This article provides a review about mycotoxins occurrence in cereals and cereal foodstuffs, and analytical methods proposed for their determination from 2008 to the present. Special attention was ...given to recent developments in sample preparation and chromatographic approaches for mycotoxins identification/quantification. Recent information on occurrence and determination of conjugated mycotoxins was also reviewed. For the first time a review is done about mycotoxins occurrence in cereals and derived products published in the last years, together with the recent improvements regarding methods for their quantification. This review gives a good insight about the progress that has been done in the last years and points the path to further research needed.
•Occurrence of mycotoxins in cereals and cereal products.•Analytical features of relevant papers published since 2008.•Critical evaluation of sample-preparation extraction techniques.•Critical evaluation of chromatographic methods.•Advances in analysis of conjugated mycotoxins.
To identify and synthesise the best available evidence on the accuracy of the currently available tools for predicting fracture risk.
We systematically searched PubMed MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane ...databases to 2014. Two reviewers independently selected articles, collected data from studies, and carried out a hand search of the references of the included studies. The Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) checklist was used, and the primary outcome was the area under the curve (AUC) and 95% CIs, obtained from receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. We excluded tools if they had not been externally validated or were designed for specific disease populations. Random effects meta-analyses were performed with the selected tools.
Forty-five studies met inclusion criteria, corresponding to 13 different tools. Only three tools had been tested more than once in a population-based setting: FRAX (26 studies in 9 countries), GARVAN (6 studies in 3 countries) and QFracture (3 studies in the UK, 1 also including Irish participants). Twenty studies with these three tools were included in a total of 17 meta-analyses (for hip or major osteoporotic fractures; men or women; with or without bone mineral density).
Most of the 13 tools are feasible in clinical practice. FRAX has the largest number of externally validated and independent studies. The overall accuracy of the different tools is satisfactory (>0.70), with QFracture reaching 0.89 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.89). Significant methodological limitations were observed in many studies, suggesting caution when comparing tools based solely on the AUC.
The objective of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of antimicrobial edible coatings to wrap cheeses, throughout 60d of storage, as an alternative to commercial nonedible coatings. Coatings ...were prepared using whey protein isolate, glycerol, guar gum, sunflower oil, and Tween 20 as a base matrix, together with several combinations of antimicrobial compounds—natamycin and lactic acid, natamycin and chitooligosaccharides (COS), and natamycin, lactic acid, and COS. Application of coating on cheese decreased water loss (~10%, wt/wt), hardness, and color change; however, salt and fat contents were not significantly affected. Moreover, the antimicrobial edible coatings did not permit growth of pathogenic or contaminant microorganisms, while allowing regular growth of lactic acid bacteria throughout storage. Commercial nonedible coatings inhibited only yeasts and molds. The antimicrobial edible coating containing natamycin and lactic acid was the best in sensory terms. Because these antimicrobial coatings are manufactured from food-grade materials, they can be consumed as an integral part of cheese, which represents a competitive advantage over nonedible coatings.
•Trichothecenes type A and type B in processed cereal-based baby foods.•Optimization and validation of QuEChERS–d-SPE extraction.•Comparison of the efficiency of different cleanup procedures.•Among ...the 12 trichothecenes determined DON was the most common.
A QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method was optimized and validated for the simultaneous extraction of 12 trichothecenes (type A and type B) from baby foods, followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis. Using this methodology, limits of detection and quantification ranging from 0.37 to 19.19μg/kg and 1.24 to 63.33μg/kg, respectively, were achieved. Mean recoveries between 44% and 135% were obtained and repeatability, expressed as relative standard deviation, was always lower than 29%. A comparison between the developed method and two alternative cleanup procedures (MultiSep and IAC – immunoaffinity columns) was performed, being the advantages and drawbacks of each one presented. The screening of nine commercially available cereal-based baby foods revealed the presence of 4 out of 12 studied trichothecenes: DON (deoxynivalenol), 15AcDON (15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol), T2-Tetrol and NEO (Neosolaniol). DON was the most commonly found, being detected in 4 samples in significant levels (29–270μg/kg), sometimes exceeding the maximum permitted level. 15AcDON, T2-Tetrol and NEO were found only in one sample each.
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•In vitro antihypertensive and antioxidant effect of hydrolyzed brewer´s yeast fractions.•A short-term oral antihypertensive effect of hydrolyzed brewer´s yeast fractions.•low ...molecular weight fraction causes decrease in blood pressure of SHR.•Yeast peptide fraction with identified novel yeast peptides SPQW, PWW and RYW.•Valorization of spent brewer´s yeast for management of hypertension.
Numerous studies have investigated dietary approaches to prevent chronic lifestyle-related diseases, including hypertension. Spent brewer’s yeast is the second largest byproduct originated by the brewing industry and it deserves considerable attention because of its high nutritional value, ca. 40% of its dry mass is rich in protein which can be hydrolyzed into biologically active peptides. To upgrade this byproduct, the aim of this study was initially in vitro assessment of biological properties, e.g. ACE inhibition and antioxidant activity, and then, the in vivo effect in short-term oral antihypertensive effect of hydrolyzed yeast fractions on a well characterized model to study hypertension - Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR). Here, it was demonstrated that the fraction with molecular weight below 3 kDa containing tri and tetra- peptides with hydrophobic amino acid residues – SPQW, PWW and RYW, causes the most noticeable decrease in systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure of SHR and shows highest antioxidant effect. These properties highlight the potential use of yeast extract as nutraceutical or functional food ingredient for the management and treatment of hypertension with antioxidant effect.
