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Arabica coffee beans are sold at twice the price, or more, compared to Robusta beans and consequently are susceptible to economically motivated adulteration by substitution. There is a need for rapid, non-destructive, and efficient analytical techniques for monitoring the authenticity of Arabica coffee beans in the supply chain. In this study, multispectral imaging (MSI) was applied to discriminate roasted Arabica and Robusta coffee beans and perform quantitative prediction of Arabica coffee bean adulteration with Robusta. The Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) model, built using selected spectral and morphological features from individual coffee beans, achieved 100% correct classification of the two coffee species in the test dataset. The OPLS regression model was able to successfully predict the level of adulteration of Arabica with Robusta. MSI analysis has potential as a rapid screening tool for the detection of fraud issues related to the authenticity of Arabica coffee beans., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Although Hom Mali rice is considered the highest quality rice in Thailand, it is susceptible to adulteration and substitution. There is a need for rapid, low-cost and efficient analytical techniques for monitoring the authenticity and geographical origin of Thai Hom Mali rice. In this study, two infrared spectroscopy techniques, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, were applied and compared for the differentiation of Thai Hom Mali rice from two geographical regions over two production years. The Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) model, built using spectral data from the benchtop FTIR-ATR, achieved 96.97% and 100% correct classification of the test dataset for each of the production years, respectively. The OPLS-DA model, built using spectral data from the portable handheld NIR, achieved 84.85% and 86.96% correct classification of the test dataset for each of the production years, respectively. Direct NIR analysis of the polished rice grains (i.e., no sample preparation) was determined as reliable for analysis of ground rice samples. FTIR-ATR and NIR spectroscopic analysis both have significant potential as screening tools for the rapid detection of fraud issues related to the geographical origin of Thai Hom Mali rice.

The cinnamon-derived bioactive aroma compound cinnamaldehyde (CAL) has been identified as a promising antiobesity agent, inhibiting adipogenesis and decreasing lipid accumulation in vitro as well as in animal models. Here, we investigated the antiadipogenic effect of cinnamyl isobutyrate (CIB), another cinnamon-derived aroma compound, in comparison to CAL in 3T3-L1 adipocyte cells. In a concentration of 30 μM, CIB reduced triglyceride (TG) and phospholipid (PL) accumulation in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes by 21.4 ± 2.56 and 20.7 ± 2.05%, respectively. CAL (30 μM), in comparison, decreased TG accumulation by 37.5 ± 1.81% and PL accumulation by 28.7 ± 1.83%, revealing the aldehyde to be the more potent antiadipogenic compound. The CIB- and CAL-mediated inhibition of lipid accumulation was accompanied by downregulation of essential adipogenic transcription factors PPARγ, C/EBPα, and C/EBPβ on gene and protein levels, pointing to a compound-modulated effect on adipogenic signaling cascades. Coincubation experiments applying the TRPA-1 inhibitor AP-18 demonstrated TRPA1 dependency of the CAL, but not the CIB-induced antiadipogenic effect., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following competing financial interest(s): The authors J. Hans and J.P. Ley are employees at Symrise AG, Holzminden, Germany., (© 2020 American Chemical Society.)

Background: The contribution of dual atrioventricular (AV) nodal pathway physiology to the irregularity of the ventricular rhythm during atrial fibrillation has not been clarified., Hypothesis: This study was performed to assess the effects of slow AV nodal pathway ablation on the irregularity of the ventricular rhythm during atrial fibrillation., Methods: Irregularity of the ventricular rhythm was quantified using analysis of heart rate variability. In 20 patients with AV nodal reentrant tachycardia, absolute heart rate variability during atrial fibrillation was quantified before and after slow AV nodal pathway ablation by the standard deviation of all NN intervals (SDNN). Relative heart rate variability was determined by computing the coefficient of variation, SDNN normalized for the standard deviation of the mean ventricular cycle length (MVCL-AF)., Results: The slope of the regression between MVCL-AF and SDNN was significantly more gradual after slow pathway ablation (slope 0.39 vs. 0.23, p < 0.001). Coefficient of variation increased in 12 patients with heart rates > 120 beats/min at baseline (18.6 +/- 3.9 vs. 22.1 +/- 2.7% MVCL-AF, p < 0.05), but decreased in 8 patients with heart rates < 120 beats/min at baseline (25.6 +/- 3.1 vs. 22.2 +/- 2.2% MVCL-AF, p = 0.05). Furthermore, coefficient of variation correlated with MVCL-AF only at baseline (slope 0.034, r = 0.66), but no relation was found after slow pathway ablation (slope 0, r = 0)., Conclusions: Slow AV nodal pathway ablation alters the relation between absolute heart rate variability and mean ventricular rate during atrial fibrillation and eliminates cycle length dependency of relative heart rate variability. These data indicate that dual AV nodal pathway physiology contributes to the irregularity of the ventricular rhythm during atrial fibrillation.

