Effect of a combination of enzymes on the fundamental rheological behavior of bread dough enriched with resistant starch

The effect of three enzymes on the fundamental rheological parameters of bread dough with high content of resistant starch (RS) was studied. The RS was added as an alternative to increase the fiber ingestion while the enzymes, to overcome the gluten dilution. Optimum dough was formulated with partial substitution of wheat flour by RS (12.5 g/100 g) and enzymes transglutaminase (4 mg/100 g), glucose oxidase (2.5 mg/100 g) and xylanase (0.5 mg/100 g). Dough produced with RS and without enzymes was considered as control and dough without RS or enzymes was considered as regular for comparison. Fundamental rheological parameters were obtained from uniaxial extension, biaxial extension and oscillatory tests. Also, starch gelatinization and retrogradation were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The partial replacement of WF by RS resulted in less extensible dough, whereas the addition of enzymes increased the strain hardening index allowing higher dough expansion. The addition of enzymes reduced the elastic modulus resulting in a behavior similar to the regular dough. RS was not gelatinized during baking, hence it can be considered as dietetic fiber. Wheat starch retrogradation after 7 days of storage was observed, indicating bread aging.Fil: Altuna, Luz. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Ribotta, Pablo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Tadini, Carmen C.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasi

Un motor poc autònom. El cas de la Padània

La macroregió del Nord-oest d'Itàlia, que inclou Llombardia, Piemont, Ligúria i la Vall d'Aosta, amb més de 15 milions d'habitants i un 32% del PIB estatal, és la locomotora econòmica del país. Ciutats com Milà, Torí i Gènova capitanegen un territori que és el cor productiu italià, però que en matèria de mobilitat arrossega un dèficit d'infraestructures que pot llastar la seva competitivitat i acabar condicionant el seu futur. Hom hi veurà més d'un paral·lelisme amb Catalunya..

Torque measurement in real time during mixing and kneading of bread dough with high content of resistant maize starch and enzymes

In this work, a methodology to measure torque during dough mixing in large scale was developed and the baking performance of bread dough formulated with resistant starch (RS) and enzymes was evaluated. Dough was formulated with 12.5 g/100 g of RS and 4 mg/100 g of a mixture of enzymes, glucose-oxidase (Gox), tranglutaminase (TG) and xylanase (HE) in proportions according to a three-component mixture design of experiments. Dough was mixed in a large-scale dynamic rheometer measuring instant torque and speed in real time through a personal computer (PC) interface. Maximum torque during mixing and parameters of the dough development curves obtained from rheofermentometer were fit to mathematical models within 95 % of confidence. Gox and TG showed positive effects on the maximum height of dough, while HE showed a negative one. Also, it was found that Gox and TG in the presence of HE could be important for reducing dough weakening.Fil: Altuna, Luz. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Romano, Roberto C. O.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Pileggi, Rafael G.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Ribotta, Pablo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Tadini, Carmen C.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasi

A case of insect colonization before the death

Forensic entomology is a branch of forensic science in which insects are used as evidence in legal investigations relating to humans, domestic animals and wildlife. One of the theoretical pillars on which the discipline is based concerns the fact that flies colonize a body after death. However in cases of myiasis, maggots are present before death, with consequences in the correct estimation of the minimum postmortem interval (mPMI). We report here the case of a woman, largely colonized by fly larvae, who has lain alive in her garden for four days prior to being rescued. Larvae were found on the conjunctivae, the bronchi, the rectum and vagina. The woman's death, two months later, was caused by tetanus. The consequences of myiasis on mPMI estimation are here discussed. In fact, despite she was still alive larvae, indicated and estimated age of 1.5–2.5 days, based on environmental and body temperature

The phenotypic and genotypic spectra of ichthyosis with confetti plus novel genetic variation in the 3' end of KRT10: from disease to a syndrome

Ichthyosis with confetti (IWC) is a genodermatosis caused by dominant negative mutations in the gene encoding keratin 10 (KRT10). We investigated clinical and genetic details of a substantial number of patients with IWC in order to define major and minor criteria for diagnosis of this rare disorder.; Parallel clinical investigation of 6 patients with IWC revealed a novel spectrum of phenotypes. We found several features that qualify as major criteria for diagnosis, which are clearly and consistently associated with the condition. These included malformation of ears, hypoplasia of mammillae, and dorsal acral hypertrichosis. Genetic analysis of patients revealed several different frameshift mutations in intron 6 or exon 7 of KRT10. Analysis of this locus in 17 unrelated control individuals revealed 2 novel polymorphisms of KRT10.; We present for the first time to our knowledge the spectrum of clinical variability of IWC in 6 patients with confirmed mutations in KRT10. From this, we have extracted major and minor criteria to aid early and correct clinical diagnosis. Ectodermal malformations, present in all patients, suggest a novel classification of IWC as a syndrome. There is remarkable genetic variation at the IWC disease locus within control individuals from the general population

Assessment of the risk and characterization of non-melanoma skin cancer in Kindler syndrome: study of a series of 91 patients.

