Survivability of probiotics in symbiotic low fat buffalo milk yogurt

In present study, symbiotic low fat buffalo milk yogurt prototypes (plain and blueberry) were developed using a commercial starter containing probiotics. Samples were analyzed for physicochemical and microbiological properties, and the survivability of probiotics during 10 weeks of storage. Gross composition results were: total solids 11.60 ± 0.58 and 17.12 ± 0.36%, ash 0.82 ± 0.06 and 0.78 ± 0.02%, protein 4.49 ± 0.31 and 4.16 ± 0.11%, fat 0.68 ± 0.03 and 0.55 ± 0.05%, carbohydrates 5.68 ± 0.18 and 11.38 ± 0.18% for plain and blueberry flavored samples, respectively. Mineral contents (mg/g) were: Calcium 1.97 ± 0.20 and 1.72 ± 0.06, magnesium 1.63 ± 0.02 and 1.69 ± 0.01, zinc 0.07 ± 0.01 and 0.07 ± 0.00, sodium 0.87 ± 0.15 and 0.94 ± 0.12 for the plain and blueberry flavored yogurt respectively. The values of pH, titratable acidity and viscosity ranged from 4.34 to 4.01 and 4.42 to 3.70, 0.96 to 1.13% and 0.94 to 1.30%, 1.40 to 1.67 and 2.15 to 1.56 Pa.s for the plain and blueberry flavored yogurts respectively. The initial population of Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus casei were above 108 CFU/g for both the plain and blueberry flavored yogurts. Lactobacillus acidophilus was viable only for the first two weeks; however, Bifidobacterium spp and L. casei remained viable (>106 CFU/g) during the storage. The results indicate that the low fat buffalo milk yogurt is a good vehicle for developing symbiotic yogurt.Key words: Buffalo milk, symbiotic yogurt, refrigerated storage, probiotic survivability, physicochemical properties

Rice Protein Extracted by Different Methods Affects Cholesterol Metabolism in Rats Due to Its Lower Digestibility

To elucidate whether the digestibility is responsible for the hypocholesterolemic action of rice protein, the effects of rice proteins extracted by alkali (RP-A) and α-amylase (RP-E) on cholesterol metabolism were investigated in 7-week-old male Wistar rats fed cholesterol-free diets for 3 weeks. The in vitro and in vivo digestibility was significantly reduced by RP-A and RP-E as compared to casein (CAS). The digestibility was lower in RP-E than that of RP-A. Compared with CAS, the significant cholesterol-lowering effects were observed in rats fed by RP-A and RP-E. Fecal excretion of bile acids was significantly stimulated by RP-E, but not by RP-A. The apparent cholesterol absorption was more effectively inhibited by RP-E than RP-A because more fecal neutral sterols were excreted in rats fed RP-E. There was a significant correlation between protein digestibility and cholesterol absorption (r = 0.8662, P < 0.01), resulting in a significant correlation between protein digestibility and plasma cholesterol level (r = 0.7357, P < 0.01) in this study. The present study demonstrates that the digestibility of rice protein affected by extraction method plays a major role in the modulation of cholesterol metabolism. Results suggest that the hypocholesterolemic action induced by rice protein with lower digestibility primarily contribute to the inhibition of cholesterol absorption

The improved cure fraction for esophageal cancer in Linzhou city

Abstract Background Survival of esophageal cancer in Linzhou was seen to increase over the past few decades and is higher than the average level of China due to the implementation of comprehensive prevention and control measures. In population-based studies, relative survival is a common index to approximate disease-specific survival. However, the cure fraction maybe great interest to patients and physicians. This study aimed to investigate the cure fraction of esophageal cancer in Linzou city during 2003–2012 with a cure model. Methods We carried out a population-based study of 8067 esophageal cancer patients in the Linzhou city during 2003–2012. Flexible parametric cure models were used to estimate cure proportions and median survival times of uncured by year of diagnosed and age. In each model, an interaction between calendar year and age were included. All variables in the model were included both as constant and time-varying effects. Results The 5-year relative survival rate was increased in every age group from 2003 to 2012. The huge increase in the cure proportion was observed in each age group. At the year of 2011–2012, 79.8%, 58.0%, 123.4% and 162.7% improvements of cure proportion were seen in age group 19–49, 50–59, 60–69 and 70–99 years compared with year of 2003–2004. Meanwhile, survival of ‘uncured’ patients changed little in all age group. Conclusions The improvement of survival in Linzhou city during 2003–2012 was mainly due to an increasing cure proportion. Huge improvement of cure fraction within short period is likely due to the organized screening of esophageal cancer in Linzhou city

Determinants of participation and detection rate of upper gastrointestinal cancer from population‐based screening program in China

Abstract Upper gastrointestinal cancer (UGC) screening has been widely implemented in many Asian countries. However, there is little evidence of participation and diagnostic yields in population‐based UGC screening in China. The participation rate and detection of upper gastrointestinal lesions in this program were reported and related factors were explored. The analysis was conducted in the context of the Cancer Screening Program in Urban China, which recruited 179 002 eligible participants aged 40‐74 years from three cities in Henan province from 2013 to 2017. A total of 43 423 participants were evaluated to be high risk for esophageal cancer or gastric cancer by an established risk score system and were subsequently recommended for endoscopy. Of 43 423 with high risk for UGC, 7996 subjects undertook endoscopy (participation rate of 18.4%). We found that male sex, high level of education, marriage, smoking, current alcohol drinking, lack of physical activity, history of upper gastrointestinal system disease, and family history of UGC were associated with increased participation of endoscopy screening. Overall, 15 UGC (0.19%), 275 squamous epithelial dysplasia (3.44%), and 33 intraepithelial neoplasm (0.41%) cases were detected. Several factors including age, sex, smoking, current alcohol drinking, lack of physical activity, and dietary intake of processed meat were identified to be associated with the presence of upper gastrointestinal lesions. Health promotion campaigns targeting the specific group of individuals identified in our study will be helpful for improvement of the adherence of UGC screening in population‐based cancer screening programs. Participant rate and yield of UGC screening will provide important references for evaluating the effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness of cancer screening in China

