Identification of myoelectric signals of pregnant rat uterus: new method to detect myometrial contraction

Aim To develop an electromyography method for pregnant rat uterus in vivo and to separate myometrial signals from the gastrointestinal tract signals. Methods: Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 8) were anaesthetized and their stomach, small intestine, and large intestine were removed from the abdomen. A pair of thread electrodes was inserted into the uterus, while a pair of disk electrodes was placed subcutaneously above the myometrium. Additionally, a strain gauge sensor was fixed on the surface of the myometrium and cecum for the parallel detection of mechanical contractions in rats (n = 18) with intact gastrointestinal tract. The filtered electric signals were amplified and recorded by an online computer system and analyzed by fast Fourier transformation. The frequency of the electric activity was characterized by cycle per minute (cpm), the magnitude of the activity was described as power spectrum density maximum (PsDmax). Results: The frequency of the pregnant uterine activity was 1-3 cpm, which falls within the same range as that of cecum. Measuring by both electrodes, oxytocin (1 μg/kg) increased and terbutaline (50 μg/kg) decreased the PsDmax by 25%-50% (P < 0.001) and 25%-40% (P < 0.01), respectively. We found a strong positive correlation between the alterations of PsDmax values and the strain gauge sensordetected mechanical contractions (area under curve). The GI specific compounds (neostigmine, atropine) mainly affected the cecal activity, while myometrium specific drugs (oxytocin, terbutaline) influenced the myometrial signals only. Conclusion: Our method proved to be able to detect the myoelectric activity that reflects the mechanical contraction. The overlapping myometrial and cecal signals are not separable, but they can be distinguished based on the much higher activity and different pharmacological reactivity of the pregnant uterus. Thus, the early signs of contractions can be detected and labor may be predicted in a fast and sensitive way

Analysis of meat products supplemented with omega-3 fatty acid sources

Summary Our research goal was to increase the n-3 fatty acid content of three meat products (letscho sausage, Kaiserroulade, duck liver pâté), so that the added value can be declared on the product labels. Increasing the amount of n-3 fatty acids was performed by the addition of flax seed sprout oil rich in alpha-linolenic acid (min. 300 mg of alphalinolenic acid/100 g or 100 kcal product) or fish oil rich in EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) (min. 40 mg EPA + DHA/100 g or 100 kcal product). We found that the n-3 fatty acid proportion of the products tested were increased significantly (p < 0.05) by the oil supplements used. Of the products supplemented by bio flax seed sprout oil, letscho sausage performed the best, with an alpha-linolenic acid content of 644 mg/100 kcal, sufficient to be able to claim „rich in omega-3 fatty acids” on the label. The value was 575 for the Kaiserroulade and 504 mg for the duck liver pâté. These values allow the legitimate use of the statement „omega-3 fatty acid source”. The measured EPA + DHA content of the Kaiserroulade supplemented with fish oil was 99 mg/100 kcal, sufficient to be able to claim „rich in omega-3 fatty acids” on the label. The EPA + DHA contents of letscho sausage and duck liver pâté failed to reach the level required to be able to claim the above statement on the label by 1 and 4 mg/100 kcal, respectively. The more important microbiological parameters of the finished products were not affected negatively by the oil supplements used, and the shelf lives of the products did not decrease either. The appearance of the products was not influenced by the supplements, however, foreign flavors and odors were identified by testers in several instances, due to the fish oil and bio flax seed sprout oil supplements

Omega-3 zsírsavforrásokkal kiegészített húskészítmények vizsgálata

Kutatásunk célja az volt, hogy három húskészítmény (lecsókolbász, császár rolád, kacsamájas) n-3-zsírsav-tartalmát megnöveljük úgy, hogy a hozzáadott érték deklarálható legyen a termékek jelölésén. Az n-3-zsírsavak szintjének növelését alfa-linolénsavban gazdag bio lenmagcsíra-olajjal (legalább 300 mg alfa-linolénsav/100 g vagy 100 kcal termék) valamint EPA-ban (eikozapentaénsavban) és DHA-ban (dokozahexaénsavban) gazdag halolajjal (min. 40 mg EPA + DHA/100 g vagy 100 kcal termék) végeztük el. Megállapítottuk, hogy az alkalmazott olajkiegészítések szignifikánsan (p < 0,05) növelték a vizsgált termékek n-3-zsírsavarányát. A lenmagcsíraolajjal kiegészített termékek közül a lecsókolbász szerepelt a legjobban 644 mg/100 kcal alfa-linolénsav tartalmával, ami elegendő az „omega-3 zsírsavban gazdag” címkén feltüntethető állítás használatához. A császár rolád 575, míg a kacsamájas 504 mg értéket ért el. Ezek az értékek lehetővé teszik az „omega-3-zsírsavak forrása” állítás jogszerű használatát. A halolajjal kiegészített császár rolád termékben 99 mg/100 kcal EPA + DHA-tartalmat mértek, ami elegendő az „omega-3-zsírsavakban gazdag” állítás címkén történő feltüntetéséhez. A lecsókolbász és a kacsamájas EPA + DHA tartalma 1, illetve 4 mg/100 kcal-val elmarad attól a szinttől, hogy az előbbi állítás e terméknél a jelölésen feltüntethető legyen. Az alkalmazott olajkiegészítések a késztermékek fontosabb mikrobiológiai jellemzőit nem befolyásolták negatívan és a termékek minőségmegőrzési ideje sem csökkent. A kiegészítések a termékek megjelenésére sem voltak hatással, ugyanakkor a bírálók a halolaj és a lenmagcsíraolaj kiegészítés hatására több esetben idegen ízt és illatot azonosítottak

Olafur Eliasson : Surroundings Surrounded : Essays on Space and Science

"This dense text sourcebook was published on the occasion of the exhibition "Surroundings surrounded at Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum in Graz, Austria, 2000, curated by Christa Steinle and Peter Weibel, which travelled to the Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe, Germany, in 2001. It also presents a broad range of the artist’s works through image sequences. The texts, selected by Eliasson and Weibel, are organised under headlines or themes, made up of titles of Eliasson’s artworks. Rather than being collected in chapters, the texts for each theme run through the book in parallel movements to emphasise their interconnectedness. None of the essays focuses on Eliasson’s work directly, the aim of the publication being to offer a rich scientific context for the exhibition." -- Author's website