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Exploring the functional potential of pea-based sourdough in traditional durum wheat focaccia: Role in enhancing bioactive compounds, in vitro antioxidant activity, in vitro digestibility and aroma
Get PDFLegume-based sourdough is gaining momentum. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of type I sourdough prepared with durum wheat semolina (S1), pea flour (S2) or 50:50 semolina/pea flour (S3) in improving the nutritional quality, antioxidant compounds, in vitro digestibility and aroma of traditional durum wheat focaccia. Six focaccias were prepared: three with 40 % of S1, S2 and S3, and three with the corresponding amount of unfermented flours. Pea sourdough increased the content of phenolic compounds (8.82 ± 0.12 mg GAE/g d.m. in focaccia with 40 % pea flour and 4.92 ± 0.41 mg GAE/g d.m. in unfermented semolina focaccia), and consequently increased the antioxidant activity. Focaccias with pea flour or pea sourdough were “source of protein” and “high fiber”, according to UE Reg. 1924/2006. Pea sourdough slowed down starch in vitro digestibility while enhancing protein digestibility and leading to a more complex volatile profile, with increased content of aldehydes, alcohols and Maillard reaction compounds
Innate cGAS-STING signaling in Doxorubicin cardiomyopathy
Get PDFDoxorubicin (DOX) is widely used to treat a variety of human cancers. However, a well-known but poorly understood side effect of DOX treatment is its cardiotoxic properties, which trigger cardiac cell death and heart failure. Autophagy is a cellular process responsible for the removal and degradation of damaged cellular components and proteins through a lysosomal regulated pathway. Previous research demonstrated that autophagy is impaired in cancer patients and mice treated with DOX. The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) - stimulator of interferon genes STING (cGAS-STING), is part of the innate immunity signaling pathway activated by cellular DAMPs such as nuclear DNA and chromatin associated HMBG1. Activation of cGAS-STING leads to cytokine production and cell death. However, the involvement of cGAS – STING pathway in DOX-cardiomyopathy is not well understood. Herein, we investigated the role of cGAS-STING pathway in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, as well as explore potential therapeutic interventions.
Methods: Neonatal cardiac myocytes (NCMCs) were isolated from 1-2 days old Sprague-Dawley rats and were treated with DOX in increasing doses (0.5µM, 1µM, 2.5µM, 5µM and 10µM). After eighteen hours of treatment, the cells were processed for Western blot analysis to evaluate the protein expression of protein markers involved in the innate immune pathway. To assess the impact of cGAS and STING inhibition on DOX-induced toxicity, cell viability and mitochondrial function assays were performed in presence and absence of the inhibitors on DOX treated cardiomyocytes.
Results and conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that in contrast to vehicle treated cells, DNA is present in the cytosol of cardiac myocytes when treated with DOX. This coincided with activation of cGAS-STING pathway, accompanied by elevated expression of NLRP3 and Bnip3 proteins leading to wide spread cell death. Notably, pharmacologic inhibition of cGAS or STING independently suppressed DOX-induced cardiac cell death. Our data reveal for the first time the involvement of cGAS-STING innate signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of DOX cardiotoxicity. We suggest that therapeutic interventions that modulate the innate immune pathway may prove beneficial to preserving cardiac function and mitigating cardiotoxicity in cancer patients treated with Dox.May 202
Passive wireless sensors based on contactless air-filled substrate integrated waveguide technology
No full textThis thesis aims to develop a chipless passive sensor capable of accurately measuring the time-varying electric field up to 14 kVpp/m with a dynamic range of 3 Hz to 1 kHz near high-voltage apparatus. It also has a sensitivity of 1.86 (kHz)/(V/m), and can be interrogated from a distance of 80 cm. The feasible maximum bandwidth of the external electric field is up to 50 kHz overall. As a passive device, the sensor requires no power source or batteries. The design features a multi-layered stacked printed circuit board (PCB) structure with a chipless cavity resonator in the industrial, scientific, and medical band of 2.4-2.5 GHz, that is based on contactless air-filled substrate integrated waveguide (CLAF-SIW) technology and includes an air cavity surrounded by a low-impedance electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structure. This design simplifies the fabrication of AF-SIW structures and offers a measured high unloaded Q-factor of up to 1340 while reducing dielectric loss. An aperture-coupled microstrip patch antenna is integrated with the CLAF-SIW resonator creating a compact, robust structure that does not require an external commercial antenna. Calibration techniques and far-field measurement results are presented using a wireless experimental setup to assess the performance of the compact sensor. The sensor resonant frequency is measured using a ringback-based wireless interrogation system. The CLAF-SIW sensor provides a high unloaded quality factor necessary for long- distance ringback-based interrogation. It is designed to detect fast time-varying measurands, such as AC electric fields. The multi-layered stacked sensor design allows easy replacement and modification of ground planes, allowing its use for other sensing applications, such as temperature and strain sensing. This thesis also explores wireless temperature sensing in a far-field scenario, where temperature variations cause shifts in the resonant frequency due to changes in the dielectric constant and dimensions of the structure.May 202
Lebrikizumab vs Other Systemic Monotherapies for Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis: Network Meta-analysis of Efficacy
Get PDFIntroduction: A systematic literature review and network meta-analysis (NMA) were conducted to compare the short-term efficacy of lebrikizumab to other biologic and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor monotherapies approved for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in adults and adolescents.
