Evaluation de la qualité et de la composition chimique de trois huiles extraites à partir de pépins d’agrumes cultivés dans l’oriental du Maroc

In eastern Morocco, new cooperatives of citrus fruit technological transformation begin to be installed. The seeds resulting from these transformation processes remain without any valorization. This study concerns the physico-chemical characterization of three different citrus seed oils (Citrus limon (Citron), Citrus aurantium (Bigarade) and Citrus clementina (Clementine de Berkane)), cultivated in eastern Morocco. The seed oils were mechanically extracted by oil press and the oil yield, quality indices (acidity, peroxide, saponification, and refraction indices), polyphenol contents, antioxidant activity and fatty acid profile were analyzed. The mechanical yield varies between 15% for Bigarade seed oil and 29% for Lemon seed oil. The acidity, peroxide, saponification, and refraction indices varied between 0.55 - 0.57% of oleic acid, 5.77 to 10.34 meqO2/kg of oil, 116.67 and 173.53 mg KOH /g and 1.4699-1.4718 for the 3 studied seed oils, respectively. The polyphenols varied from 565 to 913 mg / 100g and the antioxidant activity ranged between 30 and 50%. The fatty acid profiles, of the analyzed citrus seed oils, presented 5 major fatty acids with the dominance of linoleic acid (C18: 2) which presented 34% for Clementine and Lemon seed oils and 35.5% for Bigarade seed oil.  Au niveau de la région de l’oriental du Maroc, de nouvelles coopératives commencent à s’installer et sont actives dans la transformation technologique des agrumes. Les pépins issus de ces procédés de transformation restent sans valorisation. Cette étude porte sur la caractérisation physico-chimique d’huiles de pépins des fruits de 3 espèces d’agrume Citrus limon (Citron), Citrus aurantium (Bigarade) et Citrus clementina (Clémentine), cultivées au niveau de la région de l’oriental du Maroc. Les huiles de pépins sont extraites mécaniquement par une presse à huile de type vis sans fin, le rendement en huile, l’acidité, les indices de qualités (d’indice de peroxyde, de saponification et de réfraction), la teneur en polyphénols, l’activité antioxydante ainsi que le profil des acides gras ont été déterminés. Le rendement d’extraction par pressage varie entre 15 % pour l’huile de pépin de Bigarade et 29 % pour huile de pépin de Citron. Pour les 3 huiles de pépins étudiées, l’acidité, l’indice de peroxyde, l’indice de saponification et indice de réfraction varient entre 0,55-0,57 % d’acide oléique, 5,77-10,34 meqO2/kg d’huile, 116,67 et 173,53 mg KOH/g et 1,4699-1,4718 respectivement. La teneur en polyphénols change de 565 à 913 mg d’acide caféique/100g d’huile et le pourcentage d’inhibition s’oscille entre 30 et 50 %. Les profils des acides gras, des huiles de pépin d’agrumes analysées, présentent 5 principaux acides gras avec la dominance de l’acide linoléique (C18 :2) dont les teneurs sont 34% pour les huiles de pépin de Clémentine et de Citron et 35,5% pour l’huile de pépin de Bigarade

The influence of anesthetics, neurotransmitters and antibiotics on the relaxation processes in lipid membranes

In the proximity of melting transitions of artificial and biological membranes fluctuations in enthalpy, area, volume and concentration are enhanced. This results in domain formation, changes of the elastic constants, changes in permeability and slowing down of relaxation processes. In this study we used pressure perturbation calorimetry to investigate the relaxation time scale after a jump into the melting transition regime of artificial lipid membranes. This time corresponds to the characteristic rate of domain growth. The studies were performed on single-component large unilamellar and multilamellar vesicle systems with and without the addition of small molecules such as general anesthetics, neurotransmitters and antibiotics. These drugs interact with membranes and affect melting points and profiles. In all systems we found that heat capacity and relaxation times are related to each other in a simple manner. The maximum relaxation time depends on the cooperativity of the heat capacity profile and decreases with a broadening of the transition. For this reason the influence of a drug on the time scale of domain formation processes can be understood on the basis of their influence on the heat capacity profile. This allows estimations of the time scale of domain formation processes in biological membranes.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Sex- and age-related differences in the management and outcomes of chronic heart failure: an analysis of patients from the ESC HFA EORP Heart Failure Long-Term Registry

Aims: This study aimed to assess age- and sex-related differences in management and 1-year risk for all-cause mortality and hospitalization in chronic heart failure (HF) patients. Methods and results: Of 16 354 patients included in the European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure Long-Term Registry, 9428 chronic HF patients were analysed [median age: 66 years; 28.5% women; mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 37%]. Rates of use of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) were high (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists: 85.7%, 88.7% and 58.8%, respectively). Crude GDMT utilization rates were lower in women than in men (all differences: P\ua0 64 0.001), and GDMT use became lower with ageing in both sexes, at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Sex was not an independent predictor of GDMT prescription; however, age >75 years was a significant predictor of GDMT underutilization. Rates of all-cause mortality were lower in women than in men (7.1% vs. 8.7%; P\ua0=\ua00.015), as were rates of all-cause hospitalization (21.9% vs. 27.3%; P\ua075 years. Conclusions: There was a decline in GDMT use with advanced age in both sexes. Sex was not an independent predictor of GDMT or adverse outcomes. However, age >75 years independently predicted lower GDMT use and higher all-cause mortality in patients with LVEF 6445%