Effect of stabilizers on the physico-chemical and sensory attributes of thermized yoghurt

Stabilized thermized yoghurt was produced by the addition of gelatin, carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC) and corn starch, into yoghurt mix as stabilizers, each at 0, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0% concentrations. Theyoghurt samples produced after pasteurization of the mix, cooling, inoculation of starter culture and incubation for about 16 h were thermized at 75oC for 60 s followed by immediate cooling. Results showthat titratable acidity value of the control samples (0% stabilizer) was 0.92 ± 0.03. CMC, when added to yoghurt mix at levels of 0.5% and above, depressed lactic acid production (compare 0.92 ± 0.03 of thecontrol with 0.90 ± 0.01 of samples containing 0.5 and 0.75% CMC). This observation is in contrast to effects of corn starch and gelatin which enhanced lactic acid production (at least up to 0.75%concentration). This was also mirrored (in reverse order) in the pH values; as samples with higher titratable acidity had, expectedly, lower pH values. Addition of stabilizers decreased percent protein andash contents due to dilution effect but increased total solids and specific gravity of the thermized yoghurt samples. Sensory results showed that addition of corn starch produced the most desirableflavour and taste which differed significantly (p < 0.05) from flavour and taste produced by gelatin but did not differ significantly (p 0.050) from that produced by CMC at 0.5 and 0.75% concentrations.Yoghurt containing CMC had the best mouth feel/consistency as well as appearance which did not differ significantly (p 0.05) from the mouth feel and appearance of yoghurt containing corn starch butdiffered significantly from yoghurt containing gelatin. Yoghurt containing CMC at 0.75% concentration was the most generally accepted

Plasma phosphorylated-tau181 as a predictive biomarker for Alzheimer’s amyloid, tau and FDG PET status

Plasma phosphorylated-tau181 (p-tau181) showed the potential for Alzheimer’s diagnosis and prognosis, but its role in detecting cerebral pathologies is unclear. We aimed to evaluate whether it could serve as a marker for Alzheimer’s pathology in the brain. A total of 1189 participants with plasma p-tau181 and PET data of amyloid, tau or FDG PET were included from ADNI. Cross-sectional relationships of plasma p-tau181 with PET biomarkers were tested. Longitudinally, we further investigated whether different p-tau181 levels at baseline predicted different progression of Alzheimer’s pathological changes in the brain. We found plasma p-tau181 significantly correlated with brain amyloid (Spearman ρ = 0.45, P 18.85 pg/ml) at baseline had a higher risk of pathological progression in brain amyloid (HR: 2.32, 95%CI 1.32–4.08) and FDG PET (3.21, 95%CI 2.06–5.01) status. Plasma p-tau181 may be a sensitive screening test for detecting brain pathologies, and serve as a predictive biomarker for Alzheimer’s pathophysiology

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Early management of adult traumatic spinal cord injury in patients with polytrauma: a consensus and clinical recommendations jointly developed by the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) & the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS).

BACKGROUND: The early management of polytrauma patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) is a major challenge. Sparse data is available to provide optimal care in this scenario and worldwide variability in clinical practice has been documented in recent studies. METHODS: A multidisciplinary consensus panel of physicians selected for their established clinical and scientific expertise in the acute management of tSCI polytrauma patients with different specializations was established. The World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) and the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) endorsed the consensus, and a modified Delphi approach was adopted. RESULTS: A total of 17 statements were proposed and discussed. A consensus was reached generating 17 recommendations (16 strong and 1 weak). CONCLUSIONS: This consensus provides practical recommendations to support a clinician's decision making in the management of tSCI polytrauma patients

Effect of food binders on the textual and sensory characteristics of ice cream

Ice cream was produced using local food binders namely: Afzelia africana, Deuterium microcapum and Taro tuber to find a suitable replacer for carboxylmethyl-celleuose (CMC). Results showed that, though viscosity, efflux time and foam stability increased with increase in A. africana, D. microcapum and T. tuber local food binder concentrations, they were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than CMC. The meltdown and overrun on the other hand decreased with increase in local food binder concentration. At 0.7% concentration, D. microcarpum had the same value with CMC. The pH of samples produced with the local binders did not differ statistically from CMC. Sensory evaluation results showed that sensory attributes generally improved with increased in concentration of A. africana, D. microcapum and T. tuber. On the basis of the textural and sensory characteristics of the local binders studied, D. microcarpum at0.7% concentration was found to be the best local food binder to replace CMC in ice cream

