Effects of the incorporation of cantaloupe pulp in yogurt: Physicochemical, phytochemical and rheological properties

The therapeutic effects of cantaloupe are of great interest for the development of functional foods such as yogurt. In this study a new dairy product has been formulated by enriching natural yogurt with fruit cantaloupe (yogurt with cantaloupe puree, yogurt with dry cantaloupe and yogurt with dry cantaloupe and cantaloupe puree). Thus, composition (moisture, ash, lipids, proteins), including amino acid contents, lactic flora as well as rheological (viscoelasticity, viscosity) property of cantaloupe yogurt and natural yogurt is assessed. In addition, pH value, water holding capacity and antioxidant activity (reducing power) are measured over refrigerated storage time. There are significant differences between natural yogurt and cantaloupe yogurt in almost all parameters. The results show that the pH decreases during the storage period and the antioxidant activity as well as the water holding capacity are more remarkable in the yogurt with dry cantaloupe at the 14th and the 28th day of storage, respectively. The addition of cantaloupe in natural yogurt ameliorates the load of lactic flora and modifies the rheological property of the new products. The results of the current study show that the addition of cantaloupe to yogurt significantly improved its quality.

Long-term ventilation in children: ten years later

INTRODUCTION

Home mechanical ventilation (HMV) represents a treatment option for patients with chronic respiratory failure and has changed prognosis and survival of many disorders in children. The aim of this study was to characterize a group of children on long-term mechanical ventilation (LTMV) for a period longer than 10 years.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was carried out including patients on LTMV for more than 10 years (LTMV-10) in a tertiary pediatric hospital.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

PASW Statistics 18(®).

RESULTS

Thirty-one children (61% female) belong to the LTMV-10 group. Median age at the beginning of ventilatory support was 3 years (birth to 13 years). Main indications for assisted ventilation were neuromuscular disease (n=12, 39%), metabolic disease (n=7, 23%) and central hypoventilation (n=6, 19%). Volume ventilation was used in 2 children, and positive pressure ventilation in the others, mainly bilevel positive airway pressure (n=25, 81%). Invasive ventilation via tracheostomy was used since the beginning in four cases, and subsequently in two other children. The mean time of ventilatory support was 146 months and the maximum was 219 months. Respiratory morbidity was the most frequent cause of hospitalization and the annual rate of such episodes was 0.17 per child. Global mortality rate was 19%.

CONCLUSIONS

HMV programs provide necessary and safe assistance for children with severe chronic respiratory failure. As shown in our series, it is possible to be kept on this respiratory support modality for long periods with good compliance and a small number of hospitalizations.

Study of heating capacity of focused IR light soldering systems

An experimental study about four optical setups used for developing a Focused IR Light Soldering System (FILSS) for Surface Mount Technology (SMT) lead-free electronic devices specifically for Ball Grid Arrays (BGA) is presented. An analysis of irradiance and infrared thermography at BGA surface is presented, as well as heat transfer by radiation and conduction process from the surface of the BGA to the solder balls. The results of this work show that the heating provided by our proposed optical setups, measured at the BGA under soldering process, meets the high temperature and uniform thermal distribution requirements, which are defined by the reflow solder method for SMT devices.

[Bladder rupture in a child with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome phenotype]

We report a case of "spontaneous" bladder rupture in a child with type IV Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome phenotype. The clinical presentation was unusual with abdominal pain, urinary retention and recurrent rectal prolapse. We could not find other similar cases in the literature. We to the possibility of "spontaneous" rupture occurring in this type of patients.

[Pneumoperitoneum in bladder rupture]

Pneumoperitoneum is rarely seen with bladder rupture. In blunt abdominal trauma this sign is strongly suggestive of gastric or bowel perforation. In our child, suspicion of bladder trauma was evoked by car belt marks in the hypogastrium and by gross hematuria. Preoperative diagnosis was not confirmed because immediate surgical exploration was required based on the presence of free air in the abdominal roentgenograph.

Recombinant human erythropoietin in the treatment of infants with anaemia of prematurity

Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) was administered subcutaneously three times a week to 18 infants with the anaemia of prematurity at doses of 75, 150, 300, or 600 units/kg per week for 4 weeks, starting at 3-4 weeks of postnatal age. A significant and dose-dependent increase in reticulocyte count was observed from a mean baseline value of 71 x 10(9)/l to 200 x 10(9)/l after 3 weeks of therapy, compared with a change from 69 to 97 x 10(9)/l in 66 historical controls. The haematocrit value remained unchanged during rHuEPO treatment, whereas it steadily declined until 9 weeks of postnatal age in the controls. These effects were accompanied by a marked reduction in serum iron concentration and transferrin saturation in patients receiving standard-dose iron supplements, but not in those given larger doses. Only 3 of 18 patients required a red blood cell transfusion. These infants were among the most anaemic at entry into the study and 2 of them were unable to complete rHuEPO therapy, while the third developed iron deficiency anaemia. These data indicate that rHuEPO with appropriate iron supplementation may accelerate the recovery from anaemia of prematurity. Larger scale placebo-controlled studies are now needed to confirm these findings and verify their impact on transfusion requirements of premature infants.

Effects of recombinant human erythropoietin in infants with the anemia of prematurity: a pilot study

In an attempt to stimulate endogenous erythrocyte production and thereby provide an alternative to erythrocyte transfusions, we administered recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) in doses of 75 to 300 units/kg/wk to seven infants with the anemia of prematurity. Treatment was started between 21 and 33 days of life, maintained for 4 weeks, and was well tolerated. All the patients had low baseline serum erythropoietin levels. After rHuEpo therapy, the number of reticulocytes increased from a mean baseline count of 75 x 10(9)/L to 95, 141, and 165 x 10(9)/L on days 7, 10, and 14 of therapy, respectively. Correction or stabilization of the anemia was observed in six of seven patients, whose estimated total erythrocyte volume increased by 49% during therapy (vs a predicted increment of 18% in the absence of rHuEpo). In one patient, however, the hematocrit declined during the treatment, and in three of the responders a secondary fall in hematocrit was noted either during therapy or after its discontinuation. Serum iron and ferritin levels rapidly decreased after the initiation of rHuEpo therapy, and in most patients transient early thrombocytosis and late neutropenia were observed. These data suggest that rHuEpo may correct or stabilize the anemia of prematurity. Its effects, however, may be limited by a variety of factors, among which iron availability probably plays an important role. Controlled studies will be needed to confirm these preliminary observations.

[Acute pancreatitis and post-traumatic pseudocysts of the pancreas. Report of 12 cases (author's transl)]

The authors report 12 personal cases and a bibliographic study showing the authenticity of acute pancreatitis and pancreatic pseudo-cyst following trauma. The clinico-pathological aspects, the course and the treatment are not specific. The medico-legal aspect is the most important for the secondary or late manifestations raise the problem of the imputability to the accident. Surgeons and judicial experts should be aware of the post-traumatic risk.

[Post-traumatic stenosis of the small intestine with double contrast radiological study after duodenal intubation. One case (author's transl)]

The authors present a clinical case of post-traumatic stenosis of the small intestine. The improvement in the quality of radiological diagnosis by the use of double contrast study of the small bowel after duodenal intubation is emphasised. On the basis of this case, together with a review of the literature, they review the various problems of diagnosis, physiopathology and histology which may be posed by these stenoses, which it would seem possible to integrate into a wider physiopathological group: ischaemic stenoses of the digestive tract.