A b s t r a c tWe evaluated performance of the TEST 1 (SIRE Analytical Systems, Udine, Italy)

The relationship between venous thromboembolism (VTE) and cancer is supported by several pathogenetic factors, including circulating microparticles (MP) originating from different cells and often bearing tissue factor. Since VTE often complicates the clinical course of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM; WHO grade IV astrocytoma) and the role of MPs in these patients population is still not clear, this prospective study was conducted to evaluate the procoagulant activity of circulating MP (MP activity) in GBM patients. We enrolled 61 GBM patients undergoing gross-total or subtotal surgical resection followed by combined radio-chemotherapy; 20 healthy volunteers were tested as controls. Blood samples for MP activity and hemostatic profiles were obtained before and then 1 week and 1, 4, and 7 months after surgery. GBM patients had significantly higher mean MP activity levels than healthy controls before and 7 days after surgery. During the follow-up, MP activity levels became significantly lower 1 and 4 months after surgery (P = 0.007 and P = 0.018, respectively) than prior to surgery, but this decrease was only seen in the subgroup achieving complete tumor resection. MP activity levels increased in 7 (63.6%) of 11 patients who developed VTE. The different incidence of the increase in MP activity levels between patients with and without VTE was statistically significant (χ (2) = 4.93, P = 0.026; relative risk 1.38, 95% CI 1.03-1.86). GBM patients may have an increase in MP-associated procoagulant activity that could contribute to any prothrombotic states and increases the likelihood of VTE complications; this procoagulant activity drops during control of disease.

The lack of serum biomarkers for assessing the prognosis of patients with cerebral glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) prompted the present study in order to evaluate the significance of serum YKL-40 values in patients operated on for glioblastoma. An homogeneous population of 60 patients who underwent surgical removal of GBM underwent a standard treatment (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy in the same schedule) and standard radiological monitoring (same MRI sequences at pre-defined stages). Serum YKL-40 levels (Quidel Corporation, San Diego, CA) were evaluated after dividing patients into two groups on the basis of the extent of resection (total or sub-total) according to the MRI results obtained within 48 h following surgery. YKL-40 serum values, significantly higher in GBM patients than in healthy subjects, were also higher among patients who had undergone subtotal resection than in patients who underwent extensive resection. The effect of YKL-40 on overall survival was analyzed by comparing the change in marker concentration occurring in the first postoperative week with the baseline value. A significant (P = 0.04) hazards ratio of 1.97 was found at multivariate analysis. A significant association with shorter outcome (median survival time, 76 days) was found in patients whose postoperative YKL-40 concentration increases higher than, or equal to, 100%; a 50% increase can still be considered a negative prognostic index. The evaluation of the biochemical marker YKL-40 might provide earlier and additional information to that obtained using traditional factors and be a further aid in establishing the prognosis of GBM patients who have undergone surgery.

No abstract

O feijão caupi é um importante alimento para a população brasileira. Além do baixo custo, é uma fonte completa de carboidratos, proteínas e fibras, e, quando biofortificado, melhorado geneticamente com teores elevados de ferro e zinco, desempenha papel fundamental ao organismo e na manutenção da saúde. Este trabalho tem por objetivo utilizar a farinha de feijão caupi biofortificada para a elaboração de biscoitos tipo cookies, auxiliando no combate de carências desses micronutrientes, com melhor valor nutricional, e, através da análise sensorial, avaliar a aceitabilidade do produto. Foram desenvolvidas três formulações, uma padrão: (F1) 15% (F2) e 30% (F3) de adição de farinha de feijão caupi, e, então realizadas as análises: microbiológica, físico-química e sensorial. Os resultados microbiológicos apresentam-se conforme a legislação. A análise físico-química mostrou que umidade, proteína, lipídios e fibras tiveram diferença significativa nas formulações. Os teores de ferro e zinco também diferiram entre as amostras. Na análise sensorial os atributos que diferiram estatisticamente foram aceitação global e sabor. Logo, os biscoitos tipo cookies com adição da farinha de feijão caupi biofortificados, possuem fontes de ferro e zinco necessárias para suprir as necessidades recomendadas, como opção saudável e nutritiva, sendo uma opção viável para a indústria de produtos alimentícios

Although ω-3 intake has been associated with numerous health benefits, its addition to certain food matrices, and in particular meat products, may involve various technological barriers influencing the final quality of the products. Lipid oxidation must be highlighted due to the modification of both the sensory characteristics and the shelf-life of meat products. In order to reduce the impact of chemical changes and promote oxidative stability, the use of natural antioxidants has gained ground owing to the health and safety advantages linked to its effectiveness at reducing lipid oxidation. Many natural compounds have also been successfully tested in animal feed, in order to protect the raw meat materials and reduce the risk of lipid oxidation in processed products. This review aims to address the challenges and advantages of the incorporation of ω-3 fatty acids in raw meat materials and processed meat products, and to describe the use of different compounds to enhance lipid oxidative stability. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

To ascertain whether thymic lymphocytes represent suitable targets for HIV-1 infection, we infected thymic cell suspensions from normal donors with HIV-1 (HTLV-IIIB strain). We found that, in vitro, thymic lymphocytes are readily infected and highly permissive for HIV-1 replication. In addition, immature cells with the CD4+/CD8+ phenotype, most likely the precursors of mature circulating CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes, showed a marked susceptibility to viral infection and replication. These findings suggest that thymus infection may play a triggering role in the pathogenesis of AIDS, particularly in pediatric cases, and may partially explain the lack of restoration of peripheral CD4+ lymphocytes killed by HIV-1.

The HemosIL® AcuStar HIT or a combinatorial approach with the STic Expert® HIT and the PF4/H IgG enzyme immunoassay provide an accurate diagnosis of immune HIT.