As a result of population growth, an emerging middle-class, and a more health-conscious society concerned with overconsumption of fats and carbohydrates, dietary protein intake is on the rise. To ...address this rapid change in the food market, and the subsequent high demand for protein products, agriculture, aquaculture, and the food industry have been working actively in recent years to increase protein product output from both production and processing aspects. Dietary proteins derived from animal sources are of the highest quality, containing well-balanced profiles of essential amino acids that generally exceed those of other food sources. However, as a result of studies highlighting low production efficiency (e.g., feed to food conversion) and significant environmental impacts, together with the negative health impacts associated with the dietary intake of some animal products, especially red meats, the consumption of animal proteins has been remaining steady or even declining over the past few decades. To fill this gap, researchers and product development specialists at all levels have been working closely to discover new sources of protein, such as plant-based ingredients. In this regard, microalgae have been recognized as strategic crops, which, due to their vast biological diversity, have distinctive phenotypic traits and interactions with the environment in the production of biomass and protein, offering possibilities of production of large quantities of microalgal protein through manipulating growing systems and conditions and bioengineering technologies. Despite this, microalgae remain underexploited crops and research into their nutritional values and health benefits is in its infancy. In fact, only a small handful of microalgal species are being produced at a commercial scale for use as human food or protein supplements. This review is intended to provide an overview on microalgal protein content, its impact by environmental factors, its protein quality, and its associated evaluation methods. We also attempt to present the current challenges and future research directions, with a hope to enhance the research, product development, and commercialization, and ultimately meet the rapidly increasing market demand for high-quality protein products.
Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) processing by-products (hemp cake and hemp seed hulls) were studied for their protein content, extraction of protein isolates (PIs), and their in vitro protein digestibility ...(IVPD). Crude protein contents of hemp cake and hemp seed hulls were 30.4% and 8.6%, respectively, calculated based on generalized N-to-P conversion factor (N × 5.37). Extraction efficiency of PIs from defatted biomass ranged from 56.0 to 67.7% with alkaline extraction (0.1 M NaOH) followed by isoelectric precipitation (1.0 M HCl). Nitrogen analysis suggested that the total protein contents of PIs extracted using three different alkaline conditions (0.5 M, 0.1 M, and pH 10.0 with NaOH) were >69.7%. The hemp by-product PIs contained all essential amino acids (EAAs) required for fish with leucine, valine, and phenylalanine belonging to the five dominant amino acids. Overall, glutamate was the dominant non-EAA followed by aspartate. Coomassie staining of an SDS-PAGE gel revealed strong presence of the storage protein edestin. High IVPD of >88% was observed for PIs extracted from hemp seeds and by-products when evaluated using a two-phase in vitro gastric/pancreatic protein digestibility assay. PIs extracted from by-products were further tested for their antioxidant activities. The tested PIs showed dose-dependent DPPH radical scavenging activity and possessed strong ORAC values > 650 μM TE/g.
Laser synthesis and processing of colloids (LSPC) is an established method for producing functional and durable nanomaterials and catalysts in virtually any liquid of choice. While the redox ...reactions during laser synthesis in water are fairly well understood, the corresponding reactions in organic liquids remain elusive, particularly because of the much greater complexity of carbon chemistry. To this end, this article first reviews the knowledge base of chemical reactions during LSPC and then deduces identifiable reaction pathways and mechanisms. This review also includes findings that are specific to the LSPC method variants laser ablation (LAL), fragmentation (LFL), melting (LML), and reduction (LRL) in organic liquids. A particular focus will be set on permanent gases, liquid hydrocarbons, and solid, carbonaceous species generated, including the formation of doped, compounded, and encapsulated nanoparticles. It will be shown how the choice of solvent, synthesis method, and laser parameters influence the nanostructure formation as well as the amount and chain length of the generated polyyne by-products. Finally, theoretical approaches to address the mechanisms of organic liquid decomposition and carbon shell formation are highlighted and discussed regarding current challenges and future perspectives of LSPC using organic liquids instead of water.
We report density functional theory computations and photoionization mass spectrometry measurements of aniline and its positively charged ions. The geometrical structures and properties of the ...neutral and singly, doubly, and triply positively charged aniline are computed using density functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation. At each charge, there are multiple isomers closely spaced in total energy. Whereas the lowest energy states of both neutral and cation have the same topology C6H5–NH2, the dication and trication have the C5NH5–CH2 topology with the nitrogen atom in the meta- and para-positions, respectively. We compute the dissociation pathways of all four charge states to NH or NH+ and NH2 or NH2 +, depending on the initial charge of the aniline precursor. Dissociation leading to the formation of NH (from the neutral and cation) and NH+ (from the dication and trication) proceeds through multiple transition states. On the contrary, the dissociation of NH2 (from the neutral and cation) and NH2 + (from the dication and trication) is found to proceed without an activation energy barrier. The trication was found to be stable toward abstraction on NH+ and NH2 + by 0.96 and 0.18 eV, respectively, whereas the proton affinity of the trication is substantially higher, 1.98 eV. The mass spectra of aniline were recorded with 1300 nm, 20 fs pulses over the peak intensity range of 1 × 1013 to 3 × 1014 W cm–2. The analysis of the mass spectra suggests high stability of both dication and trication to fragmentation. The formation of the fragment NH+ and NH2 + ions is found to proceed via Coulomb explosion.
