Stability of Carotenoids in Dried Apricots (Prunus Armeniaca L.) During Storage

Apricots are well known for the high content of bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, polyphenols, vitamins and minerals. Several studies have pointed out the chemical composition or the biological effects of apricots, but limited information are available regarding the stability of active compounds during storage or processing. The aim of this study was to determine the stability of major carotenoids in commercial dried apricots during storage. Carotenoids were extracted monthly from dried apricots kept in a dark environment, at room temperature, for twelve months. Total carotenoids were determined using the spectrophotometric method while the most relevant carotenoids were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA) on a C30 column and using a gradient elution system. Initial carotenoid content of dried fruits was 6.72 mg/100g, while after six months of storage it decreased to 2.46 mg/100g. After twelve months of storage the total carotenoid content was 0.82 mg/100g, representing 20.35 % of the initial concentration. The major carotenoids identified in apricots were: all trans β-carotene, its geometrical isomers (9-cis-β-carotene; 13-cis-β-carotene; 9,13-di-cis β-carotene); β-carotene-5,8-epoxide; β-cryptoxanthin and β-cryptoxanthin palmitate. Significant decreases were observed for all pigments but all trans β-carotene appears to be the most sensitive pigment, with 15.7 % residual concentration. Although the concentrations of β-cryptoxanthin palmitate is small, it has shown significant increased stability compared to carotenes

Carotenoid Content and Profile of Some Commercially Available Eggs and In Vitro Bioaccessibility of Lutein and Zeaxanthin from Organic Egg Yolks

The present study investigated the carotenoid content and composition of several commercial eggs produced in different housing systems and the amount of macular xanthophylls that becomes available for absorption by the intestinal cells (bio-accessible) after the ingestion of boiled organic egg yolks. The highest total carotenoid content was observed in the case of organic egg yolks (7.02 mg/100 g). Carotenoid concentration varied not only between egg yolks obtained through different housing methods (free-range, barn and battery-cage), but also between egg yolks from the same housing method obtained by different producers. Except for organic egg yolks that had lutein and zeaxanthin as the major carotenoids, canthaxanthin was observed in all the investigated egg yolks to a different extent. Both lutein and zeaxanthin displayed a high bioaccessibility from boiled organic egg yolks, 86% and 91%, respectively).</jats:p

The European Board of Anaesthesiology recommendations for safe medication practice : First update

These European Board of Anaesthesiology (EBA) recommendations for safe medication practice replace the first edition of the EBA recommendations published in 2011. They were updated because evidence from critical incident reporting systems continues to show that medication errors remain a major safety issue in anaesthesia, intensive care, emergency medicine and pain medicine, and there is an ongoing need for relevant up-to-date clinical guidance for practising anaesthesiologists. The recommendations are based on evidence wherever possible, with a focus on patient safety, and are primarily aimed at anaesthesiologists practising in Europe, although many will be applicable elsewhere. They emphasise the importance of correct labelling practice and the value of incident reporting so that lessons can be learned, risks reduced and a safety culture developed

Management of a case of supra-acute immune thrombocytopenic purpura in pregnancy finalized with splenectomy

Splenectomy is a therapeutic procedure for a wide range of conditions, mainly hematological disorders. From the hematological disorders we can mention the red cell disorders: haemolytic anemia, hereditary spherocytosis and thalassemia, that have indication for splenectomy in case of failure to the drug treatment. A wide variety of thrombocytopenic disorders are improved by splenectomy, and the most common indicatios is for Idiopatic Thrombocitopenic Purpura (ITP). However, splenectomy imparts a high risk of fulminant infections that can be avoided with proper prophylaxis. Although in ITP splenectomy in not curative, it does not remove the autoimmune component, it will lead to relief of symptoms, improved platelet count with the cessation of the immunosuppressant treatment and better quality of life.</jats:p

The surgical safety checklist and patient outcomes after surgery: a prospective observational cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2017 British Journal of Anaesthesia Background: The surgical safety checklist is widely used to improve the quality of perioperative care. However, clinicians continue to debate the clinical effectiveness of this tool. Methods: Prospective analysis of data from the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), an international observational study of elective in-patient surgery, accompanied by a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. The exposure was surgical safety checklist use. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was postoperative complications. In the ISOS cohort, a multivariable multi-level generalized linear model was used to test associations. To further contextualise these findings, we included the results from the ISOS cohort in a meta-analysis. Results are reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: We included 44 814 patients from 497 hospitals in 27 countries in the ISOS analysis. There were 40 245 (89.8%) patients exposed to the checklist, whilst 7508 (16.8%) sustained ≥1 postoperative complications and 207 (0.5%) died before hospital discharge. Checklist exposure was associated with reduced mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.49 (0.32–0.77); P\u3c0.01], but no difference in complication rates [OR 1.02 (0.88–1.19); P=0.75]. In a systematic review, we screened 3732 records and identified 11 eligible studies of 453 292 patients including the ISOS cohort. Checklist exposure was associated with both reduced postoperative mortality [OR 0.75 (0.62–0.92); P\u3c0.01; I2=87%] and reduced complication rates [OR 0.73 (0.61–0.88); P\u3c0.01; I2=89%). Conclusions: Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine