Crystalline material can develop on the surface of raisins during storage and transport, affecting the final acceptability of the product. In this work, a mild thermal pretreatment was applied to raisins to melt the pre-existing crystals and the effect of such thermal treatments on the development of crystals over a storage period was investigated. The raisins selected for this study were of the Thompson seedless variety from one Chilean company.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAfter prolonged storage or during the shipment of raisins, a crystalline material may be developed on their surface, affecting the final acceptability of the product. The mild thermal pretreatment (50 °C for a period of 12 h and 48 h) was applied to dissolve any potential tiny crystals and nuclei already present in the raisins. The thermal pretreatment of raisins resulted in a reduction on the percentage of crystallized raisins (w/w) from more than 46% in control samples to less than 10% after 30 days of storage at 57% and 66% of relative humidity and 15 °C and 25 °C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effects of sugar component ratio, water fraction, and storage conditions on crystallisation and glass transition temperature (T) of three Chilean dried raisins were examined by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarised light microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Thompson, Flame and Golden raisins differed in fructose:glucose and glucose:water ratios, impacting on their measured T (P < 0.05) and propensity of sugaring.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This study aims to evaluate the influence of changes in the teaching contents on medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw may have on the knowledge and the capacity for practical case resolution about this pathology.
Material And Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted through a survey divided into four sections: degree of means of knowledge acquisition, habitual practice and ability to solve clinical cases. The total number of respondents (n = 225) was divided into two groups: Group A (Year 2015-2016) and Group B (Year 2016-2017).
Current evidence suggests that gut dysbiosis drives obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pathogenesis. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR6 specifically recognize components of Gram-positive bacteria. Despite the potential implications of TLR2 in NAFLD pathogenesis, the role of TLR6 has not been addressed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Spanish Ministry of Defense, through its Future Combatant program, has sought to develop technology aids with the aim of extending combatants' operational capabilities. Within this framework the ATREC project funded by the "Coincidente" program aims at analyzing diverse biometrics to assess by real time monitoring the stress levels of combatants. This project combines multidisciplinary disciplines and fields, including wearable instrumentation, textile technology, signal processing, pattern recognition and psychological analysis of the obtained information.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdvances in textile materials, technology and miniaturization of electronics for measurement instrumentation has boosted the development of wearable measurement systems. In several projects sensorized garments and non-invasive instrumentation have been integrated to assess on emotional, cognitive responses as well as physical arousal and status of mental stress through the study of the autonomous nervous system. Assessing the mental state of workers under stressful conditions is critical to identify which workers are in the proper state of mind and which are not ready to undertake a mission, which might consequently risk their own life and the lives of others.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSingle nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the TLR5 gene have been associated with human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and animal models of this disease. We recently demonstrated a significant association between three non-synonymous SNPs in the canine TLR5 gene and IBD in German shepherd dogs (GSDs). However, so far, no direct link between these SNPs and a disturbance in TLR5 function was shown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: For ruminants reared on grazing systems, gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasite infections represent the class of diseases with the greatest impact on animal health and productivity. Among the many possible strategies for controlling GIN infection, the enhancement of host resistance through the selection of resistant animals has been suggested by many authors. Because of the difficulty of routinely collecting phenotypic indicators of parasite resistance, information derived from molecular markers may be used to improve the efficiency of classical genetic breeding.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTiters of serum anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies (anti-dsDNA Abs) and C3 and C4 are used for monitoring systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Here, we assessed the relationship between the clinical activity index (SLEDAI) and serum titers of anti-dsDNA Abs, C3, and C4 in an 8-year prospective study conducted in 194 SLE patients. The association of anti-dsDNA Abs and complement with M-SLEDAI was significant but low.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To summarize the contribution of cytokines to pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and prognosis of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA).
Methods: MEDLINE database search for studies published between 1980 and April 2008.
Results: PMR and GCA are characterized by a hyperproduction of IL-6.