Why do millets have slower starch and protein digestibility than other cereals?

Background Millet and millet based products are known to have lower starch and protein digestibility rates when compared to other cereals. Understanding, why millets are slowly digestible and how they are affected by processing is important in maintaining their lower starch and protein digestibilities when processed. Scope and approach This review explores the factors that contribute to the lower starch and protein digestibilities of millets and their underlying mechanisms. The effects of different processing methods on millet starch and protein digestibility rates are also discussed. Key findings and conclusions Factors such as starch structural characteristics, starch-protein-lipid interactions, fiber and polyphenols present in millets play significant roles in their hypoglycemic property. The amount and type of fatty acids present in millets significantly affect their starch hydrolysis rates. Unsaturated fatty acids are more effective in reducing starch hydrolysis rates than their saturated counterparts. In-vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) of millets appears to be mostly affected by polyphenols and processing. Simple processing steps such as decortication, germination and fermentation which are mostly applied to millets significantly affect both starch digestibility and IVPD of millets. The adoption of processes that maintain low starch hydrolysis rates and increases protein digestibility in millets should be encouraged

Cooking quality, digestibility, and sensory properties of proso millet pasta as impacted by amylose content and prolamin profile

As part of ongoing e\ufb00orts to promote millet as a double crop for the American Midwest, four Minnesota-grownproso millet varieties were selected for fresh gluten-free pasta production and compared to commerciallyavailable fresh gluten-free and wheat pasta. Raw and cooked pasta were analyzed for starch and protein content,color, and carotenoids. Cooked pasta was assessed for cooking quality, in-vitro starch and protein digestibility,and sensory quality. Millet pasta contained less rapidly digestible starch than commercial gluten-free pasta;however, millet and commercial gluten-free pasta had lower protein digestibility than wheat pasta. Sensorypanelists detected more graininess and starchiness in millet samples than in commercial pasta. Millet varietiesdi\ufb00ered in amylose content and prolamin pro\ufb01le, and both factors in\ufb02uenced pasta properties. Pasta with moreamylose and high-molecular weight prolamins had lower cooking loss and lower stickiness scores. Higheramylose contents also corresponded to higher \ufb01rmness and chewiness among millet pasta samples. The milletsample with the lowest amylose and prolamin content yielded pasta of the lowest quality. Results indicated thatselect proso millet varieties may be suitable for fresh pasta, yet quality improvement is warranted by recipe orprocessing optimizations

Differentiation in key learning areas for gifted students in regular classes: A project for primary school teachers in Hong Kong

Gifted students usually require much less time spent in practising and revising basic skills; instead, they benefit greatly from opportunities to work through the curriculum at a faster pace (acceleration). Teachers currently working with mixed-ability classes do not always find it easy to differentiate their teaching approach in this way, so there is a need to facilitate in-service professional development to provide teachers with practical strategies for implementing effective differentiation for gifted learners. In response, a project for primary school teachers was organized by a university in Hong Kong. The purposes of the project were (a) to enhance the confidence of teachers in planning and delivering differentiated lessons in specific key learning areas (KLAs) with particular reference to gifted students; (b) to empower teachers with knowledge and strategies necessary for designing and implementing a differentiated curriculum in KLA domains and (c) to establish a professional development practice that connects local academics with schools and teachers. The project was implemented by inviting curriculum leaders, panel chairpersons and subject teachers from primary schools to attend a 3-hour lecture and a 6-hour workshop in which differentiation practices were explored. The project was later evaluated based on feedback from participants and university consultants. Overall, the feedback was positive, but suggestions are provided here for enhancing future projects of a similar nature.postprin

Evidence for inhibition of bacterial luminescence by allelochemicals from Fibrocapsa japonica (Raphidophyceae), and the role of light and microalgal growth rate

