Next steps to evidence-based food safety risk analysis: opportunities for health technology assessment methodology implementation

Food safety risk analysis and health technology assessment (HTA) are two different paradigms sharing multiple common features. Decision makers in both fields have the responsibility to promote the health of society deciding on intervention opportunities based on disease burden, intervention feasibility, effectiveness and cost, equity and ethical considerations. The evolution of HTA in the last two decades has resulted in the establishment and widespread use of quantitative tools to support and justify evidence-based decisions. In contrast, decision making in the food safety domain is still a qualitative process rendering ad hoc weights to all aspects considered. This review evaluates whether HTA methodology is suitable for quantitative decision support in food safety risk analysis. We conclude that cost-utility analysis (CUA) could better serve the priority settings in food safety risk management than the currently (rarely) applied cost-benefit analysis (CBA), considering either broad resource allocation or specific safety measure decisions. Development of multi-criteria decision analysis tools could help the introduction of consistent and explicit weighting among cost and health impacts, equity and all other relevant aspects. Cost-minimisation and cost-effectiveness analyses would be relevant for ‘threshold’ and ‘as low as reasonably achievable’ approaches to single food safety risk assessments, respectively. Assuming a future widespread use of HTA methodology in the food safety paradigm, a vision of integrated healthcare, food safety and nutritional policy emerges, with the re-evaluation of budgets and resources of these large systems in a rational and socially acceptable way

Caffeine content of conventional and non conventional foods on the Hungarian market

Caffeine content of 377 food samples obtained from the Hungarian market was measured by a validated HPLC technique. The highest caffeine levels were observed in different instant coffees (3954±2355 mg/100 g) and ground coffee beans (1634±389 mg/100 g). Significant amount of caffeine could be detected in energy drinks (119 mg in 100 ml at the highest end). The caffeine content of different coffee drinks varied between 40 and 203 mg/100 ml. Significant amount of caffeine could be measured in special instant coffees called 2in1 and 3in1 (120 mg per serving at the highest end), cacao powders (125 mg in 100 g), in chocolates (on average, 16.1 mg and 52.5 mg in 100 g milk and dark chocolate, respectively), breakfast cereals (between 5.7 and 15.8 mg per 100 g), and ice creams (1.7–24.8 mg in 100 g)

Young stars at large distances from the galactic plane: mechanisms of formation

We have collected from the literature a list of early-type stars, situated at large distances from the galactic plane, for which evidence of youth seems convincing. We discuss two possible formation mechanisms for these stars: ejection from the plane by dynamical interactions within small clusters, and formation away from the plane, via induced shocks created by spiral density waves. We identify the stars that could be explained by each mechanism. We conclude that the ejection mechanism can account for about two thirds of the stars, while a combination of star formation at z = 500-800 pc from the plane and ejection, can account for 90 percent of these stars. Neither mechanism, nor both together, can explain the most extreme examples.Comment: 6 pages, No figures. Sixth Pacific Rim Conference on Stellar Astrophysics - A tribute to Helmut Abt, (Kluwer

Standardization of autoimmune testing - is it feasible?

Correct measurement of autoantibodies is essential for the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases. However, due to the variability of autoantibody results and the heterogeneity of testing, wrong diagnosis is a reality. For this and more reasons, harmonization of testing is of the outmost importance. In this review we have summarized the factors contributing to this variability. The ways with which the working group on harmonization of autoantibody testing of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) has been trying to tackle the issue with the production and correct use of certified reference materials (CRMs), is discussed. Finally the advantages and the limitations of the use of CRMs are presented

Development of a Certified Reference Material for myeloperoxidase-anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (MPO-ANCA).

A serum Certified Reference Material (CRM) for supporting reliable autoimmune diagnostics was recently released by the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. It was produced in collaboration with a Working Group on the Harmonisation of Autoimmune Tests of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC WG-HAT). This material is aimed at facilitating the standardisation of measurements of anti-myeloperoxidase immunoglobulin G antibodies. The CRM could be used as a common calibrant by clinicians and manufacturers thereby significantly improving the comparability of results from commercial immunoassays used for IgG anti-MPO measurements. This paper provides information on the new CRM and its intended use

Fabricación y caracterización de composites de ácido poliláctico reforzados con madera de olivo

En esta investigación se ha reforzado el biopolímero ácido poliláctico con madera de olivo obteniéndose un composite que mejora las propiedades y a la vez cumple con los requisitos medioambientales. El proceso ha consistido en un mezclado automático del PLA, fibra de madera y 10% de aditivo, seguido de un proceso de inyección. El porcentaje de fibra de madera de olivo adicionada han sido del 20% y se ha empleado madera sin tratar y tratada con álcali. Se han determinado las propiedades mecánicas y térmicas de los composites y se ha evaluado la influencia de la exposición ultravioleta en el comportamiento mecánico

Low-Voltage Capacitor Electrical Discharge Consolidation of Iron Powder

Commercially pure iron powder has been processed by the capacitor electrical discharge consolidation technique. This consolidation technique applies an external pressure and, at the same time, heats a metallic powder mass by the Joule effect of a high-voltage and high-intensity electric current. In this work, a capacitor charged at low voltage has been used instead. The effect of the initial porosity of the Fe powder mass, i.e., of the precompaction pressure, and the number of discharges from the capacitor have been studied. The densification and remaining porosity, the sintering level, the Vickers microhardness, and the electrical resistivity of the sintered compacts have been studied. Compacts sintered by the conventional powder metallurgy route of cold pressing and furnace sintering were also prepared for comparison. Results show that a high initial porosity provides a high electrical resistance in the powder column, a necessary requisite for the Joule effect to increase densification with the number of discharges. Thus, the final porosity decreases to 0.22 after 50 discharges in the powder mass with an initial porosity of 0.30. With this initial porosity, the sintering process increases Vickers microhardness from 29 to 51 HV10 and decreases the electrical resistivity of the powder mass from 3.53 × 10−2 to 5.38 × 10−4 Ω·m. An initial porosity of 0.2 does not make the compacts densify, but a certain bond between particles is attained, increasing microhardness and decreasing electrical resistivity as the number of discharges increases. Lower initial porosities make the powder mass behave as an electrical conductor with no appreciable changes even after 50 electrical dischargesThis research was funded by Junta de Andalucía, grant to the Research Group TEP-971 and the University of Seville Research Funding Program, grant number 2020/0000064