A note on the effect of calcium alginate coating on quality of refrigerated strawberries.

peer-reviewedAn alginate-based edible coating was investigated for the preservation of the quality of strawberries during cold storage (5 °C). Strawberries were immersed, successively, in sodium alginate and calcium chloride solutions to generate a surface coating of calcium alginate. The quality of coated and non-coated strawberries was evaluated by weight loss, visible decay, titratable acidity, total soluble solids and reducing sugar concentration over a 14-day storage period. Results showed that coating with calcium alginate had no significant effects on weight loss or physicochemical parameters when compared to control fruit, but it did result in the postponement of visible decay during refrigerated storage

Modelling of Growth Profile of Three Probiotic Single Strain Starter Cultures (L.acidophilus (La-5), Bifidobacterium (BB-12), S.thermophilus (STB-01)) through Turbidity Measurement Technique

Probiotics are one or more mixture of viable microorganisms which have beneficial effects on animals and human beings through propagation gastrointestinal microflora. Some instances for health benefits of these products are: alleviating gastrointestinal disorders, diarrehea, food allergies, infection of Helicobacter pylori, lactose intolerance, candidiasis, serum cholesterol, and improving immune system balance, mineral uptake and protecting the consumer from different cancers such as colon, bladder and gastrointestinal cancers.To achieve these neutraceutical purposes, a large population of probiotics( 107- 108 cfu/g) should remain alive during storage of these products up to expiring date.In this research production of probiotic ABT yogurt is taken into consideration. Single strains of two probiotic starter cultures, Bifidobacterium( BB-12) and L. acidophilus(La-5), and one single strain of S. thermophilus (STB-01) for reducing the fermentation time are used. In probiotic products the method of counting probiotic bacteria have a significant effect. Traditional microbiological methods require wide range of time and a lots of facilities. Modelling of growth profile of bacteria with the data obtained from turbidity measurement would be a helpful method for fast counting of microbial communities. Keywords: analyze ; Broth media ; Colony Count Unit; Direct-Vat-Set(DVS); Durbin-Watson statistic

Fatty acid profile and cholesterol content of Ghezel sheep milk during lactation period

The chemical composition, fatty acid profile, and cholesterol content of milk fat were analysed during the lactation period of thirty Iranian Ghezel sheep. They were fed dry hay for the first three months and then grazed on fresh grass to the end of lactation, along with barley and wheat middling during the whole period. Fatty acid profile analysis showed palmitic acid to be the dominant fatty acid (45.24±1.88%). During lactation C6:0, C8:0, C10:0, C12:0, and C14:0 contents decreased, while C18:0, C18:1, C18:2, and CLA increased significantly, which can be associated with the change of nutrition from hay to fresh grazing. The cholesterol content of the sheep milk reached 14.88 mg/100 ml milk or 283.43 mg/100 g fat as an average for the whole period of milking. Regression analysis showed a significant increase in cholesterol from 5.42 to 32.87 mg/100 g milk during the lactation period

Effect of general versus spinal anesthesia on postoperative delirium and early cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients

Background: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and delirium are common in the elderly patients, given the controversial results of previous studies about the impact of anesthesia type on the occurrence of these complications. Objectives: This study was planned to compare the effects of general and spinal anesthesia on the prevalence of POCD and delirium. Methods: A single-blind non-randomized clinical trial. Setting was in two academic hospitals. Ninety-four patients over 50 years old scheduled for hip fracture fixation. Patients were divided into two groups to receive either general (GA) or spinal (SA) anesthesia. Both Mini-Mental State examination (MMSE) and Wechsler tests were used before the operation and 3 times postoperatively to assess the cognitive function and detect early POCD. The DSM-IV criteria were also used for the diagnosis of delirium. The incidence of delirium and POCD and their precipitating factors were compared between the two groups. Results: Ninety-four patients with a mean age of 67.12 years were studied. The overall prevalence of POCD and delirium was 17.02; however, it was significantly higher in the GA group rather than the SA group, 29.7, and 4.25, respectively (P < 0.001). There was a significant relationship between age (P = 0.048), ASA class (P = 0.034), and educational level with the incidence of POCD, meaning that the probability of developing cognitive impairment decreases with patients� higher level of education and lower ASA-physical status. Also, the rate of POCD in men was significantly higher than in women (P = 0.026). Conclusions: The finding of this study showed that, if there is no specific contraindication, neuraxial anesthesia may be preferred over general anesthesia in elderly patients. © 2020, Author(s)

Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19 : a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990-2050

