Decongestive effects of levosimendan in cardiogenic shock induced by postpartum cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Catecholamines and/or levosimendan have been proposed for haemodynamic restoration during cardiogenic shock (CS). In CS induced by post-partum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), levosimendan might be particularly favourable. The aim of this study was to evaluate the haemodynamic and echocardiographic effects of levosimendan in patients with CS, in particular in patients with PPCM-induced CS. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with refractory CS were retrospectively included in the study. Among them, a cohort of 8 women with PPCM-induced CS was included. All patients were treated with levosimendan (loading dose followed by a continuous infusion for 24 h) and were invasively monitored, including a pulmonary artery catheter, for 48hours. Echocardiographic measurements were performed at baseline and during follow-up. RESULTS: Significant improvements in haemodynamic parameters were observed 48 h after starting levosimendan. The cardiac index increased (+1.2±0.6L/min, P<0.001) and filling pressures decreased (pulmonary artery occlusion pressure, PAOP: -11.2±4.3mmHg, P<0.001; right-atrial pressure, RAP: -6.1±4.9mmHg, P<0.001). The left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly higher at 48 h compared to baseline (38% [34-46%] versus 27% [22-30%], P<0.001). Despite similar characteristics at baseline, in the subgroup of patients with PPCM, more profound decongestive effects at 48hours were observed: PAOP (13±2 versus 17±4mmHg, P=0.007) and RAP (12±4 versus 17±4mmHg, P=0.006) were significantly lower in the PPCM subgroup compared to the non-PPCM subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Haemodynamics and left-ventricular ejection fraction rapidly improved after treatment with levosimendan. In patients with PPCM-induced CS, a more profound reduction of congestion was observed.

Acute heart failure and cardiogenic shock: a multidisciplinary practical guidance.

PURPOSE: Acute heart failure (AHF) causes high burden of mortality, morbidity, and repeated hospitalizations worldwide. This guidance paper describes the tailored treatment approaches of different clinical scenarios of AHF and CS, focusing on the needs of professionals working in intensive care settings. RESULTS: Tissue congestion and hypoperfusion are the two leading mechanisms of end-organ injury and dysfunction, which are associated with worse outcome in AHF. Diagnosis of AHF is based on clinical assessment, measurement of natriuretic peptides, and imaging modalities. Simultaneously, emphasis should be given in rapidly identifying the underlying trigger of AHF and assessing severity of AHF, as well as in recognizing end-organ injuries. Early initiation of effective treatment is associated with superior outcomes. Oxygen, diuretics, and vasodilators are the key therapies for the initial treatment of AHF. In case of respiratory distress, non-invasive ventilation with pressure support should be promptly started. In patients with severe forms of AHF with cardiogenic shock (CS), inotropes are recommended to achieve hemodynamic stability and restore tissue perfusion. In refractory CS, when hemodynamic stabilization is not achieved, the use of mechanical support with assist devices should be considered early, before the development of irreversible end-organ injuries. CONCLUSION: A multidisciplinary approach along the entire patient journey from pre-hospital care to hospital discharge is needed to ensure early recognition, risk stratification, and the benefit of available therapies. Medical management should be planned according to the underlying mechanisms of various clinical scenarios of AHF.

[Treatment of atrial fibrillation in intensive care units and emergency departments]. / Behandlung von Vorhofflimmern in der Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in patients hospitalized in intensive care units and emergency departments and is associated with an increased morbidity and mortality. In critically ill patients, atrial fibrillation can cause hemodynamic instability and cardiogenic shock. The mechanisms and the management of atrial fibrillation are significantly different in critically ill patients compared to outpatients. DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT: The initial management includes the evaluation of the hemodynamic consequences of new-onset atrial fibrillation and the optimization of reversible causes. In patients with hemodynamic instability the rapid restoration of an adequate perfusion pressure is the initial goal. Often, a rapid conversion in sinus rhythm is required to achieve hemodynamic stabilization. Electrical cardioversion, if possible performed after pretreatment with an antiarrhythmic drug to increase the success rate, frequently plays a central role in the conversion to sinus rhythm of hemodynamically unstable patients. Stable patients are initially treated with a short-acting intravenous ß-blocker to achieve heart rate control. A conversion to sinus rhythm may be achieved pharmacologically with vernakalant, an atrial-specific multichannel blocker. EVALUATION: All patients with atrial fibrillation lasting more than 48 h should be evaluated for anticoagulation in order to reduce cardio-embolic complications. After recovering from the acute illness, atrial fibrillation persists only in a minority of patients.

