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At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Food of the gods: cure for humanity? A cultural history of the medicinal and ritual use of chocolate.

The medicinal use of cacao, or chocolate, both as a primary remedy and as a vehicle to deliver other medicines, originated in the New World and diffused to Europe in the mid 1500s. These practices originated among the Olmec, Maya and Mexica (Aztec). The word cacao is derived from Olmec and the subsequent Mayan languages (kakaw); the chocolate-related term cacahuatl is Nahuatl (Aztec language), derived from Olmec/Mayan etymology. Early colonial era documents included instructions for the medicinal use of cacao. The Badianus Codex (1552) noted the use of cacao flowers to treat fatigue, whereas the Florentine Codex (1590) offered a prescription of cacao beans, maize and the herb tlacoxochitl (Calliandra anomala) to alleviate fever and panting of breath and to treat the faint of heart. Subsequent 16th to early 20th century manuscripts produced in Europe and New Spain revealed >100 medicinal uses for cacao/chocolate. Three consistent roles can be identified: 1) to treat emaciated patients to gain weight; 2) to stimulate nervous systems of apathetic, exhausted or feeble patients; and 3) to improve digestion and elimination where cacao/chocolate countered the effects of stagnant or weak stomachs, stimulated kidneys and improved bowel function. Additional medical complaints treated with chocolate/cacao have included anemia, poor appetite, mental fatigue, poor breast milk production, consumption/tuberculosis, fever, gout, kidney stones, reduced longevity and poor sexual appetite/low virility. Chocolate paste was a medium used to administer drugs and to counter the taste of bitter pharmacological additives. In addition to cacao beans, preparations of cacao bark, oil (cacao butter), leaves and flowers have been used to treat burns, bowel dysfunction, cuts and skin irritations.

Cacao↗

Report of a collaborative trial to investigate the performance of the R5 enzyme linked immunoassay to determine gliadin in gluten-free food.

OBJECTIVE: Analytical methods for measurements of gluten in the low level range of 20-200 ppm of gluten, as required for gluten-free food, have never been endorsed by the Codex Alimentarius. With the aim of investigating standardized and reliable methods for the detection of gliadin in food with detection limits lower than 200 ppm, as proposed by the Codex Alimentarius, the Working Group on Prolamin Analysis and Toxicity (WGPAT) coordinated a large collaborative study to validate a monoclonal antibody based ELISA, which uses an antibody (R5) against rye secalins. METHODS: Twelve food samples in which gliadin was present in the range of 0-168 ppm were analysed with two different commercially available R5 ELISA tests and a special extraction solvent, based on a reducing and a dissociating agent designed to extract heat denatured proteins. Twenty laboratories participated in this study. RESULTS: Recovery values ranged from 65 to 110% in general. The repeatability (RSDr) and reproducibility (RSDR) figures ranged between 13 and 25, resp. 23 and 47 for one test, and between 11 and 22, resp. 25 and 33 for the other. CONCLUSION: Both assays are comparable and robust. The repeatability and reproducibility data are in a range that is acceptable for ELISAs. Kits from both suppliers fulfilled performance criteria of regular ELISA methods, and it is shown that both ELISA kits guarantee a sensitivity of 1.5 ppm gliadin for gluten-free food.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Innovative approach to low-level gluten determination in foods using a novel sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay protocol.

OBJECTIVES: There is currently much call for a reliable enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) protocol for determining gluten in foods to serve as a basis for further Codex Alimentarius regulations. Given its ability to recognize the potential coeliac-toxic epitope QQPFP, which occurs repeatedly in alpha-, gamma- and omega-gliadins, hordeins and secalins, the monoclonal antibody R5 raised against a secalin extract may prove to be an essential tool for gluten analysis. This study was designed to develop a highly sensitive and specific sandwich ELISA to quantify low levels of wheat, barley and rye prolamins in foods for coeliacs. METHODS: Simple sandwich ELISA based on the use of a single monoclonal antibody (R5) as both the coating and detection was developed. A quantitative cocktail gluten-extraction procedure for heat-processed foods was also tested. RESULTS: R5-ELISA was able to identify gliadins, hordeins and secalins with assay sensitivities of 0.78, 0.39 and 0.39 ng/ml, respectively. The assay's detection limit was 1.5 ng gliadins/ml (1.56 ppm gliadins, 3.2 ppm gluten). The system proved insensitive to the non-coeliac-toxic cereals maize, rice and oats, and was non-cultivar-dependent. It was also able to detect gliadins and hordeins in unprocessed and heat-processed wheat- and barley-based products, and to estimate the gluten content of hydrolysed foods. CONCLUSION: We present a new generation of a robust sandwich R5-ELISA with good reproducibility (8.7%) and repeatability (7.7%). Its gluten-detection limit of 3.2 ppm is lower than the existing threshold of 20-200 ppm. The ELISA, which is equally sensitive to barley, wheat and rye prolamins, is compatible with the quantitative cocktail extraction procedure for heat-processed foods. Along with the cocktail procedure, the Working Group on Prolamin Analysis and Toxicity is currently evaluating an R5-ELISA system as proposed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Integration of Imaging-based and Sequencing-based Spatial Omics Mapping on the Same Tissue Section via DBiTplus.

