Influence of catecholamines, prostaglandins and thyroid hormones on growth hormone secretion by chicken pituitary cells in vitro

In young chickens plasma concentrations of growth hormone (GH) are depressed by prostaglandins (PG) E1 and E2, epinephrine, norepinephrine, alpha 2 and beta agonists or thyroid hormones. A primary culture of chicken adenohypophyseal cells was used to examine the direct effects of these agents at the level of the pituitary as evaluated by GH release in the presence and absence of growth hormone releasing factor (GRF). Following collagenase dispersion and culture (preincubation, 48 hr) cells were exposed (incubation, 2 hr) to test agents, except for thyroid hormones which were added during the preincubation, and incubation period. Growth hormone release was increased (P less than .05) in the presence of PGE1 (10(-8)M by 34%; 10(-7)M by 54%), PGE2 (10(-8)M by 29%; 10(-7)M by 29%), PGF2 alpha (10(-8)M by 28%), and the beta agonist isoproterenol (10(-7)M by 46%). Basal GH release from chicken pituitary cells was not affected by dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), or alpha adrenergic agonists. Growth hormone releasing factor stimulated GH release was not affected by the presence of prostaglandins E1, E2 or F2 alpha in the incubation media. However, GRF stimulated GH release was reduced by high doses of catecholamines: dopamine (10(-6)M by 34%), norepinephrine (10(-6)M by 74%), epinephrine (10(-8)M by 47%; 10(-7)M by 41%; 10(-6)M by 89%), and by the alpha 1 adrenergic agonist, phenylephrine (10(-7)M by 52%), the alpha 2 agonist, clonidine (10(-8)M by 34%; 10(-7)M by 83%) and the beta agonist, isoproterenol (10(-7)M by 64%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Novel application of square-wave adsorptive-stripping voltammetry for the determination of xanthohumol in spent hops

This paper reports the development of a novel electrochemical assay for xanthohumol (XN) by square-wave adsorptive-stripping voltammetry (SWAdSV) with a hanging mercury drop electrode. The method showed good repeatability (CV < 2%) and linearity (between 10 and 250 μg L(-1)), as well as suitable limits of detection (2.6 μg L(-1)) and quantification (8.8 μg L(-1)). The method was applied for the quantification of this compound in spent hops, and the results obtained were compared with the HPLC-UV method. XN contents determined by the SWAdSV method were 16 ± 1 and 100 ± 4 μg L(-1) for aqueous and methanolic extracts, respectively. The developed new methodology considerably reduces the analysis time, approximately from 25 min (HPLC-UV method) to 7 min, enabling a high sample throughput. In addition, the detection and quantification limits were approximately 5-fold lower than those obtained with the chromatographic method.     

Seasat altimeter calibration: initial results

Preliminary analysis of radar altimeter data indicates that the instrument has met its specifications for measuring spacecraft height above the ocean surface (+/- 10 centimeters) and significant wave height (+/- 0.5 meter). There is ample evidence that the radar altimeter, having undergone development through three earth orbit missions [Skylab, Geodynamics Experimental Ocean Satellite 3 (GEOS-3), and Seasat], has reached a level of precision that now makes possible its use for important quantitative oceanographic investigations and practical applications.     

Automatic flow system with voltammetric detection for diacetyl monitoring during brewing process

Diacetyl can be determined by adsorptive stripping voltammetry after derivatization with o-phenylenediamine. The method may be applicable to the determination of diacetyl in different foods, being a good alternative to other analytical methods. In this work an on-line automated analytical system for diacetyl determination in beer is described. A hanging mercury drop electrode voltammetric flow detector was used, and the analyte was determined without the traditional deoxygenation procedure. The method was successfully applied to the determination of diacetyl during beer fermentation and in the final product. The automation strategy used was based on a flow network similar to those used in multicommutated flow systems, with a pervaporation unit used for diacetyl separation. The developed system was tested in real conditions in the monitoring of brewing processes. The results obtained were similar to those obtained with the usual GC-ECD methodology in the 5-600 ppb range. The analytical rate of the developed method is about 12 determinations/h.     

