Impacts of sodium chloride reduction in tomato soup system using potassium chloride and amino acids

Five different salt mixtures were prepared for the aim of lowering the sodium content of tomato soup and effects of using these mixtures on sensory, rheological, microbiological and physico-chemical properties of the final products were evaluated. The results showed that the use of salt substitutes did not affect flow behaviour of soup samples. Sensory profiling revealed that any group could not manage to reach the same saltiness level with the regular salt tomato soup (reference); nevertheless, tomato soups with salt formulation D (60% NaCl, 28% KCl, 6% l-lysine hydrochloride and 6% l-glutamic acid) and E (60% NaCl, 28% KCl and 12% l-glutamic acid) had the most similar sensory evaluation with the reference. No differences were observed among groups in terms of aw (P > 0.05). On the other hand, the lowest average pH value and the highest aerobic mesophilic counts (87 CFU/g) were observed in the soup with salt formulation E (P < 0.05). The findings suggest that the partial replacement of 40% sodium chloride (NaCl) by 28% potassium chloride (KCl), 6% l-lysine hydrochloride and 6% l-glutamic acid (salt formulation D) seems an alternative approach for reducing the sodium content of tomato soups although it may cause a bit decrease in saltiness and an increase in the number of aerobic mesophilic bacteria (68 CFU/g)

Relationship between Pneumonia and the Thymus Gland in Children with COVID-19: A Volumetric Computed Tomography Study

© 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved.Objective: Many studies showed that less-severe disease symptoms and fewer mortality rates have been reported in pediatric novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. In this study, we aimed to reveal the relationship between the volume of thymus gland, which provides T lymphocyte maturation in children, with the severity of lung involvement and blood laboratory values in pediatric patients with COVID-19 infection. Methods: Thymus density and thymus and cardiac volumes were measured in pediatric COVID-19 patients and a control group that underwent thoracic tomography for reasons other than infection. Thymus/heart ratios were calculated to index the thymus volumes of the patients to their body dimensions. The severity of pneumonia was demonstrated by proportioning the involved lung parenchymal volume to the total lung volume in patients with typical involvement in thoracic tomography. The relationship between volumetric and blood laboratory values was statistically evaluated. Results: Thymus density (p = 0.015) and thymus/heart ratio (p = 0.04) significantly differed between patients with COVID-19 infection and the control group. A correlation was observed between the pneumonia involvement rate and C-reactive protein (CRP) (k: 0.451, p = 0.08) and white blood cell (WBC; k: 0.419, p = 0.015) values in the thoracic tomography of the COVID-19 group. Conclusion: The thymus gland is enlarged as an indicator of activation in COVID-19 infection. We hope that our study will guide new studies on the prognostic value of thymus size in lymphopenic patients with severe disease

Erythropoietin attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced white matter injury in the neonatal rat brain

