Sourdough fermentation of whole and sprouted lentil flours: In situ formation of dextran and effects on the nutritional, texture and sensory characteristics of white bread

Exopolysaccharides produced in situ by lactic acid bacteria during sourdough fermentation are recognized as bread texture improvers. In this study, the suitability of whole and sprouted lentil flours, added with 25% on flour weight sucrose for dextran formation by selected strains during sourdough fermentation, was evaluated. The dextran synthesized in situ by Weissella confusa SLA4 was 9.2 and 9.7% w/w flour weight in lentil and sprouted lentil sourdoughs, respectively. Wheat bread supplemented with 30% w/w sourdough showed increased specific volume and decreased crumb hardness and staling rate, compared to the control wheat bread. Incorporation of sourdoughs improved the nutritional value of wheat bread, leading to increased total and soluble fibers content, and the aroma profile. The integrated biotechnological approach, based on sourdough fermentation and germination, is a potential clean-label strategy to obtain high-fibers content foods with tailored texture, and it can further enhance the use of legumes in novel foods.Peer reviewe

Bioprocessing of Barley and Lentil Grains to Obtain In Situ Synthesis of Exopolysaccharides and Composite Wheat Bread with Improved Texture and Health Properties

A comprehensive study into the potential of bioprocessing techniques (sprouting and sourdough fermentation) for improving the technological and nutritional properties of wheat breads produced using barley and lentil grains was undertaken. Dextran biosynthesis in situ during fermentation of native or sprouted barley flour (B or SB) alone or by mixing SB flour with native or sprouted lentil flour (SB-L or SB-SL) by Weissella paramesenteroides SLA5, Weissella confusa SLA4, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides DSM 20193 or Weissella confusa DSM 20194 was assessed. The acidification and the viscosity increase during 24 h of fermentation with and without 16% sucrose (on flour weight), to promote the dextran synthesis, were followed. After the selection of the fermentation parameters, the bioprocessing was carried out by using Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides DSM 20193 (the best LAB dextran producer, up to 2.7% of flour weight) and a mixture of SB-SL (30:70% w/w) grains, enabling also the decrease in the raffinose family oligosaccharides. Then, the SB-SL sourdoughs containing dextran or control were mixed with the wheat flour (30% of the final dough) and leavened with baker’s yeast before baking. The use of dextran-containing sourdough allowed the production of bread with structural improvements, compared to the control sourdough bread. Compared to a baker’s yeast bread, it also markedly reduced the predicted glycemic index, increased the soluble (1.26% of dry matter) and total fibers (3.76% of dry matter) content, giving peculiar and appreciable sensory attributes

Bioprocessing of Barley and Lentil Grains to Obtain In Situ Synthesis of Exopolysaccharides and Composite Wheat Bread with Improved Texture and Health Properties

A comprehensive study into the potential of bioprocessing techniques (sprouting and sourdough fermentation) for improving the technological and nutritional properties of wheat breads produced using barley and lentil grains was undertaken. Dextran biosynthesis in situ during fermentation of native or sprouted barley flour (B or SB) alone or by mixing SB flour with native or sprouted lentil flour (SB-L or SB-SL) by Weissella paramesenteroides SLA5, Weissella confusa SLA4, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides DSM 20193 or Weissella confusa DSM 20194 was assessed. The acidification and the viscosity increase during 24 h of fermentation with and without 16% sucrose (on flour weight), to promote the dextran synthesis, were followed. After the selection of the fermentation parameters, the bioprocessing was carried out by using Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides DSM 20193 (the best LAB dextran producer, up to 2.7% of flour weight) and a mixture of SB-SL (30:70% w/w) grains, enabling also the decrease in the raffinose family oligosaccharides. Then, the SB-SL sourdoughs containing dextran or control were mixed with the wheat flour (30% of the final dough) and leavened with baker’s yeast before baking. The use of dextran-containing sourdough allowed the production of bread with structural improvements, compared to the control sourdough bread. Compared to a baker’s yeast bread, it also markedly reduced the predicted glycemic index, increased the soluble (1.26% of dry matter) and total fibers (3.76% of dry matter) content, giving peculiar and appreciable sensory attributes

A 10-year follow-up of yearly indoor radon measurements in homes, review of other studies and implications on lung cancer risk estimates

Uncertainty on long-term average radon concentration has a large impact on lung cancer risk assessment in epidemiological studies. The uncertainty can be estimated by year-to-year radon concentration variability, however few data are available. In Italy a study has been planned and conducted to evaluate year-to-year radon variability over several years in normally inhabited dwellings, mainly located in Rome. This is the longest study of this kind in Europe; repeat radon measurements are carried out for 10 years using LR-115 radon detectors in the same home in consecutive years. The study includes 84 dwellings with long-term average radon concentration ranging from 28 to 636 Bq/m3. The result shows that year-to-year variability of repeated measurements made in the same home in different years is low, with an overall coefficient of variation of 17%. This is smaller than most of those observed in studies from other European countries and USA, ranging from 15% to 62%. Influencing factors that may explain the differences between this study and other studies have been discussed. Due to the low yearly variability estimated in the present 10-year study, a negligible impact on lung cancer risk estimate for the Italian epidemiologica