The spatial structure of the oceanic spawning of jack mackerel (Trachurus murphyi) off central Chile (1998–2001)

The jack mackerel population has a widespread oceanic spawning habitat off central Chile, extending more than one thousand nautical miles offshore. In this paper, the spatial structure of jack mackerel eggs density is analyzed on the basis of four surveys carried out in oceanic waters (32°S–39°S, 75°W–92°W), from 1998 to 2001. In each survey, a grid of plankton stations was sampled through vertical hauls with WP2 plankton nets by using several purse-seine fishing ships sampling simultaneously along the E–W transects. With the aim of finding the bulk of the egg distribution within the surveyed area, an exploratory analysis between jack mackerel egg densities, latitude, longitude, and sea surface temperature (SST) was carried out. The spatial structure of the egg distribution was studied using geostatistical techniques. The bulk of the jack mackerel spawning tends to occur offshore between 80°W and 92°W, is maximal at 35°S and associated to SST warmer than 15–16 °C. All of the variograms showed clear spatial autocorrelations without anisotropy, with the range fluctuating between 125 and 252 nautical miles. The range of variograms suggests that the spawning of jack mackerel is a large scale process, probably reflected in the adult behavior of the spawning by favoring a high dispersion of eggs and/or associated with sea surface temperature characterizing the subtropical frontal zone (16–18 °C) off central Chile.     

Detection and quantification of provitamin D2 and vitamin D2 in hop (Humulus lupulus L.) by liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

In this work, ergosterol and ergocalciferol were identified for the first time in hop. In addition, in this article, a simple and reliable analytical methodology for analysis of these compounds in different commercial forms of hop is presented. The performance of the method was assessed by the evaluation of parameters such as absolute recovery (higher than 70%), repeatability (lower than 3 %), linearity ( r(2) > 0.9988) and limits of detection (ranging from 0.034 for ergocalciferol to 0.058 mg/L for ergosterol) and quantification (ranging from 0.113 for ergocalciferol to 0.195 mg/L for ergosterol). On the basis of standard additions applied with the optimized procedure and high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection, it appears that the Nugget hop plant (crop 2006) contains 1.84 +/- 0.09 microg/g of ergosterol and 1.95 +/- 0.05 microg/g of ergocalciferol. The identity of the compounds was confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in the positive ion mode. The presence of ergosterol here reported should have great potential for the assessment of hop as related to the fungal contamination proportion and hence the quality of this raw material.     

Nutritional and Sensory Quality of the Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii and the Influence of Packaging Permeability on its Shelf Life

The Malaysian freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii was used for nutritional, bacteriological and sensory evaluations. Prawns were refrigerated (0 ± 1°C) and divided into two groups named T1 and T2 corresponding to permeable and impermeable (O₂/CO₂) packaging, respectively, in order to evaluate their shelf life. The percent composition ensured its high nutritional value, and consumer testing showed that acceptability was close to ideal, with good purchase intent. The type of treatment did not significantly influence the parameters assessed, and the shelf life was established as 150 h. The mesophilic bacteria count was the determining factor for quality assessment. Total volatile basic nitrogen and pH were not good parameters for evaluating quality, whereas the biogenic amines, especially agmatine, appeared to be appropriate quality parameters.     

Biogenic Amines and the Antioxidant Capacity of Juice and Wine from Brazilian Hybrid Grapevines

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Some biogenic amines (BAs) are used as quality markers in grape-derived products. The prolife of 9 BAs was determined in juices and wines elaborated from hybrid...     

Correlation of malt quality parameters and beer flavor stability: multivariate analysis

Malt is known to have an impact on beer flavor stability mainly due to the presence of antioxidants. In this study, five barley varieties were malted at industrial and micro scale, and quality parameters of the resulting malts were measured (diastatic power, friability, beta-glucan content, antiradical power, reducing power, lipoxygenase activity, and nonenal potential) and correlated with the sensory data obtained for the corresponding fresh and forced aged beers. A statistical strategy using multiple linear regressions was applied to explore relationships between the malt chemical parameters and beer sensory data, showing antiradical power as the major contribution of malt to beer flavor stability. Additionally, the measured antiradical power, which is well correlated with the polyphenolic content, was found to be very similar for malt and barley, emphasizing the key role of barley endogenous polyphenols.