Spatially mapping the transcriptome and proteome in the same tissue section can significantly advance our understanding of heterogeneous cellular processes and connect cell type to function. Here, we present Deterministic Barcoding in Tissue sequencing plus (DBiTplus), an integrative multi-modality spatial omics approach that combines sequencing-based spatial transcriptomics and image-based spatial protein profiling on the same tissue section to enable both single-cell resolution cell typing and genome-scale interrogation of biological pathways. DBiTplus begins with in situ reverse transcription for cDNA synthesis, microfluidic delivery of DNA oligos for spatial barcoding, retrieval of barcoded cDNA using RNaseH, an enzyme that selectively degrades RNA in an RNA-DNA hybrid, preserving the intact tissue section for high-plex protein imaging with CODEX. We developed computational pipelines to register data from two distinct modalities. Performing both DBiT-seq and CODEX on the same tissue slide enables accurate cell typing in each spatial transcriptome spot and subsequently image-guided decomposition to generate single-cell resolved spatial transcriptome atlases. DBiTplus was applied to mouse embryos with limited protein markers but still demonstrated excellent integration for single-cell transcriptome decomposition, to normal human lymph nodes with high-plex protein profiling to yield a single-cell spatial transcriptome map, and to human lymphoma FFPE tissue to explore the mechanisms of lymphomagenesis and progression. DBiTplusCODEX is a unified workflow including integrative experimental procedure and computational innovation for spatially resolved single-cell atlasing and exploration of biological pathways cell-by-cell at genome-scale.

Journal Article↗

The decomposition of phenylmercuric nitrate caused by disodium edetate in neomycin eye drops during the process of heat sterilization.

High-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assays have been developed for phenylmercuric nitrate and mercuric ions in the presence of disodium edetate. Application of these methods to neomycin eye drops of the Pharmaceutical Codex and Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary, which contain both phenylmercuric nitrate and disodium edetate, show that edetate promotes approximately 20% decomposition of the phenylmercuric nitrate in the drops of the Pharmaceutical Codex but little in the drops of the Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary during sterilization by the recommended method. The reason for the stability of the organomercurial in the Australian product was determined as being due to the presence of sodium chloride in the formulation.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Protective effects of different marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) and rosemary cream preparations against sodium-lauryl-sulfate-induced irritant contact dermatitis.

In the present study, we evaluated the protective action of cream preparations containing seven different types of marigold and rosemary extracts in vivo in healthy volunteers with experimentally induced irritant contact dermatitis (ICD). Marigold and rosemary extracts in base cream DAC (Deutscher Arzneimittel-Codex = German Pharmaceutical Codex) were tested in a 4-day repetitive irritation test using sodium lauryl sulfate. The effect was evaluated visually and quantified by noninvasive bioengineering methods, namely chromametry and tewametry. When the test products were applied parallel to the induction period of ICD, a statistically significant protective effect of all cream preparations was observed by all methods. This effect, although not statistically significant, was superior to control by undyed marigold und faradiol ester-enriched extracts in chromametry and by dyed and undyed rosemary extracts in tewametry. The sequential treatment (postirritation) once a day for 5 days was without any effect. Thus, a protective effect of some marigold and rosemary extracts against ICD could be shown in the elicitation phase.

Administration, Cutaneous↗

The Medical School at Ravenna.

The existence of the Ravenna School of Medicine can be deduced from a codex in the Ambrosian Library of Milan, which contains Latin translations of 3 Hippocratic works and commentaries on 4 works by Galen. Although it was written in the 9th century, the codex appears to be a copy of an earlier work, probably 7th century. The Ambrosian commentaries follow other commentators on Aristotle, rather than the original Aristotelian works, and contain a number of misinterpretations. Nevertheless, the commentaries make it clear that the earliest literature in Salerno had its roots in the studies of classical medicine at the Ravenna School of Medicine, where the teaching was essentially Galenic in structure.

History, Medieval↗

[Assessment of gliadin in pharmaceutical products - important information to the orientation of celiac disease patients].

