Sensory profile and acceptance of dry-cured hams produced by traditional and accelerated methods

There are many types of dry cured hams with particular sensorial profiles resulting from different raw materials and processing techniques, which are appreciated by their characteristic flavors and textures. The objectives of this paper are to characterize the sensorial profile of dry cured hams through a Quantitative Descriptive Analysis, and to verify the products acceptance by the consumer. Two experimental dry cured hams, produced through fast processing (called CTC 3.5% and 5.0% due the initial added salt content), and four products commercialized in Brazil,: a Spanish Serrano, an Italian one, and two Brazilian ones (Serrano type and Parma type) were evaluated. The products differed in terms of the following attributes: CTC 3.5% - the most acid flavored and the lowest intensity of rancid aroma and flavor, redness and juiciness; CTC 5.0% - the highest fibrousness and the lowest intensity and persistence of flavor, and tenderness; Serrano - the highest rancid aroma, redness, intensity and persistence of flavor and the lowest salty flavor; Serrano type - the highest rancid flavor and the lowest sweet flavor; Italian - the highest salty flavor and tenderness; Parma type - the most intense meat flavor, marbling and fat yellowness. All the products were accepted well by the consumer. The Serrano type was the most accepted and Serrano was the lowest accepted by the Brazilian consumers. The CTC products were considered to be good quality presenting typical characteristics of a dry cured ham, despite the short maturation period.27117017

Sex-specific hemodynamic and non-hemodynamic determinants of aortic root size in hypertensive subjects with left ventricular hypertrophy

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Aortic root (AoR) dilatation is more frequently observed in hypertensive individuals and is independently associated with left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. Although the LV structure has sex-specific predictors, it remains unknown whether there are gender-related differences in the determinants of AoR size. We carried out a cross-sectional analysis of clinical, laboratory, anthropometric, funduscopic and echocardiographic features of 438 hypertensive patients with LV hypertrophy (266 women and 172 men). Women with enlarged AoR had higher cardiac output (P=0.0004), decreased peripheral vascular resistance (P=0.009), higher prevalence of mild aortic regurgitation (P=0.02) and increased waist circumference (P=0.04), whereas AoR-dilated men presented with a higher prevalence of concentric LV hypertrophy (P=0.0008) and mild aortic regurgitation (P=0.005) and increased log C-reactive protein levels (P=0.02), compared with sex-matched normal AoR subjects. In women, AoR dilatation associated with cardiac output, mild aortic regurgitation and waist circumference in a multivariate model including age, body surface area, height, homeostasis model assessment index, LV mass index, diastolic blood pressure, menopause status and use of antihypertensive medications as independent variables. Conversely, AoR dilatation associated with LV relative wall thickness, log C-reactive protein and mild aortic regurgitation without contributions from diastolic blood pressure, height, body surface area, LV mass index, peripheral vascular resistance and antihypertensive medications in men. Taken together, these results suggest that both volume overload and abdominal obesity are related to AoR dilatation in hypertensive women, whereas AoR enlargement is associated more with inflammatory and myocardial growth-related parameters in hypertensive men with LV hypertrophy. Hypertension Research (2009) 32, 956-961; doi: 10.1038/hr.2009.134; published online 28 August 20093211956961Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FAPESP [05/56986-5]CNPq [304329/06-1, 474206/07-6

Onset of hypertension during pregnancy is associated with long-term worse blood pressure control and adverse cardiac remodeling

Up to 20% of women with hypertensive pregnancy disorders might persist with chronic hypertension. This study compared clinical and echocardiographic features between women whose hypertension began as hypertensive pregnancy disorders (PH group) and women whose diagnosis of hypertension did not occur during pregnancy (NPH group). Fifty PH and 100 NPH women were cross-sectionally evaluated by clinical, laboratory, and echocardiography analysis, and the groups were matched by duration of hypertension. PH exhibited lower age (46.6 ± 1.4 vs. 65.3 ± 1.1 years; P < .001), but higher systolic (159.8 ± 3.9 vs. 148.0 ± 2.5 mm Hg; P = .009) and diastolic (97.1 ± 2.4 vs. 80.9 ± 1.3 mm Hg; P < .001) blood pressure than NPH, although used more antihypertensive classes (3.4 ± 0.2 vs. 2.6 ± 0.1; P < .001). Furthermore, PH showed higher left ventricular wall thickness and increased prevalence of concentric hypertrophy than NPH after adjusting for age and blood pressure. In conclusion, this study showed that PH may exhibit worse blood pressure control and adverse left ventricular remodeling compared with NPH.Up to 20% of women with hypertensive pregnancy disorders might persist with chronic hypertension. This study compared clinical and echocardiographic features between women whose hypertension began as hypertensive pregnancy disorders (PH group) and women whose diagnosis of hypertension did not occur during pregnancy (NPH group). Fifty PH and 100 NPH women were cross-sectionally evaluated by clinical, laboratory, and echocardiography analysis, and the groups were matched by duration of hypertension. PH exhibited lower age (46.6 ± 1.4 vs. 65.3 ± 1.1 years; P < .001), but higher systolic (159.8 ± 3.9 vs. 148.0 ± 2.5 mm Hg; P = .009) and diastolic (97.1 ± 2.4 vs. 80.9 ± 1.3 mm Hg; P < .001) blood pressure than NPH, although used more antihypertensive classes (3.4 ± 0.2 vs. 2.6 ± 0.1; P < .001). Furthermore, PH showed higher left ventricular wall thickness and increased prevalence of concentric hypertrophy than NPH after adjusting for age and blood pressure. In conclusion, this study showed that PH may exhibit worse blood pressure control and adverse left ventricular remodeling compared with NPH882783

Mannose-binding lectin (MBL2) polymorphisms and inflammation in hypertensive patients