Development and characterization of essential oil component-based polymer films: a potential approach to reduce bacterial biofilm.

The development of new polymeric materials aimed to control the bacterial biofilm appears to be an important practical approach. The goal of the present study was to prepare and characterize poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) copolymer (EVA) films containing citronellol, eugenol, and linalool and evaluate their efficiency on growth and biofilm formation of Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in monospecies and dual species. The results showed that the addition of oil components influenced the elastic modulus (15 % decrease), the tensile stress (30 % decrease), the elongation at break (10 % increase), and the contact angle values (10-20° decrease) while leaving the homogeneity of the surface unaltered. Among the polymeric films, EVA + citronellol and EVA + eugenol at 7 wt% had the best inhibitory effect. After 24-48 h of incubation, EVA + citronellol was more effective against the growth (30-60 % reduction) than EVA + eugenol (15-30 % inhibition). However, this inhibition decreased after 240 h of incubation. On the contrary, the biofilm evaluation revealed a strong inhibition trend also after prolonged incubation time: the amount of biomass per square centimeter formed on copolymer with oil components was significantly less (40-70 % decrease) than that on pure copolymer control for L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, and E. coli. When polymeric materials were simultaneously inoculated with combinations of S. aureus and E. coli, the biomass accumulated was higher for EVA + citronellol and lower for EVA + eugenol than that in monoculture biofilm. The findings were similar to the results obtained by 2,3-bis[2-methyloxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl]-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide assay that measures the metabolic activity of viable cells.

Study on carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde polymeric films: mechanical properties, release kinetics and antibacterial and antibiofilm activities.

Polyethylene-co-vinylacetate (EVA) films with different concentrations (3.5 wt% and 7 wt%) of essential oil constituents, carvacrol or cinnamaldehyde, were prepared and characterized by mechanical, antibacterial and antibiofilm properties. The incorporation of the compounds into copolymer films affected their elastic modulus, tensile stress and elongation at break. Carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde act as plasticizers which reduce the intermolecular forces of polymer chains, thus improving the flexibility and extensibility of the film. The analysis of the surface characteristics demonstrated that essential oil constituents lowered the contact angle values without causing any remarkable variation of the surface roughness. The films allowed progressive diffusion of the bioactive molecules and the kinetic of release was correlated with the damaging effect on bacterial growth. The kill curves proved that the film with essential oil constituents (7 wt%) had a significant bactericidal effect (reduction of 4 and 2 log CFU) against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and a bacteriostatic effect against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Listeria monocytogenes (reduction of about 1 log CFU). With regard to biofilm formation the biomass formed on polymeric films surface was significantly reduced if compared with the pure copolymer control. The results were confirmed by fluorescence microscopy images by Live/dead staining. The reduction in the surface tension coupled to an inherent bactericidal property of carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde could in turn affect the initial attachment phase of bacteria and compromise the normal biofilm development.

[The medical emergency department in a Swiss regional hospital: the important role of generalists]. / Die medizinische Notfallstation in der Schweiz am Beispiel des Spitals Lachen: Die entscheidende Rolle der Generalisten.

Patients not having a general practitioner will more likely use the emergency departments (ED) of hospitals for primary care. Crowding of the ED due to patients with minor health problems is a growing burden. The present work was aimed to analyze data of ED consultations at a Swiss regional hospital. Leading diagnoses of ED consultations covered a broad spectrum of internal medicine. The majority of patients seen in the ED are «walk-in¼ patients with minor problems that after initial evaluation and treatment in the ED could be managed as outpatients. Pediatric patients made a considerable part of the workload. Elderly patients (>65 years) were hospitalized more often.

Norfloxacin and ursolic acid: in vitro association and postantibiotic effect against Staphylococcus aureus.

