Biogenic amines in foods: Histamine and food processing

Biogenic amines, e.g. histamine, occur in many different foods. At high concentrations, they are risk factors for food intoxication, whereas moderate levels may lead to food intolerance. Sensitive persons, with insufficient diamine oxidase activity, suffer from numerous undesirable reactions after intake of histamine containing foods. Besides spoiled foodstuffs, especially fermented foods tend to contain elevated levels of biogenic amines, although their concentrations vary extensively not only between different food varieties but also within the varieties themselves. High histamine content in foods and beverages result from microbial contamination. The evidence of enteral histaminosis represents a challenge for the food industry to produce foods with histamine levels as low as possible. We therefore investigated critical steps for histamine formation during food production processes, and established production methods that include low-histamine technology.     

Effects of deprivation on hedonics and reinforcing value of food

Eating is influenced by both the hedonic preferences and reinforcing value of food. Incentive salience theory predicts these are separate influences. This study tested whether hedonics reliably change as a function of increasing the reinforcing value of food by deprivation in 17 non-obese, non-dietary restrained females. Baseline measures of hedonics for pleasant (chocolate milk), unpleasant (lemon juice) and neutral (water) tastes were determined under deprived conditions. Participants were then randomly assigned to fed or maintained in deprived conditions, and after food consumption, a second determination of hedonics was obtained, followed by assessing the reinforcing value of food. Hedonics was measured by subjective ratings and behavioral observations in a taste reactivity paradigm. Results showed food was more reinforcing for the deprived than the fed group, but no influences of group were observed for the subjective or objective hedonic measures. These results suggest that hedonics and the reinforcing value of food are separate processes in humans, and they may independently influence eating behavior.     

Caloric regulation and patterns of food choice in a patchy environment: the value and cost of alternative foods

Rats in a laboratory foraging paradigm had 24-hr-per-day access to a feeder where they could search, by completing a fixed number of bar presses, for an opportunity to eat one of a pair of foods differing in caloric density (2.5, 3, 3.5, or 4 kcal/g) and, in Experiment 2, the price of food pellets (10 to 50 bar presses per pellet). The rats could either accept the opportunity, and eat a meal, or reject it in favor of further search. Daily caloric intake was relatively constant. The rats always included both foods in their diet, but, for any particular food, the degree of inclusion in the diet and of acceptance of meal opportunities, the meal size, and the rate of eating were all functions not only of the price and caloric value of that food but also of the price and value of the alternately-available food. The patterns of intake for one food relative to those for the other available food were strongly correlated with the relative rate of calorie intake during consumption of that food compared to the other. Although the rats appeared to be sensitive to the local rates of calorie flow, they did not maximize daily calories consumed per time spent feeding.     

The value of an evidence database for occupational therapists: an international online survey

BACKGROUND: Online evidence databases can provide access to high quality evidence at the point of care, making evidence-based practice more achievable. A discipline-specific online bibliographic database called OTseeker (www.otseeker.com) was designed for use by occupational therapists. The database is free, and contains citations and abstracts of systematic reviews, and critically appraised randomized controlled trials relevant to occupational therapy. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate search practices of database users, their views on its functionality, and the reported impact, if any, on their practice from using OTseeker. DESIGN: An online survey, placed on the database website for 30 days. SAMPLE: Potential participants were users of OTseeker during a 30-day period. A total of 498 people who had used the database more than once from over 40 countries completed the survey. RESULTS: Three hundred and nine (62%) participants believed that OTseeker had improved their ability to locate research about the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions, and 92 (19%) agreed that the information in the database had contributed to a change in practice. Those reporting no practice changes agreed that use of OTseeker had improved their knowledge generally (n=189; 38%), confirmed their practice (n=75; 15%), or revealed that there was insufficient research relevant to their search topic (n=92; 19%). Features of the database which helped respondents locate research evidence included: having discipline-specific content, providing critical appraisal ratings for randomized controlled trials, and presenting search results ranked for methodological quality. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the value of a discipline-specific, online database for helping occupational therapists locate high quality research evidence. Information located on databases such as OTseeker can help change or confirm practice, and improve knowledge.     

