Identifying Chemical Differences in Cheddar Cheese Based on Maturity Level and Manufacturer Using Vibrational Spectroscopy and Chemometrics.

Cheese is a nutritious dairy product and a valuable commodity. Internationally, cheddar cheese is produced and consumed in large quantities, and it is the main cheese variety that is exported from Australia. Despite its importance, the analytical methods to that are used to determine cheese quality rely on traditional approaches that require time, are invasive, and which involve potentially hazardous chemicals. In contrast, spectroscopic techniques can rapidly provide molecular information and are non-destructive, fast, and chemical-free methods. Combined with partner recognition methods (chemometrics), they can identify small changes in the composition or condition of cheeses. In this work, we combined FTIR and Raman spectroscopies with principal component analysis (PCA) to investigate the effects of aging in commercial cheddar cheeses. Changes in the amide I and II bands were the main spectral characteristics responsible for classifying commercial cheddar cheeses based on the ripening time and manufacturer using FTIR, and bands from lipids, including ß'-polymorph of fat crystals, were more clearly determined through changes in the Raman spectra.

Protein Microarrays with Novel Microfluidic Methods: Current Advances.

Microfluidic-based micromosaic technology has allowed the pattering of recognition elements in restricted micrometer scale areas with high precision. This controlled patterning enabled the development of highly multiplexed arrays multiple analyte detection. This arraying technology was first introduced in the beginning of 2001 and holds tremendous potential to revolutionize microarray development and analyte detection. Later, several microfluidic methods were developed for microarray application. In this review we discuss these novel methods and approaches which leverage the property of microfluidic technologies to significantly improve various physical aspects of microarray technology, such as enhanced imprinting homogeneity, stability of the immobilized biomolecules, decreasing assay times, and reduction of the costs and of the bulky instrumentation.

Characteristics of oesophageal bolus transport in patients with mild oesophagitis.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD) frequently have oesophageal motility disturbance. However, detailed data about bolus transport characteristics in these patients are still lacking. In the present study the new technology of concurrent impedance manometry was applied for characterization of oesophageal motor function in patients with mild GORD. METHODS: Oesophageal motility testing was performed in 25 patients with mild GORD (group 1) as compared to 25 healthy subjects (group 2) employing the technique of concurrent impedancometry and manometry. Oesophageal motility as well as patterns and parameters of bolus transport after the swallowing of saline or yogurt were analysed. RESULTS: According to manometry the velocity of the contraction wave was similar in both groups. Mid-distal contraction amplitude in group 1 was still in the normal range but significantly lower than in group 2 (57.4+/-4.5 mmHg vs 91.4+/-7.5 mmHg for saline, and 47+/-4.1 vs 80.7+/-9.4 mmHg for yogurt). According to impedance measurements, bolus transport was significantly slower (3.6+/-0.1 vs 4.0+/-0.1 cm/s for saline and 3.0+/-0.1 vs 3.2+/-0.1 cm/s for yogurt), and post-deglutitive impedance was significantly lower in group 1: 2110 omega+/-116 omega versus 2542 omega+/-152 omega (P<0.01) with saline and 1862 omega+/-108 omega versus 2348 omega+/-148 omega with yogurt (P<0.01). GORD patients showed several pathological bolus transport patterns, which were not observed in healthy subjects. Gastroesophageal liquid reflux was observed between the swallows. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with mild GORD concurrent impedancometry and manometry is sufficiently sensitive for the detection of minor oesophageal dysmotility. Several pathological features have been characterized including delayed bolus transport, impaired propulsive volume clearance, pathological transport patterns and pathological reflux patterns.

