Food processing and technology 1978: a summary of research

Evaluation of tomato cultivars for processing / W. A. Gould, W. Stone, J. Mount, L. Witt, Y. Yamada, and S. Z. Berry -- Geotrichum candidum in midwestern tomato processing plants and various methods of inhibiting its growth / James G. Fox and Wilbur A. Gould -- Effects of various qualities of raw tomatoes (subjective evaluation) on color of extractable juice (objective evaluation) / Yasunori Yamada and Wilbur A. Gould -- Protein content of seeds taken from tomatoes at various stages of ripeness / Daniel Brodowski and J. R. Geisman -- Effects of cultivar, break temperature, and extraction methods on the viscosity of tomato juice / Hashmy Bel-Haj and Wilbur A. Gould -- A study of some factors affecting the solid content of canned tomatoes / J. R. Mount and W. A. Gould -- Prediction of ascorbic acid stability in canned apple juice / Mohamed I. Mahmoud and Wilbur A. Gould -- Investigation of protein content of ohio grown soybeans / Girish N. Desai and Andrew C. Peng -- Recovery and functionality of soybean leaf proteins / Mohammed H. Ali and Andrew C. Peng -- Carotene content of green snap beans / H. Fenercioglu and D. E. Crean -- Effect of reconditioning on the ascorbic acid content of potato cultivars / I. S. Arkoudilos and D. E. Crean -- Kinetic studies of polyphenol oxidase from HiDri cabbage / Ling-May Chen and Andrew C. Peng -- Refinements in pickle brine recycling / T. Glares and J. R. Geisman -- Use of ultraviolet light to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus growth on the surface of baked pumpkin pie / Nicholas N. Kallas and Wilbur A. Gould -- Development of a nutritionally improved corn masa / Thomas H. Rieman and Wilbur A. Gould -- Mechanical deboning of Lake Erie freshwater drum / W. E. Stone and W. A. Gould -- Lake Erie freshwater drum fillet processing, storage, and evaluation / W. E. Stone and W. A. Goul

Amlexanox-loaded nanoliposomes showing enhanced anti-inflammatory activity in cultured macrophages: A potential formulation for treatment of oral aphthous stomatitis

Oral aphthous stomatitis is a common disorder treated with the immunomodulatory drug Amlexanox (AMX), that was administered as a mucoadhesive paste (Aphthasol®). This product was discontinued by FDA in 2014 due to the associated undesired adverse reactions of the formulation. Here, we have developed AMX-loaded nanoliposome formulation as a potential alternative for the localised oromucosal delivery of AMX. Nanoliposomes were prepared using Soya phosphatidylcholine (SPC) and Cholesterol (Chol) mixtures at three different molar ratios to formulate vesicles using thin-film hydration, and were characterised for size, zeta potential and entrapment efficiency. The optimal formulation was found to be SPC:Chol 3:1 with drug entrapment efficiency of 94%, post sonication. To evaluate anti-inflammatory activity, macrophages developed by differentiation of human leukaemia monocytic cell line, THP-1, were polarised by Interferon gamma (IFNγ) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to M1 state. Macrophages M1 cells treated with D-L1 formulation (SPC:Chol 3:1, 500 μg/mL total lipid, and 27.6 μM AMX) showed a significant suppression in TNF-α expression levels (43 ± 2.7% of untreated control, p < 0.05) compared to those treated with either empty liposomes or AMX alone. Notably, %TNF-α dramatically decreased to 57 ± 4.05% of control, for cells treated with drug-free liposomes (500 μg/mL total lipid) indicating the anti-inflammatory activity of SPC lipid component per se, which led to synergistic effect as evident from the augmentation of AMX anti-inflammatory activity in D-L1 formulation. Our findings highlight the potential of using AMX nanoliposomes as a promising advanced formulation for reviving AMX treatment for management of inflammatory conditions of oral mucosa

Amlexanox-loaded nanoliposomes showing enhanced anti-inflammatory activity in cultured macrophages: A potential formulation for treatment of oral aphthous stomatitis

open access articleOral aphthous stomatitis is a common disorder treated with the immunomodulatory drug Amlexanox (AMX), that was administered as a mucoadhesive paste (Aphthasol®). This product was discontinued by FDA in 2014 due to the associated undesired adverse reactions of the formulation. Here, we have developed AMX-loaded nanoliposome formulation as a potential alternative for the localised oromucosal delivery of AMX. Nanoliposomes were prepared using Soya phosphatidylcholine (SPC) and Cholesterol (Chol) mixtures at three different molar ratios to formulate vesicles using thin-film hydration, and were characterised for size, zeta potential and entrapment efficiency. The optimal formulation was found to be SPC:Chol 3:1 with drug entrapment efficiency of 94%, post sonication. To evaluate anti-inflammatory activity, macrophages developed by differentiation of human leukaemia monocytic cell line, THP-1, were polarised by Interferon gamma (IFNγ) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to M1 state. Macrophages M1 cells treated with D-L1 formulation (SPC:Chol 3:1, 500 μg/mL total lipid, and 27.6 μM AMX) showed a significant suppression in TNF-α expression levels (43 ± 2.7% of untreated control, p < 0.05) compared to those treated with either empty liposomes or AMX alone. Notably, %TNF-α dramatically decreased to 57 ± 4.05% of control, for cells treated with drug-free liposomes (500 μg/mL total lipid) indicating the anti-inflammatory activity of SPC lipid component per se, which led to synergistic effect as evident from the augmentation of AMX anti-inflammatory activity in D-L1 formulation. Our findings highlight the potential of using AMX nanoliposomes as a promising advanced formulation for reviving AMX treatment for management of inflammatory conditions of oral mucosa

