Unlocking Quercetin's Neuroprotective Potential: A Focus on Bee-Collected Pollen.

In the quest to evade side effects associated with synthetic drugs, mankind is continually exploring natural sources. In recent decades, neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) have surged dramatically compared to other human diseases. Flavonoids, naturally occurring compounds, have emerged as potential preventers of NDD development. Notably, quercetin and its derivatives demonstrated excellent antioxidant properties in the fight against NDDs. Recognizing bee-collected pollen (BP) as a well-established excellent source of quercetin and its derivatives, this review seeks to consolidate available data on the prevalence of this flavonoid in BP, contingent upon its botanical and geographical origins. It aims to advocate for BP as a superb natural source of "drugs" that could serve as preventative measures against NDDs. Examination of numerous published articles, detailing the phenolic profile of BP, suggests that it can be a great source of quercetin, with an average range of up to 1000 mg/kg. In addition to quercetin, 24 derivatives (with rutin being the most predominant) have been identified. Theoretical calculations, based on the recommended dietary intake for quercetin, indicate that BP can fulfil from 0.1 to over 100 % of the requirement, depending on BP's origin and bioaccessibility/bioavailability during digestion.

Role of gum Arabic combined with cinnamic acid coating on quality and cell wall degradation enzymes of mango fruits at low temperature.

Mango exhibits a short shelf life when kept under ambient conditions. Therefore, this study was carried out to assess the synergistic effect of gum Arabic (GA) and cinnamic acid (CA) coatings on mango fruits stored for 28 days at 12 ± 1 °C. The treatments included GA 10 and 20 % sole and its formulation with CA 0.2 % while the uncoated fruits were used as control. The results revealed that GA + CA coatings exhibited reduced weight loss, flesh firmness, delayed respiratory peak, retained soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA) and skin colour, retarded spoilage, and decreased electrolyte leakage of fruit as compared to uncoated fruit during storage. Among all, the coating GA 20 % + CA 0.2 % maintained higher firmness (16.6 N), SSC (20.1 %), TA (0.71 %), total flavonoid content (152 mg/kg) and total carotenoids content (45.1 mg/kg) and retained the higher sensory quality of mango fruit at the end of storage. Additionally, the GA 20 % + CA 0.2 % coating suppressed activities of polygalacturonase (PG), cellulase (CL) and pectin methyl esterase (PME) in stored mango fruits.

Incorporation of pea peel powder: Effect on dough quality, physical properties and shelf life of the cookies.

The present study was conducted to utilize the commonly discarded pea processing industrial waste (pea pods) for the development of popularly consumed food as cookies. Sweet and salted cookies were prepared by substituting refined and whole wheat flour with pea pod powder at the levels of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. The effect of incorporation of pea pod powder on pasting properties of flour, dough characteristics, physical properties and organoleptic attributes of cookies was studied. With the increase in the level of incorporation of pea peel to wheat flour, water absorption capacity increases by 11-14% and dough development time by 1.8 to 2.3 min but decreased final viscosity by 39-49% and dough stability time by 3 min. Addition of pea peel powder to wheat flour improved the physical properties of cookies. On the basis of organoleptic score and physical properties, 10% substitution of whole wheat flour with pea peel powder was accepted. Addition of 10% pea peel powder to the cookies increased fiber content by 49%, insoluble fiber by 118% and soluble fiber by 77.5%. The optimized sweet and salty cookies were packed in different packaging materials and were stored at ambient conditions for 4 months. Cookies packed in aluminum laminate had shelf life beyond 4 months than other packaging materials. The cookies were organoleptically acceptable among the consumers and were rich in fiber. Thus, pea processing waste could be utilized as an ingredient for the development of nutritionally enriched cheap food products. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-023-05780-6.

Moisture sorption isotherms characteristics for shelf-life prediction of peanuts (Arachis Hypogaea L.).

