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

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Content in Selected Food Products

5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a common component of heat treated, drying or stored for a long time food products. It is an intermediate product formed in the Maillard reaction as a result of thermal dehydration of reducing sugars (1-2). HMF is also formed during caramelisation while degradation of carbohydrates at high temperature (3). HMF is responsible for the sensory properties of food, especially for the pleasant flavor. Although it is relatively safe food component, there are reports regarding toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic properties of HMF, and of 5-sulphoxymethylfurfural especially, an allylic sulfuric acid ester metabolite from HMF (4-6). The content of HMF in the various products vary within a wide range and depends on the food group type as well as the type of processing. In present work, the HMF content in different types of breakfast cereals, cookies and muesli as well as in several types of bakery products commercially available in Poland was determined. In addition, the influence of flavor and taste additives (honey, cocoa, dry fruits) as well as the type of cereals (gluten or gluten-free) on the HMF content in the tested products was examined

Pediatric Asthma Caregiver’s Quality of Life Questionnaire is a useful tool for monitoring asthma in children

PURPOSE: There is little agreement among researchers whether a caregiver’s QOL can be used to detect changes in asthma severity in children. We assessed correlation between QOL in parents and QOL in children with asthma as well as clinical parameters of asthma. We determined whether changes in caregiver’s QOL scores reflect changes in child’s QOL and their asthma control. METHODS: This was a 9-week period cohort study. One hundred and ten primary caregivers with 110 children were seen in the clinic at enrollment, at week #1, #5 and #9. At each visit, the parents completed the Pediatric Asthma Caregiver’s Quality of Life Questionnaire (PACQLQ). RESULTS: One hundred and one children and 101 caregivers completed the study. We found a significant correlation between asthma diary score in children and QOL in parents (from r = −0.46 to r = −0.53). We also found significant positive correlation between PAQLQ and PACQLQ and significant association between changes in asthma control and PACQLQ score for both domains. We observed significant change in PACQLQ of caregivers whose children obtained asthma control. CONCLUSIONS: PACQLQ is a useful tool for monitoring asthma in children. The implementation of the PACQLQ would be helpful in involving parents in therapy of their children with asthma

Cytokine profiling in exhaled breath condensate after exercise challenge in asthmatic children with post-exercise symptoms

Introduction: Markers of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) correlate with lung function impairment, airway remodeling and different aspects of the disease such as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). Aim of the study was to determine the cytokine profile in EBC of children with asthma after an exercise treadmill challenge in order to obtain clinically useful information about mechanisms of EIB; also, to assess correlations between cytokine concentrations in EBC and clinical characteristics of the patients. Material and methods: The study population consisted of 25 randomly selected children, aged 8 to 19 years, with asthma and EIB symptoms despite the use of control medications. Patients on the day of the study visit underwent fractional exhaled nitric oxide measurement (FeNO) and baseline spirometry, performed an exercise treadmill challenge (ETC), and EBC samples were obtained at the end of the ETC. Results: In asthmatic children with positive ETC, monocyte hemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and IL-16 adjusted to pre-EBC forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were significantly higher compared to children with negative ETC (p = 0.022 and p = 0.017 respectively). After adjustment to pre-EBC FEV1 other cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, MIG, TNF-) were not related to post-exercise changes in FEV1. Conclusions: We observed a specific inflammatory profile in the airways of asthmatic children with bronchoconstriction induced by exercise. The concentration of cytokines in EBC depended on the post-exercise decrease in FEV1, which was measured by the area under the curve (AUC). MCP-1 and IL-16, adjusted to pre-EBC FEV1, were significantly higher in children with a positive exercise challenge compared to those with a negative one.This study was funded by grant 503-2056-1 from the Medical University of Lodz, Poland. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01798823. The study was approved by the Medical University of Lodz Ethics committee, Poland. Written consent from the patients and their parents was obtained

