EFFECTS OF MICROWAVE AND SUN DRYING ON THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, FUNCTIONAL, AND BISCUIT MAKING PROPERTIES OF SWEET ORANGE PEEL FLOUR

Objective: The broad objective of the study was to determine the effects of microwave and sun drying on the chemical composition, functional, and biscuit making properties of sweet orange peel flour. Methods: Peels were prepared from sweet orange fruits and cut into thin pieces. The peel pieces were dried in a domestic microwave oven at power outputs of 200, 400, 600, and 800 W. Flour samples were prepared from the dried peel pieces, evaluated for chemical composition and functional properties, and compared with of the sun dried sweet orange peel flour. Each of the flours was used to substitute 10% wheat flour in biscuits, which were assessed for the chemical composition, physical, and sensory properties. Results: The microwave oven dried sweet orange peel flour contained higher amounts of ash, fat, fiber, and carbohydrate than the sun dried peel flour. The microwave drying decreased the total phenol content of the flour from 2.04 to 0.78 mg/g and the flavonoids content from 1.17 to 0.71 mg/g. The water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, and swelling capacity increased with the intensity of the microwave drying. The ash, crude fat, carbohydrate, fiber, and total phenol and flavonoids contents of the biscuits containing microwave dried peel flour were slightly (p>0.0.5) higher than those of the biscuits containing sundried peel flour. The diameter and height of the biscuits were not significantly (p>0.05) affected by the microwave oven drying. The spread ratio of the biscuit containing sun dried peel flour was 9.15 and decreased to a range of 7.530–5.595 for the biscuits containing microwave oven dried flour. The break strength and the weight of the biscuits increased with the power output of the microwave oven. The scores for flavor, texture, and overall acceptability of the biscuits containing sweet orange peel flour dried at 200 and 800 W were not significantly different (p>0.05). However, the scores for color and taste were higher for the biscuit containing the peel dried at higher power out puts (600 and 800 W) than the biscuits containing the peels dried at low power outputs (200 and 400 W). Conclusion: It is concluded that microwave oven drying at 200 W improved the proximate composition and phytochemical contents but decreased the functional properties of the sweet orange flour. The biscuit containing sweet orange peel flour dried at 200 W was preferred to the others for the chemical composition, physical, and sensory properties

Do delays in data availability limit the implementation of near real-time vaccine safety surveillance using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink?

Near real-time vaccine safety surveillance (NRTVSS) using electronic health records has been used to detect timely vaccine safety signals. Trial implementation of NRTVSS using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) has shown that there is limited power to detect safety signals for rare events. Delays in recording outcomes and receiving data influence the power and timeliness to identify a signal. Our work aimed to compare how different sources of delays influence power and expected time to signal to implement NRTVSS using CPRD. We studied seasonal influenza vaccine/Guillain-Barré syndrome and performed power and expected time to signal calculations for the 2013-2014/2014-2015 seasons. We used the Poisson-based maximised sequential probability ratio test, which compares observed-to-expected events. For each study season, we obtained an average Guillain-Barré syndrome/seizures age-sex-adjusted rate from the 5 previous seasons and then used this rate to calculate the expected number of events, assuming a 42-day risk-window. Calculations were performed for detecting rate ratios of 1.5 to 10. We compared power and timeliness considering combinations of the presence/absence of delays in recording outcomes and in receiving data. The R-package Sequential was used. In general, there was ≥80% power to detect increases in risk of ≥4 at the end of the season. Assuming absence of delays slightly improved power (a maximum increase of 4%) but did not noticeably reduce time to detect a signal. Removing delays in data availability is insufficient to significantly improve the performance of a NRTVSS system using CPRD. Expansion of CPRD data is required. KEY POINTS The Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) can be used to implement near real-time vaccine safety surveillance, but there is limited power to detect signals for rare outcomes. Delays in recording outcomes and in receiving data might limit power and timeliness of a system. We assessed the influence of these sources of delays to inform data providers of the steps required to improve a system using CPRD data. Removing delays in recording outcomes and receiving data is unlikely to significantly improve the performance of a system using CPRD data. Expansion of the data available is needed

Case-control association testing by graphical modeling for the Genetic Analysis Workshop 17 mini-exome sequence data

We generalize recent work on graphical models for linkage disequilibrium to estimate the conditional independence structure between all variables for individuals in the Genetic Analysis Workshop 17 unrelated individuals data set. Using a stepwise approach for computational efficiency and an extension of our previously described methods, we estimate a model that describes the relationships between the disease trait, all quantitative variables, all covariates, ethnic origin, and the loci most strongly associated with these variables. We performed our analysis for the first 50 replicate data sets. We found that our approach was able to describe the relationships between the outcomes and covariates and that it could correctly detect associations of disease with several loci and with a reasonable false-positive detection rate

