Profiling Nutritionally Important Carotenoids from Genetically-Diverse Tomatoes by IR Spectroscopy

The objective of this research was to develop a protocol for profiling tomato carotenoids based on their specific vibrational spectroscopic signatures. Twenty four tomato varieties that included eight groups of genetically manipulated carotenoid varieties (high trans-lycopene, poly-cis-lycopene, β-carotene, poly-cis-β-carotene, δ-carotene, tangerine virescent, alcabaca-tangerine, and a low-carotenoid control sample) were grown and harvested in a replicated trial. Hexane was used to extract the lipid fraction from samples, and the extract was directly applied onto an ATR ZnSe crystal plate for spectra acquisition and injected in a reverse phase HPLC system for carotenoid separation. SIMCA classified tomatoes based on unique infrared spectral signatures. Models exhibited tight and well-separated clusters (interclass distances >3.0) that correlated well with the information obtained by HPLC, and demonstrated the capability to classify tomatoes based on variety and carotenoid profile. Classification of lipid fractions was primarily based on the presence of trans double bonds and their cis and trans conjugations. Major discriminating bands were 957cm-1 and 964cm-1 associated with bending trans HC=CH out-of-plane deformation vibrations of carotenoids. ATR-IR and multivariate analysis provided a simple, rapid and high-throughput tool for the identification of dietary carotenoids. This technique will facilitate the effective selection of tomato varieties with specific pigment content, improving the screening process for carotenoid-rich products.USD

Neural-network-based curve fitting using totally positive rational bases

This paper proposes a method for learning the process of curve fitting through a general class of totally positive rational bases. The approximation is achieved by finding suitable weights and control points to fit the given set of data points using a neural network and a training algorithm, called AdaMax algorithm, which is a first-order gradient-based stochastic optimization. The neural network presented in this paper is novel and based on a recent generalization of rational curves which inherit geometric properties and algorithms of the traditional rational Bézier curves. The neural network has been applied to different kinds of datasets and it has been compared with the traditional least-squares method to test its performance. The obtained results show that our method can generate a satisfactory approximation

NGC 604, the Scaled OB Association (SOBA) Prototype. I: Spatial Distribution of the Different Gas Phases and Attenuation by Dust

We have analyzed HST and ground-based data to characterize the different gas phases and their interaction with the MYC in NGC 604, a GHR in M33. The warm ionized gas is made out of two components: a high-excitation, high-surface brightness H II surface located at the faces of the molecular clouds directly exposed to the ionizing radiation of the central SOBA; and a low-excitation, low-surface brightness halo that extends to much larger distances from the ionizing stars. The cavities created by the winds and SN explosions are filled with X-ray-emitting coronal gas. The nebular lines emitted by the warm gas experience a variable attenuation as a consequence of the dust distribution, which is patchy in the plane of the sky and with clouds interspersed among emission-line sources in the same line of sight. The optical depth at H alpha as measured from the ratio of the thermal radio continuum to H alpha shows a very good correlation with the total CO (1-0) column, indicating that most of the dust resides in the cold molecular phase. The optical depth at H alpha as measured from the ratio of H alpha to H beta also correlates with the CO emission but not as strongly as in the previous case. We analyze the difference between those two measurements and we find that <=11% of the H II gas is hidden behind large-optical-depth molecular clouds. We detect two candidate compact H II regions embedded inside the molecular cloud; both are within short distance of WR/Of stars and one of them is located within 16 pc of a RSG. We estimate the age of the main stellar generation in NGC 604 to be approx. 3 Myr from the ionization structure of the H II region. The size of the main cavity is smaller than the one predicted by extrapolating from single-star wind-blown bubbles.Comment: 50 pages, 15 figures. To appear in the September issue of the Astronomical Journal. Some of the figures in this version have a very low resolution due to the absurd limitations (for 2004) imposed on file size by astro-ph. A full-resolution version of the figures is available at http://www.stsci.edu/~jmai

Two consecutive phase II studies of oxaliplatin (L-OHP) for treatment of patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma who were resistant to previous treatment with fluoropyrimidines

