PROGRESS IN NUTRITION

Corchorus olitorius L. is a highly consumed plant in Cyprus and other Eastern Mediterranean countries and known as a medicinal food in many cultures. The aim of the study is to determine in vitro anticancer and apoptotic induction effects of dichloromethane (DCM) and aqueous Con-horus olitorius L. leaf extracts in primary (Colo-320) and metastatic (Colo-741) colon adenocarcinoma cell lines.. Cell growth and cytotoxicity were measured with MTT assay with five different concentrations of extracts in Colo-320 and Colo-741 cell lines. Apoptotic activities of Corchorus olitorius L. were investigated by immunocytochemistry using antibodies directed against to caspase-3, cytochrome-c and FasLigand (FasL). TUNEL assay was used to detect DNA fragmentation in both cell lines. Both DCM and aqueous phase of extracts at 50 mu g/ml concentration were more effective at inhibiting Colo-320 and Colo-741 cell growth when compared with other dilutions. The number of TUNEL positive cells was significantly higher in Colo-741 cells when compared with both control group and Colo-320 cell line. DCM phase extract significantly increased caspase-3 immunoreactivity while aqueous phase extract significantly increased cytochrome-c and FasLigand (FasL) immunoreactivities in Colo-320 cell lines. Both extracts were able to significantly increase caspase-3, cytochrome-c and FasL immunoreactivity in Colo-741 cells showing that both apoptotic pathways were triggered. Overall, Corchorus olitorius L. extracts induced apoptosis in both cancer cell lines while being more effective in metastatic colon adenocarcinoma cell lines suggesting that the extracts might have potential anticancer effects and possibility to be used as precursor to phytomedicinal colon cancer treatment as oppose to chemotherapy

Phenotypic Diversity And Technological Properties Of Yogurt Cultures Isolated From Traditionally Produced Turkish Yogurts With Comparison To Commercial Starter Cultures

Sixty Streptococcus thermophilus and 111 Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus isolates from traditionally produced Turkish yogurts were biochemically identified and examined for their technologically important features. Acidification profiles of the isolates were examined. Isolates with acidification rates comparable to those of commercial isolates were also tested for final pHs and acetaldehyde production after 24-h incubation. Selected isolates were also examined for their bacteriophage resistance and proteolytic activity. Twenty-five L. bulgaricus and 22 S. thermophilus isolates were selected based on their technological properties other than bacteriophage resistance. Bacteriophage resistance experiments revealed that all L. bulgaricus isolates except two were sensitive to the bacteriophages, while S. thermophilus isolates were resistant to most of the bacteriophages. The results show that yogurt bacteria isolated from traditional Turkish yogurts have significant phenotypic diversity and the technological properties of these isolates are comparable to tested commercial cultures.Wo

Retrospective feasibility study of simultaneous integrated boost in cervical cancer using Tomotherapy: the impact of organ motion and tumor regression.

BACKGROUND: Whole pelvis intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is increasingly being used to treat cervical cancer aiming to reduce side effects. Encouraged by this, some groups have proposed the use of simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) to target the tumor, either to get a higher tumoricidal effect or to replace brachytherapy. Nevertheless, physiological organ movement and rapid tumor regression throughout treatment might substantially reduce any benefit of this approach. PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical target volume - simultaneous integrated boost (CTV-SIB) regression and motion during chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) for cervical cancer, and to monitor treatment progress dosimetrically and volumetrically to ensure treatment goals are met. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Ten patients treated with standard doses of CRT and brachytherapy were retrospectively re-planned using a helical Tomotherapy - SIB technique for the hypothetical scenario of this feasibility study. Target and organs at risk (OAR) were contoured on deformable fused planning-computed tomography and megavoltage computed tomography images. The CTV-SIB volume regression was determined. The center of mass (CM) was used to evaluate the degree of motion. The Dice's similarity coefficient (DSC) was used to assess the spatial overlap of CTV-SIBs between scans. A cumulative dose-volume histogram modeled estimated delivered doses. RESULTS: The CTV-SIB relative reduction was between 31 and 70%. The mean maximum CM change was 12.5, 9, and 3 mm in the superior-inferior, antero-posterior, and right-left dimensions, respectively. The CTV-SIB-DSC approached 1 in the first week of treatment, indicating almost perfect overlap. CTV-SIB-DSC regressed linearly during therapy, and by the end of treatment was 0.5, indicating 50% discordance. Two patients received less than 95% of the prescribed dose. Much higher doses to the OAR were observed. A multiple regression analysis showed a significant interaction between CTV-SIB reduction and OAR dose increase. CONCLUSIONS: The CTV-SIB had important regression and motion during CRT, receiving lower therapeutic doses than expected. The OAR had unpredictable shifts and received higher doses. The use of SIB without frequent adaptation of the treatment plan exposes cervical cancer patients to an unpredictable risk of under-dosing the target and/or overdosing adjacent critical structures. In that scenario, brachytherapy continues to be the gold standard approach

A Simple and Fast Method for Discrimination of Phage and Antibiotic Contaminants in Raw Milk By Using Raman Spectroscopy

Phage and antibiotic in raw milk poses significant risks for starter culture activity in fermented products. Therefore, rapid detection of phage and antibiotic contaminations in raw milk is a crucial process in dairy science. For this purpose, a preliminary novel method for detection of phage and antibiotic was developed by using Raman spectroscopy. Streptococcus thermophilus phages and ampicillin which are quite important elements in dairy industry were used as model. The phage and antibiotic samples were added to raw milk separately, and Raman measurements were carried out. The obtained spectra were processed with a chemometric method. In this study, it has been demonstrated that the presence of phage has a titer sufficient to stop the fermentation (10(7) pfu/ml), and antibiotic in a concentration which inhibits the growth of starter cultures (0.5 A mu g/ml) in raw milk could be discriminated through Raman spectroscopy with a short analysis time (30 min).Wo