treatment at 3 kGy showed general improvement in the quality of the fish paste for dilis but not for galunggong. However, at 10 kGy, sample texture and overall acceptability was generally lower for dilis. SDS-PAGE electrophoresis of the water-soluble proteins indicate that at higher dose of radiation, fish proteins may have been converted to higher molecular weight aggregates which has affected fermentation properties of the substrates. Irradiation of fish prior to fermentation may result to chemical changes in proteins such as fragmentation, cross-linking, aggregation and oxidation and may likewise affect the chemical nature, physical state and organoleptic property of the final product