Fermented foods have been consumed for centuries across many geographical locales and have traditionally been considered healthy foods,partly because of the live microbes contained in them.The ...concept of"probiotics"further requires that the microbes be defined and their health effects be demonstrated through human intervention studies or other suitable investigations before marketing with corresponding health messages.Here,we review recommendations for fermented foods and probiotics in several countries outside the EU,focusing on food-based dietary guidelines.We emphasize recommendations on yoghurt and probiotics made by expert bodies.We found that dietary guidelines commonly advocate the consumption of yoghurt or similar products,but specific comments on probiotics are rare.Further,we reviewed guidelines from clinical associations.In general,they acknowledge the beneficial effects of probiotics,but often suggest the need for further research.This is true despite good quality evidence supporting the role of probiotics for certain health effects,such as prevention of eczema in infants,management of side effects from antibiotics and alleviation of functional bowel symptoms.Additional research to support future dietary recommendations should focus on determining effect size,identifying responders and non-responders,clarifying strain-specificity of effects and confirming mechanisms.
This paper compares the present available converter technologies and provides an assessment of the advantages/disadvantages offered by each technology. The latest advances in high-power semiconductor ...devices have resulted in the introduction of new concepts for high-power rectifier systems. A comparison of traditional technologies and future technologies is made. The increased use of modern IT technology is also briefly reviewed.
Introduction
Uremic type 2 diabetic patients on hemodialysis need various types of antidiabetic therapies. The aim of the present study was to identify differences between patients on oral ...antidiabetic drug therapy or insulin substitution or diet therapy alone during their first year of hemodialysis.
Patients and methods
Sixty-four type 2 diabetic patients who had started hemodialysis (HD) at our dialysis center between 2003 and 2007 were included in the study. Kidney-transplanted patients (
n
= 1) and those with chronic infectious or malignant diseases (
n
= 4) were excluded. Patients were divided into three groups according to their antidiabetic therapy: group 1 consisted of patients on oral antidiabetic drug therapy (
n
= 12), group 2 of those on insulin therapy (
n
= 42), and group 3 of those being treated with diet alone (
n
= 10). At the start of HD and 12 months later, we measured fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c, the incidence of hypoglycemia (
n
/patient/month), cholesterol, triglycerides, body weight, and insulin requirements in the insulin-treated group. C-peptide was only measured at the start of dialysis. We evaluated changes in antidiabetic therapy during the first year on dialysis, and the prevalence of vascular disease in each group at the start of HD.
Results
FPG and HbA1c values were similar in all groups at the start of HD and after 1 year. Hypoglycemia occurred more frequently in insulin-treated patients; however, the difference was not significant. Cholesterol levels were similar in all groups, whereas triglycerides were significantly lower in insulin-treated patients (138 ± 28 vs. 176 ± 46 mg/dl;
P
< 0.05). Body weight was similar in all groups. No significant change in body weight was observed in any group after 12 months on dialysis. At the start of HD, C-peptide levels were lower in insulin-treated patients than in the other groups (1.8 ± 0.9 ng/ml vs. 2.2 ± 1.1 and 2.4 ± 1.1 ng/ml;
P
< 0.05). During the first 12 months on HD, two patients from group 1 were shifted to group 3 (diet alone), while four patients could reduce their drug dosage (33%). However, two subjects became insulin-dependent. In group 2, insulin therapy could be terminated in two cases, while the insulin dose could be reduced in 20 patients (48%). In group 3, one patient was switched to oral antidiabetic therapy. The prevalence of vascular disease was slightly higher in group 3 (NS).
Conclusion
Within 1 year after the start of HD, the dose of sulfonylurea as well as insulin could be reduced in a large majority of patients. Metabolic control was similar in all groups. Only triglycerides were significantly lower in group 2. The frequency of hypoglycemia and the prevalence of vascular disease were just slightly higher in the group on insulin therapy.
This paper introduces a new concept for offshore wind turbine electrical architectures for wind farms with MVDC collection grids. With the proposed pre-transformer wind turbine drivetrain ...arrangement, the AC output of the wind turbine generator is transformed to a higher voltage by a step-up transformer and then rectified to a corresponding DC voltage by an active ac-dc converter. A modular multilevel converter (MMC) is used for the rectifier to achieve the variable frequency AC to DC power conversion. The MMC has been shown to have burdensome design constraints at low frequency. This paper demonstrates that these design constraints are not applicable for the wind turbine application and that the MMC is a good candidate for the wind turbine rectifier.