The marine microalga Fibrocapsa japonica Toriumi and Takano (Raphidophyceae) produces haemolysins, neurotoxins and reactive oxygen species (ROS). To quantify potential effects of such bioactive compounds on surrounding organisms the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri was exposed to F. japonica culture samples. Inhibition of V. fischeri 's natural luminescence, indicative of impaired metabolism, was related to the number of F. japonica cells added. The effect was fast, within 15 min. It was caused by one, possibly several, excreted substances that were less active after heating. Freezing of culture supernatant partly inactivated these substances, but ROS-scavenging enzymes had no effect. Light enhanced the V. fischeri luminescence inhibition in two ways. The direct effect of light on the action of F. japonica luminescence inhibiter(s) could be described by a saturation curve with maximum effect above 20 mu mol photons m(-2) s(-1). Light also had an indirect effect: biomass production, dependent on light availability, was closely related to the amount of inhibiting compound(s) produced by the alga. Algal growth rate, rather than its cell density, determined the bacterial luminescence inhibition per F. japonica cell, resulting in a 5-fold stronger inhibition at maximum growth rates compared to cells that barely grew during the stationary growth phase. The bioassay with F. japonica and V. fischeri has allowed quantification of the negative effects on bacteria in the microalgal microenvironment. The results presented here suggest that at favourable growth conditions F. japonica releases bioactive compounds that improve its competitive abilities

Effects of organic plant oils and role of oxidation on nutrient utilization in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The study compared the effect of four either fresh or force oxidized organic plant oils in diets for juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in which 47% of conventional LT fish meal protein was substituted by a mixture of 3 organic plant protein concentrates. Fish oil was completely substituted with either organic linseed oil; rape seed oil; sunflower oil or grape seed oil and evaluated based on feed intake, feed utilization, growth and digestibility. None of the plant oils affected feed intake and growth parameters. Organic plant oils had all a positive effect on lipid digestibility as compared with the fish oil based control diet, despite the very different FA profiles. The organic vegetable oils did not undergo autoxidation, as opposed to the fish oil control for which lipid digestibility was significantly negative influenced

Genetic drug target validation using Mendelian randomisation

Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis is an important tool to elucidate the causal relevance of environmental and biological risk factors for disease. However, causal inference is undermined if genetic variants used to instrument a risk factor also influence alternative disease-pathways (horizontal pleiotropy). Here we report how the 'no horizontal pleiotropy assumption' is strengthened when proteins are the risk factors of interest. Proteins are typically the proximal effectors of biological processes encoded in the genome. Moreover, proteins are the targets of most medicines, so MR studies of drug targets are becoming a fundamental tool in drug development. To enable such studies, we introduce a mathematical framework that contrasts MR analysis of proteins with that of risk factors located more distally in the causal chain from gene to disease. We illustrate key model decisions and introduce an analytical framework for maximising power and evaluating the robustness of analyses

A population-based study of 92 clinically recognised risk factors for heart failure: co-occurrence, prognosis and preventive potential

BACKGROUND: Primary prevention strategies for heart failure(HF) have had limited success, possibly due to a wide range of underlying risk factors(RFs). Systematic evaluations of the prognostic burden and preventive potential across this wide range of risk factors are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To estimate evidence, prevalence and co-occurrence for primary prevention and impact on prognosis of RFs for incident HF. METHODS: We systematically reviewed trials and observational evidence of primary HF prevention across 92 putative aetiologic RFs for HF identified from US and European clinical practice guidelines. We identified 170 885 individuals aged ≥30 years with incident HF from 1997-2017, using linked primary and secondary care UK electronic health records(EHR) and rule-based phenotypes(ICD-10, Read Version 2, OPCS-4 procedure and medication codes) for each of 92 RFs. RESULTS: Only 10/92 factors had high quality observational evidence for association with incident HF; 7 had effective RCT-based interventions for HF prevention(RCT-HF), and 6 for CVD prevention, but not HF(RCT-CVD), and the remainder had no RCT-based preventive interventions(RCT-0). We were able to map 91/92 risk factors to EHR using 5961 terms, and 88/91 factors were represented by at least one patient. In the 5 years prior to HF diagnosis, 44.3% had ≥4 RFs. By RCT evidence, the most common RCT-HF RFs were hypertension(48.5%), stable angina(34.9%), unstable angina(16.8%), myocardial infarction(15.8%), and diabetes(15.1%); RCT-CVD RFs were smoking(46.4%) and obesity(29.9%); and RCT-0 RFs were atrial arrhythmias(17.2%), cancer(16.5%),), heavy alcohol intake(14.9%). Mortality at 1 year varied across all 91 factors(lowest: pregnancy-related hormonal disorder 4.2%; highest: phaeochromocytoma 73.7%). Among new HF cases, 28.5% had no RCT-HF RFs and 38.6% had no RCT-CVD RFs. 15.6% had either no RF or only RCT-0 RFs. CONCLUSION: 1 in 6 individuals with HF have no recorded RFs or RFs without trials. We provide a systematic map of primary preventive opportunities across a wide range of RFs for HF, demonstrating a high burden of co-occurrence and the need for trials tackling multiple RFs

