▶ Anodal tDCS over the frontal cortex induces neuronal activation in the frontal cortex and its connected brain region, especially in the nucleus accumbens, in rats.
Transcranial direct current ...stimulation (tDCS) is one of the noteworthy noninvasive brain stimulation techniques, but the mechanism of its action remains unclear. With the aim of clarifying the mechanism, we developed a rat model and measured its effectiveness using fMRI. Carbon fiber electrodes were placed on the top of the head over the frontal cortex as the anode and on the neck as the cathode. The stimulus was 400- or 40-μA current applied for 10
min after a baseline recording under an anesthetized condition. The 400-μA stimulation significantly increased signal intensities in the frontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. This suggests anodal tDCS over the frontal cortex induces neuronal activation in the frontal cortex and in its connected brain region.
Objective: We investigated the fluoroscopy time (FT) and radiation dose by the number of cerebral angiography (CA) operator experiences to clarify the learning curve of CA.Methods: The subjects were ...cases for whom CA was performed at our hospital for 5 years between April 2015 and March 2020. Based on the number of CA operator experiences, they were classified into four groups: 1–50 cases (group A), 51–100 cases (group B), 101–200 cases (group C), and 201 cases and later (group D). The FT and radiation dose were retrospectively investigated.Results: Of the 865 consecutive CA cases, 293 cases for follow-up, i.e. after treatment, 54 for arteriovenous shunt diseases, 21 lacking data, and 1 case requiring intervention for thrombosis during CA were excluded. In total, 496 CA cases were investigated. There were 61 cases in group A, 56 cases in group B, 44 cases in group C, and 335 cases in group D, and there was no significant difference in patient background factors among the groups. The median FT and radiation dose (interquartile range) in each group were 20.2 min (14.6) and 374 mGy (185.3) in group A, 14.8 min (12.1) and 366 mGy (167.9) in group B, 10.8 min (6) and 320 mGy (151.7) in group C, and 9.4 min (6.4) and 336 mGy (171) in group D. The FT was significantly shorter in group C than in group A, and significantly shorter in group D than in groups A, B, and C. The radiation dose was significantly lower in groups C and D than in groups A and B.Conclusion: This study suggested that CA can be performed alone after experiencing approximately 100 cases as an operator.
Objective: In coil embolization of ruptured cerebral aneurysms, intraoperative cerebral aneurysm re-rupture and thromboembolism are of concern. A good embolic condition can be expected by adjunctive ...techniques, but there is an increased risk of complications. We investigated the treatment results by coil embolization procedures for ruptured cerebral aneurysms.Methods: Between January 2016 and December 2019, 75 ruptured saccular cerebral aneurysms were treated by coil embolization at our hospital. The background factors, results of aneurysm embolization, intraoperative re-rupture, symptomatic cerebral embolism, and other factors were investigated retrospectively. We compared and examined these factors based on the procedure.Results: The mean age was 62.8 and there were 57 female patients (76.0%). The single catheter technique (SCT) was used in 44 cases (58.7%) and the adjunctive technique was used in 31 cases (41.3%). Complete obliteration (CO) was achieved in 24 cases (32.0%), there was a neck remnant (NR) in 23 (30.7%), body filling (BF) was observed in 28 (37.3%), intraoperative re-rupture occurred in 7 (9.3%), and symptomatic cerebral embolism developed in 6 (8.0%), but no postoperative re-rupture was observed. Retreatment was required in only three cases of SCT. On comparison by procedure, the incidence of symptomatic cerebral embolism was significantly lower in SCT group than in the adjunctive technique group (2.3% vs 16.1%, p = 0.04).Conclusion: Among the cases of coil embolization for ruptured cerebral aneurysms at our hospital, SCT resulted in a lower incidence of symptomatic cerebral embolism than adjunctive techniques. It is essential to select an appropriate procedure in each case by understanding the characteristics of each procedure.