Understanding digital inequality: a theoretical kaleidoscope

The pandemic affected more than 1.5 billion students and youth, and the most vulnerable learners were hit hardest, making digital inequality in educational settings impossible to overlook. Given this reality, we, all educators, came together to find ways to understand and address some of these inequalities. As a product of this collaboration, we propose a methodological toolkit: a theoretical kaleidoscope to examine and critique the constitutive elements and dimensions of digital inequalities. We argue that such a tool is helpful when a critical attitude to examine ‘the ideology of digitalism’, its concomitant inequalities, and the huge losses it entails for human flourishing seems urgent. In the paper, we describe different theoretical approaches that can be used for the kaleidoscope. We give relevant examples of each theory. We argue that the postdigital does not mean that the digital is over, rather that it has mutated into new power structures that are less evident but no less insidious as they continue to govern socio-technical infrastructures, geopolitics, and markets. In this sense, it is vital to find tools that allow us to shed light on such invisible and pervasive power structures and the consequences in the daily lives of so many

Association Analysis of Canonical Wnt Signalling Genes in Diabetic Nephropathy

Several studies have provided compelling evidence implicating the Wnt signalling pathway in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Gene expression profiles associated with renal fibrosis have been attenuated through Wnt pathway modulation in model systems implicating Wnt pathway members as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. We assessed tag and potentially functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; n = 31) in four key Wnt pathway genes (CTNNB1, AXIN2, LRP5 and LRP6) for association with diabetic nephropathy using a case-control design.SNPs were genotyped using Sequenom or Taqman technologies in 1351 individuals with type 1 diabetes (651 cases with nephropathy and 700 controls without nephropathy). Cases and controls were white and recruited from the UK and Ireland. Association analyses were performed using PLINK, to compare allele and haplotype frequencies in cases and controls. Adjustment for multiple testing was performed by permutation testing.Following logistic regression analysis adjusted by collection centre, duration of T1D, and average HbA1c as covariates, a single SNP in LRP6 (rs1337791) was significantly associated with DN (OR = 0.74; CI: 0.57-0.97; P = 0.028), although this was not maintained following correction for multiple testing. Three additional SNPs (rs2075241 in LRP6; rs3736228 and rs491347 both in LRP5) were marginally associated with diabetic nephropathy, but none of the associations were replicated in an independent dataset. Haplotype and subgroup analysis (according to duration of diabetes, and end-stage renal disease) also failed to reveal an association with diabetic nephropathy.Our results suggest that analysed common variants in CTNNB1, AXIN2, LRP5 and LRP6 are not strongly associated with diabetic nephropathy in type 1 diabetes among white individuals. Our findings, however, cannot entirely exclude these genes or other members of the Wnt pathway, from involvement in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy as our study had limited power to detect variants with small effect size

Connective tissue growth factor(CCN2), a pathogenic factor in diabetic nephropathy. What does it do? How does it do it?

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) is a member of the CCN family of matricellular proteins. Its expression is induced by a number of factors including TGF-β. It has been associated with fibrosis in various tissues including the kidney. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) develops in about 30% of patients with diabetes and is characterized by thickening of renal basement membranes, fibrosis in the glomerulus (glomerulosclerosis), tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis, all of which compromise kidney function. This review examines changes in CTGF expression in the kidney in DN, the effects they have on glomerular mesangial and podocyte cells and the tubulointerstitium, and how these contribute to driving fibrotic changes in the disease. CTGF can bind to several other growth factors modifying their function. CTGF is also able to interact with receptors on cells, including integrins, tyrosine receptor kinase A (TrkA), low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) and heparan sulphate proteoglycans. These interactions, the intracellular signalling pathways they activate, and the cellular responses evoked are reviewed. CTGF also induces the expression of chemokines which themselves have pharmacological actions on cells. CTGF may prompt some responses by acting through several different mechanisms, possibly simultaneously. For example, CTGF is often described as an effector of TGF-β. It can promote TGF-β signalling by binding directly to the growth factor, promoting its interaction with the TGF-β receptor; by triggering intracellular signalling on binding the TrkA receptor, which leads to the transcriptional repression of Smad7, an inhibitor of the TGF-β signalling pathway; and by binding to BMP-7 whose own signalling pathway opposing TGF-β is inhibited, leading to enhanced TGF-β signalling

The sperm factor: paternal impact beyond genes

The fact that sperm carry more than the paternal DNA has only been discovered just over a decade ago. With this discovery, the idea that the paternal condition may have direct implications for the fitness of the offspring had to be revisited. While this idea is still highly debated, empirical evidence for paternal effects is accumulating. Male condition not only affects male fertility but also offspring early development and performance later in life. Several factors have been identified as possible carriers of non-genetic information, but we still know little about their origin and function and even less about their causation. I consider four possible non-mutually exclusive adaptive and non-adaptive explanations for the existence of paternal effects in an evolutionary context. In addition, I provide a brief overview of the main non-genetic components found in sperm including DNA methylation, chromatin modifications, RNAs and proteins. I discuss their putative functions and present currently available examples for their role in transferring non-genetic information from the father to the offspring. Finally, I identify some of the most important open questions and present possible future research avenues