Influencia de la dieta con taninos y del almacenamiento refrigerado sobre la calidad sensorial del músculo semitendinosus cocido sous – vide de vaca de refugo

En Argentina, la categoría vaca de refugo se considera un subproducto y se comercializa a bajo valor. Sin embargo, el 50% de los kg vendidos de la producción nacional actual corresponden a la categoría vacuna de hembras. Por un lado, esta situación lleva al sector ganadero a buscar una oportunidad para generar alternativas en la obtención de productos que permitan aumentar su valor. Los taninos son compuestos polifenólicos de origen vegetal usados en la producción bovina como forraje o como suplemento. Estos, en dietas suministradas a rumiantes, permiten mejorar la ganancia de peso diario, son aditivos naturales, no presentan restricciones en su utilización como otros, y podrían impactar positivamente en la calidad de la carne. Por otro lado, en respuesta a la demanda del consumidor de alimentos listos para consumir, uno de los procesos más usados por la industria es el sous-vide (SV), que consiste en “cocción al vacío”, seguido de almacenamiento refrigerado, permitiendo dar un importante agregado de valor al producto. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar el efecto suplementación con taninos en alimentación de vacas de refugo y el tiempo de almacenamiento refrigerado sobre los atributos sensoriales del músculo semitendinosus (SD) procesado mediante cocción SV. Se realizaron dos tratamientos, suplementación con taninos (SCT): ensilaje de sorgo con suplementación energética / proteica con agregado de taninos de quebracho colorado (Schinopsis balansae) a una ración de 2 g/100 g materia seca y suplementación sin taninos (SST): ensilaje de sorgo con suplementación energética / proteica sin agregado de taninos. En cada tratamiento se utilizaron 12 vacas de refugo Hereford (6 mm EGD) faenadas en un frigorífico local. De cada media res izquierda, se tomaron los músculos SD los cuales se envasaron y congelaron. Para el proceso SV, los músculos se descongelaron (1 ± 0,5 °C), se acondicionaron y se envasaron al vacío. La cocción se realizó en un equipo autoclave hasta alcanzar 70 °C - 2 min en el punto de mínimo tratamiento. Posteriormente, se realizó el almacenamiento refrigerado (1 ± 0,5 °C) durante 0, 7, 14 y 21 días. El perfil sensorial del producto cocido se realizó mediante un análisis descriptivo cuantitativo. Los resultados se analizaron estadísticamente mediante análisis de varianza de dos factores y prueba de comparación de medias de Tukey (P0,05) en el flavor, aroma, tejido conectivo y jugosidad. La interacción entre la suplementación y el tiempo de almacenamiento refrigerado resultó significativa para los atributos de terneza inicial y sostenida. No obstante, no se observaron diferencias en estos atributos, para SST y SCT, entre el inicio y el final del tiempo de almacenamiento refrigerado. En general, durante todo el tiempo de almacenamiento refrigerado, los valores de flavor y aroma del producto cocido se mantuvieron en el rango 4 a 5.In Argentina, the cull cow category is considered a by-product and It is sold at a low Price. However, 50% of the kilograms sold of the current national production of beef correspond to the female category. This situation carries the livestock sector to look for an opportunity to generate alternatives to obtain obtaining products that increase the value of this bovine category. Tannins are polyphenolic compounds of vegetable origins used as forage or as a supplement in bovine production. They allow to improve daily weight increase, they are natural additives and they do not have restrictions when they are used like others have. In the diets supplied to ruminants tannins They could have a positive impact on the quality of the meat. On the other hand, in response to consumer demand for ready-to-eat food, one of the options used by industry is the sous vide process (SV), which consists in “vacuum cooking” followed by refrigerated storage which allows to add a huge value to the product. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of tannin supplementation in the cull cow diet and the length of refrigerated storage on the sensory attributes in the semitendinosus muscle (SD) processed through SV cooking technology. Two treatments were carried out, supplementation with tannins (SCT): sorghum silage with energy / protein supplementation of quebracho (Schinopsis balansae) tannins 2 g/100 g dry matter and supplementation without tannins (SST): sorghum silage with energy / protein supplementation without tannins. In each treatment, 12 Hereford cull cows were used and after they reached the desired body condition (6 mm EGD) they were slaughtered in a local slaughterhouse. SD muscles from left side were removed and frozen. For SV processing, SD muscles were thawed (1 ± 0.5°C), conditioned and vacuum packed in bags suitable for cooking. Cooking was carried out in an autoclave until 70°C - 2 min were reached at the product minimum treatment point (PMT). Subsequently, refrigerated storage (1 ± 0.5°C) was carried out for 0, 7, 14 and 21 days. The sensory profile was made through a quantitative descriptive analysis and the results were analyzed statistically for two-factors variance and Tukey’s mean comparison test (level of significance of 0,05). Flavor, aroma, connective tissue and juiciness were not affected (P>0,05). The interaction between supplementation and refrigerated storage time was significant for initial and sustained tenderness attributes. However, no differences were observed between initial and final refrigerated storage time on initial and sustained tenderness. In general, during all the refrigerated storage time, the cooked beef flavor and aroma scores were kept between 4 and 5.EEA ConcordiaFil: Urbani, Valeria Maria. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concordia. Agencia De Extensión Rural Chajarí; ArgentinaFil: Biolatto, Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; Argentina.Fil: Palladino, Pablo Martin. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto Tecnología de Alimentos; Argentin