Alternative protein sources are gaining attraction in food industry and consumers. Proteins obtained by single-cell organisms, such as torula yeast, are of enormous interest, as they are highly ...scalable, efficient, and sustainable, and the production costs are comparably low. Nevertheless, proteins obtained from yeasts are still mostly known and studied for feed applications, despite their nutritional, functional, and sensory benefits for various food applications. Testing consumer acceptance of products, especially products containing alternative proteins provides insights into, e.g., market success, consumer perception, and optimization potential. In this study, the development of two vegan spread powders, high in protein and containing torula yeast as an alternative protein source, is introduced. The result of food product development using torula yeast were “Leberwurst”-style (14.7% protein) and a “Balkan”-style (9.7% protein) spreads both meeting the criteria “at least 20% kcal from proteins of total product kcal” and thus claimable as “high-protein.” The application of the alternative protein from torula yeast within the final products was studied by a consumer acceptance test (
n
= 123) within three different countries (Germany, Iceland, and Sweden). Consumers also rated their trust in food production actors, the food industry in particular, and their willingness to try new foods. Overall, both spreads received acceptance values in the range of “like slightly.” It is noticeable that the consumers liked the spread “Balkan style” more than “Leberwurst”-style. The background variables revealed higher neophobic characteristics of Icelandic consumers compared with Swedish or German consumers. However, German consumers felt transparency, and communication was missing, but Icelandic consumers, in general, had more trust in the overall food value chain. This knowledge allows for the development of strategies that address cultural-specific barriers and capitalize on cultural values that promote openness to culinary innovation. The identification of cultural variations in consumer preferences emphasizes the need for customized approaches to product development and marketing. These findings could have implications for businesses and policymakers in understanding and catering to the preferences and concerns of consumers in these respective countries. Businesses might benefit from emphasizing transparency and improving communication strategies. This could involve providing clear information about the sourcing, production, and other aspects of the food value chain.
•Liking of different oyster-based products was evaluated in a food truck setting.•Expected liking of raw oysters was positively associated with oyster familiarity.•Expected liking of raw oysters was ...inversely related with food neophobia.•Food neophobia was not associated with expected liking for cooked products.•Cooking oysters could increase their acceptance and consumption in Sweden.
The role of seafood in supporting transitions towards more sustainable and healthier diets is often overlooked. Oysters, for example, are a nutrient dense aquatic food whose production requires no feed, freshwater, or land use. However, oyster consumption in Sweden is limited, possibly in part due to being traditionally served raw. This study investigated consumer acceptance of oysters when cooked and prepared to resemble familiar foods and examined whether food neophobia (FN) was related to liking. Four oyster-based samples (raw oyster, oyster crepe, oyster burger, and oyster soup) were evaluated in an ecologically valid setting. Participants (N=102; convenience sampling) rated the samples in terms of hedonics (expected liking and liking after tasting), described which aspects of the samples were liked/disliked, and reported the contexts in which oyster consumption is perceived as appropriate. The findings suggest that FN was negatively associated with expected liking of raw oysters, but not with expected liking for cooked oyster-based products that were cooked to resemble familiar foods. On the other hand, familiarity with oysters was positively associated with expected liking of raw oysters. This suggests that expanding oyster preparations beyond its traditional raw format could be a valuable strategy to promote oyster consumption in Sweden.
Mechanically-induced vasospasm often occurs during guiding catheter insertion, occasionally preventing catheter advancement to the desired location. Delicate manipulation would be impossible without ...the proper positioning of guiding catheters, and vasospasm-induced cerebral hypoperfusion may cause thrombotic complications. From June 2012 to December 2013, we prospectively analyzed 150 endovascular treatment cases, excluding acute cases, for the frequency of vasospasm, risk factors, and countermeasures. The associated risk factors such as the Japanese-style State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) score; anatomy and devices; and the efficacies of warm compresses, intra-arterial lidocaine/nicardipine, and tranquilizers were analyzed. Groups 1, 2, and 3 comprised 50 patients each with controls, tranquilizer administration, and prophylactic warm compresses/intra-arterial drug injection, respectively. Moderate or severe vasospasm was seen in approximately 40% patients in each group; however, severe vasospasm was absent in Group 3. Mild vasospasm-induced cerebral infarction occurred in one patient each in Groups 1 and 2. Vasospasm during diagnostic angiography odds ratio (OR) = 10.63; P = 0.01, many ≥ 30° vessel curves OR = 4.21; P = 0.01, and the high STAI score OR = 1.84; P = 0.01 were risk factors for severe vasospasm. Although the relationship between anxiety and sympathetic tone remained unclear, tranquilizer administration relieved vasospasm. Warm compresses and the intra-arterial drug infusion were also useful for relieving vasospasm. Prophylactic measures such as a tranquilizer and warm compresses are expected to alleviate vasospasm; in addition, countermeasures such as the intra-arterial injection of lidocaine/nicardipine are effective.
