RESUMO
The design and development of gluten-free foods requires a comprehensive understanding of the behavior of the raw materials to attain the same cooking and nutritional quality as gluten-based food. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal hot-air drying conditions for elaboration of cassava flour to be used in a gluten-free pasta formulation. The results showed that the operational conditions to minimize the hot-air drying time (57 min) to produce cassava flour with higher water holding capacity was 57 â at 3 m/s. Then, the optimal formulation for the pasta was found to be cassava (26 g/100 g), amaranth flour (12 g/100 g), and carboxymethyl cellulose (0.23 g/100 g), which maximized the Aw (0.160), moisture content (3.10 g/100 g), hardness (5.02 N), and protein content (9.30 g/100 g), and it is used for the sensorial analysis, which showed that an earthy taste was the main problem with consumer satisfaction.
Assuntos
Dessecação/métodos , Dieta Livre de Glúten , Manihot/química , Amaranthus/química , Doença Celíaca/dietoterapia , Fenômenos Químicos , Comportamento do Consumidor , Proteínas Alimentares/análise , Temperatura Alta , Tubérculos/química , Paladar , Água/análiseRESUMO
Kidney transplant for patients with lupus nephritis (LN) has satisfactory outcomes in studies with short-term or mid-term follow up. Nevertheless, information about long-term outcomes is scarce. We performed a retrospective matched-pair cohort study in 74 LN recipients compared with 148 non-LN controls matched by age, sex, immunosuppressive treatment, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matches, and transplant period in order to evaluate long-term outcomes of kidney transplant in LN recipients. Matched pairs were predominantly females (83%), median age at transplant surgery of 32 years (interquartile range 23-38 years), and 66% received a graft from a living related donor. Among LN recipients, 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year graft survival was 81%, 79%, 57% and 51%, respectively, and it was similar to that observed in controls (89%, 78%, 64%, and 56%, respectively). Graft loss (27% vs. 21%, p = 0.24) and overall survival ( p = 0.15) were not different between LN recipients and controls. Also, there was no difference in episodes of immunological rejection, thrombosis, or infection. Only six LN recipients had biopsy-proven lupus recurrence and three of them had graft loss. In a cohort with a long follow up of kidney transplant recipients, LN recipients had similar long-term graft survival and overall outcomes compared with non-lupus recipients when predictors are matched between groups.
Assuntos
Sobrevivência de Enxerto , Imunossupressores/uso terapêutico , Transplante de Rim , Nefrite Lúpica/mortalidade , Nefrite Lúpica/terapia , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Estimativa de Kaplan-Meier , Masculino , México , Estudos Retrospectivos , Centros de Atenção Terciária , Fatores de Tempo , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Objetivo: Evaluar los resultados de ICSI realizadas con espermatozoides frescos y congelados obtenidos desde biopsias testiculares en pacientes azoospermicos desde junio 2003 a julio 2005 en el Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile. Pacientes y Método: Catorce pacientes portadores de azoospermia fueron sometidos a biopsia testiculares con fines diagnósticos y terapéuticos. Las biopsias de 11 pacientes fueron realizadas el día previo a la aspiración folicular femenina y en 3 casos se utilizaron espermatozoides móviles criopreservados meses antes del procedimiento ICSI. Se cuantifico el número de pacientes en los que rescataron espermatozoides; y las tasas de fecundación y embarazo en los grupos de espermatozoides frescos y criopreservados. Resultados: En los 14 pacientes evaluados se recuperaron espermatozoides. En 3 casos se utilizaron espermatozoides congelados obtenidos de biopsias previas, y en 11 casos espermatozoides frescos para ICSI. Se obtuvieron 6 embarazos en el grupo de espermatozoides frescos y dos embarazos en el grupo de espermatozoides congelados. La tasa de fecundación en ambos grupos fue similar, 64,3 por ciento y 60,7 por ciento respectivamente. Conclusión: Nuestro trabajo demuestra que es posible obtener tasas de fecundación y embarazo semejantes con el uso de espermatozoides frescos y congelados obtenidos a partir de biopsias testiculares en pacientes azoospermicos. Recomendamos la criopreservación de espermatozoides testiculares cada vez que se realice una biopsia testicular y se encuentren espermatozoides, puesto que esto permitirá su uso posterior sin tener que someter al paciente a nuevas cirugías.
