Solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of polyphenols in apple musts and ciders

An improved analytical method was developed for the determination of polyphenols in the apple products must and cider. Phenolic compounds were fractionated into neutral and acidic groups by means of a solid-phase extraction method. The analytical method proposed was effective for the quantitation of phenolic compounds; recoveries between 84% and 111% were obtained, and the relative standard deviation was usually less than 5%

Ectoparasitosis por ácaro de la cosecha

Se describe la parasitación en perro por Neotrombícula autumnalú (ácaro de la cosecha) en cuatro casos clínicos.We describe four clinical cases of parasitic disease in dogs caused by Neotrombicula autumnalis (Harvest Chigger)

Characterization of Cider Apple Fruits According to Their Degree of Ripening. A Chemometric Approach

A chemometric study was carried out in order to typify cider apples according to their degree of ripening. Several chemical variables (sugars, organic acids, amino acids, polyphenols, and pectins) were analyzed using HPLC and FIA methods. Univariate data treatment was not sufficient to allow the apple varieties to be differentiated according to their stage of ripening. Two linear combinations of original variables, ascertained by principal component analysis (PCA), provided an adequate data structurization. To classify apples by their degree of ripening, a mathematical decision rule was established with a prediction capacity of 85% using a LDA method; the most relevant variables in the canonical function ascertained by LDA were sugars, pectins, malic acid, glycine, serine, valine, and glutamic acid. The use of the PLS-2 algorithm demonstrated the influence of the ripening process on the chemical composition of the fruits (R2: 91.7%) and furthermore allowed authors to differentiate apple varieties according to their degree of ripening

Study of the Phenolic Profile of Cider Apple Cultivars at Maturity by Multivariate Techniques

Phenolic compounds in 46 Spanish cider apple varieties were determined by RP-HPLC with direct injection. Several pattern recognition procedures, including principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and partial least squares (PLS-1), were applied to the data in an attempt to classify the samples into bitter and nonbitter categories. Reliable decision rules were obtained by both LDA and PLS-1. LDA achieved 91.3 and 85.7% correct classification respectively, for internal and external evaluation of the model

Chemical Characterization of Asturian Cider

Ninety-four samples of Asturian natural cider were analyzed for titratable and volatile acidities, pH, alcoholic, total polyphenol, and acidic polysaccharide contents, nonvolatile acids, polyalcohols, residual sugars, and major volatile compounds. A partial least-squares regression analysis (PLR-1) was performed to correlate the chemical composition and the origin of the raw material, the cider samples being grouped into two categories: an “odd” class, cider made from foreign apples (1995 and 1997), and an “even” class, ciders made from Asturian apples (1996 and 1998). The mathematical model has a multiple linear correlation coefficient of 80%

Efficacy and safety of the combination of reduced duration prophylaxis followed by immuno-guided prophylaxis to prevent cytomegalovirus disease in lung transplant recipients (CYTOCOR STUDY): an open-label, randomised, non-inferiority clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Prolonged use of antivirals to prevent the development of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in lung transplant patients has been shown to have significant side effects, for which alternatives are being sought to reduce their use. The monitoring of cell immunity against CMV could be an alternative as it has shown to be useful in identifying transplant patients at low risk of infection, who could benefit from shorter prophylaxis. The aim of the CYTOCOR study is to demonstrate that the combination of a reduced prophylaxis strategy with subsequent CMV-specific immunological monitoring would allow CMV infection to be controlled in lung transplant patients as effectively as the usual strategy (prophylaxis followed by pre-emptive therapy), while reducing the side effects of antivirals due to the shorter duration of prophylaxis. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Phase III randomised, open, multicentre, parallel, non-inferiority clinical trial to study the efficacy and safety of the combination of a prophylaxis strategy up to month +3 post-transplant followed by immuno-guided prophylaxis using the QuantiFERON-CMV technique up to month +12 post-transplant to prevent CMV disease in CMV-seropositive lung transplant recipients. This strategy will be compared with a combination of a usual prophylaxis strategy up to month +6 post-transplant followed by pre-emptive therapy up to month +12. To study the incidence of CMV disease, patients will be followed up to 18 months post-transplantation. A total of 150 patients are expected to be recruited for the study. ETHICS AND PUBLIC DISSEMINATION: The clinical trial has been approved by the Research Ethics Committees and authorised by the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS).If the hypothesis of this clinical trial is verified, the dissemination of the results could change clinical practice by increasing knowledge about the safety and efficacy of discontinuing valganciclovir prophylaxis in lung transplant recipient