Risk assessment of the use of sub-optimal levels of weak-acid preservatives in the control of mould growth on bakery products

The hurdle technology approach was used to prevent fungal growth of common contaminants of bakery products including isolates belonging to the genera Eurotium, Aspergillus and Penicillium. Several levels (0.003%, 0.03% and 0.3%) of calcium propionate, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate were assayed on a model agar system in a full-factorial experimental design in which the other factors assayed were pH (4.5, 6 and 7.5) and a(w) (0.80, 085, 0.90 and 0.95). Potassium sorbate was found to be the more suitable preservative to be used in combination with the common levels of pH and a(w) in Spanish bakery products. Sub-optimal concentrations (0.003% and sometimes 0.03%) led to an enhancement of fungal growth. None of the preservatives had a significant inhibitory effect at neutral pH.

Determinants of volumetric breast density in Chilean premenopausal women

PURPOSE

High mammographic breast density (BD) is a strong risk factor of breast cancer; however, little is known in women under 40 years of age. Recently, dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) has been developed as a low-dose method to measure BD in young populations. Thus, our aims were to describe BD in relation to risk factors in Chilean women under 40 years old and to explore the equivalence of DXA to mammography for the measurement of BD.

METHODS

We selected 192 premenopausal Chilean female participants of the DERCAM study for whom we have anthropometric, sociodemographic, and gyneco-obstetric data. The subjects received both digital mammograms (Hologic) and breast DXA scans (GE iDXA). Mammographic BD was estimated using a fully automated commercial method (VOLPARA^®) and BI-RADS. Breast DXA scans were performed using a standardized protocol and the % fibroglandular volume (%FGV) was estimated considering a two-compartment model of adipose and fibroglandular tissue.

RESULTS

The mean age was 37 years (SD = 6.5) and 31.6% of the subjects were obese. The median %FGV and absolute FGV (AFGV) measured by DXA were 9% and 198.1 cm³ and for VOLPARA^®, 8.6% and 58.0 cm³, respectively. The precision for %FGV after reposition was 2.8%. The correlation coefficients for %FGV, AFGV, and breast volume between DXA and mammography were over 0.7. Age and body mass index (BMI) were inversely associated with %FGV, and BMI was positively related to AFGV as estimated with DXA or mammography. We did not observe an association with gyneco-obstetric characteristics, education, and %FGV and AFGV; smoking was only associated with AFGV as measured by VOLPARA^®.

CONCLUSIONS

DXA is an alternative method to measure volumetric BD; thus, it could be used to continuously monitor BD in adult women in follow-up studies or to assess BD in young women.

[Breast MRI--histologic correlation for ductal carcinoma in situ]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the concordance between the breast MRI findings and the histologic findings for the size and extension of pure ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and to compare this concordance with that of conventional techniques (mammography and ultrasonography).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This is a retrospective study of consecutive patients diagnosed with DCIS after percutaneous biopsy. We estimated Lin's coefficient of concordance for the histologic findings with each of the three techniques. We also assessed concordance using Bland-Altman graphs. Finally, we determined the impact of the MRI findings on the surgical management of patients with DCIS.

RESULTS

A total of 32 patients were included in the study. Concordance between imaging and histology on tumor size was higher for MRI (0.78; 95%CI, 0.62-0.87) than for mammography (0.43; 95%CI, 0.19-0.62) or for ultrasonography (0.27; 95%CI, 0.09-0.43). MRI overestimated the size of DCIS by a mean of 3 mm, whereas mammography and ultrasonography underestimated it by 9 mm and 18 mm, respectively. MRI detected multifocality and multicentricity (7 cases) better than mammography (3) or ultrasonography (0). The MRI findings correctly changed the surgical management in six patients.

CONCLUSION

Breast MRI is better than conventional techniques for the evaluation of the size of DCIS. Breast MRI also detects more cases of multifocality and multicentricity. We recommend that all patients diagnosed with DCIS (especially those with dense breasts) undergo breast MRI prior to surgery.

Non-BRCA1/2 Variants Detected in a High-Risk Chilean Cohort With a History of Breast and/or Ovarian Cancer

METHODS

Data were retrospectively collected from the registry of the High-Risk Breast and Ovarian Cancer Program at Clínica Las Condes, Santiago, Chile. Data captured included index case diagnosis, ancestry, family history, and genetic test results.

RESULTS

Three hundred fifteen individuals underwent genetic testing during the study period. The frequency of germline pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants in a breast or ovarian cancer predisposition gene was 20.3%. Of those patients who underwent testing with a panel of both high- and moderate-penetrance genes, 10.5% were found to have pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in non-BRCA1/2 genes.

CONCLUSION

Testing for non-BRCA1 and -2 mutations may be clinically relevant for individuals who are suspected to have a hereditary breast or ovarian cancer syndrome in Chile. Comprehensive genetic testing of individuals who are at high risk is necessary to further characterize the genetic susceptibility to cancer in Chile.