Objective: To report eight pregnancies obtained by intracitoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using fresh and frozen spermatozoa obtained by testicular sperm extraction (TESE) from 14 azoospermic patients. Patients and Methods: Fourteen azoospermic patients underwent TESE for ICSI. Eleven TESE were made the day previous the oocyte retrieval and three were made the previous months in association with sperm cryopreservation. We evaluated the fertilization and pregnancy rate in both groups: fresh and frozen spermatozoa. Results: Fertilization rate in both groups of patients was similar 64.3 percent and 60.7 percent respectively. Six pregnancies were obtained in patients with fresh spermatozoa and two in the frozen spermatozoa group. Conclusions: We demonstrate that is possible to obtain similar fertilization and pregnancy rates using fresh and frozen spermatozoa from TESE. To decrease the number of testicular biopsies and aborted ICSI cycles we recommend spermatozoa cryopreservation every time a diagnosis testicular biopsy is made in patients with azoospermia.
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Gravidez , Adulto , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Espermatozoides/fisiologia , Injeções de Esperma Intracitoplásmicas , Oligospermia/terapia , Técnicas de Reprodução Assistida , Criopreservação , Indução da Ovulação , Testículo/citologia , Transferência Embrionária , Taxa de GravidezRESUMO
AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents >90% of primary liver neoplasms and develops mainly in patients with liver cirrhosis. Risk factor identification for the development of HCC in patients with cirrhosis possesses great clinical relevance due to its high incidence and poor prognosis when detected at advanced stages. The aim of this study was to identify HCC development-associated risk factors in a cohort of patients with hepatitis virus-related chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with a diagnosis of hepatitis virus-related cirrhosis between January 1980 and January 2000 were included. Patients were followed with an abdominal ultrasound and the determination of alpha-fetoprotein levels, a physical examination, and routine biochemical tests every 3-6 months. The end point of the study was defined as the development of HCC. Liver histology was evaluated according to the French METAVIR Cooperative Study Group (METAVIR) score. RESULTS: Two hundred and eighty-two patients met the inclusion criteria; most of these (86%) had a serologic diagnosis of hepatitis C virus, and only 14% had hepatitis B virus at the time of the diagnosis of cirrhosis, whereas 56 and 37% were classified as Child A and B, respectively, and only 7% as Child C. Histological activity was mild in 59% of patients, and moderate and severe in 41%. The mean annual incidence was 1.87%, and 22 and 35% of patients developed HCC at 10 and 15 years of follow-up, respectively. The diagnosis of HCC was made by histopathology in 37% and by tumoural lesion-associated alpha-fetoprotein elevation confirmed by imaging studies in 63%. In multivariate analysis, we found three variables associated with HCC: moderate to severe histological activity; a platelet count <105x10(3)/mm(3), and alpha-fetoprotein >5 ng/ml. The patients were divided into two groups according to regression coefficient: low and high risk; patients assigned to the low-risk group showed 5-, 10- and 15-year HCC incidences of 3.4, 6.4 and 6.4%, respectively, in contrast to patients from the high-risk group, who showed incidences of 17.8, 33.5 and 56.8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We found three HCC-associated variables: histological activity, platelet count and alpha-fetoprotein levels. Patients considered as high risk for developing HCC must be considered candidates for closer follow-up.
Assuntos
Carcinoma Hepatocelular/virologia , Hepatite B Crônica/complicações , Hepatite C Crônica/complicações , Cirrose Hepática/complicações , Neoplasias Hepáticas/virologia , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/etiologia , Feminino , Seguimentos , Hepatite B Crônica/patologia , Hepatite C Crônica/patologia , Humanos , Cirrose Hepática/etiologia , Cirrose Hepática/patologia , Cirrose Hepática/virologia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/etiologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Contagem de Plaquetas , Estudos Retrospectivos , Fatores de Risco , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Sulfanilamidas , alfa-Fetoproteínas/análiseRESUMO
Phosphorus (P) is one of the most important nutrients limiting agricultural production worldwide. In acid and alkaline soils, which make up over 70% of the world's arable land, P forms insoluble compounds that are not available for plant use. To reduce P deficiencies and ensure plant productivity, nearly 30 million tons of P fertilizer are applied every year. Up to 80% of the applied P fertilizer is lost because it becomes immobile and unavailable for plant uptake. Therefore, the development of novel plant varieties more efficient in the use of P represents the best alternative to reduce the use of P fertilizers and achieve a more sustainable agriculture. We show here that the ability to use insoluble P compounds can be significantly enhanced by engineering plants to produce more organic acids. Our results show that when compared to the controls, citrate-overproducing plants yield more leaf and fruit biomass when grown under P-limiting conditions and require less P fertilizer to achieve optimal growth.