Moisture Sorption Characteristics of Dambu-nama – A Nigerian Dried Meat Product

Moisture sorption characteristics of traditional Dambu-nama (control) (TDBN) and laboratory Dambu-nama (LDBN), a cooked, pounded, shredded and dried Nigerian meat product, were determined at four different temperatures (10oC, 20oC, 30oC and 40oC) and relative humidities of 10 &#8211; 96% using the standard static, gravimetric method. The GAB, Oswin, BET and Henderson sorption models were tested to fit the experimental data. Both adsorption and desorption isotherms were sigmoidal in shape (type II). EMC decreased with increase in temperature (ranged 7.3496 at 10oC to 4.3189 at 40oC) but increased with increase in water activity (7.3496 at water activity of 0.1471 to 47.7869 at water activity of 0.9554) respectively. The percentage root mean square (% RMS) for LDBN and TDBN for both adsorption and desorption were best described by GAB model, followed by Oswin and Henderson. Net isostericheat of desorption (122.71 kJ/mol) were found to be greater than those of adsorption (68.5 kJ/mol) at low moisture content

Evaluation of Technological Quality of Meat Produced from Nsukka Local Abattior

The technological quality of raw meat from Nsukka local abattoir was evaluated by analyzing the proximate composition, water holding capacity, pH, Napole yield and sensory colour and texture of longissimus dorsi [LD] and psoas major [PM] of beef and pork. Results show that moisture [71.36 – 72.76%], protein [21.37 – 22.75%], fat[3.81 – 4.36%] and ash [0.80 – 1.30%] contents were within the range known for fresh raw beef and pork. Due to species differences and effect of scalding, pork had significantly lower ultimate pH [5.35 – 5.54] compared to beef [5.83 –5.91]; with 70% of the pork muscles being in the PSE range contrasted with 38% of those of beef. Also due to muscledifferences LD had lower ultimate pH compared to PM, although the differences were not found to be significant [

Preliminary study of meat quality characteristics of young N'dama and Muturu bulls

In order to obtain information on the quality characteristics and acceptability of meat from N'dama (YN) and Muturu (YM) breeds of cattle, the young bulls were slaughtered at about 11 months of age and their Longissimus dorsi (LD) and Psoars major (PM) muscles subjected to chemical evaluation of the raw meat as well as eating quality characteristics of the meat cooked for 10, 15 and 20 min. These were compared to meat from mature Sokoto Gudali (SG). Results showed that meat from YM and YN had similar moisture contents but differed significantly (P &lt; 0.05) in fat contents. Meat from YM and YN bulls had higher moisture but lower fat contents compared to meat from SG bulls. The LD muscles had higher % fat in the three experimental groups than the PM muscles. Total protein and ash contents were similar for all samples but protein solubility was higher (P &lt; 0.05) in YN young bulls compared to mature bulls. YN and YM had similar ultimate pH but these young bulls had lower ultimate pH than mature bulls (P &lt; 0.05). Total pigment contents varied (P &lt; 0.05) between breeds, maturity and muscles types with YM having higher myoglobin than YN, PM higher than LD and mature bulls more than young bulls. Sensory colour and odour of meat varied (P &lt; 0.05) between samples with meat from mature SG bulls being rated lower than those from YM and YN bulls. After cooking for 10 and 15 min, all samples were acceptable but their tenderness varied between samples, with the young bulls meat being rated as (P&lt; 0.05) more tender than mature bulls but on cooking for 20 min, judges could detect significant differences in juiciness, Ravour, tenderness and general acceptability of samples. Generally, meat from young bulls were adjudged more acceptable than meat from mature bulls.Key Words: Muturu, N'dama, Age, Psoars, Longissimus, Sokoto Gudali

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV infection: Views and perceptions about swallowing nevirapine in rural Lilongwe, Malawi

Background In 2006 the World Health Organization described the status of prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) service implementation as unacceptable, with an urgent need for a renewed public health approach to improve access. For PMTCT to be effective it needs to be accessible, acceptable and affordable; however research in Africa into accessibility, uptake and acceptability of PMTCT services has been predominately urban based and usually focusing on women who deliver in hospitals. The importance of involving other community members to strengthen both PMTCT uptake and adherence, and to support women emotionally, has been advocated. Urban men's and rural traditional birth attendants' (TBAs) involvement have improved uptake of HIV testing and of nevirapine. Methods A qualitative study was carried out in a rural district of Malawi's central region to explore the views about and perceptions of PMTCT antiretroviral treatment. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were held with antenatal and postnatal women, fathers, grandmothers, TBAs, community leaders and PMTCT health workers. Results Two broad themes of findings emerged: those that relate to the hospital PMTCT service, and those that relate to the community. Trust in the hospital was strong, but distance, transport costs and perceived harsh, threatening health worker attitudes were barriers to access. Grandmothers were perceived to have influence on the management of labour, unlike fathers, but both were suggested as key people to ensure that babies are brought to the hospital for nevirapine syrup. TBAs were seen as powerful, local, and important community members, but some as uneducated. Conclusion PMTCT was seen as a community issue in which more than the mother alone can be involved. To support access to PMTCT, especially for rural women, there is need for further innovation and implementation research on involving TBAs in some aspects of PMTCT services, and in negotiating with women which community members, if any, they would like to support them in ensuring that newborn babies receive nevirapine