Using a precise high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique, we identified the molecular species of lecithins in gallbladder biles from patients with cholesterol gallstones (n = 29), pigment gallstones (n = 9), morbid obesity (n = 5), and "controls" (n = 10). The major lecithin species identified in all groups, in descending rank order as represented by the fatty acids in the sn-1 a...

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed and compared with standard methods for rapid detection of Burkholderia cepacia, a major industrial contaminant, in cosmetic and pharmaceutical raw materials and finished products. Artificially contaminated samples were incubated for 24 h in trypticase soy broth containing 4% Tween 20 and 0.5% soy lecithin. DNA was extracted from each sample ...

The high hydrophobicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) strongly reduces their bioavailability in aged contaminated soils, thus limiting their bioremediation. The biodegradation of PAHs in soils can be enhanced by employing surface-active agents. However, chemical surfactants are often recalcitrant and exert toxic effects in the amended soils. The effects of two biogenic materials as...

The high costs of artificial pulmonary surfactants, ranging in hundreds per kilogram of body weight, used for treating the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) premature babies have limited their applications. We have extensively studied soy lecithins and higher alcohols as lipid alternatives to expensive phospholipids such as DPPC and PG. As a substitute for the proteins, we have synthesized th...

INTRODUCTION We report previously unpublished, early pilot studies performed with a brain-health food supplement containing a proprietary blend of 100 mg phosphatidylserine (PS) and 80 mg phosphatidic acid (PA) produced from soy lecithin. METHODS Serum analysis after single PS+PA ingestion was performed in healthy volunteers. A 3-month double-blind, placebo-controlled study assessed the influ...

With use of the same amniotic fluid specimens, lecithin concentration was compared with nonchromatographically determined glycerophospholipid, total lipid phosphorus, and the bubble-stability test as indexes of fetal lung maturation. The lecithin analysis was performed by thin-layer chromatography, with use of a semiautomated method of spotting and nondigestive release of phosphorus from the se...

It has been recognized for some years that lecithin is an internally neutralized compound (1). The neutralization takes place between a strongly acidic group and a strongly basic group. Solutions of lecithin therefore may be expected to show no buffering power within the physiological range and this has been observed to be the case (24). The internal neutralization of lecithin has led to the pr...