BACKGROUND: Some drugs might contain gliadin which can be dangerous for celiac disease patients. OBJECTIVE: Detect gliadin in pharmaceutical products commonly used in Brazil. METHODS: We analyzed 78 pharmaceutical products selected aleatory from a list of 180 products most frequently sold at Brazilian community pharmacies. The analyzed samples were analgesics (n = 9), anthelmintics (n = 3), antacids (n = 8), antibiotics (n = 13), anticholesteremics (n = 1), anticonvulsants (n = 2), antidepressants (n = 2), antiemetics (n = 3), antihypertensives (n = 3), antihistaminics (n = 3), anti-inflammatories (n = 7), antipyretics (n = 2), bronchodilators (n = 1), laxatives (n = 1), oral contraceptives (n = 5) and vitamins (n = 10). The samples were analyzed by enzyme immunoassay based on monoclonal antibodies omega-gliadins, the elected technique according to the Codex Alimentarius Commission WHO/FAO. All samples were analyzed in duplicate. The sensitivity of this test is 4 mg of gliadin/100 g of product. RESULTS: Only one (1.3%) out of 78 pharmaceutical products contained detectable amounts of gliadin (5.5 mg/100 g). The active ingredient of this drug is ranitidine. According to the Codex Alimentarius Commission WHO/FAO the intake of 10 mg of gliadin/day should not be exceeded by celiac disease patients. Considering the amount of gliadin in each capsule of ranitidine, the ingested quantity would be lower than the maximum allowed for celiac patients. CONCLUSIONS: In this study gliadin was not detected in pharmaceutical products in harmful amount for celiac disease patients.

Brazil↗

Integration of Imaging-based and Sequencing-based Spatial Omics Mapping on the Same Tissue Section via DBiTplus.

Spatially mapping the transcriptome and proteome in the same tissue section can significantly advance our understanding of heterogeneous cellular processes and connect cell type to function. Here, we present Deterministic Barcoding in Tissue sequencing plus (DBiTplus), an integrative multi-modality spatial omics approach that combines sequencing-based spatial transcriptomics and image-based spatial protein profiling on the same tissue section to enable both single-cell resolution cell typing and genome-scale interrogation of biological pathways. DBiTplus begins with in situ reverse transcription for cDNA synthesis, microfluidic delivery of DNA oligos for spatial barcoding, retrieval of barcoded cDNA using RNaseH, an enzyme that selectively degrades RNA in an RNA-DNA hybrid, preserving the intact tissue section for high-plex protein imaging with CODEX. We developed computational pipelines to register data from two distinct modalities. Performing both DBiT-seq and CODEX on the same tissue slide enables accurate cell typing in each spatial transcriptome spot and subsequently image-guided decomposition to generate single-cell resolved spatial transcriptome atlases. DBiTplus was applied to mouse embryos with limited protein markers but still demonstrated excellent integration for single-cell transcriptome decomposition, to normal human lymph nodes with high-plex protein profiling to yield a single-cell spatial transcriptome map, and to human lymphoma FFPE tissue to explore the mechanisms of lymphomagenesis and progression. DBiTplusCODEX is a unified workflow including integrative experimental procedure and computational innovation for spatially resolved single-cell atlasing and exploration of biological pathways cell-by-cell at genome-scale.

Journal Article↗

Quantitative microbiological risk assessment: principles applied to determining the comparative risk of salmonellosis from chicken products.

Ensuring microbiological safety requires identification of realistic hazards and the means of controlling them. The risk assessment framework proposed by Codex Alimentarius allows the impact of raw materials and processes to be appreciated, and the output can be used for risk management and communication. Mathematical models allow numerical information to be processed by a computer and interpreted to give quantitative or comparative risk assessments. In this example, models have been put together according to the Codex. Alimentarius principles, providing a quantitative risk assessment (QRA) of salmonellosis from frozen poultry products. This model-based QRA takes into account three types of information: occurrence and distribution of the agent, sensitivity of populations to infection (e.g., normal or susceptible), and the effect of cooking (in the factory or home) on concentration of the agent and hence risks of infection after product consumption. It only demonstrates the impact of a single-process step (heating) and the effect of changes in population sensitivity, raw material quality, and cooking regime on the final risk. The effects of growth and recontamination are not considered. To aid risk communication, the models have been visualized by means of displays and slider controls on a computer screen because effective communication is essential to encourage manufacturers and their product designers to assess the effect of changes in processing or materials on risk.

Adult↗

Tolerance limits and methodology: effect on international trade.