Methods: The NMA included randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled monotherapy phase 2 and 3 trials of biologics (lebrikizumab 250 mg every 2 weeks [Q2W], dupilumab 300 mg Q2W, and tralokinumab 300 mg Q2W) and JAK inhibitors (abrocitinib 100/200 mg daily, baricitinib 2/4 mg daily, and upadacitinib 15/30 mg daily) at approved doses. Efficacy outcomes included the proportions of patients achieving Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) improvement, an Investigator Global Assessment of 0 or 1 (IGA 0/1), and a ≥ 4-point improvement in pruritus/itch numeric rating scale score at 12 weeks (abrocitinib) or 16 weeks (other treatments). Itch was also assessed at week 4. A Bayesian NMA employing baseline risk-adjusted random effects models was used to estimate treatment differences.
Results: Twenty-two monotherapy studies involving 8531 patients were included in the NMA. By week 12/16, lebrikizumab had superior odds of achieving IGA 0/1 and itch improvement compared to baricitinib and tralokinumab; similar odds to dupilumab, abrocitinib, and upadacitinib 15 mg; and inferior odds to upadacitinib 30 mg. Additionally, lebrikizumab had a higher probability of improving EASI than baricitinib 2 mg; similar probability to baricitinib 4 mg, tralokinumab, dupilumab, abrocitinib, and upadacitinib 15 mg; and lower probability than upadacitinib 30 mg daily. At week 4, lebrikizumab had superior odds of improving itch compared to tralokinumab; similar odds to baricitinib, dupilumab, and abrocitinib 100 mg; and inferior odds to abrocitinib 200 mg and upadacitinib.
Conclusion: Among biologics, lebrikizumab was comparable to dupilumab and superior to tralokinumab in improving response rates at week 16. Upadacitinib 30 mg was the only JAK inhibitor with superior response rates compared to lebrikizumab
Two-phase detailed numerical modelling of falling film evaporation phenomena
No full textDesalination has been recognized as a climate-independent source of producing potable water that has a great importance due to the lack of drinking water in many countries.
One of the methods extensively used for removing salt from seawater is thermal distillation, which is known as a reliable technology for producing high-quality water through evaporation. Among different evaporation methods, a liquid falling film has been widely developed in the thermal desalination industry.
The flow characteristics of the falling evaporation process are complicated, and heat and mass transfer are strongly interdependent. Some previous numerical studies simplified the solution by using a boundary layer approximation, which is not capable of modelling reverse flows and recirculation zones. The previous models that solved the full governing equations (elliptic approach) applied the volume of fluid method (VOF), which is not able to precisely determine the location of the liquid and gas interface, therefore, it cannot accurately apply the interface jump conditions. Additionally, these studies commonly used mass transfer models based on estimations and empirical correlations, which introduce limitations to numerical simulations. Another limitation found in the previous studies is that none of them has considered the occurrence of the supersaturation phenomenon in the mixture phase, which may occur during the evaporation process.
