Previous intervention studies have reported the oral provision of the SCFA propionate and acetate induce satiety (1)(2) . However, effects on actual intake were not measured, visual analogue scales (VAS) accepted as the best method to subjectively assess appetite (3) were not used, the taste effects of the SCFA (a potential confounder in appetite research) were not accounted for and the study duration was short (120 min postprandially). The present study therefore aimed to address these methodological weaknesses.Sixteen unrestrained eaters (three male, thirteen female) aged 22.2 (SD 3.0) years were recruited to this randomised single-blind twoway cross-over study. Participants consumed a standard breakfast alongside a drink containing 25 g white wine vinegar or a drink without added vinegar (PL). Effects on appetite were assessed subjectively using VAS and assessed quantitatively by providing a preweighed ad libitum pasta meal 3 h postprandially. Capillary blood samples were regularly collected by fingerprick to monitor the postprandial glycaemic response.Vinegar treatment significantly reduced subjective appetite ratings for the desire to eat (P = 0.043) and hunger (P = 0.063) and increased fullness (P = 0.002) and also nausea (P = 0.002) when compared with PL 180 min area under the curve. In addition, quantitative measures of appetite were significantly influenced, with a mean intake of the pasta meal following PL and vinegar of 3401 (SD 1004) kJ and 2774 (SD 883) kJ respectively (P = 0.048, n 15). Vinegar treatment was also found to significantly lower the glycaemic response for the first 120 min (P = 0.022). In conclusion, the findings from the present study suggest that vinegar influences appetite and blunts the glycaemic response, possibly as a result of increased nausea and the reduced palatability of the vinegar-containing product. These findings support a role for oral provision of SCFA to reduce appetite, in agreement with previous studies (1)(2) . A follow-up study is underway to investigate the orosensory effects of vinegar on appetite and metabolic response using the modified sham-feeding technique.

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A process to coat nanoparticle agglomerates has been developed and its critical operation parameters have been studied in this work. It consists on a fluidized bed where a supercritical anti-solvent process (SAS) takes place. Titanium dioxide (TiO2), used as model nanoparticle, has been coated with a polymer, Pluronic F-127, from an ethanolic solution. As main factors that can affect the coating process, the following process parameters were studied: the ratio between the velocity of carbon dioxide through the bed and the minimum fluidization velocity (umf), with values from 1.5 to 2.5 times the umf; the density of carbon dioxide, varying from 640 kg/m 3 to 735 kg/m 3 approximately; the flow rate of solution, within an interval between 0.5-2 mL/min; the concentration of the solution, from 0.030 mg/mL to 0.090 mg/mL and the mass ratio polymer-particle, 0.45-1.8 g/g. The process parameters were selected taking into account the values that increased the yield, defined as gram of coating material per gram of introduced polymer amount, and maintained a unimodal particle size distribution (PSD), with low increment in the mean particle size with respect to raw TiO2. All the samples were analyzed by four different methods, which showed the successful results of the experiments. The yield was analyzed gravimetrically, and the PSD was determined by laser diffraction. The presence of polymer on the surface of the nanoparticle agglomerates was verified by FT-IR spectrum and fluorescence microscopy, which also showed the quality and uniformity of the coating. Furthermore, the bulk density of the samples was measured showing a lineal variation with the mass ratio polymer-particle.3

Using atomic absorption spectrophotometry the copper content of synovial fluid has been compared in rheumatoid and osteoarthrotic synovial fluids. Synovial fluid caeruloplasmin has been determined by single radial immunodiffusion. Both are significantly increased in the rheumatoid group. Serum copper, similarly estimated, shows a trend to greater elevation with increasing degree of rheumatoid erosion as assessed radiologically.

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