The role of ultrasonography in the measurement of subcutaneous and visceral fat and its correlation with hepatic steatosis

Objective To evaluate the sonographic measurement of subcutaneous and visceral fat in correlation with the grade of hepatic steatosis. Materials and Methods In the period from October 2012 to January 2013, 365 patients were evaluated. The subcutaneous and visceral fat thicknesses were measured with a convex, 3–4 MHz transducer transversely placed 1 cm above the umbilical scar. The distance between the internal aspect of the abdominal rectus muscle and the posterior aortic wall in the abdominal midline was considered for measurement of the visceral fat. Increased liver echogenicity, blurring of vascular margins and increased acoustic attenuation were the parameters considered in the quantification of hepatic steatosis. Results Steatosis was found in 38% of the study sample. In the detection of moderate to severe steatosis, the area under the ROC curve was 0.96 for women and 0.99 for men, indicating cut-off values for visceral fat thickness of 9 cm and 10 cm, respectively. Conclusion The present study evidenced the correlation between steatosis and visceral fat thickness and suggested values for visceral fat thickness to allow the differentiation of normality from risk for steatohepatitis.

Use of Bichat"s buccal fat pad for the sealing of orosinusal communications. A presentation of 8 cases

Objectives: To determine the efficacy of the pediculate flap with the buccal fat pad in the sealing of orosinusal communications, describe the surgical technique used, and report the main complications. Patients and method: A retrospective study was made of 8 patients seen in the Service of Oral Surgery of the University of Barcelona Dental Clinic (Spain) for the treatment of orosinusal communications between the years 2007 and 2009. In all cases a pediculate flap with the buccal fat pad was used to solve the problem. Results: All of the orosinusal communications were successfully resolved with this technique. The immediate postoperative complications were pain (37.5%), inflammation (37.5%), edema (32.5%), trismus (37.5%), halitosis (14.3%), suppuration (12.5%) and rhinorrhea (12.5%). Conclusions: The use of Bichat"s buccal fat pad is not regarded as the technique of choice for sealing small to medium sized orosinusal communications. However, in the case of large communications, it is a good option, and the results obtained are optimum.

Effect of reducing and replacing pork fat on the physicochemical, instrumental and sensory characteristics throughout storage time of small caliber non-acid fermented sausages with reduced sodium content

The effect of pork fat reduction (from 44% to 20% final fat content) and its partial substitution by sunflower oil (3% addition) on the physicochemical, instrumental and sensory properties throughout storage time of small caliber non-acid fermented sausages (fuet type) with reduced sodium content (with partial substitution of NaCl by KCl and K-lactate) and without direct addition of nitrate and nitrite (natural nitrate source used instead), was studied. Results showed that sausages with reduced fat (10% initial fat content) and with acceptable sensory characteristics can be obtained by adding to the shoulder lean (8% fat content) during the grinding, either 3.3% backfat (3% fat content) or 3% sunflower oil, both previously finely comminuted with lean. Furthermore, sunflower oil showed to be suitable for partial pork backfat substitution in very lean fermented sausages, conferring desirable sensory properties similar to those of sausages with standard fat content. The sensory quality of the sausages was maintained after three-month cold storage in modified atmosphere.

Comparison of gas chromatographic and gravimetric methods for quantization of total fat and fatty acids in foodstuffs

Different methods to determine total fat (TF) and fatty acids (FA), including trans fatty acids (TFA), in diverse foodstuffs were evaluated, incorporating gravimetric methods and gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC/FID), in accordance with a modified AOAC 996.06 method. Concentrations of TF and FA obtained through these different procedures diverged (p< 0.05) and TFA concentrations varied beyond 20 % of the reference values. The modified AOAC 996.06 method satisfied both accuracy and precision, was fast and employed small amounts of low toxicity solvents. Therefore, the results showed that this methodology is viable to be adopted in Brazil for nutritional labeling purposes.

Simultaneous and accurate determination of water- and fat-soluble vitamins in multivitamin tablets by using an RP-HPLC method

In the present study, a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) procedure was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of seven water-soluble vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, cyanocobalamin, ascorbic acid, folic acid, and p-aminobenzoic acid) and four fat-soluble vitamins (retinol acetate, cholecalciferol, α-tocopherol, and phytonadione) in multivitamin tablets. The linearity of the method was excellent (R² > 0.999) over the concentration range of 10 - 500 ng mL-1. The statistical evaluation of the method was carried out by performing the intra- and inter-day precision. The accuracy of the method was tested by measuring the average recovery; values ranged between 87.4% and 98.5% and were acceptable quantitative results that corresponded with the label claims.