BACKGROUND: The spring grown peanut varieties J87 and TG37A are prone to quality deterioration as a result of high temperature and relative humidity during harvesting. Thus, the sorption isotherms of peanut varieties were evaluated at 25, 35 and 45 °C and the water activity (aw ) range of 0.110-0.975 aiming to predict the suitable storage conditions, packaging material and shelf-life. RESULTS: The equilibrium moisture content (EMC) increased with increased aw and isotherms of type II were observed. The monolayer moisture content varied between 3.135% and 4.235% for J87 and between 3.906% and 5.640% for TG37A variety. The experimental data were fitted to seven mathematical models. The variations in correlation coefficients were in the range 0.879-0.992 and in root mean square were in the range 0.055-1.988. On the basis of statistical parameters, Guggenheim Anderson de Boer and Double Log Polynomial were considered to be best fitted models. At aw of 0.6, critical moisture content (CMC) was 7.59%, 7.060% and 5.89% for J87 and 9.06%, 8.904% and 7.80% for TG37A at 25, 35 and 45 °C, respectively. The shelf-life prediction model provided that the aluminum packages had the maximum predicted shelf-life of around 1779 days for TG37A and 1077 days for J87 variety at 25 °C with an initial moisture content of 5.91% and 4.81%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The EMC and CMC evaluated from sorption study provided the basis for determination of package properties and shelf life. Aluminum packages had the minimum water vapor transmission rate and permeability. Hence, peanuts packaged in these bags and stored at 25 °C and 75% relative humidity had the potential to attain the maximum storage life. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Development and standardization of processing technique for ready-to-use lab fermented Kanji mix using refractance window dried black carrot powder.

Black carrots are rich in bio-actives but underutilized owing to their short-term availability and perishable nature. Traditionally, black carrots have been used for the preparation of Kanji-a fermented non-dairy beverage prepared using natural fermentation by lactic acid bacteria and a few spices. This plant-based probiotic beverage has high antioxidant properties but there is a risk of contamination with pathogens due to uncontrolled fermentation during storage. To enhance the availability of this nutritious beverage throughout the year and to ensure the microbiological safety of the traditional fermented product, the present study was planned to optimize the process for controlled fermentation using freeze-dried lactic acid bacterial (LAB) culture and refractance window-dried black carrot powder. The physicochemical and microbiological profiles of LAB-fermented Kanji were analysed. The dried Kanji mix can be reconstituted into naturally fermented probiotic beverage with unique flavour and aroma along with ensured microbiological safety and enhanced commercial value.

Challenges and Opportunities for Professional Medical Publications Writers to Contribute to Plain Language Summaries (PLS) in an AI/ML Environment - A Consumer Health Informatics Systematic Review.

Professional medical publications writers (PMWs) cover a wide range of biomedical writing activities that recently includes translation of biomedical publications to plain language summaries (PLS). The consumer health informatics literature (CHI) consistently describes the importance of incorporating health literacy principles in any natural language processing (NLP) app designed to communicate medical information to lay audiences, particularly patients. In this stepwise systematic review, we searched PubMed indexed literature for CHI NLP-based apps that have the potential to assist PMWs in developing text based PLS. Results showed that available apps are limited to patient portals and other technologies used to communicate medical text and reports from electronic health records. PMWs can apply the lessons learned from CHI NLP-based apps to supervise development of tools specific to text simplification and summarization for PLS from biomedical publications.

Influence of ozonation and roasting on functional, microstructural, textural characteristics, and aflatoxin content of groundnut kernels.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the influence of ozonation, roasting and their combination on the moisture content, color, functional, structural, textural components, and aflatoxins in groundnut kernels. Samples were subjected to three treatments namely, dry roasting (R): 166°C for 7 min; gaseous ozone treatment (O): 6 mg/L for 30 min; combined ozonation-roasting (OR): gaseous ozonation at 6 mg/L for 30 min followed by dry roasting at 166°C for 7 min. The ozonated-roasted samples had the lowest moisture content (3.45%), the highest total phenolic content (4.18 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g), and antioxidants capacity (69.59%). The treatments did not induce significant changes in color of kernels (p < .05). Scanning electron microscopy indicated cracking of granules in roasted and swelling in ozonated kernels whereas more uniform orientation of granules was observed in ozonated-roasted kernels. Roasted and ozonated kernels indicated a significant reduction of fracturability force to 54.60 and 14.11%, respectively, whereas ozonated-roasted samples demonstrated a nonsignificant increase (4.37%). An increase in wave number of ozonated samples to 3,289.37 cm-1 in Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum (FTIR) indicated stretching in OH groups. FTIR spectrum of ozonated-roasted kernels suggested the formation of a new compound with CC and CC groups. The major aflatoxin B1 was reduced to maximum, that is, 100% in ozonated-roasted kernels followed by ozonated (80.95%) and roasted (57.14%) samples. The findings indicate that the ozonation-roasting treatment had a prominent role in the enhancement of functional compounds, structural and textural attributes along with the considerable reduction in aflatoxin content.

