Physical and sensory properties of ready to eat apple chips produced by osmo-convective drying.

The low cost raw material, apple variety Idared, was turned into value-added product, apple chips. The apple chips were produced in a two-step process consisting of osmotic treatment and conventional drying. Osmotic treatment was carried out in 40 % glucose solution at room temperature, followed by convective drying at 105 °C, till reaching water activity of 0.

Application of ultrasound for enhanced extraction of prebiotic oligosaccharides from selected fruits and vegetables.

Ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) was used to extract oligosaccharides from selected fruits (blueberry, nectarine, raspberry, watermelon) and vegetables (garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, leek, scallion, spring garlic and white onion). The individual fractions of the oligosaccharides were analyzed: 1-kestose (GF2), nystose (GF3) and 1F-β-fructofuranosylnystose (GF4) from the fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), and raffinose and stachyose from the raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO). Extraction parameters including solvent concentration (35-85% v/v), extraction temperature (25-50°C) and sonication time (5-15min) were examined using response surface methodology (RSM).

Characterization of multilayered and composite edible films from chitosan and beeswax.

Chitosan-based edible films were prepared and subjected to cross-linking reactions using sodium tripolyphosphate and/or to beeswax coating on both films interfaces. In addition, chitosan-beeswax emulsion-based films were produced. The goal of these modifications of the chitosan films was the improvement of their barrier to water vapor and to decrease their affinity to liquid water maintaining or improving the mechanical and optical properties of the original chitosan films.

Adherence to bisphosphonate therapy in postmenopausal osteoporotic women.

Introduction: Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease caused by a decrease in the bone mineral density. It is a major public health threat as it weakens bones, especially those in the wrist, spine, or hip, and causes them to break easily.

Aim: The study aimed to find how strictly postmenopausal women with osteoporosis adhere to a long-term therapy with bisphosphonates.

Ethanol production using immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae in lyophilized cellulose gel.

A new lyophilization technique was used for immobilization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells in hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) gels. The suitability of the lyophilized HEC gels to serve as immobilization matrices for the yeast cells was assessed by calculating the immobilization efficiency and the cell retention in three consecutive batches, each in duration of 72 h. Throughout the repeated batch fermentation, the immobilization efficiency was almost constant with an average value of 0.

Raynaud's phenomenon in common rheumatic diseases.

Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) is caused by a reversible spasm of the smallest arteries and the arterioles of the fingers and toes. Two forms of RP have been described: primary and secondary. Secondary RP is often present in patients with rheumatic diseases.

Indirect immunofluorescent assay for antinuclear antibodies on McCoy-Plovdiv serum-free cell line substrate.

Indirect immunofluorescent assay for antinuclear antibodies (IIFA-ANA) on HEp-2 cell substrate is a widely used test for diagnosis of connective tissue diseases. Recently, serum-free fibroblast cell line McCoy-Plovdiv has been developed to provide an alternative substrate. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of IIFA-ANA on McCoy-Plovdiv cell substrate for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and compare it with that of the standard HEp-2 cell substrate.

The macrophage activation syndrome: a new entity, a potentially fatal complication of rheumatic disorders.

To review the precipitating events, clinical feature, treatment and outcome of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). Activation of macrophages resulting from the secondary hemophagocytic syndrome is a rarely reported complication. It was first described in rheumatic diseases in children.

Treatment of knee osteoarthritis by arthroscopic synovectomy and debridement of cartilage lesions--late results.

Unlabelled: Osteoarthritis (OA) is accompanied by degeneration and destruction of the articular cartilage, development of inflammatory process in the synovial membrane and periarticular tissues. Despite the introduction of new modern medications, the articular inflammatory changes often progress and therapy gives only a transitory improvement. Arthroscopic synovectomy (AS) in knee OA combined with resection of the cartilage lesions is a mild operative procedure and is not associated with postoperative joint stiffness and necessity of continuous rehabilitation.

Correlations between arthroscopic findings and synovial membrane histology in patients with rheumatoid synovitis of the knee joint.

Unlabelled: Correlation and agreement between the diagnostic results of arthroscopic and histological examinations of the synovial membrane in rheumatoid synovitis of the knee joint have been discussed in small number of studies with contradictory conclusions.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to determine the correlation between the arthroscopic characteristics and histology of the synovial membrane in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and synovitis of the knee joint.

Methods: Sixty-four arthroscopies of the knee joint with guided multiple synovial biopsies were performed in patients with rheumatoid synovitis.

Minor and major complications of arthroscopic synovectomy of the knee joint performed by rheumatologist.

Unlabelled: The aim of the study was to analyze the type and incidence of major and minor complications resulting from arthroscopy with arthroscopic synovectomy of the knee joint performed by rheumatologist in different rheumatological diseases.

Methods: In a prospective study the incidence of complications in arthroscopic subtotal synovectomy with subsequent tidal flow lavage was analyzed in 201 rheumatic patients. The arthroscopic synovectomies were performed by one team of rheumatologists in the operation room of the University Clinic of Rheumatology in the town of Plovdiv for a period of 8-9 years.

Arthroscopic treatment of rheumatoid synovitis.

