Ion chromatographic determination of three fructooligosaccharide oligomers in prepared and preserved foods.

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are short-chain sugars that occur naturally and have dietary benefits for humans. They are widely distributed in nature and are a natural part of the human diet. The objective of this study was to determine the concentrations of 1-kestose (GF(2)), nystose (GF(3)), and 1(F)-beta-fructofuranosylnystose (GF(4)) in a variety of common processed and prepared foods. An ion chromatographic method was developed for this purpose in which the sugar concentrations were measured using integrated amperometry. The samples were simply prepared by blending with water and filtering the suspensions through a 10000 Da cutoff centrifugal filter. These samples were then injected into the ion chromatograph, which had been programmed for gradient elution, and the areas of the sugar peaks obtained compared to those of standard sugars on a calibration curve. Selected samples were prepared both with and without standard spikes in order to assess the efficiency of the determination. Of the vegetables investigated, artichokes contained by far the most FOS, followed by onions; bananas contained more FOS than other fruits investigated. The method was shown to be simple, convenient, and relatively fast for the quantitation of FOS in processed and prepared food products.

Stability of o-phthalaldehyde-derived isoindoles.

The degradation of 1-alkylthio-2-alkylisoindoles, generated in situ by reaction of o-phthalaldehyde with primary alkylamines in the presence of selected thiols, was studied under conditions typical of those used in precolumn derivatization applications. In all cases, loss of isoindole followed pseudo first order kinetics and was strongly accelerated by excess o-phthalaldehyde in the reaction mixture. Reactivity toward o-phthalaldehyde was found to be influenced by a number of experimental parameters including thiol structure, thiol concentration, amine structure, solvent composition, and pH. In the absence of excess o-phthalaldehyde, the stability of all derivatives examined was excellent. These results provide a basis for optimization of reaction conditions for maximum derivative stability.

Brain iron delocalization and lipid peroxidation following cardiac arrest.

Brain injury after cardiac arrest and resuscitation may occur, in part, by oxygen radical mechanisms. The availability of a transition metal, such as iron, is essential for in vitro initiation of this type of reaction. The brain has significant stores of iron bound in large proteins. We conducted this study to determine whether iron availability is enhanced in the canine brain following resuscitation from 15 minutes of cardiac arrest, and whether this iron is associated with the appearance of products of radical-mediated lipid peroxidation (LP) after two hours of reperfusion. Examination of the data by the method of multivariate analysis revealed significant increases in the low molecular weight species (LMWS) iron (300% of nonischemic controls, P less than .01), malondialdehyde (MDA), a lipid peroxidation degradation product (145% of nonischemic controls, P less than .01), and conjugated dienes (CD) (204% of nonischemic controls, P = .07). Therapy with deferoxamine (50 mg/kg IV immediately post resuscitation) produced a reduction in MDA and CD to levels statistically indistinguishable from nonischemic controls. We conclude that brain tissue iron is delocalized from normal storage forms to a LMWS pool after two hours of reperfusion following resuscitation from a 15-minute cardiac arrest, and that this is associated with increased products of LP. The increase in LP products is blocked by treatment with deferoxamine.

Post resuscitation iron delocalization and malondialdehyde production in the brain following prolonged cardiac arrest.

Assays for brain tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and low molecular weight chelated (LMWC) iron were used to examine samples of the cerebral cortex obtained from dogs 2 h after resuscitation from a 15-min cardiac arrest. The effect of post-resuscitation treatment with lidoflazine and/or desferrioxamine was similarly examined. Non-ischemic brain samples had LMWC iron levels (in nmol/100 mg tissue) of 12.32 + 2.60 and MDA levels (in nmol/100 mg tissue) of 8.46 + 1.35. Animals subjected to cardiac arrest and resuscitation and standard intensive care (SIC) had LMWC iron levels of 37.04 + 4.58 (p less than .01 against non-ischemic controls) and MDA levels of 12.24 + 1.9 (p less than .05 against non-ischemic controls). All treatment interventions significantly reduced the LMWC iron (p less than .05), but only treatment with desferrioxamine alone significantly reduced MDA (p less than .05), although a trend toward reduction of the MDA was also evident in animals treated with both desferrioxamine and lidoflazine. LMWC iron levels are increased in the post-ischemic brain, and this increase may be related to lipid peroxidation in the brain following resuscitation from cardiac arrest. These changes are probably pathologic and are amenable to pharmacologic intervention.

Acute thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and cholecystitis.

Acute thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare, usually fatal, disease characterized by widespread deposition of microvascular occlusive thrombi of platelets and fibrin. Although its exact etiology is unknown, numerous case reports in the medical literature have linked TTP with a variety of medical conditions, including systemic infections, vaccinations, pregnancy, and autoimmune diseases. A case of acute TTP occurring in a 28-year-old white male is presented and discussed, with emphasis on emergency department diagnosis and management. This patient's treatment included splenectomy. When laparotomy was performed for this procedure, the patient was found to have a distended, inflamed gallbladder, and a cholecystectomy was also performed. A review of the medical literature reveals this to be the first reported case of TTP occurring in association with cholecystitis.

An automated PSRO-utilization review system.

A set of computer programs collects, processes, and reports Professional Standards Review Organization (PSRO) and utilization data for all patients at the Miami Heart Institute. They help reduce the time spent by physicians in PSRO and utilization review activities and ease the clerical work load required to comply with rules and guidelines. Daily printed reports provide attending physicians with their patient census and inform them of the next scheduled PSRO review dates for each of their patients. Reports are produced also for the Utilization Review Committee and the Institute's PSRO office. This set of programs is part of a comprehensive automated hospital information system and has been designed to respond rapidly to the frequent changes in regulations and policies dictated by the administering agency. The PSRO subsystem had been in uninterrupted operation for over 6 years and has mitigated escalating clerical and, therefore, health care costs. Physicians' acceptance of this subsystem had been adequate; however, developmental and maintenance costs are high in comparison with other applications within the hospital information system. This article describes the methodology used in complying with PSRO requirements. It does not attempt to evaluate the impact of PSRO on quality of care or length of hospital stay.