Objective: In neuroendovascular therapy, clopidogrel resistance and thrombosis are common problems. In such cases, we use prasugrel as rescue medication, and we clarified its usefulness.Methods: We ...retrospectively investigated 199 consecutive cases of neuroendovascular therapy performed at our hospital from April 2016 to March 2018, and examined the safety and effectiveness of prasugrel.Results: There were 14 cases of prasugrel administration: six cases of coil embolization for cerebral aneurysm, five cases of carotid artery stenting (CAS), and three other cases.The reasons for prasugrel administration were as follows: emergency stent use in four cases, intraoperative thrombosis in three cases, intra-stent thrombosis after CAS in three cases, and others in four cases. In all cases, it was used in combination with aspirin and the median duration of administration was 212 days. Regarding its safety, there was one hemorrhagic complication at the puncture site for which the involvement of prasugrel was unable to be excluded, but it was improved by conservative treatment and there was no major hemorrhage such as intracranial hemorrhage. Regarding its efficacy, in one case, the thrombus during coil embolization did not completely disappear after prasugrel administration and additional mechanical thrombolysis was required. However, no new thrombosis was observed during prasugrel administration in all 14 cases.Conclusion: Prasugrel may be useful as a rescue medication in neuroendovascular therapy.
Generations of sensors have been developed for predicting food sensory profiles to circumvent the use of a human sensory panel, but a technology that can rapidly predict a suite of sensory attributes ...from one spectral measurement remains unavailable. Using spectra from grape extracts, this novel study aimed to address this challenge by exploring the use of a machine learning algorithm, extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), to predict twenty-two wine sensory attribute scores from five sensory stimuli: aroma, colour, taste, flavour, and mouthfeel. Two datasets were obtained from absorbance-transmission and fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (A-TEEM) spectroscopy with different fusion methods: variable-level data fusion of absorbance and fluorescence spectral fingerprints, and feature-level data fusion of A-TEEM and CIELAB datasets. The results for externally validated models showed slightly better performance using only A-TEEM data, predicting five out of twenty-two wine sensory attributes with R
values above 0.7 and fifteen with R
values above 0.5. Considering the complex biotransformation involved in processing grapes to wine, the ability to predict sensory properties based on underlying chemical composition in this way suggests that the approach could be more broadly applicable to the agri-food sector and other transformed foodstuffs to predict a product's sensory characteristics from raw material spectral attributes.
Effects of gap size on dilute Cl2 gas sensing properties have been investigated for the In2O3 thin film microsensors equipped with micro-gap electrode. The micro-gap electrodes with various gap sizes ...(0.1–2μm) were fabricated on SiO2/Si substrate by means of MEMS techniques (photolithography and FIB). Then the In2O3 thin film was deposited on the micro-gap electrode to be micro gas sensor. The resistance of In2O3 microsensor was increased upon exposure to dilute Cl2 gas of ppm-level, while the sensor responded to Cl2 gas less than 0.5ppm with resistance decrease. Interestingly, in both cases the sensitivities were increased with decreasing gap size, although the starting gap size of sensitivity increase were different from each other. The high sensitivity was obtained for In2O3 microsensor with 0.1μm gap. The number of grains was decreased with decreasing gap size, inducing the increasing contribution of interface between electrode and oxide. The sensitivity was increased due to the high sensitivity at interface. The similar effect of number of grains in the micro-gap was examined for the grains with different size packed in the 0.1μm gap electrode. The different grain size was obtained after calcinations at 600–850°C. With decreasing number of grains, the sensitivity to 1ppm Cl2 (resistance increase) was increased, while the sensitivity to 0.5ppm Cl2 (resistance decrease) was decreased. It is assumed that the condition of oxide–electrode interface or In2O3 surface is changed with calcination.
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