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Allergic rhinitis
No full textAbstract Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disorder that is strongly linked to asthma and conjunctivitis. Classic symptoms include nasal congestion, nasal itch, rhinorrhea and sneezing. A thorough history, physical examination and assessment of allergen sensitization are important for establishing the diagnosis of AR. Intranasal corticosteroids and second-generation antihistamines are the mainstay of treatment. Allergen immunotherapy is an effective immune-modulating treatment for use in addition to or as an alternative to pharmacologic therapy. This article provides an overview on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and appropriate management of AR.Key take-home messages AR is strongly linked with asthma and conjunctivitis. Allergen skin testing is the best diagnostic test to confirm AR. However, serum-specific IgE testing is a reasonable alternative. Intranasal corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment for most patients that present to physicians with AR. Second-generation oral antihistamines may also be used as first-line therapies. Allergen immunotherapy is an effective immune-modulating treatment in conjunction with or as an alternative to pharmacologic therapy. At any point in the management of patients with AR, referral to allergist should be considered for confirmatory diagnosis and treatment/management discussions
For God, King, and the soul of Canada: Christianity, First World War remembrance culture, and early Canadian nationalism
No full textThe depth to which Christianity influenced Canadian culture and war mobilization has been insufficiently considered. The Churches have long been understood to have played a supporting role in Canada’s First World War, but where major studies have looked at Britain and Germany’s participation in terms of ‘holy war,’ Canada has generally been considered only for its place in the British Empire and not for its own religious motivations. Similarly, the start of Canadian nationalism is often deemed a result of the First World War.
This study challenges these ideas by looking at the place the Churches and religion played in Canadian culture at the time, exploring in depth the huge influence religion had in Canadian society and through their support of the war and the significant impact they had on Canada’s participation and national sentiments. It explores how the Churches’ concern for the “soul of Canada,” a term used which appeared even before the war to describe Canada’s character and identity, drove the Churches’ active involvement in, and their understanding of, events.
Because of their desire to keep Canada Christian and British, goals they thought could be achieve through the war, they whole-heartedly embraced the First World War. The Churches’ motivations and the results of their support, from the ways they justified participation in the war to the effects they had on the Canadian population, ensured that a Christian interpretation of the war and the deaths of soldiers became the dominant cultural interpretation of the war. The Churches’ long-standing desire to shape “Canada’s soul,” combined with Canadians' desire for meaning in the First World War, led to increased nationalistic sentiments. This impacted the development of a robust “remembrance culture” in Canada, one that favoured religious and national interpretation of the war and continues to influence Canadian symbols and ceremonies.
Combining the results of Christian cultural influence, religious justification and memorialisation of the war, and the Churches’ concern for the “soul of Canada,” this study shows the strong Christian culture influence and the religious-based development of remembrance culture and early Canadian nationalism.February 202
Effect of defatting method on the structure and function of moringa seed proteins
No full textThe global drive for sustainable food systems highlights the potential of underutilized crops like Moringa stenopetala (MS) for their nutritional and functional properties. This study examines the impact of defatting methods on the physicochemical and functional properties of MS protein isolates prepared using alkaline isoelectric precipitation (ISO) and NaCl membrane filtration (MEM_NaCl). Protein isolates were derived from cold-pressed MS meal, both undefatted (UMGPI) and defatted using acetone (AMGPI), hexane (HMGPI), methanol (MMGPI), ethanol (EMGPI; 70%, 7EMGPI; 50%, 5EMGPI), and water (WMGPI).
ISO yielded superior protein recovery (41.73 – 83.23%) and content (69.50 – 83.24%) compared to MEM_NaCl, which achieved lower recovery rates (12.96 – 63.67%) and content (28.21 – 72.83%). Thus, ISO-prepared isolates were prioritized for further analysis. UMGPI provided the highest yield, while AMGPI showed superior protein content and solubility (25 – 75%) across pH levels 3 – 9. MMGPI stood out for high amino acid values, while AMGPI exhibited the highest foaming capacity (~80%) and stability at pH 7 and 9. Protein solubility peaked at pH 3.
Intrinsic fluorescence revealed weak tyrosine (303 nm) and pronounced tryptophan peaks (348 nm), with MMGPI showing the highest intensity at pH 3. 7EMGPI excelled in in vitro protein digestibility (81.32%) and oil-holding capacity (3.93 g/g). Water-holding capacity was highest in 5EMGPI (2.81 g/g). UMGPI retained the highest phenolic content (1.39 – 1.53 mg GAE/g), while WMGPI had the lowest (0.57 – 1.29 mg GAE/g). Bitterness intensities ranged from 23.34 (MMGPI) to 28.24 (AMGPI).
Enzymatic hydrolysis with alcalase (ALH), flavourzyme (FLH), and pepsin + pancreatin (PPH) improved bioactivity. PPH achieved the highest protein recovery (86.23%), superoxide scavenging (25.77 – 84.55%), and metal chelation (4.64%). ALH demonstrated the highest protein content (72.16%), lowest peptide molecular weight (0.38–2.19 kDa), potent ACE inhibition (15.07 – 66.56%), and renin inhibition (24.89 – 51.68%). FLH excelled in pancreatic lipase inhibition (42.06 – 64.38%) and arginase inhibition (13.18 – 34.57%).
These findings highlight the role of defatting methods in optimizing MS protein functionality, with AMGPI emerging as a promising candidate for functional foods and nutraceuticals. Enzymatic hydrolysis, particularly with alcalase, further broadens their application potential.NSERC-CAPTURE CREATE ProgramMay 202
Differential effects of type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes on maternal and cord blood adipokines and newborn weight
Get PDFAbstract Background Dysregulated adipokine levels are associated with type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. Adiponectin and leptin are involved in nutrient transport, thereby affecting fetal growth and metabolism. We aimed to determine whether type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes were associated different levels of serum and cord blood adiponectin, leptin, insulin and offspring birthweight. Methods Serum, cord blood, gestational age and birthweight were collected for First Nations mothers and infants who were enrolled in the Next Generation Cohort Study. A total of 173 maternal and 188 neonatal samples were available for analysis. Of those, 136 were matched maternal infant dyads that we used for paired mother-infant analyses. Pairs were sorted into groups based on maternal diagnoses of pre-existing type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes or no diabetes (control). Adiponectin and leptin were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Results Mothers with gestational diabetes had lower serum adiponectin (6.48 ± 3.64 µg/mL) in the third trimester relative to mothers with type 2 diabetes (8.55 ± 5.24 µg/mL, p < 0.05) or no diabetes (7.73 ± 3.47 µg/mL). However, cord blood adiponectin was lower only in normal weight pregnancies complicated by type 2 diabetes. Cord blood glucose, insulin and leptin were increased in infants of type 2 diabetes mothers and increased leptin was positively correlated with maternal leptin and birth weight. Female infants exposed to pregestational type 2 diabetes had a significantly higher birthweight z-score than female control infants. Conclusions In this study, exposure to type 2 diabetes, but not gestational diabetes, impacted cord blood levels of glucose, insulin and leptin and birthweight. Collectively, these factors may contribute to the greater impact of pregestational type 2 diabetes exposure on offspring health relative to gestational diabetes
Guiding trust: The role of labeling information in the market for gluten-free pasta (2019–2023)
Get PDFLabeling transparency is crucial in today's consumer landscape, ensuring informed choices and trust. Food labels are the first piece of consumers' information and become critical when foods must meet dietary restrictions. Gluten-free pasta, with its widespread consumption, is a fitting model to evaluate labels’ contribution to food literacy. The scope of this study is to examine the clean status and transparency of gluten-free pasta labels in the global marketplace analyzing by ingredient composition, nutritional facts, nutritional claims, and the implementation of quantitative ingredient declarations (QUID). To achieve this, Mintel Global New Product Database (GNPD) was used to retrieve a total of 1188 products sold from 2019 to 2023. Findings revealed variations in gluten-free pasta ingredients, with fresh and dry types varying in nutrients. Branded and private-label pasta differed in salt content, while pulses-based pasta was fiber and protein-rich but pricier. Organic pasta did not consistently show superior qualities, and whole grains did not change nutrition or price. Vegan options were similar in nutrition and price to vegetarian choices. While nutritional claims generally complied with regulations, inconsistent use of QUID usage highlighted the need for stricter labeling standards to ensure product transparency and support consumer decision-making. Our findings underline the critical role of clear and accurate labeling in empowering consumers and advocate for enhanced regulatory oversight
“There is so much meaning, and also it is so stressful” Wellbeing for newcomer workers in the settlement sector: A participatory action research study
Get PDFThis is a participatory action research study within a critical realist paradigm, developed to work with a group of Newcomer workers in a settlement sector agency in Canada, to understand the complex set of forces that affect their wellbeing at work, and to make reccommendations for improvement to the organization. The study was comprised of two PAR cycles – one with an initial group of six Newcomer workers at a single organization, and a subsequent cycle with four more Newcomer workers at different organizations.
