Simultaneous Determination of Choline Citrate and Acetylmethionine in Injectable Solutions by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Choline citrate (CC) and acetylmethionine (AM) are lipotropic drugs used in several pharmaceutical formulations. The objective of this research was to develop and validate a high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for simultaneous determination of CC and AM in injectable solutions, aiming its application in routine analysis for quality control of these pharmaceutical formulations. The method was validated using a Shim-Pack (R) C18 (250 x 4.6 mm, 5 mu m) column. The mobile phase was constituted of 25 mM potassium phosphate buffer solution, pH 5.7, adjusted with 10 % orthophosphoric acid, acetonitrile and methanol (88:10:2, v/v/v). The flow rate was 1.1 mL.min(-1) and the UV detection was made at 210 nm. The analyses were made at room temperature (25 +/- 1 degrees C). The method is precise, selective, accurate and robust, and was successfully applied for simultaneous quantitative determination of CC and AM in injectables.

Two decades of the Brazilian Standard for Marketing of Baby Food: are there reasons to celebrate?

Objective. To assess the impact that the Brazilian Standard for Marketing of Baby Food (Norma Brasileira de Comercializacao de Alimentos para Lactentes) have had on breastfeeding rates and regulating the marketing of breast-milk substitutes. Methods. Data were retrieved from a national survey conducted in 2000 that administered structured questionnaires to nine different groups. A total of 2 848 surveys were completed. Cluster sampling was employed to randomly select a sample from 159 towns located in the 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District. Results. The survey showed that participants possess satisfactory knowledge regarding the importance of breastfeeding and its ideal duration period. During the past two decades, the median duration of breastfeeding has increased, but it is still below desired levels. The mother`s return to work, maternal health issues, perception of insufficient breast milk, and information provided by health professionals were among reasons given for early termination of breastfeeding. Knowledge of the Brazilian standard was very limited, even among health professionals. Conclusions. Breastfeeding promotion in Brazil should focus on overcoming the cultural, educational, and economic barriers identified from among the various groups assessed. Interagency cooperation should include public, private, and third-parties, and focus on disseminating breastfeeding information and promoting the desirability of breastfeeding. Barriers to cooperation should be tackled in order to ensure that the main goal of the Brazilian standard-protection of infant health-can be achieved.

Osmolality of Elemental and Semi-Elemental Formulas Supplemented with Nonprotein Energy Supplements

Elemental and semi-elemental formulas are used to feed infants with short bowel syndrome, who may not be able to tolerate feeds of more than 310 mOsm kg(-1). The present study aimed to measure the osmolality of elemental and semi-elemental formulas at different concentrations, with and without the addition of nonprotein energy supplements.

Bottlefeeding

This booklet provides new safety information on the preparation and storage of infant formula milk and is aimed at minimising the risk of infection from bacteria which may sometimes be present in the milk powder. It explains how to sterilise feeding equipment and make up formula milk, and highlights the safety precautions which need to be observed.

How to prepare your baby's bottle

If you have decided to bottle feed your baby, this booklet is for you. Like any food, powdered infant formula is not sterile. It may contain bacteria like E.sakazakii and Salmonella - that could make your baby sick, causing vomiting, diarrhoea and, in rare cases, meningitis. This booklet will help you to prepare your baby’s bottle feeds safely.

Bottlefeeding

This booklet provides new safety information on the preparation and storage of infant formula milk and is aimed at minimising the risk of infection from bacteria that may sometimes be present in the milk powder. It explains how to sterilise feeding equipment and make up formula milk, and highlights the safety precautions that need to be observed.

