Indexing of Fatty Acids in Poultry Meat for Its Characterization in Healthy Human Nutrition: A Comprehensive Application of the Scientific Literature and New Proposals

Chicken meat is becoming the most consumed in the world for both economic and nutritional reasons; regarding the latter, the lipid profile may play positive or negative roles in the prevention and treatment of diseases. In this study, we define the state of the art of lipid-based nutritional indexes and used the lipid content and fatty acid profile (both qualitative and quantitative) of breast meat of two poultry genotypes with different growth rates and meat traits. Further, we summarize and review the definitions, implications, and applications of nutritional indexes used in recent years and others of our own design to provide a useful tool to researchers working in the field of meat quality (not only in poultry) to select the most appropriate index for their own scientific purposes. All indexes show advantages and disadvantages; hence, a rational choice should be applied to consider the nutritional effect of meat on human health and for a possible assessment of the most suitable rearing systems (genotype, feeding, farming system or postmortem handling).     

Adriamycin-induced histamine release from heart tissue in vitro

 It has been proven that the anthracyclines induce an important, noncytotoxic histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells. As mast cells derived from different tissues exhibit marked heterogeneity, the effect of Adriamycin in comparison with other antineoplastic agents was tested on fragments of the right heart auricle, which contain a great number of mast cells. In this experimental model, Adriamycin induced a dose-dependent histamine release that was significantly limited by the antiexocytotic drug sodium cromoglycate. The antineoplastic agents cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil, in contrast, did not provoke any comparable histamine release. In the formulation employed in clinical settings, paclitaxel was also capable of inducing a histamine release comparable with that of Adriamycin; the exocytotic activity, however, was also evident when the tissue fragments were treated with Cremophor EL alone, without the addition of paclitaxel, whereas treatment of samples with paclitaxel dissolved in ethanol did not induce any releasing action. These data thus suggest that the secretory activity should be ascribed to the solvent Cremophor EL and not to paclitaxel. The release of histamine induced by paclitaxel in Cremophor EL/ethanol was also limited by sodium cromoglycate. These results again indicate that histamine release from mast cells derived not only from the peritoneal cavity but also from the cardiac tissue could play a role in the cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines and of paclitaxel in the clinically employed formulation. Received: 18 August 1996 / Accepted: 22 December 1996     

Performance of cervicovaginal fetal fibronectin in a community hospital setting

Objective To assess the accuracy of vaginal fetal fibronectin (FFN) as a screening test for preterm delivery in a community hospital. Study design A prospective cohort of patients at high risk for preterm delivery at a community hospital underwent testing with FFN over a 15 month-period (March 2004–May 2005). Indications for testing were preterm labor, multiple pregnancies, cervical shortening, and cerclage. Pregnancy characteristics were retrieved on all women with positive FFN results and controls in a 1:2 ratio. Outcome variables included interval to delivery; length of hospital stay; and rates of preterm delivery <37 weeks. In the presence of serial FFN testing, only the initial result was used for calculation of diagnostic indices. Statistical analysis utilized t-test, Fisher’s exact test and logistic regression analyis to control for gestational age at testing, with P < 0.05 or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) not inclusive of the unity considered significant. Results Two hundred and fifty seven FFN tests were performed in 230 women, of which 33 (14.3%) had positive FFN results. Duration of hospital stay was significantly shorter for patients with negative than positive results (8 h vs. 2.1 days, P = 0.011). Women with positive FFN were more likely to deliver within 14 days (OR = 6.5, 95% CI 1.4; 30.7), within 21 days (OR = 4.8; 95% CI 1.4; 16.6), before 34 weeks (OR = 5.0, 95% CI 1.7; 14.8) and before 37 weeks (OR = 3.1; 95% CI 1.3; 7.1) than women with negative results. Conclusion A negative FFN result provides enough reassurance to allow shorter hospital stay. In a real-world setting (a community hospital with a population heterogenous for risk factors for preterm delivery, and in a non-protocol setting) the performance of FFN testing closely mirrors that obtained in academic institutions, where the test was studied in more uniform populations under strict protocols. Summary The performance of vaginal fibronectin in patients with heterogeneous risk factors for preterm delivery closely mirrors that obtained in studies conducted in populations with homogeneous risk factors.     

