Thermorheological and textural behaviour of gluten-free gels obtained from chestnut and rice flours

Nowadays, as celiac disease is becoming more common the consumers’ demand for gluten-free products with high nutritional and taste quality is increasing. This work deals with the study of the impact of four novelty gluten-free sources: chestnut flour (Cf), whole rice flour (Rw), Carolino rice flour (Rc) and Agulha rice flour (Ra). Textural, thermorheological and stability performance of gluten-free gels using different experimental techniques were evaluated. Mixed gels were also produced for comparison. Texture parameters were determined from the texture profile analysis using a texturometer. Thermorheological oscillatory measurements were conducted in a stresscontrolled rheometer in order to clarify the kinetics of gel formation and to characterise the structure of the matured gels. The stability of the gels was evaluated using transmittance profiling of the gels under gravitational fields (LUMiSizer®). Texture studies suggested that gels from mixtures of chestnut flour at 30 % and rice flour at 20 % showed the right texture to develop gel-based new desserts. Rheological results showed that the thermal profiles on heating of Cf gels were similar to those obtained for Rw and Ra, whereas Rc gels exhibited a particular pattern. Once the final gelatinisation temperature was achieved, no significant differences on the viscoelastic properties were noticed for all the tested gels. Stability tests showed that gels with Rc should present an industrial advantage over the other assayed formulations, since the stability of these gels is of the order of four times larger

Pediatric urolithiasis: the current surgical management

Children represent about 1% of all patients with urolithiasis, but 100% of these children are considered high risk for recurrent stone formation, and it is crucial for them to receive a therapy that will render them stone free. In addition, a metabolic workup is necessary to ensure a tailored metaphylaxis to prevent or delay recurrence. The appropriate therapy depends on localization, size, and composition of the calculus, as well as on the anatomy of the urinary tract. In specialized centers, the whole range of extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL), ureterorenoscopy (URS), and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) are available for children, with the same efficiency and safety as in adults

The human keratins: biology and pathology

The keratins are the typical intermediate filament proteins of epithelia, showing an outstanding degree of molecular diversity. Heteropolymeric filaments are formed by pairing of type I and type II molecules. In humans 54 functional keratin genes exist. They are expressed in highly specific patterns related to the epithelial type and stage of cellular differentiation. About half of all keratins—including numerous keratins characterized only recently—are restricted to the various compartments of hair follicles. As part of the epithelial cytoskeleton, keratins are important for the mechanical stability and integrity of epithelial cells and tissues. Moreover, some keratins also have regulatory functions and are involved in intracellular signaling pathways, e.g. protection from stress, wound healing, and apoptosis. Applying the new consensus nomenclature, this article summarizes, for all human keratins, their cell type and tissue distribution and their functional significance in relation to transgenic mouse models and human hereditary keratin diseases. Furthermore, since keratins also exhibit characteristic expression patterns in human tumors, several of them (notably K5, K7, K8/K18, K19, and K20) have great importance in immunohistochemical tumor diagnosis of carcinomas, in particular of unclear metastases and in precise classification and subtyping. Future research might open further fields of clinical application for this remarkable protein family

Effect of microfluidization on the microstructure and physical properties of a novel yoghurt formulation

This study aims at development of a new method to form emulsion-based yoghurt like gels from, but not limited to hazelnut. For this purpose, hazelnut slurries with varying solid content were processed using a microfluidizer to obtain creamy structures possessing high consistency. Then, these slurries were processed into fermented hazelnut products (HNPs) by inoculating with lactic acid bacteria culture. Real time Theological measurements were conducted to monitor how moduli values changed during fermentation. For the sake of comparison conventional cow milk yoghurt (CMY) was also included in the study. Texture analysis experiment showed that microfluidization greatly improved physical properties of the HNPs with significant increase in firmness values. When moisture content of HNP was around 22.7%, the firmness value was close to that of CMY. Since the entire hazelnut was used in processing, the HNPs contained soluble (0.34-0.75 g/100 g) and insoluble fiber (1.58-4.12 g/100 g). Microfluidization treatment also resulted in markedly increased colloidal stability of the HNPs. Sensory evaluation studies revealed that some of the HNP formulations had comparable texture, flavor, and appearance properties with CMY

Production of hazelnut skin fibres and utilisation in a model bakery product

Microfluidisation was used as a potential method for the production of fibrous structure from hazelnut skin (HS), and which was evaluated as an ingredient in cake as model bakery product. More specifically, effects of different amounts of microfluidised HS on rheological behaviour of cake batter and quality parameters (texture and colour) and storage characteristics of cake products were evaluated. Furthermore, performance of microfluidised HS was compared with conventionally milled HS and cacao powder for comparison purpose. The entangled structures of microfluidised HS resulted in much higher consistency index, yield stress and viscoelastic moduli values in batter samples than conventionally milled hazelnut skin. Highly shredded fibrous structure of microfluidised HS provided gluten-like strength and elasticity to cake samples resulting in higher springiness and firmness values. Darker crumb colour of the cake samples was caused by the homogenous distribution of fibrous microfluidised HS. Detailed staling analysis through X-ray and Fourier transform infrared measurements showed that microfluidised HS containing cake samples had lower retrogradation and staling tendency due to their lower starch content, and higher water holding ability. Findings of this study showed that microfluidised HS could be potentially utilised as an ingredient in bakery products

Generalized idiopathic acanthosis nigricans treated with acitretin

Generalized idiopathic acanthosis nigricans is a rare form of acanthosis nigricans. This form may be familial or nonfamilial and begins at birth or in early childhood. We report an 18-year-old boy with generalized idiopathic acanthosis nigricans who has no family history of acanthosis nigricans. The patient was treated with oral acitretin. Acitretin has been reported rarely as a therapeutic retinoid agent in the disease to date

Long-term results of Burch colposuspension

Background: We aimed to determine the long-term results of Burch colposuspension