Impedance characteristics of normal oesophageal motor function.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain detailed data about the correlation between oesophageal peristalsis and bolus transport for clinical oesophageal motility testing. METHODS: Oesophageal motility testing was performed in 25 healthy subjects by using the newly developed technique of concurrent impedancometry and manometry. Parameters of oesophageal motility and bolus transport as well as the correlation between transit and motility were analysed after swallowing saline or yogurt. RESULTS: Detailed data about bolus transport and oesophageal motility could be obtained during a single investigation step. Air was observed in front of the bolus in 76% of the swallows. Resting baseline impedance was significantly higher in the oesophagus than in the stomach (2832+/-118 Omega vs 688+/-119 Omega). The deglutitive impedance gradient was 222+/-26 Omega for saline and 482+/-38 Omega for yogurt. Bolus propagation velocity and bolus transit time as impedance parameters of bolus transport discriminated fluid from semisolid bolus (4.0+/-0.1 cm/s vs 3.2+/-0.1 cm/s and 9.9+/-0.2 s vs 11.5+/-0.2 s, for saline vs yogurt), while contraction wave amplitude as a manometry parameter of oesophageal motor function did not (91.4+/-7.5 mmHg vs 80.7+/-9.4 mmHg, for saline vs yogurt). There was a poor correlation between bolus propagation velocity and contraction wave amplitude. CONCLUSIONS: Impedance parameters of normal oesophageal motor function have been characterized. Impedancometry and manometry provide different but complementary data about oesophageal motor function. Concurrent impedancometry and manometry allows detailed monitoring of oesophageal motility and bolus transit, which may open new perspectives for comprehensive oesophageal motility testing.

Esofagomanometria computadorizada: resultados preliminares em voluntários adultos saudáveis / Esofageal manometry: preliminary values in health adult volunteers

Com o advento da esofagomanometria e, mais recentemente, de sua informatizacao, gerou-se uma nova pespectiva para o entendimento da fisiologia esofageana, assim como dos processos fisiopatologicos ligados aos disturbios motores que acometem o órgao. A partir de entäo, o estudo manometrico esofagiano ultrapassou as linhas de pesquisa e ganhou aplicabilidade clínica, contribuindo para o esclarecimento de sintomas como disfagia e dor torácica e na avaliacao da terapeutica a ser adotada nos processos morbiods envolvidos com a motilidade do órgäo. Para tal é desejável a criacao de parametros a partir de uma populacao saudável que reflitam um padrao de mormalidade. No presente estudo apresentam-se os resultados preliminares do estudo morfometrico em equipamento computadorizado, obtidos em uma pequena amostra de indivíduos saudáveis. Espera-se que em futuro proximo possa determinar-se um padräo brasileiro de normalidade visando melhor adequaçao desses valores a nossa populacäo

The species-dependent metabolism of efavirenz produces a nephrotoxic glutathione conjugate in rats.

Efavirenz, a potent nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor widely prescribed for the treatment of HIV infection, produces renal tubular epithelial cell necrosis in rats but not in cynomolgus monkeys or humans. This species selectivity in nephrotoxicity could result from differences in the production or processing of reactive metabolites, or both. A detailed comparison of the metabolites produced by rats, monkeys, and humans revealed that rats produce a unique glutathione adduct. The mechanism of formation and role of this glutathione adduct in the renal toxicity were investigated using both chemical and biochemical probes. Efavirenz was labeled at the methine position on the cyclopropyl ring with the stable isotope deuterium, effectively reducing the formation of the cyclopropanol metabolite, an obligate precursor to the glutathione adduct. This substitution markedly reduced both the incidence and severity of nephrotoxicity as measured histologically. Further processing of this glutathione adduct was also important in producing the lesion and was demonstrated by inhibiting gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase with acivicin pretreatment (10 mg/kg, IV) prior to dosing with efavirenz. Again, both the incidence and severity of the nephrotoxicity were reduced, such that four of nine rats given acivicin were without detectable lesions. These studies provide compelling evidence that a species-specific formation of glutathione conjugate(s) from efavirenz is involved in producing nephrotoxicity in rats. Mechanisms are proposed for the formation of reactive metabolites that could be responsible for the renal toxicity observed in rats.

[Chemotherapy in germinal and epithelial ovarian cancer]. / Quimioterapia en cáncer germinal y epitelio de ovario.

