Comparison of hydrogenated vegetable shortening and nutritionally complete high-fat diet on limited access-binge behavior in rats

Previous studies have suggested that intermittent exposure to hydrogenated vegetable shortening yields a binge/compensate pattern of feeding in rats. The present study was designed to assess whether rats would exhibit similar patterns of intake when given intermittent access to a nutritionally complete high-fat diet. Four groups of rats received varying exposure to either hydrogenated vegetable shortening or high-fat diet for 8 consecutive weeks. Animals were given daily and intermittent access to determine if the binge/compensate pattern of feeding was frequency dependent. At the conclusion of the study, body composition and plasma leptin levels were assessed to determine effects of diet and binge/compensate intake on endocrine alterations. As predicted, animals receiving intermittent access to high-fat diet displayed the binge/compensate pattern of feeding and appeared to compensate as a result of the caloric overload accompanying a particular binge episode. In addition, exposure to either shortening or high-fat diet led to alterations in body composition, while only exposure to shortening altered plasma leptin levels. These results suggest that binge-intake behavior occurs on a nutritionally complete high-fat diet and that this regimen is capable of altering both body composition and endocrine profile.     

Chromosome aberration and sister chromatid exchange in workers of the iron and steel factory of Iskenderun,Turkey

The aim of this study was to investigate, by using chromosome aberration (CA) and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) tests, whether or not the workers employed in the Iskenderun (Turkey) iron and steel factory have any genotoxic risk. The CA and the SCE were investigated in 48 males employed in a coke ovens unit and 8 males employed in a product side unit of the factory and in control groups. The frequency of CA was higher while the frequency of the SCE was not in all the smoker-nonsmoker workers than in smoker-nonsmoker control groups. In addition, there was no significant decrease in the RI, while the MI was significantly lower than in the controls. .     

Comparative Performance Evaluation of Multiconfiguration Touch-Trigger Probes for Closed-Loop Machining of Large Jet Engine Cases

This article presents advances in the methodology of rapid various probe configurations comparison for the five-axis, tilting-head machine tools in conjunction with master artifacts. The research was performed in a direct context of automated machining of large, complex jet engine cases made from 17-4PH and 321 stainless steel materials. The aim of the study was to investigate whether all probe configurations have comparable measurement capability for use in manufacturing environment conditions. Based on the preliminary stage of the study, the T1 main straight probe achieved acceptable results of repeatability and reproducibility, lower than 10%, except for the reference diameter measurement of MT#2, where 15.4% R&R was achieved, conditionally accepted. For the straight probe configuration, error lower than 10 μm was achieved for the true position measurement and error ±10 μm for the reference diameter measurement, in relation to the vertical and horizontal head position, with the exception of the T9 and T5 MT#2 probe configuration, where higher error was noticed. The obtained results of the T5 MT#2 and T9 probes were supplemented with additional tests, which are also included. For the custom styli probes, the T4 and T6 configurations, unacceptable error, higher than 0.30 mm, was observed for the Y axis position. Depending on the shop floor and machine tool condition, variability of the results was also observed. Hence, the collected data and research helped to determine the mutual measurement errors and determine the application limitations of probes for an adaptive process flow.     

Divergent effects of human lymphokine derived oligopeptides on PMNLs function of young and aged healthy subjects

The effects of low molecular weight lymphokine-derived oligopeptides (LK-OPs) on PMNLs effector functions and receptor mediated biochemical events were studied in the case of healthy young and aged subjects. In the case of young subjects the low mol. wt. LK-OPs stimulated the Fc gamma receptor-mediated effector functions of PMNLs, whereas an inhibition was observed in PMNLs of the elderly (extracellular cytotoxicity and intracellular killing). The underlying biochemical events, induced by low mol. wt. LK-OPs stimulation, were also investigated. In PMNLs of young subjects the oxidative metabolism was stimulated (enhanced O2 consumption, O2 and H2O2 production) by low mol. wt. LK-OPs, while in elderly subjects it was inhibited. The cyclic nucleotides regulating the Fc gamma receptor mediated effector functions and the oxygen radicals formation showed an altered dynamic response under low mol. wt. LK-OPs stimulation with aging i.e. the cGMP level could not be changed at all. Our results suggest that low mol. wt. LK-OPs induced inhibition of Fc gamma receptor mediated effector functions with aging could be partly explained by an altered post receptorial coupling switch and as a consequence the lymphokines could not play their role of immunomodulators further impairing the altered immune response with aging.