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Biomedical subjects

C Devos

Publications and source records attributed to C Devos.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Estimated energy intake, macronutrient intake and meal pattern of Flemish adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the energy and macronutrient intake and the meal patterns of Flemish adolescents, aged 13-18 y. METHODS: A 7 day estimated food record was administered to the whole sample. SETTING: Secondary schools in the city of Ghent, Belgium. SUBJECTS: A total of 341 adolescents (13-18 y) selected by a multistage clustered sampling (participation: 72.7%). MAIN RESULTS: A significant increase with age was observed in total energy intake in adolescent boys (P<0.01), but not in girls. The energy distribution over the macronutrients showed no significant difference between boys and girls. On average, 35.7% (s.d. 4.81%) of energy came from total fat and 15.4% (s.d. 2.46%) from saturated fatty acids; 49.0% (s.d. 5.28%) from total carbohydrates with 25.1% (s.d. 4.49%) from complex carbohydrates and 23.9% (s.d. 5.86%) from free sugars. The energy contribution of alcohol in the 16-18 y-old-group was significantly higher as compared with the 13-15 y-old-group, for both boys and girls. Snacks between meals accounted for almost 20% of the total energy intake. Lunch and dinner were characterized by high total fat content. CONCLUSION: These students consumed a diet high in total fat and in saturated fatty acids and also high in mono- and disaccharides. Observed mean intakes deviate considerably from the Belgian dietary guidelines. A low energy intake at breakfast was observed, while a higher proportion of energy was derived from snacks.

Adolescent↗

Stir bar sorptive extraction for the determination of ppq-level traces of organotin compounds in environmental samples with thermal desorption-capillary gas chromatography--ICP mass spectrometry.

The extraction and preconcentration capabilities of a new extraction technique, stir bar sorptive extraction, were combined with the separation power of capillary gas chromatography (CGC) and the low limits of detection (LODs) of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) for the determination of the organotin compounds tributyltin (TBuT) and triphenyltin (TPhT) in aqueous standard solutions, harbor water, and mussels (after digestion with tetramethylammonium hydroxide). Throughout, tripropyltin for TBuT and tricyclohexyltin for TPhT were used as internal standards to correct for variations in the derivatization and extraction efficiency. Calibration was accomplished by means of single standard addition. Derivatization to transform the trisubstituted compounds into sufficiently volatile compounds was carried out with sodium tetraethylborate. The compounds were extracted from their aqueous matrix using a stir bar of 1-cm length, coated with 55 microL of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). After 15 min of extraction, the stir bar was desorbed in a thermal desorption unit at 290 degrees C for 15 min, during which the compounds were cold-trapped on a precolumn at -40 degrees C. Flash heating was used to rapidly transfer the compounds to the GC where they were separated on a capillary column with a PDMS coating. After separation, the compounds were transported to the ICP by means of a homemade heated (270 degrees C) transfer line. Monitoring of the 120Sn+ signal by ICPMS during the run of the GC provided extremely low LODs for TPhT in water: 0.1 pg L(-1) (procedure) and 10 fg L(-1) (instrumental) and a repeatability of 12% RSD (n = 10). In harbor water, concentrations of 200 pg L(-1) for TBuT and 22 pg L(-1) for TPhT were found. In fresh mussels, a concentration of 7.2 ng g(-1) (dry weight) TPhT was found. The accuracy of the method was checked by the determination of TPhT in CRM477 (mussel tissue) and comparison of the result to that of an analysis of the same material with a classical liquid/liquid extraction with isooctane.

Animals↗

Automated capillary gas chromatographic system to monitor ethylene emitted from biological materials.

An automated capillary gas chromatographic system to measure ethylene emitted from biological materials is presented. The system consists of an on-line sampling device, a thermodesorption preconcentration apparatus and a capillary gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detection system. The limit of detection achievable on the GC system alone is 5 pg ethylene. The use of the strong Carboxen 1000 adsorbent at a sampling temperature as low as -50 degrees C allows sampling of volumes up to a few liters. Ethylene concentrations at low ppt levels can be accurately and reproducibly determined.

Automation↗

Uncoupling between beta-adrenoceptors and adenylate cyclase in dog ischemic myocardium.

We evaluated the effects of ischemic injury on the myocardial adenylate cyclase system, 5 h after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary in 5 anesthetized dogs. Crude cardiac membrane preparations were isolated from control and ischemic areas of ventricular myocardium and tested for: 1. L-(125I)iodocyanopindolol binding, in the absence and presence of +/- -isoprenaline and GTP, and 2. adenylate cyclase activity. The density of beta-adrenoceptors increased by 35% in membranes from ischemic areas while the proportion of receptors in a high affinity state for +/- -isoprenaline decreased from 43% to 20%. Adenylate cyclase activities in the basal state and under stimulation with NaF, forskolin, Gpp(NH)p, +/- -isoprenaline and VIP were all markedly and similarly reduced, being only about 30% of comparable activities in membranes from control areas. The +/- -isoprenaline subsensitivity of cardiac adenylate cyclase can, thus, be attributed to a defective enzymatic system and not to a reduction in the number of beta-adrenoceptors implying that the internal components of the system were more sensitive to acute ischemia than the outward oriented hormone receptors. It is tempting to ascribe this uncoupling to a functional depletion in the guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein Ns that might reflect a loss of high energy phosphate stores including GTP.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Amiodarone. Biochemical aspects and haemodynamic effects.

The mechanisms underlying the non-competitive beta-antagonistic properties of amiodarone were investigated, and the haemodynamic responses to exercise following the administration of oral amiodarone or intravenous propranolol were compared in dogs with a healed myocardial infarction submitted to a graded treadmill exercise. In radioligand binding studies, amiodarone, up to 10 mumol/L did not compete with 125I-iodocyanopindolol for binding to rat heart beta-adrenoceptors. Exposure of cardiac membranes to greater concentrations of amiodarone induced a significant decrease in the number of beta-adrenoceptors without affecting their affinity for 125I-iodocyanopindolol. Similar results were observed ex vivo, in rats after single or multiple dose administration. When added in vitro to rat heart membranes, amiodarone non-competitively inhibited the activation of adenylate cyclase by isoprenaline, glucagon and secretin. Stimulation of adenylate cyclase by those agents which act at more internal sites in the sarcolemmal membrane such as GppNHp, sodium fluoride or forskolin, was much less affected by amiodarone. In dogs performing at a submaximal work level, amiodarone significantly reduced heart rate and tended to increase coronary flow and to reduce left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, but did not affect left ventricular dP/dt. During submaximal exercise, propranolol had similar effects on heart rate, but dramatically reduced myocardial contractility.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