In this research, a two-dimensional, two-phase model was developed using an in-house Fortran code that solves the steady-state, full elliptic governing equations for the liquid and gas phases. This modeling represents a significant advancement in the simulation of the evaporation phenomenon that employs innovative methods to address the aforementioned problems. This model is believed to be the most comprehensive and detailed approach compared to any previous numerical studies on falling film evaporation. A variety of boundary conditions and geometries have been utilized to analyze the details of evaporation and desalination phenomena. The results were then compared to available experimental and numerical data for validation purposes. In each stage, a new set of detailed results, including the effects of different parameters variation on flow characteristics and heat and mass transfer during the evaporation process are presented.May 202
Effect of polyphenols from Ascophyllum nodosum seaweeds on the rheology and digestion of corn starch gels and gluten-free bread features
Get PDFThe main objective of this work is to study the effect of polyphenols, from the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum, on the structure and digestion behaviour of gels at two corn starch concentrations (1.95 and 5.00% w/w) as well as the structure, color and texture features of crumbs from gluten-free breads. Adsorption isotherms of polyphenols on native and gelled starches were carried out and modelled by means of Langmuir and Henry models, respectively. The formation
and characteristics of tested gels were rheologically monitored by means of heating ramp, time sweep at high temperature, cooling ramp and frequency sweep at 25 ◦C. Elastic modulus values decreased with the presence of polyphenols. Additionally, the polyphenols significantly decreased the digestion rate, measured by both chemical and rheological procedures, and the final concentration of digested starch. Finally, the presence of polyphenols in breads increased the hardness and chewiness values and decreased the cohesiveness and resilience values as well as the crumb hardening during storage
Exploring the integration of orange peel for sustainable gluten-free flatbread making
Get PDFIn response to the growing demand for sustainable and nutritious gluten-free (GF) products, this study explore orange peel by-products as a breadmaking ingredient of GF rice or corn flatbreads. The orange peel powder exhibited remarkable water retention properties attributed to its high dietary fiber content. Partial pregelatinization of rice (64 g/100 g) and corn (67 g/100 g) flour allowed obtaining doughs with sufficient consistency and extensibility to obtain GF flatbreads. The inclusion of orange peel powder (0–9 g/100 g) influenced the consistency and thermal behavior of the dough. Modifying hydration levels mitigated the hardness resulting from orange peel powder substitution, leading to improved folding properties. Final products exhibited enhanced nutritional profiles, including higher ash and dietary fiber content. The optimum nutritional and technological outcomes were observed when employing the maximum substitution rate of 9 g/100 g, along with adjusted hydration (164 g/100 g for corn and 169 g/100 g for rice), with notable emphasis on the improved extensibility of the final products. Compared to rice-based flatbreads, corn-based flatbreads displayed more uniform dough
consistency, lower gelatinization enthalpy, higher yellowness, and decreased extensibility due to the stiffer dough texture. This study suggests that orange peel residue holds significant promise as a nutritional and technological enhancer for gluten-free flatbreads
Drug transporter mRNA expression and genital inflammation in South African women on oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
Get PDFAbstract Globally HIV remains a major public health problem. In sub-Saharan Africa most new HIV infections occur in adolescent girls and young women. Previously tested antiretroviral drugs as different pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) formulations have shown inconsistent levels of protection against HIV in African women. Besides adherence, biological factors such as drug transporter proteins are increasingly recognized as key modulators of PrEP levels. Drug transporter mRNA expression levels has been significantly correlated to altered PrEP levels in-vitro in different tissues, with inflammation identified as a further modifier of drug transporters mRNA expression and thus PrEP levels. We therefore, aimed to determine possible concordance between drug transporter mRNA expression in the female genital tract (FGT) and blood of N = 45 South African women taking oral PrEP-Truvada® [TDF/FTC)] over 6 months for HIV prevention. Additionally, we determined associations between drug transporter mRNA expression, genital inflammation, and blood-tenofovir diphosphate (TFV-DP). mRNA-expression of four efflux P-gp; MATE-1; MRP-2; MRP-4 and two influx OAT-1 and OAT-3 drug transporters were determined by qRT-PCR. Multiplexed technology was used to measure 27 cytokines to define genital inflammation. Significant positive correlations of mRNA expression for P-gp, MATE-1, MRP-2, and MRP-4 were observed between the FGT and blood at 3- and 6-months post-PrEP initiation (p < 0.05). For OAT-1 however, significant positive correlations were observed pre- and post-PrEP exposure (p < 0.05). Linear-mixed models showed moderate associations between FGT cytokines and drug transporter mRNA expression, with a direct relationship observed between MIP-1β concentration and MATE-1 mRNA expression. Similarly, PLS-DA showed that in women with genital inflammation, consistently higher mRNA expression of MATE-1 was observed compared to women without genital inflammation. No significant associations were observed between drug transporter mRNA expression and blood TFV-DP. Our results suggest that drug transporters may be similarly expressed in the FGT and blood. Furthermore, genital inflammation may modify PrEP levels by altering drug transporter mRNA expression. Collectively, our data may be used to better understand biological factors that may affect PrEP efficacy in African women who remain vulnerable to HIV
A cross-national, cross-sectional study of women's retention and advancement in Information Technology (IT) and Engineering careers – Sweden Report
Get PDFThis report offers summary results from the Sweden survey of the Cross-National, Cross-Sectional Study of Women’s Retention and Advancement in Information Technology and Engineering Careers project.
