The identification of the true nature of pseudofungus structures as polyurethane catheter fragments

Pseudofungus structures in lymph node tissues have been reported on multiple occasions. Despite a variety of investigative tests including histochemical special stains and energy dispersive spectral analysis, the underlying nature and origin of these pseudofungus structures has never been clearly defined. The most common hypothesis suggests that they represent collagen fibers that become coated with iron and calcium. Herein, evidence is given that the pseudofungus structures identified in the lymph node tissues represent fragments of polyurethane catheters. The evidence includes both a comparison of these pseudofungus structures to fragments of polyurethane well documented in the literature and a comparison of polyurethane catheter scrapings to the pseudofungus structures identified in the literature. In both of these comparisons, the morphology of the polyurethane fragments are identical to the pseudofungus structures. This is the first definitive report identifying polyurethane catheter fragments as representing the true nature and etiology of pseudofungus structures in lymph node tissues.

Increasing levels of fibre and mineral (Fe, Ca, and K) in chicken meatballs added dragon fruit peel and oyster mushroom

The removal of the peel on dragon fruit fruits is a common step in food production for reasons of aesthetics and hygiene. One way to recycle dragon fruit peel is to make chicken meatball. Chicken meatball in Indonesia, which is called bakso are produced from ground chicken mixed with flour, spices and other mashed ingredients. The mixture is then formed into balls and boiled until cooked. Chicken meatballs contain mostly animal ingredients, so the quality needs to be improved by adding vegetable ingredients. The addition of vegetable ingredients is intended to increase the content of dietary fibre. The fruit fibres used in this study were dragon fruit peel and the vegetable ingredients was oyster mushrooms. The results showed that chicken meatball with higher concentration of dragon fruit peel has higher level of soluble dietary fibre, insoluble dietary fibre, and total dietary fibre content. This indicates that dragon fruit peel has higher levels of soluble dietary fibre, insoluble dietary fibre, and dietary fibre than oyster mushrooms. The addition of dragon fruit peel and oyster mushrooms causes an increase in iron and calcium mineral levels in chicken meatball products, but oyster mushrooms contribute more to increase these minerals. With these nutritious chicken meatballs, dragon fruit peel can be processed to become food that has economic value. Therefore, dragon fruit peel and oyster mushrooms can be used as a good ingredient in the formulation of chicken meatball.

Processing Impact on Nutritional, Antinutritional, and Phytochemical of Fenugreek Seeds (Trigonella Foenum-Graecum L.)

Phytate and tannin are more pronounced antinutrients limiting the nutritional quality of fenugreek. The impact of roasting (130±5°C for 7 minutes), soaking (12 hrs. at room temperature) and germination (72 hrs. at 25°C) on bioactive compounds (polyphenol and antioxidant activity), nutritional and anti-nutritional compounds (phytate and tannin) in Fenugreek were studied. Experimental data were analyzed using the software GenStat 12th Edition. Protein increased significantly (p<0.05) during roasting, soaking, and germination whereas fat decreased significantly. Iron and calcium increased during roasting whereas decreased during soaking and germination. Maximum reduction of phytate (54.55%) and tannin (66.73%) were found when fenugreek seeds were germinated (72 hours). The reduction percentage of antinutrients by soaking (12 hours) and roasting (130±5⁰C for 7 mins) was found to be a lesser effective method compared to germination. All the treatments had a significant (p<0.05) impact on their bioactive components. Phenolic content increased significantly (p<0.05) during roasting, soaking, and germination. Antioxidant activity (IC50=1.28mg dm/ml) was found to be high in the germinated samples as compared to raw, roasted, and soaked samples. Hence, Germination of fenugreek seeds for 72 hours is concluded as the most effective and promising method for the reduction of antinutrients and increasing the nutritional components, phytochemicals, and antioxidant properties.

