Bread is one of the most consumed food products in the world and one of the most discarded, due to its intrinsic short shelf-life and susceptibility to mold spoilage. Additionally, bread waste is ...generated during production and distribution, leading to the disposal of bread otherwise still fit for consumption. To avoid generating huge amount of bread waste, strategies to enable its reutilization should be sought. In this study, surplus bread, still suitable for consumption, was bioprocessed with enzymes and fermented by selected lactic acid bacteria generating an ingredient with antifungal properties. Bread hydrolysate fermented by Lactobacillus brevis AM7 showed broad inhibitory spectrum against the fungal species tested and antifungal activity ranging from 20 to 70%. Nine antifungal peptides were identified via Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionisation-Mass Spectra/Mass Spectra (nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS), having 10–17 amino acid residues and mass ranging from 1083.6 to 1980.7 Da, all of them encrypted in wheat proteins sequences. Bread hydrolysate fermented by Lb. brevis AM7, non-fermented bread hydrolysate and a slurry consisting of water-bread mixture were used as ingredients in bread making and compared to regular wheat bread. Breads containing the fermented hydrolysate (18 and 22% of the dough weight) showed the longest mold-free shelf-life compared to the other breads, lasting up to 10 days before mold appearance. Additionally, the fermented hydrolysate was the least detrimental on bread quality, emphasizing the positive impact and potential of the studied biotechnology.
•Surplus bread was hydrolyzed with enzymes and fermented by LAB.•LAB fermentation increased the antifungal activity of the hydrolyzed bread.•Nine peptides with antifungal properties were identified in the active hydrolysate.•Bread with the active hydrolysate had a shelf-life of 10 days.
Herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV tk) gene therapy combined with ganciclovir (GCV) medication is a potential new method for the treatment of malignant glioma. We have used both ...retrovirus-packaging cells (PA317/tk) and adenoviruses (Adv/tk) for gene therapy for malignant glioma. Retrovirus-packaging cells were used for eight tumors in seven patients and adenoviruses were used for seven tumors in seven patients. As a control group, seven tumors in seven patients were transduced with lacZ marker gene 4-5 days before tumor resection. Safety and efficacy of the gene therapy were studied with clinical evaluation, blood and urine samples, MRI follow-up, and survival of the patients. Four patients with adenovirus injections had a significant increase in anti-adenovirus antibodies and two of them had a short-term fever reaction. Frequency of epileptic seizures increased in two patients. No other adverse events possibly related to gene therapy were detected. In the retrovirus group, all treated gliomas showed progression by MRI at the 3-month time point, whereas three of the seven patients treated with Adv/tk remained stable (p < 0.05). Mean survival times for retrovirus, adenovirus, and control groups were 7.4, 15.0, and 8. 3 months, respectively. The difference in the survival times between the adenovirus and retrovirus groups was significant (p < 0.012). It is concluded that HSV tk gene therapy is safe and well tolerated. On the basis of these results further trials are justified, especially with adenovirus vectors.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of mammography screening invitation interval on breast cancer mortality in women aged 40-49 years.
Since 1987 in Turku, Finland, women aged 40-49 ...years and born in even calendar years were invited for mammography screening annually and those born in odd years triennially. The female cohorts born during 1945-1955 were followed for up to 10 years for incident breast cancers and thereafter for an additional 3 years for mortality.
Among 14,765 women free of breast cancer at age 40, there were 207 incident primary invasive breast cancers diagnosed before the age of 50. Of these, 36 women died of breast cancer. The mean follow-up time for cancer incidence was 9.8 years and for mortality 12.8 years. The incidence of breast cancer was similar in the annual and triennial invitation groups (RR: 0.98, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75-1.29). Further, there were no significant differences in overall mortality (RR: 1.20, 95% CI: 0.99-1.46) or in incidence-based breast cancer mortality (RR: 1.14, 95% CI: 0.59-1.27) between the annual and triennial invitation groups.
There were no differences in the incidence of breast cancer or incidence-based breast cancer mortality between the women who were invited for screening annually or triennially.
The field data from four humic lakes suggested that water colour may have both direct and indirect effects on inter‐ and intra‐specific interactions of perch Perca fluviatilis and roach Rutilus ...rutilus. The results agree with suggestions that, compared with R. rutilus, P. fluviatilis may be an inferior forager on zooplankton in highly coloured water. As an indirect effect, water colour decreases the coverage of macrophytes and limits suitable littoral habitats, benefiting R. rutilus over P. fluviatilis. Perca fluviatilis benefiting from complex habitats does not have the advantage in macrophyte‐poor highly coloured water.
To analyse associations between the clinical status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the gross domestic product (GDP) of their resident country.
The Quantitative Standard Monitoring of ...Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (QUEST-RA) cohort includes clinical and questionnaire data from 6004 patients who were seen in usual care at 70 rheumatology clinics in 25 countries as of April 2008, including 18 European countries. Demographic variables, clinical characteristics, RA disease activity measures, including the disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28), and treatment-related variables were analysed according to GDP per capita, including 14 "high GDP" countries with GDP per capita greater than US$24,000 and 11 "low GDP" countries with GDP per capita less than US$11,000.