Respiratory properties of fresh black carrot (Dacus Carota L.) based upon non-linear enzyme kinetics approach.

The present work was undertaken with an objective to evaluate the impact of temperature on respiration rate of fresh black carrot using a non-linear enzyme kinetics approach. Two different models viz. Arrhenius equation (temperature effect) and enzyme kinetics (effect of temperature and headspace concentration) have been compared for predicting the respiration rate of black carrot. The respiratory behavior of black carrot was assessed using closed system technique at 5, 10 and 15 °C (± 1 °C) temperature and constant relative humidity (RH) of 85%. The O2 consumption and CO2 evolution rate values were 39.17, 58.88 and 68.08 ml kg-1 h-1; 22.15, 34.63 and 41.86 ml kg-1 h-1 after the attainment of steady-state condition at 5, 10 and 15 °C, respectively. The inhibition by evolved CO2 was found to be predominantly competitive at all temperatures. The average absolute deviation in O2 consumption and CO2 evolution rate for Arrhenius model was 3.5% and 5.3% while for enzyme kinetics model was 8.8% and 6.3%, respectively. Dependency of respiration rate of black carrot on temperature was well defined by Arrhenius model. The outcomes of the study can be further utilized to design the MAP (modified atmosphere packages) for fresh black carrot storage at 5 °C with 85% RH.

Active modified atmosphere packaging of yellow bell pepper for retention of physico-chemical quality attributes.

This investigation was carried out to evaluate the effect of active and passive modified atmosphere packaging on quality and shelf life of yellow bell pepper fruits. Yellow bell pepper fruits were packaged in 150 gauge LDPE packages with oxygen absorbers for active modification and without oxygen absorber for passive modification of headspace and were stored at different temperatures i.e. 5, 10 and 15 °C and RH of 85 ± 5%. Headspace gas concentration within the packages was monitored regularly. The quality of packaged fruits was studied in terms of physiological loss in weight, firmness, total colour difference antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content. The actively modified packages attained steady state levels of 4.8% O2 and 7.1% CO2 on 4th day of storage as compared to passively modified packages in which steady state was not attained even at end of storage period of 12 days. The retention of quality attributes was observed to be higher in active packages than in passive packages. Moreover, the shelf life of actively packaged fruits was enhanced to 28 days as compared to 12 days for passively packaged fruits. The in-pack atmosphere attained in active packages hence proved beneficial in retarding the senescence thereby extending the shelf life.

Physico-chemical properties, bioactive compounds and color parameters of coriander puree: effect of pretreatments and freezing.

Coriander, one of the most widely utilized herb, is a short duration herb having very short shelf life. The present investigation involved development of an innovative process for enhancing the utilization and the availability of this herb. This process involves pretreatment, blanching and freezing to form ready to use frozen coriander puree tablets. Coriander was subjected to different pretreatments viz. T1: 0.25% potassium metabisulphite, T2: 0.5% citric acid and T3: 0.2% potassium metabisulphite + 0.1% magnesium chloride + 0.1% sodium bicarbonate. The pretreated coriander was blanched in hot water for 2 min and processed into puree having total soluble solids (TSS) as 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5°Brix. Pretreatments significantly affected the all quality parameters except moisture content. TSS had non significant effect on a* value, chroma, pH ascorbic acid and total flavonoid content of processed coriander puree. Coriander puree obtained with T1 pretreatment exhibited better quality than with other pretreatments. T1 pretreated and blanched puree was then frozen in silicon moulds using air blast freezing and deep freezing. Frozen puree tablets were evaluated for quality. The best quality coriander puree obtained from T1 pretreated, blanched puree having TSS 4.5°Brix frozen by continuous air-blast freezing (at a conveyor speed of 4.40 × 10-3m/s) comparable results to deep freezing having. All quality parameters, except pH, were significantly affected by TSS level of puree as well as different freezing treatments.

Influence of packaging and storage conditions on biochemical quality and enzymatic activity in relation to shelf life enhancement of fresh basil leaf.