Risk-based lung cancer screening in heavy smokers: a benefit–harm and cost-effectiveness modeling study

Abstract Background Annual screening through low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is recommended for heavy smokers. However, it is questionable whether all individuals require annual screening given the potential harms of LDCT screening. This study examines the benefit–harm and cost-effectiveness of risk-based screening in heavy smokers and determines the optimal risk threshold for screening and risk-stratified screening intervals. Methods We conducted a comparative cost-effectiveness analysis in China, using a cohort-based Markov model which simulated a lung cancer screening cohort of 19,146 heavy smokers aged 50 ~ 74 years old, who had a smoking history of at least 30 pack-years and were either current smokers or had quit for < 15 years. A total of 34 risk-based screening strategies, varying by different risk groups for screening eligibility and screening intervals (1-year, 2-year, 3-year, one-off, non-screening), were evaluated and were compared with annual screening for all heavy smokers (the status quo strategy). The analysis was undertaken from the health service perspective with a 30-year time horizon. The willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold was adopted as three times the gross domestic product (GDP) of China in 2021 (CNY 242,928) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. Results Compared with the status quo strategy, nine risk-based screening strategies were found to be cost-effective, with two of them even resulting in cost-saving. The most cost-effective strategy was the risk-based approach of annual screening for individuals with a 5-year risk threshold of ≥ 1.70%, biennial screening for individuals with a 5-year risk threshold of 1.03 ~ 1.69%, and triennial screening for individuals with a 5-year risk threshold of < 1.03%. This strategy had the highest incremental net monetary benefit (iNMB) of CNY 1032. All risk-based screening strategies were more efficient than the status quo strategy, requiring 129 ~ 656 fewer screenings per lung cancer death avoided, and 0.5 ~ 28 fewer screenings per life-year gained. The cost-effectiveness of risk-based screening was further improved when individual adherence to screening improved and individuals quit smoking after being screened. Conclusions Risk-based screening strategies are more efficient in reducing lung cancer deaths and gaining life years compared to the status quo strategy. Risk-stratified screening intervals can potentially balance long-term benefit–harm trade-offs and improve the cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screenings

Sleep duration and the risk of cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis including dose–response relationship

Abstract Background The effect of sleep duration on cancer risk remains controversial. We aimed to quantify the available evidence on this relationship using categorical and dose–response meta-analyses. Methods Population-based cohort studies and case-control studies with at least three categories of sleep duration were identified by searching PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library database up to July 2017. Results Sixty-five studies from 25 articles were included, involving 1,550,524 participants and 86,201 cancer cases. The categorical meta-analysis revealed that neither short nor long sleep duration was associated with increased cancer risk (short: odds ratio [OR] = 1.01, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 0.97–1.05; long: OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.97–1.07). Subgroup analysis revealed that short sleep duration was associated with cancer risk among Asians (OR = 1.36; 95% CI: 1.02–1.80) and long sleep duration significantly increased the risk of colorectal cancer (OR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.08–1.34). The dose–response meta-analysis showed no significant relationship between sleep duration and cancer risk. When treated as two linear piecewise functions with a cut point of 7 h, similar nonsignificant associations were found (per 1-h reduction: OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.98–1.07; per 1-h increment: OR = 1.003, 95% CI = 0.97–1.03). Conclusion Categorical meta-analysis indicated that short sleep duration increased cancer risk in Asians and long sleep duration increased the risk of colorectal cancer, but these findings were not consistent in the dose–response meta-analysis. Long-term randomized controlled trials and well-designed prospective studies are needed to establish causality and to elucidate the mechanism underlying the association between sleep duration and cancer risk

Synaptic Ultrastructure Might Be Involved in HCN1-Related BDNF mRNA in Withdrawal-Anxiety After Ethanol Dependence

Withdrawal from ethanol dependence has been associated with heightened anxiety and reduced expression of Brain-derived neurotropic factor which promotes the synaptic transmission and plasticity of synapses. Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel 1 regulates expression; however, whether Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel 1-related Brain-derived neurotropic factor is involved in the synaptic ultrastructure that generates withdrawal-anxiety has been poorly perceived. Sprague–Dawley rats were treated with ethanol 3–9% (v/v) for a period of 21 days. Conditioned place preference and body weight were investigated during ethanol administration. Rats were subjected to behavioral testing and biochemical assessments after ethanol withdrawal, which was induced by abrupt discontinuation of the treatment. The results showed that the ethanol administration induced severe ethanol dependence behaviors, with higher body weight and more time in the ethanol-paired compartment. After withdrawal, rats had a higher total ethanol withdrawal score and explored less. Additionally, increased Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel 1 protein and gene expression and decreased Brain-derived neurotropic factor protein and gene expression were detected in the Ethanol group. Eventually, there was a negative correlation between the level of Brain-derived neurotropic factor mRNA and Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel 1 protein. Importantly, the synaptic ultrastructure changed in the Ethanol group, including increased synaptic cleft width and reduction in postsynaptic density thickness or synaptic curvature. The synthesis of the Brain-derived neurotropic factor mRNA could be down-regulated by higher Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel 1 protein expression. Changes in synaptic ultrastructure may be induced by lower Brain-derived neurotropic factor protein, which could be associated with the withdrawal-anxiety that is experiences after ethanol dependence