BACKGROUND: Kindler Syndrome (KS) is a rare genodermatosis characterized by skin fragility, skin atrophy, premature aging and poikiloderma. It is caused by mutations in the FERMT1 gene, which encodes kindlin-1, a protein involved in integrin signalling and the formation of focal adhesions. Several reports have shown the presence of non-melanoma skin cancers in KS patients but a systematic study evaluating the risk of these tumors at different ages and their potential outcome has not yet been published. We have here addressed this condition in a retrospective study of 91 adult KS patients, characterizing frequency, metastatic potential and body distribution of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in these patients. SCC developed in 13 of the 91 patients. RESULTS: The youngest case arose in a 29-year-old patient; however, the cumulative risk of SCC increased to 66.7% in patients over 60 years of age. The highly aggressive nature of SCCs in KS was confirmed showing that 53.8% of the patients bearing SCCs develop metastatic disease. Our data also showed there are no specific mutations that correlate directly with the development of SCC; however, the mutational distribution along the gene appears to be different in patients bearing SCC from SCC-free patients. The body distribution of the tumor appearance was also unique and different from other bullous diseases, being concentrated in the hands and around the oral cavity, which are areas of high inflammation in this disease. CONCLUSIONS: This study characterizes SCCs in the largest series of KS patients reported so far, showing the high frequency and aggressiveness of these tumors. It also describes their particular body distribution and their relationship with mutations in the FERMT-1 gene. These data reinforce the need for close monitoring of premalignant or malignant lesions in KS patients

A sulfur-based transport pathway in Cu^+-ATPases

Cells regulate copper levels tightly to balance the biogenesis and integrity of copper centers in vital enzymes against toxic levels of copper. P_(IB)‐type Cu^+‐ATPases play a central role in copper homeostasis by catalyzing the selective translocation of Cu^+ across cellular membranes. Crystal structures of a copper‐free Cu^+‐ATPase are available, but the mechanism of Cu^+ recognition, binding, and translocation remains elusive. Through X‐ray absorption spectroscopy, ATPase activity assays, and charge transfer measurements on solid‐supported membranes using wild‐type and mutant forms of the Legionella pneumophila Cu^+‐ATPase (LpCopA), we identify a sulfur‐lined metal transport pathway. Structural analysis indicates that Cu^+ is bound at a high‐affinity transmembrane‐binding site in a trigonal‐planar coordination with the Cys residues of the conserved CPC motif of transmembrane segment 4 (C382 and C384) and the conserved Met residue of transmembrane segment 6 (M717 of the MXXXS motif). These residues are also essential for transport. Additionally, the studies indicate essential roles of other conserved intramembranous polar residues in facilitating copper binding to the high‐affinity site and subsequent release through the exit pathway

A Geographical Overview of the Suez Canal Freight Flows: an Impact on the Mediterranean Sea and the Genoa port

Il canale di Suez, che collega il Mediterraneo al Mar Rosso attraverso l\u2019istmo di Suez, \ue8 una delle vie d\u2019acqua pi\uf9 critica del mondo. Attualmente si configura come un passaggio strategico globale. I punti di strozzatura marittimi rappresentano una questione di rilievo oggi nell\u2019economia globale e nelle spedizioni di merci, in particolare di petrolio e container. Questo lavoro, utilizzando l\u2019approccio tipico della geografia dei trasporti, si propone di evidenziare la rilevanza geo-politica e geo-economica del Canale di Suez a partire dalla sua costruzione fino alla sua recente espansione. In particolare, considera gli effetti del canale sulla nuova centralit\ue0 del Mediterraneo negli scambi marittimi globali. I principali flussi di merci che attraversano il Canale di Suez in entrambe le direzioni sottolineano l\u2019importanza dei porti del Mediterraneo settentrionale e italiani che svolgono funzioni di gateway. L\u2019obiettivo principale dell\u2019articolo \ue8 quello di descrivere come la nuova infrastruttura del Canale sia decisamente rilevante per i porti di accesso del Nord Italia, in particolare concentrandosi su quello di Genova (caratterizzato da significativi traffici da/per Suez). Pertanto l'originalit\ue0 del lavoro consiste nell'indagare sullo specifico ruolo giocato da Suez nelle dinamiche portuali genovesi, grazie al supporto della geografia nell'interpretazione delle recenti evoluzioni dei flussi marittimi mediterranei