When Is the Right Moment to Pick Blueberries? Variation in Agronomic and Chemical Properties of Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) Cultivars at Different Harvest Times

Blueberries, which are recognized by their colored fruits and exquisite flavor and taste, are a great source of bioactive substances with potential functional properties. For the purpose of this study, the blueberry cultivars ‘Duke’, ‘Chandler’ and ‘Bluecrop’ were picked at four different times. The aim of the study was to compare the cultivars and determine the best time for picking fruits for table consumption and to produce berries that can be used as functional foods with elevated levels of bioactive compounds. According to principal component analysis (PCA), the most influential traits for distinguishing different times of harvest in the ‘Duke’ cultivar were sorbitol, glucose, sucrose, and turanose; for the cultivar ‘Chandler’, they were caffeic acid, aesculetin, and quercetin; for the ‘Bluecrop’, they were fructose, maltose, radical scavenging activity, and quercetin. Blueberry fruits aimed for table consumption were those harvested in the first two pickings of the cultivar ‘Duke’, in the first and third of the ‘Bluecrop’, and in the third picking time of the cultivar ‘Chandler’, due to the highest fruit size and very high level of sugar (mostly glucose and fructose). ‘Duke’ berries from the second and third harvest (high level of total phenolic content, radical scavenging activity, total anthocyanins, aesculin, quercetin, and isorhamnetin), ‘Chandler’ from the first and third (the highest p-hydroxybenzoic acid, aesculetin, caffeic acid, phloridzin, kaempferol, kaempferol 3-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside, rutin, and quercetin) and ‘Bluecrop’ from the third harvest (highest level of total phenolics, radical scavenging activity, quercetin, rutin, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, kaempferol, quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside, kaempferol 3-O-glucoside, and isorhamnetin) had the highest levels of health-promoting compounds. © 2022 by the authors

Cytochrome P450-derived eicosanoids: the neglected pathway in cancer

Endogenously produced lipid autacoids are locally acting small molecule mediators that play a central role in the regulation of inflammation and tissue homeostasis. A well-studied group of autacoids are the products of arachidonic acid metabolism, among which the prostaglandins and leukotrienes are the best known. They are generated by two pathways controlled by the enzyme systems cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase, respectively. However, arachidonic acid is also substrate for a third enzymatic pathway, the cytochrome P450 (CYP) system. This third eicosanoid pathway consists of two main branches: ω-hydroxylases convert arachidonic acid to hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) and epoxygenases convert it to epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). This third CYP pathway was originally studied in conjunction with inflammatory and cardiovascular disease. Arachidonic acid and its metabolites have recently stimulated great interest in cancer biology; but, unlike prostaglandins and leukotrienes the link between cytochome P450 metabolites and cancer has received little attention. In this review, the emerging role in cancer of cytochrome P450 metabolites, notably 20-HETE and EETs, are discussed

Intraperitoneal drain placement and outcomes after elective colorectal surgery: international matched, prospective, cohort study

Despite current guidelines, intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery remains widespread. Drains were not associated with earlier detection of intraperitoneal collections, but were associated with prolonged hospital stay and increased risk of surgical-site infections.Background Many surgeons routinely place intraperitoneal drains after elective colorectal surgery. However, enhanced recovery after surgery guidelines recommend against their routine use owing to a lack of clear clinical benefit. This study aimed to describe international variation in intraperitoneal drain placement and the safety of this practice. Methods COMPASS (COMPlicAted intra-abdominal collectionS after colorectal Surgery) was a prospective, international, cohort study which enrolled consecutive adults undergoing elective colorectal surgery (February to March 2020). The primary outcome was the rate of intraperitoneal drain placement. Secondary outcomes included: rate and time to diagnosis of postoperative intraperitoneal collections; rate of surgical site infections (SSIs); time to discharge; and 30-day major postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo grade at least III). After propensity score matching, multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to estimate the independent association of the secondary outcomes with drain placement. Results Overall, 1805 patients from 22 countries were included (798 women, 44.2 per cent; median age 67.0 years). The drain insertion rate was 51.9 per cent (937 patients). After matching, drains were not associated with reduced rates (odds ratio (OR) 1.33, 95 per cent c.i. 0.79 to 2.23; P = 0.287) or earlier detection (hazard ratio (HR) 0.87, 0.33 to 2.31; P = 0.780) of collections. Although not associated with worse major postoperative complications (OR 1.09, 0.68 to 1.75; P = 0.709), drains were associated with delayed hospital discharge (HR 0.58, 0.52 to 0.66; P < 0.001) and an increased risk of SSIs (OR 2.47, 1.50 to 4.05; P < 0.001). Conclusion Intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery is not associated with earlier detection of postoperative collections, but prolongs hospital stay and increases SSI risk