Women continue to be underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) fields. This project highlights factors that contribute to the retention and attrition rates of women working in engineering and information and communication technology (EICT) jobs across Canada, Sweden, and Germany. The primary objective of this project is to identify the impact of welfare state entitlements, job factors, and family/individual circumstances on women’s intent to stay or leave their jobs.
Our findings from the Sweden survey suggest that job-related factors such as limited permanent positions, dissatisfaction with salary, few promotion opportunities, and hostile climate are the main reasons for respondents’ job attrition. Therefore, workplaces that offer job security, good pay, and supportive peers, leaders and management can improve job retention.
Improvements to welfare state entitlements for students like increased study allowance, grants, and loans, and increases to benefits for illness/injury leave and unemployment may also reduce the pressures of work-life interference. The respondents for the Sweden survey did not support increasing child-related benefits or parental leave.
Another objective of this study is to evaluate the impact and variation of these circumstances by employment sector and work type. We directly compared the experiences of women working in engineering to computer science and information technology (CSIT), as well as women working in the academic sector to the non-academic sector. We also compared Sweden-born respondents to respondents born in other countries. Our findings indicate that broadly there is greater job retention within engineering than CSIT despite CSIT respondents expressing more career satisfaction and less workplace alienation. We also find that respondents born in Sweden have more career satisfaction and less workplace alienation compared to respondents born elsewhere. These differences highlight the need to take an intersectional approach to understanding women’s working experiences within EICT in Sweden.
In the future, we will compare these results to similar surveys administered in Germany and Canada to uncover potential similarities and differences in job attrition and retention cross-nationally. Overall, the statistical analysis demonstrates that, despite increased efforts to improve gender equity across STEM fields, gender inequalities, stereotypes, and biases remain problems within EICT in Sweden, shaping women’s day to day workplace experiences across employment sectors.
We would like to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for their support and funding of this project
High pressure processing at different hydration levels as a tool to enhance rice bran stability and techno-functionality
Get PDFHigh-pressure processing (HPP) enhances food safety and shelf life by inactivating microorganisms and preserving food quality, yet its effectiveness in low-humidity environments has not been evaluated. This study investigated the effects of HPP at 500 MPa for 15 min across varying hydration levels (15, 30, 60, 77 %) on rice bran (RB), aiming to identify microbial effectiveness, besides techno-functional and physicochemical properties. HPP effectively reduced mesophilic bacteria, molds and yeast of RB at > 15 % hydration level, achieving reductions of up to 4 logarithmic cycles in the latter, nearing the detection limit of the method. However, it did not significantly impact spore inactivation. HPP treatment of ≥ 30 % hydrated RB induced particles aggregation and a honeycomb formation. The interaction between hydration and HPP treatment significantly affected the distribution of total dietary fibers, with an increase in soluble dietary fiber from 8.73 g/100 g to 11.03 g/100 g after HPP treatment at 15 % hydration level. Protein solubility was enhanced by hydration (15, 30 and 60 %), and peroxide values decreased after HPP treatment at low hydration (≤30 %) but increased when applied to high hydrated (>30 %) RB. Emulsifying activity decreased upon HPP treatment of highly hydrated RB (≥60 %), but more stable emulsions were achieved after HPP, regardless of the hydration level. Therefore, this study highlights the potential of HPP as a sustainable approach to enhance the utilization of rice bran in food applications, addressing existing knowledge gaps regarding its processing under different moisture conditions