Blindness incidence in Germany - A population-based study from Württemberg-Hohenzollern

Few data on the incidence of blindness in Germany are available. We analysed causes of legal blindness for the region Württemberg-Hohenzollern (population 5.5 million) in order to help fill in this gap. Material and Methods: Population-based investigation on the incidence of legal blindness (visual acuity <1/50) based on materials from the social servies. Age-dependent blindness incidences were modelled via logistic regression models. Results: 647 blind persons were newly registered in 1994 (blindness incidence 11.6/100,000). The blindness incidence is moderate in infants (4.5/100,000) and decreases further during childhood. At the age of 20 years, the incidence again rises to the former level and remains relatively constant. After the age of 60 years, the incidence increases sharply: 5-year odds ratios are 1.76 (CI: 1.68-1.85) in women and 1.72 (CI: 1.60-1.84) in men. The blindness incidence is higher in women, 15.6/100,000, compared to 12.2/100,000 in men. The major causes of blindness are: macular degeneration, 3.92/100,000; diabetic retinopathy, 2.01/100,000; glaucoma, 1.6/100,000; high myopia, 0.77/100,000; optic atrophy, 0.68/100,000; central nervous system-triggered blindness; 0.56/100,000, and tapetoretinal degenerations, 0.52/100,000. Discussion: Due to monetary incentives for the blind persons, social service files offer accurate and complete data. Besides macular degeneration, glaucoma and dia betic retinopathy are major causes of blindness. Thus, this study suggests further blindness prevention activities for diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma

Nanostructures as conveyors of functionality in foods: the case of cannabidiol-based nanostructured lipid carriers

Nanostructures incorporating functional compounds have earned their place as a very efficient means of conveying functionality in foods. They may be used to tackle malnutrition, reduce calorie density, reduce food digestibility, increase micronutrient bioavailability, control gut health, allow personalized nutrition and provide appropriate food for the elderly, among other potential uses. Building such nanostructures, particularly when considering that they need to be edible, is a challenging task. This keynote will address the latest developments made by our research group towards tackling some of these challenges, together with our vision on what still needs to be done and which partnerships are important to lead us to further improve their performance. The incorporation of cannabidiol (CBD) into nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) will be given as an example of a potential solution to mitigate its low bioavailability, which represents a big challenge for the development of CBD-products. Some details regarding their development (e.g., using innovative emulsifiers) will be provided and the consequences in the stability of CBD will be analysed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Recovery and encapsulation of Dunaliella salina -carotene through a novel sustainable approach: Sequential application of an ionic liquid as naturally-derived solvent and emulsifier

Dunaliella salina is a promising source of -carotene, widely employed in the food industry. This study aimed to evaluate the sequential application of the Ionic Liquid (IL) cholinium oleate as an extraction solvent for D. salina -carotene recovery and, sequentially, as emulsifier for emulsion-based products obtained therefrom. The IL was evaluated regarding its ability to permeabilize the cells and recover -carotene at different temperatures (2565 °C) and IL concentrations (046%). The use of the IL as solvent greatly improved -carotene recovery (>84%). The IL already present in the obtained extracts loaded with recovered -carotene was sequentially used as emulsifier in the production of nanoemulsions (NE). NE presented a -carotene entrapment efficiency of 100% and were kinetically stable for 30 days and presented droplet size, size distribution, and -potential of 220 nm, 0.21, and -67 mV, respectively. These results indicate that using IL sequential as solvent and emulsifier has potential applications in the food industry. © 2024 The Authorsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Development and characterization of nanostructured lipid carriers for cannabidiol delivery

Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.138295.This study evaluated the physicochemical characteristics of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) as a potential vehicle for cannabidiol (CBD), a lipophilic molecule with great potential to promote health benefits. NLCs were produced using hemp seed oil and fully-hydrogenated soybean oil at different proportions. The emulsifiers evaluated were soybean lecithin (SL), Tween 80 (T80) and a mixture of SL:T80 (50:50). CBD was tested in the form of CBD-rich extract or isolate CBD, to verify if it affects the NLCs characteristics. Based on particle size and polydispersity, SL was considered the most suitable emulsifier to produce the NLCs. All lipid proportions evaluated had no remarkable effect on the physicochemical characteristics of NLCs, resulting in CBD-loaded NLCs with particle size below 250 nm, high CBD entrapment efficiency and CBD retention rate of 100% for 30 days, demonstrating that NLCs are a suitable vehicle for both CBD-rich extract or isolate CBD.This study received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie SkłodowskaCurie grant agreement No 101062938 and was supported by Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit, and by LABBELS – Associate Laboratory in Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Microelectromechanical Systems, LA/P/0029/2020. Fernanda L. Lüdtke thanks Iceland Liechtenstein Norway Grants (PT-INNOVATION-0105) for the fellowship

