Effect of constant and variable temperature drying processes on drying characteristics, quality, and volatile profile of rose petals in infrared-assisted spouted bed drying.

The edible rose (Rosa Crimson Glory) petals were dried using infrared-assisted spouted bed drying technology. The effects of different drying temperature conditions (30, 35, 40, 45, and 50°C, as well as stepped heating drying [SHD] and stepped cooling drying) on the drying characteristics, physicochemical properties, antioxidant capacity, and changes in volatile flavor compounds of the rose petals were investigated. The results showed that the drying time was shortened with increasing drying temperature. Both variable temperature drying processes gave the shortest drying times. Optimal color retention of rose petals was achieved at a constant temperature of 40°C and SHD. Increased drying temperature resulted in higher water-soluble polysaccharide content in the dried rose petals, whereas lower temperatures facilitated anthocyanin preservation. The variable temperature drying processes favored the retention of water-soluble polysaccharides in rose petals, but not anthocyanins. Regarding antioxidant capacity, the samples dried at 40°C and those subjected to the two variable temperature drying processes performed better. This study also analyzed the differences in volatile flavor compounds of rose petals dried under different drying conditions. It was found that the majority of volatile flavor compounds in the rose petals dried by SHD exhibited higher content levels than the other drying conditions. Therefore, considering a thorough evaluation of all relevant factors, it was clear that utilizing the SHD process was the most efficient method for obtaining the best quality rose petals overall.

Semi-automatic extraction of liana stems from terrestrial LiDAR point clouds of tropical rainforests.

Lianas are key structural elements of tropical forests having a large impact on the global carbon cycle by reducing tree growth and increasing tree mortality. Despite the reported increasing abundance of lianas across neotropics, very few studies have attempted to quantify the impact of lianas on tree and forest structure. Recent advances in high resolution terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) systems have enabled us to quantify the forest structure, in an unprecedented detail. However, the uptake of TLS technology to study lianas has not kept up with the same pace as it has for trees. The slower technological adoption of TLS to study lianas is due to the lack of methods to study these complex growth forms. In this study, we present a semi-automatic method to extract liana woody components from plot-level TLS data of a tropical rainforest. We tested the method in eight plots from two different tropical rainforest sites (two in Gigante Peninsula, Panama and six in Nouragues, French Guiana) along an increasing gradient of liana infestation (from plots with low liana density to plots with very high liana density). Our method uses a machine learning model based on the Random Forest (RF) algorithm. The RF algorithm is trained on the eigen features extracted from the points in 3D at multiple spatial scales. The RF based liana stem extraction method successfully extracts on average 58% of liana woody points in our dataset with a high precision of 88%. We also present simple post-processing steps that increase the percentage of extracted liana stems from 54% to 90% in Nouragues and 65% to 70% in Gigante Peninsula without compromising on the precision. We provide the entire processing pipeline as an open source python package. Our method will facilitate new research to study lianas as it enables the monitoring of liana abundance, growth and biomass in forest plots. In addition, the method facilitates the easier processing of 3D data to study tree structure from a liana-infested forest.

Effects of Hydroxychloroquine on Proteinuria in IgA Nephropathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Despite optimization of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibition, patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) and persistent proteinuria remain at risk for kidney failure. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), an immunomodulator, when added to the treatment regimen of patients with IgAN. STUDY DESIGN: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 2 clinical trial. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Participants had IgAN (proteinuria with protein excretion of 0.75-3.5g/d and estimated glomerular filtration rate>30mL/min/1.73m2) and were receiving optimized RAAS inhibitor therapy. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive daily oral HCQ or a placebo for 6 months. OUTCOMES: The primary outcome was percentage change in proteinuria between baseline and 6 months. RESULTS: 60 participants (mean estimated glomerular filtration rate, 53.8mL/min/1.73m2; median urine protein excretion, 1.7g/d) were recruited and randomly assigned to receive HCQ (n=30) or placebo (n=30). Percentage change in proteinuria at 6 months was significantly different between the HCQ group and the placebo group (-48.4% [IQR, -64.2%, -30.5%] vs 10.0% [IQR, -38.7%, 30.6%]; P<0.001, respectively). At 6 months, median proteinuria level was significantly lower in the HCQ group than in the placebo group (0.9 [IQR, 0.6, 1.0] g/d vs 1.9 [IQR, 0.9, 2.6] g/d; P=0.002, respectively). No serious adverse events were recorded during the study in either study group. LIMITATIONS: The short treatment period and lack of postwithdrawal observations limit conclusions about long-term renoprotective efficacy and safety. CONCLUSIONS: HCQ in addition to optimized RAAS inhibition significantly reduced proteinuria in patients with IgAN over 6 months without evidence of adverse events. These findings require confirmation in larger treatment trials. FUNDING: This study was supported by grants from a government entity, the Capital of Clinical Characteristics, and the Applied Research Fund. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with study number NCT02942381.

