Synbiotic Bacillus megaterium DSM 32963 and n-3 PUFA Salt Composition Elevates Pro-Resolving Lipid Mediator Levels in Healthy Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Beneficial health effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) are partly attributed to specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), which promote inflammation resolution. Strategies to improve n-3 PUFA conversion to SPMs may, therefore, be useful to treat or prevent chronic inflammatory disorders. Here, we explored a synbiotic strategy to increase circulating SPM precursor levels. Healthy participants (n = 72) received either SynΩ3 (250 mg eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) plus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) lysine salts; two billion CFU Bacillus megaterium; n = 23), placebo (n = 24), or fish oil (300 mg EPA plus DHA; N = 25) capsules daily for 28 days in a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled parallel 3-group design. Biomarkers were assessed at baseline and after 2 and 28 days of intervention. The primary analysis involved the comparison between SynΩ3 and placebo. In addition, SynΩ3 was compared to fish oil. The synbiotic SynΩ3 comprising Bacillus megaterium DSM 32963 and n-3 PUFA salts significantly increased circulating SPM precursor levels, including 18-hydroxy-eicosapentaenoic acid (18-HEPE) plus 5-HEPE, which was not achieved to this extent by fish oil with a similar n-3 PUFA content. Omega-3 indices were increased slightly by both SynΩ3 and fish oil. These findings suggest reconsidering conventional n-3 PUFA supplementation and testing the effectiveness of SynΩ3 particularly in conditions related to inflammation.

Predicting maximum strain hardening factor in elongational flow of branched pom-pom polymers from polymer architecture.

We present a model-driven predictive scheme for the uniaxial extensional viscosity and strain hardening of branched polymer melts, specifically for the pom-pom architecture, using the small amplitude oscillatory shear mastercurve and the polymer architecture. A pom-pom shaped polymer is the simplest architecture with at least two branching points, needed to induce strain hardening. It consists of two stars, each with q arms of the molecular weight M w , a , connected by a backbone of M w , b . Despite the pom-pom constitutive model, experimental data of systematic investigations lack due to synthetic complexity. With an optimized approach, we synthesized polystyrene pom-pom model systems with systematically varied M w , a and M w , b . Experimentally, we identify four characteristic strain rate dependent regimes of the extensional viscosity, which can be predicted from the rheological mastercurve. Furthermore, we find that the industrially important maximum strain hardening factor depends only on the arm number by [ q 2 / ln ( 3 q ) ] . This framework offers a model-based design of branched polymers with predictable melt flow behavior.

Rheological behavior of Pluronic/Pluronic diacrylate hydrogels used for bacteria encapsulation in engineered living materials.

Pluronic (Plu) hydrogels mixed with variable fractions of Pluronic diacrylate (PluDA) have become popular matrices to encapsulate bacteria and control their growth in engineered living materials. Here we study the rheological response of 30 wt% Plu/PluDA hydrogels with PluDA fraction between 0 and 1. We quantify the range of viscoelastic properties that can be covered in this system by varying in the PluDA fraction. We present stress relaxation and creep-recovery experiments and describe the variation of the critical yield strain/stress, relaxation and recovery parameters of Plu/PluDA hydrogels as function of the covalent crosslinking degree using the Burgers and Weilbull models. The analyzed hydrogels present two stress relaxations with different timescales which can be tuned with the covalent crosslinking degree. We expect this study to help users of Plu/PluDA hydrogels to estimate the mechanical properties of their systems, and to correlate them with the behaviour of bacteria in future Plu/PluDA devices of similar composition.

Diapers to Thickeners and Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives: Recycling of Superabsorbers via UV Degradation.

Superabsorbers based on crosslinked sodium polyacrylate polymers cannot be easily recycled, resulting in 2 million tons of superabsorbers being landfilled or burned every year. A fast and efficient strategy to recycle superabsorbers would significantly alleviate environmental pollution and promote a sustainable use of these polymers. Herein, the rapid recycling of crosslinked sodium polyacrylate hydrogels based on their inherent UV degradation is demonstrated without the need for chemicals besides water. A quantitative conversion of crosslinked sodium polyacrylate into soluble sodium polyacrylate is achieved in minutes, almost 200 times faster than a previous approach based on de-esterification. The obtained soluble sodium polyacrylate can be used, for example, as a thickener for aqueous dyes or can be esterified with n-butanol or 2-ethylhexanol to serve as a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The UV photodegradation and esterification of superabsorbers is fast, scalable, safe, and economical and yields polymers with controllable molecular weight in the range of 100-400 kg/mol. It thus offers distinct advantages over the chemical de-crosslinking strategies presented previously.