Auditory temporal processing tests – Normative data for Polish-speaking adults

Introduction: Several subjects exposed to neurotoxins in the workplace need to be assessed for central auditory deficit. Although central auditory processing tests are widely used in other countries, they have not been standardized for the Polish population. The aim of the study has been to evaluate the range of reference values for 3 temporal processing tests: the duration pattern test (DPT), the frequency pattern test (FPT) and the gaps in noise test (GIN). Material and Methods: The study included 76 normal hearing individuals (38 women, 38 men) at the age of 18 to 54 years old (mean ± standard deviation: 39.4±9.1). All study participants had no history of any chronic disease and underwent a standard ENT examination. Results: The reference range for the DPT was established at 55.3% or more of correct answers, while for the FPT it stood at 56.7% or more of correct answers. The mean threshold for both ears in the GIN test was defined as 6 ms. In this study there were no significant associations between the DPT, FPT and GIN results and age or gender. Symmetry between the ears in the case of the DPT, FPT and GIN was found. Conclusions: Reference ranges obtained in this study for the DPT and FPT in the Polish population are lower than reference ranges previously published for other nations while the GIN test results correspond to those published in the related literature. Further investigations are needed to explain the discrepancies between normative values in Poland and other countries and adapt tests for occupational medicine purposes. Med Pr 2015;66(2):145–15

Production of the Allergenic Protein Alt a 1 by Alternaria Isolates from Working Environments

The aim of the study was to evaluate the ability of Alternaria isolates from workplaces to produce Alt a 1 allergenic protein, and to analyze whether technical materials (cellulose, compost, leather) present within the working environment stimulate or inhibit Alt a 1 production (ELISA test). Studies included identification of the isolated molds by nucleotide sequences analyzing of the ITS1/ITS2 regions, actin, calmodulin and Alt a 1 genes. It has been shown that Alternaria molds are significant part of microbiocenosis in the archive, museum, library, composting plant and tannery (14%–16% frequency in the air). The presence of the gene encoding the Alt a 1 protein has been detected for the strains: Alternaria alternata, A. lini, A. limoniasperae A. nobilis and A. tenuissima. Environmental strains produced Alt a 1 at higher concentrations (1.103–6.528 ng/mL) than a ATCC strain (0.551–0.975 ng/mL). It has been shown that the homogenization of the mycelium and the use of ultrafiltration allow a considerable increase of Alt a 1 concentration. Variations in the production of Alt a 1 protein, depend on the strain and extraction methods. These studies revealed no impact of the technical material from the workplaces on the production of Alt a 1 protein

Normative values of screening adaptive frequency discrimination test and adaptive gap detection test included