Periventricular leukomalacia ( PVL), a common neonatal brain white matter ( WM) lesion, is frequently associated with cerebral palsy. Growing evidence has indicated that in addition to ischemia/reperfusion injury, cytokine-induced brain injury associated with maternal or fetal infection may also play an important role in the pathogenesis of PVL. Recent studies have shown that administration of lipopolysaccharide ( LPS) to pregnant rats causes enhanced expression of the cytokines, i.e., IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, and IL- 6, in fetal brains. In recent years, it has been shown that erythropoietin ( EPO) has a critical role in the development, maintenance, protection and repair of the nervous system. In the present study we investigated the effect of EPO on LPS-induced WM injury in Sprague-Dawley rats. LPS ( 500 mu g/kg) suspension in pyrogen-free saline was administered intraperitoneally to pregnant rats at 18 and 19 days of gestation. The control group was treated with pyrogen-free saline. They were given 5,000 U/kg recombinant human EPO. Seven-day-old Sprague-Dawley rat pups were divided into four groups: control group, LPS-treated group, prenatal maternal EPO-treated group ( 5,000 U/kg, intraperitoneally given to pregnant rats at 18 and 19 days of gestation), and postnatal EPO-treated group ( 5,000 U/kg, intraperitoneally given to 1-day-old rat pups). Cytokine induction in the postnatal 7-day-old ( P7) rat brain after maternal administration of LPS was determined by the ELISA method. The proinflammatory cytokine levels ( IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, and IL-6) in P7 rat pup brains were significantly increased in the LPS-treated group as compared with the control group. Prenatal maternal EPO treatment significantly reduced the concentration of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in the newborn rat brain following LPS injection. The concentration of IL-1 beta was decreased in the intrauterine EPO treatment group. Postnatal EPO treatment significantly decreased only the IL-6 concentration in the newborn rat brain following LPS injection. The concentration of cytokines, IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha, was reduced in the postnatal EPO treatment group. We demonstrated here that LPS administration in pregnant rats at gestational day 18 and 19 induced WM injury in P7 progeny characterized by apoptosis. Prenatal maternal and postnatal EPO treatment significantly reduced the number of apoptotic cells in the periventricular WM. Using immunohistochemistry techniques, we investigated the effects of maternal administration of LPS on myelin basic protein ( MBP) staining, as a marker of myelination in the periventricular area in the neonatal rat brain. MBP staining was significantly less and weaker in the brains of the LPS-treated group as compared with the prenatal maternal EPO-treated group. However, the postnatal EPO treatment did not prevent LPS-stimulated loss of MBP-positive staining. In conclusion, especially prenatal maternal EPO treatment attenuates LPS-induced injury by reducing the expression of inflammatory cytokines and sparing MBP in the neonatal rat brain. While the postnatal EPO treatment prevented LPS-induced brain injury this effect was partial. To our knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrates a protective effect of EPO on LPS-induced WM injury in the developing brain. Regarding the wide use of EPO in premature newborns, this agent may be potentially beneficial in treating LPS-induced brain injury in the perinatal period. Copyright (C) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel

Activated protein C reduces endotoxin-induced white matter injury in the developing rat brain

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), the dominant form of brain injury in premature infants, is characterized by white matter injury (WMI) and is associated with cerebral palsy. The pathogenesis of PVL is complex and likely involves ischemia/reperfusion, free radical formation, excitotoxicity, impaired regulation of cerebral blood flow, a procoagulant state, and inflammatory mechanisms associated with maternal and/or fetal infection. Using an established animal model of human PVL, we investigated whether activated protein C (APC), an anti-coagulant factor with anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-oxidant, and cytoprotective activities, could reduce endotoxin-induced WMI in the developing rat brain. Intraperitoneal injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (0.5 mg/kg body weight) were given at embryonic days 18 (E18) and 19 (E19) to pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats; control rats were injected with sterile saline. A single intravenous injection of recombinant human (rh) APC (0.2 mg/kg body weight) was given to pregnant rats following the second LPS dose on embryonic day 19 (E19). Reduced cell death in white matter and hypomyelination were shown on TUNEL and myelin basic protein (MBP) staining, respectively, on late postnatal days (P7) in APC-treated groups. There were significantly fewer TUNEL+nuclei in the periventricular WMI in the APC+LPS group than in the untreated LPS group. Compared to the APC+LPS and control group, MBP expression was weak in the LPS group on P7, indicating endotoxin-induced hypomyelination in the developing rat brain. APC attenuated the LPS-induced protein expression of inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6, as evaluated by ELISA in neonatal rat brains. A single intraperitoneal injection of rhAPC (0.2 mg/kg body weight) to neonatal rats on P1 also had similar protective and anti-inflammatory effects against maternally administered LPS. Collectively, these data support the hypothesis that APC may provide protection against an endotoxin-evoked inflammatory response and WMI in the developing rat brain. Moreover, our results suggest that the possible use of APC in treatment of preterm infants and pregnant women with maternal or placental infection may minimize the risk of PVL and cerebral palsy. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V

Subacute THYROiditis Related to SARS-CoV-2 VAccine and Covid-19 (THYROVAC Study): A Multicenter Nationwide Study.

