Oil Characteristics of Four Palestinian Olive Varieties.

Olive oil represents an important source of income for Palestinian farmers in local, national and international markets. Sometimes, olive oil produced in local climatic conditions, does not achieve the International Olive Council (IOC) trade standards so that international markets are precluded. The oil chemical composition and sensory profile of four Palestinian olive varieties (Nabali Baladi, Nabali Mohassan, Souri and K18) were characterized in 2010 throughout an in situ evaluation. Most of the physicchemical characteristics and the fatty acid composition of the varieties met the International Olive Council trade standards (IOC-TS) for extra virgin olive oils. Values of K270 for Nabali Baladi and linolenic acid for Souri slightly exceeded the limit. Eicosanoic acid exceeded the IOC-TS limits in the oils of all considered varieties. Among the sterols, the Δ-7-stigmastenol resulted too high for Nabali Baladi and Souri. Sensory profile for the tested varieties showed a reminiscence of tomato or artichoke and light to medium bitter and pungent sensations. Results represent an important baseline reference for further studies about oil composition and quality of the main Palestinian olive germplasm and provide indication of potential critical points to be controlled in order to ensure the full achievement of IOC-TS and access international markets.

Congenital neonatal chylothorax with hydrops fetalis treated with octreotide.

Congenital idiopathic chylothorax is the most common form of pleural effusion in neonates. It results from collection of lymphatic fluid in the pleural space secondary to leakage from the thoracic duct or one of its main tributaries. Chylothorax complicated by hydrops fetalis in a premature or term infant is an uncommon, serious clinical problem. We report on two cases with congenital chylothorax both treated with octreotide. One of the cases responded well to octreotide treatment, while the other did not. We conclude that octreotide should be considered in the treatment of neonatal chylothorax.