Generically, ovarian cancer represents a group of tumors with diverse biological and clinical behavior. Thus, germinal cells ovarian tumors, in the vast majority of patients are successfully treated utilizing traditional based on cisplatin chemotherapy. Epithelial ovarian cancer, that accounts for 90% of these cases, although sensitive to chemotherapy has not shown satisfactory results. In the search better tumoral response in the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer new drugs have surged that promise good results, including docetaxel, topotecan and gemcitabine, both as single agents, or in combination with other therapies utilizing monoclonal antibodies.

Comparison of outcomes following open and laparoscopic esophagomyotomy for achalasia.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive esophagomyotomy is replacing open surgery for achalasia, but data comparing these procedures performed by the same surgical team are sparse. The purpose of this study was to compare the morbidity and clinical outcome following laparoscopic and open esophagomyotomy. METHODS: Twelve consecutive patients referred for elective surgery between August 1995 and August 1997 underwent laparoscopic myotomy and partial fundoplication. They were compared to a group of 10 patients chosen from a larger pool of 20 patients who had open surgery during the same period performed by our own group. The mean length of follow-up in the laparoscopic group was 16 months; in the open group, it was 60 months. Both groups had similar demographics and clinical features. Each patient had at least one previous pneumatic dilatation. Inpatient records were reviewed. Patients were interviewed using a symptom assessment and patient satisfaction questionnaire. RESULTS: As compared to the open operation, laparoscopic esophagomyotomy with partial fundoplication resulted in significantly (p < 0.05) less blood loss (50 +/- 26 cc versus 220 +/- 127 cc), parenteral narcotic use (2.1 +/- 1.0 days versus 5.3 +/- 1.4 days), time in hospital (2.7 +/- 1.0 days versus 8.8 +/- 2.6 days), and time off work (19 +/- 16 days versus 85 +/- 60 days). There were similar results for the laparoscopic and open groups in the improvement in dysphagia (92% versus 90%) and patient satisfaction with surgery (84% versus 80%). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic esophagomyotomy for achalasia results in symptomatic improvement and high patient satisfaction comparable to the open procedure but with significantly less morbidity.

Anaplastic carcinoma of the fimbriated end of the fallopian tube as an incidental finding.

Carcinoma of the fallopian tube is an uncommon gynecologic tumor that is usually diagnosed in an advanced stage. The majority are tubal in origin, and rarely arise in the fimbriae. It appears that the latter may have a worse prognosis than the equivalent stage of tubal tumors that do not arise from fimbriae. We present a case of a 53-year-old white woman with FIGO stage 1 primary anaplastic carcinoma of the fimbriated end of the fallopian tube that was incidentally found in a specimen resected during a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. The patient underwent surgery because of findings of severe cervical dysplasia, atypia and dyskaryosis on a routine Papanicolau smear. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, and follow-up abdominal and pelvic CT scans showed no evidence of disease. However, because of the poor degree of differentiation, focal serosal infiltration and fimbrial end tube site of the carcinoma she was considered to have a high risk of recurrence. Thus, it was recommended that she undergo adjuvant chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide and carboplatin. Eighteen months after diagnosis, the patient is alive and well with no evidence of disease.

Prevalencia del síndrome de fibromialgia en pacientes oncológicos. Estudio comparativo / Prevalence of the fibromyalgia syndrome in oncologic patients. Comparative study

