INFLUENCE OF DEEP-FAT FRYING PROCESS ON PHOSPHOLlPID MOLECULAR SPECIES COMPOSITION OF SARDINA PILCHARDUS FILLET

Introduction. Fish is an excellent source of essential nutrients such as essential amino acids, bioactive latty acids, minerals, vitamins, chitin and antioxidants. The nutritional benefit of fish lies, predominantly, in its lipid Iraction which is mainly composed of phospholipids (PL) and triacylglycerols (TAG) exceptionally rich of n-3 polyunsaturated latty acids (n-3 PUFA). Recently, fish PLs have attracted a great deal of attention as they are considered more efficient carriers of n-3 PUFA than fish TAG in terms of n-3 PUFA absorption in different tissues. In addition, fish PLs have also exhibited antitumoral and anti-inllammatory effects. Unfortunately, lish PLs are highly susceptible to lipid oxidation and to thermal damage due to excessive heating. The n-3 PUFA chains in PLs are the primary targets of oxidation which can take piace during cooking processes. Since most fish are consumed cooked, the nutritional value of the final cooked product is of major importance lor human health. Especially, the determination of the effects of frying (a very popular method utilized lor fish cooking) on the n-3 PUFA rich lipid fraction of fish will provide uselul inlormation to consumers and to lood industry to establish the fish quality. Purpose. This study was, therelore, conducted to determine the inlluence of deep fat frying process on PL composition of edible muscle (fillet) of Sardina pilchardus, a fish species commonly consumed in Mediterranean countries. Design/methodology. The effects of deep-fat frying performed using different culinary lats (extra virgin olive oil, conventional sunflower oil and high-oleic sunfiower oil) and different frying temperatures (160 and 180°C) on the phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) molecular species composition (the preponderant fish phospholipid classes) were investigated. For each frying test, ten fish fillets were introduced into a deep fryer (capacity 2 L), in a closed environment, lor 5 min. The oil temperature prior to start frying has been set to established value (160 or 180'C) and it was controlled by a specific digital thermometer. Each cooking procedure was done in triplicate. The PL molecular species composition was determined by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with a second order mass spectrometer (MS-MS) with electronebulization interface (ESI). Findings. The deep-fat frying process caused significative changes on PE and PC molecular species composition of the fish fillet. However, these changes were not related to the nature of the culinary fat and to the frying temperature. In all cases, the deep fat frying process caused a significative increase of the proportion of the PE and PC species formed by the combination of palmitic and docohexanoic acids and a significative decrease of the percentage of the PE and PC species formed by two docohexanoic acid residues. Keywords: Deep fat frying, European pilchard, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamin

Subacute copper-deficiency myelopathy in a patient with occult celiac disease

Context: Acquired copper deficiency represents a rare cause of progressive myelopathy presenting with sensory ataxia and spastic gait. The time interval from neurological symptoms onset to diagnosis of myelopathy ranges from 2 months to several years in almost all cases, mimicking the clinical course of subacute combined degeneration due to vitamin B12 deficiency. Findings: A 60-year-old man, without any gastrointestinal symptoms, developed over the course of one week rapidly progressive gait imbalance, tingling and numbness in his feet and ascending lower limb weakness. Spine magnetic resonance imaging revealed hyperintensity involving cervical and dorsal posterior columns of spinal cord. Blood analysis revealed undetectable serum copper levels, low serum ceruloplasmin and positive serum Immunoglobulin A anti-tissue transglutaminase. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed revealing duodenal villous atrophy consistent with a malabsorption pattern. A gluten-free diet in association with intravenous then oral copper supplementation prompted sustained normalization of serum copper levels and progressive clinical improvement. Conclusion/Clinical Relevance: We report a rare case of myelopathy induced by copper deficiency secondary to undiagnosed celiac disease, peculiarly presenting with a subacute onset. This case expands the neurological presentation and clinical course of myelopathy due to acquired copper deficiency. We suggest investigation of copper deficiency in patients presenting with subacute or even acute sensory ataxia and spastic gait. Detection of hypocupremia in patients without a previous history of gastric surgery should lead to diagnostic testing for celiac disease even in the absence of any obvious gastrointestinal symptoms