Assuntos
Citrato (si)-Sintase/genética , Citrato (si)-Sintase/metabolismo , Citratos/metabolismo , Nicotiana/fisiologia , Fosfatos/metabolismo , Fósforo/metabolismo , Plantas Geneticamente Modificadas/metabolismo , Plantas Tóxicas , Transporte Biológico , Caulimovirus/genética , Concentração de Íons de Hidrogênio , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas , Pseudomonas aeruginosa/enzimologia , Pseudomonas aeruginosa/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Rhizobium , Solo , Nicotiana/enzimologia , Nicotiana/genéticaRESUMO
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) has been cultivated in different regions of Bolivia for hundreds of years. In the highlands (2,400 to 3,000 m above sea level) of the Department (state) of Chuquisaca in southern Bolivia, chickpea is an important cash crop for small farmers. During March through April 1999, a blight was observed infecting local chickpea landraces in Chamicle, Escana, Kullpa Ckasa, Presto, Q'ara Puncu, Santa Rosalia, Sucre, and Yotala in Chuquisaca, and its cause was tentatively identified as Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Labrousse (teleomorph Didymella rabiei (Kovachevski) v. Arx) based on disease symptomatology. Stems, leaflets, and pods of infected plants exhibited abundant necrotic lesions. Isolations were made from lesions on leaflets, stems, pods, and seeds of infected plants on 2% water agar and potato dextrose agar. The fungus was isolated from the foliar and reproductive tissues of infected plants. Koch's postulates were fulfilled by inoculating the foliage of 15-day-old seedlings of a local chickpea landrace with spore suspensions of three isolates of the pathogen from Escana, Santa Rosalia, and Sucre. Inoculated and control (sterile water) plants were incubated in moist chambers for 4 days in the laboratory at ambient temperatures and under natural daylight. The fungus was reisolated from lesions that developed on the leaflets, petioles, and stems of all inoculated seedlings but not from tissues on any of the noninoculated control plants. The fungus was identified as A. rabiei based on symptoms, cultural and morphological characteristics (2), and pathogenicity tests. Above average rainfall and cool weather during March and April favored development and spread of the disease in many chickpea-growing areas. Severe infection usually resulted in dieback and death of plants and reduced yields. Additionally, A. rabiei was isolated from chickpea seeds purchased in the markets of Sucre and Monteagudo and in seeds used by farmers in Escana to plant the 1999 crop (which had supplied the plants previously observed with blight). The teleomorph did not develop on naturally infested chickpea debris from five locations when incubated over the winter on the soil surface in Sucre. Based on farmers' reports, it appears that Ascochyta blight of chickpea has been present in the Department of Chuquisaca and possibly other Bolivian departments for many years. This is the first report of the disease in either Bolivia or other countries of Latin America (Mexico and Central and South America) (1). References: (1) CAB. 1991. CAB Distribution Maps of Plant Diseases: Ascochyta rabiei. Map No. 151. CAB International Mycological Institute, Wallingford, England. (2) E. Punithalingham and P. Holliday. 1972. Ascochyta rabiei. Descriptions of Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria No. 337. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew, England.
RESUMO
It was determined the presence of antibodies anti-T. gondii in young, 13-16 year old, belonging to Republic Arab Saharaui; Popular Republic of Angola; Ethiopia and Republic of Ghana. From a total of 707 sera analyzed, the 71.43% of them showed the presence of specific antibodies. The prevalence of antibodies did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) between males and females in Angola and Republic Arab Saharaui. It was found a significant difference (P < 0.0001) among countries.