Comparison of the Hologic Genius Digital Diagnostics System with the ThinPrep Imaging System-A retrospective assessment.

BACKGROUND: Digital cytology (DC) with artificial intelligence (AI) is a new approach. The authors compared DC with liquid-based cytology (LBC) using computer assistance (CAS) in a retrospective, noninterventional study. METHODS: In total, 1994 ThinPrep LBC slides (Hologic), which were previously analyzed in 2020 using an imaging system with CAS in routine cotesting for cytology/human papillomavirus, were reviewed in a blinded mode using the Genius Digital Diagnostics System (Hologic). In 555 cases, a histology result was available. The slides were digitally scanned (volumetric scan) at 14 levels integrated into one. AI algorithms were used to present a gallery of six tiles each (containing objects of interest) in five categories. Six additional tile rows were available, from which the diagnoses were made. All cases with a mismatch between DC and imaging system results were reviewed by an additional cytopathologist. RESULTS: In 86.56% of cases, a complete match between both systems was observed using the same cytology categories. When also considering the histology results, the match was 90.37%. In addition, when a cytology follow-up and/or a retrospective review was applied, the match reached 97.34%. In only 0.65% of cases was a major discrepancy observed (two grades of cytology or a low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion/high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion [LSIL/HSIL] shift), and none were identified by DC. Significantly more cases of higher severity (atypical squamous cells cannot exclude high grade [ASC-H], high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion [HSIL]) were identified with DC, and its negative predictive value was higher. The screening time was significantly shorter with DC. CONCLUSIONS: With the Genius system for DC, the sensitivity for HSIL+/ASC-H and the specificity for LSIL and HSIL were superior to LBC and CAS. Screening time was significantly lower.

Proposal of a Method for Transferring High-Quality Scientific Literature Data to Virtual Patient Cases Using Categorical Data Generated by Bernoulli-Distributed Random Values: Development and Prototypical Implementation.

BACKGROUND: Teaching medicine is a complex task because medical teachers are also involved in clinical practice and research and the availability of cases with rare diseases is very restricted. Automatic creation of virtual patient cases would be a great benefit, saving time and providing a wider choice of virtual patient cases for student training. OBJECTIVE: This study explored whether the medical literature provides usable quantifiable information on rare diseases. The study implemented a computerized method that simulates basic clinical patient cases utilizing probabilities of symptom occurrence for a disease. METHODS: Medical literature was searched for suitable rare diseases and the required information on the respective probabilities of specific symptoms. We developed a statistical script that delivers basic virtual patient cases with random symptom complexes generated by Bernoulli experiments, according to probabilities reported in the literature. The number of runs and thus the number of patient cases generated are arbitrary. RESULTS: We illustrated the function of our generator with the exemplary diagnosis "brain abscess" with the related symptoms "headache, mental status change, focal neurologic deficit, fever, seizure, nausea and vomiting, nuchal rigidity, and papilledema" and the respective probabilities from the literature. With a growing number of repetitions of the Bernoulli experiment, the relative frequencies of occurrence increasingly converged with the probabilities from the literature. For example, the relative frequency for headache after 10.000 repetitions was 0.7267 and, after rounding, equaled the mean value of the probability range of 0.73 reported in the literature. The same applied to the other symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The medical literature provides specific information on characteristics of rare diseases that can be transferred to probabilities. The results of our computerized method suggest that automated creation of virtual patient cases based on these probabilities is possible. With additional information provided in the literature, an extension of the generator can be implemented in further research.

Molecularly Defined Polyolefin Vitrimers from Catalytic Insertion Polymerization.

Vitrimers can combine the advantageous properties of cross-linked materials with thermoplastic processability. For the prominent case of polyethylene, established post-polymerization introduction of cross-linkable moieties results in extremely heterogeneous compositions of the chains. Here, we report the generation of functionalized polyethylenes directly by catalytic insertion polymerization, with incorporated cross-linkable aryl boronic esters or alternatively acetal-protected groups suited for cross-linking with difunctional boronic esters. In addition to the desired homogeneous in-chain distribution, the reactive cross-linkable groups are enriched at the chain ends. This enables the incorporation of all chains in the network, as also supported by simulations of all chains' compositions. The uniform molecular composition of the chains reflects in resulting vitrimers' material properties, particularly lack of leaching with solvents. At the same time, cross-linking is indeed fully reversible and the vitrimers can be recycled.

