Physicochemical and sensory analyses of high fibre bread incorporated with corncob powder

The primary objectives of the present work were to produce corncob powder (CCP) from corncobs and incorporate the CCP into bread formulation in order to develop high fibre bread, and to investigate the physicochemical and sensory properties of the produced high fibre bread (HFB). The corncobs were collected and washed before they underwent the grinding and drying processes. The obtained CCP was incorporated into the bread formulation in three different proportions (5, 10 and 20%) to partially substitute bread flour in the formulation. All three bread samples and the control (0% CCP in the formulation) were analysed to obtain their physicochemical and sensory properties. The incorporation of CCP significantly affected the texture, colour and volume attributes of the produced breads. Increasing the content of CCP in the formulation was found to be responsible for firmer, smaller and darker bread loaves as compared to the composite bread samples. The bread formulation incorporated with 10% CCP had the highest mean scores (7.00) of overall acceptability among all the other formulations, and it was comparable to the commercial breads in the current market

High intrinsic biosorption efficiency of cattle manure on Cr(VI): a potential low-cost fibre-rich biosorbent

Fibre-rich manure derived from grass-fed cattle showed significantly higher intrinsic sorption efficiency on Cr(VI) solution as compared to corncob, sawdust and cogon grass. This observation could be attributed to the ligneous nature and rough surface morphology of the cattle manure. Four-factor, three-level, face-centred composite design (FCCD) suggested the process was greatly affected by initial pH of the solution, contact time and sorbent dosage (p50% adsorption efficiency. It is predicted that both physisorption and chemisorption are involved in the sorption process

Whole‑Genome Sequencing of Pseudomonas koreensis Isolated from Diseased Tor tambroides

Unlike environmental P. koreensis isolated from soil, which has been studied extensively for its role in promoting plant growth, pathogenic P. koreensis isolated from fish has been rarely reported. Therefore, we investigated and isolated the possible pathogen that is responsible for the diseased state of Tor tambroides. Herein, we reported the morphological and biochemical characteristics, as well as whole-genome sequences of a newly identified P. koreensis strain. We assembled a high-quality draft genome of P. koreensis CM-01 with a contig N50 value of 233,601 bp and 99.5% BUSCO completeness. The genome assembly of P. koreensis CM-01 is consists of 6,171,880 bp with a G+C content of 60.5%. Annotation of the genome identified 5538 protein-coding genes, 3 rRNA genes, 54 tRNAs, and no plasmids were found. Besides these, 39 interspersed repeat and 141 tandem repeat sequences, 6 prophages, 51 genomic islands, 94 insertion sequences, 4 clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, 5 antibiotic-resistant genes, and 150 virulence genes were also predicted in the P. koreensis CM-01 genome. Culture-based approach showed that CM-01 strain exhibited resistance against ampicillin, aztreonam, clindamycin, and cefoxitin with a calculated multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index value of 0.4. In addition, the assembled CM-01 genome was successfully annotated against the Cluster of Orthologous Groups of proteins database, Gene Ontology database, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome pathway database. A comparative analysis of CM-01 with three representative strains of P. koreensis revealed that 92% of orthologous clusters were conserved among these four genomes, and only the CM-01 strain possesses unique elements related to pathogenicity and virulence. This study provides fundamental phenotypic and genomic information for the newly identified P. koreensis strain

Safety assessment of tocotrienol supplementation in subjects with metabolic syndrome: a randomised control trial

Previous studies have reported that tocotrienols (T3) possess many distinct properties such as antioxidant, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic, which are beneficial for the improvement of human health. However, there is limited data available on the safety assessment of T3 compared to tocopherols (T). A randomised, double-blinded, cross-over and placebo-controlled human clinical trial was conducted to determine the safety and tolerance of T3 supplementation in 31 subjects with metabolic syndrome. The subjects were supplemented with tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) 200 mg or placebo capsules twice daily for two weeks followed by a post-intervention visit. Results showed that T3 supplementation had no significant adverse effect on the red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts between TRF (5.10 ± 0.78 × 1012 litre-1, 7.35 ± 1.59 × 109 litre-1, 279.45 ± 73.86 × 109 litre-1, respectively) and placebo interventions (5.13 ± 0.76 × 1012 litre-1, 7.25 ± 1.95 × 109 litre-1, 267.45 ± 68.72 × 109 litre-1, respectively). Measures of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT)) and albumin did not differ between TRF (25.68 ± 10.72 IU litre-1, 38.26 ± 24.74 IU litre-1, 43.61 ± 2.26 g litre-1, respectively) and placebo interventions (27.39 ± 16.44 IU litre-1, 42.23 ± 33.58 IU litre-1, 43.68 ± 2.15 g litre-1, respectively). This study indicated that supplementation with T3 at the dosage of 400 mg per day for 14 days did not induce haematoxicity and hepatotoxicity in subjects with metabolic syndrome

