Characterization of celiac disease related oat proteins: bases for the development of high quality oat varieties suitable for celiac patients.

Some studies have suggested that the immunogenicity of oats depends on the cultivar. RP-HPLC has been proposed as a useful technique to select varieties of oats with reduced immunogenicity. The aim of this study was to identify both the avenin protein patterns associated with low gluten content and the available variability for the development of new non-toxic oat cultivars. The peaks of alcohol-soluble avenins of a collection of landraces and cultivars of oats have been characterized based on the RP-HPLC elution times. The immunotoxicity of oat varieties for patients with celiac disease (CD) has been tested using a competitive ELISA based on G12 monoclonal antibody. The oat lines show, on average, seven avenin peaks giving profiles with certain similarities. Based on this similarity, most of the accessions have been grouped into avenin patterns. The variability of RP-HPLC profiles of the collection is great, but not sufficient to uniquely identify the different varieties of the set. Overall, the immunogenicity of the collection is less than 20 ppm. However, there is a different distribution of toxicity ranges between the different peak patterns. We conclude that the RP-HPLC technique is useful to establish groups of varieties differing in degree of toxicity for CD patients.

Determination and applications of the molar absorptivity of phenolic adducts with captopril and mesna.

Captopril and mesna are molecules with a free thiol group, used as active ingredients due to their hypotensor and mucolytic properties, respectively. These compounds cross the hematoencephalic barrier and, due to the reactivity of their thiol group, can form adducts with the o-quinones formed during the oxidation of mono- and o-diphenols. Polyphenol oxidase from plants and fungi can be used as a tool for generating o-quinones in their action on o-diphenols and facilitate the formation of adducts in the presence of captopril or mesna. The spectrophotometric characterization of these adducts is useful from several points of view. Here, using the end-point method, which involves the exhaustion of oxygen in the medium, we determined the molar absorptivity of the adducts of different o-diphenols with captopril and mesna. Besides the analytical interest of this approach, we also use it to make a kinetic characterization of polyphenol oxidase as it acts on o-diphenolic substrates that produce unstable o-quinones.

[Vaccine coverage after integration of a vaccination program in a health center]. / Estudio de la cobertura vacunal tras la integración de un programa de vacunaciones en un centro de salud.

OBJECTIVE: To find the variation in the vaccinal coverage of two-year old children after incorporating the vaccination programme into the Health Centre's activities. DESIGN: An analytical observation study of cases and check-ups. SETTING: Primary Care. An urban Health Centre in Badajoz. PATIENTS: Two random samples of 150 children. The Study Group (SG) was composed of children who began their vaccinations at the Health Centre after the incorporation of the vaccination programme. The Control Group (CG) was made up of children who were over 18 months old at the start of the vaccinal programme (October 1990) and therefore received their vaccinations outside the Health Centre. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: 84.8% of the CG childrens correctly completed the vaccination programme as against 98.7% of the SG (p < 0.01). 99.3% of the SG children had the triple viral vaccination as against 95.2% of the CG (p < 0.05). 99.3% of the SG completed three DTP-Polio vaccinations as against 93.1% CG (p < 0.01). And 98.7% SG had four DT-Polio as against 86.9% CG (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The level of vaccinal coverage of the under-two population improved after the vaccination programme was incorporated into the Health Centre's activities, data which supports the usefulness and appropriateness of such a programme.