Disease activity DAS28 ranged between 3.1 and 6.0 among the 25 countries and was significantly associated with GDP (r = -0.78, 95% CI -0.56 to -0.90, r(2) = 61%). Disease activity levels differed substantially between "high GDP" and "low GDP" countries at much greater levels than according to whether patients were currently taking or not taking methotrexate, prednisone and/or biological agents.
The clinical status of patients with RA was correlated significantly with GDP among 25 mostly European countries according to all disease measures, associated only modestly with the current use of antirheumatic medications. The burden of arthritis appears substantially greater in "low GDP" than in "high GDP" countries. These findings may alert healthcare professionals and designers of health policy towards improving the clinical status of patients with RA in all countries.
The pace-of-life Arnqvist, Göran; Stojkovic, Biljana; Rönn, Johanna L. ...
Functional ecology,
December 2017, Letnik:
31, Številka:
12
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Metabolic rate (MR) is a key functional trait simply because metabolism converts resources into population growth rate. Yet, our empirical understanding of the sources of within species variation in ...MR, as well as of its life history and ecological correlates, is rather limited. Here, we assess whether MR lies at the root of a syndrome of correlated rate‐dependent life‐history traits in an insect.
Selection for early (E) or late (L) age‐at‐reproduction for >160 generations in the bean beetle Acanthoscelides obtectus has produced beetles that differ markedly in juvenile development, body size, fecundity schedules, ageing and life span. Here, we use micro‐respirometry to test whether this has been associated with the evolution of age‐ and sex‐specific metabolic phenotypes.
We find that mass‐specific MR is 18% higher in E lines compared to L lines and that MR decreases more rapidly with chronological, but not biological, age in E lines. Males, under sexual selection to “live‐fast‐die‐young”, show 50% higher MR than females and MR decreased more rapidly with age in males.
Our results are consistent with a central role for MR for the divergence in “pace‐of‐life” seen in these beetles, supporting the view that MR lies at the root of ecologically relevant life‐history trait variation within species.
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Plain Language Summary
Acute pyelonephritis, a risk factor for maternal sepsis, adult respiratory distress syndrome, and preterm labor, is a frequent cause of hospitalization. This condition is characterized by excessive ...intravascular inflammation and endothelial cell activation and dysfunction. Syndecan-1, a major component of the glycocalyx, is a gel-like layer that covers the luminal surface of healthy endothelial cells, preserving and mediating many endothelial functions. During pregnancy, there is an additional potential source of syndecan-1, the "syncytiotrophoblast glycocalyx," which lines the intervillous space. Insults that damage the glycocalyx lead to a shedding of syndecan-1 into the circulation. Hence, syndecan-1 has been proposed as a marker of endothelial injury in conditions such as sepsis, trauma, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus.
The objective of this study was to determine whether the plasma syndecan-1 concentration changes in women with acute pyelonephritis in the presence or absence of bacteremia.
This cross-sectional study included three groups: (1) non-pregnant women (n = 25); (2) women with an uncomplicated pregnancy from whom samples were collected preterm (n = 61) or at term (n = 69); and (3) pregnant women diagnosed with acute pyelonephritis from whom samples were collected at the time of diagnosis during the second and third trimesters (n = 33). The diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis was based on clinical findings and a positive urine culture for bacteria. Blood culture results were available in 85% (28/33) of women with acute pyelonephritis. Plasma concentrations of syndecan-1 were determined by a validated immunoassay.
(1) Women with an uncomplicated pregnancy had a higher plasma concentration of syndecan-1 than non-pregnant women. The geometric mean (95% confidence interval CI) of syndecan-1 concentration was 51.0 (12.1-216.1) ng/mL in non-pregnant controls; 1280 (365-4487) ng/mL in normal preterm gestations; and 1786 (546-5834) ng/mL in normal term gestations (adjusted p < .005 for all three between group comparisons); (2) plasma syndecan-1 concentrations increased with gestational age among women with a normal pregnancy (p < .001, R
2
= 0.27); (3) syndecan-1 multiple of the mean (MoM) values in pregnant patients with acute pyelonephritis were higher than those in normal pregnant women based on second- and third-trimester samples (p = .048, 1.26-fold change). The increase was driven primarily by cases with a positive blood culture (p = .009, 1.74-fold change); (4) when data from third-trimester samples were compared, overall differences in syndecan-1 MoM values between cases and controls were slightly larger (p = .03, 1.36- fold change), which were especially contributed to by cases with a positive blood culture (p = .023, fold change 1.79-fold change).
Plasma syndecan-1 concentration is higher in pregnant women and increases as a function of gestational age. Patients with acute pyelonephritis have a higher plasma concentration of syndecan-1, and this is particularly the case in the presence of bacteremia.
