Key operations in the wet-rendering of peanut for the isolation of protein, oil and starch

Separation of oil and suspended solids from peanut slurry are two important interdependent operations in wet rendering of peanuts. A 3-way centrifuge cannot be used efficiently for the separation of the different phases due to the large volume of fibrous suspended solids in peanut slurry. Removal of suspended solids from the slurry by filtration is too slow and incomplete, as the fine particles tend to block the screen. The alternative method of centrifugal sedimentation of the suspended solids causes emulsification of the oil and results in the inefficient separation of the oil. It is shown in the paper that efficiency of the separation of oil and carbohydrate fraction from peanut by wet rendering method depends on careful conditioning of the seed

Exploring Potential Modifiers of the Association between Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Risk of Bullying Exposure

This survey study examines data from the National Survey of Children’s Health to determine which sociodemographic factors might modify the association between neurodevelopmental disorders and being bullied

Oral Food Challenge Failures Among Foods Restricted Due to Atopic Dermatitis

BACKGROUND Recent studies have suggested that removing foods from the diet to manage atopic dermatitis (AD), based on positive allergy tests, may lead to immediate allergic reactions on reintroduction of that food. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency of oral food challenge (OFC) failures among foods removed from the diet as suspected AD triggers, focusing on the five major food allergens in the US. METHODS OFCs to egg, milk, peanut, soy, and wheat, performed from 2008-14, at a children's hospital's allergy clinics, were reviewed. OFCs were offered based on history and laboratory values. Reasons for food avoidance were classified as food allergy (IgE-mediated reaction occurring within two hours); sensitization only (lack of introduction due to positive test results); and removal due to test results during AD evaluation. RESULTS There were 442 OFCs performed, with 89 failures (20.1%). Reasons for OFCs included a history of food allergy (320/442; 72.4%); food sensitization without any introduction (77/442; 17.4%); and AD (45/442; 10.2%). OFC failures among those who had food allergy (70/320; 21.9%); sensitization only (13/77; 16.9%); and suspected AD trigger (6/45; 13.3%) did not significantly differ (p=0.63). Wheat was more likely to be avoided than the other four foods for AD concerns (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION The frequency of OFC failure among those who removed foods suspected as AD triggers was 13.3%, indicating a loss of tolerance. Restriction of foods to manage AD must be done with caution and close monitoring

Acute fatty liver of pregnancy: an update on mechanisms

Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP), characterized by hepatic microvesicular steatosis, is a sudden catastrophic illness occurring almost exclusively in the third trimester of pregnancy. Defective fatty acid oxidation in the fetus has been shown to be associated with this disease. Since the placenta has the same genetic makeup as the fetus and as AFLP patients generally recover following delivery, we hypothesized that the placenta might be involved in pathogenesis of this disease. In an animal model of hepatic microvesicular steatosis (using sodium valproate), we found that microvesicular steatosis results in mitochondrial structural alterations and oxidative stress in subcellular organelles of the liver. In placentas from patients with AFLP, we observed placental mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in subcellular organelles. In addition, defective placental fatty acid oxidation results in accumulation of toxic mediators such as arachidonic acid. Escape of these mediators into the maternal circulation might affect the maternal liver resulting in microvesicular steatosis

Impact of Maternal Air Pollution exposure on children's lung health: An Indian perspective

© 2018 by the authors. Air pollution has become an emerging invisible killer in recent years and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. More than 90% of the world's children breathe toxic air every day. India is among the top ten most highly polluted countries with an average PM 10 level of 134 μg/m 3 per year. It is reported that 99% of India's population encounters air pollution levels that exceed the World Health Organization Air Quality Guideline, advising a PM 2.5 permissible level of 10 μg/m 3 . Maternal exposure to air pollution has serious health outcomes in offspring because it can affect embryonic phases of development during the gestation period. A fetus is more prone to effects from air pollution during embryonic developmental phases due to resulting oxidative stress as antioxidant mechanisms are lacking at that stage. Any injury during this vulnerable period (embryonic phase) will have a long-term impact on offspring health, both early and later in life. Epidemiological studies have revealed that maternal exposure to air pollution increases the risk of development of airway disease in the offspring due to impaired lung development in utero. In this review, we discuss cellular mechanisms involved in maternal exposure to air pollution and how it can impact airway disease development in offspring. A better understanding of these mechanisms in the context of maternal exposure to air pollution can offer a new avenue to prevent the development of airway disease in offspring