AIMS: We investigated the effectiveness in vitro of the association between norfloxacin (NOR) and ursolic acid (UA) against Staphylococcus aureus. METHODS AND RESULTS: The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs), the minimal bactericidal concentrations, the bacterial killing and the postantibiotic effect (PAE) of NOR and UA were determined both singly and in combination. A synergistic interaction was observed against Staph. aureus ATCC 29213: the mean PAEs were 3 h for NOR, -1.2 h for UA (1 × MIC) and 2.0 h for UA (2 × MIC). Synergism was observed with longer PAEs and postantibiotic sub-MIC effects after NOR/UA exposure. UA was also active against clinical isolates and methicillin-resistant Staph. aureus. CONCLUSIONS: The application of antimicrobial combinations may address the rising resistance to established classes of both systemic and topical agents. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: In vitro interactions between NOR and UA may contribute to the development of novel topical agents for the treatment of skin infections as well as for topical formulations.

Impairment of erythrocytes incubated in glucose medium: a wavelet-information theory analysis.

This study investigates the effects produced by an increased concentration of glucose in a suspending medium on the erythrocytes Information Theory quantifiers. Erythrocytes, which were obtained from eight healthy volunteers, were washed and incubated in vitro with glucose solutions at different concentrations. The measured Wavelet-based Information Theory quantifiers include the Relative Wavelet Energy (RWE), the Normalized Total Wavelet Shannon Entropy (NTWS), MPR-Statistical Complexity Measure (SCM) and entropy-complexity plane. The results show that the increase in glucose concentration does not produce significant changes on the RWE, while significant ones on the NTSE, which combined with SCM values allow to identify different behaviour for all the different populations in the entropy-complexity plane. Modification in the hemorheological properties of cells could be clearly detected with these Wavelet-based Information Theory quantifiers.

Comparison of different types of stationary phases for the analysis of soy isoflavones by HPLC.

Nowadays, there are new technologies in high-performance liquid chromatography columns available enabling faster and more efficient separations. In this work, we compared three different types of columns for the analysis of main soy isoflavones. The evaluated columns were a conventional reverse phase particle column, a fused-core particle column, and a monolithic column. The comparison was in terms of chromatographic parameters such as resolution, asymmetry, number of theoretical plates, variability of retention time, and peak width. The lower column pressure was provided by the monolithic column, although lower chromatographic performance was achieved. Conventional and fused-core particle columns presented similar pressure. Results also indicate that direct transfer between particle and monolithic columns is not possible requiring adjustment of conditions and a different method optimization strategy. The best chromatographic performance and separation speed were observed for the fused-core particle column. Also, the effect of sample solvent on the separation and peak shape was evaluated and indicated that monolithic column is the most affected especially when using higher concentrations of acetonitrile or ethanol. Sample solvent that showed the lowest effect on the chromatographic performance of the columns was methanol. Overall evaluation of methanol and acetonitrile as mobile phase for the separation of isoflavones indicated higher chromatographic performance of acetonitrile, although methanol may be an attractive alternative. Using acetonitrile as mobile phase resulted in faster, higher resolution, narrower, and more symmetric peaks than methanol with all columns. It also generated the lower column pressure and flatter pressure profile due to mobile phase changes, and therefore, it presents a higher potential to be explored for the development of faster separation methods.

Fast and simultaneous determination of phenolic compounds and caffeine in teas, mate, instant coffee, soft drink and energetic drink by high-performance liquid chromatography using a fused-core column.

A fast HPLC method with diode-array absorbance detector and fluorescence detector for the analysis of 19 phenolic acids, flavan-3-ols, flavones, flavonols and caffeine in different types of samples was developed. Using a C(18) reverse-phase fused-core column separation of all compounds was achieved in less than 5 min with an overall sample-to-sample time of 10 min. Evaluation of chromatographic performance revealed excellent reproducibility, resolution, selectivity and peak symmetry. Limits of detection for all analyzed compounds ranged from 0.5 to 211 µg L(-1), while limits of quantitation ranged between 1.5 and 704 µg L(-1). The developed method was used for the determination of analytes present in different samples, including teas (black, white, green), mate, coffee, cola soft drink and an energetic drink. Concentration of the analyzed compounds occurring in the samples ranged from 0.4 to 314 mg L(-1). Caffeine was the analyte found in higher concentrations in all samples. Phytochemical profiles of the samples were consistent with those reported in the literature.

Fast analysis of isoflavones by high-performance liquid chromatography using a column packed with fused-core particles.