Evaluación de la calidad sensorial del músculo semitendinosus cocido sous vide de vacas alimentadas a distintas dietas y tratadas con taninos.

El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el efecto de la suplementación con taninos en diferentes dietas bases sobre los atributos sensoriales del músculo Semitendinosus, de vacas de refugo, procesado mediante tecnología de cocción sous vide y conservado durante 21 días a 2 ± 0,5 °C. Se analizaron un total de 48 muestras del músculo Semitendinosus, provenientes de vacas de refugo de raza Hereford. Se realizaron dos ensayos: 24 animales fueron alimentados a campo natural y los 24 restantes fueron alimentados a silo sorgo. En cada uno, los animales se asignaron aleatoriamente a dos tratamientos: T1, dieta base con suplementación energética/proteica con agregado de taninos de quebracho colorado (Schinopsis balansae) y T2, dieta base con suplementación energética/proteica sin agregado de taninos. Luego que los animales alcanzaron una condición corporal igual o mayor a 6 puntos y un espesor de grasa dorsal igual o mayor a 6 mm, se faenaron y se obtuvieron las muestras de carne del músculo Semitendinosus las cuales se envasaron al vacío y se almacenaron a -18°C hasta su procesamiento. Los músculos se sometieron al proceso de cocción-pasteurización sous vide en autoclave con cesto estático. La cocción se finalizó cuando se alcanzó los 70 °C - 2 min en el centro geométrico del músculo. Posteriormente, los mismos se conservaron a 2 ± 0,5 °C durante 21 días y a intervalos de 7 días se tomaron piezas y se almacenaron a - 18°C para su posterior análisis sensorial. El ensayo sensorial se realizó mediante un panel de 8 jueces entrenados utilizando una escala no estructurada de 10 cm para evaluar los atributos flavor, flavores extraños, olor, olores extraños, terneza inicial y sostenida, jugosidad y cantidad de tejido conectivo. Los resultados se analizaron estadísticamente mediante ANOVA. En los casos en lo que se hallaron diferencias significativas se aplicó el test de comparación de medias de Duncan. En el ensayo a campo natural los resultados obtenidos mostraron que la suplementación y el tiempo de almacenamiento no provocaron diferencias significativas (p>0,05) en ninguno de los atributos evaluados. En el ensayo a feedlot los resultados indican que la terneza es afectada por los distintos tratamientos (exceptuando las muestras del tiempo 14). En ambos ensayos no se encontraron diferencias en el resto de los atributos evaluados y la aparición de sabores y olores extraños puede enmascarar alguna variación en los atributos evaluados. Acorde a los resultados obtenidos se puede concluir que la adición de taninos no provocó cambios apreciables en los atributos sensoriales de las muestras estudiadas a campo natural no así en el ensayo a base de granos que se encontraron algunas influencias anteriormente mencionadas. ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding system and of supplementation of tannins on the sensory attributes in the Semitendinosus muscle of cull cow processed by sous vide cooking technology and preserved for 21 days at 2 ± 0.5 °C. A total of 48 samples of semitendinosus muscle, from Hereford breed cows, were analyzed. Twenty four animals were fed to herbage diet and the remaining 24 came from animals fed concentrate. They were randomly assigned to two treatments, T1: base diet with energy / protein supplementation without addition of tannin and T2: base diet with energy / protein supplementation with addition of tannins from quebracho (Schinopsis balansae). The meat samples obtained from semitendinosus muscle were subjected to the process of cooking-pasteurization sous vide in an autoclave with a static basket. The cooking was completed when it reached 70 °C - 2 min in the geometric center of the muscle. Subsequently, they were kept at 2 ± 0.5 ° C for 21 days and at intervals of 7 days’ pieces were taken and stored at -18 °C for their subsequent sensory analysis. The evaluation sensory it was done through 8 trained judges. and it was used an unstructured scale of 10 cm to evaluate the flavor attributes, strange flavors, odor, strange smells, initial and sustained tenderness, juiciness and amount of connective tissue. The results were analyzed statistically by ANOVA. In the cases in which significant differences were found, Duncan's means comparison test was applied. In the herbage diet test, the results obtained showed that supplementation and storage time did not cause significant differences (p> 0.05) in any of the evaluated attributes. In the test to concentrate the results showed that the tenderness is affected by the different treatments. However, in both trials, no differences were found in the rest of the attributes evaluated and the appearance of foreign tastes and smells may mask some variation in the evaluated attributes.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding system and of supplementation of tannins on the sensory attributes in the Semitendinosus muscle of cull cow processed by sous vide cooking technology and preserved for 21 days at 2 ± 0.5 °C. A total of 48 samples of semitendinosus muscle, from Hereford breed cows, were analyzed. Twenty four animals were fed to herbage diet and the remaining 24 came from animals fed concentrate. They were randomly assigned to two treatments, T1: base diet with energy / protein supplementation without addition of tannin and T2: base diet with energy / protein supplementation with addition of tannins from quebracho (Schinopsis balansae). The meat samples obtained from semitendinosus muscle were subjected to the process of cooking-pasteurization sous vide in an autoclave with a static basket. The cooking was completed when it reached 70 °C - 2 min in the geometric center of the muscle. Subsequently, they were kept at 2 ± 0.5 ° C for 21 days and at intervals of 7 days’ pieces were taken and stored at -18 °C for their subsequent sensory analysis. The evaluation sensory it was done through 8 trained judges. and it was used an unstructured scale of 10 cm to evaluate the flavor attributes, strange flavors, odor, strange smells, initial and sustained tenderness, juiciness and amount of connective tissue. The results were analyzed statistically by ANOVA. In the cases in which significant differences were found, Duncan's means comparison test was applied. In the herbage diet test, the results obtained showed that supplementation and storage time did not cause significant differences (p> 0.05) in any of the evaluated attributes. In the test to concentrate the results showed that the tenderness is affected by the different treatments. However, in both trials, no differences were found in the rest of the attributes evaluated and the appearance of foreign tastes and smells may mask some variation in the evaluated attributes.Fil: Urbani, Valeria Maria. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay. Entre Ríos; ArgentinaFil: Biolatto, Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay. Entre Ríos; Argentina.Fil: Carduza, Fernando Jose. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Tecnología de Alimentos; Argentina.Fil: Maitia, Carolina Soledad. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Tecnología de Alimentos; Argentina.Fil: Sanow, Luis Claudio. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Tecnología de Alimentos; Argentina