Charge Transport and Glassy Dynamics in Blends Based on 1-Butyl-3-vinylbenzylimidazolium Bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide Ionic Liquid and the Corresponding Polymer.

Charge transport, diffusion properties, and glassy dynamics of blends of imidazolium-based ionic liquid (IL) and the corresponding polymer (polyIL) were examined by Pulsed-Field-Gradient Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (PFG-NMR) and rheology coupled with broadband dielectric spectroscopy (rheo-BDS). We found that the mechanical storage modulus (G') increases with an increasing amount of polyIL and G' is a factor of 10,000 higher for the polyIL compared to the monomer (GIL'= 7.5 Pa at 100 rad s-1 and 298 K). Furthermore, the ionic conductivity (σ0) of the IL is a factor 1000 higher than its value for the polymerized monomer with 3.4×10-4 S cm-1 at 298 K. Additionally, we found the Haven Ratio (HR) obtained through PFG-NMR and BDS measurements to be constant around a value of 1.4 for the IL and blends with 30 wt% and 70 wt% polyIL. These results show that blending of the components does not have a strong impact on the charge transport compared to the charge transport in the pure IL at room temperature, but blending results in substantial modifications of the mechanical properties. Furthermore, it is highlighted that the increase in σ0 might be attributed to the addition of a more mobile phase, which also possibly reduces ion-ion correlations in the polyIL.

Fourier transformation liquid chromatography: increasing sensitivity by a factor of 50.

Methods that increase sensitivity are a constant topic in research. To increase the sensitivity for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) a continuous injection method with a sinusoidal analyte concentration profile was developed. The sinusoidal analyte concentration profile is obtained by a sinusoidal variation of the relative volume contents between two solvent reservoirs, one containing a pure solvent and the other an analyte stock solution prepared with the same solvent. Discrete Fourier transformation enables the analyte-specific phase angle shift to be calculated from the chromatograms. The proposed method is established and evaluated for size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Accordingly, the phase angle shift is used for molecular weight determination by establishing a molecular weight calibration using different narrowly distributed polystyrene (PS) calibration standards. In a comparison with conventional SEC, the Signal-to-Noise ratio (S/N), normalized to the square root of the time of the evaluated data set, increases by a factor of approximately 50.

In Situ RheoNMR Correlation of Polymer Segmental Mobility with Mechanical Properties during Hydrogel Synthesis.

Understanding polymer gelation over multiple length-scales is crucial to develop advanced materials. An experimental setup is developed that combines rheological measurements with simultaneous time-domain 1 H NMR relaxometry (TD-NMR) techniques, which are used to study molecular motion (<10 nm) in soft matter. This so-called low-field RheoNMR setup is used to study the impact of varying degrees of crosslinking (DC) on the gelation kinetics of acrylic acid (AAc) and N,N'-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) free radical crosslinking copolymerization. A stretched exponential function describes the T2 relaxation curves throughout the gelation process. The stretching exponent ß decreases from 0.90 to 0.67 as a function of increasing DC, suggesting an increase in network heterogeneity with a broad T2 distribution at higher DC. The inverse correlation of the elastic modulus G' with T2 relaxation times reveals a pronounced molecular rigidity for higher DC at early gelation times, indicating the formation of inelastic, rigid domains such as crosslinking clusters. The authors further correlate G' with the polymer concentration during gelation using a T1 filter for solvent suppression. A characteristic scaling exponent of 2.3 is found, which is in agreement with theoretical predictions of G' based on the confining tube model in semi-dilute entangled polymer solutions.

Inverse Vulcanization of Norbornenylsilanes: Soluble Polymers with Controllable Molecular Properties via Siloxane Bonds.

The inverse vulcanization produces high sulfur content polymers from alkenes and elemental sulfur. Control over properties such as the molar mass or the solubility of polymers is not well established, and existing strategies lack predictability or require large variations of the composition. Systematic design principles are sought to allow for a targeted design of materials. Herein, we report on the inverse vulcanization of norbornenylsilanes (NBS), with a different number of hydrolysable groups at the silicon atom. Inverse vulcanization of mixtures of NBS followed by polycondensation yielded soluble high sulfur content copolymers (50 wt % S) with controllable weight average molar mass (MW ), polydispersity (D), glass transition temperature (TG ), or zero-shear viscosity (η0 ). Polycondensation was conducted in the melt with HCl as a catalyst, abolishing the need for a solvent. Purification by precipitation afforded polymers with a greatly reduced amount of low molar mass species.