Plasma von Willebrand factor levels predict in-hospital survival in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Circulating levels of von Willebrand factor (vWF) predict mortality in patients with cirrhosis. We hypothesized that systemic inflammation in acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) will stimulate endothelium, increase vWF levels, and promote platelet microthrombi causing organ failure. METHODS: In this prospective study, we correlated plasma vWF levels with organ failure, liver disease severity, sepsis, and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and also analyzed if vWF levels predicted in-hospital composite poor outcome (i.e. death/discharged in terminal condition/liver transplantation) in consecutive ACLF patients. RESULTS: Twenty-one of the 50 ACLF patients studied had composite poor outcome. ACLF patients had markedly elevated vWF antigen and activity (sevenfold and fivefold median increase, respectively) on days 1 and 3. Median ratio of vWF to a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13 (ADAMTS13) activity on day 1 was significantly higher in ACLF patients (11.2) compared to 20 compensated cirrhosis patients (3.3) and healthy volunteers (0.9). On day 1, area under ROC curve (AUROC) to predict composite poor outcome of hospital stay for ACLF patients for vWF antigen, vWF activity, and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score were 0.63, 0.68, and 0.74, respectively. vWF activity correlated better with liver disease severity (MELD score, ACLF grade) and organ failure (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment [SOFA] score) than vWF antigen; in contrast, neither vWF antigen nor activity correlated with platelet count, sepsis, or SIRS. CONCLUSIONS: vWF levels are markedly elevated, correlate with organ failure, and predict in-hospital survival in ACLF patients. This data provides a mechanistic basis for postulating that vWF-reducing treatments such as plasma exchange may benefit ACLF patients

Association between duration of controlled ovarian stimulation and live birth rate in women undergoing In Vitro Fertilization: a SART CORS analysis

Background: In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment involves synchronization of multiple time-sensitive events, most of which are rate-limiting too. Controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) is one such event. The reproductive outcomes based on the duration of COS (d-COS) in a fresh, IVF embryo transfer (ET) are not well established and therefore, remains largely uncertain. Objective: To evaluate the association between d-COS and live birth rate (LBR) in women undergoing a fresh IVF-ET using autologous oocytes. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using a US nationwide IVF register – SARTCORS (Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcomes Reporting System). From a total of 93,889 cycles, we included 56,666 fresh, autologous, IVF - ET treatment cycles from January 2014 through December 2015, with follow-up until October 2016. Adjusted odds and risk ratio with 95% confidence intervals were estimated while controlling for multiple demographic factors and other potential confounders. Variables and outcomes: The primary exposure variable was d-COS defined as the difference in days between gonadotrophin administration and oocyte retrieval. The primary outcome measure was live birth following a fresh IVF-ET. Secondary outcome measures included biochemical pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate, implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate. Results: A total of 56,666 treatment cycles (mean [SD] age of 33.9 [4.47], BMI of 26.1 [6.02], AMH value of 2.19 [3.37]), and a baseline FSH value of 7.62 [3.49]) underwent a fresh IVF-ET. The LBR after a combined analysis for all ages and all protocols was 44.2 % (n = 25043). In the combined analysis, there was a statistically significant decrease in the live birth rate with LBR with d-COS beyond 10 days. The adjusted OR (95% CI) of LBR for a woman who had 11, 12, 13 and ≥14 days of COS, compared to optimal duration of 10 days was 0.97 (0.87-0.99), 0.94 (0.8-1), 0.83 (0.77-0.89) and 0.73 (0.68-0.79) respectively. The AOR (95% CI) of miscarriage rates for a woman who had 11, 12, 13 and ≥14 days of COS, compared to referent was 1.12 (1-1.26), 0.99 (0.87-1.12), 1.03 (0.90 -1.17) and 1.04 (0.90 - 1.2) respectively. With increasing d-COS, the implantation rate (IR) and clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) also showed a decreasing trend, as with other reproductive outcomes. The RR (95% CI) for implantation rate in a woman who had 11, 12, 13 and ≥14 days of COS, compared to referent was 0.97 (0.93-1), 0.97 (0.93-1.01), 0.91 (0.87-0.95) and 0.86 (0.82-0.9). The adjusted OR (95% CI) of CPR for a woman who had 11, 12, 13 and ≥14 days of COS, compared to referent was 0.95 (0.89-1.01), 0.93 (0.87-0.99), 0.8 (0.75-0.86) and 0.7 (0.65-0.75) respectively. Conclusions and Relevance: In this nationwide cohort study of women undergoing fresh IVF-ET using autologous oocytes, controlled ovarian stimulation lasting approximately 10-days was associated with an optimal live birth rate