Introduction. Understanding the sounds of our environment, including speech sounds and music, depends on efficient operation of central auditory system. Auditory discrimination and temporal processing are key parts of auditory processing. There is a need to develop and standardize clinical procedures that will enable efficient and reliable assessment of these auditory functions. Aim. Assessment of clinical usefulness of screening adaptive frequency discrimination test (aDLF) and adaptive gap detection test (aGDT) and development of normative values for these tests. Material and method. Adaptive test of frequency discrimination (aDLF) and adaptive gap detection test (aGDT) were performed on the study group including 311 children with normal hearing, aged 8-12 years, divided into age groups. The hearing tests were performed by means of tests included on APD-Medical platform. The tests are based on the principles of signal detection theory and make use of adaptive procedures. Results. It was demonstrated that age significantly affects the results of aDLF and a GDT tests. The younger participants (aged  8) achieved poorer results than older children (aged 10-12). Reference values for auditory processing tests were set at 75 percentile level. Conclusions. Determining normative values will allow to use the disagnostic-therapeutic APD-Medical platform for screening purposes in primary school children.Wprowadzenie. Rozumienie dźwięków otoczenia, w tym również dźwięków mowy i muzyki, uzależnione jest od sprawnego działania ośrodkowego układu słuchowego. W procesie tym niezwykle ważne są mechanizmy dyskryminacji słuchowej i aspektów przetwarzania czasowego dźwięków. Istnieje potrzeba opracowania i wystandaryzowania procedur klinicznych, umożliwiających skuteczną i wiarygodną ocenę tych funkcji słuchowych. Cel pracy. Ocena przydatności klinicznej i opracowanie wartości referencyjnych dla przesiewowych adaptacyjnych testów dyskryminacji częstotliwości dźwięku (aDLF) oraz rozdzielczości czasowej układu słuchowego (aGDT). Materiał i metoda. Badania aDLF i aGDT przeprowadzono w grupie 311 zdrowych, z prawidłowym słuchem dzieci w wieku od 8 do 12 lat, podzielonych na grupy wiekowe. Testy te zawarte są na platformie APD-Medical, wykorzystują procedury adaptacyjne oraz oparte są na zasadach teorii detekcji sygnału. Wyniki. Wykazano, że wiek w istotny sposób wpływa na wyniki uzyskane w testach dyskryminacji słuchowej i rozdzielczości czasowej. Dzieci najmłodsze (8 lat) osiągnęły istotnie słabsze wyniki, niż dzieci starsze (10-12 lat). Wartości referencyjne dla obu testów wyznaczono na poziomie 75 percentyla. Wnioski. Ustalenie wartości normatywnych pozwoli na wykorzystanie platformy diagnostyczno-terapeutycznej APD-Medical dla celów badań przesiewowych u dzieci szkół podstawowych

5-hydroxymethylfurfural content in selected gluten- and gluten-free cereal food products

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) was determined with HPLC method in forty one food samples, including gluten-free, breakfast cereals and bakery products. The highest concentration of HMF was found in wheat bread with cranberries (210 mg kg-1) and in breakfast cereals – honey wheat loops (85.099 mg kg-1). In contrast, wholegrain oatmeal and gluten-free sponge cakes had the lowest HMF level of all tested samples, below the detection limit and 0.485 mg kg-1, respectively. In most cases, lack of gluten coincided with the lowest HMF content readings (average 8.488 mg kg-1). The impact of the type of sugar, especially glucose, on the HMF concentration in food is apparent. Sweetened breakfast cereals, with the average content of HMF at 25.55 mg kg-1, took lead over dietary products (8.488 mg kg-1) and bakery products (18.395 mg kg-1), with the exception for wheat bread with cranberries. These cereals contained glucose or glucose-fructose syrup

Chemical Components of <i>Oxytropis pseudoglandulosa</i> Induce Apoptotic-Type Cell Death of Caco-2 Cells

Oxytropis pseudoglandulosa plant is used in traditional Mongolian medicine. However, its chemical composition and biological properties are poorly explored. In this study, the total content of polyphenols and flavonoids as well as antioxidant activity were verified in plant extract. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by spectrometric (6.62 mg GAE/g and 10.32 mg QE/g) and chromatographic (17,598 mg/kg and 17,467 mg/kg) assays. The antioxidant potential was investigated by DPPH assay and yielded IC50 at 18.76 µg/mL. Twelve phenolic compounds were identified as components of O. pseudoglandulosa extract. Kaempferol-3-O-robinosyl-7-O-rhamnoside and kaempferol-3-(p-coumaroyl)-rutinosyl-7-rhamnoside made up 80% of determined components and were found to be the major polyphenolic compounds. The biological properties of O. pseudoglandulosa extracts were determined in vitro using human epithelial adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cell line. Low concentrations of extract (0–30 µg/mL) exhibited protective effects against cell damage caused by chemically induced oxidative stress. Elevated concentrations, on the other hand, resulted in apoptotic-type cell death induction. Metabolic failure, ROS elevation and membrane permeabilization observed in cells upon incubation with extract dosages above 50 µg/mL allowed us to conclude on O. pseudoglandulosa being predominantly a necrosis inducer