Large-eddy simulation of shock-wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction with and without SparkJet control

© 2016 Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd. The efficiency and mechanism of an active control device "SparkJet" and its application in shock-induced separation control are studied using large-eddy simulation in this paper. The base flow is the interaction of an oblique shock-wave generated by 8° wedge and a spatially-developing Ma = 2.3 turbulent boundary layer. The Reynolds number based on the incoming flow property and the boundary layer displacement thickness at the impinging point without shock-wave is 20000. The detailed numerical approaches were presented. The inflow turbulence was generated using the digital filter method to avoid artificial temporal or streamwise periodicity. The numerical results including velocity profile, Reynolds stress profile, skin friction, and wall pressure were systematically validated against the available wind tunnel particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements of the same flow condition. Further study on the control of flow separation due to the strong shock-viscous interaction using an active control actuator "SparkJet" was conducted. The single-pulsed characteristic of the device was obtained and compared with the experiment. Both instantaneous and time-averaged flow fields have shown that the jet flow issuing from the actuator cavity enhances the flow mixing inside the boundary layer, making the boundary layer more resistant to flow separation. Skin friction coefficient distribution shows that the separation bubble length is reduced by about 35% with control exerted

Interleukins, laminin and epstein - barr virus latent membrane protein 1 (EBV LMP1) Promote metastatic phenotype in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of neoplasm that is highly prevalent in East Asia and Africa with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), genetic, and dietary factors implicated as possible aetiologic factors. Previous studies suggested the association of certain cytokines with the invasion and metastatic properties of NPC. The present study examined the roles of EBV latent membrane protein-1 (LMP1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) and laminin in the regulation of matrix-metalloproteinases (MMPs) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in NPC. The effects of these factors on <it>bmi-1</it>, an oncogene, and <it>ngx6</it>, a tumour suppressor gene, were also investigated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>TW01 cells expressing LMP1 (TW01-LMP1) were established via transfection with the B95.8 EBV LMP1 gene. Both TW01 and TW01-LMP1 cells were treated with 100 pg/ml IL-6, 1000 pg/ml IL-10 and 100 pg/ml TGF-β1, separately and also in combination at their respective concentration for 48 hours. Treated cells were subjected to laminin adherence assay. The cells were also cultured with and without laminin and assayed for MMP-3, MMP-9 and VEGF production using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The cellular apoptotic property was analysed using caspase-3 apoptosis assay. The expression of <it>bmi-1 </it>and <it>ngx6 </it>gene was investigated using real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>LMP1 was found to reduce the adherence of NPC cells towards laminin (p < 0.05) as compared to control. Treatment with IL-6 at 100 pg/ml enhanced the production of MMP-9 in both TW01 and TW01-LMP1 cells (p < 0.05). When cultured on laminin, the levels of MMP-3 and VEGF were significantly increased (p < 0.05) in TW01-LMP1 cells. TW01-LMP1 cells had relatively greater resistance to apoptosis as compared to TW01 cells (p < 0.05). Laminin, IL-6 and LMP1 were found to up-regulate the expression of <it>bmi-1 </it>and suppressed the expression of <it>ngx6</it>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We conclude that IL-6 reduced cell adherence towards laminin and increased MMP-9 production in NPC cells. Our data suggested that EBV LMP1 was able to confer resistance of apoptosis and increased MMP-9 production in NPC cells. When cultured on laminin, TW01 cells expressing the EBV LMP1 (TW0-LMP1) that were treated with IL-6 at 100 pg/ml displayed increased MMP-9 production, up-regulation of <it>bmi-1 </it>oncogene expression and down-regulation of <it>ngx6 </it>tumour suppressor gene expression. These findings implicate the roles of EBV LMP1, laminin and IL-6 in the promotion of invasion and metastasis in NPC.</p

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Teacher led school-based surveillance can allow accurate tracking of emerging infectious diseases - evidence from serial cross-sectional surveys of febrile respiratory illness during the H1N1 2009 influenza pandemic in Singapore

10.1186/1471-2334-12-336BMC Infectious Diseases12-BIDM