Background The rapid spread of COVID-19 renewed the focus on how health systems across the globe are financed, especially during public health emergencies. Development assistance is an important source of health financing in many low-income countries, yet little is known about how much of this funding was disbursed for COVID-19. We aimed to put development assistance for health for COVID-19 in the context of broader trends in global health financing, and to estimate total health spending from 1995 to 2050 and development assistance for COVID-19 in 2020. Methods We estimated domestic health spending and development assistance for health to generate total health-sector spending estimates for 204 countries and territories. We leveraged data from the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database to produce estimates of domestic health spending. To generate estimates for development assistance for health, we relied on project-level disbursement data from the major international development agencies' online databases and annual financial statements and reports for information on income sources. To adjust our estimates for 2020 to include disbursements related to COVID-19, we extracted project data on commitments and disbursements from a broader set of databases (because not all of the data sources used to estimate the historical series extend to 2020), including the UN Office of Humanitarian Assistance Financial Tracking Service and the International Aid Transparency Initiative. We reported all the historic and future spending estimates in inflation-adjusted 2020 US$, 2020 US$ per capita, purchasing-power parity-adjusted US$per capita, and as a proportion of gross domestic product. We used various models to generate future health spending to 2050. Findings In 2019, health spending globally reached$8. 8 trillion (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 8.7-8.8) or $1132 (1119-1143) per person. Spending on health varied within and across income groups and geographical regions. Of this total,$40.4 billion (0.5%, 95% UI 0.5-0.5) was development assistance for health provided to low-income and middle-income countries, which made up 24.6% (UI 24.0-25.1) of total spending in low-income countries. We estimate that $54.8 billion in development assistance for health was disbursed in 2020. Of this,$13.7 billion was targeted toward the COVID-19 health response. $12.3 billion was newly committed and$1.4 billion was repurposed from existing health projects. $3.1 billion (22.4$2.4 billion (17.9%) was for supply chain and logistics. Only $714.4 million (7.7$1519 (1448-1591) per person in 2050, although spending across countries is expected to remain varied. Interpretation Global health spending is expected to continue to grow, but remain unequally distributed between countries. We estimate that development organisations substantially increased the amount of development assistance for health provided in 2020. Continued efforts are needed to raise sufficient resources to mitigate the pandemic for the most vulnerable, and to help curtail the pandemic for all. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. METHODS: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. FINDINGS: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). INTERPRETATION: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden

How well do satellite and reanalysis precipitation products capture North American monsoon season in Arizona and New Mexico?

Assessment of the precipitation products with ground-based data is essential to building confidence in these datasets. Precipitation products tend to have large errors in semi-arid regions such as the Southwest United States, where accurate precipitation quantification is critical for water resource management and flood mitigation measures. Therefore, this region, with its high density of ground-based data, is important for the evaluation of the products. The Southwest United States is also interesting due to its monsoonal precipitation pattern, in which changes in circulation patterns that bring tropical moisture to the region yield roughly 50% of the region's precipitation between the months of June–September. In the present study, the performance of precipitation products was evaluated over Arizona and New Mexico for the monsoon seasons of the 2002–2021 period, with an emphasis on the recent extreme years of 2020 and 2021. Results indicate that all satellite products tend to capture interannual variations of precipitation rate but struggled to capture high-intensity events. IMERG Final notably has better performance than other products, with the lowest root mean square error and highest correlation with Stage IV, which was 3–60 percent better than other products. IMERG Final had the best detection capacity for rainy days as well. ERA5-Land performed well in capturing the average monsoon precipitation rate; however, showed limited skill in the detection of trace, light, and extreme precipitation events. IMERG Late and PDIR-Now showed difficulty detecting light precipitation events and overestimated extreme events. This study shows the importance of gauge adjustment for satellite products (e.g., IMERG) as well as the need for improvement of reanalysis products over arid regions, and better representation of orographic precipitation. © 2022 The AuthorsOpen access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Application of experimental design for extraction of BHA and BHT from edible vegetable oil and their determination using HPLC

The optimal conditions of liquid–liquid extraction of two synthetic phenolic antioxidants, BHA and BHT were investigated in five Iranian edible vegetable oil samples using the central composite design. Stepwise multiple linear regression method was used for construction of different models based on the experimental data. Optimum conditions for BHA and BHT were achieved using 3 ml of ethanolic solution containing (0.25% v/v) of glacial acetic acid, three extractions and a mixing time of 10 minutes

Assessment of snowfall accumulation from satellite and reanalysis products using SNOTEL observations in Alaska

The combination of snowfall, snow water equivalent (SWE), and precipitation rate measurements from 39 snow telemetry (SNOTEL) sites in Alaska were used to assess the performance of various precipitation products from satellites, reanalysis, and rain gauges. Observation of precipitation from two water years (2018–2019) of a high-resolution radar/rain gauge data (Stage IV) product was also utilized to give insights into the scaling differences between various products. The outcomes were used to assess two popular methods for rain gauge undercatch correction. It was found that SWE and precipitation measurements at SNOTELs, as well as precipitation estimates based on Stage IV data, are generally consistent and can provide a range within which other products can be assessed. The time-series of snowfall and SWE accumulation suggests that most of the products can capture snowfall events; however, differences exist in their accumulation. Reanalysis products tended to overestimate snow accumulation in the study area, while the current combined passive microwave remote sensing products (i.e., IMERG-HQ) underestimate snowfall accumula-tion. We found that correction factors applied to rain gauges are effective for improving their un-dercatch, especially for snowfall. However, no improvement in correlation is seen when correction factors are applied, and rainfall is still estimated better than snowfall. Even though IMERG-HQ has less skill for capturing snowfall than rainfall, analysis using Taylor plots showed that the combined microwave product does have skill for capturing the geographical distribution of snowfall and precipitation accumulation; therefore, bias adjustment might lead to reasonable precipitation estimates. This study demonstrates that other snow properties (e.g., SWE accumulation at the SNOTEL sites) can complement precipitation data to estimate snowfall. In the future, gridded SWE and snow depth data from GlobSnow and Sentinel-1 can be used to assess snowfall and its distribution over broader regions. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]