Effect of surgical experience and spine subspecialty on the reliability of the {AO} Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System

OBJECTIVE The objective of this paper was to determine the interobserver reliability and intraobserver reproducibility of the AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System based on surgeon experience (< 5 years, 5–10 years, 10–20 years, and > 20 years) and surgical subspecialty (orthopedic spine surgery, neurosurgery, and "other" surgery). METHODS A total of 11,601 assessments of upper cervical spine injuries were evaluated based on the AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System. Reliability and reproducibility scores were obtained twice, with a 3-week time interval. Descriptive statistics were utilized to examine the percentage of accurately classified injuries, and Pearson’s chi-square or Fisher’s exact test was used to screen for potentially relevant differences between study participants. Kappa coefficients (κ) determined the interobserver reliability and intraobserver reproducibility. RESULTS The intraobserver reproducibility was substantial for surgeon experience level (< 5 years: 0.74 vs 5–10 years: 0.69 vs 10–20 years: 0.69 vs > 20 years: 0.70) and surgical subspecialty (orthopedic spine: 0.71 vs neurosurgery: 0.69 vs other: 0.68). Furthermore, the interobserver reliability was substantial for all surgical experience groups on assessment 1 (< 5 years: 0.67 vs 5–10 years: 0.62 vs 10–20 years: 0.61 vs > 20 years: 0.62), and only surgeons with > 20 years of experience did not have substantial reliability on assessment 2 (< 5 years: 0.62 vs 5–10 years: 0.61 vs 10–20 years: 0.61 vs > 20 years: 0.59). Orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons had substantial intraobserver reproducibility on both assessment 1 (0.64 vs 0.63) and assessment 2 (0.62 vs 0.63), while other surgeons had moderate reliability on assessment 1 (0.43) and fair reliability on assessment 2 (0.36). CONCLUSIONS The international reliability and reproducibility scores for the AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System demonstrated substantial intraobserver reproducibility and interobserver reliability regardless of surgical experience and spine subspecialty. These results support the global application of this classification system

Influence of Irrigation and Application of Kaolin on Canopy Temperature of Peppers Measured by Infrared Thermography

This paper presents measurements of temperature of the above-ground parts of peppers plants using a thermal imager in order to determine the water regime. The experiment was set as a bifactorial block system, with three replications, in the open field on a carbonate chernozem soil in Stara Pazova (40 km North from Belgrade, Serbia). Three treatments of irrigation regimes, with and without the application of 5% kaolin suspension (Surround WP), were monitored. Kaolin (Surround WP) was applied by spraying of the part of the plant above the ground seven times during the vegetation seasons between April and September 2011. All the treatments that have been applied with kaolin have a sign K. Treatment with full irrigation (F, FK) when 100% is covered by ETc (evapotranspiration), a treatment with deficit irrigation (R, RK) with 80% of the ETc and a treatment with deficit irrigation (S, SK) with 70% of ETc. The measurements of plant temperature were carried out with an infrared camera (FLIR, T335) seven times during the vegetation season. From each treatment a sample of 15 measurements was taken and the measurements were used for determination of average temperature of the plant on every level of irrigation. Soil moisture was measured by gravimetric method in 7 day intervals, up to 0.6 m and every 0.2 meters. Temperature measurement data show that the F treatment plants were the coldest with the average temperature of 21.29 degrees C, followed by the R and S treatment with the average temperature of 21.79 degrees C and 22.26 degrees C, respectively. Average temperatures of FK, RK and SK treatments were as follows 21.58 degrees C, 22.11 degrees C and 22.47 degrees C. Plants treated with kaolin had higher temperatures on average, but for the precise conclusion more measurements are needed due to the variability of canopy temperature. Observing the values of soil moisture over all treatments, it can be assumed that kaolin has a role in reducing water consumption. It is also confirmed by CWSI (Crop Water Stress Index). Relationships of available soil water (ASW) and the CWSI show differences between all irrigation and kaolin treatments. The values of CWSI are the lowest and almost never more than zero in fully irrigated treatments (F and FK), in R and RK treatments they are slightly higher, and the highest in S and SK treatments. The values of CWSI are lower in the treatments without kaolin application. Obtained results show an effect of irrigation regime on the canopy temperature of peppers, while the influence of kaolin is small

