28. Sitzung des FAO/WHO-Codex-Alimentarius-Komitees für Fische und Fischereierzeugnisse

Die 28. Sitzung des Codex-Alimentarius-Komitees für Fische und Fischereierzeugnisse fand in Peking, China, vom 18. bis 22. September 2006 statt. Das Komitee folgte damit der in der letzten Sitzung ausgesprochenen Einladung der chinesischen Regierung und dem Ziel, die Codex-Sitzungen in verschiedenen Teilen der Welt abzuhalten. Geleitet wurde die Sitzung von Dr. Bjørn Røthe Knudsen, Regionaldirektor der norwegischen Behörde für Lebensmittelsicherheit. Professor Li Xiaochuan von der chinesischen Akademie für Fischforschung nahm die Rolle des Co-Chairman ein. Insgesamt 140 Delegierte, die 44 Mitgliedstaaten, die EU und eine internationale Organisation vertraten, nahmen an dieser Sitzung teil. Folgende Punkte wurden auf der diesjährigen Codex-Komitee-Sitzung diskutiert: 1. Erweiterung des Standards für Sardinen und sardinenähn-liche Erzeugnisse 2. Bearbeitung des Entwurfs eines Standards für Störkaviar 3. Überarbeitung des Entwurfs eines Standards für lebende und rohe Muscheln 4. Verhandlung über den Entwurf des Standards für geräu-cherten Fisch 5. Code of Practice für Fische und Fischereierzeugnisse 6. Zukünftige Arbeite

Spectral error bounds for Hermitian inexact Krylov methods

We investigate the convergence behavior of inexact Krylov methods for the approximation of a few eigenvectors or invariant subspaces of a large, sparse Hermitian matrix. Bounds on the distance between an exact invariant subspace and a Krylov subspace and between an exact invariant subspace and a Ritz space are presented. Using the first bound we analyze the question: if a few iteration steps have been taken without convergence, how many more iterations have to be performed to achieve a preset tolerance. The second bound provides a measure on the approximation quality of a computed Ritz space. Traditional bounds of these quantities are particularly sensitive to the gap between the wanted eigenvalues and the remaining spectrum. Here this gap is allowed to be small by considering how well the exact invariant subspace is contained in a slightly larger approximated invariant subspace. Moreover, numerical experiments confirm the applicability of the given bounds

Backward error analysis of an inexact Arnoldi method using a certain Gram Schmidt variant

In numerous recent applications including tensor computations, compressed sensing and mixed precision arithmetics vector operations like summing, scaling, or matrix-vector multiplication are subject to inaccuracies whereas inner products are exact. We investigate the behavior of Arnoldi's method for Hermitian matrices under these circumstances. We introduce a special purpose variant of Gram Schmidt orthogonalization and prove bounds on the distance to orthogonality of the now-not-anymore orthogonal Krylov subspace basis. This Gram Schmidt variant additionally implicitly provides an exactly orthogonal basis. In the second part we perform a backward error analysis and show that this exactly orthogonal basis satisfies a Krylov relation for a perturbed system matrix -- even in the Hermitian case. We prove bounds for the norm of the backward error which is shown to be on the level of the accuracy of the vector operations. Care is taken to avoid problems in case of near breakdowns. Finally, numerical experiments confirm the applicability of the method and of the proven bounds

Housekeeping gene validation for RT-qPCR studies on synovial fibroblasts derived from healthy and osteoarthritic patients with focus on mechanical loading

Selection of appropriate housekeeping genes is essential for the validity of data normalization in reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Synovial fibroblasts (SF) play a mediating role in the development and progression of osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis, but there is no information on reliable housekeeping genes available. Therefore the goal of this study was to identify a set of reliable housekeeping genes suitable for studies of mechanical loading on SF from healthy and OA patients. Nine genes were evaluated towards expression stability and ranked according their relative stability determined by four different mathematical procedures (geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and comparative ΔCq). We observed that RPLP0 (ribosomal protein, large, P0) and EEF1A1 (eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 alpha 1) turned out to be the genes with the most stable expression in SF from non-OA or OA patients treated with or without mechanical loading. According to geNorm two genes are sufficient for normalization throughout. Expression of one tested target gene varied considerably, if normalized to different candidate housekeeping genes. Our study provides a tool for accurate and valid housekeeping gene selection in gene expression experiments on SF from healthy and OA patients with and without mechanical loading in consistent with the MIQE (Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments) guidelines and additionally demonstrates the impact of proper housekeeping gene selection on the expression of the gene of interest

Evaluation of NMR-based strategies to differentiate fresh from frozen-thawed fish supported by multivariate data analysis

The differentiation of fresh and frozen-thawed fish is a relevant authenticity aspect as in the European Union fish holds a high statistical risk of being adulterated. Here, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) in combination with principal components analysis followed by linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA) was used for a non-targeted based differentiation of fresh from frozen-thawed fish. To identify the most promising NMR approach(es), six different approaches were applied to 96 fish samples (mackerel, trout, cod). These approaches included different sample preparation procedures and different NMR methods to investigate both the lipid fraction and the polar fraction of the fish samples. After cross-validation embedded in a Monte Carlo resampling design, six independent classification models were obtained. Evaluation of the multivariate data analysis revealed that the most promising approaches were the 1H NMR analysis of the lipid fraction (correct prediction of about 90.0%) and the $^1$H NMR based screening of minor components of the lipid fraction with a correct prediction of about 91.9%. $^1$H NMR analysis of the water extract of the fish samples showed a correct prediction of about 82.6%. Hence, a general differentiation of fresh from frozen-thawed fish via non-targeted NMR is feasible, even though the underlying sample batch contained different fish species. Additional fish samples need to be analyzed with the three most promising NMR approaches to further improve the developed classification models