Biochemical changes in response to storage conditions and packaging were investigated in basil leaves of variety Genovese in order to find out suitable conditions for their storage. Fresh basil leaves placed in open trays or packed in lowdensity polyethylene (LDPE) bags were stored at 5, 12 °C and under ambient conditions (12.2-21.0 °C) for 12 days. Chlorophyll content, total phenols, total flavonoids and antioxidant activity of basil leaves decreased with simultaneous increase in electrolyte leakage and TBA reactive compounds during whole storage period. Packaging of leaves and storage at 5 °C slowed down the changes in these quality parameters in comparison to those kept in open trays and stored at 12 °C and ambient temperature respectively. Activities of enzymes catechol oxidase and lipoxygenase which increased during storage were slowed down by packaging and decrease in storage temperature. Irrespective of storage conditions and packaging, activities of antioxidative enzymes viz. catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase increased during storage. Rapid increase in activities of antioxidative enzymes was observed LDPE packed leaves than those held in open trays and in leaves stored at 5 °C as compared to 12 °C and ambient temperature. Basil leaves packed in LDPE and stored at 5 °C showed the slowest changes in biochemical parameters and the highest activities of antioxidative enzymes and could be stored for 12 days in comparison to 6 days in open trays at ambient temperature.

Comparative evaluation of different histoprocessing methods.

OBJECTIVES: Tissue processing for years is carried out by the conventional method, which is a time-consuming technique resulting in 1-day delay in diagnosis. However, in this area of modernization and managed care, rapid diagnosis is increasingly desirable to fulfill the needs of clinicians. The objective of the present study was to compare and determine the positive impact on turnaround times of different tissue processing methods by comparing the color intensity, cytoplasmic details, and nuclear details of the tissues processed by three methods. METHODS: A total of sixty biopsied tissues were grossed and cut into three equal parts. One part was processed by conventional method, second by rapid manual, and third by microwave-assisted method. The slides obtained after processing were circulated among four observers for evaluation. Sections processed by the three techniques were subjected to statistical analysis by Kruskal-Wallis test. Cronbach's alpha reliability test was applied to assess the reliability among observers. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparing mean shrinkage before and after processing. RESULTS: All observers were assumed to be reliable as the Cronbach's reliability test was statistically significant. The results were statistically non-significant as observed by Kruskal-Wallis test. One-way ANOVA revealed a significant value on comparison of the tissue shrinkage processed by the three techniques. The histological evaluation of the tissues revealed that the nuclear-cytoplasmic contrast was good in tissues processed by microwave, followed by conventional and rapid manual processing techniques. The color intensity of the tissues processed by microwave was crisper, and there was a good contrast between the hematoxylin and eosin-stained areas as compared to manual methods. CONCLUSION: The overall quality of tissues from all the three methods was similar. It was not feasible to distinguish between the three techniques by observing the tissue sections. Microwave-assisted tissue processing has reduced the time from sample reception to diagnosis, thus enabling the same-day processing and diagnosis.

Penetration barrier contributes to bacterial biofilm-associated resistance against only select antibiotics, and exhibits genus-, strain- and antibiotic-specific differences.

Bacterial biofilms are implicated in a wide range of implant-based and chronic infections. These infections are often associated with adverse therapeutic outcomes, owing to the decreased antibiotic susceptibility of biofilms compared with their planktonic counterparts. This altered biofilm susceptibility has been attributed to multiple factors, including a reduced antibiotic penetration. Although several studies have addressed the role of penetration barrier in biofilm-associated drug resistance, it remains inconclusive. This study was done to elucidate antibiotic penetration through biofilms formed by Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, using an agar disk diffusion assay. Penetration capacity of six antimicrobial drugs from different classes (ß-lactams, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, phenicols, fluoroquinolones and glycopeptides) through biofilms formed by standard strains and clinical isolates from catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) was elucidated by measuring their growth-inhibition zones in lawn cultures on Mueller-Hinton agar, following diffusion of an antibiotic from an overlying disk through their biofilm to the agar medium. Penetration of only select antimicrobials (vancomycin and chloramphenicol) was hindered through biofilms. There was considerable variation in biofilm-permeating capacity depending upon the genus, strain/CRBSI isolate and antibiotic tested. Furthermore, antibiotics failed to kill the biofilm cells independent of penetration, indicating that other factors contributed substantially to biofilm resistance.