The study found that within this group of workers, the workers unanimously stated that the barriers in the settlement sector system, the barriers to accessing resources in the local community that they and their clients face, and the disconnect between the workers and the organization, had a far greater impact on their wellbeing than their clients’ stories of trauma and loss. The workers expressed the importance of their connections with their clients, which increase the meaningfulness of their work. This meaningfulness, along with their fears of setting boundaries as Newcomers, create a system where the workers donate large amounts of unpaid work as well as provide care to their communities in the off-work hours. With the high level of stressful work, combined with constant changes in the system, there is a disconnect between the workers’ focus on their clients’ needs, and the management’s focus on the needs of the funder, resulting in the workers’ needs not being well met. The group developed recommendations to address particular stresses at the organization level, and outcomes were shared with organization management, the team of supervisors, and the larger staff of Newcomer workers.May 202
Revisionary superheroes and speculative romance: disidentificatory tactics of South Asian representation and fandom in Western popular culture
Get PDFThis thesis analyzes how creators deploy nuanced and inherently political tactics to represent and maintain a presence for South Asian subjectivities in Western popular culture. I borrow the term “tactics” from Micheal de Certeau’s theorization of the idea as “styles of social exchange, technical invention, and moral resistance” (106) that are capable of insinuating into sociopolitical hegemonic systems that support and sustain imperialism and neoliberalism. In order to “trick the order” (de Certeau 106), the authors/creators (and, in some cases, the fictional characters and the fandoms) go through tactical disidentificatory processes which can be understood as “a partial disavowal of [a] cultural form that works to restructure [the power structure] from within” (28) as José Esteban Muñoz describes. The disidentificatory politics of popular culture, its subgenres (superhero comics and historical romance), and the tactical inclusion of South Asian representation by the creators of the works are the primary areas of analysis. Chapter One studies Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Ms. Marvel, the story of a Pakistani-American teenage superhero. The second chapter continues the discussion by analyzing the Disney+ adaptation of the comic. The chapters on Ms. Marvel argue that the characterization of the superhero proposes a revisionary understanding of the term superhero, unlike the one currently deriving from white, patriarchal societal values. Chapter Three analyses Netflix’s show Bridgerton’s second season and its story of two British-Indian sisters living in a mixed-race upper class in Regency-era Britain. This chapter advocates for the speculative tendencies of the romance show and establishes the disidentification as practiced by Brown characters and the fandoms. Ultimately, this thesis contends that disidentificatory tactics used in Western popular culture lend theoretical scaffolding for praxis, which is vital for our analysis of art in a neoliberal society still dominated by structures of whiteness.May 202
Validation of the new interpretation of Gerasimov’s nasal projection method for forensic facial approximation using CT data
Get PDFThe most common method to predict nasal projection for the purpose of forensic facial approximation is Gerasimov’s two-tangent method. It was recently argued that previous validation studies did not properly perform Gerasimov’s original methodology and a revised set of guidelines was proposed. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of the different version of the two-tangent method using a sample of 66 postmortem cranial CT data. Intraobserver error was evaluated using a subsample of 10 individuals and the results demonstrated that experience affects the accuracy. Overall, the revised guidelines consistently resulted in smaller mean difference from the true tip. On the other hand, none of the methods were found to be statistically accurate (p>0.05) in positioning the tip of the nose (absolute distance > 5 mm). These results seem to support that Gerasimov’s method was not properly performed and the new guidelines should be used instead