Integrating datasets from multiple sites and scanners can increase statistical power for neuroimaging studies but can also introduce significant inter‐site confounds. We evaluated the effectiveness ...of ComBat, an empirical Bayes approach, to combine longitudinal preclinical MRI data acquired at 4.7 or 9.4 T at two different sites in Australia. Male Sprague Dawley rats underwent MRI on Days 2, 9, 28, and 150 following moderate/severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) or sham injury as part of Project 1 of the NIH/NINDS‐funded Centre Without Walls EpiBioS4Rx project. Diffusion‐weighted and multiple‐gradient‐echo images were acquired, and outcomes included QSM, FA, and ADC. Acute injury measures including apnea and self‐righting reflex were consistent between sites. Mixed‐effect analysis of ipsilateral and contralateral corpus callosum (CC) summary values revealed a significant effect of site on FA and ADC values, which was removed following ComBat harmonization. Bland–Altman plots for each metric showed reduced variability across sites following ComBat harmonization, including for QSM, despite appearing to be largely unaffected by inter‐site differences and no effect of site observed. Following harmonization, the combined inter‐site data revealed significant differences in the imaging metrics consistent with previously reported outcomes. TBI resulted in significantly reduced FA and increased susceptibility in the ipsilateral CC, and significantly reduced FA in the contralateral CC compared with sham‐injured rats. Additionally, TBI rats also exhibited a reversal in ipsilateral CC ADC values over time with significantly reduced ADC at Day 9, followed by increased ADC 150 days after injury. Our findings demonstrate the need for harmonizing multi‐site preclinical MRI data and show that this can be successfully achieved using ComBat while preserving phenotypical changes due to TBI.
Rats underwent longitudinal 4.7 or 9.4 T MRI following moderate/severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) or sham injury. Mixed‐effect analysis of summary values revealed a significant effect of site on FA and ADC values, which was effectively removed following ComBat harmonization. QSM was largely unaffected by inter‐site differences. Our findings demonstrate the need for harmonizing multi‐site preclinical MRI data and show that this can be successfully achieved using ComBat while preserving phenotypical changes due to TBI.
Transdermal buprenorphine (TDB) is a widely used analgesic for moderate pain. TDB is generally well tolerated, but both irritant and allergic contact dermatitis occur at patch application sites. Oral ...opioid tolerance in patients with allergic contact dermatitis to TDB remains controversial. Here, we describe 3 patients with allergic contact dermatitis to TDB who subsequently used oral opioid derivatives without adverse reactions. Thus, oral intolerance to opioid derivatives is not a rule in patients with allergic contact dermatitis to TDB, but the possibility should be taken into consideration.
•All experimental sites: UEF, Melbourne and UCLA, produced TBI rats with moderate to severe injury.•Variability in mortality between the experimental sites was not associated with impact ...pressure.•Experimental sites showed significant overlap in the duration of apnea, duration of anesthesia and time to self-right.
Multi-center preclinical studies can facilitate the discovery of biomarkers of antiepileptogenesis and thus facilitate the diagnosis and treatment development of patients at risk of developing post-traumatic epilepsy. However, these studies are often limited by the difficulty in harmonizing experimental protocols between laboratories. Here, we assess whether the production of traumatic brain injury (TBI) using the lateral fluid-percussion injury (FPI) in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (12 weeks at the time of injury) was harmonized between three laboratories - located in the University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Monash University in Melbourne, Australia (Melbourne) and The University of California, Los Angeles, USA (UCLA). These laboratories are part of the international multicenter-based project, the Epilepsy Bioinformatics Study for Antiepileptogenesis Therapy (EpiBioS4Rx). Lateral FPI was induced in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. The success of methodological harmonization was assessed by performing inter-site comparison of injury parameters including duration of anesthesia during surgery, impact pressure, post-impact transient apnea, post-impact seizure-like behavior, acute mortality (<72 h post-injury), time to self-right after the impact, and severity of the injury (assessed with the neuroscore). The data was collected using Common Data Elements and Case Report Forms. The acute mortality was 15% (UEF), 50% (Melbourne) and 57% (UCLA) (p < 0.001). The sites differed in the duration of anesthesia, the shortest being at UEF < Melbourne < UCLA (p < 0.001). The impact pressure used also differed between the sites, the highest being in UEF > Melbourne > UCLA (p < 0.001). The impact pressure associated with the severity of the functional deficits (low neuroscore) (P < 0.05) only at UEF, but not at any of the other sites. Additionally, the sites differed in the duration of post-impact transient apnea (p < 0.001) and time to self-right (P < 0.001), the highest values in both parameters was registered in Melbourne. Post-impact seizure-like behavior was observed in 51% (UEF), 25% (Melbourne) and 2% (UCLA) of rats (p < 0.001). Despite the differences in means when all sites were compared there was significant overlap in injury parameters between the sites. The data reflects the technical difficulties in the production of lateral FPI across multiple sites. On the other hand, the data can be used to model the heterogeneity in human cohorts with closed-head injury. Our animal cohort will provide a good starting point to investigate the factors associated with epileptogenesis after lateral FPI.
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