[Enteral nutrition through long-term jejunostomy]

We present the case of a female patient suffering a peritonitis episode after subtotal gastrectomy due to gastric neoplasm in relation to lesser curvature necrosis extending to the anterior esophageal wall. This an uncommon andsevere complication that made mandatory further aggressive surgery: transection of the abdominal esophagus, transection of the gastric stump, and cervical esophagostomy with creation of a jejunostomy with a needle catheter for feeding. This digestive tube access technique is generally used during major abdominal post-surgery until oral intake is reestablished. Our patient has been 187 days with this therapy since reconstruction of the GI tract was ruled out due to tumoral infiltration of the colon and tumor recurrence at the gastrohepatic omentum. To date, there has been no complication from permanence and/or long-term use of this technique.

Landscape crop diversity contributes to higher pollination effectiveness and positively affects rapeseed quality in Mediterranean agricultural landscapes

Pollination is crucial for biodiversity and food security. Heterogeneous agricultural landscapes have a positive effect on pollinator abundance and enhance crop production and quality. In this study, we explored the effects of three landscape features (past crop diversity measured as the Equivalent Richness of crop functional Groups in the previous year [ERGp], semi-natural habitat percentage [SNH], and mean field size [MFS]) and pollinator densities (wild bees [WB] and honey bees [HB]) on pollination and seed quantity and quality in rapeseed crops. Surveying the pollinator density in 20 rapeseed fields revealed a positive relationship with ERGp in the landscape. A pollinator exclusion experiment compared bagged and open-pollinated self-compatible rapeseed plants and revealed insect pollination effectiveness (fruits per flower and number of seeds per pod) and seed quality (oil content). Seed parameters were evaluated in relation to pollinator density (WB-HB) and landscape characteristics. The ERGp emerged as a crucial landscape feature that positively impacted WB density. When insect pollinators were excluded, plants exhibited reduced pollination effectiveness and seed quality. Analysis of open-pollinated plants highlighted ERGp as the most influential variable, positively affecting both sets of parameters. The MFS and SNH showed different but important relationships. Total tocopherol and α-tocopherol were positively correlated with pollinator density in HB, whereas WB showed a positive correlation with γ-tocopherol levels. Increased ERGp positively affected pollinator density and pollination effectiveness, thereby improving oilseed rape production quantity and quality. This study provides new insights into agroecosystem management and pollinator-friendly practices.

[Canalith reposition procedure for the treatment of benign paroxysmal postural vertigo]

BACKGROUND

Paroxysmal positional vertigo is a frequent and handicapping disease.

AIM

To assess the effectiveness of physical therapies using particle reposition procedures in the treatment of paroxysmal positional vertigo.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Fifty nine patients (13 male) with paroxysmal positional vertigo were studied. Clinical data was gathered, the affected channel was identified. In the same session, the corresponding canalith reposition procedure was performed (Epley maneuver for posterior channel and Lempert maneuver for lateral channel) and the immediate response was recorded.

RESULTS

Twenty seven percent of patients had recurring episodes of vertigo and 60% had more than two weeks of evolution. In 49% of patients, vertigo was considered idiopathic and in 92%, the posterior channel was affected. One patient had a combined lesion of posterior and lateral channels and two patients had isolated lateral channel lesions. Seventy percent of patients recovered after two sessions of canalith reposition procedure.

CONCLUSIONS

Canalith reposition maneuvers were highly effective for the treatment of paroxysmal positional vertigo.

[Enteroparasitoses in children from the V Region. A study in the Juan Fernandez archipelago, Chile]

The results of two enteroparasitological surveys in children carried out in the Juan Fernandez Archipelago, within a 5-year period (1982-1987), are compared. In both studies the absence of Ascaris lumbricoides has been persistent, having no explanation for this phenomenon due to the favorable environmental conditions for the development of the quoted parasite. In the second survey Cryptosporidium sp. was studied, finding a higher frequency than that detected in rural areas of the V Region.

[Enteroparasitoses in the V Region, Chile. A study of rural school children from Santo Domingo, 1987]

The results of a new enteroparasitological survey carried out by the authors are analyzed with the aim of contributing to the knowledge of the situation of these infections in the V Region, Chile. In 1987 the children of five rural schools of Santo Domingo were studied by means of the modified Telemann method, the Ziehl-Neelsen stain and seried Graham test. The parasites more frequently found were: E. vermicularis (50.4%) and G. lamblia (10.8%). No E. histolytica was found in these children. The most frequent commensal was E. nana (21.9%). Cryptosporidium sp. presented a low frequency (0.9%), a figure that in these asymptomatic subjects is in accordance with that found in outpatients with chronic diarrhea in Valparaíso, V Region.

[Cryptosporidiosis in the V Region Chile. III. Study of malnourished patients, 1985-1987]

Frequency of infection by Cryptosporidium sp. in 1,039 faecal smears stained by Ziehl-Neelsen, obtained from undernourished patients of a Nutritional Recovery Center and an ambulatory undernourished center from the Fifth Region, Chile, were studied. All underwent a coproparasitological examination by the modified Telemann method. Thirty eight (3.7%) patients infected by the parasite were detected, with an overall frequency of 8.5% among patients of the Nutritional Recovery Center and 1.9% among the ambulatory patients; this difference was statistically significant. The highest percentage of positive results were detected among the younger milk feeding infants. Also the percentage of difference among these and the older milk feeding infants (3.7%) was statistically significant. Association of Cryptosporidium sp. and Giardia lamblia was observed in 6 ambulatory patients (2.3%).