LC-DAD/ESI-MS/MS study of phenolic compounds in ash (Fraxinus excelsior L. and F. americana L.) heartwood. Effect of toasting intensity at cooperage.

The phenolic composition of heartwood extracts from Fraxinus excelsior L. and F. americana L., both before and after toasting in cooperage, was studied using LC-DAD/ESI-MS/MS. Low-molecular weight (LMW) phenolic compounds, secoiridoids, phenylethanoid glycosides, dilignols and oligolignols compounds were detected, and 48 were identified, or tentatively characterized, on the basis of their retention time, UV/Vis and MS spectra, and MS fragmentation patterns. Some LMW phenolic compounds like protocatechuic acid and aldehyde, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol, were unlike to those for oak wood, while ellagic and gallic acid were not found. The toasting of wood resulted in a progressive increase in lignin degradation products with regard to toasting intensity. The levels of some of these compounds in medium-toasted ash woods were much higher than those normally detected in toasted oak, highlighting vanillin levels, thus a more pronounced vanilla character can be expected when using toasted ash wood in the aging wines. Moreover, in seasoned wood, we found a great variety of phenolic compounds which had not been found in oak wood, especially oleuropein, ligstroside and olivil, along with verbascoside and isoverbascoside in F. excelsior, and oleoside in F. americana. Toasting mainly provoked their degradation, thus in medium-toasted wood, only four of them were detected. This resulted in a minor differentiation between toasted ash and oak woods. The absence of tannins in ash wood, which are very important in oak wood, is another peculiar characteristic that should be taken into account when considering its use in cooperage.

Folie à trois: a propósito de un caso / Folie à trois: a case report

El trastorno de ideas delirantes inducidas se caracteriza por síntomas psicóticos similares, comúnmente ideas delirantes, en 2 o más individuos que mantienen una relación cercana. Este trabajo describe y analiza un caso de delirio compartido de persecución entre 3 personas; la paciente, su hija y su yerno. El delirio compartido entre madre e hija se inicia tras la separación matrimonial de la paciente hace 6 años, a lo que se añade el tercer implicado, el yerno, unos días antes del ingreso de nuestra paciente en la unidad de hospitalización breve de psiquiatría de nuestro hospital. Realizamos una breve revisión bibliográfica sobre los aspectos psicopatológicos y terapéuticos de esta entidad (AU)

Shared psychotic disorder is characterized by the presence of similar psychotic symptoms, usually delusional ideas, in 2 or more individuals maintaining a close relationship. In this report, we aim to describe and analyze a case of induced delusional disorder affecting three people: the patient, her daughter andher son-in law. Shared delusional disorder between mother and daughter had started 6 years previously, following the patient’s divorce. The son-in law became involved as a third component a few days before the patient was admitted to the short-stay psychiatric unit of our hospital. We provide a brief literature review of the psychopathologic and therapeutic aspects of this entity (AU)

Volatile compounds in acacia, chestnut, cherry, ash, and oak woods, with a view to their use in cooperage.

Extracts of wood from acacia, European ash, American ash, chestnut, cherry, and three oak species (Quercus pyrenaica, Quercus alba and Quercus petraea) before and after toasting in cooperage were studied by GC-MS. 110 compounds were detected, and 97 of them were identified. In general, all studied woods showed more lignin derivatives than lipid and carbohydrate derivatives, with a higher variety of compounds detected and abundance of them. The toasting led to an increase in the concentrations of most of these compounds, and this increase is especially important in acacia, chestnut and ash woods. The cis and trans isomers of beta-methyl-gamma-octalactone and isobutyrovanillone were only detected in oak wood, 3,4-dimethoxyphenol and 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde only in acacia wood, and p-anisaldehyde and benzylsalicylate only in cherry wood, before and after toasting, and these compounds could be considered chemical markers for each one of these woods. Moreover, each wood has a characteristic volatile composition, from a quantitative point of view, and therefore we can expect a characteristic sensorial profile. The oak wood turned out to be the most balanced, since although it provides a lot of volatile compounds to the aroma and flavor of aged wine, it can do so without masking their primary and secondary aroma. On the whole, toasted acacia and chestnut woods showed a very high richness of studied compounds, as lignin as lipid and carbohydrate derivatives, while cherry and ash were much richer than toasted oak wood in lignin derivatives, but much poorer in lipid and carbohydrate derivatives.