Influence of initial CaO/SiO2 ratio on the hydration of rice husk ash-Ca(OH)2 and sugar cane bagasse ash-Ca(OH)2 pastes

This work presents the results of a study on the hydration of pastes containing calcium hydroxide and either rice husk ash (RHA) or sugar cane bagasse ash (SCBA) in various initial CaO/SiO2 molar ratios. The products of the reactions were characterized by thermal analyses X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. In the case of the RHA pastes, the product was composed of CaO-SiO2-H2O (type I C-S-H) or CaO-SiO2-H2O (type II C-S-H) according to the CaO/SiO2 ratio of the mixture. In contrast, in the case of the SBCA pastes, the product was composed primarily of CaO-SiO2-H2O that differed from both the previous types; the product also contained inclusions of calcium aluminate hydrates.

Regime Switching Models for Electricity Time Series that Capture Fat Tailed Distributions

In the power market, electricity prices play an important role at the economic level. The behavior of a price trend usually known as a structural break may change over time in terms of its mean value, its volatility, or it may change for a period of time before reverting back to its original behavior or switching to another style of behavior, and the latter is typically termed a regime shift or regime switch. Our task in this thesis is to develop an electricity price time series model that captures fat tailed distributions which can explain this behavior and analyze it for better understanding. For NordPool data used, the obtained Markov Regime-Switching model operates on two regimes: regular and non-regular. Three criteria have been considered price difference criterion, capacity/flow difference criterion and spikes in Finland criterion. The suitability of GARCH modeling to simulate multi-regime modeling is also studied.

Berry polyphenol absorption and the effect of northern berries on metabolism, ectopic fat accumulation, and associated diseases

The prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes has increased at an alarming rate in developed countries. It seems in the light of current knowledge that metabolic syndrome may not develop at all without NAFLD, and NAFLD is estimated to be as common as metabolic syndrome in western population (23 % occurrence). Fat in the liver is called ectopic fat, which is triacylglycerols within the cells of non-adipose tissue. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values correlate positively with liver fat proportions, and increased activity of ALT predicts type 2 diabetes independently from obesity. Berries, high in natural bioactive compounds, have indicated the potential to reduce the risk of obesity-related diseases. Ectopic fat induces common endocrine excretion of adipose tissue resulting in the overproduction of inflammatory markers, which further induce insulin resistance by multiple mechanisms. Insulin resistance inducing hyperinsulinemia and lipolysis in adipocytes increases the concentration of free fatty acids and consequently causes further fat accumulation in hepatocytes. Polyphenolic fractions of berries have been shown to reverse inflammatory reaction cascades in in vitro and animal studies, and moreover to decrease ectopic fat accumulation. The aim of this thesis was to explore the role of northern berries in obesity-related diseases. The absorption and metabolism of selected berry polyphenols, flavonol glycosides and anthocyanins, was investigated in humans, and metabolites of the studied compounds were identified in plasma and urine samples (I, II). Further, the effects of berries on the risk factors of metabolic syndrome were studied in clinical intervention trials (III, IV), and the different fractions of sea buckthorn berry were tested for their ability to reduce postprandial glycemia and insulinemia after high-glucose meal in a postprandial study with humans (V). The marked impact of mixed berries on plasma ALT values (III), as well as indications of the positive effects of sea buckthorn, its fractions and bilberry on omental adiposity and adhesion molecules (IV) were observed. In study V, sea buckthorn and its polyphenol fractions had a promising effect on potprandial metabolism after high-glucose meal. In the literature review, the possible mechanisms behind the observed effects have been discussed with a special emphasis on ectopic fat accumulation. The literature review indicated that especially tannins and flavonoids have shown potential in suppressing diverse reaction cascades related to systemic inflammation, ectopic fat accumulation and insulin resistance development.

Selection of microorganisms producer of lipase for fat removal from biodiesel purification water

The objective this study has been the selection of lipase productor microorganism, for removal of oils and grease, in the pre-treatment of biodiesel wastewater washing. For this, analyses of the physicist-chemistries characteristics had been made with the wastewater of the biodiesel washing, and then it had been isolated and chosen, by means of determinations of the lipase activity. Following, it was made a test of fat biodegradation, in the conditions: pH (5.95), temperature (35 ºC), rotation (180 rpm) and ammonium sulfate as nitrogen source (3 g L-1) and establishing as variable the two microorganism preselected and the time (24; 48; 72; 96 and 120 h). The biodiesel purification wastewater had presented high potential of environmental impact, presenting a concentration of O of 6.76 g L-1. From the six isolated microbiological cultures, two microorganisms (A and B) had been selected, with enzymatic index of 0.56 and 0.57, respectively. The treatment of the wastewater using the isolated microorganism (Klebsiella oxytoca) had 80% of the fatty removal in 48 h.