The recent development of fused-core technology in HPLC columns is enabling faster and highly efficient separations. This technology was evaluated for the development of an fast analysis method for the most relevant soy isoflavones. A step-by-step strategy was used to optimize temperature (25-50°C), flow rate (1.2-2.7 mL/min), mobile phase composition and equilibration time (1-5 min). Optimized conditions provided a method for the separation of all isoflavones in less than 5.8 min and total analysis time (sample-to-sample) of 11.5 min. Evaluation of chromatographic performance revealed excellent reproducibility, resolution, selectivity, peak symmetry and low limits of detection and quantification levels. The use of a fused-core column allows highly efficient, sensitive, accurate and reproducible determination of isoflavones with an outstanding sample throughout and resolution. The developed method was validated with different soy samples with a total isoflavone concentration ranging from 1941.53 to 2460.84 µg g(-1) with the predominant isoflavones being isoflavone glucosides and malonyl derivatives.

Antimicrobial potential of polyphenols extracted from almond skins.

AIMS: To evaluate the antimicrobial properties of flavonoid-rich fractions derived from natural and blanched almond skins, the latter being a by-product from the almond processing industry. METHODS AND RESULTS: Almond skin extracts were tested against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Serratia marcescens), Gram-positive bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, Enterococcus hirae, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus durans) and the yeast Candida albicans. Almond skin fractions were found to have antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes and Staph. aureus in the range 250-500 microg ml(-1), natural skins showing antimicrobial potential against the Gram-negative Salm. enterica. The interactions between three almond skin flavonoids were also evaluated with isobolograms. CONCLUSIONS: Pairwise combinations of protocatechuic acid, naringenin and epicatechin showed both synergistic and indifferent interactions against Salm. enterica and Staph. aureus. Antagonism was observed against L. monocytogenes with all combinations tested. Further studies need to be performed to understand the mechanisms responsible for these interactions. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Almond skins are a potential source of natural antimicrobials.

Antiviral and immunomodulatory effect of a lyophilized extract of Capparis spinosa L. buds.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) are common human pathogens that in particular cases can also cause severe problems especially in immunodeficient patients. The present paper reports the antiviral and immunomodulatory properties of a methanolic extract of C. spinosa buds (CAP), rich in flavonoids, including several quercetin and kaempferol glycosides. In particular we have investigated whether the in vitro exposure of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to CAP might inhibit the replication of HSV-2 and modulate the induction kinetics of IL-12, TNF-alpha IFN-gamma. Our findings have shown that CAP treatment interferes with HSV-2 replication in PBMCs inhibiting the extracellular virus release upregulating their production of IL-12, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. One could speculate that CAP may contribute in improving immune surveillance of PBMCs toward virus infection by up-regulating expression of peculiar proinflammatory cytokines; it should thus be successfully employed for treatment of HSV-2 infections in immunocompromised hosts.

Hyper-Rayleigh scattering as a means of monitoring crystal nucleation in solution.

Hyper-Rayleigh scattering is revealed as a very sensitive monitor of cluster formation in solution, and as a means of studying the mechanism of crystal nucleation in molecular species. Two compounds are selected with particularly high second harmonic generation (SHG) powers in the crystalline state and experimental conditions are defined allowing the measurement of the beta value for one of these as 18+/-1x10(-30) esu. It is found to agree with current theoretical prediction of 20x10(-30) esu. In the more powerful of these, two photon induced fluorescence is found to be partly responsible for the SHG. The solubilities of both compounds in methanol are measured and it is observed that these differ by a factor of ten. When the solution concentration is increased beyond 45% of the saturation value, the quadratic coefficient exhibits non-linear behaviour with respect to concentration. Additionally, the widths of the distributions of the HRS signals increase initially with concentration as expected, but, beyond 45% saturation concentrations, these narrow again. These phenomena are interpreted as indicators of cluster formation in these solutions well below saturation concentrations. A future experimental design is proposed in which the coherent component will yield information on the organisation of the molecules in such clusters.

Indirect measurement of the lag time distribution of single cells of Listeria innocua in food.