Minimally invasive bone-saving orbitotomy for removal of optic nerve cysticercosis.

A 32-year-old man previously being managed for multiple neurocysticercosis presented with a reduction in vision and pain on eye movement. Fundus examination revealed disc edema with venous dilatation. MRI showed a localized hypointensity on T1 weighted images and hyperintensity on T2 weighted images suggestive of a cyst in the optic nerve sheath. Medical therapy with albendazole and steroids did not improve vision. Surgical removal of the cyst was achieved by a modified lateral orbital exploration using a lateral canthal incision without bone removal, with full recovery of vision. Histopathological examination confirmed cysticercosis.

Respiratory dynamics of fresh baby corn (Zea mays L.) under modified atmospheres based on enzyme kinetics.

The respiratory behaviour of baby corn - whole and end-cut, under different temperatures and gas conditions was evaluated to study its respiratory dynamics based upon enzyme kinetics. The dependence of respiration rate on the O2 and CO2 concentrations has been described assuming the enzyme kinetics model for combined type of inhibition caused by CO2. Various respiratory parameters viz. maximal O2 consumption rate Michaelis-Menten constants, Inhibition constants under the specified environmental conditions of 5, 12.5, 20°C and 75% relative humidity (RH) were estimated using non-linear regression technique. The enzyme kinetics parameters were analyzed according to Arrhenius law to study their temperature dependence. Based upon the overall analysis, it was found that storage temperature had substantial affect on the partial pressures within the closed containers and subsequently the respiration rates. The concentration of O2 inside the container and surrounding temperature had synergistic effect on the rate of respiration and respiratory parameters. Though the inhibition by evolved CO2 was observed to be of combined type, it changed from predominantly competitive at 5°C to predominantly uncompetitive at 12.5 and 20°C. This study can be utilized for design of modified atmosphere packages for storage of fresh and minimally processed baby corn.

Minimal invasive transcaruncular optic canal decompression for traumatic optic neuropathy.

Traumatic optic neuropathy is a cause of loss of vision associated with head injuries. Treatment options include observation, steroids and decompression of the optic canal. We report a case where the optic canal decompression was performed using a transcaruncular approach under a regional block. The incision was made through the caruncle and the dissection was carried down to the periosteum down to the orbital apex where the optic nerve was seen exiting through the optic canal posterior to the posterior ethmoidal artery. The optic nerve was decompressed with good visualization. Hemostasis and wound closure was achieved using fibrin glue. Postoperatively visual acuity improved with minimal inflammation enabling early rehabilitation.

Botulinum toxin A in the treatment of pthiriasis palpebrarum.

Treatment of pthiriasis palpebrarum is usually difficult and prolonged, involving the use of anticholinesterase eye ointments, yellow oxide of mercury, or fluorescein. The most effective treatment, however, remains direct removal of all the lice and nits from the lashes. We report the use of topical application of botulinum toxin A in 6 children with pthiriasis palpebrum to facilitate complete removal.

Perceptual Learning for Rehabilitation in Traumatic Optic Neuropathy.

Traumatic optic neuropathy is a cause of sudden irreversible visual loss due to optic nerve damage following trauma. Reports of improvement have been noted after observation alone, treatment with corticosteroids, and surgical decompression. However, final visual acuity may not be predictable, with individual patients having little improvement in visual function despite therapy. Perceptual learning improves visual functions by improving the neural processing so as to allow image perception at low signal-to-noise ratios. The case report describes the beneficial effect of perceptual learning in traumatic optic neuropathy, the first to describe the use of perceptual learning in an optic neuropathy. A larger case-controlled study of the effect of perceptual learning in optic neuropathies is required to substantiate the beneficial effect and elaborate the scale of improvement that may be possible with this form of therapy.

Optic Canal Decompression and Direct Ophthalmic Artery Fibrinolysis for Traumatic Optic Neuropathy With Central Retinal Artery Occlusion.

Central retinal artery occlusion is a rare association of traumatic optic neuropathy. Superselective fibrinolytic therapy is a management option for central artery occlusion that reduces systemic side effects of thrombolysis. A rare case of posttraumatic central retinal artery occlusion is described where optic nerve decompression was performed followed by restoration of central retinal flow by direct puncture of ophthalmic artery and institution of fibrinolytic therapy.