Analytical determination of the suitability of different processes for the treatment of odorous waste gas.

In order to determine the efficiency of different treatment systems for the reduction of odorous emissions, a gas chromatographic method followed by simultaneous mass spectrometry and olfactometry (GC-MS/O) was developed. Samples from a coffee bean roasting and a fat and oil processing plant were analyzed, respectively. The results were compared with the data obtained by olfactometric measurements. At a coffee bean roasting plant, cooling gases were analyzed prior to and after treatment in a full scale bioscrubber. The GC-MS/O analysis showed that the amounts of aldehydes and ketones decreased after treatment of cooling gases of coffee bean roasting in the bioscrubber, whereas the contents of the heterocyclic compounds, like pyridine and the pyrazines, and acetophenone and guaiacol remained almost unchanged. The amounts of dimethyl disulfide, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, and the carboxylic acids increased after bioscrubber treatment. Furthermore, the performance of each stage of a combined experimental plant for the treatment of exhaust air of fat and oil processing was investigated. This treatment plant consisted of a bioscrubber, a biofilter, and an activated carbon adsorber. The important odor-active compounds of the exhaust air of fat and oil processing were the typical fat oxidation products (aldehydes, ketones) and with lower importance 2-pentylfuran, a few terpenes and aromates. Again, the key odor-active compounds, aldehydes and ketones, were degraded in the bioscrubber. Further degradation of aliphatic, unsaturated, methylated, and cyclic alkanes, as well as aromates, terpenes, and furans by the biofilter was observed. After the last treatment stage, the activated carbon filter, only small amounts of aliphatic, unsaturated, methylated, and cyclic alkanes and aromates remained in the waste gas. For both applications, the results of the developed GC-MS/O method correlated very well with olfactometric measurements.

Dependence of tocopherol stability on different cooking procedures of food.

The influence of the kind of treatment during the preparation of hot meals (roasting, baking, stewing) on the stability of the tocopherols, which were added to the food through the margarines used, were examined in different food matrices. All preparation methods resulted in a loss of tocopherols. They could be divided into a group of only small loss of tocopherols (lower than 20%) and into a second group with nearly 70% loss of tocopherols (roasting of meat, steaming of peas). In the first group losses of tocopherols were directly associated with the fatty acid patterns of the used margarines, especially with the share of polyunsaturated fatty acids. On the other hand, during the roasting of meat nearly 70% of the tocopherols were destroyed by direct oxidation without a prohibitive effect on the lipid oxidation. The extreme high loss of tocopherols during the steaming of peas may be caused by the catalytic effect of the metal surface of the used pot. There were no losses of tocopherols observed when the experiments were repeated under identical conditions in an inert glass pot. Only tocopherol losses during baking may have a nutritional importance because of the great fat amount which are taken in with cookies.

Determination of the IgE-binding activity of soy lecithin and refined and non-refined soybean oils.

In the present study refined and non-refined soybean oils as well as soy lecithins were investigated for residual allergenicity and compared with extracts from native soybeans. By means of immunoblotting and EAST inhibition experiments no IgE-binding activity was detectable in refined soybean oils, which is probably due to thermal treatment during the refining. The investigated non-refined oils and soy lecithins showed a residual IgE-binding activity. In addition in the lecithin extracts a new IgE-binding structure with a molecular mass of approximately 16 kDa was detectable.

Characterization of cross-reacting allergens in mango fruit.

BACKGROUND: Allergic reactions to mango fruit have become increasingly important. A cross-reaction between mango fruit, various other foods, and respiratory allergens has been assumed but not investigated until now. METHODS: The sera of nine patients were used to characterize cross-reacting allergens in mango fruits by EAST inhibition and immunoblot inhibition. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: EAST inhibition and immunoblot inhibition demonstrated that cross-reactions between mango fruits, mugwort pollen, birch pollen, celery, and carrot are based on allergens related to Bet v 1 and Art v 1, the major allergens of birch and mugwort pollen, respectively.

Evaluation of ozonated oxygen in an experimental animal model of osteomyelitis as a further treatment option for skull-base osteomyelitis.

