Quantitation of sweet steviol glycosides by means of a HILIC-MS/MS-SIDA approach.

Meeting the rising consumer demand for natural food ingredients, steviol glycosides, the sweet principle of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (Bertoni), have recently been approved as food additives in the European Union. As regulatory constraints require sensitive methods to analyze the sweet-tasting steviol glycosides in foods and beverages, a HILIC-MS/MS method was developed enabling the accurate and reliable quantitation of the major steviol glycosides stevioside, rebaudiosides A-F, steviolbioside, rubusoside, and dulcoside A by using the corresponding deuterated 16,17-dihydrosteviol glycosides as suitable internal standards. This quantitation not only enables the analysis of the individual steviol glycosides in foods and beverages but also can support the optimization of breeding and postharvest downstream processing of Stevia plants to produce preferentially sweet and least bitter tasting Stevia extracts.

Development of an in vitro index to characterize fertilizing capacity of boar ejaculates.

The aim of this research was the selection of spermatozoa parameters related to boar fertility performance and their combination into an in vitro index. A first set (data set 1) of 36 Pietrain boars with 138 ejaculates from two seasons with 5083 single-sire inseminations from 34 farms was used to determine correlations between in vitro sperm quality parameters and fertility performance. 2970 ejaculates representing a second set (data set 2) served calculation of seasonal and age effects on semen quality.

Successful autologous stem cell transplantation in two patients with juvenile dermatomyositis.

Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown aetiology that affects muscle and skin. We report on two patients with severe progressive JDM who developed contractures and were wheelchair dependent despite therapy including methotrexate (MTX), steroids, immunoglobulins, cyclosporin A, and rituximab. On account of the refractory disease, autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) was performed using a CD3/CD19-depleted graft after immunoablative conditioning with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and anti-thymocyte globulin.

Whole-body MRI: a helpful diagnostic tool for juvenile dermatomyositis case report and review of the literature.

Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM) is a rare autoimmune disease in childhood. Distinction between muscle inflammation and a residual state can be difficult especially under immunosuppressive therapy and in active disease without correlating muscle enzyme tests or functional muscle scores. Our goal is to demonstrate the benefit of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a diagnostic modality in the detection and management of JDM.