Search

During the last few years, the increasing evidence of dietary antioxidant compounds and reducing chronic diseases and the relationship between diet and health has promoted an important innovation within the baked product sector, aiming at healthier formulations. This study aims to develop a tool based on mathematical models to predict baked goods' total antioxidant capacity (TAC). The high variability of antioxidant properties of flours based on the aspects related to the type of grain, varieties, proximal composition, and processing, among others, makes it very difficult to innovate on food product development without specific analysis. Total phenol content (TP), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP) were used as markers to determine antioxidant capacity. Three Bayesian-type models are proposed based on a double exponential parameterized curve that reflects the initial decrease and subsequent increase as a consequence of the observed processes of degradation and generation, respectively, of the antioxidant compounds. Once the values of the main parameters of each curve were determined, support vector machines (SVM) with an exponential kernel allowed us to predict the values of TAC, based on baking conditions (temperature and time), proteins, and fibers of each native grain.

Background: Gallstone ileus is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction (1-4%). It results from the migration of a gallstone through a bilio-enteric fistula. Treatment begins with fluid therapy, followed by enterolithotomy, fistula closure, and cholecystectomy., Objectives: To determine the clinical presentation in patients with gallstone ileus and subsequent medical -surgical management outcomes., Material and Methods: A retrospective, observational, descriptive and transversal study was conducted on patients diagnosed with intestinal obstruction secondary to a gallstone ileus from May 2013 to October 2014. The following variables were recorded: age, sex, comorbidities, mean time of onset of symptoms, length of preoperative and postoperative stay, imaging studies, biochemical tests, type of surgical management, stone location and size, complications, mortality, and postoperative follow-up., Results: The study included 10 patients (male: female ratio 1:4), with a mean age of 61.9 years. The mean time of onset symptoms 15.4 days, and preoperative stay was 2days. On admission, 80% of patients had leukocytosis and neutrophilia, and 70% with renal failure. The most common surgical management was enterolithotomy with primary closure (50%), finding 80% of the stones in the terminal ileum. Recurrence was found in 2 cases. Mean postoperative hospital stay was 6.3 days. Mortality was 20%., Conclusions: Gallstone ileus most commonly presented in women in the seventh decade of life, with intermittent bowel obstruction. On hospital admission, they presented with systemic inflammatory response, electrolyte imbalance and abnormal liver function tests. Initial treatment must include fluid-electrolyte replacement, and tomography scans must be made in all cases. In our experience, the best procedure is enterolithotomy and primary closure, which presented lower morbidity and mortality., (Copyright © 2016 Academia Mexicana de Cirugía A.C. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Asthma is a highly prevalent disease that can affect the quality of life (QoL). The objective of this study is to determine the QoL in patients with asthma and its relationship with different factors in a Primary Care centre., Material and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban health centre. The study included a total of 243 patients between 17 to 70 years who had a diagnosis of asthma in their medical records. The QoL was measured using the Spanish version of the Mini-Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, with age, sex, smoking, anxiety, depression, severity and control of asthma as associated variables., Results: The mean age was 44.5 years and 71.2% were women. More than half (54.3%) had intermittent asthma, and 45.7% persistent asthma. The overall score in the Mini-Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire was 5.4 out of 7. The scores by dimensions were: symptoms 5.4; limitation of activities 5.8; emotional function 5.7, and environmental stimuli 4.7. The variables with a worse QoL score that remained statistically significant (P<.05) in the multivariate analysis were poor control of asthma (in all dimensions), history of depression (in all except environmental stimuli), educated to less than secondary level (symptoms and emotional function), and patients admitted to hospital in the past 3 years (symptoms) and who used long-term beta-adrenergics (emotional function)., Conclusions: Patients with intermittent, mild and moderate asthma have a good QoL. Poor control of the asthma and a history of depression negatively affect the QoL., (Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

A ray tracing algorithm is developed to analyze the energy performance of transmission and phase volume holographic lenses that operate with broadband illumination. The agreement between the experimental data and the theoretical treatment has been tested. The model has been applied to analyze the optimum recording geometry for solar concentration applications.