Lactic Fermentation of Cereal Flour: Feasibility Tests on Rice, Oat and Wheat

Background and objective: Consumers show increasing interests in probiotic foods and lactic acid fermentations. Cereal flour, can be a good fermentable substrate due to its prebiotic nature; from which, synbiotic products can be prepared. The aim of the current study was to investigate if three various cereal flours rice, oat and wheat would be good potentially functional foods.Material and methods: Fermentation tests were carried out on rice, oat and wheat flours, using Lactobacillus paracasei CBA L74 and 1.5-L fermenter with 1-L working volume. After 24 h, microbial growth, pH value, lactic acid production and starch consumption were assessed.Results and conclusion: In all three flours, pH reduction was seen; particularly in rice flour. The highest Lactobacillus growth and lactic acid production were achieved at the end of rice fermentation. The greatest starch consumption was reported at the end of rice fermentation. In conclusion, lactic fermentation of cereals as potentially functional foods was possible for the three flours. However, the best result belonged to rice flour.Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Effects of Loud Noise Exposure on DNA Integrity in Rat Adrenal Gland

Loud noise is generally considered an environmental stressor causing negative effects on acoustic, cardiovascular, nervous, and endocrine systems. In this study, we investigated the effects of noise exposure on DNA integrity in rat adrenal gland evaluated by the comet assay. The exposure to loud noise (100 dBA) for 12 hr caused a significant increase of DNA damage in the adrenal gland. Genetic alterations did not decrease 24 hr after the cessation of the stimulus. We hypothesize that an imbalance of redox cell status is responsible for the induction and persistence of noise-induced cellular damage

Effects of Loud Noise Exposure on DNA Integrity in Rat Adrenal Gland

Loud noise is generally considered an environmental stressor causing negative effects on acoustic, cardiovascular, nervous, and endocrine systems. In this study, we investigated the effects of noise exposure on DNA integrity in rat adrenal gland evaluated by the comet assay. The exposure to loud noise (100 dBA) for 12 hr caused a significant increase of DNA damage in the adrenal gland. Genetic alterations did not decrease 24 hr after the cessation of the stimulus. We hypothesize that an imbalance of redox cell status is responsible for the induction and persistence of noise-induced cellular damage

Effects of the Glucose Addition during Lactic Fermentation of Rice, Oat and Wheat Flours

 Background and objective: Consumer interests in probiotic foods have increased in recent decades. Food industries respond to these growing interests by developing innovative products and guaranteeing high production efficiency. Cereals, due to their prebiotic nature, are good fermentable substrates; from which, potentially functional foods could be achieved. The aim of this study was to verify effects of D-glucose addition on fermentation of rice, oat and wheat flours.Material and methods: Suspensions of 15% of cereals flours (rice, oat and wheat) in distilled water added with increasing glucose concentrations (2, 5, 7 and 10% w v-1) were fermented by Lactobacillus paracasei CBA L74 for 24 h. Then, pH, microbial growth and lactic acid production were assessed.Results and conclusion: Rice fermentation was not affected by glucose addition. For oat and wheat, addition of D-glucose increased bacterial concentration, as well as lactic acid production. In particular, the best growth was achieved by the addition of 2 and 5% of glucose. Furthermore, lactic acid concentration increased with increased glucose concentration. In conclusion, D-glucose addition seems to be unnecessary for the improvement of rice fermentation. On the contrary, oat and wheat fermentations need further available carbon sources for a better Lactobacillus growth and a higher lactic acid production.Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest

Neurochemical Correlates of Brain Atrophy in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Cortical Thickness Study.

(1) Background: Recently, a series of clinical neuroimaging studies on fibromyalgia (FM) have shown a reduction in cortical volume and abnormally high glutamate (Glu) and glutamate + glutamine (Glx) levels in regions associated with pain modulation. However, it remains unclear whether the volumetric decreases and increased Glu levels in FM are related each other. We hypothesized that higher Glu levels are related to decreases in cortical thickness (CT) and volume in FM patients. (2) Methods: Twelve females with FM and 12 matched healthy controls participated in a session of combined 3.0 Tesla structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and single-voxel MR spectroscopy focused on the thalami and ventrolateral prefrontal cortices (VLPFC). The thickness of the cortical and subcortical gray matter structures and the Glu/Cr and Glx/Cr ratios were estimated. Statistics included an independent t-test and Spearman's test. (3) Results: The Glu/Cr ratio of the left VLPFC was negatively related to the CT of the left inferior frontal gyrus (pars opercularis (p = 0.01; r = -0.75) and triangularis (p = 0.01; r = -0.70)). Moreover, the Glx/Cr ratio of the left VLPFC was negatively related to the CT of the left middle anterior cingulate gyrus (p = 0.003; r = -0.81). Significantly lower CTs in FM were detected in subparts of the cingulate gyrus on both sides and in the right inferior occipital gyrus (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: Our findings are in line with previous observations that high glutamate levels can be related, in a concentration-dependent manner, to the morphological atrophy described in FM patients

Modelo virtual del fragmento urbano Divino Rostro, Mar del Plata : Metodología y desarrollo de un caso de aplicación

