Peculiar Odor Research Articles

Promotion of glyoxylic acid penetration into human hair by glycolic acid.

Glyoxylic acid (GA) is widely used as a straight perming agent for hair care products, however, advanced GA penetration-enhancing agents are desired due to the peculiar odour and hair colour fading caused by the continuous use of GA products. Hence, it is important to develop a penetration-enhancing agent that helps minimize the GA concentration. We have found that the combined use of GA and glycolic acid (GCA) has a strong hair straightening effect. Straightening hair test was carried out to the evaluation of the effect of additives. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) was performed to quantify the GA penetration amount into human hair. Attenuated total reflection (ATR) Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and FT-IR microscope were implemented to estimate the localization of GA in the hair. Straightening hair tests indicated that the hair straightening effect by GA was enhanced by the presence of GCA. LC/MS results showed that the addition of GCA enhanced the amount of GA that penetrated human hair by about four times. ATR FT-IR and FT-IR microscope measurements indicated that GA was localized more in the innermost region of hair (medulla) than the cortex and cuticle. The GA accumulated in the medulla disappeared after a hair straightener treatment at 180°C due to the chemical reaction. The GA penetration-enhancing effect of GCA is worth investigating to reduce the GA concentration in products for more comfortable use.

Pharmacognostic Profile of Simplicia and Ethanolic Leaves Extract from Indonesian Piper betle var. nigra

Piper betle var. nigra has potency as an herbal medication. Thus it can be used as a source of medicinal raw materials. Piper betle var. nigra simplicia and extracts must be controlled to obtain unswerving quality and ensure their pharmacological effects by standardizing them through several specific and non-specific parameters. Specific parameters were analyzed organoleptically in the ethanol extract, namely having a thick consistency, brownish-green or blackish-green color, a mild peculiar odor, a bitter, cherish taste, and a slightly spicy flavor. The microscopic simplicia powder profile is as follows: the lower epidermis with idioblasts in oil cells contour and upper epidermis, sclerenchyma, covering hairs, and transport bundles ladder-type thickening, and idioblasts in oil cells contour. Extract content analysis of simplicia and black betle leaves ethanol extract showed water-soluble extract content of 2.77% and 12.45% and ethanolsoluble extract content of 1.38% and 19.1%. Secondary metabolites in the ethanol extract are flavonoids, polyphenols, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, and steroids. The non-specific parameters of the simplicia and extract are as follows; total ash content of 12.1% and 7.43%; acid insoluble ash content of 4.45% and 1.57%; drying shrinkage of 14.5% and 15.85%; total lead (Pb) contamination 47.5 ppm and 1.2 ppm; and the total cadmium (Cd) contamination <0.2 ppm. The total bacterial contamination in the extract was 4.3x105 colonies/g. The total yeast contamination was 8.3x105 colonies/g and volumetric mass density of the water-soluble extract of 0.96 g/mL and the volumetric mass density of the ethanol-soluble extract of 1.01 g/mL.

Acetobacter sp. improves the undesirable odors of fermented noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) juice

To clarify the role of Acetobacter sp. in fermented noni juice, the physiochemical properties, main active ingredients and volatile constituents were comprehensively analyzed. The sugar content and acidity tended to be stable after 12 days of fermentation. Acetobacter sp. had no significant influence on major active ingredients of products. The headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) were performed to describe the characteristic flavor profiles during fermentation. A total of 55 flavor compounds were screened with odour threshold and Kruskal-Wallis p < 0.05. Among them, 14 different biomarkers were selected with Variable Importance in Projection (VIP) greater than 1. The concentrations of ketones and aldehydes increased significantly, mainly contributing to the floral, fruit and green features. The content of hexanoic acid, octanoic acid and butanoic acid as the main source of peculiar odor were significantly reduced, indicating Acetobacter sp. could improve the unpleasant odor of fermented noni juice.

Research on enhanced absorption technology of odour pollution

The Odor pollution problem in the feed industry was particularly prominent, which restricts the development of the industry and threatens the “vegetable basket” livelihood project. The air pollutant emission of feed processing enterprises were investigated in Pearl River Delta and its surrounding areas, find out the peculiar odor pollutants in feed industry through analysis and monitoring. With the characteristics of many kinds of odor pollutants and low threshold in feed industry, high efficient adsorbent was developed to explore the influence of adsorbent concentration, residence time, temperature and space velocity on the purification efficiency of odor gas, so as to achieve more efficient coordination of odor VOCs pollutants. In this study, a highly effective SCOP adsorbent was developed, and the removal rate of the main odor pollutants was more than 90%. It provides technical support for air pollution control and government environmental management of feed industry.

Development of a new quantitative structure\u2013activity relationship model for predicting Ames mutagenicity of food flavor chemicals using StarDrop\u2122 auto-Modeller\u2122

BackgroundFood flavors are relatively low molecular weight chemicals with unique odor-related functional groups that may also be associated with mutagenicity. These chemicals are often difficult to test for mutagenicity by the Ames test because of their low production and peculiar odor. Therefore, application of the quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) approach is being considered. We used the StarDrop™ Auto-Modeller™ to develop a new QSAR model.ResultsIn the first step, we developed a new robust Ames database of 406 food flavor chemicals consisting of existing Ames flavor chemical data and newly acquired Ames test data. Ames results for some existing flavor chemicals have been revised by expert reviews. We also collected 428 Ames test datasets for industrial chemicals from other databases that are structurally similar to flavor chemicals. A total of 834 chemicals’ Ames test datasets were used to develop the new QSAR models. We repeated the development and verification of prototypes by selecting appropriate modeling methods and descriptors and developed a local QSAR model. A new QSAR model “StarDrop NIHS 834_67” showed excellent performance (sensitivity: 79.5%, specificity: 96.4%, accuracy: 94.6%) for predicting Ames mutagenicity of 406 food flavors and was better than other commercial QSAR tools.ConclusionsA local QSAR model, StarDrop NIHS 834_67, was customized to predict the Ames mutagenicity of food flavor chemicals and other low molecular weight chemicals. The model can be used to assess the mutagenicity of food flavors without actual testing.

Elaboración de una bebida (sucedánea) al café a base de noni (Morinda citrifolia)

El noni (Morinda citrifolia) es un fruto que posee michas propiedades nutricionales, sin embargo, por su peculiar sabor y olor es poco aprovechado como materia prima para la creación de productos atractivos dentro del mercado, con valor agregado que mejore su palatabilidad. El objetivo de la investigación fue aprovechar las frutas del noni en la elaboración de bebida sucedánea al café como una alternativa a las bebidas cafeinadas. Para ello se utilizó un diseño estadístico de bloques completamente al azar, con tres tratamientos y las repeticiones fueron representadas por 40 penalistas que dieron sus respectivos resultados en la selección de la mejor fórmula. Todas las variables se sometieron al análisis de la varianza mediante la prueba de Tukey al 5% de probabilidad. Se sometió al tostado y molido hasta obtener una granulometría fina; se efectuaron mezclas utilizando azúcar, agua, canela y esencia de vainilla, la proporción de de noni fue 5 kg para cada tratamiento. Se preparó la bebida para la degustación determinándose la proporción de mayor aceptación, así como la caracterización sensorial. De los resultados obtenidos la muestra de mayor aceptabilidad por su agradable aroma y sabor fue la bebida del tratamiento dos, utilizando noni 5 kg, azúcar 4 kg, agua 2 litros, canela 10 g y esencia de vainilla 150 cc.&#x0D;

Selected physicochemical properties of amniotic fluid according to week of pregnancy.

A hundred years ago, scientists believed that amniotic fluid is a yellowish hypotonic mixture of foetal urine and maternal transudate with peculiar odour. Current knowledge shows that it represents a dynamic, complex mixture of inorganic and organic compounds. Despite modern technological procedures, information is still lacking about the composition and properties of amniotic fluid. We focused on dynamics of selected physical and chemical properties of the amniotic fluid with the increasing gestational week. The physicochemical characteristics of 89 amniotic fluid samples were determined according to the week of pregnancy. The determination of pH, specific gravity, glucose and nitrites was performed immediately, at room temperature. Our results show a significant negative correlation between week of pregnancy and semi-quantitative determined parameters of specific gravity (p < 0.001), pH (p < 0.01) and glucose (p < 0.001) values. Within the whole group of samples (n = 89), 29 % (n = 26) were nitrites positive (N+) and 71 % (n = 63) nitrites negative (N-). In this study were determined basic parameters of amniotic fluid, which could be related to a wide range of pathological states (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 27).

