We evaluated the effect of protease, α-amylase, and folate conjugase treatments on apparent folate content in four food composites designed to be low in folate (31.2 μg/day calculated according to previously published food folate tables) for the determination of folate requirements in humans. Protease and α-amylase treatments were performed for 16 and 4 h, respectively, at pH 4.1 and chicken pancreas folate conjugase (FC) for 3 h at 37 °C. Folate was determined by microbiological assay using the Lactobacillus casei method. Mean folate content in these menus was 56 μg/day after treatment with FC alone. However, means were 90 μg/day with protease and FC, 126 μg/day with α-amylase and FC, and 152 μg/day with α-amylase, protease, and FC treatments. Tri-enzyme treatment appears to be essential to determine food folate content accurately. Food folate tables should be revised using these enzyme treatments to accurately establish the dietary folate requirements in humans. Keywords: Food folate; folate conjugase; protease; α-amylase

The observed decrease in drug clearances as a result of coadministration of flunixin and enrofloxacin indicates that these drugs interact during the elimination phase. Consequently, care should be taken during the concomitant use of flunixin and enrofloxacin in dogs to avoid adverse drug reactions.

It is well known that the surface of titanium forms stable oxides of Ti2O, TiO, Ti2O3, Ti3O5, TinO2n−1 (4<n<38) and TiO2 and, as a result, the surface exhibits a high degree of immunity against attack by acids and chlorides. However, titanium is also a very active getter. To characterize the gettering process, we have investigated the temperature dependence of stable oxides on titanium in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) using Auger electron spectroscopy, quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in the temperature range from room temperature (RT) to 600 °C. The surfaces of titanium specimens were prepared by electropolishing (EP), and a thin titanium oxide layer, principally TiO2, was formed on the surface at RT. On increasing the temperature to above 300 °C, the OKLL Auger intensity began to decrease in a drastic way, while in contrast, the TiLMM Auger intensity was increased. Above 450 °C, no oxygen was detected on the titanium surface in UHV. However, the outgassing rates of H2O, O2, CO, and CO2 from the surface did not show any changes in QMS measurements below 450 °C. This behavior is explained as gettering, which is an enhancement of diffusion of oxygen from the surface into the bulk. To investigate the temperature dependence of the chemical states of titanium oxides on an EP surface, XPS analysis was also performed in the same way in the range of 200–450 °C. The results showed drastic changes of the titanium oxide core XPS levels such that the TiO2 decomposed into suboxides at 180 °C, and even the remaining TiO2 was still decreasing on heating up to 420 °C. The surface oxide composition on titanium is very sensitive to the temperature.