Generalisability of Randomised Controlled Trials in Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) trials have stringent in- and ex- clusion criteria, but limited data exists regarding generalisability of trials. We compared patient characteristics and outcomes between patients with HF and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in trials and observational registries. METHODS AND RESULTS: Individual patient data for 16922 patients from five randomised clinical trials and 46914 patients from two HF registries were included. The registry patients were categorised into trial-eligible and non-eligible groups using the most commonly used in- and ex-clusion criteria. A total of 26104 (56%) registry patients fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Unadjusted all-cause mortality rates at one year were lowest in the trial population (7%), followed by trial-eligible patients (12%) and trial-non-eligible registry patients (26%). After adjustment for age and sex, all-cause mortality rates were similar between trial participants and trial-eligible registry patients (standardised mortality ratio (SMR) 0.97; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.92 -1.03) but cardiovascular mortality was higher in trial participants (SMR 1.19; 1.12 -1.27). After full case-mix adjustment, the SMR for cardiovascular mortality remained higher in the trials at 1.28 (1.20- 1.37) compared to RCT-eligible registry patients. CONCLUSION: In contemporary HF registries, over half of HFrEF patients would have been eligible for trial enrolment. Crude clinical event rates were lower in the trials, but, after adjustment for case-mix, trial participants had similar rates of survival as registries. Despite this, they had about 30% higher cardiovascular mortality rates. Age and sex were the main drivers of differences in clinical outcomes between HF trials and observational HF registries

Sex differences in the generalizability of randomized clinical trials in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

Aims: In order to understand how sex differences impact the generalizability of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), we sought to compare clinical characteristics and clinical outcomes between RCTs and HF observational registries stratified by sex. Methods and results: Data from two HF registries and five HFrEF RCTs were used to create three subpopulations: one RCT population (n = 16 917; 21.7% females), registry patients eligible for RCT inclusion (n = 26 104; 31.8% females), and registry patients ineligible for RCT inclusion (n = 20 810; 30.2% females). Clinical endpoints included all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and first HF hospitalization at 1 year. Males and females were equally eligible for trial enrolment (56.9% of females and 55.1% of males in the registries). One-year mortality rates were 5.6%, 14.0%, and 28.6% for females and 6.9%, 10.7%, and 24.6% for males in the RCT, RCT-eligible, and RCT-ineligible groups, respectively. After adjusting for 11 HF prognostic variables, RCT females showed higher survival compared to RCT-eligible females (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62–0.83), while RCT males showed higher adjusted mortality rates compared to RCT-eligible males (SMR 1.16; 95% CI 1.09–1.24). Similar results were also found for cardiovascular mortality (SMR 0.89; 95% CI 0.76–1.03 for females, SMR 1.43; 95% CI 1.33–1.53 for males). Conclusion: Generalizability of HFrEF RCTs differed substantially between the sexes, with females having lower trial participation and female trial participants having lower mortality rates compared to similar females in the registries, while males had higher than expected cardiovascular mortality rates in RCTs compared to similar males in registries