En los ámbitos artificiales mediatizados por tecnologías digitales de la comunicación, la información y la modelización, las complejas realidades urbanas son traducidas en información consistente, organizadas en modelos virtuales tridimensionales de fragmentos urbanos y conformadas por bases de datos espaciales multidimensionales. Recrean ambientes interactivos de simulación y análisis con realismo, integrando variables de distinto tipo y se constituyen en un eficaz instrumento para asistir a prácticas culturales, de diseño y de planificación urbana, entre otras. En esta dirección, se presentan estudios y desarrollos sobre un caso de aplicación referido al diseño de un modelo virtual tridimensional interactivo e interconectado, que tiene como referente a un ambiente real de valor patrimonial sobre un fragmento urbano marplatense correspondiente al sector del Divino Rostro. El estudio aplica categorías de análisis y una metodología de diseño propuesta por el grupo EMIDA CEAC FAUD UNMdP, en las fases gestión, diseño, producción e interacción de un modelo virtual 3D 4D. Se consideran dos fases y se analizan los distintos momentos de ambas. La primera, referida al tratamiento y procesamiento de datos para la construcción del modelo. La segunda, referida a instancias interactivas para recorrerlo, reconocerlo y manipularlo en tiempo real.Eje: Modelos de Análisis y CatalogaciónFacultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

Modelo virtual del fragmento urbano Divino Rostro, Mar del Plata : Metodología y desarrollo de un caso de aplicación

En los ámbitos artificiales mediatizados por tecnologías digitales de la comunicación, la información y la modelización, las complejas realidades urbanas son traducidas en información consistente, organizadas en modelos virtuales tridimensionales de fragmentos urbanos y conformadas por bases de datos espaciales multidimensionales. Recrean ambientes interactivos de simulación y análisis con realismo, integrando variables de distinto tipo y se constituyen en un eficaz instrumento para asistir a prácticas culturales, de diseño y de planificación urbana, entre otras. En esta dirección, se presentan estudios y desarrollos sobre un caso de aplicación referido al diseño de un modelo virtual tridimensional interactivo e interconectado, que tiene como referente a un ambiente real de valor patrimonial sobre un fragmento urbano marplatense correspondiente al sector del Divino Rostro. El estudio aplica categorías de análisis y una metodología de diseño propuesta por el grupo EMIDA CEAC FAUD UNMdP, en las fases gestión, diseño, producción e interacción de un modelo virtual 3D 4D. Se consideran dos fases y se analizan los distintos momentos de ambas. La primera, referida al tratamiento y procesamiento de datos para la construcción del modelo. La segunda, referida a instancias interactivas para recorrerlo, reconocerlo y manipularlo en tiempo real.Eje: Modelos de Análisis y CatalogaciónFacultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

Modelo virtual del fragmento urbano Divino Rostro, Mar del Plata : Metodología y desarrollo de un caso de aplicación

En los ámbitos artificiales mediatizados por tecnologías digitales de la comunicación, la información y la modelización, las complejas realidades urbanas son traducidas en información consistente, organizadas en modelos virtuales tridimensionales de fragmentos urbanos y conformadas por bases de datos espaciales multidimensionales. Recrean ambientes interactivos de simulación y análisis con realismo, integrando variables de distinto tipo y se constituyen en un eficaz instrumento para asistir a prácticas culturales, de diseño y de planificación urbana, entre otras. En esta dirección, se presentan estudios y desarrollos sobre un caso de aplicación referido al diseño de un modelo virtual tridimensional interactivo e interconectado, que tiene como referente a un ambiente real de valor patrimonial sobre un fragmento urbano marplatense correspondiente al sector del Divino Rostro. El estudio aplica categorías de análisis y una metodología de diseño propuesta por el grupo EMIDA CEAC FAUD UNMdP, en las fases gestión, diseño, producción e interacción de un modelo virtual 3D 4D. Se consideran dos fases y se analizan los distintos momentos de ambas. La primera, referida al tratamiento y procesamiento de datos para la construcción del modelo. La segunda, referida a instancias interactivas para recorrerlo, reconocerlo y manipularlo en tiempo real.Eje: Modelos de Análisis y CatalogaciónFacultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

Regression of fetal cerebral abnormalities by primary cytomegalovirus infection following hyperimmunoglobulin therapy

Objective To assess the effects of maternal and intra-amniotic hyperimmunoglobulin (HIG) infusions among cytomegalovirus (CMV) infected fetuses with ultrasound abnormalities following a primary CMV infection. Patients and Methods The subjects were fetuses with CMV-associated cerebral and other ultrasound abnormalities. Three mothers were treated with HIG infusions during pregnancy and two were untreated. Fetal ventricle size, organ echodensity and placental thickness were measured by ultrasound before and after HIG infusions. The children were evaluated between 3 and 7 years of age. Results The ventriculomegaly of all three fetuses of HIG-treated mothers regressed and the ascites, hepatic echodensities, periventricular echodensities, and intestinal echodensities disappeared. Their sensorial, mental and motor development was normal at 4, 4.7, and 7 years of age. In contrast, both infants born of untreated mothers had signs and symptoms of severe CMV cerebropathy. Conclusion The outcomes of the infants born to HIG-treated mothers support the efficacy of HIG as a treatment for CMV-infected fetuses with ultrasound cerebral abnormalities. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd