Natural medicinal systems such as Ayurveda and folk medicine has remedies for wound management. However, the exact cellular and extracellular mechanisms involved in the healing process and its influence on keratinocytes is less discussed. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the effect of certain natural wound healing medicines on the biology of the keratinocytes/HaCaT cells. Test materials such as honey (H), ghee (G), aqueous extracts of roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra (GG) and leaves of Nerium indicum (NI) were considered. The HaCaT cells were treated with the test materials singly and in combinations (H+G, all combined [Tot]) for a specific period (24, 48, and 72 hours). The cells were then subjected to cytotoxicity/proliferation and migration/scratch assays. All the test materials, except NI, were non-cytotoxic and showed increased cell proliferation at variable concentrations. Significant observations were made in the groups treated with honey (100 µg/ml at 48 hours, P<0.05; 1,000 µg/ml at 72 hours, P<0.05), GG (all concentrations at 48 hours, P<0.05; 750 µg/ml at 72 hours, P<0.05), H+G (250 µg/ml at 24 hours, P<0.001; 500 µg/ml at 48 and 72 hours, P<0.05), and Tot (50 µg/ml at 24, 48 and 72 hours, P<0.01). In the in-vitro wound healing assay, all the treated groups showed significant migration and narrowing of the scratch area by 24 and 48 hours (P<0.001) compared to control. The results obtained from the present study signifies the positive influence of these natural wound healing compounds on keratinocytes/HaCaT cells.
Biology ; Cell Proliferation ; Ghee ; Glycyrrhiza ; Honey ; Keratinocytes ; Medicine, Traditional ; Nerium ; Wound Healing ; Wounds and Injuries

Polyethylene is the most common plastic and is mainly used to produce plastic bags, film and bottles. When the molten polyethylene contacts skin,it causes burns and solidifies, so it is important to remove this material properly. However, no report has been issued to date on molten polyethylene contact burns. Here, we present such a case, in which the solidified polyethylene was successfully removed using mayonnaise. A 48-year-old man was burned on the face and neck by molten polyethylene, which had been heated to 200℃. Burned regions were covered with solidified polyethylene. About 15 minutes after spreading mayonnaise on the patient's face and neck, gently rubbing of the mayonnaise into the solidified polyethylene resulted in its successful removal. Mayonnaise has several advantages as it does not evaporate or flow across surfaces like other liquids, and unlike butter does not need to be melted before use. These properties and its ability to emulsify polythene mean that it can be used for the initial treatment of hot polyethylene burns and probably to treat contact burns caused by other petrochemical products.
Burns* ; Butter ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Plastics ; Polyethylene*

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of allergic conditions is increasing in most countries. One possible explanation may be childhood nutrition. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between consumption of pre-specified types of food in school-aged children and presence of respiratory and allergic symptoms. METHODS: A total of 191 students aged 9–11 years were recruited from 5 schools to geographically cover all of Malta. Data was collected between October 2011 and February 2012. This was part of a bigger study which included clinical and environmental tests besides standardized health questionnaires. For the purposes of this part of the study only the health questionnaires were used. These standardized health questionnaires based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) were used to identify the presence of respiratory and allergic symptoms and to identify the types of foods and the frequency of consumption of various types of foods. RESULTS: We found that milk, meat, butter, olive oil, and yoghurt consumption had a negative association with allergic symptoms in children, whilst fish consumption had a detrimental effect. These relationships remained significant after correction for paternal level of education. CONCLUSION: The study highlights the fact that nutrition in early childhood may have a significant effect on the risk of allergic conditions. Our results, taken together with data in the literature, suggest that different types of fish might have had different effects. This is probably related to their different fatty acid constitution thus warranting further studies.
Asthma ; Butter ; Child ; Constitution and Bylaws ; Education ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Malta ; Meat ; Milk ; Olive Oil ; Prevalence ; Yogurt

We performed an oral food challenge (OFC) with 10 g of butter (equivalent of 2.9 mL cow's milk) and 25-mL heated cow's milk for 68 children with cow's milk-allergy. Thirty-eight children reacted only to heated cow's milk. Twenty-four children reacted to neither heated milk nor butter. Thirty-eight (86.4%) of 44 patients with positive results to the OFC for heated milk could safely tolerate butter. It is highly likely that even children with cow's milk-allergy who show positive results to an OFC for heated milk can consume butter. The milk-specific IgE value indicative of a negative predictive value of over 95% was 17.8 kUA/L, and patients with low milk-specific IgE values may be able to safely consume butter. Including butter in the diets of patients with milk-allergy after a butter challenge may improve quality of life.
Butter* ; Child* ; Diet ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Milk* ; Quality of Life

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship of unbalanced diet habits and eating behaviors between school age children and their mothers. METHODS: From the Wonju area of Gangwon-do, 232 children and their mothers were recruited for this study. General characteristics, degree of unbalanced diet, eating behaviors, factors associated with food preferences, food preferences, and food intake frequencies were obtained through a questionnaire. RESULTS: The degree of unbalanced diet habits were significantly correlated between school age children and their mothers. Children's eating behaviors were also highly affected by their mother's eating behaviors. Especially, the frequency of eating breakfast showed a significant correlation between children and mothers. Among the factors associated with food preferences, family eating habits, appetite, and emotions showed significant associations between girls and mothers. As for food preferences, preference for meat in children was not significantly associated with that in their mothers, whereas preference for perilla oil and butter was significantly associated with preference in their mothers. The relationship of food preferences between children and mothers differed according to the sex of the children. Further, the intake frequencies for most foods were highly correlated between children and mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that the unbalanced diet habits and eating behaviors of mothers can affect those in their children. Moreover, the correlations of food preferences between children and their mothers were different depending on the sex of the children. Our data suggest that educating mothers about their diet and eating behaviors could improve the eating practices of their children.
Appetite ; Breakfast ; Butter ; Child* ; Diet* ; Eating ; Feeding Behavior* ; Female ; Food Habits ; Food Preferences ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Meat ; Mothers* ; Perilla ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The purpose of this study was to measure and investigate the acute effects of two fatty meals (high-SFA & high-PUFA) on post-prandial thermic effect, substrate oxidation, and satiety. Eight healthy adults (four males and four females) aged 19-22 years were assigned to consume two isocaloric meals: high in saturated fatty acids from butter and high in polyunsaturated fatty acids from sesame oil. Indirect calorimetry was used to measure resting energy expenditure (REE), post-prandial energy expenditure for five hours, and substrate oxidation. Satiety of the subjects after meals was estimated by using visual analogue scales (VAS). Five hours thermic effect of food (TEF) was not significantly different between butter meal (6.5% of energy intake) and sesame oil meal (7.3% of energy intake), but, the TEF of butter meal reached the peak point at 150 min and decreased more rapidly arriving to REE in 270 min. On the other hand, TEF of sesame oil meal reached the peak at 90 min and decreased slower than butter meal (still higher than REE at 300 min). No significant differences in substrate oxidation rates were found between the two meals. Post-prandial fat oxidation rates increased significantly after the consumption of both butter and sesame oil meal than that of the pre-prandial state. Satiety values (hunger, fullness, and appetite) were similar among the meals, but recovery of hunger and fullness to the pre-prandial state was faster in butter meal than that of the sesame oil meal.
Adult ; Aged ; Butter ; Calorimetry, Indirect ; Energy Metabolism ; Fatty Acids ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Hand ; Humans ; Hunger ; Male ; Meals ; Sesame Oil ; Sesamum ; Weights and Measures

The aim of this study was to use purple sweet potato powder to develop a recipe for a nutritional cookie with an optimal composition of ingredients and texture, in order to acquire strong preference responses by all age groups in sensory tests. Wheat flour was partially substituted with purple sweet potato powder to reduce the wheat flour content of the cookies. Measurements were made and analyzed according to the Response Surface Methodology technique, which showed 16 experimental points including 3 replicates for the purple sweet potato powder, sugar, and butter. The compositional and functional properties of the sample were measured, and the values obtained were applied to a mathematical model. A canonical form and perturbation plot showed the influence of each ingredient on the final product mixture. The results of sensory evaluations showed very significant values for flavor (P<0.0071), texture (P<0.0306), taste (P<0.0190), and overall quality (P<0.0142). Instrumental analysis showed significant values for hardness (P<0.0027), yellowness (P<0.0061) and spread ratio (P<0.0001). The optimal compositional ratios were determined to be 21.75 g for the purple sweet potato powder, 37.05 g for the sugar, and 60.59 g for the butter.
Butter ; Flour ; Hardness ; Humans ; Ipomoea batatas ; Models, Theoretical ; Triticum

This study was conducted to develop an optimal composite recipe for nutritional cookies containing beet powder. Flour was substituted with whole wheat flour containing germinated brown rice powder. The sensory optimal composite recipe was determined by making cookies containing two levels of beet powder (A) or butter (B) according to Central Composite Design (CCD) and by conducting the sensory evaluation and instrumental analysis according to Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Using CCD, the results of physical measurement for ten conditions with two variables were obtained. The values of lightness (L), redness (a), and yellowness (b) were in the range of 36.65~49.03, 22.15~29.31, and 13.96~19.34, respectively. Lightness decreased significantly (P<0.001) and redness increased significantly (P<0.01) upon an increase in beet powder. The results of sensory evaluation showed very significant values in color (P<0.05), texture (P<0.05), flavor (P<0.01), taste (P<0.05), and overall quality (P<0.05), whereas those of the instrumental analysis showed significant values in lightness (P<0.001), redness (P<0.01), spread ratio (P<0.01), and hardness (P<0.05). As a result, the optimal sensory ratio of beet cookie was calculated for beet powder 7.75 g and butter 77.88 g.
Beta vulgaris ; Butter ; Flour ; Hardness ; Light ; Triticum

PURPOSE: Peanut allergy is a major cause of fatal food-induced anaphylaxis. Cooking methods can affect the allergic properties of peanut proteins. The aim of this study was to determine the allergenicity of peanut according to cooking methods. METHODS: Eight kinds of peanut were included in the study: raw peanut, boiled peanut, roasted peanut (10 min, 20 min and 30 min), peanut butter, fried peanut and vinegarish peanut. The proteins were extracted with PBS and analyzed using the SDS-PAGE IgE immunoblot assay with pooled sera from 8 patients with atopic dermatitis. These patients had peanut- specific IgE levels greater than 15 kU/L, which were measured by the CAP-FEIA. RESULTS: The SDS-PAGE IgE immunoblot assay revealed more intense protein bands of Ara h 2 in roasted peanut and peanut butter than in raw, boiled, fried and vinegarish peanut. The protein band of Ara h 1 was not undetected in fried and vinegarish peanut. Ara h 3 had a stable band pattern in all samples, but there was the most prominent band at 37-40 kDa in vinegarish peanut. The IgE immunoblot assay revealed that 10 min roasted peanut had more IgE binding to Ara h 2, and there was no IgE binding to Ara h 1 in fried and vinegarish peanut. In vinegarish peanut, there was almost no IgE binding to it. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the roasted peanut may increase the allergenicity of Ara h 2 as compared to Ara h 1. Fried and vinegarish peanut may reduce the allergenicity of peanut.
Anaphylaxis ; Butter ; Cooking ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Peanut Hypersensitivity ; Proteins

The purpose of this study was to develop a muffin containing dried leek powder. The complete analysis was conducted using the Design Expert 7 program (Stat - Easy Co., Minneapolis, MN, USA). The leek muffins were produced with varying amounts of leek powder (A), sugar (B), and butter (C). According to response surface methodology (RSM), there were 16 experimental points, including two replicates. The leek muffin formulation was optimized using rheology and sensory analyses. For the results, a quadratic model was applied in determining lightness, volume, hardness, and sensory characteristics, including flavor, texture, and overall quality; redness and height were represented by a linear model. Lightness decreased and redness increased with increasing amounts of leek powder (p<0.001). In addition, hardness displayed significant differences (p<0.001) with increasing amounts of leek powder. The sensory evaluation results showed significant differences for color, flavor, texture, and overall quality (p<0.05). Based on the numerical and graphical methods, the optimal formulation was determined as 8.30 g of leek power, 88.37 g of sugar, and 81.70 g of butter.
Butter ; Hardness ; Light ; Linear Models ; Rheology