The identification and validity of congenital malformation diagnoses in UK electronic health records: A systematic review

PURPOSE: To describe the methods used to identify and validate congenital malformation diagnoses recorded in UK electronic health records, and the results of validation studies. METHODS: Medline and Embase were searched for publications between 1987 and 2019 that involved identifying congenital malformations from UK electronic health records using diagnostic codes. The methods and code-lists used to identify congenital malformations, and the methods and results of validations, were examined. RESULTS: We retrieved 54 eligible studies; 36 identified congenital malformations from primary care data and 18 from secondary care data alone or in combination with birth and/or death records. Identification in secondary care data relied on codes from the 'Q' chapter for congenital malformations in ICD-10. In contrast, studies using primary care data frequently used additional codes outside of the 'P' chapter for congenital malformation diagnoses in Read, although the exact codes used were not always clear. Eight studies validated diagnoses identified in primary care data. The positive predictive value was highest (80-100%) for congenital malformations overall, major malformations, and heart defects although the validity of the reference standard used was often uncertain. It was lowest for neural tube defects (71%) and developmental hip dysplasia (56%). CONCLUSIONS: Studies identifying congenital malformations from primary care data provided limited details about the methods used. The few validation studies were limited to diagnoses recorded in primary care. Further assessments of all measures of validity in both data sources and of other malformation subgroups are needed, using robust reference standards and adhering to reporting guidelines. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Trends in the burden of varicella in UK general practice.

Childhood varicella vaccination has not yet been introduced in the UK. To inform decision-making about future vaccine programmes, data on the burden of varicella in general practice over a 10-year period (01/01/2005-31/12/2014) was calculated by age and ethnicity, using anonymised data from >8 million individuals in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Varicella consultations peaked at 20 603 in 2007, then decreased annually in all age groups to 11 243 in 2014. Each year, consultation rates were common among infants, were highest among 1-3 year olds (61·2 consultations/1000 person-years in 2007, 39·7/1000 person-years in 2014) and then fell with increasing age to <1·0/1000 person-years at ages ⩾20 years. Varicella acquisition appeared to be delayed in some ethnic groups, with lower consultation rates for children aged <3 years but increased rates for older children and adults aged ⩽40 years among those of black African, Afro-Caribbean, South Asian or other Asian ethnicity. Decreasing general practice consultation rates over time could reflect changes in healthcare utilisation, with patients seeking care in alternative settings such as Accident and Emergency Departments, although current data prevent full assessment of this. Availability of data on varicella diagnoses across all health settings would enable estimation of the total healthcare burden due to varicella and the cost-effectiveness of introducing varicella vaccination

First evidence of industrial fly-ash in an Antarctic ice core

Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) are a component of fly-ash, the particulate by-product of industrial high temperature combustion of fuel-oil and coal-series fuels. We provide the first evidence that these indelible markers of industrialisation have been deposited in Antarctic ice, thousands of kilometres from any potential source. The earliest observed particle was deposited in an ice layer from 1936 CE. While depositional fluxes are low, chemical analysis of individual SCPs indicates a coal combustion origin

Cyclo(RGDfK) Functionalized Spider Silk Cell Scaffolds: Significantly Improved Performance in Just One Click

Recombinant spider silk has the potential to provide a new generation of biomaterial scaffolds as a result of its degree of biocompatibility and lack of immunogenicity. These recombinant biomaterials are, however, reported to exhibit poor cellular adhesion which limits their potential for use in applications such as tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this study, a simple chemical functionalization approach is described that specifically addresses this issue and significantly improves the adhesion of human mesenchymal stem cells (CiMSCs) to a recombinant spider silk biomaterial. This utilizes copper‐catalyzed or strain‐promoted azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC/SPAAC) “click” chemistry to covalently attach cyclo(RGDfK) peptides to the azide group of l‐azidohomoalanine, a methionine analogue previously site specifically incorporated into the primary sequence of a thioredoxin (TRX)‐tagged silk fusion protein, TRX‐4RepCT, to give TRX3Aha‐4RepCT3Aha. This method is used to produce cyclo(RGDfK) functionalized films and macroscopic fibers. Over 24 h, cyclo(RGDfK) functionalized TRX3Aha‐4RepCT3Aha films and 4RepCT3Aha fibers display significantly improved performance in CiMSC culture, yielding far greater cell numbers than the controls. This approach circumvents the previously observed lack of cell adhesion, thus allowing spider silk derived biomaterials to be used where such adhesion is critical, in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and wound healing