Sniffing out prostate cancer: a new clinical opportunity.

Sniffing out prostate cancer: a new clinical opportunity.

O-112 The Indicators In The Biochemical Phenotype Of 58 Infants With Hepatorenal Tyrosinemia

Hepatorenal Tyrosinemia (HRT, OMIM 276700) is an autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism which mainlyaffects the liver, kidneys and peripheral nerve. The primary defect has been attributed to the last enzyme in the catabolic pathway of tyrosine: fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH: E. C. 3.7.1.2). Early diagnosis and timely treatment offers an improved prognosis of the tyrosinemic patients. This treatment would require an administration of 2-(2-nitoro-4-trifluoromethylbenzoyl)-1, 3-cyclohexanedione (NTBC, OrfadinO), a low phenylalanine and tyrosine diet, and liver transplantation. Since several years, our laboratory carry out the diagnosis and the biological follow-up of tyrosinemic of all the own territory. In this report, we summarize the biochemical phenotype of 58 infants with HRT, focusing on the laboratory findings. The 58 infants (30 boys and 28 girls and 16 boys) came from 54 different families. The age at onset of the first symptoms of the disease varied from one week to four months, Thirty three patients died in the same month that the diagnosis was established, and twenty five are actually followed up after NTBC therapy and restriction diet. Elevated concentration of succinyl acetone in the urine, hypertyrosinemia and raised a-fetoprotein level were the most common indicators at the diagnosis. Urinalysis revealed no proteinuria, no cetonuria but sometimes glycosuria. Galactose and ferric chloride tests were negative. Positive reactions with 2, 4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine and cyanide-nitroprusside were observed occasionally. Only five urine specimens presented peculiar odour. All patients showed hyperbilirubinemia (both direct and indirect bilirubin) and deterioration of liver function (elevated ASAT, ALAT and slightly increazed PAL and GGT). Increased plasma ferritin and b2-microglobulin levels were seen intwenty four and five infants respectively. However, fast plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, albumin and proteins concentrations were either normal or slightly decreased. HRT did not affect serum creatinine, urea, calcium, phosphorus and blood ammonia levels.

“A deluge of shrieking unreason”: Supernaturalism and Settlement in New Zealand Gothic Fiction

“A deluge of shrieking unreason”: Supernaturalism and Settlement in New Zealand Gothic Fiction

Dubowitz syndrome: common findings and peculiar urine odor

BackgroundDubowitz syndrome is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder characterized by intrauterine and postnatal growth retardation, severe microcephaly, psychomotor retardation, hyperactivity, eczema, and characteristic dysmorphic facial features. Although many cases have been reported, the cause of this disease is still unknown.CaseWe present here the case of a Lebanese girl with Dubowitz syndrome in whom an unpleasant urine odor was persistently reported since birth.ConclusionAlthough Dubowitz syndrome has been largely described in the medical literature, this is the first time that a peculiar urine odor was reported. This case report adds a new and unusual feature to the numerous findings related to this rare polymorphous syndrome.