The distribution of log counts at a given time during the exponential growth phase of Listeria innocua measured in food samples inoculated with one cell each was applied to estimate the distribution of the single-cell lag times. Three replicate experiments in broth showed that the distribution of the log counts is a linear mapping of the distribution of the detection times measured by optical density. The detection time distribution reflects the lag time distribution but is shifted in time. The log count distribution was applied to estimate the distributions of the lag times in a liquid dairy product and in liver paté after different heat treatments. Two batches of ca. 100 samples of the dairy product were inoculated and heated at 55 degrees C for 45 min or at 62 degrees C for 2 min, and an unheated batch was incubated at 4 degrees C. The final concentration of surviving bacteria was ca. 1 cell per sample. The unheated cells showed the shortest lag times with the smallest variance. The mean and the variance of the lag times of the surviving cells at 62 degrees C were greater than those of the cells treated at 55 degrees C. Three batches of paté samples were heated at 55 degrees C for 25 min, 62 degrees C for 81 s, or 65 degrees C for 20 s. A control batch was inoculated but not heated. All paté samples were incubated at 15 degrees C. The distribution of the lag times of the cells heated at 55 degrees C was not significantly different from that of the unheated cells. However, at the higher temperatures, 62 degrees C and 65 degrees C, the lag duration was longer and its variance greater.

La agregación eritrocitaria en la fisiopatogenia de las lesiones cutáneas microangiopáticas diabéticas / Erythrocytic aggregation in the physiopathogenesis of diabetic microangiopasthic skin lesions

Introducción: La diabetes puede producir importantes lesiones cutáneas; algunas microangiopáticas (dermopatía diabética, púrpura pigmentaria, eritrosis, eritema símil erisipela, rubeosis facial y telengiectasias periungueales). Existe creciente evidencia de que las anormalidades hemorreológicas desempeñan un papel definido en esta enfermedad. En consecuencia, este trabajo analiza la agregación eritrocitaria en pacientes diabéticos con y sin lesiones cutáneas Pacientes y método: Se estudió clínica, dermatológica y hemorreológicamente a 86 pacientes con diabetes tipos 1 y 2, de ambos sexos y edades similares, con lesiones cutáneas (28) y sin ellas (58), y 20 controles sanos. La agregación eritrocitaria se midió mediante observación microscópica directa y procesamiento numérico de las imágenes digitalizadas recogidas a través del llamado Parámetro de Forma de los Agregados (ASP). Los datos se analizaron con ANOVA y las pruebas de la t de Student y de la *2. Resultados: El tiempo de evolución de los pacientes diabéticos con lesiones cutáneas fue más prolongado y su ASP (0,692 ± 0,066) excedió significativamente el de los controles (0,288 ± 0,134) (p = 0,65 fue superior en aquéllos que presentaban lesiones cutáneas (el 80 frente al 45%; p = 0,006). Conclusiones La agregación eritrocitaria puede participar en el desarrollo de la microangiopatía diabética y en la aparición de las citadas lesiones dermatológicas

Introduction: Diabetes can produce significant skin lesions. Some of them are linked to microcirculatory changes (diabetic dermopathy, pigmentary purpura, erythrosis, erysipela-like erythema, facial rubeosis, and perionychial telangiectases). There is increasing evidence that hemorheological abnormalities play a definitive role in diabetes mellitus. Consequently, the present study analyzed red blood cell aggregation in diabetic patients with and without skin lesions. Patients and method: Eighty-six type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients of both sexes and similar ages, with (28) and without (58) skin lesions and 20 healthy controls underwent clinical, dermatological and hemorheological studies. Red blood cell aggregation was measured using direct microscopic observation and the recorded digitized images were numerically processed through the aggregate shape parameter (ASP). ANOVA, Student's t-test and the chi-square test were employed. Results: Diabetic patients with skin lesions had longer disease duration than those without and their ASP (0.692 ± 0.066) significantly exceeded that of controls (0.288 ± 0.134) (p = 0.65 was higher in those with cutaneous lesions than in those without (80% versus 45%, p = 0.006). Conclusions: Red blood cell aggregation may participate in the development of diabetic microangiopathy and in the appearance of the above-mentioned dermatologic lesions

Evaluación de alteraciones hemorreológicas en pacientes hipertensos / Hemorheological alterations in hypertensive patients