Objectives
Neurogenic cough is believed to result from a sensory neuropathy involving the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN). We present our outcomes for the treatment of ...neurogenic cough with localized blockade of the internal branch of the SLN.
Methods
A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent in‐office percutaneous SLN block for treatment of neurogenic cough between 2015 and 2017 was conducted. Patient demographics, indications for injection, and response to treatment were recorded and analyzed. Cough severity index (CSI) scores before and after treatment were compared.
Results
Twenty‐three patients underwent percutaneous blockade of the internal branch of the SLN in the clinic setting, and five patients were excluded for incomplete records. The indication was neurogenic cough as a diagnosis of exclusion. The injectable substance used was a 1:1 mixture of a long‐acting particulate corticosteroid and a local anesthetic. Unilateral injections were performed in 13 patients, and five patients underwent bilateral injections. Of the unilateral injections, 10 were left‐sided. Patients underwent an average of 2.4 SLN block procedures (range 1–7). Mean follow‐up time postinjection was 85.4 days (7–450 days). Cough severity index scores decreased significantly from an average of 26.8 pretreatment to 14.6 posttreatment (P < 0.0001).
Conclusion
The SLN block is an effective treatment for neurogenic cough, with average CSI scores significantly improved following injection. Further study is necessary to determine the characteristics of patients' responses to treatment, long‐term outcomes, and efficacy of the procedure when compared to placebo and other accepted treatments for neurogenic cough.
Level of Evidence
4. Laryngoscope, 1898–1903, 2018
With fiber-based lasers that may be passed via the working channel of a flexible laryngoscope, in-office laser laryngeal surgery has become possible. The potassium-titanyl-phosphate laser has several ...features that make it ideal for laryngeal surgery, and it is now the laser of choice for in-office management of a variety of laryngeal lesions. Its applications have expanded significantly since its introduction, with reports of new indications continuing to appear in the literature. This article provides a comprehensive review of the indications and technical details of in-office potassium-titanyl-phosphate laser laryngeal surgery, and a summary of the existing literature regarding outcomes of these procedures.
Studies were conducted with Atlantic cod,
Gadus morhua (L.), to determine the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of protein and energy and the digestible energy (DE) content in feed ...ingredients widely available in Canada. We also tested the assumption of “independency” used in digestibility studies. The feed ingredients included two fish meals (herring, anchovy), three crustacean by-product meals (whole krill, crab, shrimp), two animal by-product meals (poultry by-product, hydrolyzed feather), six oilseed meals (soybean, soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, canola, canola protein concentrate, flaxseed), two pulse meals (white lupin, pea protein concentrate) and two cereal grain meals (corn gluten, wheat gluten). Protein ADCs were high for wheat gluten meal (99.9%), soy protein concentrate (98.6%), soy protein isolate (97.4%), whole krill meal (96.3%), herring meal (93.3%), soybean meal (92.3%), anchovy meal (92.2%), pea protein concentrate (89.8%), white lupin meal (89.7%), crab meal (89.4%), canola protein concentrate (88.8%) and corn gluten meal (86.3%); mid-range for poultry by-product meal (80.2%) and canola meal (76.0%); and low for shrimp meal (66.7%), hydrolyzed feather meal (62.4%) and flaxseed meal (50.2–55.0%). Energy ADC was high for whole krill meal (96.3%), wheat gluten meal (95.4%), soy protein concentrate (94.9%), herring meal (92.8%), soy protein isolate (92.1%), soybean meal (88.1%) and anchovy meal (86.4%); mid-range for canola protein concentrate (83.3%), corn gluten meal (82.7%), crab meal (82.4%), pea protein concentrate (76.7%) and white lupin meal (75.3%); and low for poultry by-product meal (71.0%), canola meal (60.6%), hydrolyzed feather meal (58.9%), shrimp meal (41.4%) and flaxseed meal (21.2–37.4%). From the protein ADC data, results clearly showed that the basal diet and test feed ingredients were digested independently of one another in nearly all cases, the only exceptions being for those diets containing test ingredients of very high (>
99%, wheat gluten) or very low (<
67%, hydrolyzed feather and flaxseed) protein ADCs. In the case of DE, the basal diet and test feed ingredients were digested independently in all test diets without exception.