재배 두메부추로부터 추출한 정유의 휘발성 성분 분석

Abstract Dumebuchu (Allium senescens L. var. senescens) has a peculiar and long-lasting odor that resembles the flavo r of garlic and onions. This study was conducted to examine the volatile compounds of essent ial oils extracted from dumebuchu. The essential oils of dumebuchu were extracted by hydrodistillation using a clavenger-type apparatus and analyzed by GC-MS. A total of 25 compounds were identified in the essential oils from dumebuchu. Among sulfur-containing compounds, 4 disulfides and 3 trisulf ides were identified. The most abundant sulfur-containing compound was 5-dimethylthiophene (peak area 4 1.15%) and the second and the third most abundant compound were dipropyl disulfide (18.91%) and propyl allyl disulfide (12.23%) , respectively.Key words : Allium senescens L. var. senescens, dumebuchu, essential oils, hydrodistillation, sulfur-containing compounds I. 서 론 1) Allium 식물 조직이 손상되면 alliinase 가 비휘발성 화합물인 S-alk(en)yl-L-cysteine sulfoxides(S-methyl-cysteine sulfoxides, S-propyl-cysteine sulfoxides, S-2-propenyl-cysteine sulfoxides, S-1-propenyl-cysteine sulfoxides)

ジェネリック医薬品の品質評価（1）―イコサペント酸エチル製剤における官能試験および成分分析試験―

The overall quality of generic drugs (GE) was assessed by sensory evaluation (questionnaire survey) taken by the patient side, a composition analysis by the pharmacist side, and a questionnaire by medical manufacturers, using an icosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester (EPA-E) product. In the sensory evaluation, the original product was superior to the two other GEs in terms of the ease of finding the wrapping's cutting point and its opening and external cutting points. In addition, there were GE products with a peculiar odor, which had residual beads (grain) in several wrappings. According to an analysis of the capsule's odors and surface cleaning solutions, the odor was attributed to the raw material itself adhering to the capsule surfaces during the manufacturing process, and/or by the deterioration of the capsules during the manufacturing period. The result of the stress test also supported this conclusion. The total dioxin content in the original product was extremely low compared to any other GE product. Questionnaires to manufacturers showed that all supplied product information for medical personnel and patients via various media, and were striving to innovate and improve the quality retention of the wrapping. It also emerged that GEs were not always superior to the original product, whereas it is expected that GE manufacturers will provide products that improve on the original drugs for the convenience of patients.

아마란스 분말 첨가가 국수 품질에 미치는 영향

아마란스를 새로운 식품 소재로 활용하고자 밀가루에 아마란스 분말의 첨가량을 달리하여 국수를 제조하고, 품질 특성을 조사하였다. 아마란스 분말 첨가한 조리면의 특성인 국수의 무게와 부피는 아마란스 함량이 증가될수록 감소되었으며, 함수율과 국물의 탁도는 아마란스 30% 첨가구를 제외하고는 반대의 경향을 보였다. 아마란스가 첨가된 국수의 조리 전후의 L값은 아마란스 분말의 첨가량이 증가할수록 유의적으로 감소하였고, a값과 b값은 증가하는 경향을 보였다. 또한 아마란스 국수의 L값은 조리전후에 모두 대조구보다 유의적으로 낮게 나타났으며, a값과 b값은 대조구보다 증가하는 경향을 보였다. 조리 전 국수의 텍스쳐 변화는 단단함, 응집성, 껌성, 씹힘성에서 대조구와 유의적인 차이를 나타내며 증가하였고, 부착성은 유의적으로 증가하지 않았다. 아마란스 첨가량이 증가할수록 조리면의 단단함, 껌성과 씹힘성은 유의적으로 감소하였고, 부착성과 탄력성, 응집성은 약간씩 감소하였다. 아마란스를 첨가한 조리면의 관능 검사 결과는 기호도를 제외한 모든 특성에서 대조구보다 유의적으로 높은 값을 나타냈으며, 아마란스 첨가량이 증가할수록 갈색이 짙어지며, 냄새는 곡류의 이취가 증가하는 것으로 나타났다. 전체적인 기호도는 아마란스 20% 첨가구를 가장 선호하는 것으로 나타났다. Wet noodles with different percentages of amaranth powder were prepared and their cooking characteristics were evaluated. The cooking quality, mechanical textural properties, and a sensory evaluation was conducted with the prepared noodles. Cooked noodle properties, weight, and volume decreased as amaranth content of the wheat flour increased, whereas turbidity and water absorption of the soup increased, except for cooked noodles with 30% amaranth. The L-value of the raw and cooked noodles decreased significantly with increasing amaranth powder content. The a- and b-values increased with increasing amounts of added amaranth powder. The L-value of the raw and cooked noodles with amaranth was significantly lower than that of the control, and the a-value was lower than that of the control, whereas the b-value was higher than that of the control for both raw and cooked noodles. A texture profile analysis of the raw noodles showed significantly higher levels of hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, and springiness in the amaranth noodles compared to those in the control; the values for adhesiveness were not significantly different. The hardness, gumminess, springiness, and chewiness of the cooked noodles decreased in proportion to the quantity of added amaranth. The springiness, adhesiveness, and cohesiveness of cooked noodles with amaranth decreased slightly. Overall, the results of a sensory evaluation revealed that the cooked noodles with amaranth had higher values than those of the control, except for overall acceptability. Amaranth added at a concentration of up to 30% increased brown color and the peculiar amaranth odor. In a sensory evaluation, cooked noodles with 20% amaranth powder were preferred more than the other noodles for overall acceptability.