One-Pot Synthesis of Alternating (Ultra-High Molecular Weight) Multiblock Copolymers via a Combination of Anionic Polymerization and Polycondensation.

This article presents a fast, straightforward synthesis approach to polymerize alternating multiblock copolymers, ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) (homo)polymers as well as precursors for complex macromolecular topologies such as comb or barbwire architectures. The one-pot synthesis strategy proposed in this work is based on anionic polymerization via a bifunctional initiator and the subsequent linking of macro dianions with a bifunctional linker, additionally overcoming the limitations associated with the monomer reactivity. Thus, the synthetic route guarantees the repeating size of polymer blocks and an equal distribution of functional groups in precursors for complex topologies. Dianions of polystyrene (PS), polyisoprene-b-polystyrene-b-polyisoprene, and poly-2-vinylpyridine-b-polystyrene-b-poly-2-vinylpyridine are linked with α , α ' -dibromo-para-xylene to UHMW and multiblock copolymers. Multiblock copolymers with on average up to 50 well-defined alternating A and B blocks are accessible within 15 min.

Styrene-Based Poly(ethylene oxide) Side-Chain Block Copolymers as Solid Polymer Electrolytes for High-Voltage Lithium-Metal Batteries.

Herein, we report the design of styrene-based poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) side-chain block copolymers featuring a microphase separation and their application as solid polymer electrolytes in high-voltage lithium-metal batteries. A straightforward synthesis was established, overcoming typical drawbacks of PEO block copolymers prepared by anionic polymerization or ester-based PEO side-chain copolymers. Both the PEO side-chain length and the LiTFSI content were varied, and the underlying relationships were elucidated in view of polymer compositions with high ionic conductivity. Subsequently, a selected composition was subjected to further analyses, including phase-separated morphology, providing not only excellent self-standing films with intrinsic mechanical stability but also the ability to suppress lithium dendrite growth as well as good flexibility, wettability, and good contacts with the electrodes. Furthermore, good thermal and electrochemical stability was demonstrated. To do so, linear sweep and cyclic voltammetry, lithium plating/stripping tests, and galvanostatic overcharging using high-voltage cathodes were conducted, demonstrating stable lithium-metal interfaces and a high oxidative stability of around 4.75 V. Consequently, cycling of Li||NMC622 cells did not exhibit commonly observed rapid cell failure or voltage noise associated with PEO-based electrolytes in Li||NMC622 cells, attributed to the high mechanical stability. A comprehensive view is provided, highlighting that the combination of PEO and high-voltage cathodes is not impossible per se.

Rheo-NMR to investigate fat crystallization under shear.

It is well known that shear has an effect on fat crystallization. Whereas rheo-NMR has been used to study the impact of shear on the crystallization kinetics in the past, these methods mostly used a simple Teflon mixing shaft inside a sophisticated NMR instrument to apply shear to the sample. However, this method did not enable the determination of rheological parameters. In this work, a custom made low-field rheo-NMR device was evaluated, consisting of a commercial rheometer combined with a low-field permanent magnet to enable simultaneous rheological and NMR measurements. Two fats, i.e. partially hardened sunflower oil (PHSO) and soft palm mid fraction (sPMF), were submitted to several rheo-NMR experiments. The results of these experiments clearly indicated that these fats crystallized differently. First, PHSO crystallized faster than sPMF. Moreover, the latter seemed to crystallize in two steps. Initially a weak structure was formed when a low amount of solids was present, but this structure was replaced by a stronger network once more crystals were present. Both fats were studied under stagnant conditions, but also when submitted to low shear rates (1 s-1 and 5 s-1). It was shown that the amount of solids necessary to obtain a viscosity of 10 â€‹Pa â€‹s was higher when the shear rate was higher. The strength of the formed crystal network at a given percentage of solids was also weaker as the shear rate during crystallization increased. Whereas these experiments were done non-isothermally, it was shown that rheo-NMR can also perfectly be used for isothermal measurements.

A Food Supplement with Antioxidative Santa Herba Extract Modulates Energy Metabolism and Contributes to Weight Management.