Microbiological contamination of foods with Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and other pathogens and toxins and chemical and environmental contaminants can cause serious health and trade problems in the international trade of foods. Consequently, a system of monitoring and surveillance of the quality and safety of imported foods can have a significant impact on food trade between two or more countries. The World Trade Organization (WTO) provides a framework for ensuring fair trade and harmonizing standards and import requirements on foods traded, through the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and Technical Barriers to Trade. Countries are required to base their standards on science, to base programs on risk analysis methodologies, and to develop ways of achieving equivalence between methods of inspection, analysis, and certification between trading countries. To facilitate the harmonization of standards the WTO recommends the use of standards, guidelines, and recommendations developed by the Codex Alimentarius. Other international cooperative measures with the objective of assisting trade include the accreditation of laboratories that conform to international standards and the work of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification on equivalency and harmonization.

Commerce↗

Comparison of three probiotics in the treatment of acute diarrhea in mentally retarded children.

BACKGROUND: This article aims to compare the use of VIS-01 (Yovis) with two other probiotics (lactic acid bacteria), such as Lactogèrmine and Codex in the treatment of acute diarrhea in children with mental retardation. A recent paper highlights the superiority of the first drug, claiming new perspectives in probiotic therapy. METHODS: The authors perform a prospective study on 33 mentally retarded children (mean age 10.3 years), divided in three groups, each treated with a different probiotic (VIS-01, Lactogèrmine and Codex) at the beginning of an acute diarrhea. These children were admitted at the Pediatric Unit of the Oasi Maria SS. Institute in Troina. The dosage was suited to the technical record of the drug. During the clinical course the following items have been recorded: number of evacuations; time of alvine normalization; presence, quality, and length of fever; other associated features or side effects. RESULTS: The time of alvine normalization did not show statistically significant differences between the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the use of Yovis does not modify in a statistically significant way with respect to the remaining drugs the clinical course of acute diarrhea in the mentally retarded children of the present study.

Child↗

[Committee for Human Rights and Medical Ethics of the Croatian Medical Association].

The historical development of ethical standards and institutions of Croatian Medical Association is presented. The first standards were "Medical order and Community" in 1895 and the ethical codex under the name "Main principles of Medical dignity" in 1901 resp. 1921. According to the new Association's Statute in 1990 the first "Committee on Human Rights and Medical Ethics" was founded. Since 1995 the Committee operates as a common "Committee on Medical Ethics and Deontology" of Croatian Medical Association and of Croatian Medical Chamber. In short the activities of committees in both periods, 1991-1995 and 1995-1999 are presented, including the establishing of a new "Codex of Medical Ethics". Since 1999 the Croatian Medical Chamber divorced the cooperation with Croatian Medical Association and founded his own Committee. The Croatian Medical Association is now without ethical committee. The establishment of a new, common Committee of the Medical Association, Medical Chamber and Universities is suggested.

Croatia↗

Pharmacopoeia as a pharmaceutical code for public health authorities.

In every country drug control depends on the existence of technical norms which are generally represented by the Pharmacopoeia. In effects, since the beginning of XIII century, when the profession of pharmacist was for the first time established by law, pharmacopoeias have had not only the purpose of supplying the composition and the preparation of drugs, but also to establish and enforce the quality of the drugs. In the present times the pharmacopoeias adopted throughout the world by the different countries are intended mainly as a codex of specifications for the control of drug quality. These pharmacopoeias are national, regional and international. Nevertheless several difficulties can be found in the use of the pharmacopoeias for control of drugs, owing to the fact that not all the drugs, allowed and in therapeutical use are included in pharmacopoeias, and also because, in some cases, the final control is not sufficient to establish drug quality especially in the case of biological preparations. The existence of a Formulary or "Codex", beyond pharmacopoeia, may be of help for the control authorities but generally is not sufficient. Some suggestions are made in order to envisage a modern pharmacopoeia, considered as a dynamic collection of specifications of drug quality, always up to date, and thus in condition to fulfil its task for the need of the drug control by the health authorities in the aim of a better protection of public health.

Europe↗

Limits and regulations for mycotoxins in food and feed.

Mycotoxins are natural contaminants whose presence in food- and feedstuffs cannot be completely avoided. Since several mycotoxins have been associated with and implicated in human and animal diseases there is a need to establish maximum levels, guidelines or action levels for them in some kinds of commodities. International and government authorities in many countries have been investing in mycotoxins research and initiating administrative actions for elaboration of legislation and implementing regulatory measures for the control of mycotoxins. Codex Alimentarius Commission is established international legislation on food and feed. In European Union specific limits and regulations for mycotoxins and other contaminants are constructed under the general Codex standards and based on proposal from European Commission. The legal basis for European Commission became available with the framework Council Regulation (EEC) No 315/93. In this paper, legislation regarding maximum levels for certain mycotoxins in food- and feedstuffs in European Community and other countries were reviewed and discussed.