Radiological Protection in Industries Involving NORM: A (Graded) Methodological Approach to Characterize the Exposure Situations

The interest in radiation protection in industrial sectors involving Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) is increasingly growing. This is due also to the recent implementation of the European Council Directive 59/2013/Euratom which in Italy and in the other European Union Member States extends the field of application to industrial sectors never involved before. This paper reports main results of a research project on radiation protection in industries involving NORM carried out in Italy aimed to provide useful tools for stakeholders to comply new legal obligations. The project activities were mainly focused on different aspects relevant to the NORM involving industries, accounting for the positive list reported in the Italian law. Firstly, the inventory of the industries currently operating in Italy in order to identify the industrial sectors with an important radiological impact on population and workers was updated. Based on this information, a general methodology was elaborated taking into account a graded approach. The first phase consists in the identification and characterization of the most critical exposure scenarios and of the radiological content of NORMs involved in the different phases of the industrial processes. In the second phase calculation methods were developed for dose estimation for workers and members of public. These tools require the use of existing and well tested calculation codes, and the development of a dedicated user-friendly software

A large and feasible national survey representative of population exposure to outdoor gamma radiation in urban areas

BackgroundAlthough data on outdoor gamma radiation are available for many countries, they have generally been obtained with measurements performed in undisturbed environments instead of in urban areas where most of the population lives. Only one large national survey, with on-site measurements in urban areas, has been identified worldwide, probably due to high costs (e.g., personnel and instrumentation) and difficulties in selecting measuring points.MethodsA campaign of outdoor gamma radiation measurements has been carried out in the entire Italian territory. All measurement points were selected at the infrastructures of an Italian telecommunications company as representatives of all the possible situations of outdoor exposure to gamma radiation for population in urban areas. Ten replicates of portable gamma (X) detectors carried out all the measurements.ResultsApproximately 4,000 measurements have been performed. They are distributed across 2,901 Italian municipalities, accounting for 75% of the Italian population. The national population-weighted mean of the gamma ambient dose equivalent rate (ADER) is 117 nSv h−1, and it ranges from 62 to 208 nSv h−1 and from 40 to 227 nSv h−1 for 21 regions and 107 provinces, respectively. The average variability at the municipal level, in terms of the coefficient of variation (CV) is 21%, ranging from 3 to 84%. The impact of land coverage and the distance from a building on the outdoor gamma radiation level was assessed with complementary measurements, leading to differences ranging from −40 to 50% and to 50%, respectively.ConclusionA representative campaign of outdoor gamma dose rate measurements has been performed in Italy, only in urban areas, to assess the exposure effect due to outdoor gamma radiation on the population. It is the largest national campaign in urban areas worldwide, with a total of 3,876 on-site measurements. The land coverage and the distance from surrounding buildings were recognized to strongly affect outdoor gamma radiation levels, leading to high variability within small areas. The collaboration with a company that owns a network of facilities on a national territory as dense as the residing population made this survey feasible and affordable. Other countries might adopt this methodology to conduct national surveys in urban environments

Underground radiobiology: a perspective at Gran Sasso National Laboratory

Scientific community and institutions (e. g., ICRP) consider that the Linear No-Threshold (LNT) model, which extrapolates stochastic risk at low dose/low dose rate from the risk at moderate/high doses, provides a prudent basis for practical purposes of radiological protection. However, biological low dose/dose rate responses that challenge the LNT model have been highlighted and important dowels came from radiobiology studies conducted in Deep Underground Laboratories (DULs). These extreme ultra-low radiation environments are ideal locations to conduct below-background radiobiology experiments, interesting from basic and applied science. The INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) (Italy) is the site where most of the underground radiobiological data has been collected so far and where the first in vivo underground experiment was carried out using Drosophila melanogaster as model organism. Presently, many DULs around the world have implemented dedicated programs, meetings and proposals. The general message coming from studies conducted in DULs using protozoan, bacteria, mammalian cells and organisms (flies, worms, fishes) is that environmental radiation may trigger biological mechanisms that can increase the capability to cope against stress. However, several issues are still open, among them: the role of the quality of the radiation spectrum in modulating the biological response, the dependence on the biological endpoint and on the model system considered, the overall effect at organism level (detrimental or beneficial). At LNGS, we recently launched the RENOIR experiment aimed at improving knowledge on the environmental radiation spectrum and to investigate the specific role of the gamma component on the biological response of Drosophila melanogaster