“I’m not alone”: perinatal women’s experiences in an online self-directed program for perinatal anxiety
Get PDFAbstract Background Anxiety is highly prevalent during pregnancy and postpartum, and access to treatment can be difficult due to a range of barriers (e.g., time, distance, and service availability). Online treatments have the potential to circumvent these barriers and may, therefore, be beneficial for the perinatal population. The present study leveraged qualitative methods to understand participants’ perspectives on their use of a six-module online self-directed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) program for perinatal anxiety as part of a randomized controlled trial. Methods A mixed qualitative method design was used for this study. A total of 95 perinatal women were randomized to an intervention or waitlist control condition for an online self-directed program (Overcoming Perinatal Anxiety; OPA). Both waitlist and intervention participants provided open-ended feedback on each module via online surveys. A subset of individuals (n = 20) assigned to the intervention condition completed a virtual qualitative interview about their experiences using the program. Data obtained from open-ended survey questions and qualitative interviews were analyzed using Conventional Content Analysis (open-ended survey) and Reflexive Thematic Analysis (interviews). Results Open-ended survey data were categorized into three themes, with associated sub-themes: User experience (subthemes: accessibility and modality), Perceptions of content (sub-themes: validating, informative, hopeful, anxiety-inducing, emotionally “heavy”, and helpful), and Barriers to program engagement (subthemes: lack of time and energy, technical difficulties, challenging and external factors). Qualitative interview data were categorized into the following main themes, with associated subthemes: Tensions in engaging with the self-directed program (subthemes: connecting and multi-tasking, “finding the time,” module length and pacing, pen to paper, and “thanks for the reminder but don’t rush me”), “I’m not alone,” (subthemes: relating to the content, sharing anxiety with “inner circle,” and voicing a desire to connect with other “moms feeling the same way”), and “I’m managing my anxiety” (subthemes: “understanding my anxiety,” using “strategies to help with my anxiety,” “taking time for myself,” and moving forward). Conclusion Findings highlight that online self-directed treatment can be an acceptable and feasible option for perinatal anxiety. Findings show promise for the scalability of OPA to improve access to psychological treatment for perinatal people experiencing anxiety. Trial registration Clinical Trial Identifier: NCT04844138 (clinicaltrials.gov). Trial registration submitted: [April 5, 2021] accepted: [April 14, 2021]
Molecular mechanisms of E1A splicing and innate immune suppression by human adenovirus
Get PDFHuman adenovirus (HAdV) is a collection of viral species (A through G) within the family adenoviridae that are associated with a wide variety of diseases including respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, as well as keratoconjunctivitis. Most infections tend to be mild and self-clearing, but certain species (HAdVs B and E especially) are much more dangerous than average, especially to children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. Here I report my findings on two less-studied aspects of HAdV biology. First, I show that the smallest three splicing isoforms of the HAdV-C E1A protein are not properly generated when the E1A genomic region is supplied in trans, and that this reduces E1-deficient HAdV growth approximately twofold; an important discovery for generation of therapeutic HAdV vectors, as these are almost always E1-deficient. Second, I compare IFN resistance in HAdVs C (mild) and B (severe), revealing that HAdV-B is superior at preventing host cell ISG expression. I theorize that this may be in part due to a novel mechanism in which the virus sequesters away the host cell protein RuvBL1 to prevent its role in ISG expression. These results shed new light on two aspects of HAdV, both in terms of its role as a pathogen and as a therapeutic vector.May 202