The scattering of x-rays from biological samples has been shown to produce characteristic profiles which depend on their molecular structure. The highly ordered fat molecules in an adipose tissue result in a relatively sharp scattering peak at 1.1nm-1 with a scattering profile which is considerably different from the scattering profile of a water-rich tissue. The latter is characterized by a broad scattering peak at about 1.6nm-1. A biological sample consisting of a mixture of both adipose and a water-rich tissue is expected to show a scattering profile which is directly linked to the relative contribution of each component and would reflect the percentage by volume of each component in the mixture. In this work, x-ray scattering profiles of a number of dairy products and water are measured. The values of two selected x-ray scattering characterization parameters (I1/I2% and areas A1/A2% of the scattering peaks at 1.1 nm-1 and 1.6 nm-1 respectively) are plotted against the fat content of each of the measured dairy samples. Results show a strong linear dependence of each of the x-ray scattering parameters and the fat content of the investigated dairy products. These results suggest a possible use of such technique as a new, simple and straight forward method for the determination of fat content of dairy products that would join and support the currently available techniques.

The aim of the present study was to assess the neuroprotective effects of xanthotoxin and umbelliferone in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced cognitive dysfunction in rats. Animals were injected intracerebroventricularly (ICV) with STZ (3 mg/kg) once to induce a sporadic Alzheimer's disease (SAD)-like condition. Xanthotoxin or umbelliferone (15 mg/kg, i.p.) were administered 5 hr after ICV-STZ and daily for 20 consecutive days. Xanthotoxin or umbelliferone prevented cognitive deficits in the Morris water maze and object recognition tests. In parallel, xanthotoxin or umbelliferone reduced hippocampal acetylcholinestrase activity and malondialdehyde level. Moreover, xanthotoxin or umbelliferone increased glutathione content. These coumarins also modulated neuronal cell death by reducing the level of proinflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6), inhibiting the overexpression of inflammatory markers (nuclear factor κB [NF-κB] and cyclooxygenase II), and upregulating the expression of NF-κB inhibitor (IκB-α). Interestingly, xanthotoxin diminished phosphorylated JAK2 and phosphorylated STAT3 protein expression, while umbelliferone markedly replenished nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (Nrf2) and haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1) levels. The current study provides evidence for the protective effect of xanthotoxin and umbelliferone in STZ-induced cognitive dysfunction in rats. This effect may be attributed, at least in part, to inhibiting acetylcholinestrase and attenuating oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and neuronal loss.