Information processing and PTSD: a review of the empirical literature

This article reviews a series of studies that have utilized information-processing paradigms with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) populations. The review suggests that pretrauma measures of intelligence (IQ) are predictive of the development of PTSD symptoms following trauma. There is also evidence of impaired performance on standardized tests of memory (independent of IQ) in PTSD populations. PTSD populations are found to exhibit deficits in memory function that may be due to hippocampus damage secondary to excessive neuroendocrine responses to conditioned stimuli. In addition, individuals with PTSD evince an attentional bias towards trauma-related stimuli at postrecognition stages of information processing. The review also includes that there is insufficient evidence to either support, or reject, the theoretical proposition that PTSD patients are sensitive to global valence effects at the earliest stages of information processing relative to traumatized non-PTSD populations. Finally, there is some evidence to suggest that the processes associated with autobiographical memory in PTSD populations are similar to those seen in depression. The implications of these findings for the behavioral and cognitive treatment of PTSD are discussed. Directions for future research with such paradigms are also discussed in light of contemporary information processing theories of PTSD.     

Stability of food allergens and allergenicity of processed foods.

The allergenicity of food could be altered by several processing procedures. For various foods of animal and plant origin the available literature on this alteration is described. Investigations on hidden allergens in food products are also dealt with.     

The impact of processing on allergenicity of food

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Processing procedures and food structure may modulate the allergenic properties of foods. However, our lack of knowledge on this topic makes it difficult to both predict and minimize the impact of processing on allergenicity of foods and provide allergic patients with appropriate advice over what is safe to eat. RECENT FINDINGS: New data on the major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1, show it is thermostable, whereas their complex interactions with lipids either enhancing or reducing its stability. Studies of cereal allergies have shown allergenic disulphide-bonded prolamin superfamily members (lipid transfer proteins, alpha-amylase inhibitors) are resistant to cooking although species differences in maize and wheat lipid transfer proteins have been identified. Novel methods are being sought to mitigate the allergenicity of foods using enzymes like transglutaminase and treatments with phytochemicals such as phytate. SUMMARY: Further research is needed to explain the subtle differences in the susceptibility of processing on the allergenic potential of Bet v 1 homologues in apple and celeriac and lipid transfer proteins from different cereals. The efficacy of new processing strategies in reducing food allergenicity needs to be demonstrated in allergic individuals. Studies are still lacking on the effect of the food matrix on allergenicity, and the impact of processing on sensitization potential.     

Effects of maternal undernutrition on offspring behavior: incentive value of a food reward and ability to escape from water

Two experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of maternal undernutrition during gestation and lactation upon the incentive value of a food reward and upon performance and reversal learning in an escape-from-water task. The results of the present experiments suggest that offspring of underfed mothers have lower incentive values for food rewards than control offspring, although they are able to perform comparably in an escape-from-water task. The implication is that the results of hunger-motivated tests of problem solving or learning in maternally undernourished and control offspring are suspect.     

Oral cromoglycate: its value in the treatment of adverse reactions to foods.

Thirty-two patients who reacted adversely to foods were given oral cromoglycate and placebo separately for two periods of seven days each. Adverse reactions were prevented by cromoglycate alone in 24. The symptoms responding to cromoglycate affected not only the gastrointestinal tract but also the skeletal, vascular and nervous systems.     

Effects of amphetamine on food intake and weight: timing of injections and food access.

Although the effects of amphetamine on food consumption and body weight in nondeprived animals are of interest for theoretical and clinical reasons, there are only a few studies on this topic in the literature. In Experiment 1, independent groups of nondeprived rats were given daily injections of 0, 1, 2, 5, or 10 mg/kg d-amphetamine sulfate shortly after light onset for 30 days. While drug treatment did not affect food consumption, all amphetamine-treated groups lost weight over the initial 12 days and then, over the final 18 days of treatment, gained weight at the same rate as controls. Experiment 2 assessed whether the effects of amphetamine on these measures are influenced by the timing of the daily injections relative to the light-dark cycle. As in Experiment 1, injections of amphetamine at light onset again produced weight loss while not affecting food consumption, whereas injections of the drug at light offset did not reliably affect either measure. Experiment 3 showed that the relationships among variables observed in nondeprived animals remain the same in animals restricted to 12 h of access to food each day and replicated the amphetamine-induced hyperphasia observed earlier by Jones and Caul (9).     