Factors affecting tightness of package

Työn tarkoituksena oli tutkia kartonkipohjaisten pakkausmateriaalien läpäisyominaisuuksia sekä pakkausten tiiveyteen vaikuttavia tekijöitä. Työssä verrattiin skaivatun ja skaivaamattoman raakareunan sekä tölkkien pohjaratkaisujen ominaisuuksia vesihöyryn- ja hapen läpäisevyydessä, kun käytetty kartonki oli molemmin puolin polymeeripäällystetty. Tiiveysominaisuuksia tutkittiin myös vuotomittauksin, värjäyksin ja elektronimikroskoopilla. Kuivan elintarvikkeen säilytystestillä ja kilpailijapakkausanalyyseillä oli tarkoituksena myös saada selville eri pakkausmateriaalien ja pakkauksien läpäisevyys- ja tiiveysominaisuuksia. Pakkauksen saumoilla oli yhtä suuri tai suurempi vaikutus vesihöyryn läpäisyssä kuin itse materiaalilla, kun pakkaus oli molemmin puolin polymeeripäällystetty kartonkikuppi. Skaivatun sauman vesihöyrynläpäisy oli vain 4-10 % pienempi kuin raakareunallisen sauman. Pakkauksen ulkopuolisten raakareunojen suojaaminen pienensi vesihöyrynläpäisevyyttä 30 %. Kun pakkauksen sisäpuolen raaka-reuna oli suojattu teipillä, saumoilla ei ollut niin suurta vaikutusta vesihöyryn läpäisyyn verrattuna materiaaliin. Raakareunan määrällä tölkin pohjassa tai pienillä vuodoilla tölkin saumoissa ei ollut merkitystä vesihöyryn läpäisyyn. Hapenläpäisyssä oli tärkeää ehyt barrierkerros. Polymeerisen barrierkerroksen reiät ja sauman skaivaus vaikuttivat enemmän kuin vesihöyryn läpäisyssä. Mitä enemmän tölkin pohjassa oli raakareunaa, sitä suurempi oli sen hapenläpäisy. Pakkauksen konvertointi, koneen säädöt ja lämmön kohdistus, ovat saattaneet aiheuttaa värjäyksellä havaitut barrierkerroksen mikroreiät. Kaupalliset kuiva-ainepakkaukset sisälsivät pääasiassa alumiinilaminaatin vesihöyryn, hapen ja valon suojana, kun tuotteena oli maitojauhetta ja rasvaa sisältävä elintarvike. Kuitenkin, jos pakkausmateriaali sisälsi vain ohuen sumutetun alumiinikerroksen, sen barrieriominaisuus ei ollut yhtä hyvä kuin alumiinilaminaatin. Äidinmaidonkorvikkeen säilytystestissä seurattiin eri analyysein tuotteen laatua kolmen kuukauden säilytyksen ajan. Pakkauksen vesihöyryn läpäisyominaisuus osoittautui tärkeimmäksi, sillä kosteuden vaikutus tuotteen laadun heikkenemisessä oli suurin. Hapen vaikutus on myös olennainen ja siten hyvä hapenestokerros sekä tiiveys ovat myös tärkeitä pakkauksen ominaisuuksia.

Dépistage du risque d'allergie et prévention en maternité : enquête des pratiques AllerNaiss [Screening for the risk of allergy and prevention in French maternity units: A survey].

Allergy has been on the rise for half a century and concerns nearly 30% of children; it has now become a real public health problem. The guidelines on prevention of allergy set up by the French Society of Paediatrics (SFP) and the European Society of Paediatric Allergology and Clinical Immunology (ESPACI) are based on screening children at risk through a systematic search of the family history and recommend, for children at risk, exclusive breastfeeding whenever possible or otherwise utilization of hypoallergenic infant formula, which has demonstrated efficacy. The AllerNaiss practice survey assessed the modes of screening and prevention of allergy in French maternity units in 2012. The SFP guidelines are known by 82% of the maternity units that took part in the survey, and the ESPACI guidelines by 55% of them. A screening strategy is in place in 59% of the participating maternity wards, based on local consensus for 36% of them, 13% of the units having a written screening procedure. Screening is based on the search for a history of allergy in first-degree relatives (99%) during pregnancy (51%), in the delivery room (50%), and after delivery (89%). A mode of prevention of the risk of allergy exists in 62% of the maternity units, most often in writing (49%). A hypoallergenic infant formula is prescribed for non-breastfed children in 90% of the units. The survey shows that there is a real need for formalization of allergy risk screening and prevention of allergy in newborns in French maternity units.