Factors impacting sodium restriction in patients with chronic kidney disease: a cohort study from a Chinese center.

PURPOSE: Sodium restriction is important for the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The present study evaluated the factors impacting dietary sodium restriction in a cohort of Chinese patients with CKD. METHODS: A questionnaire on dietary sodium restriction was administered to patients with non-dialysis CKD who visited our CKD clinic from September 2014 to March 2015. Twenty-four-hour urinary sodium excretion (24-h UNa) was measured. Logistic regression was performed to examine the association between patient characteristics and sodium restriction. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-nine patients were included in the final analysis. Most of the patients (97.7 %) declared their awareness of the necessity of sodium restriction, but 27.3 % of them chose an incorrect sodium restriction limit. Most of the patients (85.2 %) also reported that they had taken actions to reduce their sodium consumption, with intolerance of sodium restriction as the most common reason for taking no actions. Only 42 patients (18.3 %) had a 24-h UNa of <100 mmol. Multivariable logistic regression showed that age and the use of condiments were independently associated with successful sodium restriction [odds ratio (95 % confidence interval) 1.04 (1.01-1.07), p = 0.006 and 0.38 (0.16-0.88), p = 0.023, respectively]. Most of the patients (83.0 %) did not know how to estimate their sodium intake from condiments. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that there is much room for improvement in dietary sodium restriction in Chinese patients with CKD. Condiments as a hidden source of sodium intake should be stressed in the education of these patients.

[Clinical efficacy of acne scar treatment with micro-plasma radio frequency].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the efficacy of facial acne scars treatment with micro-plasma radio frequency. METHODS: A total of 24 patients with facial acne scars underwent micro-plasma treatment for 3 - 5 times. And their efficacies were evaluated by the patient photographs before and 2 months after treatment. RESULTS: Facial acne scars were characterized by clouds of pitted scars with no specific shape. No difference appears in susceptibility between males and females. The overall improvement rate was 83.33%. The degree of improvement was as follows: significant 33.33%, moderate 25%, mild 25% and poor 16.67%. CONCLUSION: Micro-plasma technique is an effective therapy for acne scar.

The effects of morphine at different embryonic ages on memory consolidation and rewarding properties of morphine in day-old chicks.

Prenatal exposure to morphine can alter the capacities for learning and memory and the sensitivity to drugs of abuse in progeny. In the present study, we examined the effects of morphine during chick embryonic period of 5-8, 9-12, 13-16 and 17-20 on cognitive function and the sensitivities to morphine reward in the post-hatch chick, using the one-trial passive avoidance learning task and the conditioned place preference paradigm. It was observed that the injection of morphine (1mg/kg of egg weight) during E5-8, but not in other three periods, significantly impaired intermediate- and long-term memory in one-day-old chicks. On the other hand, the chicks prenatally exposed to morphine during E17-20 remarkably not only acquired but also maintained the conditioned place preference induced by morphine. The present results suggest that there are two time-windows during development, which in the chick are around E5-8 and E17-20, when prenatal morphine exposure is likely to confer maximal risks for vulnerabilities to breakdown of memory consolidation and to morphine-induced reward in day-old chicks respectively.

Effect of repeated freeze-thaw cycles on urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio.

BACKGROUND: Urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) is widely used for diagnosis of chronic kidney disease in population investigation surveys. It is recommended that urinary albumin should be measured as soon as possible after urine is collected. It is not clear whether freezing and thawing affect the value of UACR and it is very inconvenient to measure UACR quickly in a population survey. The current study tries to determine the effect of repeated freezing and thawing on UACR to explore the possibility of freezing urine samples. METHODS: Fifty-three urine samples with abnormal urinary albumin (ranging from 22.9 mg/L to 891.9 mg/L) were selected. The albumin and creatinine were measured before freezing, then all sample were stored at -30 degrees C. After being thawed at room temperature, the albumin and creatinine concentrations were measured again. The samples were frozen and thawed for five times, and albumin and creatinine were measured after each thawing. The measurements of albumin, creatinine, and UACR after each thawing were calculated and compared with its initial values using multiple comparisons of one-way ANOVA. RESULTS: Compared with its initial value, urine albumin, creatinine and UACR all did not show any significant differences (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible to freeze urine samples for future measurement of UACR. Urine samples can be safely frozen and thawed at least five times.