Glucans

Background Remaining edema-free is a challenge for many automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) patients, especially those with fast (“high”) transport characteristics. Although increased use of peritoneal dialysis (PD) solutions with high glucose concentrations may improve volume control, frequent use of such solutions is undesirable. Methods We used the 3-pore kinetic model to evaluate 4 alternative therapy prescriptions for the APD day exchange in anuric patients with high, high-average, and low-average transport characteristics. Four prescriptions were modeled: Therapy 1: Optimal, individualized dwell times with a dry period Therapy 2: Use of a midday exchange Therapy 3: Use of an icodextrin-containing dialysate during a 14-hour dwell Therapy 4: Use of optimal, individualized dwell times, followed by an icodextrin dwell to complete the daytime period The alternative therapies were compared with a reference standard therapy using glucose solution during a 14-hour dwell. The nighttime...

Hypervolemia is a risk factor for left ventricular hypertrophy and hypertension in peritoneal dialysis patients. Icodextrin improves volume control by increasing ultrafiltration in peritoneal dialysis patients. To examine the effects of twice-daily icodextrin administration on blood pressure and left ventricular hypertrophy in peritoneal dialysis patients with hypervolemia and ultrafiltration failure. Administration of icodextrin twice daily resulted in a significant reduction in the left ventricular mass index (LVMI) of patients by the end of the third month (p < 0.05). The reduction in LVMI was also significant for the once-daily icodextrin group (p < 0.05). Mean blood pressure of patients receiving icodextrin twice daily was significantly reduced (p < 0.05). By the end of the third month no significant changes were observed in mean blood pressure of the patients using once-daily icodextrin (p > 0.05). No statistically significant changes were observed in weekly total ...

Sophorose lipids (SLs) have applications as surfactants and are produced at high levels by several yeasts. We developed a fed-batch shake-flask method for the production of SLs by Candida bombicola ATCC 22214. Optimal aeration, expressed in terms of oxygen transfer rate, was between 50 and 80 mM O2/L h−1 and resulted in maximum values for both volumetric product formation (1–1.5 g/L h−1) and SL yield (350 g/L). The lowest aeration levels resulted in the enrichment in saturated fatty acid SLs at the expense of unsaturated fatty acid SLs. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 77: 489–494, 2002; DOI 10.1002/bit.10177

We studied seven healthy volunteers before and during acute (PD!) and chronic (PD2) ingestion of 30 g polydextrose (PD)/d. The energy value of PD was assessed after (U-'4C)PD was added to the lO-g morning dose of PD during PD! and at the end of PD2. Thirty-one ± five percent (1 ± SD) (PD!) and 29 ± 4% (PD2) of the

Hot water extract (LN), partially purified polysaccharides (LP) and hot alkali extracted polysaccharides (LNa) obtained from fruiting bodies of the wild basidiomycete Laetiporus sulphureus were examined for their antioxidant activities. LNa was the most active antioxidant, as shown by the median effective concentrations (EC 50 values) of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity (0.5 ^ 0.2 mg/ml), reducing power (4.0 ^ 0.3 mg/ml) and ferrous ion-chelating ability (1.5 ^ 0.1 mg/ml). LNa contained the highest level of a-glucan (17.3 ^ 1.2 g/100 g dw), whereas LP contained mostly b-glucans (66.8 ^ 1.3 g/100 g dw). The prevalent monosaccharide in all extracts was glucose. The EC 50 values of all three antioxidant activity assays were well-correlated with the a-glucan content. Strong and significant correlation was found between total phenolic compounds and DPPH scavenging ability and also reducing power. The three investigated extracts (at concentrations of 0.1– 10 mg/ml)...

Pleurotus ostreatus var. florida known as Hiratake has a high nutritional value, presents medicinal and nutraceutical properties and it is one of the consumed mushrooms in Brazil. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize the chemical structure of polysaccharides found in mycelial biomass produced by submerged culture of P. ostreatus var. florida in order to compare with those found in P. ostreatus var. florida fruit bodies. Aqueous and alkali extracts obtained from mycelial biomass were purified, 13C NMR, GC-MS and chemical techniques were used to characterize three polysaccharide structures: a mannogalactan (MG-PfM) with α-D-Galp and 3-O-Me-α-D-Galp units, both (1→6)-linked, highly substituted at O-2 by D-Manp, a glycogen-like polymer (GLY-PfM) with α-D-Glp (1→4)-linked main chain, partially substituted at O-6 by α-D-Glcp side chains and a (1→3), (1→6) β-D-glucan (βGLC-PfM) with a main chain of β-D-Glcp (1→3)-linked units, partially substituted at O-6 by side chains of 6-O-s...