Physical and chemical properties of cacao cultivars (Theobroma cacao L.) from Ecuador and Peru

The objective of this work was to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of the fine National flavor cocoa beans and CCN 51 from Ecuador, as well as, ICS 6 and CCN 51 from Peru for the production of quality chocolate. They were determined, cacao bean index (g), cacao bean testa percentage, cacao bean dimensions (mm), porosity (%), fermentation index (%), whiteness index, acidity (%), pH and proximate analysis (%), using AOAC methods and the usual ones for cacao quality. According to proximate analysis: the average crude protein content for Peruvian cacao bean was 78.8 % higher, the average crude fat content for Ecuador cacao bean was 10.1% higher, the crude fiber of ICS 6 cacao bean stands out among the other cocoa beans with 7.10 ± 0.28%, other components have a degree of similarity between the two countries, so both are suitable to be worked in the production of high quality chocolate, due to its chemical and sensory attributes, generating a quality and competitive product internationally, certifying interest from other latitudes drive the export process and economic benefit for each nation

Switching TNF antagonists in patients with chronic arthritis: An observational study of 488 patients over a four-year period

The objective of this work is to analyze the survival of infliximab, etanercept and adalimumab in patients who have switched among tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists for the treatment of chronic arthritis. BIOBADASER is a national registry of patients with different forms of chronic arthritis who are treated with biologics. Using this registry, we have analyzed patient switching of TNF antagonists. The cumulative discontinuation rate was calculated using the actuarial method. The log-rank test was used to compare survival curves, and Cox regression models were used to assess independent factors associated with discontinuing medication. Between February 2000 and September 2004, 4,706 patients were registered in BIOBADASER, of whom 68% had rheumatoid arthritis, 11% ankylosing spondylitis, 10% psoriatic arthritis, and 11% other forms of chronic arthritis. One- and two-year drug survival rates of the TNF antagonist were 0.83 and 0.75, respectively. There were 488 patients treated with more than one TNF antagonist. In this situation, survival of the second TNF antagonist decreased to 0.68 and 0.60 at 1 and 2 years, respectively. Survival was better in patients replacing the first TNF antagonist because of adverse events (hazard ratio (HR) for discontinuation 0.55 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34-0.84)), and worse in patients older than 60 years (HR 1.10 (95% CI 0.97-2.49)) or who were treated with infliximab (HR 3.22 (95% CI 2.13-4.87)). In summary, in patients who require continuous therapy and have failed to respond to a TNF antagonist, replacement with a different TNF antagonist may be of use under certain situations. This issue will deserve continuous reassessment with the arrival of new medications. © 2006 Gomez-Reino and Loreto Carmona; licensee BioMed Central Ltd