Animal Feed↗

[The precautionary principle and its legal implications in the area of food safety].

The concept of the 'precautionary principle' is not independent of the general principles of risk assessment and cannot be used as a justification for circumventing the legal obligations established at international level by World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. On the contrary, the principle, which allows policy-makers to act without waiting until all the relevant scientific information is available, is included in the discipline established by the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) and confirmed by jurisprudence. Sanitary measures adopted provisionally in a context of scientific uncertainty should nevertheless endeavour to comply with the general principles of risk management established by the SPS Agreement, i.e. they should be appropriate, non-discriminatory, consistent and not more trade-restrictive than required. The Codex Alimentarius has been working for several years to develop a set of principles for the application of risk assessment, including the precautionary principle when information is insufficient or incomplete. These principles will serve as a guide first for the work of the Codex and subsequently for governments. The European Union has made provision for the application of the precautionary principle, in accordance with circumstances, in Community food legislation, while remaining in compliance with the legal obligations stemming from the SPS Agreement.

Animal Diseases↗

Kidney disease in medieval Serbian manuscripts from the Chilandar monastery (Mount Athos, Greece).

In the Chilandar monastery (Mount Athos, Greece) library, a collection of medical texts written in the Old Serbian Slavonic language was discovered in 1952. Because of its size and comprehensiveness, this manuscript was named the Chilandar Medical Codex. The Collection contains several manuscripts, which according to modern medical terminology, the manuscripts can be classified as texts on Internal Medicine, Infectious diseases, Toxicology, Pediatrics, Pharmacology and Surgery, belonging to different time periods. The oldest part, Text on uroscopy, is considered to have been written in 13th or 14th century and consists of 35 text pages divided into 62 paragraphs. Following the popular uroscopy methodology of macroscopic examination of urine, this text contains detailed descriptions of urine characteristics (color, consistency, sediment, odor), as well as a convincing Hippocratic description of urine formation from the filtration of metabolic and waste materials (involving the four humors) rather than blood and fumes (toxic metabolites) according to the theory of Theophilus Protospatharius and Isaac Israeli. Precise descriptions of normal and pathological urine characteristics are provided. Although kidney anatomy and function is unclear, the urinary bladder is very undoubtedly described as an organ for urine collection. In the Chilandar Medical Codex, there are about one hundred descriptions of kidney and urinary tract diseases and disorders. Many symptoms and syndromes such as hematuria, dysuria, pyuria, renal colic, anuria, polyuria, edema and dropsy, urine retention and fever, are incorporated in the broader clinical pictures of lithiasis of the kidney and/or bladder, pyelonephritis, cystitis, necrotic renal disease indicative of renal tuberculosis and tumors, acute and chronic nephritis, renal failure, and gout. Specific pharmacological prescriptions, mostly simple or compound herbal medicines, are given for each of those renal ailments.

Greece↗

Risk governance of transgenic plants: bridging science, policy, and public trust.

Transgenic plants and genome editing technologies are revolutionizing agriculture through sustainable approaches to food security, pest management, and adaptation to climate change; but their widespread use is hampered by regulatory systems that are fragmented, ethics considerations, and an ongoing lack of trust from the general public. In contrast to other literature that evaluates regulation processes and public acceptance separately, our review paper introduces a new, holistic approach that includes both technical risk assessment from a scientific perspective, and Codex Alimentarius and OECD standards, and the socio-legal and judicial environment of how the national policy decisions are actually made. The paper provides a comparative, historical analysis of the key difference between product- and process-based risk governance in the USA, the EU, and India. Through the use of case studies with global significance like MON810 maize, Bt Brinjal, and the April 2024 Philippine Court of Appeals' order for cease-and-desist of Golden Rice, we discuss the increasing tension between administrative scientific approvals and precautionary judicial orders. We further explore the emerging exemptions to regulation of Site-Directed Nuclease (SDN-1 and SDN-2) genome edited crops which led to India's revolutionary 2025 commercialization of climate-resilient rice crops. Our review ends with a forward-looking approach to biotechnology regulation policy, making an appeal to shift from static historical dichotomies towards flexible risk-proportionate and internationally coordinated regulatory systems. Finally, we show that global success of agricultural biotechnology is not just about safety verification, but rather about establishment of transparent and communicable institutions that can transform scientific risk assessments into legitimate risk management decisions.

Plants, Genetically Modified↗