Antecedentes: El dolor es un síntoma que se presenta frecuentemente en el paciente oncológico. Es el producto de diversos mecanismos fisiopatológicos, los cuales pueden o no estar relacionados con el cáncer. El síndrome de fibromialgia señala dolor musculoesquelético generalizado que puede ser manifestado por los pacientes con cáncer. Objetivo: Obtener la prevalencia del síndrome de fibromialgia en los enfermos con cáncer. Paciantes y métodos: En estudio observacional, prospectivo, comparativo, pareado por edad y sexo en corte transversal que incluyó 50 sujetos con diagnóstico histológico de neoplasia y 50 pacientes no oncológicos. El diagnóstico de fibromialgia fue fundamentado según los lineamientos del Colegio Americano de Reumatología, que incluyen: a) dolor osteomuscular generalizado, ubicado en más de tres regiones corporales distintas y con duración no menor a tres meses, y b) detección de al menos 11 puntos positivos, de los 18 establecidos para fibrositis. Resultados: Cada grupo incluyó 26 hombres (52 por ciento) y 24 mujeres (48 por ciento) con edad promedio de 52.84 ñ 14.7 años (límites de 16 a 82). En los pacientes oncológicos, la escala promedio de Karnofsky fue 80.6. ñ 13.4, con límites de 50 a 100 puntos. Veintitrés pacientes oncológicos (46 por ciento) y cuatro no oncológicos (8 por ciento) cumplieron criterios para fibromialgia, p < 0.001. El síndrome de fibromialgia fue más frecuente en mujeres (82.6 por ciento), con edad promedio de 53 años, escalas de Karnofsky bajas 73.9 ñ 12 por ciento versus 86.3 ñ 11.8 por ciento, p < 0.001 y estadios clínicos tumorales avanzados, p = 0.001. Se observó depresión en 19 pacientes con cáncer (82 por ciento) y en dos no oncológicos (50 por ciento), p = 0.05. Conclusiones: La prevalencia del síndrome de fibromialgia fue alta en pacientes con cáncer; predominó en mujeres; se asoció a escalas de karnofsky bajas y a estadios tumorales avanzados. La presencia de depresión fue más frecuente en pacientes oncológicos con fibromialgia

Acute pancreatitis secondary to ifosfamide.

Acute pancreatitis in cancer patients can be secondary to the malignant process itself. It is also a rare complication of antineoplastic agent administration. Ifosfamide is an effective drug in the treatment of several tumors and has known neurologic, renal, and hematologic toxicities. There is only one recent report in the literature of pancreatitis associated with ifosfamide. We report a case of a 65-year-old woman with small cell bronchogenic carcinoma without pancreatic metastases who developed acute pancreatitis after ifosfamide administration.

Developmental neurotoxicity evaluation of the avermectin pesticide, emamectin benzoate, in Sprague-Dawley rats.

The potential of emamectin benzoate (EB) to cause developmental neurotoxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats was assessed using a study design by the US EPA. Dosages of 0 (deionized water), 0.1, 0.6, or 3.6 mg/kg/day were administered at 5 ml/kg by oral gavage from gestational day (GD) 6 to lactational day (LD) 20 to groups of 25 mated females each. Between GD 17 and 20 the high dose was reduced to 2.5 mg/kg/day because of pup tremors observed at this dose level in a concurrent two-generation study. Females were allowed to deliver and the young were evaluated for survival, growth, development, behavior, and histological changes to brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerve, and skeletal muscle. Behavioral assessment of the offspring consisted of open field motor activity, auditory startle habituation, and passive avoidance tests; each was conducted on weanling and adult animals (one animal/sex/litter). Histopathological examination of the CNS and PNS was conducted on one animal/sex/litter on postnatal days (PND) 11 and 60. There were significant increases in average F0 maternal body weight gains during gestation in the 0.6 and 3.6/2.5 mg/kg/day groups, but no other effects were observed in pregnant females of these or the low-dose groups during the study. Beginning on PND 6, tremors were observed in high-dose pups, and this was followed by hindlimb splay in all high-dose pups by PND 15-26. Both of these physical signs disappeared by PND 34 (i.e., 10-11 days after weaning). There were no compound-related deaths in F1 offspring. Beginning on PND 11, progressive decreases in preweaning average weights were observed in the high-dose group (to 42% below control in females on PND 21). Average weight gain during the postweaning period was significantly decreased in the 3.6/2.5 mg/kg/day group. There were EB-related effects in behavioral tests only in the high-dose group. A significant increase in PND 13 average horizontal motor activity was due to stereotypical movements. Average horizontal activity was decreased on PND 17 and in adult females, but there was no effects on PND 21. Average peak auditory startle response amplitude was decreased on PND 22 and in adults. There were no EB-related effects in the passive avoidance test, relative brain weights, or in the histological examination (including morphometry) of the nervous system. These results demonstrate that the high-dose EB exposure during gestation and lactation to rats produced evidence of neurotoxicity in the F1 offspring, and a clear No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) for developmental neurotoxicity of EB was determined to be 0.6 mg/kg/day.