Somatostatin coupling to adenylyl cyclase activity in the mouse retina

The peptide somatostatin-14 (SRIF) acts in the mammalian retina through its distinct receptors (sst1-5). Scarce information is available on SRIF function in the retina, including the elucidation of transduction pathways mediating SRIF action. We have investigated SRIF and SRIF receptor modulation of adenylyl cyclase (AC) activity in both wild type (WT) retinas and sst1 or sst2 knock-out (KO) retinas which are known to over-express sst2 or sst1 receptors, respectively. In WT retinas, application of SRIF compounds does not affect forskolin-stimulated AC activity. In contrast, activation of sst1 or sst2 receptors inhibits AC in the presence of sst2 or sst1 receptor antagonists, respectively. Results from sst1 KO retinas demonstrate that either SRIF or octreotide, pertussis toxin-dependently inhibit AC activity. In contrast, in sst2 KO retinas, neither SRIF nor CH-275, an sst1 receptor agonist, are found to influence AC activity. As revealed by immunoblotting experiments, in sst1 KO retinas, levels of Goα proteins are 60% higher than in WT retinas and this increase in Goα protein levels is concomitant with an increase in sst2A receptor expression. We conclude that interactions between sst1 and sst2 receptors may prevent SRIF effects on AC activity. In addition, we suggest that the density of sst2 receptors and/or Goα proteins may represent the rate-limiting factor for the sst2 receptor-mediated inhibition of AC.L'articolo è disponibile sul sito dell'editore http://www.springerlink.com

Role of the Adrenergic System in a Mouse Model of Oxygen-induced Retinopathy: Antiangiogenic Effects of Beta-adrenoreceptor Blockade

METHODS. Propranolol was administered subcutaneously and picropodophyllin (PPP) intraperitoneally. Intravitreal injections of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were performed. Messengers of -ARs, VEGF, its receptors, IGF-1 and IGF-1R were measured with quantitative RT-PCR. VEGF content was determined with ELISA. -ARs, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 , occludin, and albumin were measured with Western blot. Retinal localization of 3-ARs was determined by immunohistochemistry. Retinopathy was assessed by scoring fluorescein-perfused retinas, and plasma extravasation was visualized by Evans blue dye

Muonic atom X-ray spectroscopy for non-destructive analysis of archeological samples

The implementation in the RIKEN-RAL negative muons facility of a new muon beamline monitoring and novel digital data acquisition system for gamma and X-ray spectroscopy are presented. This work also shows the high potential of the muonic atoms X-ray spectroscopy technique in non-destructive elemental characterization of archaeological samples

JAK/Stat5-mediated subtype-specific lymphocyte antigen 6 complex, locus G6D (LY6G6D) expression drives mismatch repair proficient colorectal cancer

Human microsatellite-stable (MSS) colorectal cancers (CRCs) are immunologically "cold" tumour subtypes characterized by reduced immune cytotoxicity. The molecular linkages between immune-resistance and human MSS CRC is not clear

The free license codes as decision support system (DSS) for the emergency planning to simulate radioactive releases in case of accidents in the new generation energy plants

The radiological risk is related to a wide range of activities, beginning with the medical and military ones and including those connected to the industrial and research activities such as nuclear fusion. A valid tool to predict the consequences of the accidents and reduce the risk is represented by computing systems that allow modeling the evolution of a possible release of radioactive materials over time and space. In addition to proprietary codes there are free license codes, like Hot-Spot, that allow providing a set of tools to simulate diffusion in case of accidents involving radioactive materials and analyze the safety and security of the facilities in which the radioactive material is manipulated. The case studies scenario’s consists in two simulations accidents scenario the first to biomass plant and the second at nuclear fission plant. The simulation of the radioactive contamination have been conducted with the code HOT SPOT, a free license code. The results of the simulation and data discussion will be presented in this work by the authors

Blue honeysuckle fruit (Lonicera caerulea L.) from eastern Russia: phenolic composition, nutritional value and biological activities of its polar extracts

In the present work we conducted a comprehensive chemical analysis of blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea) spontaneously growing in eastern Russia. HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS analysis showed cyanidin-3-glucoside as the major constituent among phenolics, while nutritional analysis revealed fibre, protein, calcium and magnesium as the most important macro- and micronutrients, respectively. Fatty acid composition was dominated by polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid being the most abundant. Furthermore, we evaluated several in vitro biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiproliferative, wound healing and immunomodulatory effects of blue honeysuckle aqueous and ethanolic extracts that are often incorporated in food and nutraceutical preparations. While the fruit extracts were revealed to be potent radical scavengers with significant inhibition of ABTS radical, thus confirming the literature data, their inhibitory effects against microbial pathogens and tumor cell lines were negligible. The fruit aqueous extract did not show toxicity to human fibroblasts, but 24 h treatment with 150–200 μg per mL of extract slightly enhanced the cell migration when tested by scratched wound assay. Worth mentioning was the inhibitory effect displayed by the blue honeysuckle fruit aqueous extract on human lymphocytes