New Allergens of Anise and Caraway

Spices are widely used in cuisine around the world to improve taste and smell values of many dishes and products and are a simple way to achieve good health due to the presence of certain compounds, active substances and even minerals that are needed for our body. Unfortunately they have some disadvantages, as part of their proteins have allergenic properties and contributes to the food hypersensitivity. Allergy to spices makes up approximately 1-4% of all food allergies [1]. Therefore undeclared by manufacturers presence of spices in many dishes and food products pose a threat to health of sensitized persons. The aim of research was identification of potentially allergenic proteins in anise and caraway

Application of HPLC-APCI-MS for sensitive determination of bioactive amines in fish-based food products intended for infants and young children

The presence of bioactive amines (BA) such as putrescine (PUT), cadaverine (CAD), histamine (HIS), tyramine (TYR), spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM) in food products intended for infants and young children should be analysed and controlled in respect to their direct (HIS, TYR) or potential toxicity properties (SPD, SPM). The aim of this work was to evaluate the selected bioactive amines content in fish-based food products intended for infants and young children using optimized HPLC-APCI-MS method

Immunoreactivity of chemically cross-linked gluten and hydrolysates of wheat flour

The immunoreactivity of gluten and wheat flour proteins crosslinked with chosen chemical reagents was investigated. Native proteins and flour hydrolysates subject to enzymatic proteolysis with collagenase and subtilisin were studied. Determination of immunoreactivity was performed with noncompetitive ELISA method with coeliac patients' sera. The lowest immunoreactivity values were obtained during cross-linking of wheat flour hydrolyzates with polyethyleneimine, below 5% of the values for nonmodified flour

Presence of Some Panallergens in Tomatoes from Organic and Classic Cultivations

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is probably the most commonly consumed vegetable worldwide. Although it contains a wide array of beneficial health nutrients and antioxidants, it may also cause adverse allergic reactions in sensitized people. Tomato allergy affects from 1.5% to 16% of the population with food allergy and is often accompanied by allergy to pollen and latex [1]. The aim of the study was to investigate the relation between method of tomato cultivation and allergens’ content in different tomato varieties

Spices from Lamiaceae as a source of biologically active compounds

Herbs and spices are often added to food not only to improve the taste and smell, but also facilitate digestion and improve human health. Many spices contain high levels of polyphenolic compounds and demonstrate high antioxidant capacity. According to a literature review polyphenolic compounds possess antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antiprotozoal, and antifungal properties]. Many spices contain high levels of polyphenolic compounds and demonstrate high antioxidant capacity. Phenolic compounds in herbs and spice plants are closely associated with their antioxidant activity ]. Many of the spice-derived compounds which are potent antioxidants may help protect the human body against oxidative stress and inflammatory diseases. Particularly noteworthy is the Lamiaceae family (Lamiaceae Lindl., Labiatae Juss.). Among that species most commonly used as a food additives are basil (Ocimum basilicum), peppermint (Mentha piperita), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), marjoram (Origanum majorana), oregano (Origanum vulgare), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and sage (Salvia officinalis)

The contamination of soil with metal ions and a content of biologically active compounds in the selected consumer plants

Soil has been habitually the most common sink for wastes containing heavy metals [1]. Higher metal ions concentration in plants caused several physiological and biochemical disorders including reduced growth and yield, nutrient uptake, changes in chloroplast ultrastructure and initiation of oxidative stress [2, 3]. Antioxidant enzymes are one mechanism plants have evolved as a response to metal-induced toxicity [4]. For example, guaiacol peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxidase dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) significantly contribute to regulate the cellular redox homeostasis to a safe level [5]. The present study investigates the biochemical effects of metal ions-poisoning on plants from a Lamiaceae and Brassicaceae families

Pharmacogenetics of antipsychotic drugs

W badaniach farmakogenetycznych analizuje się związek pomiędzy czynnikami genetycznymi a indywidualną odpowiedzią chorego na terapię określonym lekiem. W przedstawionym przeglądzie piśmiennictwa badania farmakogenetyczne leków przeciwpsychotycznych najczęściej dotyczyły analiz asocjacyjnych pojedynczych polimorfizmów genów związanych z farmakologicznym mechanizmem ich działania. Wyniki tych badań wskazują na zależność między polimorfizmami genów układu dopaminergicznego (DRD2, DRD3), serotoninergicznego (5HT2A, 5HT2C), CYP2D6 a efektem klinicznym działania leków neuroleptycznych i występowaniem objawów niepożądanych. W niewielu pracach dotyczących badań asocjacyjnych analizowano interakcję między kilkoma genami. Uwzględnienie genotypów czterech genów (5HT2A, 5HT2C, 5HTT, H2) pozwala poprawnie przewidzieć odpowiedź kliniczną dotyczącą leczenia klozapiną w ponad 76% przypadków. Ponadto wykazano znaczenie predykcyjne polimorficznych wariantów genów związanych z układem serotoninergicznym i dopaminergicznym w wypadku leczenia olanzapiną. Należy podkreślić, że efekt farmakoterapii zależy od wielu czynników niegenetycznych, takich jak na przykład: wiek, płeć, przynależność do grupy etnicznej, dieta, współwystępowanie chorób somatycznych itp.Pharmacogenetic studies concentrate on the interactions between the genetic factors and the patient’s individual response to therapy. This paper reviews the pharmacogenetic studies of antipsychotic drugs and the associations of single genes polymorphism and it influence on the pharmacotherapy. The studies revealed the interactions between the polymorphisms in the dopaminergic (DRD2, DRD3) and serotoninergic systems (5HT2A, 5HT2C), CYP2D6 and the clinical drug action profiles. Very few papers exist on the multiple gene associations studies. Four genotypes (5HT2A, 5HT2C, 5HTT, H2) enable the physician to predict the clozapine therapy outcomes in 76% of cases. The predictive significance of genes associated with dopaminergic and serotoninergic systems was revealed in olanzapine therapy. It has to be emphasised that multiple non-genetic factors contribute to the outcome of pharmacotherapy

Hidden Signature for DTW Signature Verification in Authorizing Payment Transactions, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2010, nr 4

Traditional use of dynamic time warping for signature verification consists of forming some dissimilarity measure between the signature in question and a set of “template signatures”. In this paper, we propose to replace this set with the hidden signature and use it to calculate the normalized errors of signature under verification. The approach was tested on the MCYT database, using both genuine signatures and skilled forgeries. Moreover, we present the real-world application of the proposed algorithm, namely the complete biometric system for authorizing payment transactions. The authorization is performed directly at a point of sale by the automatic signature verification system based on the hidden signature