El objetivo de este trabajo fue investigar el perfil de viscosidad sanguínea y evaluar la influencia de factores plasmáticos ( fibrinógeno) y celulares ( agregación eritrocitaria ) en un grupo de pacientes hipertensos comparados con un grupo de paciente normotensos. Se trabajó con sangre anticoagulada de pacientes hipertensos no diabéticos (n=3) e indivíduos sanos (n=40). La viscosidad plasmática y de sangre entera se determinaron con un viscosímetro cono-plato. La agregación eritrocitaria se estudió por observación microscopia de los agregados y cuantificación a través de un parâmetro de forma denominado ASP ( Aggregation Shape Parameter), definido como la relación de área proyectada respecto al perímetro. El fibrinógeno se determino con un coagulómetro por el método de Clauss. Los valores de viscosidad de sangre entera resultaron significativamente aumentados en los pacientes hipertensos respecto de los normales para todas las velicidades estudiadas. Los valores de viscosidad plasmática solo presentaron diferencia significativas a bajas velocidades de corte (1.15 a 11.56 seg •1) . Los pacientes hipertensos presentaron agregados amorfos e irregulares, lo que se refleja en los valores alterados de ASP, significativamente mayores (p<0.001) en paciente hipertensos (0.69± 0.11) respecto de los indivíduos normales ( 0.25± 0.12). Los valores de fibrinógeno resultaron ligeramente superiores en los pacientes hipertensos respecto del grupo control (p< 0.01). Numerosos parámetros hemorreológicos juegan un papel importante en la patogénesis de la hipertensión. Entre estos factores hemorreológicos, valores parâmetros podrían estar en la hipertensión ( hematrocito, fibrinógeno plasmático, deformabilidad y agragación eritrocitaria , viscosidad sanguínea y plasmática). En este trabajo, se pudo demostrar anormalidades en la agregación eritrocitaria, detectada por los valores de ASP que podría estar involucrado en las complicaciones vasculares de la hipertensión.

Development of an n-3 fatty acid and α-tocopherol enriched dry fermented sausage.

Five batches of "salchichon", which is a dry fermented Spanish sausage, were manufactured using backfat and meat enriched in polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids and α-tocopherol. Raw materials were obtained from animals fed on diets of the same ingredients with the exception of the oil source [sunflower oil (batch control, C), linseed oil (L and LE), 1/1 (w/w) linseed and olive oil (LO and LOE)] and α-tocopherol quantity [20 mg/kg diet of α-tocopherol (C, L and LO) or 200 mg/kg diet of α-tocopherol (LOE and LE)]. A final product with a healthier polyunsaturated fatty acid n-6:n-3 ratio (< 4) was obtained from all linseed oil-enriched batches as compared with the control (12). The batches of sausages manufactured with backfat and meat from animals fed on diets enriched in α-tocopherol and linseed, or linseed and olive oil with or without α-tocopherol supplementation show a higher lipid oxidative stability than those of diets enriched in linseed oil without α-tocopherol supplementation. Sausages of dietary treatment C, LE, LO and LOE did not show differences in water, protein, fat and ash contents, a(w), pH, texture profile analysis and sensory features (odour, colour, texture, juiciness and taste quality). Sausages manufactured with material from animals fed on linseed oil-enriched diets and no added α-tocopherol (L) showed an unfavourable rancidity degree detected by both 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) index and sensory panel.

Effect of dietary linseed oil and α-tocopherol on pork tenderloin (Psoas major) muscle.

The effect of linseed oil and α-tocopheryl acetate on the fatty acid composition and the susceptibility to oxidation of lipid fraction from pork tenderloin (Psoas major) muscle has been studied. Muscles were obtained from animals fed on diets with the same ingredients excepting the oil source [sunflower (C), linseed (L) and linseed and olive (1/1, w/w) (LO)] and α-tocopherol [20 (C, L and LO) or 200 (LOE and LE) mg/kg diet]. The n-6/n-3 ratio in pork tenderloin was markedly modified by dietary linseed oil administration, which was due to the increase in the C18:3n-3 (and total n-3 fatty acids) and the decrease in the C18:2n-6 (and total n-6 fatty acids) contents (P<0.05). The α-tocopherol content of tenderloin from batches LE and LOE was about 2.8 mg/kg of muscle, significantly greater (P<0.05) than about 0.7 mg/kg muscle found in tenderloin from pigs receiving C, L and LO. Dietary supplementation with α-tocopheryl acetate markedly reduced tenderloin lipid oxidation from animals fed diets enriched in n-3 fatty acids (L or LO vs LE or LOE).