Various molecular typing methods for the analysis of zoonotic bacterial pathogens have been developed during the last decade. Because of their high discriminatory power, these methods have been increasingly used even in routine diagnostics. The description of several independent genotypic characteristics in addition to that of the phenotypic properties enables a complex and exact identification of bacterial strains. Molecular techniques such as plasmid analysis, ribotyping. IS200 typing as well as macrorestriction analysis represent components of a basic molecular typing system for Salmonella isolates which proved to be suitable for various epidemiological applications.

Staphylococcus intermedius cultures from dogs, pigeons, horses and mink were investigated for the prevalence of the insertion elements IS256 and IS257 in relation to their antibiotic resistance. Copies of IS256 could not be detected in any of the Staph. intermedius isolates tested whereas single copies of IS257 occurred in the isolates from dogs and horses. The mink strains did not harbour IS257 elements, whereas Staph. intermedius isolates from pigeons carried multiple copies of IS257 as predicted from the hybridization patterns obtained with a gene probe derived from the internal part of the IS257-encoded transposase gene. Independently of the origin of the Staph. intermedius isolates, all IS257 copies were found to be located in the chromosomal DNA. The large number of chromosomal IS257 copies in the pigeon strains might help to explain chromosomal multiresistance in many of those strains.

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium (Salm. Typhimurium) live vaccine strain Zoosaloral H was characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Each of the two suitable restriction enzymes, XbaI and SpeI, produced a unique restriction fragment pattern for this live vaccine strain which was not shared by field isolates of the same serovar. The characteristic fragment pattern proved to be stable during a 22 month observation period and was also not altered after animal passage of the vaccine strains. Thus PFGE analysis proved to be a helpful tool in the identification of Salm. Typhimurium live vaccine strain Zoosaloral H and its differentiation from wild-type isolates of the same serovar.

Fifty Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) isolates obtained from one vaccinated and three non-vaccinated poultry flocks as well as the commercially available vaccine strain Zoosaloral H and a S. Typhimurium reference strain were characterized genotypically to differentiate between S. Typhimurium live vaccine strain Zoosaloral H and wild type strains of the same serovar. Ribotyping revealed five different patterns one of which exclusively occurred in the vaccine strain. Seven different hybridization patterns could be observed by IS200-typing of the S. Typhimurium isolates; one of them was only detectable in the vaccine strain. Plasmid analysis showed that 51% of the S. Typhimurium isolates including the vaccine strain harboured large plasmids of approximately 60 MDa. Hybridization with a virulence gene probe identified only 48% of these large plasmids, including that of the vaccine strain, to carry this virulence-associated gene. However, restriction endonuclease analysis of the hybridizing plasmids showed that the virulence gene was located on HindIII fragments of different sizes in the plasmid of the S. Typhimurium vaccine strain Zoosaloral H and in the plasmids of the respective wild type S. Typhimurium isolates. Thus, ribotyping, IS200-typing and plasmid analysis represent at least three independent systems which allow the genotypic identification of the S. Typhimurium vaccine strain Zoosaloral H and its differentiation from wild type isolates of the same serovar.