Estimation of brain receptor occupancy for trazodone immediate release and once a day formulations

Trazodone is approved for the treatment of major depressive disorders, marketed as immediate release (IR), prolonged release, and once a day (OAD) formulation. The different formulations allow different administration schedules and may be useful to facilitate patients’ compliance to the antidepressant treatment. A previously verified physiologically‐based pharmacokinetic model based on in vitro and in vivo information on trazodone pharmacokinetics was applied, aiming at predicting brain receptor occupancy (RO) after single and repeated dosing of the IR formulation and repeated dosing of the OAD formulation in healthy subjects. Receptors included in the simulations were selected using static calculations of RO based on the maximum unbound brain concentration (C_max,brain,u) of trazodone for each formulation and dosing scheme, resulting in 16 receptors being simulated. Seven receptors were simulated for the IR low dose formulation (30 mg), with similar t _onset and duration of coverage (range: 0.09–0.25 h and 2.1–>24 h, respectively) as well as RO (range: 0.64–0.92) predicted between day 1 and day 7 of dosing. The 16 receptors evaluated for the OAD formulation (300 mg) showed high RO (range: 0.97–0.84 for the receptors also covered by the IR formulation and 0.73–0.48 for the remaining) correlating with affinity and similar duration of time above the target threshold to the IR formulation (range: 2–>24 h). The dose‐dependent receptor coverage supports the multimodal activity of trazodone, which may further contribute to its fast antidepressant action and effectiveness in controlling different symptoms in depressed patients.

Study Highlights

• WHAT IS THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON THE TOPIC?

The antidepressant efficacy of trazodone has been shown to be significantly correlated to its steady‐state plasma levels, and previous work has shown some understanding of trazodone range of affinity for different receptors, at different doses, but without considering the different available formulations. Trazodone is commonly available as: immediate release (IR), prolonged release (PR), and once a day (OAD) tablets. The IR formulation has a rapid onset and short duration of action, whereas the PR formulation is characterized by an absorption boost as soon as it is administered and has a comparatively delayed maximum concentration (C_max). Conversely, the OAD formulation provides a controlled release of trazodone over 24 h without the early high peak plasma concentration seen with the IR and PR formulations.

• WHAT QUESTION DID THIS STUDY ADDRESS?

This work aims to identify the brain receptors reaching a threshold occupancy of 50% through static predictions and determine the occupancy versus time profile for those of interest following administration of short‐ and long‐acting trazodone formulations.

• WHAT DOES THIS STUDY ADD TO OUR KNOWLEDGE?

Brain receptor occupancy (RO) for key targets were predicted based on free drug concentrations, allowing for a physiologically relevant assessment of the different pathways affected by each formulation and dose.

• HOW MIGHT THIS CHANGE CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY OR TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE?

The presented physiologically‐based pharmacokinetic approach to assess RO can be used to guide formulation selection and dosing in clinical studies.     

3D Printed Customized Facemask for Maxillary Protraction in the Early Treatment of a Class III Malocclusion: Proof-of-Concept Clinical Case

In order to improve fit and comfort, a maxillary protraction facemask customized to the patient’s anatomy was produced by means of 3D face scanning, digital design and additive manufacturing. An 8-year-old patient in need of early treatment for the Class III malocclusion received a rapid palatal expander and a Petit-type facemask, whose components were digitally designed on a 3D scan of the patient’s face. For face scanning, the iPad Pro 2018 tablet (Apple, Cupertino, CA, USA) with the Bellus3D DentalPro application (Bellus3D, Campbell, CA, USA) was used. Facemask components were modelled with 3D Blender software. The rests were 3D printed in BioMed Clear biocompatible resin (Formlabs, Somerville, MA, USA), and the bar in stainless steel. For greater comfort, the internal surface of the rests was lined with a polymer gel pad (Silipos, Niagara Falls, NY, USA). The manufacturing procedure of the customized facemask is patented. The patient wore the facemask at night for a period of 9 months. The patient’s experience was evaluated with a questionnaire at 1 week, 3, 6, and 10 months of treatment. The customized facemask was well accepted by the patient and obtained the expected treatment outcome. Furthermore, 3D face scanning, 3D modelling and 3D printing allow for the manufacturing of customized facemasks with improved fit and comfort, favoring patient compliance and treatment success.