Correlation between QUS of Phalanx and DXA in Assessment of Bone Structure of Postmenopausal Women

This study planned for finding the agreement DXA and quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of phalanx in osteoporosis diagnosis and cut off point of QUS for osteoporosis diagnosis in postmenopausal women. In 180 postmenopausal women, BMD of axial regions with DXA (DPX-MD, GE, Lunar, USA) and phalanx with QUS (DBM-Sonic 1200) measured. Agreement of methods and cut off for QUS in defining osteoporosis obtained. Prevalence of osteoporosis with DXA was 28.8% (18.3% in L2-L4 and 3.9%-7.8% in femoral regions) and in 28.9% with QUS. Agreement of them (Kappa score) was 0.317 for spine and 0.036-0.068 for femoral regions. T-score= -2.0 was the cut off of QUS in spinal osteoporosis diagnosis (sensitivity=78.8% and specificity= 55.9%). We could not find cutoff point for osteoporosis in femoral regions. This means that QUS of phalanx is not a good replacement for DXA, but it can be used as a screening method for osteoporosis

Application of ozone for degradation of mycotoxins in food: A review

Mycotoxins such as aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA) fumonisins (FMN), deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN), and patulin are stable at regular food process practices. Ozone (O3 ) is a strong oxidizer and generally considered as a safe antimicrobial agent in food industries. Ozone disrupts fungal cells through oxidizing sulfhydryl and amino acid groups of enzymes or attacks the polyunsaturated fatty acids of the cell wall. Fusarium is the most sensitive mycotoxigenic fungi to ozonation followed by Aspergillus and Penicillium. Studies have shown complete inactivation of Fusarium and Aspergillus by O3 gas. Spore germination and toxin production have also been reduced after ozone fumigation. Both naturally and artificially, mycotoxin-contaminated samples have shown significant mycotoxin reduction after ozonation. Although the mechanism of detoxification is not very clear for some mycotoxins, it is believed that ozone reacts with the functional groups in the mycotoxin molecules, changes their molecular structures, and forms products with lower molecular weight, less double bonds, and less toxicity. Although some minor physicochemical changes were observed in some ozone-treated foods, these changes may or may not affect the use of the ozonated product depending on the further application of it. The effectiveness of the ozonation process depends on the exposure time, ozone concentration, temperature, moisture content of the product, and relative humidity. Due to its strong oxidizing property and corrosiveness, there are strict limits for O3 gas exposure. O3 gas has limited penetration and decomposes quickly. However, ozone treatment can be used as a safe and green technology for food preservation and control of contaminants