Renal transplantation is frequently accompanied by systemic hypertension. In the present study we evaluated the effect of 2.5 mg lisinopril in 12 hypertensive and proteinuric renal graft recipients with stable graft function over 3 months. Only patients with absence of renal artery stenosis, at least as judged by technetium-scan imaging, were included. Lisinopril was effective in lowering systemic blood pressure. Mean arterial pressure was unchanged despite reduction of concomitant antihypertensive medication. Mean serum creatinine was unchanged during the study (1.95 +/- 0.8 mg/dl in the pretreatment period vs. 1.77 +/- 0.76 mg/dl in the intervention period, n.s.). Glomerular filtration rate remained stable (62.75 +/- 21.96 vs. 60.17 +/- 18.27 ml/min/1.73 m2, n.s.) whereas renal plasma flow increased (224.75 +/- 91.66 vs. 244.92 +/- 94.13 ml/min/1.73m2, P < 0.01), leading to a drop in filtration fraction (31.4 +/- 12.4 vs. 26.8 +/- 8.6, n.s.). Renal vascular resistance was significantly reduced following angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor therapy (26,447 +/- 14,574 vs. 23,425 +/- 12,430 dyne sec cm-5/1.73 m2, P < 0.01). Mean daily proteinuric decreased significantly (2.98 +/- 2.06 vs. 2.06 +/- 2.29 g, P < 0.01) whereas in a group of patients with comparable blood pressure but without ACE inhibitor therapy and similar degree of proteinuria, 24-hr proteinuria remained stable. No severe side effects were observed--in particular, mean serum potassium showed only a slight increase and no clinically significant hyperkalemic condition was observed. When lisinopril therapy was withdrawn after 3 months, blood pressure increased in all patients, requiring reinstitution of additional antihypertensive medication. Renal hemodynamic parameters and daily proteinuria returned to baseline values. We conclude that 2.5 mg lisinopril daily was safe and effective in this group of renal transplant recipients and showed a good antihypertensive as well as antiproteinuric effect.

Background and Purpose: Among hypertensive patients after carotid surgery, a group of patients with increased baroreflex sensitivity was identified. In the other group of hypertensive patients, blood pressure and reflex sensitivity were unchanged postoperatively. We hypothesized that a partial readjustment of baroreceptor sensitivity would produce more stable blood pressure profiles., Methods: In order to test this hypothesis, a prospective, long-term follow-up study was designed. Blood pressure was monitored in 18 hypertensive and 6 normotensive patients during 6 months using a self-measurement technique. In addition, continuous 24-hour blood pressure monitoring was performed 6 months after surgery. The mean values and the ranges (amplitudes) of systolic and diastolic blood pressure were calculated as indicators for the stability of the circulatory system., Results: Hypertensive patients with unchanged postoperative baroreceptor sensitivity showed significantly more pronounced instabilities of their blood pressure profiles (amplitudes of systolic and diastolic blood pressure p < 0.05 to p < 0.001). A relationship between baroreceptor function and antihypertensive therapy could also be demonstrated, with adequate therapy being much more difficult in patients with reduced or unchanged baroreceptor sensitivity., Conclusions: In contrast to vascular surgery on the aorta or in the region of the lower limbs, carotid surgery is frequently associated with blood pressure changes, demonstrating the essential role of the baroreceptors in the carotid sinus for the regulation of postoperative blood pressure. Since it seems to be the variability of blood pressure, and not the blood pressure level alone, that is critical, close blood pressure monitoring--allowing for an assessment of blood pressure variability--appears to be of particular importance in such patients.

The cardiovascular system changes in the elderly: reduced blood volume and cardiac output, diminished elastic properties of the arterial wall and increased peripheral resistance are to be expected. Arterial hypertension can be developed when these changing factors are not balanced, especially with the longer lasting of cardiovascular risk factors. Arterial hypertension can be found in nearly every second person older than 60 years living in industrial countries--it is common but nevertheless not normal in the elderly. Epidemiologic studies show the effectiveness of the antihypertensive drug therapy in the aged in diminishing cerebrovascular and coronary events and improving the quality of live. When elderly persons are treated with antihypertensive drugs, this therapy should be chosen in respect of target organ damage and accompanying health problems and with close monitoring of the antihypertensive response and tolerability.