Response of choriocarcinoma to paclitaxel. Case report and review of resistance.

Paclitaxel has been reported to inhibit proliferation and to promote differentiation of choriocarcinoma cells. We report a case of a patient with high risk trophoblastic disease who had remission with paclitaxel. The mechanisms of paclitaxel resistance are reviewed.

Low toxicity with continuous infusion of high-dose bleomycin in poor prognostic testicular cancer.

Bleomycin is a powerful antitumoral antibiotic whose utilization has been limited by pulmonary toxicity. At the Medical Oncology Department of the Hospital General de Mexico, SS, 17 patients with high-risk testicular cancer were treated with therapeutic regimens based on cisplatin and bleomycin in continuous infusion. The mean bleomycin dose was 813 mg. Adequate renal function was observed in all patients during and after chemotherapy. During a minimum 4-year follow-up period, no patient experienced pulmonary toxicity; 3 patients died due to tumoral progression. The remaining 14 patients are alive and none of them had shown x-ray abnormalities nor a significant reduction in pulmonary vital capacity (PVC) or carbon monoxide diffusion capacity (DLCO). Bleomycin in continuous infusion can be an appropriate alternative for reducing pulmonary toxic effects. Therefore, randomized controlled studies should be conducted in order to determine if this treatment regime could enhance the therapeutic index.

Quimioterapia y radioterapia simultáneas en cáncer avanzado de cabeza y cuello: cinco años de seguimiento / Simultaneous radiochemotherapy in advanced head and neck cancer: a five follow-up study

El cáncer avanzado de cabeza y cuello con tratamiento único de radioterapia o quimioterapia y la respuesta y la superviviencia son cortos. En este trabajo, se analiza la evolución de 52 pacientes tratados con radio y quimioterapia simultáneas después de un periodo de seguimiento de cinco años. Entre 1988 y 1992, fueron seleccionados 84 pacientes para ser incluidos en el estudio; de ellos 52 fueron evaluados. Tres tipos de tratamiento son comparados: a) radioterapia y quimioterapia simultáneas, seguidos por cirugía, b) radioterapia y quimioterapia simultáneas bajo estrecha vigilancia, y c)radioterapia y quimioterapia simultáneas con tratamiento selectivo adicional de radio y/o quimioterapia. Se analizaron las respuestas completas (61.5 por ciento), las respuestas parciales (38.5 por ciento) y complicaciones durante el tratamiento. En 44 por ciento de los pacientes la recurrencias o tumor residual apareció durante los primeros 12 meses posteriores al tratamiento. El 10 por ciento de los enfernos desarrolló enfermedad matastásica. No se observaron segundos tumores primarios Se concluye que la cirugía radical en pacientes con respuesta completa al tratamiento simultáneo no incrementó el porcentaje se supervivencia. La radioterapia y la quimioterapia neoadyuvantes permiten la conservación de la laringe en un buen número de pacientes

AS-101: a modulator of in vitro T-cell proliferation.

AS-101 is a tellurate compound originally designed as a drug with cytostatic activity. Nevertheless, in vivo it was found to be an immunomodulator agent due to a stimulation of cytokine production. Mitotic Index (MI) as an indicator of cytotoxicity and cell proliferation kinetics (CPK) in lymphocytes cultures are parameters used in the evaluation of the antineoplastic activity of drugs, such as mitomycin-C and cisplatin. For this reason, we evaluated the effects of AS-101 upon these two parameters. The results show that AS-101 produces an inhibition of MI in proliferating lymphocytes higher than the inhibition mediated by cisplatin. When CPK was evaluated, AS-101 induced a retardation not related with dose, while cisplatin produced a stepwise inhibition. This effect contrasts with the stimulation observed when AS-101 was added to non-proliferating lymphocytes which was measured as an increased [3H]thymidine incorporation in culture. The results confirm the mode of action of AS-101 as a real modulating agent of cell proliferation.