Chitosan coating functionalized with flaxseed oil and green tea extract as a bio-based solution for beef preservation

Ecological and safe packaging solutions arise as pivotal points in the development of an integrated system for sustainable meat production. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a combined chitosan (Ch) + green tea extract (GTE) + essential oil (thyme oil, TO; flaxseed oil, FO; or oregano oil, OO) coating on the safety and quality of vacuum-packaged beef during storage at 4 °C. An optimized bio-based coating formulation was selected (2% Ch + 2% GTE + 0.1% FO) to be applied to three fresh beef cuts (shoulder, Sh; knuckle, Kn; Striploin, St) based on its pH (5.8 ± 0.1), contact angle (22.3 ± 0.4°) and rheological parameters (viscosity=0.05 Pa.s at shear rate > 20 s−1). Shelf-life analysis showed that the Ch–GTE–FO coating delayed lipid oxidation and reduced total viable counts (TVC) and Enterobacteriaceae growth compared with uncoated beef samples over five days. In addition, Ch–GTE–FO coating decreased total color changes of beef samples (e.g., ∆E*=9.84 and 3.94, for non-coated and coated Kn samples, respectively) for up to five days. The original textural parameters (hardness, adhesiveness and springiness) of beef cuts were maintained during storage when Ch–GTE–FO coating was applied. Based on the physicochemical and microbial characterization results, the combination of the Ch–GTE–FO coating developed was effective in preserving the quality of fresh beef cuts during refrigerated storage along with vacuum packaging.This research was funded by ETHICAL MEAT—Integrated System for Sustainable Meat Production project (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-072254), co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through Compete 2020–Competitiveness and Internationalisation Operational Programme (POCI). This work was also financially supported by FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit, and by LABBELS—Associate Laboratory in Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Microelectromechanical Systems, LA/P/0029/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Enhancing cannabidiol bioaccessibility using ionic liquid as emulsifier to produce nanosystems: Characterization of structures, cytotoxicity assessment, and in vitro digestion

The emulsifying potential of a biocompatible ionic liquid (IL) to produce lipid-based nanosystems developed to enhance the bioaccessibility of cannabidiol (CBD) was investigated. The IL (cholinium oleate) was evaluated at concentrations of 1 % and 2 % to produce nanoemulsions (NE-IL) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC-IL) loaded with CBD. The IL concentration of 1 % demonstrated to be sufficient to produce both NE-IL and NLC-IL with excellent stability properties, entrapment efficiency superior to 99 %, and CBD retention rate of 100 % during the storage period evaluated (i.e. 28 days at 25 °C). The in vitro digestion evaluation demonstrated that the NLC-IL provided a higher stability to the CBD, while the NE-IL improved the CBD bioaccessibility, which was mainly related to the composition of the lipid matrices used to obtain each nanosystem. Finally, it was observed that the CBD cytotoxicity was reduced when the compound was entrapped into both nanosystems.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Performance of β-carotene-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers under dynamic in vitro digestion system: influence of the emulsifier type

