Decoding food reactions: a detailed exploration of food allergies vs. intolerances and sensitivities.

The food matrix is a complex system encompassing all constituent elements in food production. It influences the digestibility of these elements through direct interactions and affects the digestive environment. Furthermore, the gastrointestinal system possesses precise mechanisms that efficiently process dietary components into essential nutrients, effectively preventing the onset of abnormal immune responses or dysfunctional host reactions in most instances. However, the incidence of adverse food reactions is constantly increasing, and evidence indicates that this process is environmental. Adverse reactions can be categorized as toxic or nontoxic. Toxic reactions are dose-dependent and can result from natural compounds, processing-induced substances, or contaminants. Nontoxic reactions like food intolerance and hypersensitivity depend on individual susceptibility and evoke specific pathological and physiological responses. This review aims to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the occurrence of immune- (food allergies and sensitivities) and non-immune-mediated (food intolerance) reactions, emphasizing the fundamental distinctions between these two categories. Enhanced comprehension and distinction of these mechanisms will significantly contribute to advancing preventive and therapeutic approaches and establishing guidelines for food labeling concerning immune-mediated reactions.

Considerations for applying emerging technologies in paediatric laboratory medicine.

Emerging technology in laboratory medicine can be defined as an analytical method (including biomarkers) or device (software, applications, and algorithms) that by its stage of development, translation into broad routine clinical practice, or geographical adoption and implementation has the potential to add value to clinical diagnostics. Paediatric laboratory medicine itself may be considered an emerging area of specialisation that is established relatively recently following increased appreciation and understanding of the unique physiology and healthcare needs of the children. Through four clinical (neonatal hypoglycaemia, neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia, sickle cell disorder, congenital adrenal hyperplasia) and six technological (microassays, noninvasive testing, alternative matrices, next generation sequencing, exosome analysis, machine learning) illustrations, key takeaways of application of emerging technology for each area are summarised. Additionally, nine key considerations when applying emerging technology in paediatric laboratory medicine setting are discussed.

Technology and the Situationist Challenge to Virtue Ethics.

In this paper, I introduce a "promises and perils" framework for understanding the "soft" impacts of emerging technology, and argue for a eudaimonic conception of well-being. This eudaimonic conception of well-being, however, presupposes that we have something like stable character traits. I therefore defend this view from the "situationist challenge" and show that instead of viewing this challenge as a threat to well-being, we can incorporate it into how we think about living well with technology. Human beings are susceptible to situational influences and are often unaware of the ways that their social and technological environment influence not only their ability to do well, but even their ability to know whether they are doing well. Any theory that attempts to describe what it means for us to be doing well, then, needs to take these contextual features into account and bake them into a theory of human flourishing. By paying careful attention to these contextual factors, we can design systems that promote human flourishing.

Application of emerging thermal and nonthermal technologies for improving textural properties of food grains: A critical review.

Emerging nonthermal and thermal food processing technologies are a better alternative to conventional thermal processing techniques because they offer high-quality, minimally processed food. Texture is important in the food industry because it encompasses several product attributes and plays a vital role in consumer acceptance. Therefore, it is imperative to analyze the extent to which these technologies influence the textural attributes of food grains. Physical forces produced by cavitation are attributed to ultrasound treatment-induced changes in the conformational and structural properties of food proteins. Pulsed electric field treatment causes polarization of starch granules, damaging the dense outer layer of starch granules and decreasing the mechanical strength of starch. Prolonged radio frequency heating results in the denaturation of proteins and gelatinization of starch, thus reducing binding tendency during cooking. Microwave energy induces rapid removal of water from the product surface, resulting in lower bulk density, low shrinkage, and a porous structure. However, evaluating the influence of these techniques on food grain texture is difficult owing to differences in their primary operation mode, operating conditions, and equipment design. To maximize the advantages of nonthermal and thermal technologies, in-depth research should be conducted on their effects on the textural properties of different food grains while ensuring the selection of appropriate operating conditions for each food grain type. This article summarizes all recent developments in these emerging processing technologies for food grains, discusses their potential applications and drawbacks, and presents prospects for future developments in food texture enhancement.

Predictive analytics and early intervention in healthcare social work: a scoping review.

This scoping review investigates the untapped potential of predictive analytics in healthcare social work, specifically targeting early intervention frameworks. Despite the escalating attention predictive analytics has garnered across multiple disciplines, its tailored application in social work remains notably sparse. This study endeavors to fill this lacuna by meticulously reviewing the extant literature and delineating the prospective advantages and inherent constraints of integrating predictive analytics into healthcare social work. The outcomes of this inquiry enrich the prevailing dialogue on the utility of predictive analytics in healthcare, offering indispensable perspectives for practitioners and policymakers in the social work domain.

Update on Percutaneous Treatment for HFrEF: A Great Armamentarium for a Poor Ventricular Function.

Pharmacological treatment is the cornerstone therapy of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). In addition, several percutaneous techniques have been developed to treat symptomatic patients, with specific heart failure (HF) phenotypes (e.g., valvular heart disease) that require non-pharmacological treatment. Given their prognostic relevance, it is imperative to deliver high-level patient care. This review provides a clinical overview on the available data regarding transcatheter devices in the armamentarium of contemporary interventional cardiologists, focusing on the clinical and anatomical selection criteria.

Recent advance in probiotics for the elimination of pesticide residues in food and feed: mechanisms, product toxicity, and reinforcement strategies.