Brain tumours in the time of COVID-19: An online survey on patients’ disease experience in one Italian region

BackgroundSince the outbreak, in 2019, of COVID-19, the world has experienced marked changes in daily habits, partly reflecting the exceptional social restrictions and health measures adopted to contain the disease. All these measures significantly affected not only peoples’s daily lives and psychological well-being but also the possibility for the healthcare system to function properly. In this setting, brain tumour patients were at risk due to their higher physical and mental fragility and their need for regular care. The aim of the present study was to assess, using a self-reported online questionnaire, the patients’s perceptions regarding their disease experience.Materials and methodsWe developed an online anonymous self-report survey to assess patients’s disease experience during the pandemic. We investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients’s cancer care schedules, their psychological distress and emotions felt during the pandemic, their levels of worry about COVID-19, and their oncological conditions.Results107 patients answered our survey, most of them suffering from a glioma. Less than one-third of the sample had their appointments cancelled, delayed or converted into online visits due to the pandemic. Of the patients who answered the survey, 95% declared they were satisfied with their Institute’s oncological management. The feelings reported most often were peacefulness or anxiety/worry; the majority of the sample reported high levels of loneliness, which tended to increase with age, whilst the psychological distress was correlated with age and with having a recurrence of the disease. Half of the sample declared severe worry about their oncological condition, in particular subjects with a recurrence or who were receiving adjuvant therapies. Patients with recurrence tended to worry more about the possibility of contracting COVID-19, and its effects.ConclusionOur findings illustrate how fragile and in need of care patients with a brain tumour may be, especially those with more severe clinical conditions. These data may help boost healthcare professionals’s knowledge about brain tumour patients’s needs and fears, so as to be able to offer them a better hospital experience and improve their clinical management, while possibly also reducing the psychological burden on patients and their families

Disciplinary problems among high achiever students: the types and the causes

This qualitative study has been done to 24 teachers and 72 students from various secondary schools in Penang, Malaysia, in order to investigate the effect of between class ability grouping (BCAG) on high achiever secondary school students. Studies reported that BCAG triggered correspondence bias among teachers, which eventually affect them to show different perception and expectations towards high achiever classes (HAC) and low achiever classes (LAC) students. Symbolic interaction theories explained that individuals tend to be affected by others’ expectation, and therefore behave in a way they were expected to. Therefore, according to the previous studies on BCAG, it was assumed that HAC students would achieve better and would not be significantly involved in disciplinary problems. After semi-structured interview had been conducted in order to collect the data, and two-cycled analyses method, namely In-Vivo and Thematic Analyses had been operated in order to analyze the massive amount of qualitative data, the it was discovered that HAC students were involved with disciplinary problems, such as being disrespectful to teachers, paying less attention in the classroom, neglecting assignments and doing external work during classes. Other findings of this study showed that the disciplinary problems among HAC are related to their self-esteem types due to locus of control difference, as well as bigger issues apart from the competition among themselves. School management system, BCAG itself, reciprocal envy between HAC and LAC students, as well as their inclination towards tuition centers contributed to disciplinary problems among HAC students

Pathological and clinical features of multiple cancers and lung adenocarcinoma: a multicentre study

OBJECTIVES: Lung cancer is increasingly diagnosed as a second cancer. Our goal was to analyse the characteristics and outcomes of early-stage resected lung adenocarcinomas in patients with previous cancers (PC) and correlations with adenocarcinoma subtypes.METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed data of patients radically operated on for stage I-II lung adenocarcinoma in 9 thoracic surgery departments between 2014 and 2017. Overall survival (OS) and time to disease relapse were evaluated between subgroups.RESULTS: We included 700 consecutive patients. PC were present in 260 (37.1%). Breast adenocarcinoma, lung cancer and prostate cancer were the most frequent (21.5%, 11.5% and 11.2%, respectively). No significant differences in OS were observed between the PC and non-PC groups (P = 0.378), with 31 and 75 deaths, respectively. Patients with PC had smaller tumours and were more likely to receive sublobar resection and to be operated on with a minimally invasive approach. Previous gastric cancer (P = 0.042) and synchronous PC (when diagnosed up to 6 months before lung adenocarcinoma; P = 0.044) were related, with a worse OS. Colon and breast adenocarcinomas and melanomas were significantly related to a lower incidence of high grade (solid or micropapillary, P = 0.0039, P = 0.005 and P = 0.028 respectively), whereas patients affected by a previous lymphoma had a higher incidence of a micropapillary pattern (P = 0.008).CONCLUSIONS: In patients with PC, we found smaller tumours more frequently treated with minimally invasive techniques and sublobar resection, probably due to a more careful follow-up. The impact on survival is not uniform and predictable; however, breast and colon cancers and melanoma showed a lower incidence of solid or micropapillary patterns whereas patients with lymphomas had a higher incidence of a micropapillary pattern