Unlabelled: Arthroscopic synovectomy (AS) as a therapeutic modality in the treatment of chronic rheumatoid synovitis of the knee joint refractory to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) still enjoys an unflagging interest. Synovectomy has a lasting beneficial effect on the local manifestations of the rheumatoid inflammation. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the long-term results of arthroscopic synovectomy of knee joint combined with tidal lavage in patients with chronic rheumatoid synovitis included in a 5-year prospective study.

Leflunomide in the treatment of refractory rheumatoid arthritis.

Unlabelled: Leflunomide (LFL) is a modern immunomodulating medication belonging to the group of drugs that favourably affect the course of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We present in this study the results of an open prospective trial on the effectiveness and side effects of LFL in clinically followed up patients with active RA refractory to other disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS). At the onset of treatment with LFL the patients had at least 8 swollen and tender joints, the disease severity being assessed by both patients and physicians as over 3 cm VAS.

Serologic markers of early rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects symmetrically multiple joints. Recent therapeutic strategy has been focusing on the symptoms of the disease and the ways to prevent its progression as early as possible. Thus, early diagnosis is crucial since early therapy with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs reduces the severity of joint damage.

Immune profile and thyroid function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Thyroid autoantibodies and thyroid function were studied in 175 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (ARA criteria, 1987). The study included 149 women and 26 men aged (54.7 +/- 13.

Intraarticular rheumatoid nodule detection in the knee joint using ultrasonography.

Rheumatoid nodules represent a classic diagnostic sign of rheumatoid arthritis. They can be found in 20-25% of patients and are localized to the extensor surface of the proximal ulna and other friction areas such as the back of the head, the sacrum, the digits and the Achilles tendon. They can also develop in some internal organs such as the lungs, kidneys and the heart.

Ultrasonographic evaluation of knee joint cartilage in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

The non-invasive methods used to study joint cartilage are restricted in their scope. No direct visualization of the joint cartilage is possible in conventional radiology and tomography and the decrease in joint space is only indirect evidence for joint destruction. CT is a radiologic method for direct visualization of joint cartilage but its diagnostic precision in the evaluation of early cartilage lesions is limited because it can not produce an image in a plane other than the transversal plane perpendicular to the direction of the main axis of the body and because it has limited spatial resolution.

Relevance between arthroscopic pathology and clinical characteristics in knee osteoarthritis.

Unlabelled: Arthroscopy can be used to identify accurately cartilage and synovial changes in knee osteoarthritis (OA). The objective of this study was to find the correlation between arthroscopically established knee chondropathy and synovitis and the corresponding algofunctional characteristics in OA.

Methods: 41 patients with OA in only one knee joint were investigated.

Arthroscopic evaluation of chondropathy in knee osteoarthritis.

Knee arthroscopy under local anesthesia is an invasive, highly informative diagnostic method. It allows the gross evaluation of pathological changes in joint cartilage in knee osteoarthritis. The evaluation of chondropathy is usually performed using a four-degree scale or using a visual analog scale.

Ultrasound follow-up study of arthroscoped patients with gonitis.

Unlabelled: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate by ultrasound methods and carry out a one-year follow-up study of synovial proliferation in the knee joint of patients with rheumatoid arthritis prior to and after arthroscopy and arthroscopic (AS) synovectomy.

Material And Methods: 24 patients with a proven rheumatoid arthritis and affected knee joints were recruited for the study. Arthroscopic synovectomy of one of the affected joints was performed in all of them.

Glycerol production by yeasts under osmotic and sulfite stress.

The yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida boidinii, Pichia augusta, and Pichia anomala were tested for glycerol production both under osmotic stress and by addition of a sulfite-steering agent. The osmotic pressure was increased by employing glucose concentrations from 50 to 200 g/L and by supplementing with NaCl (40 g/L). Of all the yeasts, S.

Effects of environmental conditions on production of xylitol byCandida boidinii.

Candida boidinii NRRL Y-17213 produced more xylitol thanC. magnolia (NRRL Y-4226 and NRRL Y-7621),Debaryomyces hansenii (C-98 M-21, C-56 M-9 and NRRL Y-7425), orPichia (Hansenula) anomala (NRRL Y-366). WithC.

[Blood serum and synovial fluid proteins in Reiter's syndrome].

Individual proteins (transferrin, ceruloplasmin, alpha 2-macroglobulin, IgG, IgA and IgM) were examined in blood and synovial fluid of 11 patients with Reiter's syndrome. ARA-1981 was used as a diagnostic criteria. The control group included 40 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 31 with osteoarthrosis of the knee joint.

[Reiter's syndrome: the clinico-histomorphological correlations].

A total of 11 patients with Reiter's syndrome underwent puncture biopsy of the synovial membrane of the knee joint. At the early stage of the disease the patients showed hyperemia, edema, infiltration with neutrophilic leukocytes, lymphocytes and plasmacytes. At the later stage diffuse and focal infiltrates of lymphocytes and plasmacytes and a rise of the fibrocyte count were predominant.

[The early and late treatment results with azathioprine in Behçet's syndrome].

Four patients (one man and 3 women) with generalized form of Behçet's syndrome with 3-7 years duration were followed up. Prior admission to the clinic the patients had been treated symptomatically, two of them with cyclophosphamide and one patient with corticosteroids without effect. In the clinic they were treated with Azathioprin 2 mg/kg body mass.