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)We investigated the possible role of Mannose binding lectin 2 (MBL2) functional polymorphisms in the prevalence of hypertension and hypertensive end-organ damage in 300 hypertensive patients and 313 normotensive individuals from Southern Brazil. Hypertensive subjects with MBL2 AO/OO genotypes presented lower C-reactive protein levels than AA individuals and consequently lower inflammatory status.386525527Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FAPESP [05/56986-5]CNPq [304329/06-1, 474206/07-6

Toll-Like Receptor 6 Ser249Pro Polymorphism Is Associated With Lower Left Ventricular Wall Thickness and Inflammatory Response in Hypertensive Women

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)BACKGROUND Experimental data demonstrated that inactivation of toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway components attenuated left ventricular (LV) remodeling induced by pressure overload.This study investigated the impact of TLR6 Ser249Pro polymorphism on LV structure in hypertensive subjects. METHODS A sample of 443 patients (266 women and 177 men) was evaluated by clinical history, physical examination, analysis of inflammatory and metabolic parameters, echocardiography, and genotyping of the TLR6 variant. Moreover, the relationship between genotypes and in vitro responsiveness of peripheral blood monocytic cells to TLR agonists was also assessed. RESULTS Homozygous women for the TLR6 2495er allele had lower LV posterior wall thickness (9.4 +/- 0.4 vs. 10.5 +/- 0.1 mm; P=0.02), interventricular septum thickness (9.7 +/- 0.3 vs. 10.7 +/- 0.1 mm; P = 0.03), and LV relative wall thickness (0.39 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.44 +/- 0.01; P = 0.02) than women with other genotypes. These results were confirmed by stepwise regression analyses adjusted by potential confounders. Conversely, homozygous men for the 2495er variant showed no differences in LV structure in comparison to males carrying the 249Pro allele. In addition, monocytes from hypertensive women homozygous for the 2495er allele showed a lower release of tumor necrosis factor-a and interleukin-6 in response to zymosan (TLR6 agonist), but not to lipopolysaccharide (TLR4 agonist). CONCLUSION These data suggest that hypertensive women homozygous for the TLR6 249Ser polymorphism might exhibit lower LV wall thickness and reduced TLR6-mediated inflammatory response than females carrying the major allele.236649654Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FAPESP [05/56986-5, 08/10069-0]CNPq [304329/06-1, 474206/07-6

Sodium Intake Is Associated with Carotid Artery Structure Alterations and Plasma Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Upregulation in Hypertensive Adults

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)The mechanisms by which dietary sodium modulates cardiovascular risk are not fully understood. This study investigated whether sodium intake is related to carotid structure and hemodynamics and to plasma matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity in hypertensive adults. One hundred thirty-four participants were cross-sectionally evaluated by clinical history, anthropometry, carotid ultrasound, and analysis of hemodynamic, inflammatory, and metabolic variables. Daily sodium intake (DSI) was estimated by 24-h recall, discretionary sodium, and a FFQ. In 42 patients, plasma MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities were also analyzed. The mean DSI was 5.52 +/- 0.29 g/d. Univariate analysis showed that DSI correlated with common carotid artery systolic and diastolic diameter (r = 0.36 and 0.34; both P < 0.001), Peak and mean circumferential tension (r = 0.44 and 0.39; both P < 0.001), Young's Elastic Modulus (r = 0.40; P < 0.001), intima-media thickness (r = 0.19; P < 0.05), and internal carotid artery resistive index (r = 0.20; P < 0.05). Multivariate analyses revealed that only artery diameter, circumferential wall tension, and Young's Elastic Modulus were independently associated with DSI. Conversely, plasma MMP-9 activity was associated with DSI (r = 0.53; P < 0.001) as well as with common carotid systolic diameter (r = 0.33; P < 0.05) and Young's Elastic Modulus (r = 0.38; P < 0.01). In conclusion, sodium intake is associated with carotid alterations in hypertensive adults independently of systemic hemodynamic variables. The present findings also suggest that increased MMP-9 activity might play a role in sodium-induced vascular remodeling. J. Nutr. 141: 877-882, 2011.1415877882Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FAPESP [05/56986-5]CNPq [474966/2010-0

The functional Toll-like receptor 4 Asp299Gly polymorphism is associated with lower left ventricular mass in hypertensive women

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Background: This study investigated the impact of a putative functional TLR4 polymorphism (Asp299Gly) on left ventricular (LV) structure in hypertensive subjects. Methods: A sample of 443 patients (266 women and 177 men) was evaluated by clinical history, physical examination, anthropometry, analysis of inflammatory and metabolic parameters, echocardiography and TLR4 Asp299Gly genotyping. In addition, the relationship between the polymorphism and in vitro lipopolysaccharide responsiveness of peripheral blood monocytic cells was also assessed. Results: Women carrying the 299Gly allele presented lower posterior wall thickness (p = 0.01), interventricular septum thickness (p = 0.04). LV mass (p = 0.01) and LV mass index (p = 0.03), as well as a reduced prevalence of LV hypertrophy (p = 0.002), in comparison to women with the wild-type genotype. These results were confirmed by stepwise and logistic regression analyses adjusted for potential confounders. Conversely, the 299Gly allele did not influence LV structure in men. Furthermore, in vitro assays revealed that monocytes of either men or women heterozygous for the 299Gly allele presented a lower lipopolysaccharide-induced production of interleukin-6, compared to non-carriers. Conclusions: The functional TLR4 Asp299Gly polymorphism is associated with lower LV mass in hypertensive women. These findings suggest that interactions among gender, LV remodeling and TLR4 gene variants may occur in hypertensive subjects. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.41141921744748Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FAPESP [05/56986-5]CNPq [304329/06-1, 474206/07-6