Influencia de la dieta con taninos y tiempo de almacenamiento refrigerado sobre la calidad sensorial del músculo semitendinosus cocido sous - vide de vaca de refugo

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar el efecto de la suplementación con taninos en la alimentación de vacas de refugo y el tiempo de almacenamiento refrigerado sobre los atributos sensoriales del mús- culo semitendinosus (SD) procesado mediante coc- ción sous-vide (SV). Se utilizaron 24 vacas de refugo (ocho años, 450 kg) distribuidas al azar en dos gru- pos: Suplementación Con Taninos –SCT- (dieta con agregado de taninos de quebracho colorado (Schinopsis balansae) a razón de 80 g/vaca/día) y Suplementación Sin Taninos (SST). Todas las vacas tuvieron acceso a un silo de sorgo de planta entera. El engorde tuvo una duración de 100 días. Las vacas se faenaron en un frigorífico local cuando alcanzaron 6 mm de espesor de grasa dorsal (EGD) y condi- ción corporal mayor a 6 (escala de 1 a 9). De cada media res izquierda se tomó el músculo SD el cual se envasó y se congeló hasta su procesamiento. Para el proceso SV, los músculos se descongelaron (1±0,5°C), se acondicionaron y se envasaron al vacío. La cocción se realizó en un equipo autoclave hasta alcanzar 70°C - 2 min en el punto de mínimo trata- miento. Posteriormente, se realizó el almacena- miento refrigerado (1 ± 0,5°C) durante 0, 7, 14 y 21 días. El perfil sensorial del producto cocido se reali- zó mediante un análisis descriptivo cuantitativo. Los resultados se analizaron estadísticamente mediante análisis de varianza de dos factores y prueba de comparación de medias de Tukey (P0,05) en el flavor, aroma, tejido conectivo y jugosidad. La interacción entre la suplementación y el tiempo de almacenamiento refrigerado resultó significativa para los atributos de terneza inicial y sostenida. No obstante, no se obser- varon diferencias en estos atributos para SST y SCT entre el inicio y el final del tiempo de almacena- miento refrigerado. En general, durante todo el tiempo de almacenamiento refrigerado, los valores de flavor y aroma del producto cocido se mantuvie- ron en el rango 4 a 5.EEA Concepción del UruguayFil: Urbani, Valeria Maria. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay. Entre Ríos; ArgentinaFil: Biolatto, Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay. Entre Ríos; Argentina.Fil: Palladino, Pablo Martin. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto Tecnología de Alimentos (ITA); ArgentinaFil: Vittone, Juan Sebastian. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay. Entre Ríos; ArgentinaFil: Munilla, María Eugenia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay. Entre Ríos; ArgentinaFil: Lado, Martin. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay. Entre Ríos; Argentin