The plant Santa herba (Eriodictyon californicum) contains high flavonoids, thus potentially exerting beneficial effects in context of obesity, often accompanied by inflammation and metabolic imbalance. The study assessed the impact of Santa herba on oxidative stress, energy metabolism, weight reduction, and eating behavior, combining in vitro models with clinical data. Santa herba binding of the adenosine receptor A2A (ADORA2A) was assessed using a radioligand binding assay. A Caenorhabditis elegans model was used to determine mobility boosting effects, and Santa herba oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values were determined in comparison to antioxidative plants. Clinical data, that is, body weight and appetite-related parameters, were obtained from overweight and obese women receiving either Santa herba or placebo for 12 weeks. Results showed that Santa herba extract binds to ADORA2A, stimulates C. elegans motility (+7.5%) and locomotion, and yields high antioxidative capacities (ORAC: 819 trolox equivalent). Clinical data, obtained from 24 overweight and 25 obese women (mean: 47.5 years), demonstrated a reduced body weight (P = .042) and body fat (P = .044), and by trend reduced leptin levels (P = .065) in women with obesity after Santa herba consumption compared to placebo. In conclusion, Santa herba extract has energizing and antioxidative properties and may aid in weight management of people with obesity. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03853603.

Evaluation and Validation of a Joint Stress Test to Induce Activity-Related Knee Joint Discomfort - a Prospective Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of improvement or maintenance of joint health in healthy subjects is a great challenge. The aim of the study was the evaluation of a joint stress test to assess joint discomfort in subjects with activity-related knee joint discomfort (ArJD). RESULTS: Forty-five subjects were recruited to perform the single-leg-step-down (SLSD) test (15 subjects per group). Subjects with ArJD of the knee (age 22-62 years) were compared to healthy subjects (age 24-59 years) with no knee joint discomfort during daily life sporting activity and to subjects with mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis of the knee joint (OA, Kellgren score 2-3, age 42-64 years). The subjects performed the SLSD test with two different protocols: (I) standardization for knee joint discomfort; (II) standardization for load on the knee joint. In addition, range of motion (ROM), reach test, acute pain at rest and after a single-leg squat and knee injury, and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) were assessed. In OA and ArJD subjects, knee joint discomfort could be reproducibly induced in a short time interval of less than 10 min (200 steps). In healthy subjects, no pain was recorded. A clear differentiation between study groups was observed with the SLSD test (maximal step number) as well as KOOS questionnaire, ROM, and reach test. In addition, a moderate to good intra-class correlation was shown for the investigated outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest the SLSD test is a reliable tool for the assessment of knee joint health function in ArJD and OA subjects to study the improvements in their activities. Further, this model can be used as a stress model in intervention studies to study the impact of stress on knee joint health function.

Reversible and Stable Hemiaminal Hydrogels from Polyvinylamine and Highly Reactive and Selective Bis(N-acylpiperidone)s.

Water-soluble bis(N-acylpiperidone)s with aldehyde-like reactivity are reported to react rapidly with polyvinylamine at room temperature, providing unprecedented clean reaction products. Unlike most amine/ketone reactions that result in arbitrary mixtures of imines, aminals, hemiaminals, or hydrates, in the present study hemiaminals, aminals, or hemiaminal/aminal mixtures are exclusively found. Detailed NMR spectroscopy of solutions, gels, and solids, aided by model reactions, reveals that the hemiaminal/aminal ratio depends on pH, water content, and cross-linking density. Network formation is fully reversible upon changes in pH, with the resulting moduli from rheology spanning almost 3 orders of magnitude. The self-healing ability of the system is probed by rheology as well, demonstrating maintained material properties of fractured and healed samples. The unusually clean, fast, and reversible chemistry highlights bispiperidones as a class of efficient building blocks with unprecedented possibilities in dynamic covalent chemistry.

Pharmacokinetics of Sodium and Calcium Salts of (6S)-5-Methyltetrahydrofolic Acid Compared to Folic Acid and Indirect Comparison of the Two Salts.