The standard treatment of chromic skull-base osteomyelitis is antibiotics and surgical removal of sequestrums. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been found to be a useful method for managing refractory cases of chronic osteomyelitis. Since a minimal blood supply is needed for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, chronic osteomyelitis can produce necrotic infected areas that are not nutrified and therefore not assessable for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Ozone is known to be an oxidizing medium with a strong bactericidal effect. We investigated the influence of locally applied ozonated oxygen on the development of chronic osteomyelitis in an experimental animal model using the femur of the rabbit. The proximal sides of the femurs of 40 rabbits were prepared and a needle inserted into the intramedullary cavity. Osteomyelitis was induced with an infusion of Staphylococcus aureus and sodium morrhuate into the bone. The needle was left in a intramedular location. After a 4-week delay animals were randomly separated into treatment and control groups. The infected femur of treated animals was flushed three times a day with 20 ml of ozonated oxygen at an ozone concentration of 107 micrograms/ml O2 over periods of 2 or 4 weeks. Clinical, radiographic and microbiological findings were documented. Chronic osteomyelitis occurred in all animals. Ten rabbits were excluded from further study during the investigation because of excessive weight loss (> 15% of the original weight). Bacterial cultures showed no significant reduction of S. aureus concentrations in the ozone-treated group, although comparison of radiographic results revealed less serious osteomyelitis-related bone damage in these animals (P < 0.01). These findings indicate that refractory osteomyelitis in the head and neck may benefit from locally applied "flush" therapy with ozonated oxygen in addition to treatment with antibiotics, surgery and hyperbaric oxygen.

Contents of trans-fatty acids in human substernal adipose tissue and plasma lipids: relation to angiographically documented coronary heart disease.

The contents of trans-fatty acid (TFA) isomers of human substernal adipose tissue and plasma lipids (cholesterol esters, triacylglycerols, phospholipids), obtained from patients with angiographically documented coronary heart disease (CHD group; n = 24) and from controls (excluded CHD; n = 25), were determined by capillary gas chromatography. No significant difference (P <0.05) could be observed between cases (2.59 +/- 33%) and controls (2.79 +/- 0.76%) with regard to adipose tissue total TFA contents (expressed as proportion of all identified fatty acid methyl esters). The total adipose tissue TFA content reflected the dietary TFA intake, which was estimated by dietary questionnaires. Both groups showed significant differences in several isomeric plasma lipid TFA. Cases generally had a tendency to lower individual TFA contents.

[Endosonography of the pharynx]. / Endosonographie des Pharynx.

BACKGROUND: Endosonography is a diagnostic tool for the examination of tumors of the oral cavity. The pharynx is usually not assessable for conventional endosonography due to problems with the placement of the probe in deeper areas of the pharynx. PATIENTS: A fingertop ultrasonography probe was combined with a stick allowing the user to locate the probe in deeper areas of the pharynx. The stick had two flexible joints and a device for attaching the probe in the front. We evaluated 48 patients with tumors of the posterior wall of the pharynx (n = 6), lateral wall of the pharynx (n = 7), tonsil (n = 17), sinus piriformis (n = 13), and nasopharynx (n = 5) during preoperative tumor endoscopy under general anesthesia. Thirty-two patients suspected of having a tonsillar abscess were examined under local anesthesia. RESULTS: The evaluation of the tumor dissemination and the determination of the relationship between the tumor and the internal carotid artery was excellent for tumors of the posterior and lateral wall of the pharynx. The investigation of tumors of the sinus piriformis and the nasopharynx was difficult and tumor growth could not be determined normally with endosonography. In four cases, retropharyngeal lymph nodes could be detected. The sensitivity for the diagnosis of tonsillar abscesses was 84%. CONCLUSION: Endosonography of the deeper areas of the pharynx seems to be a useful instrument for investigating growth of tumors at the lateral and posterior wall of the pharynx. Endosonographic results might be helpful for deciding between endoscopic and external approaches. Endosonography is not sufficiently sensitive for diagnosing tonsillar abscesses, but might be helpful in clinically difficult cases.

[Effect of feeding rapeseed oil to dairy cows on the fatty acid composition of butterfat]. / Zur Wirkung von Rapsölfütterung an Milchkühe auf das Fettsäurenspektrum des Butterfettes.