Lipídios estruturados: alternativa para a produção de sucedâneos da gordura do leite humano

Human milk has characteristics of great importance for the newborn. Its composition shows all nutrients in quantity and quality needed, in addition to providing protection against infections and allergies and stimulating the immune system. Therefore, the composition of fatty acids and their distribution in the triacylglycerols are targets of studies on infant formula, and the triacylglycerols of human milk fat should serve as a model for the lipid components. This review aims to report studies of technology in lipids in order to produce structured lipids as substitutes of human milk fat.

Interactions between Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Probiotics

The prevalence of inflammatory based diseases has increased in industrialized countries over the last decades. For allergic diseases, two primary hypotheses have been proposed to explain this phenomenon, namely the hygiene and dietary evolution based hypothesis. Particularly, the reduced early exposure to microbes and an increase in the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (especially n-6 PUFA) in the diet have been discussed. Often, these two factors have been studied independently, even though both factors have been shown to possess potential health benefits and their mode of action to share similar mechanisms. The hypothesis of the present study was that demonstrate that PUFA and probiotics are not separate entities as such but do interact with each other. In the present study, we investigated whether maternal diet and atopic status influence the PUFA composition of breast milk and serum fatty acids of infants, and whether the fatty acid absorption and utilization of infant formula fatty acids is affected by supplementation of infant formula with probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus GG and Bifidobacterium lactis Bb-12). Moreover, we investigated the mechanisms by which different PUFA influence the physicochemical and functional properties of probiotics as well as functionality of epithelial cells in vitro. We demonstrated a carry-over effect of dietary fatty acids from maternal diet via breast milk into infants’ serum lipid fatty acids. Our data confirmed the previously shown allergy –related PUFA level imbalances, though it did not fully support the impaired desaturation and elongation capacity hypothesis. We also showed that PUFA incorporation into phospholipids of infants was influenced by probiotics in infant formula in a strain dependent manner. Especially,Bifidobacterium lactis Bb-12 in infant formula promoted the utilization of n-3 PUFA. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that probiotics (Lactobacillus GG, Lactobacillus casei Shirota and Lactobacillus bulgaricus) did incorporate and interconvert exogenous free PUFA in the growth medium into bacterial fatty acids strain and PUFA dependently. In general, high concentrations of free PUFA inhibited the growth and mucus adhesion of probiotics, whereas low concentrations of specific long chain PUFA were found to promote the growth and mucus adhesion of Lactobacillus casei Shirota. These effects were paralleled with only minor alterations in hydrophobicity and electron donor – electron acceptor properties of lactobacilli. Furthermore, free PUFA were also demonstrated to alter the adhesion capacity of the intestinal epithelial cells; n-6 PUFA tended to inhibit the Caco-2 adhesion of probiotics, whereas n-3 PUFA had either no or minor effects or even promote the bacterial adhesion (especially Lactobacillus casei Shirota) to PUFA treated Caco-2 cells. The results of this study demonstrate the close and bilateral interactions between dietary PUFA and probiotics. Probiotics were shown to influence the absorption and utilization of dietary PUFA, whereas PUFA were shown to alter the functional properties of both probiotics and mucosal epithelia. These findings suggest that a more thorough understanding of interactions between PUFA and intestinal microbiota is a prerequisite, when the beneficial effects of new functional foods containing probiotics are designed and planned for human intervention studies.