Urban environmental exposures during the first 2000 days of life as a foundation for health across the life-course: a scoping review

Objectives: By 2030, 60% of the global population is expected to live in urban areas. Exposure to urban environments during the first 2000 days of life can have positive or negative health outcomes across the life course. Understanding the types of urban exposures that influence health outcomes is needed to guide research priorities for public health and urban planning. This review aims to summarise the published research examining the health outcomes of all urban environmental exposures during the first 2000 days of life, identify the quantity and characteristics of research in this area, methods used, and knowledge gaps. Methods: We conducted a scoping review using the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Eight databases were searched for peer-reviewed primary studies. Inclusion criteria were studies that measured maternal, infant and child exposure to everyday urban environment features and conditions in cities/metropolitan areas during the first 2000 days of life and reported offspring health outcomes across the life course, including embryo, fetal/ newborn, infant, child, adolescent, and adult outcomes. We used Covidence software for data screening and extraction. Study characteristics and findings were summarised using tables and narrative synthesis. Results: We reviewed 235 articles, which included studies conducted across 41 countries, the majority in the US (n = 63). A broad range of environmental exposures were studied, spanning seven categories: air pollution; energy-based pollution; atmosphere, chemical and metal exposure; neighbourhood-built and natural environment features; neighbourhood community conditions; and residential living conditions. Air pollution was the most studied exposure type (n = 153 studies). Health outcomes were reported for all life stages except adults, with fetal/ newborn outcomes the most studied life stage (n = 137). Conclusions: We found that most research investigating urban environmental exposures in the first 2000 days and health outcomes across the life course focused on air pollution exposures and fetal/ newborn health outcomes, using correlational retrospective cohort designs. Few studies included multiple environmental exposures. There is a clear need for more longitudinal research to determine the health impacts of multiple urban environmental exposures across the life course. This will assist in developing urban design and planning strategies and population health to mitigate health risks across the life course

Multiple roles of GluN2D-containing NMDA receptors in short-term potentiation and long-term potentiation in mouse hippocampal slices

The GluN2 subunits of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are key drivers of synaptic plasticity in the brain, where the particular GluN2 composition endows the NMDAR complex with distinct pharmacological and physiological properties. Compared to GluN2A and GluN2B subunits, far less is known about the role of the GluN2D subunit in synaptic plasticity. In this study, we have used a GluN2C/2D selective competitive antagonist, UBP145, in combination with a GluN2D global knockout (GluN2D KO) mouse line to study the contribution of GluN2D-containing NMDARs to short-term potentiation (STP) and long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1 region of mouse hippocampal slices. We made several distinct observations: First, GluN2D KO mice have higher levels of LTP compared to wild-type (WT) mice, an effect that was occluded by blockade of GABA receptor-mediated inhibition or by using a strong LTP induction protocol. Second, UBP145 partially inhibited LTP in WT but not GluN2D KO mice. Third, UBP145 inhibited a component of STP, termed STP2, in WT but not GluN2D KO mice. Taken together, these findings suggest an involvement for GluN2D-containing NMDARs in both STP and LTP in mouse hippocampus