Evolutionary changes of the importance of olfaction in cetaceans based on the olfactory marker protein gene

Odontocetes and mysticetes are two extant suborders of cetaceans. It is reported that the former have no sense of olfaction, while the latter can smell in air. To explain the ecological reason why mysticetes still retain their sense of smell, two hypotheses have been proposed — the echolocation-priority hypothesis, which assumes that the acquisition of echolocation causes the reduction of the importance of olfaction, and the filter-feeder hypothesis, which assumes that olfactory ability is important for filter-feeders to locate their prey because clouds of plankton give off a peculiar odor. The olfactory marker protein (OMP) is almost exclusively expressed in vertebrate olfactory receptor neurons, and is considered to play important roles in olfactory systems. In this study, full-length open reading frames of OMP genes were identified in 6 cetacean species and we analyzed the nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution rate ratio based on the maximum likelihood method. The evolutionary changes of the selective pressures on OMP genes did fit better to the filter-feeder hypothesis than to the echolocation-priority hypothesis. In addition, no pseudogenization mutations are found in all five odontocetes OMP genes investigated in this study. It may suggest that OMP retains some function even in ‘anosmic’ odontocetes.

Volatile compounds of the cultivated dumebuchu (Allium senescens L. var. senescens)

This study was conducted to examine the volatile compounds of cultivated dumebuchu (Allium senescens L. var. senescens). Dumebuchu is listed as a rare plant in Korea by Korea National Arboretum and has peculiar and long-lasting odor which resembles the flavor of garlic and onion. The volatile compounds of the cultivated dumebuchu were extracted by solid phase microextraction (SPME) and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). The field-cultivated dumebuchu had a larger amount of terpene compounds than greenhouse-cultivated one. The total of 9 sulfur containing compounds was identified in the cultivated dumebuchu. The most abundant compound was dipropyl disulfide and the second most abundant compound was propyl allyl disulfide. Additionally, carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (CAR/PDMS) fiber was found to be more efficient than PDMS fiber for extracting sulfur containing compounds from the cultivated dumebuchu.

Sexual and individual cues in the peri-anal gland secretum of crested porcupines ( Hystrix cristata)

As for other rodents, peri-anal glands are well developed in the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata. Their waxy secretion has a peculiar odour, usually perceivable around the dens. Male African H. africaeaustralis use this secretion to mark feeding sites in captivity, but its function in H. cristata has never been studied yet. Through live-trapping in Central Italy, we sampled gland contents of 33 freely living crested porcupines (19 males and 14 females), and, in 5 animals, 2-3 subsequent collections were made at different times. GC-MS analyses showed that the secretion volatile component is a complex mixture, mainly constituted by aliphatic compounds. The principal constituents were saturated and unsaturated γ-lactones, macrolactones, primary alcohols and fatty acids. The composition was similar between sexes, but for two compounds (nonadecan-1-ol and a compound tentatively identified as 16-methyl oxacyclohexadecan-2-one) that were significantly more frequent in males than in females. We compared the squared Euclidean distances of the relative abundances of constituents in all possible couple of specimens, and found that the average distance between males and females was significantly higher than the distance between males, but significantly lower than the distance between females. We hypothesized that, although all the females were adult, this variability might be due to physiological differences between individuals (e.g. reproductive status). Using the same approach, we found that the chemical profiles of different individuals (inter-individual variability) was greater than intra-individual variability, suggesting that the peri-anal secretions may play a role in individual recognition.

