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Canolol is a potent natural antioxidant. It exhibits anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic properties, showing an even more potent anti-mutagenic activity than that of α-tocopherol and flavonoids. This compound is formed due to high temperatures during processing of some seeds of Brassica family, like canola. The nutritional value of canola oil can be increased by increasing the content of canolol, subjecting the seeds to different pre-treatments (steam, microwaves). The aim of the present work was to study the treatments applied to canola seeds in order to improve the quality of the expressed oil, increasing the amount of canolol, and also to obtain higher yields of oil by pressing. Canola seeds were subjected to different treatments: hydrothermal (HT), by exposing the grains to steam in an autoclave; microwave (MW), irradiation in a microwave oven; combination of both treatments (HT-MW), exposing the seeds to water vapour and then microwaved until grains reached 7% moisture (dry basis). Oil was extracted from pre-treated and untreated samples by pressing using a helical screw press. Oil yield was determined by evaluating the residual oil remaining in the press cake. Canolol content was determined in all samples by HPLC. HT-MW significantly increased the amount of canolol in oil (495 ppm, in contrast with 5 ppm in untreated samples) and significantly improved its oxidative stability. Moreover, HT-MW generated the highest oil yield (86%). Pressing untreated canola yielded 68%, while HT yielded 76%, and MW only yielded 8%. SEM micrographs showed a more open structure in HT-MW samples which could have improved the availability of oil, favouring the oil expression process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this work, a multi‐layer feedforward artificial neural network (ANN) was used for modeling and predicting the oil extraction yields of three canola samples with three pretreatments (unpretreatment, hydrothermal, and microwave pretreatment), considering extraction time and temperature as variables. Based on the results of the training, validation, and testing of the network, a neural network with eleven neurons in one hidden layer was selected as the best architecture for predicting the oil extraction yield response. Results obtained by the ANN model were compared with models from the literature (modified Fick's diffusion models), generally obtaining a more accurate fit with the ANN model. Practical applications: Existing models of canola oil extraction kinetics have some limitations since they are not able to describe various conditions, such as variability among samples and pretreatments. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are powerful and high‐precision computational statistical modeling techniques that can address different problems. The aim of this work was to model the kinetics of canola oil extraction under different conditions (varying temperature, samples of canola, pretreatments applied) with an ANN, which presents several advantages over other reported models, allowing to describe a process that depends on many variables even when the data are incomplete or contain errors, thus facilitating its industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 86-with year-old woman with a personal history of type II diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, cholelithiasis and diverticulosis in the left colon and was admitted to the hospital abdominal pain of 4 days of evolution. Also having diverticulosis.

Two cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO(2) NPs) and one micro-sized CeO(2) particle were thoroughly characterized in their pristine form, in water and in cell culture medium. The particles were tested for cytotoxicity to the H4IIE rat hepatoma cell line or the RTG-2 rainbow trout gonadal cell line by means of four standard cytotoxicity assays. Nominal concentrations were verified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and methods were assessed for their suitability to detect reliably adverse effects due to particle exposure. All three particles showed aggregation in water and media. In the H4IIE cell line, the MTT cytotoxicity test revealed that negative effects could be observed for the CeO(2) NPs after 24h and for all particles after 72h of exposure, making the effects size, concentration and time dependent. No negative effect for the concentrations tested was detected for the remaining three assays and the RTG-2 cell line, making the MTT assay and the H4IIE cell line an appropriate system to assess adverse effects of CeO(2) NPs. A verification of the nominal concentration through ICP-MS revealed that there was a discrepancy between nominal and measured concentration depending on concentration and particle tested. Interferences of particles with assays were found to be present and need to be taken into consideration., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To explore the feasibility of a brief psychosocial intervention for somatizing patients in the Primary Care setting and its potential effects on these patients' quality of life., Design: Prospective series of 12 cases, with pre and post-intervention analyses.Setting. Three general practices of the Basque Health Service., Patients: Consecutive sample of 12 patients, between 18 and 65 years-old, complaining about at least six medically unexplained symptoms for female patients or at least four for male patients. Intervention and measurement. DEPENAS intervention was carried out: Detection- Explanation-Plan-Exploration- Normalization-Action-Follow-up. Differences between before- and after-intervention health-related quality of life (SF-36) were compared and group interviews were held with the three collaborator general practitioners., Results: Overall quality of life improvement was estimated in 8 points (SD, 13.4; P =.073). Intra-GP correlation coefficients, necessary for estimate the size of the clinical trial, were null for five scales, and 0.058, 0.098 and 0.28 for the other three scales. Group interviews showed that DEPENAS bio-psycho-social intervention is acceptable for general practitioners and that there was a high risk of contamination when the same doctor simultaneously treated some patients and not others., Conclusions: The improvement seen after the intervention, although not totally attributable to it due to the lack of a control group, justify the need of conducting a clinical controlled trial randomised by GPs to avoid contamination.

Total liquid ventilation can support gas exchange in animal models of lung injury. Clinical application awaits further technical improvements and performance verification. Our aim was to develop a liquid ventilator, able to deliver accurate tidal volumes, and a computerized system for measuring lung mechanics. The computer-assisted, piston-driven respirator controlled ventilatory parameters that were displayed and modified on a real-time basis. Pressure and temperature transducers along with a lineal displacement controller provided the necessary signals to calculate lung mechanics. Ten newborn lambs (<6 days old) with respiratory failure induced by lung lavage, were monitored using the system. Electromechanical, hydraulic, and data acquisition/analysis components of the ventilator were developed and tested in animals with respiratory failure. All pulmonary signals were collected synchronized in time, displayed in real-time, and archived on digital media. The total mean error (due to transducers, analog-to-digital conversion, amplifiers, etc.) was less than 5% compared with calibrated signals. Components (tubing, pistons, etc.) in contact with exchange fluids were developed so that they could be readily switched, a feature that will be important in clinical settings. Improvements in gas exchange and lung mechanics were observed during liquid ventilation, without impairment of cardiovascular profiles. The total liquid ventilator maintained accurate control of tidal volumes and the sequencing of inspiration/expiration. The computerized system demonstrated its ability to monitor in vivo lung mechanics, providing valuable data for early decision making.

The mechanisms by which aluminum interacts with the nervous system are only partly understood. In this study, we used cultured astrocytes and neurons to investigate the effects of long exposures to aluminum (1 mM). We found that aluminum accumulated both in neurons and astrocytes. After 8-12 days exposure, aluminum caused strong changes in the morphology of astrocytes including shrinkage of cell bodies and retraction of processes. Exposures over 15-18 days reduced astrocytes viability by 50%. Aluminum-induced degeneration of astrocytes involved the DNA fragmentation characteristic of apoptosis, and staining of aluminum-treated astrocytes with the DNA-binding fluorochrome Hoeschst 33258 revealed the typical apoptotic condensation and fragmentation of chromatin. Aluminum was also found to be neurotoxic, causing first (4-6 days) abnormal clustering and aggregation, and later (8-12 days) neuronal death. Interestingly, aluminum neurotoxicity occurred in neuroglial cultures containing approximately 10% astrocytes but not in near-pure neuronal cultures containing only 1% astrocytes. Staining of co-cultured cells with Hoeschst 33258 showed apoptotic condensation and fragmentation of chromatin in aluminum-treated astrocytes but not in co-cultured neurons. Our study demonstrates that aluminum can induce the apoptotic degeneration of astrocytes, and that this toxicity is critical in determining neuronal degeneration and death. Aluminum-mediated apoptosis of cultured astrocytes may be also a valuable model system to study the mechanisms underlying apoptosis in glial cells., (Copyright 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.)