Titanium dioxide (TiO
2
) absorbs only a small fraction of incoming sunlight in the visible region thus limiting its photocatalytic efficiency and concomitant photocatalytic ability. The large-scale ...application of TiO
2
nanoparticles has been limited due to the need of using an ultraviolet excitation source to achieve high photocatalytic activity. The inclusion of foreign chemical elements in the TiO
2
lattice can tune its band gap resulting in an absorption edge red-shifted to lower energies enhancing the photocatalytic performance in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In this research work, TiO
2
nanoparticles were doped with iron powder in a planetary ball-milling system using stainless steel balls. The correlation between milling rotation speeds with structural and morphologic characteristics, optical and magnetic properties, and photocatalytic abilities of bare and Fe-doped TiO
2
powders was studied and discussed.
Low density sugarcane plantation (LDSP) has been implemented by some sugarcane producers in Brazil, aiming to save seeds and operational costs. The study was carried out in the municipality of Areia, ...Paraíba, Brazil. Five planting densities were used, varying from 5 to 25 m-2 of buds arranged in randomized blocks, with four replications. Data were measured annually over three cultivation cycles (2017 to 2020), during which the field was fertilized with NPK and the harvests were carried out manually without prior burning. The lower planting density presents higher productivity only in the cane plant (101.03 t ha-1) due to the higher plant height (2.37 m) and the higher number of stalks (11 stalks m-2), suggesting that these variables are due to the greater availability of light, water and photosynthate. However, there is a drastic reduction in sugarcane yield for this lower population in the 2nd ratoon by up to 65.62%, which is correlated with number of stalks per meter. We demonstrate the agronomic viability of LDSP in the population of 10 buds m-2 in relation to conventional planting of sugarcane until the 2nd ratoon. Data are important for future studies to present additional considerations for other production factors, such as the effects of mechanized harvesting and the management of nutrients and water, assessing the sustainability of this large-scale planting system.
Recent studies indicate an increased frequency of mutations in the gene encoding glucocerebrosidase (GBA), a deficiency of which causes Gaucher's disease, among patients with Parkinson's disease. We ...aimed to ascertain the frequency of GBA mutations in an ethnically diverse group of patients with Parkinson's disease.
Sixteen centers participated in our international, collaborative study: five from the Americas, six from Europe, two from Israel, and three from Asia. Each center genotyped a standard DNA panel to permit comparison of the genotyping results across centers. Genotypes and phenotypic data from a total of 5691 patients with Parkinson's disease (780 Ashkenazi Jews) and 4898 controls (387 Ashkenazi Jews) were analyzed, with multivariate logistic-regression models and the Mantel-Haenszel procedure used to estimate odds ratios across centers.
All 16 centers could detect two GBA mutations, L444P and N370S. Among Ashkenazi Jewish subjects, either mutation was found in 15% of patients and 3% of controls, and among non-Ashkenazi Jewish subjects, either mutation was found in 3% of patients and less than 1% of controls. GBA was fully sequenced for 1883 non-Ashkenazi Jewish patients, and mutations were identified in 7%, showing that limited mutation screening can miss half the mutant alleles. The odds ratio for any GBA mutation in patients versus controls was 5.43 across centers. As compared with patients who did not carry a GBA mutation, those with a GBA mutation presented earlier with the disease, were more likely to have affected relatives, and were more likely to have atypical clinical manifestations.
Data collected from 16 centers demonstrate that there is a strong association between GBA mutations and Parkinson's disease.
Abstract
Background
Despite remarkable medical advances in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a subset of patients fails to achieve complete clinical remission, as the Patient Global ...Assessment (PGA) of disease activity remains above 1, even after the inflammatory process is brought under control. This so-called state of ‘PGA-near-remission’ negatively impacts individuals’ functioning and potentiates inadequate care. Fatigue is a distressing and disabling symptom frequently reported by patients in PGA-near-remission, and its management remains challenging. While classic cognitive-behavioural interventions show some benefits in managing fatigue, there is potential for improvement. Recently, contextual-cognitive behavioural therapies (CCBT), like mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion-based interventions, have shown promising results in fatigue-associated disorders and their determinants. This study primarily aims to examine the efficacy of the Compassion and Mindfulness Intervention for RA (MITIG.RA), a novel intervention combining different components of CCBT, compared to treatment-as-usual (TAU) in the management of RA-associated fatigue. Secondary aims involve exploring whether MITIG.RA produces changes in the perceived impact of disease, satisfaction with disease status, levels of depression, and emotion-regulation skills.
Methods
This is a single center, two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial. Patients will be screened for eligibility and willingness to participate and will be assessed and randomized to the experimental (MITIG.RA + TAU) or control condition (TAU) using computer randomization. MITIG.RA will be delivered by a certified psychologist and comprises eight sessions of 2 h, followed by two booster sessions. Outcomes will be assessed through validated self-report measures, including fatigue (primary outcome), perceived impact of disease, depressive symptoms, mindfulness, self-compassion, safety, and satisfaction (secondary outcomes). Assessment will take place at baseline, post-intervention, before the first and second booster sessions (weeks 12 and 20, respectively), and at 32 and 44 weeks after the interventions’ beginning.
Discussion
We expect MITIG.RA to be effective in reducing levels of RA-associated fatigue. Secondarily, we hypothesize that the experimental group will show improvements in the overall perceived impact of disease, emotional distress, and emotion regulation skills. Our findings will contribute to determine the benefits of combining CCBT approaches for managing fatigue and associated distress in RA.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05389189. Registered on May 25, 2022.
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