FAT-luokkien määritys hitsatuille levyliitoksille käyttämällä lineaarisen murtumismekaniikan särönkasvun simulointia

Työssä tutkittiin hitsattujen levyliitosten väsymiskestävyyden mitoitusarvoja. Hitsien väsymiskestävyyden mitoitusarvot määritettiin lineaarista murtumismekaniikkaa soveltavalla 2D FEM-laskentaohjelmalla. Murtumismekaanisen laskennan tuloksista määriteltiin, eri liitosgeometrioiden ja kuormitustyyppien mukaisia, nimellisen jännityksen väsymismitoitusmenetelmää vastaavia FAT-luokkia, joissa on huomioitu rakenteellinen jännitys hitsiä vastaan kohtisuorassa suunnassa. Tutkittujen liitosten geometriat olivat pääsääntöisesti poikkeavia mitoitusstandardien ja ohjeiden sisältämistä taulukkotapauksista. Laskennassa otettiin huomioon hitsien liittymiskulma perusaineeseen, rajaviivan pyöristykset ja vajaa hitsautumissyvyys. Kuormitustyyppien vaihtelua tutkittiin rakenteellisen jännityksen taivutusosuuden muutoksilla ja kuormaa kantavien X-liitosten risteävien kuormituksien suhteellisilla suuruuksilla. Väsymiskestävyydet määritettiin kuormituskohtaisille kalvo- ja taivutusjännityksille sekä näiden jännitysjakaumien keskiarvoille. Työssä saatuja FAT-luokkia voidaan hyödyntää vastaavien geometrioiden ja kuormitusten yhteydessä, sekä interpoloimalla myös tuloksien väliarvoissa. Työssä käytetyillä menetelmillä voidaan parantaa nimellisen jännityksen mitoitusmenetelmän tarkkuutta ja laajentaa sitä koskemaan myös taulukkotapausten ulkopuolisia liitoksia. Työn tuloksissa on esitetty FAT-luokkia T-, X- ja päittäisliitoksille ja näiden eri kuormitusyhdistelmille.

Effect of dietary (n-3) highly unsaturated fatty acids on growth and survival of fat snook (Centropomus parallelus, Pisces: Centropomidae) larvae during first feeding

The effect of rotifers, Brachionus rotundiformis (S-type), fed three different diets: A (rotifer fed Nannochloropsis oculata), B (rotifer fed N. oculata and baker's yeast, 1:1), and C (rotifer fed N. oculata and baker's yeast, 1:1, and enriched with Selcoâ), was evaluated based on the survival, growth and swim bladder inflation rate of fat snook larvae. Rotifers of treatment A had higher levels (4.58 mg/g dry weight) of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) than B (1.81 mg/g dry weight), and similar levels (0.04 and 0.06 mg/g dry weight, respectively) of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Rotifers of treatment C had the highest levels of EPA (13.2 mg/g dry weight) and DHA (6.08 mg/g dry weight). Fat snook eggs were obtained by spawning induction with human chorionic gonadotropin. Thirty hours after hatching, 30 larvae/liter were stocked in black cylindric-conical tanks (36-liter capacity). After 14 days of culture, there were no significant differences among treatments. Mean standard length was 3.13 mm for treatment A, 3.17 mm for B, and 3.39 mm for C. Mean survival rates were very low (2.7% for treatment A, 2.3% for B, and 1.8% for C). Swim bladder inflation rates were 34.7% for treatment A, 27.1% for B, and 11.9% for C. The lack of differences in growth and survival among treatments showed that the improvement of the dietary value of rotifer may not have been sufficient to solve the problem of larval rearing. Some other factor, probably pertaining to the quality of the larvae, may have negatively influenced survival.

Phenomena and mechanisms in purification of animal fat

Työn tarkoitus oli tutkia eläinrasvan puhdistusta biodieselin valmistusta varten. Eläinrasvaa syntyy elintarviketeollisuuden sivutuotteena ja sitä saadaan myös myymättä jääneistä elintarvikkeista. Rasva sisältää epäpuhtauksia, jotka on poistettava ennen biodieselprosessia. Tässä työssä tutkittavat epäpuhtaudet ovat typpi, fosfori, rauta, natrium, kalsium ja magnesium. Puhdistusmenetelminä käytettiin saostamista sitruunahapolla sekä adsorbointia kahdella eri adsorbentilla. Tavoitteena oli selvittää riittävä määrä happoa ja adsorbenttia sekä tutkia puhdistuksen mekanismia. Lisäksi tarkasteltiin lämpötilan vaikutusta adsorption aikana.