Detection of the presence of refined hazelnut oil in refined olive oil by fluorescence spectroscopy.

The fluorescence spectroscopy technique has been tested as regards its ability to differentiate between refined hazelnut and olive oils. Classification of these oils based on their excitation-emission fluorescence spectra data (spectral range 300-500 nm of the excitation spectra at lambdaem=655 and spectral range 650-900 of the emission spectra at lambdaex=50 nm) was performed using principal component analysis and artificial neural networks. Both methods provided good discrimination between the refined hazelnut and olive oils. The results have also pointed out the possibilities of a spectrofluorimetric method joined to multivariate analysis, to differentiate refined oils, and even to detect the presence of refined hazelnut oils in refined olive oils at percentages higher than 9%.

[Early diagnosis and the course of Alzheimer's disease]. / Diagnóstico precoz y evolución de la enfermedad de Alzheimer.

INTRODUCTION: The limits of normal aging are poorly defined and this is also true of Alzheimer's disease (AD), where the diagnostic criteria are quantitative and quite arbitrary. We ought also to mention the condition currently know as 'mild cognitive deterioration' considering this to be an illness with a high annual rate of conversion to dementia. AD is considered to be the main cause of dementia at the present time. It is defined as a neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system characterized by progressive deterioration of memory and other cognitive functions. OBJECTIVE: Firstly to differentiate a sick from a healthy person of the same age; determine the functions involved and to what degree and finally to discover its possible development by determining the factors which may predict its course, and determine the treatment, bearing in mind the values which will be useful in effectively controlling the drug. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The sample used was made up of 20 persons, 10 of whom complained of loss of memory whilst the remainder had no illness of any kind when they were examined. RESULTS: The results show statistically significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Neurophysiological tests give objective effective methodology for the diagnosis of AD in its early stages and for evaluation of the progress of the illness. This efficacy is comparable to that of other techniques of examination which are regularly used in our setting.

Male antisperm antibodies: association with a modified sperm stress test and lipid peroxidation.

We previously reported a modified sperm stress test (MOST), low scores (< 0.39) in which were associated with sperm-related abnormal in vitro fertilization. Preliminary observations suggested that the presence of male sperm antibodies (ASA) could give low MOST scores. It was therefore decided to undertake a study to verify this possible association and also to ascertain if such a relationship was causal in nature. Six hundred and fifty semen samples from patients consulting for infertility were assessed for basic seminal characteristics, motion parameters (CASA), ASA and MOST. Thirty-nine samples (6%) were ASA-positive. Samples with and without ASA showed similar characteristics, except for percentage of normal forms and MOST scores (0.35 +/- 0.03 vs. 0.67 +/- 0.01, P < 0.001, for ASA-positive and -negative, respectively). There was a strong statistical association between presence of ASA and low MOST scores (P < 0.0001). One-hundred per cent of ASA-positive samples displayed low MOST scores. To verify the nature of this relationship, we incubated ASA-free spermatozoa with ASA-positive and -negative (control) sera. Despite an increase in the percentage of ASA-bearing spermatozoa in those aliquots incubated with ASA-positive serum, their original (pre-incubation) MOST scores remained unchanged. Furthermore, the rate of lipid peroxidation, indirectly reflected in MOST scores, was not different in the aliquots incubated with ASA. In conclusion, there seems to be a strong association between presence of ASA and low MOST values in semen samples of infertile patients; however, the relationship does not appear to be causal.