Background Oxaliplatin (L-OHP) is a platinum complex that possesses activity against human and murine cells in vitro and in vivo, including colorectal carcinoma-derived cell lines, and cells that have been selected for resistance to cisplatin. We report two consecutive phase H trials of L-OHP for treatment of patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma. Patients and methods: Fifty-eight patients were entered in study I, and 51 patients in study II. All of the patients had tumor progression when they were treated, prior to their enrolment, with a fluoropyrimidine-containing regimen. In both trials treatment consisted of L-OHP, 130 mg/m2 by i.v. infusion for two hours; the treatment was repeated every 21 days. Results Response to therapy: Study I: Fifty-five patients were assessed for response. The response rate was 11% (95% CI, 0.03-0.19). Study II: All 51 patients were assessed for response. The response rate was 10% (95% CI, 0.017-0.18). The overall response rate for the 106 evaluated patients was 10% (95% CI, 0.046-0.16). Times to disease progression in responders were 4, 4, 4.5+, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6+, 9, and 13 months. The dose-limiting toxic effect was sensory peripheral neuropathy. The incidence of severe peripheral neuropathy grades was: Study I: grade 3, 23% of patients, and grade 4, 8% of patients. Study II: grade 3, 14% of patients, and grade 4, 4% of patients. Severe neuropathy had a favorable course in all of the patients who had long-term neurologic follow-up. Diarrhea and myeloid impairment were minor. Conclusion L-OHP produced modest, but definite antitumor activity in patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma who were previously resistant to chemotherapy including fluoropyrirnidines. Toxicity is within acceptable limits of tolerance at the dose and schedule of oxaliplatin used in this tria

Glycation does not modify bovine serum albumin (BSA)-induced reduction of rat aortic relaxation: The response to glycated and nonglycated BSA is lost in metabolic syndrome

The effects of nonglycated bovine serum albumin (BSA) and advanced glycosylation end products of BSA (AGE-BSA) on vascular responses of control and metabolic syndrome (MS) rats characterized by hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance were studied. Albumin and in vitro prepared AGE-BSA have vascular effects; however, recent studies indicate that some effects of in vitro prepared AGEs are due to the conditions in which they were generated. We produced AGEs by incubating glucose with BSA for 60 days under sterile conditions in darkness and at 37°C. To develop MS rats, male Wistar animals were given 30% sucrose in drinking water since weanling. Six month old animals were used. Blood pressure, insulin, triglycerides, and serum albumin were increased in MS rats. Contraction of aortic rings elicited with norepinephrine was stronger. There were no effects of nonglycated BSA or AGE-BSA on contractions in control or MS rats; however, both groups responded to L-NAME, an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis. Arterial relaxation induced using acetylcholine was smaller in MS rats. Nonglycated BSA and AGE-BSA significantly diminished relaxation in a 35% in the control group but the decrease was similar when using nonglycated BSA and AGE-BSA. This decrease was not present in the MS rats and was not due to increased RAGEs or altered biochemical characteristics of BSA. In conclusion, both BSA and AGE-BSA inhibit vascular relaxation in control artic rings. In MS rats the effect is lost possibly due to alterations in endothelial cells that are a consequence of the illness

Oncologist’s knowledge and implementation of guidelines for breakthrough cancer pain in Spain: CONOCE study

[Purpose]: Breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) has been shown to be a prevalent and poor prognostic factor for oncologic patients, which remain under diagnosed and undertreated. In 2012, the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) published a clinical practice guideline (CPG) for the treatment of cancer pain which specifically addressed the management of BTcP.[Methods]: Fundación ECO designed a qualitative study using an Internet-based survey to investigate the attitudes toward, compliance with, and use of SEOM Guideline.[Results]: A total of 83 oncologists with a mean experience of 13 years responded. Overall, 82% were aware of different guidelines to manage BTcP. Notably, attitudes toward guidelines were highly positive and there was nearly unanimous agreement that CPG provided the best scientific evidence available (99%), on the minimum information to be gathered for the medical history (100%), on the need for a specific treatment for BTcP (100%), and fentanyl as the first-choice drug (99%). Interestingly, there were discrepancies between what oncologists agreed with and what they do in clinical practice. In fact, 87.6% declare full compliance with SEOM guideline, although adherence to registration of BTcP data in medical records ranged from 30.1 to 91.6% (mean 64.5%); therapeutic management compliance was higher ranging from 75.9 to 91.6%. Main barriers identified were time pressure together with vague statements and limited dissemination of the guidelines.[Conclusion]: Despite oncologist’s clinical practice is increasingly guided by GPC, it suffers from limited compliance, at least in part due to suboptimal statements. Improved dissemination and education are needed to enhance guideline implementation.This study was funded by Kyowa Kirin Farmacéutica S. L.U. through Fundación ECO