Evaluation of Anthocyanin Profiles in Various Blackcurrant Cultivars over a Three-Year Period Using a Fast HPLC-DAD Method.

Anthocyanins are the most important polyphenolic substances contained in blackcurrant fruits. They are responsible for the various health benefits caused, in particular, by their high antioxidant activity. Anthocyanins derived from anthocyanidins cyanidin and delphinidin are typical for blackcurrant fruits, especially their rutinoside and glucoside forms. These four anthocyanins usually represent about 97-98% of total anthocyanins in blackcurrant fruits. In this study, we developed and validated a new HPLC-DAD method for rapid anthocyanin separation and determination in fifteen perspective blackcurrant cultivars ('Ruben', 'Ben Lomond', 'Ben Conan', 'Ceres', 'Moravia', 'Ometa', 'Lota', 'Fokus', 'Tenah', 'Sejanec', 'Consort', 'Triton', 'Ben Hope', 'Ben Gairn', and one gooseberry hybrid 'Josta'). Eight of them were monitored throughout the three-year experiment. The most represented anthocyanins in all monitored blackcurrant cultivars were delphinidin-3-rutinoside (36.7-63.6%), cyanidin-3-rutinoside (26.4-40.6%), delphinidin-3-glucoside (6.1-17.9%), and cyanidin-3-glucoside (1.3-9.9%). The individual anthocyanin proportion (%) in each cultivar was specific, and a similar profile was verified in a three-year period for eight available cultivars. Total anthocyanin content expressed as a sum of four major anthocyanins present in blackcurrants was compared with values expressed as the equivalent of cyanidin-3-glucoside, as many authors do. We revealed an underestimation of about 20% with the latter method. Cultivars with the highest average total anthocyanin content were 'Ben Gairn' (294.38 mg/100 g), 'Ceres' (281.31 mg/100 g), and 'Ometa' (269.09 mg/100 g).

Effect of variety on content of bioactive phenolic compounds in common elder (Sambucus nigra L.).

The inflorescence of common elder (Sambucus nigra L., Adoxaceae) is known to be rich in phenolic compounds. The content of five selected phenolic compounds (rutin, chlorogenic acid, isoquercitrin, isorhamnetin-3-O- rutinoside and dicaffeoylquinic acid) was determined in methanolic extracts from flowers and floral stems by HPLC in samples obtained from 20 varieties of S. nigra cultivated in Czech Republic. In all samples, there were determined rutin (11-54 mg/g), chlorogenic acid (23-46 mg/g), isoquercitrin (0.6-18 mg/g), isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside (3-10 mg/g), calculated on air-dried material. The content of dicaffeoylquinic acid was 0-13 mg/g of air-dried material. The amount of the analysed compounds in floral stems was lower than the flowers. The results are a unique set of information on the content of main phenolics in the inflorescence of cultured elderberry varieties.

The attitude of Czech dental patients to the use of rubber dam.

BACKGROUND: The most frequent arguments against rubber dam are that patients generally do not like it and the prolonged time of treatment. However, according to several studies, the attitude of patients towards rubber dam is rather positive. OBJECTIVE: To find out the attitudes of patients to treatment with rubber dam; to determine influence of the circumstances of treatment or factors about patients; and to establish a mean time needed for rubber dam placement. DESIGN: A questionnaire survey. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients of general dental practitioners, university clinical specialists and undergraduate dental students. RESULTS: A total of 179 questionnaires were distributed, from which 150 were returned. The mean time needed for rubber dam placement was 4 min for students and < 2 min for dentists. For 56% of patients, this had been their first experience with rubber dam. A total of 77% of patients indicated a higher level of comfort during treatment with rubber dam. A preference to the future rubber dam usage was indicated by 86% of patients. The preference to the further rubber dam usage was statistically significantly affected by the level of comfort during the treatment with rubber dam (P < 0.001) and by the sufficiency of explanation of reasons for rubber dam usage (P < 0.05). The other factors presented no statistically significant influence on patients' attitude to rubber dam usage. CONCLUSIONS: The attitude of patients to rubber dam was rather positive in our study. The time needed for rubber dam application was rather short.