Use of real-time PCR to evaluate two DNA extraction methods from food

The DNA extraction is a critical step in Genetically Modified Organisms analysis based on real-time PCR. In this study, the CTAB and DNeasy methods provided good quality and quantity of DNA from the texturized soy protein, infant formula, and soy milk samples. Concerning the Certified Reference Material consisting of 5% Roundup Ready® soybean, neither method yielded DNA of good quality. However, the dilution test applied in the CTAB extracts showed no interference of inhibitory substances. The PCR efficiencies of lectin target amplification were not statistically different, and the coefficients of correlation (R²) demonstrated high degree of correlation between the copy numbers and the threshold cycle (Ct) values. ANOVA showed suitable adjustment of the regression and absence of significant linear deviations. The efficiencies of the p35S amplification were not statistically different, and all R² values using DNeasy extracts were above 0.98 with no significant linear deviations. Two out of three R² values using CTAB extracts were lower than 0.98, corresponding to lower degree of correlation, and the lack-of-fit test showed significant linear deviation in one run. The comparative analysis of the Ct values for the p35S and lectin targets demonstrated no statistical significant differences between the analytical curves of each target.

Isoflavone exposure throughout suckling results in improved adult bone health in mice

Exposure to isoflavones (ISO), abundant in soy protein infant formula, for the first 5 days of life results in higher bone mineral density (BMD),greater trabecular connectivity and higher fracture load of lumbar vertebrae (LV) at adulthood. The effect of lengthening the duration of exposure to ISO on bone development has not been studied. This study determined if providing ISO for the first 21 days of life, which more closely mimics the duration that infants are fed soy protein formula, results in higher BMD, improved bone structure and greater strength in femurs and LV than a 5-day protocol. Female CD-1 mice were randomized to subcutaneous injections of ISO (7 Q1 mg kg/body weight/day) or corn oil from postnatal day 1 to 21. BMD, structure and strength were measured at the femur and LV at 4 months of age, representing young Q2 adulthood. At the LV, exposure to ISO resulted in higher (P,0.05) BMD, trabecular connectivity and fracture load compared with control (CON). Exposure to ISO also resulted in higher (P,0.05) whole femur BMD, higher (P,0.05) bone volume/total volume and Q3 lower (P,0.05) trabecular separation at the femur neck, as well as greater (P,0.05) fracture load at femur midpoint and femur neck compared with the CON group. Exposure to ISO throughout suckling has favorable effects on LV outcomes, and, unlike previous studies using 5-day exposure to ISO, femur outcomes are also improved. Duration of exposure should be considered when using the CD-1 mouse to model the effect of early life exposure of infants to ISO.

EARLY LIFE EXPOSURE TO GENISTEIN AND DAIDZEIN DISRUPTS STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS IN FEMALE MICE

In mice, exposure to isoflavones (ISO), abundant in soy infant formula, during the first 5 d of life alters structural and functional development of reproductive organs. Effects of longer exposures are unknown. The study objective was to evaluate whether exposure to a combination of daidzein and genistein in the first 10 compared to 5 d of life results in greater adverse effects on ovarian and uterine structure in adult mice. Thirteen litters of 8–12 pups were cross-fostered and randomized to corn oil or ISO (2 mg daidzein + 5 mg genistein/kg body weight/d) for the first 5 or 10 d of life. The 10-d protocol mimicked the period when infants are fed soy protein formula (SPF) but avoids the time when suckling pups can consume the mother’s diet. Body and organ weights and histology of ovaries and uteri were analyzed. There were no differences in the ovary or uterus weight, number of ovarian follicles, number of multiple oocyte follicles, or percent of ovarian cysts with 5 or 10 d of ISO intervention compared to respective controls. The 10-d ISO group had higher body weights from 6 d to 4 mo. of age and a higher percent of hyperplasia in the oviduct than the respective control. Lower numbers of ovarian corpus lutea and a higher incidence of abnormal changes were reported in the uteri of both ISO groups compared to their respective controls. Five- and 10-d exposure to ISO had similar long-lasting adverse effects on the structures of ovaries and uterus in adult mice. Only the 10-d ISO exposure resulted in greater body weight gain at adulthood.

