Pectin at the oil-water interface: Relationship of molecular composition and structure to functionality

The present review examines how macromolecular structure and functional groups of pectin affect its functionality with particular focus on its interfacial activity. We venture into a description of the particularly complex pectin structure and describe the major building blocks and their properties. In the following section, the role of each structural parameter is discussed with particular attention to protein, degree of acetylation and methylation, molecular weight, and branching. Finally, we discuss how modification of the extraction conditions could be tailored to obtain pectin with the desired emulsification properties. It is proposed that pectin with protein content in the range of 3%, with degree of acetylation greater than 10%, molecular weight between 100 and 200 x103 g mol-1 and enriched in RG-I segments is more likely to perform well as an emulsifier. To tailor such a structure, an aqueous extraction protocol with low pH values (between 2.5-3.5) with a strong monoprotic acid (e.g., HCl) and one-step solvent precipitation should be selected. The proposed set of extraction conditions could be used as a first step towards rational design of pectin with desirable interfacial functionality

A Survey of Correlation Between Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I) Levels and Severity of Liver Cirrhosis

BACKGROUND: Insulin-like growth factor is a polypeptide with endocrine, autocrine and paracrine effects which its structure is similar to the insulin molecule. While various tissues secrete IGF-1, 90% of the circulating IGF-1 is secreted by liver. Cirrhosis of liver is a condition accompanied by decreased level of IGF-1, in which the level of IGF-1 may be further decreased thorough the progression of the disease. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the relation between the IGF-1 levels and severity of liver disease according to Child- Pugh and Model for end stage liver diseases (MELD) Scores. PATIENTS AND METHOD: This was a descriptive-analytic cross sectional study performed on patients with cirrhosis admitted to gastroenterology clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran, Iran during the years 2007-2008. The diagnosis was based on liver biopsy. Initially for all patients, laboratory investigations including IGF-1, CBC, liver Enzymes, Alkaline phosphates, serum Albumin, Creatinine, direct and total Bilirubin were conducted. Also ultrasound and endoscopy were performed for evaluation of ascites and varices. RESULTS: 100 patients with cirrhosis with a male to Female ratio of 63:37 and a mean age of 44.4 ± 15 years were enrolled in the study. Median IGF-1 was 92.95 ± 91.51 ng/mL. 14 patients (14%) had IGF-1 within normal limits while 86 patients (86%) had abnormal IGF-1 levels. In all patients the correlation coefficient between IGF-1 and MELD was -0.317 (P = 0.001) and 0.478 between IGF-1 and Child- Pugh (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that IGF-1 can be used as an index for evaluating the severity of cirrhosis; also it can be used for determining the severity of the disease, when liver biopsy is not possible