How future surgery will benefit from SARS-COV-2-related measures: a SPIGC survey conveying the perspective of Italian surgeons

COVID-19 negatively affected surgical activity, but the potential benefits resulting from adopted measures remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in surgical activity and potential benefit from COVID-19 measures in perspective of Italian surgeons on behalf of SPIGC. A nationwide online survey on surgical practice before, during, and after COVID-19 pandemic was conducted in March-April 2022 (NCT:05323851). Effects of COVID-19 hospital-related measures on surgical patients' management and personal professional development across surgical specialties were explored. Data on demographics, pre-operative/peri-operative/post-operative management, and professional development were collected. Outcomes were matched with the corresponding volume. Four hundred and seventy-three respondents were included in final analysis across 14 surgical specialties. Since SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, application of telematic consultations (4.1% vs. 21.6%; p < 0.0001) and diagnostic evaluations (16.4% vs. 42.2%; p < 0.0001) increased. Elective surgical activities significantly reduced and surgeons opted more frequently for conservative management with a possible indication for elective (26.3% vs. 35.7%; p < 0.0001) or urgent (20.4% vs. 38.5%; p < 0.0001) surgery. All new COVID-related measures are perceived to be maintained in the future. Surgeons' personal education online increased from 12.6% (pre-COVID) to 86.6% (post-COVID; p < 0.0001). Online educational activities are considered a beneficial effect from COVID pandemic (56.4%). COVID-19 had a great impact on surgical specialties, with significant reduction of operation volume. However, some forced changes turned out to be benefits. Isolation measures pushed the use of telemedicine and telemetric devices for outpatient practice and favored communication for educational purposes and surgeon-patient/family communication. From the Italian surgeons' perspective, COVID-related measures will continue to influence future surgical clinical practice

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Glioblastoma CUSA Fluid Protein Profiling: A Comparative Investigation of the Core and Peripheral Tumor Zones

The present investigation aimed to characterize the protein profile of cavitating ultrasound aspirator fluid of newly diagnosed and recurrent glioblastoma comparing diverse zones of collection, i.e., tumor core and tumor periphery, with the aid of 5-aminolevulinic acid fluorescence. The samples were pooled and analyzed in triplicate by LC-MS following the shotgun proteomic approach. The identified proteins were then grouped to disclose elements exclusive and common to the tumor state or tumor zones and submitted to gene ontology classification and pathway overrepresentation analysis. The proteins common to the distinct zones were further investigated by relative quantitation, following a label free approach, to disclose possible differences of expression. Nine proteins, i.e., tubulin 2B chain, CD59, far upstream element-binding, CD44, histone H1.4, caldesmon, osteopontin, tropomyosin chain and metallothionein-2, marked the core of newly diagnosed glioblastoma with respect to tumor periphery. Considering the tumor zone, including the core and the fluorescence positive periphery, the serine glycine biosynthesis, pentose phosphate, 5-hydroxytryptamine degredation, de novo purine biosynthesis and huntington disease pathways resulted statistically significantly overrepresented with respect to the human genome of reference. The fluorescence negative zone shared several protein elements with the tumor zone, possibly indicating the presence of pathological aspects of glioblastoma rather than of normal brain parenchyma. On the other hand, its exclusive protein elements were considered to represent the healthy zone and, accordingly, exhibiting no pathways overrepresentation. On the contrary to newly diagnosed glioblastoma, pathway overrepresentation was recognized only in the healthy zone of recurrent glioblastoma. The TGFβ signaling pathway, exclusively classified in the fluorescence negative periphery in newly diagnosed glioblastoma, was instead the exclusive pathway classified in the tumor core of recurrent glioblastoma. These results, preliminary obtained on sample pools, demonstrated the potential of cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirate fluid for proteomic profiling of glioblastoma able to distinguish molecular features specific of the diverse tumor zones and tumor states, possibly contributing to the understanding of the highly infiltrative capability and recurrent rate of this aggressive brain tumor and opening to potential clinical applications to be further investigated