Privacy preserving processing of genomic data: A survey

Recently, the rapid advance in genome sequencing technology has led to production of huge amount of sensitive genomic data. However, a serious privacy challenge is confronted with increasing number of genetic tests as genomic data is the ultimate source of identity for humans. Lately, privacy threats and possible solutions regarding the undesired access to genomic data are discussed, however it is challenging to apply proposed solutions to real life problems due to the complex nature of security definitions. In this review, we have categorized pre-existing problems and corresponding solutions in more understandable and convenient way. Additionally, we have also included open privacy problems coming with each genomic data processing procedure. We believe our classification of genome associated privacy problems will pave the way for linking of real-life problems with previously proposed methods.     

髋关节置换后并发症：基于SCI数据库的文献分析☆

背景：人工髋关节置换的治疗效果经过30多年的临床实践,已经得到充分的肯定并已经发展成为一种可靠的治疗手段。 目的：利用SCI数据库文献检索和深度分析功能,对于髋关节置换后并发症的研究文献资料趋势进行多层次探讨分析。 设计：文献计量学分析。 资料提取：以“hip arthroplasty(髋关节置换);loosening(松动);infection(感染);fracture(假体周围骨折);dislocation(假体脱位)”为关键词,检索SCI数据库2001-01/2010-12的相关文献,并将分析结果及资料导出,以文字和图表的形式进行统计和计量分析,描述其分布特征。 入选标准：纳入标准：检索与髋关节置换后并发症相关的文献。文献类型包括：①研究原著。②会议文章。③综述。④快报。⑤编辑素材。⑥会议摘要。⑦复印版本。⑧勘误。排除标准：①与文章目的无关的文献。②大于10年较陈旧的文献。③未发表的文章。 主要数据判定指标：以出版时间、国家地区分布、机构分布、文献类型、来源期刊、文献被引情况、基金资助情况、学科类别以及发表文献的作者分布进行相关分析。 结果：SCI数据库2001/2010共检索到5 602篇髋关节置换后并发症相关的文献,研究原著以5 134篇位居首位,其中有8篇可以确定为经典文献,文献数量在2001/2010呈总体上升趋势,Journal of Arthroplasty《关节成形术杂志》发表文献量最多,747篇,占全部文献的13.34%。 结论：通过文献计量学方法对来源于SCI数据库关于髋关节置换后并发症的文献进行分析,可为了解该领域的现状、趋势和研究者进一步确定热点难点提供有价值的参考。     

Oracle数据库系统常见错误的信息及故障处理

目前绝大多数部队医院及部分地方医院信息化建设平台均为Oracle数据库系统，此数据库系统强大的功能及超强的稳定性在同类产品中无人能敌。但是，好的产品不一定好用。没有一些使用和配置经验，辛辛苦苦安装起来的服务器和客户端就无法联通运行，Oracle就只能返同一个个无情的错误信息或错误号。下面就我院在ORACLE使用过程中的经验总结出来，仅供同行们参考。     