The salmon aquaculture industry must be proactive at developing mitigation tools/strategies to offset the potential negative impacts of climate change. Therefore, this study examined if additional ...dietary cholesterol could enhance salmon production at elevated temperatures. We hypothesized that supplemental cholesterol could aid in maintaining cell rigidity, reducing stress and the need to mobilize astaxanthin muscle stores, and improving salmon growth and survival at high rearing temperatures. Accordingly, postsmolt female triploid salmon were exposed to an incremental temperature challenge (+0.2°C day-1) to mimic conditions that they experience in sea cages in the summer, with temperature held at both 16 and 18°C for several weeks i.e., 3 weeks at 16°C, followed by an increase at 0.2°C day-1 to 18°C (10 days), then 5 weeks at 18°C to prolong their exposure to elevated temperatures. From 16°C onwards, the fish were fed either a control diet, or one of two nutritionally equivalent experimental diets containing supplemental cholesterol +1.30%, experimental diet #1 (ED1); or +1.76%, experimental diet #2 (ED2). Adding cholesterol to the diet did not affect the salmon’s incremental thermal maximum (ITMax), growth, plasma cortisol, or liver stress-related transcript expression. However, ED2 appeared to have a small negative impact on survival, and both ED1 and ED2 reduced fillet “bleaching” above 18°C as measured using SalmoFan™ scores. Although the current results suggest that supplementing salmon diets with cholesterol would have few/minimal benefits for the industry, ≤ 5% of the female triploid Atlantic salmon used in this study irrespective of diet died before temperature reached 22°C. These latter data suggest that it is possible to produce all female populations of reproductively sterile salmon that can withstand summer temperatures in Atlantic Canada.
Proximate, amino acid and elemental composition, total phenolic content (TPC), and in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) of microalgal biomass were determined. Microalgae contained low to moderate ...ash (5–17 %), moderate to high carbohydrate (18–46 %), crude protein (18–46 %), high crude lipid (12–48 %), and energy (19–27 MJ kg⁻¹). Characteristic of microalgae, non-essential amino acids (AAs), aspartic and glutamic acids, were predominant (20–30 % of protein; 8–12 % of dry weight). Microalgae had favorable essential AA profiles with high essential amino acid (EAA) indices (0.9–1.2). Expressed as g EAA 100 g protein⁻¹, Porphyridium aerugineum was rich in leucine (11.9), lysine (8.0), arginine (8.6), and tryptophan (3.3); Nannochloropsis granulata (A) in leucine (11.0), lysine (8.5), and tryptophan (2.8); Tetraselmis chuii and Botryococcus braunii in arginine (9.4 and 20.5, respectively); and Phaeodactylum tricornutum in lysine (6.4) and tryptophan (2.6). Mineral compositions (%) were calcium (0.1–3.0), magnesium (0.3–0.7), phosphorous (0.7–1.5), potassium (0.7–2.4), sodium (0.8–2.7), and sulfur (0.4–1.4), and trace element compositions (mg kg⁻¹) were copper (18–102), iron (1,395–11,101), manganese (45–454), selenium (0–0.5), and zinc (28–64). Microalgae contained low TPC (6–13 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) g⁻¹DW), except T. chuii (20 mg GAE g⁻¹DW). IVPD was high (>90 %) for B. braunii (A), P. aerugineum, and lipid-extracted N. granulata (B); mid-range (80–89 %) for P. tricornutum, N. granulata (A), B. braunii (B), Neochloris oleoabundans, T. chuii, and whole N. granulata (B); and lower (<80 %) for Acutodesmus dimorphus. Microalgal species P. tricornutum, B. braunii, N. granulata, and T. chuii had high protein (40–52 %), IVPD (82–97 %), and digestible protein (35–50 %), comparable to plant proteins used in animal feeds and aquaculture.
Objectives/Hypothesis
Carbon dioxide laser transverse posterior cordotomy (TPC) aims to improve airway aperture in patients with glottic obstruction. Postoperative complications may worsen airway ...compromise and necessitate additional interventions. We sought to identify factors impacting outcomes after TPC.
Study Design
Retrospective chart review.
Methods
Medical records of patients who underwent TPC for glottic airway obstruction at a tertiary‐care medical center between 2008 and 2018 were reviewed. Demographics, comorbidities, and intra‐ and postoperative management strategies were analyzed.
Results
Twenty patients who underwent TPC for glottic airway obstruction met inclusion criteria. The mean age was 57 years, and 13 patients were female. Mean follow‐up time was 442 days. Seven patients had posterior glottic stenosis, and 13 had bilateral vocal fold paralysis. Twelve patients developed postoperative complications including granuloma formation (four patients), hospital readmission for dyspnea due to glottic edema (five patients), need for revision surgery (nine patients), or failure to decannulate tracheotomy (five patients). Eight patients had an uncomplicated recovery with improved dyspnea, with two patients with tracheotomies decannulated. Patients with a history of smoking tobacco were more likely to experience complications (P = .035). There were no significant differences in outcomes with respect to history of head and neck radiation or gastroesophageal reflux disease. Steroid injection at the surgical site and postoperative medications did not significantly impact outcomes. With respect to granuloma formation, none of the variables analyzed reached significance.
Conclusions
History of tobacco use increases complication rates after TPC. Other patient comorbidities and intra‐ and postoperative management strategies do not impact outcomes.
Level of Evidence
4 Laryngoscope, 131:1066–1070, 2021
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