The Functional Characteristics of Goat Cheese Microbiota from a One-Health Perspective

Goat cheese is an important element of the Mediterranean diet, appreciated for its health-promoting features and unique taste. A pivotal role in the development of these characteristics is attributed to the microbiota and its continuous remodeling over space and time. Nevertheless, no thorough study of the cheese-associated microbiota using two metaomics approaches has previously been conducted. Here, we employed 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metaproteomics to explore the microbiota of a typical raw goat milk cheese at various ripening timepoints and depths of the cheese wheel. The 16S rRNA gene-sequencing and metaproteomics results described a stable microbiota ecology across the selected ripening timepoints, providing evidence for the microbiologically driven fermentation of goat milk products. The important features of the microbiota harbored on the surface and in the core of the cheese mass were highlighted in both compositional and functional terms. We observed the rind microbiota struggling to maintain the biosafety of the cheese through competition mechanisms and/or by preventing the colonization of the cheese by pathobionts of animal or environmental origin. The core microbiota was focused on other biochemical processes, supporting its role in the development of both the health benefits and the pleasant gustatory nuances of goat cheese

Reactivity to allergenic food contaminants: A study on products on the market

Abstract Background The frequency and severity of reactions in food‐allergic consumers exposed to unintentional food allergen contamination during production is unknown. To warn allergic consumers, it has been suggested for pre‐packaged foods to be precautionary labelled when the food allergen contamination may exceed the amount to which 1%–5% of the population could react (ED01–ED05). ED01 for hazelnut and milk have been estimated at 0.1 and 0.2 mg, respectively, by the Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling (VITAL) initiative. The respective reference doses recommended by the FAO/WHO Codex consultation are 3 and 2 mg. We evaluated the reactivity to potential traces of milk and hazelnut allergens in allergen‐free pre‐packaged products by children affected by severe allergies to milk and hazelnuts. Methods Oral Food Challenges with commercially available hazelnut‐free wafer biscuits and milk‐free chocolate pralines were administered to patients with severe food allergies to hazelnut and cow's milk, respectively. Contamination levels of milk or hazelnut allergens were measured using chromatographic separation interfaced with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Results No hazelnut allergic patient showed allergic reactions to exposure to biscuits, nor any milk allergic patient displayed allergic reactions to the dark chocolate praline. While no hazelnut trace was detected in biscuits, the praline was found to be contaminated by milk at concentrations ranging between 8 and 35 mg total protein/kg food. In our dose model, these amounts exceeded 1.5–10 times the VITAL ED01 and reached the threshold suggested by the FAO/WHO Codex consultation. Conclusions Upon the consumption of food products available on the market, many patients with severe food allergies tolerate significantly higher doses of allergen than reference doses indicated in the VITAL system used for precautionary allergen labelling. These doses support the safety of the FAO/WHO recommended reference doses

Differential effect of lithium on spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase expression in suicidal behaviour.

An altered polyamine system has been suggested to play a key role in mood disorders and suicide, a hypothesis corroborated by the evidence that lithium inhibits the polyamine mediated stress response in the rat brain. Recent post-mortem studies have shown that spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase (SAT1), the key regulator of cellular polyamine content, is under-expressed in brains from suicide victims compared to controls. In our study we tested the effect of in vitro lithium treatment on SAT1 gene and protein expression in B lymphoblastoid cell lines (BLCLs) from bipolar disorder (BD) patients who committed suicide (and for which BLCLs were collected prior to their death), BD patients with high and low risk of suicide and a sample of non-psychiatric controls. Baseline mRNA levels were similar in the four groups of subjects (p > 0.05). Lithium had no effect in suicide completers (p > 0.05) while it significantly increased SAT1 expression in the high risk (p < 0.001) and low risk (p < 0.01) groups as well as in controls (p < 0.001). Protein and mRNA levels were not correlated; lithium significantly reduced protein levels only in the control sample (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that SAT1 transcription is influenced by lithium and that this effect is altered in BD patients who completed suicide, further supporting a role for polyamines in suicide