肿瘤干细胞研究国际发展态势：基于国际数据库的文献检索结果分析

背景：肿瘤干细胞是存在于肿瘤组织中的一小部分具有干细胞性质的细胞群体,具有自我更新能力和不定向分化潜能,肿瘤干细胞学说认为,肿瘤干细胞是肿瘤形成及其不断生长的根源。 目的：通过对汤森路透Web of Science数据库、美国NIH基金及北美临床试验注册库有关肿瘤干细胞相关文献的计量学分析,得出成肿瘤干细胞国际动态的研究趋势。 设计：文献计量学分析。 资料提取：由第一作者检索汤森路透Web of Science数据库,美国NIH基金在线查询网站(NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools)及北美临床试验注册库(ClinicalTrials.gov)有关肿瘤干细胞的文献,基金资助项目,以及专利情况,分析其研究进展。检索文献时间范围为2002-01/2011-12。数据下载日期为2011-12-18。 入选标准：纳入标准：①经同行评议的肿瘤干细胞研究的已发表文章,包括研究原著,综述,会议记录,会议摘要。②与肿瘤干细胞相关的基金资助项目。③与肿瘤干细胞研究相关的临床试验注册数据库。排除标准：①需采用手工检索和电话检索方式收集的文章。②未正式出版的文章。③在收录数量之外排除勘误类文献类型。 主要数据的判断指标：①文献收录总量。②文献类型。③学科类型。④国家分布。⑤基金资助机构。⑥发文机构。⑦高被引文章。⑧来源期刊。⑨NIH在研资助项目和机构。⑩北美临床试验注册数据信息。 结果：①汤森路透Web of Science数据库过去10年共收录肿瘤干细胞研究相关文献3 642篇,2002年仅发表并收录肿瘤干细胞相关研究10篇,从2007年开始文献数量成倍增长,2011年收录该领域的相关文献927篇,已是2002年92.7倍。其中研究类文章共收录2 033篇。且集中以细胞生物学、生物化学分子生物学和动物实验研究类文献为主要研究方向。②目前已发表的文献美国为主,占全球相关领域发稿量的44.878%。中国在过去10年间被收录文章总量中排名第2,共发表375篇相关文章,占全球相关文章的10.299%。相关研究主要由美国国立卫生研究院、中国国家自然科学基金和美国国立癌症研究所资助。其高被引文章主要发表在Nature《自然》、Cancer Research《癌症研究》、Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America《美国科学院院刊》和Cell Stem Cell《细胞干细胞》。③美国国立卫生研究院目前持续对肿瘤干细胞研究提供大量的资金资助,目前仍在资助365项研究,总资助金额超过1亿5千万美元。④全球在北美临床试验注册中心注册肿瘤干细胞相关研究2 958项,其中美国相关研究共注册2 080项,居世界首位。来 自中国的肿瘤干细胞研究的注册项目为30项。 结论：文献分析显示了肿瘤干细胞研究领域的国际发展趋势,为针对肿瘤干细胞的药物研发和治疗方法及癌症的临床治疗提供了可借鉴的参考建议。     

Malignant myoepithelioma of the oral palate: Ultrastructural and immunohistochemical studies and survey of the literature

Malignant myoepithelioma arising in the palatal gland is extremely rare. The present study demonstrated ultrastructural and immunohistochemical features of malignant myoepithelioma transformed from long-standing benign myoepithelioma occurring in the palatal gland. Microscopically, the tumor mass was composed of plasmacytoid cells and epitheloid cells. The malignant feature was seen only at the area adjacent to the bone. Immunohistochemically, most of the cells were S-100 positive, whereas vimentin and keratin were only partially positive. Glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) was positive at the peripheral cells of the solid nests and epitheloid cells with myxoid stroma. Ultrastructurally, filament-rich cells, tonofilament-rich cells, and filament-poor cells were observed. At the area adjacent to the bone, the cells implying malignancy were filament-poor cells in which the luminal structures could be detected. From these findings, a scarcity of filaments in myoepitheliomatous components may imply a malignancy.     

Secondary tumors of the pancreas: an analysis of a surgical and autopsy database and review of the literature

The vast majority of pancreatic carcinomas are primary, and, among these, more than 90% are of ductal origin. However, a variety of extrapancreatic tumors may involve the pancreas secondarily and may manifest different clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes. In this study, pathology material from 973 surgical specimens and 4955 adult autopsy cases was reviewed to identify the tumors metastatic to or secondarily involving the pancreas. Biliary and periampullary neoplasms and tumors confined to peripancreatic soft tissue were excluded. In the autopsy series, the pancreas was involved by tumor in 190 cases, and 81 of these were secondary tumors. These were predominantly of epithelial origin, most commonly from lung (34), followed by GI tract (20), kidney (4), breast (3), liver (2), ovary (1), and urinary bladder (1). In addition, there were six tumors of hematopoietic origin, two melanomas, two sarcomas, and two mesotheliomas. Among the 973 surgical specimens, 38 cases contained metastatic tumors to the pancreas. Of these, 11 were lymphomas, and the others were carcinomas of stomach (7), kidney (6), lung (2), liver, prostate, ovary, uterus (1 case of each), and a Merkel cell carcinoma. In addition, there were three malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumors and one retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma. In conclusion, lung cancer is the most common source of metastasis to pancreas, followed by gastrointestinal carcinomas and lymphomas. These tumors are usually seen in patients with disseminated disease and are detected mainly in autopsies. Secondary tumors constitute about 4% of pancreatic specimens in the authors surgical database. Approximately one-third of them are clinically mistaken as primary tumors of the pancreas. These are predominantly hematopoietic malignancies or carcinomas of renal or gastric origin. Secondary tumors should be entertained in both the clinical and pathological differential diagnosis of pancreatic neoplasia.