Reliability and maintenance are key concerns for offshore wind farms. Electrical systems are responsible for more failures than mechanical or structural systems, but they are also comparatively ...easier to repair. Nevertheless, it is important to lower the rate of failure and improve the ease of maintenance of electrical systems. This paper presents approaches to achieve these goals at the component level as well as at the system level. ABB's PCS6000 is used as the example to discuss component level issues. This paper also compares five possible conversion-collection system architectures considering their reliability and amenability to maintenance. The failure rates can be lowered and the serviceability can be improved by incorporating these considerations properly at the design stage.
AC to DC power conversion now and in the future Siebert, T.; Troedson, A.; Ebner, S.
Record of Conference Papers. IEEE incorporated Industry Applications Society. Forty-Eighth Annual Conference. 2001 Petroleum and Chemical Industry Technical Conference (Cat. No.01CH37265),
2001
Conference Proceeding
This paper compares the present available converter technologies and provides an assessment of the advantages/disadvantages offered by each technology. The latest advances in high power semiconductor ...devices have resulted in the introduction of new concepts for high power rectifier systems. A comparison of traditional technologies and future technologies is made. The increased use of modern IT technology is also briefly reviewed.
Power conversion systems for tidal power arrays Bala, Sandeep; Jiuping Pan; Barlow, Graham ...
2014 IEEE 5th International Symposium on Power Electronics for Distributed Generation Systems (PEDG),
2014-June
Conference Proceeding
Standardization of a collection and transmission architecture for tidal arrays would enable component designers to work towards a known specification, and the marine energy industry would be able to ...move forward from full scale device tests to building commercial arrays. This paper considers the requirements of tidal power arrays that are expected to be built in the coming years, explains the constraints imposed by the availability and costs of components, lists out all possible system architectures, and then evaluates them on the basis of levelized cost of energy (LCoE). The most attractive solution is a ±7.5 kV dc collection architecture, but only if wound field synchronous generators are used in the turbines. If cage induction or permanent magnet generators are to be used, floating collection hubs with full converters and 33 kV ac outputs are preferred. Improved architectures are possible with further research by power electronics engineers.
Inflammatory biomarkers of frailty Vatic, Mirela; von Haehling, Stephan; Ebner, Nicole
Experimental gerontology,
20/May , Letnik:
133
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Frailty is a functional term that describes a decline in physiological functions that leads to dependency, vulnerability to stressors, high risk for adverse health outcomes, increased risk of falls, ...and increased morbidity and mortality. The central role of inflammation and the cross-talk between frailty and sarcopenia have led to a condition termed physical frailty, in which muscle atrophy is viewed as the biological substratum of physical frailty. Different paradigms of ageing, including “inflamm-ageing”, “oxi-inflamm-ageing”, and “inflamm-inactivity” reveal inflammation as a common driver of age-related frailty. The key role of inflammation in frailty conditions have led to numerous studies screening for potential inflammatory biomarkers of frailty. This review summarizes the present knowledge of inflammatory biomarkers that are considered promising tools to evaluate frailty. Inflammatory biomarkers for different pathophysiological pathways have been identified, and can be divided into markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, muscle protein turnover and physical inactivity. Described candidate inflammatory biomarkers could support diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic decisions in frail elderly. Furthermore, exercise training and nutritional counselling could be implemented in the standard care of the elderly in order to prevent, delay, or ameliorate frailty and to reduce the levels of blood inflammatory biomarkers. Such tools and decision-making outcomes would improve selection and treatment of the elderly and contribute to the ultimate goal – healthy ageing.
•Central role of inflammation and the cross-talk between frailty status and sarcopenia have led to a condition termed physical frailty, in which muscle atrophy is envisioned as the biological substratum of physical frailty.•Different paradigms of ageing were recently discribed, including “inflamm-ageing”, “oxi-inflamm-ageing”, and “inflamm-inactivity” reveal inflammation as a common driver of age-related frailty.•Frailty is seen as a multidimensional concept with various indicators such as weight loss, lack of physical activity, sarcopenia, and disability•“Sarcopenia, i.e., reduced muscle mass, with limited mobility”, is defined as an individual with muscle loss whose speed of walking is equal to or less than 1 m/s or who cannot reach 400m of walk during a 6-minute walk, and who has a lean appendicular mass corrected for height squared of 2 standard deviations or more below the average of healthy individuals between 20 and 30 years of age of the same ethnic group.•Ageing has been associated with an increase of inflammatory biomarkers. This age-related fluctuation of the inflammatory mediators is referred to as “inflamm-ageing”.
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