Getting Out in One Piece

Kagan wishes he could speak to the dead. He wants to tell his Aunt Jean a few things. To thank her, simply that, for what she did for him as a child over sixty years ago. He sees her now in his minds eye more sharply than he can see his mother. Aunt Jean wore, almost always, a modest gray silk shantung suit, Chinese pendant at the collar. He can still smell the peculiar old-spinster odor of that outfit a bit of cologne, a bit of cleaning fluid, the stale air of her hotel closet though when he was a child she wasn't old maybe forty in 1940, child of the century. Her hair fine hair, black forever, even when she was fifty and sixty was rolled into two stiff buns at the sides of her head. From time to time she'd pat the buns. This was hardly hair; it was like a wimple, part of a uniform. He realizes now that he never, never saw her hair loosened, not even at the beach. She seems to him a sort of nun calm, restrained, severe about her own life but very kind, always trying to mollify, to sweeten the atmosphere, eliminate conflict. A Jewish nun? Well, hardly Jewish, though she'd grown up in a Yiddish-speaking household during the war she became a Rosicrucian; it was as a Rosicrucian she'd talk to him about God.

Atopic Dermatitis Complicated by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection

Staphylococcus aureus colonization/infection is commonly associated with disease severity in children with atopic dermatitis. The present report is a three-year retrospective chart review of five cases (comprising three boys and two girls, aged 9-15 years at referral) of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in children with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. The review period spanned 2004-2007. All had longstanding severe disease, high IgE and eosinophil counts. Generalized erythema and a peculiar fishy odor were frequently observed by parents and physicians when MRSA was isolated during some of the episodes of exacerbation. All had tried various combinations of topical and systemic steroids, topical immunomodulants, traditional Chinese medicine and courses of antibiotics-without lasting relief. All specimens of MRSA had in-vitro sensitivity to vancomycin, with corresponding clinical correlates of disappearance of the erythema and fishy odor. A fishy odor and facial/generalized erythema in a patient with atopic dermatitis should alert the physician to screen for MRSA. The organism is rarely isolated, even among children with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, and is usually sensitive to vancomycin.

Identification of melanoma with a gas sensor array

The relationship between diseases and alterations of the airborne chemicals emitted from the body has been found in many different pathologies and in particular for various forms of cancer. Metabolism of cancer cells is greatly altered during their lifetime; then, modification of chemicals is supposed to be large around cancer tissues. Positive hints in this direction were provided, as an example, on studying the breath composition of lung cancer-affected subjects. Besides the conventional analytical approaches, in recent years sensor arrays were also applied to these researches considering the chemical composition changes as those occurring in other applications such as for instance, those dealing with food quality measurements. In this paper, the first application of sensor arrays to study the differentiation between melanomas and nevi, namely malignant and benign affection of melanocytary cells, respectively, is presented and discussed. The localization of lesions on the skin surface made possible the utilization of differential measurements aimed at capturing the differences between two adjacent skin regions. This approach strongly reduces the influence of skin headspace variability due to the peculiar subjective odour background and the skin odour variability. The measurement campaign involved 40 cases; 10 of these were diagnosed melanomas referred to surgical intervention. Nine of these diagnoses were further confirmed by histological examinations of the removed tissue and one was a false positive. The differences in the chemical composition of headspace were verified with a gas-chromatographic investigation, and the classification of electronic nose data provided an estimated cross-validated accuracy of the same order of magnitude as the currently used diagnostic instruments. Electronic nose sensors have been shown to have good sensitivity towards volatile organic compounds emitted by skin lesions, and the method seems to be effective for malign lesions identification. The results presented in this paper encourage a second experimental campaign with a larger number of participants and a systematic use of gas chromatography mass spectrometer technology in order to identify some possible melanoma biomarkers.