(6S)-5-Methyltetrahydrofolic acid ((6S)-5-Methyl-THF) salts and folic acid may differ in their abilities to raise plasma (6S)-5-Methyl-THF levels. We compared the area under the curve (AUC), Cmax, and Tmax of plasma (6S)-5-Methyl-THF after intakes of (6S)-5-Methyl-THF-Na salt (Arcofolin®) and folic acid. Moreover, we compared the AUCs after intakes of (6S)-5-Methyl-THF-Na and the calcium salt, (6S)-5-Methyl-THF-Ca, that were tested against folic acid in two independent studies. The study was randomized, double blind, and cross over. Twenty-four adults (12 men and 12 women) received a single oral dose of 436 µg (6S)-5-Methyl-THF-Na and an equimolar dose of folic acid (400 µg) on two kinetic days with two weeks washout period in between. The plasma concentrations of (6S)-5-Methyl-THF were measured at 9 time points between 0 and 8 h. We found that the AUC0-8 h of plasma (6S)-5-Methyl-THF (mean (SD) = 126.0 (33.6) vs. 56.0 (25.3) nmol/L*h) and Cmax (36.8 (10.8) vs. 11.1 (4.1) nmol/L) were higher after administration of (6S)-5-Methyl-THF-Na than after the administration of folic acid (p < 0.001 for both). These differences were present in men and women. Only administration of folic acid resulted in a transient increase in plasma unmetabolized folic acid (2.5 (2.0) nmol/L after 0.5 h and 4.7 (2.9) nmol/L after 1 h). Intake of (6S)-5-Methyl-THF-Na was safe. The ratios of the AUC0-8 h for (6S)-5-Methyl-THF-Na and (6S)-5-Methyl-THF-Ca to the corresponding folic acid reference group and the delta of these AUC0-8 h did not differ between the studies. In conclusion, a single oral dose of (6S)-5-Methyl-THF-Na caused higher AUC0-8 h and Cmax of plasma (6S)-5-Methyl-THF compared to folic acid. The Na- and Ca- salts of (6S)-5-Methyl-THF are not likely to differ in their pharmacokinetics. Further studies may investigate whether supplementation of the compounds for a longer time will lead to differences in circulating or intracellular/tissue folate concentrations.

Correction: Sartorius et al. "Postprandial Effects of a Proprietary Milk Protein Hydrolysate Containing Bioactive Peptides in Prediabetic Subjects" Nutrients 2019, 11, 1700.

Milk proteins have been hypothesized to protect against type 2 diabetes (T2DM) by beneficially modulating glycemic response, predominantly in the postprandial status. This potential is, amongst others, attributed to the high content of whey proteins, which are commonly a product of cheese production. However, native whey has received substantial attention due to its higher leucine content, and its postprandial glycemic effect has not been assessed thus far in prediabetes. In the present study, the impact of a milk protein hydrolysate of native whey origin with alpha-glucosidase inhibiting properties was determined in prediabetics in a randomized, cross-over trial. Subjects received a single dose of placebo or low- or high-dosed milk protein hydrolysate prior to a challenge meal high in carbohydrates. Concentration-time curves of glucose and insulin were assessed. Incremental areas under the curve (iAUC) of glucose as the primary outcome were significantly reduced by low-dosed milk peptides compared to placebo (p = 0.0472), and a minor insulinotropic effect was seen. A longer intervention period with the low-dosed product did not strengthen glucose response but significantly reduced HbA1c values (p = 0.0244). In conclusion, the current milk protein hydrolysate of native whey origin has the potential to modulate postprandial hyperglycemia and hence may contribute in reducing the future risk of developing T2DM.

Small and Medium Amplitude Oscillatory Shear Rheology of Model Branched Polystyrene (PS) Melts.

：Linear and nonlinear rheological properties of model comb polystyrenes (PS) with loosely to densely grafted architectures were measured under small and medium amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS and MAOS) flow. This comb PS set had the same length of backbone and branches but varied in the number of branches from 3 to 120 branches. Linear viscoelastic properties of the comb PS were compared with the hierarchical model predictions. The model underpredicted zero-shear viscosity and backbone plateau modulus of densely branched comb with 60 or 120 branches because the model does not include the effect of side chain crowding. First- and third-harmonic nonlinearities reflected the hierarchy in the relaxation motion of comb structures. Notably, the low-frequency plateau values of first-harmonic MAOS moduli scaled with Mw-2 (total molecular weight), reflecting dynamic tube dilution (DTD) by relaxed branches. Relative intrinsic nonlinearity Q0 exhibited the difference between comb and bottlebrush via no low-frequency Q0 peak of bottlebrush corresponding to backbone relaxation, which is probably related to the stretched backbone conformation in bottlebrush.