Mutu Gizi Aneka Kudapan Cokibus

Snacks are small meals usually served with drinks, both for daily use and for special occasions. Cokibus snack is a snack that is made to complement the intake of nutrients, especially for children who experience stunting. Makassar City has more malnourished children than other cities/districts, namely 22.1% underweight, 25.2% stunting, and 9.4% wasting. This study aims to determine changes in nutritional quality, namely the levels of macronutrients, iron, and calcium in various Cokibus snacks. This type of research is laboratory research. The sample consisted of 4 kinds of snacks, 1 type of Cokibus consisting of standard, and one substitution treatment of 10% snakehead fish meal. Each sample was repeated twice, so there were 16 samples in total. The research was conducted at the Food Technology Laboratory, Department of Nutrition, Poltekkes, Ministry of Health, Makassar, and the sample was examined at the Quality Control Laboratory of SMTI Makassar. The results showed that per 100 grams of various Cokibuses, the average carbohydrate content decreased -0.1%, protein content increased between 0.21% to 0.72%, fat increased 0.02% to 0.12%, iron increased between 0.43% to 0.63%. Calcium also increased between 0.29% to 0.85%. The snack with the highest increase in nutritional content was Charrot muffins, and the lowest increase in nutritional value was Chobus cupcakes.

On-Site Identification of Pottery with pXRF: An Example of European and Chinese Red Stonewares

The invention of European hard porcelain, which aims at imitating kaolin-containing white paste of Chinese porcelain, had been started by the development of the technology of “red porcelain”, so-called “Jaspisporzellan” by Johann Friedrich Böttger in the early-eighteenth century at Meissen (Saxony). The visual features of the earlier Böttger red stoneware were rather similar to the one produced in Yixing, China. The prominence of Böttger productions allowed the manufacturing to be expanded across Europe to different countries (Holland, England, France, etc.). In this study, the chemical characteristics of nine European unglazed objects produced in England, France, Russia, and Holland from the 17th to 19th century and 10 Chinese (unglazed or enameled) red stoneware have been studied by using an on-site characterization technique pXRF. The results were compared with the previous studies carried out on 25 unglazed, polished, and non-polished Böttger artefacts. This non-invasive, speedy technique allows a methodology to be created for distinguishing the technological differences related to the provenance and authenticity of the artefacts. The elemental measurements explicitly show the significant discrepancy of Dutch objects from the main group, which involves other European and Chinese ones. Both a Lambertus van Eenhoorn (Delft) statue and an Ary de Milde (Delft) teapot are distinguishable from other European red stoneware by the high content of iron and calcium and high content of titanium and potassium, respectively, found in their body compositions. An overall comparison was made between the measurements made at different times in order to evaluate the error range arising from the measurement procedure (e.g., energy resolution of other series of the same instrument model).

Evaluation of Nutrient, Mineral Analysis and Quality Characterization of Gymnema sylvestre Multi Grain Cookies for Diabetes

Diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders with various etiologies that are defined by persistent hyperglycemia and worsening carbohydrate, lipid, and protein digestion due to flaws in insulin discharge and insulin activity. Indians account for one out of every five diabetics of the world. Around 35 million Indians suffer from diabetes, which affects around 150 million individuals worldwide. Because health is a major concern in people’s daily lives, foods that are healthy and beneficial to health are becoming increasingly popular. Natural food variations are widely used for the prevention and treatment of a variety of healthy issues. Supplements such as protein, iron, and calcium can be found in plenty of treats. The goal of this study was to develop solid treats using Gymnema sylvestre leaf powder, an Ayurvedic component with increased nutraceutical value. Multigrain powder, heating powder, palm sugar, cardamom powder, Margarine, salt, bubbling blend, and G.sylvestre leaf powder were among the ingredients used to make the solid snacks. The powder was created by drying the leaves in a plate dryer at 50°C for 2 hours before crushing in a home processor. G.sylvestre leaf powder was fused at different percentages: 0.25 percent, 0.50 percent, 0.75 percent, and 1.00 percent. Supplement testing, mineral analysis, and tactile testing are not set in stone. Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy was used to determine mineral composition. Over a variety of examples, test 0.50 percent sound snacks were found to be organoleptically superior.

Breastfed and Formula-Fed Infants: Need of a Different Complementary Feeding Model?

