Effects of multi-stage dehumidified-air drying on the polyphenol content of Hydrocotyle bonariensis

Traditional drying methods involve high temperatures that degrade heat-sensitive compounds. Dehumidified-air drying, an alternative to traditional drying methods, is suitable for heat-sensitive compounds; however, it consumes a large amount of energy and is comparatively expensive. In this study, a multi-chamber dehumidified-air dryer was designed to dry Hydrocotyle bonariensis, and the retention of the polyphenol content of Hydrocotyle bonariensis under various drying conditions was examined. Multi-chamber dehumidified-air drying involves two chambers; each chamber was operated at temperatures of 30, 40, and 50°C with air volumetric flow rates of 30 and 50 L/min. The results indicated that the highest retention of total phenolic content and total flavonoid content, 24.67 mg of GAE/g dry weight (DW) and 2.204 mg of catechin/g DW, respectively, was obtained at 50°C with a 50 L/min air flow rate in the first drying chamber. Multi-stage dehumidified-air dryers have the potential to dry heat-sensitive products with reduced energy consumption

Will opposites attract? Similarities and differences in students' perceptions of the stereotype profiles of other health and social care professional groups

The extent to which health and social care (HSC) students hold stereotypical views of other HSC professional groups is of great potential importance to team working in health care. This paper explores students' perceptions of different HSC professional groups at the beginning of their university programmes. Findings are presented from an analysis of baseline data collected as part of the New Generation Project longitudinal cohort study which is assessing the impact of interprofessional education over time on a range of variables including stereotyping. Questionnaires were administered to a cohort of over 1200 students from 10 different HSC professional groups entering their first year of university. Stereotypes were measured using a tool adapted from Barnes et al. (2000) designed to elicit stereotype ratings on a range of nine characteristics. The findings confirm that students arrive at university with an established and consistent set of stereotypes about other health and social care professional groups. Stereotypical profiles were compiled for each professional group indicating the distinctive characteristics of the groups as well as the similarities and differences between groups. Midwives, social workers and nurses were rated most highly on interpersonal skills and on being a team player whilst doctors were rated most highly on academic ability. Doctors, midwives and social workers were perceived as having the strongest leadership role, whilst doctors were also rated most highly on decision making. All professions were rated highly on confidence and professional competence and, with the exception of social workers, on practical skills. A comparison of profiles for each professional group reveals that, for example, pharmacists and doctors were perceived as having very similar characteristics as were social workers, midwives and nurses. However, the profiles of nurses and doctors were perceived to be very different. The implications of these similarities and differences are discussed in terms of their potential impact on interprofessional interactions, role boundaries and team working

Shelf life determination of durian (Durio zibethinus) paste and pulp upon high pressure processing

Globally, there has been an increase in demand for durian. Therefore, it is important to extend the shelf life and at the same time, maintain the quality of durian. This study investigated the effect of high-pressure processing (HPP) on the shelf life of durian paste and pulp. Specifically, HPP treatments of 500 MPa for 5 min on nylon- and skin film-packed durian pulp, and 600 MPa for 5 min on nylon-packed durian paste were applied. It was found that throughout the 56-day storage period, the total soluble solids (TSS), pH and titratable acidity of durian paste and pulp showed no significant changes (p>0.05). The colour (L* values) of nylon-packed untreated durian pulp showed no significant changes (p>0.05), while the untreated durian paste and skin film-packed durian pulp showed significant changes (p0.05) throughout the storage period. The microbial levels of all the high- pressure (HP)-treated durian samples remained below the detection limit till the end of the storage study. HP-treated durian samples showed lower enzymatic (polygalacturonase and pectin methyl esterase) activities compared to untreated sample throughout the storage period. Sensory evaluation showed no significant difference (p>0.05) between untreated and HP-treated samples. In summary, HPP effectively maintained the overall quality of durian for a minimum of 56 days

Relative distancing: a grounded theory of how learners negotiate the interprofessional.