Isolation and Characterization of Adhesive Secretion from Cuvierian Tubules of Sea Cucumber Holothuria forskåli (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)

The sea cucumber Holothuria forskåli possesses a specialized system called Cuvierian tubules. During mechanical stimulation white filaments (tubules) are expelled and become sticky upon contact with any object. We isolated a protein with adhesive properties from protein extracts of Cuvierian tubules from H. forskåli. This protein was identified by antibodies against recombinant precollagen D which is located in the byssal threads of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. To find out the optimal procedure for extraction and purification, the identified protein was isolated by several methods, including electroelution, binding to glass beads, immunoprecipitation, and gel filtration. Antibodies raised against the isolated protein were used for localization of the adhesive protein in Cuvierian tubules. Immunostaining and immunogold electron microscopical studies revealed the strongest immunoreactivity in the mesothelium; this tissue layer is involved in adhesion. Adhesion of Cuvierian tubule extracts was measured on the surface of various materials. The extracted protein showed the strongest adhesion to Teflon surface. Increased adhesion was observed in the presence of potassium and EDTA, while cadmium caused a decrease in adhesion. Addition of antibodies and trypsin abolished the adhesive properties of the extract

Wassergehalte tiefgefrorener Kammmuscheln

Kurzfassung Der Handel mit tiefgefrorenen Kammmuscheln (Pectinidae) hat in den letzten Jahren deutlich zugenommen und ist von der Jakobsmuschel (Pecten maximus) auf eine Reihe weiterer Spezies erweitert worden. Neben nicht zutreffender Handelsbezeichnung fällt diese Erzeugnisgruppe immer wieder durch einen erhöhten Wasserzusatz negativ auf. Es wurde die Zusammensetzung des Muskelfleisches von Produkten aus dem deutschen Handel bestimmt und das Wasser zu Protein- Verhältnis (W/P) berechnet. Eine erhebliche Zahl von Proben hatte hohe Wassergehalte und ein W/P Verhältnis > 5. Dies betraf insbesondere die Tiefseescallop (Placopecten magellanicus) und die Japanische Kammmuschel (Mizuhopecten yessoensis). In den meisten Fällen wurden Zusatzstoffe nachgewiesen, obwohl die gesetzlich vorgeschriebene Deklaration fehlte. Abstract The market share of quick-frozen scallops (Pectinidae) has increased significantly in recent years and has been extended besides the king scallop (Pecten maximus) to a variety of other species. Apart from an incorrect labeling this product group stands out for often excessively high water addition. The composition of the muscle meat and the water to protein ratio (W/P) was determined in samples from the German retail. The results showed that a considerable number of samples had very high moisture contents and W/P ratios > 5. These facts were mainly true for Placopecten magellanicus and Mizuhopecten yessoensis. There was no conformity with the prescribed declaration of food additives

Effects of Compressive and Tensile Strain on Macrophages during Simulated Orthodontic Tooth Movement

During orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) to therapeutically correct the position of misaligned teeth, thus improving oral health and quality of life, fibroblasts, macrophages, and other immune cells within the periodontal ligament (PDL), which connects a tooth to its surrounding bone, are exposed to compressive and tensile strain. While it is known that PDL fibroblasts are critically involved in the biological regulation of OTM by a mechanotransductively triggered release of cytokines, it is unclear whether macrophages also react to pressure and tension in a similar manner thus impacting on or mediating OTM. RAW264.7 macrophages were seeded onto conventional 6-well cell culture plates for pressure or on Bioflex plates for tension assays and preincubated for 24 h. For in vitro simulation of physiological orthodontic compressive or tensile strain for 2 h, 4 h, 24 h, and 48 h, glass discs (2 g/cm(2)) were placed or adherent macrophages isotropically stretched for 16%, respectively. We determined cell number, cytotoxicity, and gene/protein expression of Vegf-a/VEGF-A (macrophage-mediated angiogenesis), Mmp-8/9 (extracellular matrix reorganization), and Cox-2/PG-E2, Il-6/IL-6, and Tnf-alpha/TNF-alpha (proinflammatory mediators) by RT-qPCR and ELISA. Compressive but not tensile strain resulted in a significant reduction in cell number after only 2 h. Mmp-8 and Mmp-9 expression was significantly enhanced within 24 h of compressive and in part tensile strain. Significantly increased Vegf-a/VEGF-A expression was detected within 4 h of pressure, but not during application of tensile strain. Expression of proinflammatory mediators Cox-2/PG-E2, Il-6/IL-6, and Tnf-alpha/TNF-alpha was significantly increased as early as 2-4 h after application of compressive or tensile strain. Our results indicate that macrophages respond early on to compressive and tensile strain occurring during OTM with an enhanced gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines, which could affect PDL fibroblasts, osteoblasts, and immune cells triggering or enhancing the biological mechanisms and osteoclastogenesis underlying OTM