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  • Straarup Avery posted an update 3 months, 2 weeks ago

    Supplemental vital wheat gluten produced a thicker protein network compared to endogenous protein or added wheat protein isolate, making cooked noodles have greater breaking force and distance. Conclusion RS4 could be used as a functional ingredient to replace maximally 40% of hard wheat flour for making Asian noodles while maintaining their hardness after cooking. The extensibility of cooked noodles with high RS4 could be notedly enhanced by supplementation of vital wheat gluten in the composite flour (RS/flour = 40/60). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Objective Neurosarcoidosis affects 5-10 % of patients with sarcoidosis. CD4+/CD8+ ratio in bronchoalveolar lavage is included in diagnostic routine for pulmonary sarcoidosis. Previously it has been suggested that a cerebrospinal fluid CD4+/CD8+ ratio ≥5 can be an aid in diagnosing neurosarcoidosis. Materials and methods This study included 66 cases where neurosarcoidosis was a differential diagnosis and hence subjected to the analysis of CSF CD4+/CD8+ ratio by flow cytometry. Results 11 cases of neurosarcoidosis, had a significantly higher median CSF CD4+/CD8+ ratio than the other group, p=0.024. The median CSF CD4+/CD8+ ratio was 4.2, hence not reaching the suggested level of ≥5 for diagnosing neurosarcoidosis. When combined, the elevated CSF CD4+/CD8+ ratio ≥5 and an elevated CSF lymphocyte count (>3 lymphocytes /uL) gave a positive predictive value of 57 % and a high negative predictive value of 88 %, with a specificity of 95% for neurosarcoidosis CONCLUSION The study confirms that increased CSF CD4+/CD8+ ratio is associated with neurosarcoidosis but cannot alone distinguish the conditions from other neurological diagnoses. However, a ratio below less then 5 combined with an absence of pleocytosis in CSF yields a negative predictive value (NPV) of 88% suggesting a role for the analysis in differential diagnosing neuroinflammatory conditions.Faced with the new challenges in the pandemic control, imported coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections and asymptomatic infection, Chinese authorities have implemented new intervention measures-national large-scale nucleic acid testing. This article summarizes the population who needs the nucleic acid testing, analyzes the current data of COVID-19 testing capacity, concludes the timeline of coronavirus testing and suggests what needs to be done to facilitate the government large-scale screening measures.Background Although polyphenol-rich cranberry extracts reportedly have an antiobesity effect, the exact reason for this remains unclear. Objectives In light of the reported health benefits of the polyphenolic compounds in cranberry, we investigated the effects and mechanism of a cranberry polyphenolic extract (CPE) in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed obese mice. Methods The distributions of individual CPE compounds were characterized by HPLC fingerprinting. Male C57BL/6J mice (4 wk old) were fed for 16 wk normal diet (ND, 10% fat energy) or HFD (60% fat energy) with or without 0.75% CPE in drinking water (HFD + CPE). Body and adipose depot weights, indices of glucose metabolism, energy expenditure (EE), and expression of genes related to brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis, and inguinal/epididymal white adipose tissue (iWAT/eWAT) browning were measured. Results After 16 wk, the body weight was 22.5% lower in the CPE-treated mice than in the HFD group but remained 17.9% higher than in the ND group. CPE treatment significantly increased EE compared with that of the ND and HFD groups. The elevated EE was linked with BAT thermogenesis, and iWAT/eWAT browning, shown by the induction of thermogenic genes, especially uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1), and browning-related genes, including Cd137, a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (Tnfrsf9). The mRNA expression and abundance of uncoupling protein 1 in BAT of CPE-fed mice were 5.78 and 1.47 times higher than in the HFD group, and 0.61 and 1.12 times higher than in the ND group, respectively. Epigenetic inhibitor Cd137 gene expression in iWAT and eWAT of CPE-fed mice were 2.35 and 3.13 times higher than in the HFD group, and 0.84 and 1.39 times higher than in the ND group, respectively. Conclusions Dietary CPE reduced but did not normalize HFD-induced body weight gain in male C57BL/6J mice, possibly by affecting energy metabolism.Background Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] is a promising tool to evaluate therapeutic efficacy in ileocolonic Crohn’s disease [CD]. Aims We aimed to assess the feasibility of early MRI evaluation (week 12 [W12]) to predict corticosteroid-free remission [CFREM] at W52 and prevent long-term bowel damage. Methods All patients with active CD needing anti-tumour necrosis factor [anti-TNF] therapy were consecutively enrolled in this multicentre prospective study. MRI was performed before starting therapy, at W12 and W52. CFREM was defined as Crohn’s Disease Activity Index -30% was associated with a likelihood of CFREM at W52 of 84.6% vs 37.5% in patients without transmural response [p less then 0.001]. Early transmural response could prevent bowel damage progression over time using Clermont score (hazard ratio = 0.21 [0.0-0.9]; p = 0.037). Conclusion Evaluation of early transmural response by MRI is feasible and is a promising end point to monitor therapeutic efficacy in patients with CD.By now, the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is widely recognized around the world as a pandemic that has infected millions and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands (1). Despite months of mitigation strategies, COVID-19 continues to spread and ascertainment of new knowledge about the disease process continues to be a priority of the medical community. Originally described by characteristic symptoms of fever, cough and/or shortness of breath that can rapidly progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome, it has become clear that COVID-19 has manifold clinical presentations (2-4). Notably, olfactory dysfunction (OD)-decreased sense of smell-has been reported to occur in up to 85.6% of COVID-19 patients (2,5).Hemangiomas are tumours originating from the vascular endothelium and can be found throughout the body. These are relatively common in the head and neck regions but very rarely seen in sinonasal region. In the nose and sinuses tumours typically are seen on the septum or lateral nasal wall (1-4). These tumours can be quite vascular and bleed during attempted resection. Incomplete resection does result in residual disease or recurrence so the best approach to achieve complete resection is important.

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