A number of extant educational, psychological and sociological theories have been suggested as possessing utility for interprofessional education (IPE). However, there is limited theory proposed that has been derived directly from data. This article adds to the theoretical toolkit by theorizing from data using constructionist grounded theorizing. This article discusses the grounded theorizing of participants' approaches to IPE and describes the social process of relative distancing, a collection of strategies employed by participants to construct their own professional identities and negotiate their way through interprofessional interactions. The categories of relative distancing are conceptualized as (1) integrating the professional and the interprofessional; (2) constellating and maintaining distance; (3) tensioning and manipulating distance and (4) the dimensions of distance. The first, and most theoretically integrative, category will be discussed in detail here. It was found that participants valued certain learning outcomes over others. They favored learning opportunities that were perceived to be of direct relevance to their own professional development and contributed finite personal resources to these. Resources were committed to those interprofessional learning opportunities where relevance was perceived and the conditions of co-presence (with other professions) and a context for interaction were achieved. The discussion draws links between the data and contemporary discourses of economics and identity

Atrial Fibrillation and the Prognostic Performance of Biomarkers in Heart Failure

BACKGROUND: Consideration of circulating biomarkers for risk stratification in heart failure (HF) is recommended, but the influence of atrial fibrillation (AF) on prognostic performance of many markers is unclear. We investigated the influence of AF on the prognostic performance of circulating biomarkers in HF. METHODS: N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), mid-regional-pro-atrial natriuretic peptide, C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), NT-proCNP, high-sensitivity troponin-T, high-sensitivity troponin-I, mid-regional-propeptide adrenomedullin, co-peptin, growth differentiation factor-15, soluble Suppressor of Tumorigenicitiy (sST2), galectin-3, and procalcitonin plasma concentrations were measured in a prospective, multicenter study of adults with HF. AF was defined as a previous history of AF, and/or presence of AF/flutter on baseline 12-lead electrocardiogram. The primary outcome was the composite of HF-hospitalization or all-cause mortality at 2 years. RESULTS: Among 1099 patients (age 62 +/- 12years, 28% female), 261(24%) patients had AF. Above-median concentrations of all biomarkers were independently associated with increased risk of the primary outcome. Significant interactions with AF were detected for galectin-3 and sST2. In considering NT-proBNP for additive risk stratification, sST2 (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR]1.85, 95%confidence interval [C.I.] 1.17-2.91) and galectin-3 (AHR1.85, 95%C.I. 1.09-2.45) were independently associated with increased primary outcome only in the presence of AF. The prognostic performance of sST2 was also stronger in AF for all-cause mortality (AF: AHR2.82, 95%C.I. 1.26-6.21; non-AF: AHR1.78, 95% C.I. 1.14-2.76 without AF), while galectin-3 predicted HF-hospitalization only in AF (AHR1.64, 95%C.I. 1.03-2.62). CONCLUSIONS: AF modified the prognostic utility of selected guideline-endorsed HF-biomarkers. Application of markers for prognostic purposes in HF requires consideration of the presence or absence of AF

Phylogeography and Genetic Ancestry of Tigers (Panthera tigris)

Eight traditional subspecies of tiger (Panthera tigris), of which three recently became extinct, are commonly recognized on the basis of geographic isolation and morphological characteristics. To investigate the species' evolutionary history and to establish objective methods for subspecies recognition, voucher specimens of blood, skin, hair, and/or skin biopsies from 134 tigers with verified geographic origins or heritage across the whole distribution range were examined for three molecular markers: (1) 4.0 kb of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence; (2) allele variation in the nuclear major histocompatibility complex class II DRB gene; and (3) composite nuclear microsatellite genotypes based on 30 loci. Relatively low genetic variation with mtDNA, DRB, and microsatellite loci was found, but significant population subdivision was nonetheless apparent among five living subspecies. In addition, a distinct partition of the Indochinese subspecies P. t. corbetti into northern Indochinese and Malayan Peninsula populations was discovered. Population genetic structure would suggest recognition of six taxonomic units or subspecies: (1) Amur tiger P. t. altaica; (2) northern Indochinese tiger P. t. corbetti; (3) South China tiger P. t. amoyensis; (4) Malayan tiger P. t. jacksoni, named for the tiger conservationist Peter Jackson; (5) Sumatran tiger P. t. sumatrae; and (6) Bengal tiger P. t. tigris. The proposed South China tiger lineage is tentative due to limited sampling. The age of the most recent common ancestor for tiger mtDNA was estimated to be 72,000–108,000 y, relatively younger than some other Panthera species. A combination of population expansions, reduced gene flow, and genetic drift following the last genetic diminution, and the recent anthropogenic range contraction, have led to the distinct genetic partitions. These results provide an explicit basis for subspecies recognition and will lead to the improved management and conservation of these recently isolated but distinct geographic populations of tigers

