THE USE OF CITRUS FRUITS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLAVOURED KARISH CHEESE

Karish cheese was made by fermentation of skim milk with yoghurt starter culture (Y) or by direct acidification with concentrated juice from orange (O), grapefruit (G) or lemon (L). In a combination of fermentation and direct acidification, the different juices were used to give the treatments of YO, YG and YL. The highest yield (29.17%) of the fresh cheese was recorded from YL treatment. This was followed by values of 27.93, 27.51 and 26.13% from L, YO, and O treatments in order, whereas cheese from Y had the lowest yield being 21.26%. Such yield values were accompanied by the corresponding vitamin C contents of 6.5, 7.33, 6.35, 7.50 and 0.33 mg/100 g, respectively. The use of different juices gave more acidic fresh cheese than cheese made using Y with them or Y alone which caused the lowest acidity content.        The rheological properties of the fresh cheese including hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess and adhesiveness were also affected by the applied treatments. During storage of all cheese samples in the refrigerator, TS, acidity, total protein, SN/TN and FRI gradually increased with different rates, whereas only vitamin C content decreased. Evaluation of the organolptic properties revealed that the use of orange or lemon juice with yoghurt starter gave the best quality of fresh cheese with the higher scores for body and texture as well as the flavour of the cheese

Fate of the extended states in a vanishing magnetic field: the role of spins in strongly-interacting 2D electron systems

In non-interacting or weakly-interacting 2D electron systems, the energy of the extended states increases as the perpendicular magnetic field approaches zero: the extended states "float up" in energy, giving rise to an insulator. However, in those 2D systems where metallic conductivity has been recently observed in zero magnetic field, the energy of the extended states remains constant or even decreases as B -> 0, thus allowing conduction in the limit of zero temperature. Here we show that aligning the electrons' spins causes the extended states to once more "float up" in energy in the vanishing perpendicular magnetic field, as they do for non- or weakly-interacting electrons. The difference between extended states that float up (an insulator) or remain finite (a metal) is thus tied to the existence of the spins

"Forbidden" transitions between quantum Hall and insulating phases in p-SiGe heterostructures

We show that in dilute metallic p-SiGe heterostructures, magnetic field can cause multiple quantum Hall-insulator-quantum Hall transitions. The insulating states are observed between quantum Hall states with filling factors \nu=1 and 2 and, for the first time, between \nu=2 and 3 and between \nu=4 and 6. The latter are in contradiction with the original global phase diagram for the quantum Hall effect. We suggest that the application of a (perpendicular) magnetic field induces insulating behavior in metallic p-SiGe heterostructures in the same way as in Si MOSFETs. This insulator is then in competition with, and interrupted by, integer quantum Hall states leading to the multiple re-entrant transitions. The phase diagram which accounts for these transition is similar to that previously obtained in Si MOSFETs thus confirming its universal character

Evaluation of basil extract ( Ocimum basilicum L.) on oxidative, anti-genotoxic and anti-inflammatory effects in human leukocytes cell cultures exposed to challenging agents

ABSTRACT Ocimum is one of the most important genera of the Lamiaceae family. Several studies about basil and its popular use reveal many characteristics of the herb, including its use as antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-microbial, and cardiovascular agents, among others. In this paper, we evaluated genotoxic, oxidative, and anti-inflammatory parameters from the extract of Ocimum basilicum in different concentrations, using human leukocytes cultures exposed to challenging agents. Our results confirm that the O. basilicum extract acts as an antioxidant and effectively reverts or subjugates the effects of high oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide. These actions are attributed to its composition, which is rich in polyphenols and flavonoids as well as compounds such as rosmarinic acid, all of which have well-known antioxidant activity. We also show that our basil extract presents anti-inflammatory properties, the mechanism of which is a composed interaction between the inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediator and the stimulation of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Although pharmacodynamics studies are necessary to evaluate the activities in vivo, our results demonstrated that basil could act as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and a possible alternative for medicinal treatment

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Rosemary extract ameliorates cadmium-induced histological changes and oxidative damage in the liver of albino rat

The oxidative damage and histological changes of liver of rats exposed to cadmium and the ameliorative effect of rosemary extract against cadmium hepatotoxicity were studied. The results showed that exposure to Cd (30 mg/kg b.w., 5 consecutive days/week for 8 weeks) led to an increase in the MDA levels and a decrease in activity of SOD, CAT and the concentration of GSH versus controls. In contrast, administration of rosemary aqueous extract restored the changes in these parameters to nearly the normal levels. Treating animals with Cd led to different histopathological changes such as loss of the normal structure of hepatic cells, blood congestion, leukocytic infiltrations and fatty degeneration. Ultra structure results revealed abnormality in the nucleus, swelling of mitochondria, degeneration of endoplasmic reticulum, and increase of lysosomes and appearance of fat droplets. On the other hand, animals treated with Cd and rosemary showed an improvement in these changes and the tissue appears with normal structures. The results suggested that the ameliorative effect of rosemary extract may be due to its antioxidant properties in combating free radical-induced oxidative stress and tissue injury resulting from cadmium chloride

Assessment of the worldwide burden of critical illness: the Intensive Care Over Nations (ICON) audit

Item does not contain fulltextBACKGROUND: Global epidemiological data regarding outcomes for patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are scarce, but are important in understanding the worldwide burden of critical illness. We, therefore, did an international audit of ICU patients worldwide and assessed variations between hospitals and countries in terms of ICU mortality. METHODS: 730 participating centres in 84 countries prospectively collected data on all adult (>16 years) patients admitted to their ICU between May 8 and May 18, 2012, except those admitted for fewer than 24 h for routine postoperative monitoring. Participation was voluntary. Data were collected daily for a maximum of 28 days in the ICU and patients were followed up for outcome data until death or hospital discharge. In-hospital death was analysed using multilevel logistic regression with three levels: patient, hospital, and country. FINDINGS: 10,069 patients were included from ICUs in Europe (5445 patients; 54.1%), Asia (1928; 19.2%), the Americas (1723; 17.1%), Oceania (439; 4.4%), the Middle East (393; 3.9%), and Africa (141; 1.4%). Overall, 2973 patients (29.5%) had sepsis on admission or during the ICU stay. ICU mortality rates were 16.2% (95% CI 15.5-16.9) across the whole population and 25.8% (24.2-27.4) in patients with sepsis. Hospital mortality rates were 22.4% (21.6-23.2) in the whole population and 35.3% (33.5-37.1) in patients with sepsis. Using a multilevel analysis, the unconditional model suggested significant between-country variations (var=0.19, p=0.002) and between-hospital variations (var=0.43, p<0.0001) in the individual risk of in-hospital death. There was a stepwise increase in the adjusted risk of in-hospital death according to decrease in global national income. INTERPRETATION: This large database highlights that sepsis remains a major health problem worldwide, associated with high mortality rates in all countries. Our findings also show a significant association between the risk of death and the global national income and suggest that ICU organisation has an important effect on risk of death. FUNDING: None