Context The aims of the study are to compare characteristics of subacute thyroiditis (SAT) related to different etiologies, and to identify predictors of recurrence of SAT and incident hypothyroidism. Methods This nationwide, multicenter, retrospective cohort study included 53 endocrinology centers in Turkey. The study participants were divided into either COVID-19-related SAT (Cov-SAT), SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-related SAT (Vac-SAT), or control SAT (Cont-SAT) groups. Results Of the 811 patients, 258 (31.8%) were included in the Vac-SAT group, 98 (12.1%) in the Cov-SAT group, and 455 (56.1%) in the Cont-SAT group. No difference was found between the groups with regard to laboratory and imaging findings. SAT etiology was not an independent predictor of recurrence or hypothyroidism. In the entire cohort, steroid therapy requirement and younger age were statistically significant predictors for SAT recurrence. C-reactive protein measured during SAT onset, female sex, absence of antithyroid peroxidase (TPO) positivity, and absence of steroid therapy were statistically significant predictors of incident (early) hypothyroidism, irrespective of SAT etiology. On the other hand, probable predictors of established hypothyroidism differed from that of incident hypothyroidism. Conclusion Since there is no difference in terms of follow-up parameters and outcomes, COVID-19- and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-related SAT can be treated and followed up like classic SATs. Recurrence was determined by younger age and steroid therapy requirement. Steroid therapy independently predicts incident hypothyroidism that may sometimes be transient in overall SAT and is also associated with a lower risk of established hypothyroidism

Atrial Fibrillation Management in Acute Stroke Patients in Türkiye: Real-life Data from the NöroTek Study

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common directly preventable cause of ischemic stroke. There is no dependable neurology-based data on the spectrum of stroke caused by AF in Turkiye. Within the scope of NoroTek-Turkiye (TR), hospital-based data on acute stroke patients with AF were collected to contribute to the creation of acute-stroke algorithms.Materials and Methods: On May 10, 2018 (World Stroke Awareness Day), 1,790 patients hospitalized at 87 neurology units in 30 health regions were prospectively evaluated. A total of 929 patients [859 acute ischemic stroke, 70 transient ischemic attack (TIA)] from this study were included in this analysis.Results: The rate of AF in patients hospitalized for ischemic stroke/TIA was 29.8%, of which 65% were known before stroke, 5% were paroxysmal, and 30% were diagnosed after hospital admission. The proportion of patients with AF who received "effective" treatment [international normalization ratio >= 2.0 warfarin or non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) at a guideline dose] was 25.3%, and, either no medication or only antiplatelet was used in 42.5% of the cases. The low dose rate was 50% in 42 patients who had a stroke while taking NOACs. Anticoagulant was prescribed to the patient at discharge at a rate of 94.6%; low molecular weight or unfractionated heparin was prescribed in 28.1%, warfarin in 32.5%, and NOACs in 31%. The dose was in the low category in 22% of the cases discharged with NOACs, and half of the cases, who received NOACs at admission, were discharged with the same drug.Conclusion: NoroTekTR revealed the high but expected frequency of AF in acute stroke in Turkiye, as well as the aspects that could be improved in the management of secondary prophylaxis. AF is found in approximately one-third of hospitalized acute stroke cases in Turkiye. Effective anticoagulant therapy was not used in three-quarters of acute stroke cases with known AF. In AF, heparin, warfarin, and NOACs are planned at a similar frequency (one-third) within the scope of stroke secondary prophylaxis, and the prescribed NOAC dose is subtherapeutic in a quarter of the cases. Non-medical and medical education appears necessary to prevent stroke caused by AF

Clinical and molecular evaluation of MEFV gene variants in the Turkish population: a study by the National Genetics Consortium

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a monogenic autoinflammatory disorder with recurrent fever, abdominal pain, serositis, articular manifestations, erysipelas-like erythema, and renal complications as its main features. Caused by the mutations in the MEditerranean FeVer (MEFV) gene, it mainly affects people of Mediterranean descent with a higher incidence in the Turkish, Jewish, Arabic, and Armenian populations. As our understanding of FMF improves, it becomes clearer that we are facing with a more complex picture of FMF with respect to its pathogenesis, penetrance, variant type (gain-of-function vs. loss-of-function), and inheritance. In this study, MEFV gene analysis results and clinical findings of 27,504 patients from 35 universities and institutions in Turkey and Northern Cyprus are combined in an effort to provide a better insight into the genotype-phenotype correlation and how a specific variant contributes to certain clinical findings in FMF patients. Our results may help better understand this complex disease and how the genotype may sometimes contribute to phenotype. Unlike many studies in the literature, our study investigated a broader symptomatic spectrum and the relationship between the genotype and phenotype data. In this sense, we aimed to guide all clinicians and academicians who work in this field to better establish a comprehensive data set for the patients. One of the biggest messages of our study is that lack of uniformity in some clinical and demographic data of participants may become an obstacle in approaching FMF patients and understanding this complex disease