Amelioration of systemic inflammation via the display of two different decoy protein receptors on extracellular vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can be functionalized to display specific protein receptors on their surface. However, surface-display technology typically labels only a small fraction of the EV population. Here, we show that the joint display of two different therapeutically relevant protein receptors on EVs can be optimized by systematically screening EV-loading protein moieties. We used cytokine-binding domains derived from tumour necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) and interleukin-6 signal transducer (IL-6ST), which can act as decoy receptors for the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and IL-6, respectively. We found that the genetic engineering of EV-producing cells to express oligomerized exosomal sorting domains and the N-terminal fragment of syntenin (a cytosolic adaptor of the single transmembrane domain protein syndecan) increased the display efficiency and inhibitory activity of TNFR1 and IL-6ST and facilitated their joint display on EVs. In mouse models of systemic inflammation, neuroinflammation and intestinal inflammation, EVs displaying the cytokine decoys ameliorated the disease phenotypes with higher efficacy as compared with clinically approved biopharmaceutical agents targeting the TNF-α and IL-6 pathways.International Society for Advancement of Cytometry Marylou Ingram Scholar 2019-2023H2020 EXPERTSwedish foundation of Strategic Research (SSF-IRC; FormulaEx)ERC CoG (DELIVER)Swedish Medical Research CouncilAccepte

NT-proBNP for Risk Prediction in Heart Failure:Identification of Optimal Cutoffs Across Body Mass Index Categories

OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to assess the predictive power of N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and the decision cutoffs in heart failure (HF) across body mass index (BMI) categories. BACKGROUND  Concentrations of NT-proBNP predict outcome in HF. Although the influence of BMI to reduce levels of NT-proBNP is known, the impact of obesity on prognostic value remains uncertain. METHODS Individual data from the BIOS (Biomarkers In Heart Failure Outpatient Study) consortium were analyzed. Patients with stable HF were classified as underweight (BMI = 40 kg/m(2)) obese. The prognostic rote of NT-proBNP was tested for the endpoints of all-cause and cardiac death. RESULTS The study population included 12,763 patients (mean age 66 +/- 12 years; 25% women; mean left ventricular ejection fraction 33% 113%). Most patients were overweight (n = 5,176), followed by normal weight (n = 4,299), mildly obese (n = 2,157), moderately obese (n = 612), severely obese (n = 314), and underweight (n = 205). NT-proBNP inversely correlated with BMI (beta = -0.174 for 1 kg/m(2); P < 0.001). Adding NT-proBNP to clinical models improved risk prediction across BMI categories, with the exception of severely obese patients. The best cutoffs of NT-proBNP for 5-year all-cause death prediction were lower as BMI increased (3,785 ng/L, 2,193 ng/L, 1,554 ng/L, 1,045 ng/L, 755 ng/L, and 879 ng/L, for underweight, normal weight, overweight, and mildly, moderately, and severely obese patients, respectively) and were higher in women than in men. CONCLUSIONS NT-proBNP maintains its independent prognostic value up to 40 kg/m(2) BMI, and tower optimal risk-prediction cutoffs are observed in overweight and obese patients

The making of the interprofessional arena in the United Kingdom: a social and political history

This article offers a critical sociological rendering of the making of the interprofessional arena in the United Kingdom. It offers an interpretation of the conditions that led to the formation, expansion and development of the interprofessional arena using a social worlds/arenas lens of secondary data. I propose that the making of the interprofessional arena has been achieved in three historiographical phases. First, the "recognition of the professionalisation conundrum" that led to the intuitive assumption that interprofessional education (IPE) could lead to improved collaboration in practice and improved outcomes. Second, the "legitimisation" of the interprofessional assumption through the development of networks, building consensus, nurturing an evidence base and negotiating with policymakers. Third, "Talking up and acting up" the interprofessional agenda by developing global communities of practice, pandering to a neoliberal agenda, disseminating exemplars of good practice and encouraging practical changes within diverse settings. Articulating these historical "moments" may allow us insights into the conditions that have created the contemporary interprofessional arena and offer us ways of considering how present conditions may re-shape the discourses that constitute the interprofessional arena of the future