Cultured neonate rat myocytes as a model for the study of myocardial ischaemic necrosis.

The preparation of cultures of neonate rat heart muscle cells is described. These cultures, when subjected to anoxia, show enzyme release that can be directly related to the uptake of a vital dye such trypan blue. Enzyme release is a valid method of estimating cell necrosis in this model. The survival of anoxic cultures is closely associated with glycolytic activity. Glycolysis rate falls and enzyme release increases as the medium glucose concentration is reduced. If glycolysis is inhibited by either 2-deoxyglucose or L-lactate, enzyme release under anoxic conditions is enhanced. Enzyme release correlates inversely with glycolytic activity and the intracellular ATP content of the cultures. Addition of ATP to anoxic cultures partially ameliorates the effect of the anoxia on enzyme release. Elevation of the calcium content of the culture medium exacerbates the damage caused to cardiac myocytes by anoxic insult. This effect can be obtunded by calcium-antagonist drugs such as verapamil or nifedipine and can be explained in terms of reduction in utilization of intracellular ATP by the anoxic monocytes. These observations indicate that cultured myocytes may represent a useful model of hypoxic injury against which novel pharmacological agents, that may reduce hypoxic or ischaemic injury in vivo, could be evaluated.

Hidden peanut allergens detected in various foods: findings and legal measures.

BACKGROUND: Undeclared allergens in foodstuffs represent a major health problem for sensitized persons. Until recently, most food control authorities were not in the position to monitor hidden allergens and to take legal measures against their presence in foodstuffs. METHODS: In this study, we employed human sera-based immunoassay techniques, enabling semiquantitative detection and identification of peanut allergens in a variety of foodstuffs. RESULTS: This study showed the presence of undeclared allergens in products belonging to various food categories, such as cereals, cookies, cakes, and snacks. The detection limit for peanut contamination was in most instances less than 50 mg peanut material per kg, i.e., less than about 5 mg peanut allergens per kg. We legally objected to products with more than one part per thousand or 1000 mg/kg of peanut contamination. CONCLUSIONS: In most cases, food producers, confronted with our results, were able to detect and eliminate the sources of the contamination. They implemented measures to prevent the presence of hidden peanut allergens in their products, increasing food safety for sensitized persons and overall food quality.