La promotion de l’allaitement maternel en milieu défavorisé dans le cadre de l’implantation de l’Initiative des amis des bébés : le cas des infirmières de santé communautaire

Contexte : Pour favoriser l’allaitement, la Condition 3 de l’Initiative des amis des bébés (IAB) (OMS / UNICEF) vise à offrir une information complète aux femmes enceintes. Or, cette condition est implantée de façon variable dans les CLSC de Montréal car les intervenants de la santé ne semblent pas confortables à faire la promotion de l’allaitement en prénatal, surtout dans les milieux « québécois » et défavorisés. Objectif : Explorer les expériences personnelles et professionnelles des infirmières en santé communautaire qui sont reliées à la promotion de l’allaitement en prénatal en milieu défavorisé. Dans la présente étude, les informations moins souvent transmises, soit les risques du non-allaitement ainsi que la recommandation de poursuite de l’allaitement jusqu’à deux ans ou au-delà, ont été examinées. Méthodologie : La collecte des données de cette recherche qualitative s’est effectuée auprès d’infirmières de huit CLSC montréalais offrant des services à une population importante de femmes défavorisées, francophones, nées au Canada et ce, sous forme d’entrevues individuelles (n=12 infirmières) et d’entrevues de groupe (n=36 infirmières). Résultats : Les principaux facteurs favorables au niveau de confort des infirmières à faire la promotion de l’allaitement sont d’avoir suivi 20 heures ou plus de formation en allaitement dans les cinq dernières années, et d’avoir des croyances profondes positives quant à la valeur de l’allaitement comparativement aux préparations commerciales pour nourrissons (PCN). Craindre de susciter la culpabilité nuit à la promotion de l’allaitement. De plus, les infirmières exposées à la culture d’allaitement pendant l’enfance, ayant eu une expérience personnelle d’allaitement positive, qui perçoivent que leur rôle est d’encourager les mères à allaiter, ou qui recommandent rarement de donner des PCN en postnatal en cas de problèmes d’allaitement, sont plus confortables à informer les femmes enceintes des risques du non-allaitement. Conclusion : Plusieurs infirmières semblent manquer de connaissances sur la qualité supérieure de l’allaitement par rapport à l’alimentation artificielle et sur les risques du non-allaitement. De plus, il semble que plusieurs infirmières n’aient pas les habiletés cliniques optimales pour soutenir les mères dans leur allaitement. Des formations appropriées aideraient les infirmières à avoir davantage confiance dans leur capacité à soutenir les mères en postnatal, ainsi qu’à promouvoir l’allaitement en prénatal. Finalement, les infirmières devraient prendre conscience de leurs biais personnels, afin d’en réduire les impacts négatifs sur leur pratique professionnelle.

Effects of probiotic or prebiotic supplemented milk formulas on fecal microbiota composition of infants

The aim of the study was to evaluate whether supplementation of milk-formulas with prebiotic fructooligosaccharides or a probiotic, Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 (La1), could modulate the composition of the fecal microbiota of formula-fed infants, compared to breastfed (BF) infants. Ninety infants close to 4 months of age were randomized into one of three groups to be blindly assigned to receive for 13 weeks: a) an infant formula (Control), b) the same formula with fructo-oligosaccharides (Prebio), or c) with La1 (Probio). At the end of this period, all infants received the control formula for 2 additional weeks. Twenty-six infants, breastfed throughout the study, were recruited to form group BF. Fecal samples were obtained upon enrolment and after 7 and 15 weeks. Bacterial populations were assessed with classical culture techniques and fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH). Seventy-six infants completed the study. On enrolment, higher counts of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus and lower counts of enterobacteria were observed in BF compared to the formula-fed infants; these differences tended to disappear at weeks 7 and 15. No major differences for Clostridium, Bacteroides or Enterococcus were observed between the groups or along the follow up. Probio increased fecal Lactobacillus counts (P<0.001); 88% of the infants in this group excreted live La1 in their stools at week 7 but only 17% at week 15. Increased Bifidobacterium counts were observed at week 7 in the 3 formula groups, similar to BF infants. These results confirm the presence of higher counts of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in the microbiota of BF infants compared to formula-fed infants before dietary diversification, and that La1 survives in the infant digestive tract.