Butter is rich in lauric, myristic, and palmitic acids which are assumed to be hypercholesterolemic. The replacement of usual dietary fat by rapeseed oil induces a serum cholesterol decrease. The objective of the study consisted in measuring the influence of feeding different amounts of full-fat rapeseed or oil-rich rapeseed cake to dairy cows to improve the fatty acid composition of milk fat. The results demonstrate a significant increase of iodine number and spreadability of butter. The percentage of lauric+myristic+palmitic acid (LMP) decreased by about 18% of whole fatty acids. Stearic and oleic acid increased significantly but the percentage of trans octadecenoic acid increased too. It can be concluded that the special butter has a nutritionally improved fat characterized by an increase of cholesterol-lowering fatty acids (C18 and C18:1) and a decline of cholesterol-elevating fatty acids (LMP).

[Electrostimulation-induced stapedius reflex. Presentation of a standardized procedure and results of clinical studies]. / Der elektrotaktil ausgelöste Stapediusreflex. Darstellung eines standardisierten Verfahrens und Ergebnisse klinischer Untersuchungen.

The electro-tactile elicitation of the stapedius muscle reflex is well known but not used in clinical practice. Despite a complex reflex pathway in the brainstem, correlations between reflex parameters and neurological impairments are still possible. We have developed a method for eliciting the electro-tactile stapedius muscle reflex and automatic analysis of different reflex parameters by using an analog-digital converter and a personal computer-integrated signal analysis system. Clinical investigations were carried out with a group of 55 healthy persons (control group), 13 patients with central facial palsies, 51 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS group) and 24 patients with absent acoustic-stapedius muscle reflexes. Findings demonstrated that the latency between stimulus and beginning of the reflex (L1) was significantly longer in the MS group compared with the control group. The best parameter for dividing the MS group into groups with different disability scores was S, which was the parameter for the increase in the L1 growth curve at different stimulus levels. Reproduction of the parameter S in repeated tests with different locations of the stimulus-electrode was excellent.

[Intake of trans-isomeric fatty acids--an evaluation on the basis of data of the national consumption study in 1991]. / Aufnahme trans-isomerer Fettsäuren--Eine Abschätzung auf Basis der Daten der nationalen Verzehrsstudie 1991.

The intake of trans octadecenoic acids is estimated by a national consumption assay. The daily intake in West Germany differs between 3.4 g for women and 4.1 g for men. The consumption of trans fatty acids decreased in the last years, due to the progress in food technology and changes in nutritional habits. The main sources of trans fatty acids are partially hydrogenated vegetable fats just as well as ruminant and dairy fats.

[The effect of various pH values on in vitro peptic digestion of proteins in the presence of Cu2 ions]. / Zum Einflubeta verschiedener pH-Werte auf die peptische in vitro-Verdauung von Proteinen in Gegenwart von Cu2+-Ionen

Studies were carried out to investigate the effect of different pH values on the peptic digestion of soya protein in the presence and in the absence of Cu2+ ions. The studies were performed in vitro at a pH of 2.2 and 3.2, with 2.96 X 10(-5) mole of Cu2+ ions present in 11 of the reaction mixture. The reaction was carried out in a digestion apparatus permitting dialysis of the cleavage products. Different parameters were used as criteria of digestion, viz. the quantity of N contained in the reaction vessel (residue) and in the resulting dialysis products as determined by Kjehldahl microanalysis and automatic amino acid analysis, the proportions of digestion products found in the different molecular ranges after partition of Sephadex G 75 and the composition of amino acids in the cleavage products. From the distribution of the reaction products on the residue and dialysis products and on the different molecular ranges it was found that additions of Cu2+ ions at pH 2.2 produced a considerable inhibition of digestion. With a rise in pH to 3.2 peptic digestion decreased even without the addition of Cu2+. Supplementation of Cu2+ ions produced only a slight additional effect in the molecular range termed "exclusion limit". In the case of the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine it was found that an increase in pH changed the composition of peptides within the different molecular ranges. Additions of Cu2+ had no influence on the amino acid composition.