Suboptimal nutrient quality/quantity during complementary feeding (CF) can impact negatively on infants’ healthy growth, even with adequate energy intake. CF must supplement at best human milk (HM) or formulas, which show nutritional differences. Considering this, a differentiated CF is probably advisable to correctly satisfy the different nutritional needs. To assess whether current needs at 6–24 months of age can still be met by one single CF scheme or different schemes are needed for breastfed vs. formula/cow’s milk (CM) fed infants, protein, iron and calcium intakes were assessed from daily menus using the same type and amount of solid food, leaving same amounts of HM and follow-up formula at 9 and again 18 months of age, when unmodified CM was added. Depending on the child’s age, calcium- and iron-fortified cereals or common retail foods were used. The single feeding scheme keeps protein intake low but higher than recommended, in HM-fed children while in formula/CM-fed ones, it achieves much higher protein intakes. Iron Population Recommended Intake (PRI) and calcium Adequate Intakes (AI) are met at the two ages only when a formula is used; otherwise, calcium-fortified cereals are needed. ESPGHAN statements on the futility of proposing different CF schemes according to the milk type fed do not allow to fully meet the nutritional recommendations issued by major Agencies/Organizations/Societies for all children of these age groups.

Hepcidin induces intestinal calcium uptake while suppressing iron uptake in Caco-2 cells

Abnormal calcium absorption and iron overload from iron hyperabsorption can contribute to osteoporosis as found in several diseases, including hemochromatosis and thalassemia. Previous studies in thalassemic mice showed the positive effects of the iron uptake suppressor, hepcidin, on calcium transport. However, whether this effect could be replicated in other conditions is not known. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of hepcidin on iron and calcium uptake ability under physiological, iron uptake stimulation and calcium uptake suppression. To investigate the potential mechanism, effects of hepcidin on the expression of iron and calcium transporter and transport-associated protein in Caco-2 cells were also determined. Our results showed that intestinal cell iron uptake was significantly increased by ascorbic acid together with ferric ammonium citrate (FAC), but this phenomenon was suppressed by hepcidin. Interestingly, hepcidin significantly increased calcium uptake under physiological condition but not under iron uptake stimulation. While hepcidin significantly suppressed the expression of iron transporter, it had no effect on calcium transporter expression. This indicated that hepcidin-induced intestinal cell calcium uptake did not occur through the stimulation of calcium transporter expression. On the other hand, 1,25(OH)2D3 effectively induced intestinal cell calcium uptake, but it did not affect intestinal cell iron uptake or iron transporter expression. The 1,25(OH)2D3-induced intestinal cell calcium uptake was abolished by 12 mM CaCl2; however, hepcidin could not rescue intestinal cell calcium uptake suppression by CaCl2. Taken together, our results showed that hepcidin could effectively and concurrently induce intestinal cell calcium uptake while reducing intestinal cell iron uptake under physiological and iron uptake stimulation conditions, suggesting its therapeutic potential for inactive calcium absorption, particularly in thalassemic patients or patients who did not adequately respond to 1,25(OH)2D3.

Phytochemical, Proximate and Mineral Analysis of Different Parts of Senna Alata Linn

This study was carried out to determine the phytochemical and proximate composition of the flowers, leaves, stem and root of Senna alata. The phytochemical analysis result revealed that saponin was highest in the leaf (4.13±0.035), flavonoid was higher in the stem (6.63±0.064) while anthraquinone was highest in the root (4.52±0.438). The result of the proximate analysis showed that carbohydrate was higher in the leaf (33.81±0.827), root (50.52±1.945) and flower (55.67±0.021). The result of the mineral composition showed that the leaf, root, flower and stem extract of S. alata were higher in potassium (779.01±0.276, 556.39±0.198, 1121.85±0.141, and 246.29±0.042). The results obtained from this research revealed that the leaves, roots, flowers and stem of Senna alata Linn were rich in crude fibre, crude protein, carbohydrate, potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium. That is, well-processed parts of Senna alata may improve the health status of livestock.