MTHFR C677T and A1298C Genotypes and Haplotypes in Slovenian Couples with Unexplained Infertility Problems and in Embryonic Tissues from Spontaneous Abortions

The objective of this study was to analyze the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductases (MTHFRs) C677T and A1298C genotype distributions in couples with unexplained fertility problems (UFP) and healthy controls, and to analyze the genotype and haplotype distribution in spontaneously aborted embryonic tissues (SAET) using allele specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 200 probands with UFP, 353 samples of SAET and 222 healthy controls. The analysis revealed a significant overall representation of the 677T allele in male probands from couples with UFP (p = 0.036). The combined genotype distribution for both MTHFR polymorphisms was also significantly altered (χ2 21.73, p <0.001) although female probands made no contribution (c2 1.33, p = 0.72). The overall representation of the 677T allele was more pronounced in SAET (0.5 vs. 0.351 in controls, p <0.001) regardless of the karyotype status (aneuploidy vs. normal karyotype). In addition, the frequencies of the CA and CC haplotypes were significantly lower than in the control group (p = 0.021 and p = 0.001, respectively), whereas the frequency of the TC haplotype was significantly higher than in controls (p <0.0001). The presented findings indicate that only male probands contribute to the association of MTHFR mutations with fertility problems in grown adults and demonstrate a high prevalence of mutated MTHFR genotypes in SAET

Detection of hypotension during spinal anesthesia for caesarean section with continuous non-invasive arterial pressure monitoring and intermittent oscillometric blood pressure monitoring in patients treated with ephedrine or phenylephrine

Introduction/Objective Despite frequent side effects such as hypotension, spinal anesthesia (SA) is still one of the best anesthetic methods for elective cesarean section (CS). Intermittent, oscillometric, non-invasive blood pressure monitoring (NIBP) frequently leads to missed hypotensive episodes. The objective was to compare continuous non-invasive arterial pressure (CNAP) monitoring with NIBP in the terms of efficiency to detect hypotension. Methods In this study, we compared CNAP and NIBP monitoring for hypotension detection in 76 patients divided into two groups of 38 patients treated with ephedrine (E) or phenylephrine (P), during three-minute intervals, starting from SA, by the end of the surgery. Results In E group, significantly lower mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) values with CNAP compared with NIBP (p = 0.008) was detected. By monitoring CNAP, we detected 31 (81.6%) hypotensive patients in E group and significantly lower number, 20 (52.6%), with NIBP (p = 0.001), while in P group CNAP detected 34 patients (89.5%) and NIBP only 18 (47.3%), p = 0.001. By monitoring CNAP, we detected significantly higher number of hypotensive intervals in E and P groups (p < 0.001). Umbilical vein pH was lower within hypotensive compared with normotensive patients in E and P groups, with CNAP and NIBP, respectively (p < 0.001, p = 0.027 in E, and p = 0.009, p < 0.001, in P group). Conclusion CNAP is more efficient in hypotension detection for CS during SA, which allows faster treatment of hypotension, thus improving fetal and maternal outcome