A better understanding of how emulsifier type could differently influence the behavior of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) under the gastrointestinal digestion process, as well as at the cellular level, is of utmost importance for the NLC-based formulations optimization and risk assessment in the food field. In this study, NLC composed by fully hydrogenated soybean and high-oleic sunflower oils were prepared using soy lecithin (NLC L) or Tween 80 (NLC T) as an emulsifier. -Carotene was entrapped within NLC developed as a promising strategy to overcome -carotene's low bioavailability and stability. The effect of emulsifier type on the digestibility of -carotene-loaded NLC was evaluated using an in vitro dynamic digestion model mimicking peristalsis motion. The influence of -carotene-loaded NLC on cell viability was assessed using Caco-2 cells in vitro. NLC T remained stable in the gastric compartment, presenting particle size (PS) similar to the initial NLC (PS: 245.68 and 218.18 nm, respectively), while NLC L showed lower stability (PS > 1000 nm) in stomach and duodenum phases. NLC T also provided high -carotene protection and delivery capacity (i.e., -carotene bioaccessibility increased 10-fold). Based on the results of digestion studies, NLC T has shown better physical stability during the passage through the in vitro dynamic gastrointestinal system than NLC L. Moreover, the developed NLC did not compromise cell viability up to 25 µg/mL of -carotene. Thus, the NLC developed proved to be a biocompatible structure and able to incorporate and protect -carotene for further food applications.F.L.L. and P.B. acknowledge the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) for the financial support (grants #2018/03172-0, #2019/05176-6, #2019/27354-3, and #2021/02271-8). F.L.L. also thanks Iceland Liechten-stein Norway Grants (PT-INNOVATION-0105) for the fellowship. J.-M.F. and R.G. acknowledge the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for their fellowships (SFRH/BD/147286/2019 and SFRH/BD/140182/2018, respectively). J.T.M. acknowledges FCT for her Assistant Research contract obtained under the scope of Scientific Stimulus Employment with reference 2022.00788.CEECIND/CP1718/CT0024 (https://doi.org/10. 54499/2022.00788.CEECIND/CP1718/CT0024). This study was supported by FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit and by LABBELS – Associate Laboratory in Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Microelectromechnaical Systems, LA/P/0029/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Information-theoretic sensitivity analysis: a general method for credit assignment in complex networks

Most systems can be represented as networks that couple a series of nodes to each other via one or more edges, with typically unknown equations governing their quantitative behaviour. A major question then pertains to the importance of each of the elements that act as system inputs in determining the output(s). We show that any such system can be treated as a ‘communication channel’ for which the associations between inputs and outputs can be quantified via a decomposition of their mutual information into different components characterizing the main effect of individual inputs and their interactions. Unlike variance-based approaches, our novel methodology can easily accommodate correlated inputs

The benefit of a mechanical needle stimulation pad in patients with chronic neck and lower back pain: Two randomized controlled pilot studies

Objectives. The objective was to investigate whether a treatment with a needle stimulation pad (NSP) changes perceived pain and/or sensory thresholds in patients with chronic neck (NP) and lower back pain (BP). Methods. 40 patients with chronic NP and 42 patients with chronic BP were equally randomized to either treatment or waiting list control group. The treatment group self-administered a NSP over a period of 14 days. Pain ratings were recorded on numerical rating scales (NRSs). Mechanical detection thresholds (MDTs) and pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were determined at the site of maximal pain and in the adjacent region, vibration detection thresholds (VDT) were measured at close spinal processes. The Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were utilized for the NP and BP study, respectively. Results. NRS ratings were significantly reduced for the treatment groups compared to the control groups (NP: P =. 021 and BP: P . 001), accompanied by a significant increase of PPT at pain maximum (NP: P =. 032 and BP: P =. 013). There was no effect on VDT and MDT. The NPQ showed also a significant improvement, but not the ODI. Conclusions. The mechanical NSP seems to be an effective treatment method for chronic NP and BP. © 2012 Claudia Hohmann et al

Regression toward the mean – a detection method for unknown population mean based on Mee and Chua's algorithm

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Regression to the mean (RTM) occurs in situations of repeated measurements when extreme values are followed by measurements in the same subjects that are closer to the mean of the basic population. In uncontrolled studies such changes are likely to be interpreted as a real treatment effect.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Several statistical approaches have been developed to analyse such situations, including the algorithm of Mee and Chua which assumes a known population mean <it>μ</it>. We extend this approach to a situation where <it>μ </it>is unknown and suggest to vary it systematically over a range of reasonable values. Using differential calculus we provide formulas to estimate the range of <it>μ </it>where treatment effects are likely to occur when RTM is present.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We successfully applied our method to three real world examples denoting situations when (a) no treatment effect can be confirmed regardless which <it>μ </it>is true, (b) when a treatment effect must be assumed independent from the true <it>μ </it>and (c) in the appraisal of results of uncontrolled studies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our method can be used to separate the wheat from the chaff in situations, when one has to interpret the results of uncontrolled studies. In meta-analysis, health-technology reports or systematic reviews this approach may be helpful to clarify the evidence given from uncontrolled observational studies.</p