The extensive utilization of pesticides in agriculture has resulted in the presence of pesticide residues in food and feed, which poses a significant threat to human health. Various physical and chemical methods have been proposed to remove pesticides, but most of these methods are either costly or susceptible to secondary contamination. Consequently, the utilization of microorganisms, such as probiotics, for eliminating pesticides, has emerged as a promising alternative. Probiotics, including lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and fungi, have demonstrated remarkable efficiency and convenience in eliminating pesticide residues from food or feed. To promote the application of probiotic decontamination, this review examines the current research status on the utilization of probiotics for pesticide reduction. The mechanisms involved in microbial decontamination are discussed, along with the toxicity and potential health risks of degradation products. Furthermore, the review explores strategies to enhance probiotic detoxification and outlines prospects for future development.

Recent developments in applications of physical fields for microbial decontamination and enhancing nutritional properties of germinated edible seeds and sprouts: a review.

Germinated edible seeds and sprouts have attracted consumers because of their nutritional values and health benefits. To ensure the microbial safety of the seed and sprout, emerging processing methods involving physical fields (PFs), having the characteristics of high efficiency and environmental safety, are increasingly proposed as effective decontamination processing technologies. This review summarizes recent progress on the application of PFs to germinating edible seeds, including their impact on microbial decontamination and nutritional quality and the associated influencing mechanisms in germination. The effectiveness, application scope, and limitation of the various physical techniques, including ultrasound, microwave, radio frequency, infrared heating, irradiation, pulsed light, plasma, and high-pressure processing, are symmetrically reviewed. Good application potential for improving seed germination and sprout growth is also described for promoting the accumulation of bioactive compounds in sprouts, and subsequently enhancing the antioxidant capacity under favorable PFs processing conditions. Moreover, the challenges and future directions of PFs in the application to germinated edible seeds are finally proposed. This review also attempts to provide an in-depth understanding of the effects of PFs on microbial safety and changes in nutritional properties of germinating edible seeds and a theoretical reference for the future development of PFs in processing safe sprouted seeds.

Research progress in the application of emerging technology for reducing food allergens as a global health concern: A systematic review.

Since the turn of the century, innovative food processing techniques have quickly risen to the top of the commercial and economic prominence food industry's priority list due to their many benefits over more conventional approaches. Compared to traditional food processing techniques, these innovative procedures retain better the distinctive aspects of food, including its organoleptic and nutritional attributes. Concurrently, there has been a discernible increase in the number of people, particularly infants and young children, who are allergic to certain foods. Although this is widely associated with shifting economic conditions in industrialized and developing countries, the rise of urbanization, the introduction of new eating patterns, and developments in food processing, it still needs to be determined how exactly these factors play a part. Under this circumstance, given the widespread presence of allergens that cause IgE-mediated reactions, it is critical to understand how the structural changes in protein as food is processed to determine whether the specific processing technique (conventional and novel) will be appropriate. This article discusses the impact of processing on protein structure and allergenicity and the implications of current research and methodologies for developing a platform to study future pathways to decrease or eliminate allergenicity in the general population.

Emerging technology: a definition for laboratory medicine.

The term "emerging technology" (ET) is used extensively, and there are numerous definitions offered, but to our knowledge, none specifically encompass the field of laboratory medicine. An ET definition that incorporates the overarching IFCC aim of "Advancing excellence in laboratory medicine to support healthcare worldwide" would clarify discussions. We discuss key aspects of the term "emerging technology(ies)" as it applies to laboratory medicine with a view to laying the foundations for a practical definition for the profession and propose the definition of an ET as "An analytical method or device that by virtue of its stage of development, translation into broad routine clinical practice, or geographical adoption and implementation has the potential to add value to clinical diagnostics".

The LEAP checklist for laboratory evaluation and analytical performance characteristics reporting of clinical measurement procedures.

Reporting a measurement procedure and its analytical performance following method evaluation in a peer-reviewed journal is an important means for clinical laboratory practitioners to share their findings. It also represents an important source of evidence base to help others make informed decisions about their practice. At present, there are significant variations in the information reported in laboratory medicine journal publications describing the analytical performance of measurement procedures. These variations also challenge authors, readers, reviewers, and editors in deciding the quality of a submitted manuscript. The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Working Group on Method Evaluation Protocols (IFCC WG-MEP) developed a checklist and recommends its adoption to enable a consistent approach to reporting method evaluation and analytical performance characteristics of measurement procedures in laboratory medicine journals. It is envisioned that the LEAP checklist will improve the standardisation of journal publications describing method evaluation and analytical performance characteristics, improving the quality of the evidence base that is relied upon by practitioners.

Toolkit for emerging technologies in laboratory medicine.

An emerging technology (ET) for laboratory medicine can be defined as an analytical method (including biomarkers) or device (software, applications, and algorithms) that by its stage of development, translation into broad routine clinical practice, or geographical adoption and implementation has the potential to add value to clinical diagnostics. Considering the laboratory medicine-specific definition, this document examines eight key tools, encompassing clinical, analytical, operational, and financial aspects, used throughout the life cycle of ET implementation. The tools provide a systematic approach starting with identifying the unmet need or identifying opportunities for improvement (Tool 1), forecasting (Tool 2), technology readiness assessment (Tool 3), health technology assessment (Tool 4), organizational impact map (Tool 5), change management (Tool 6), total pathway to method evaluation checklist (Tool 7), and green procurement (Tool 8). Whilst there are differences in clinical priorities between different settings, the use of this set of tools will help support the overall quality and sustainability of the emerging technology implementation.

The LEAP checklist for Laboratory Evaluation and Analytical Performance Characteristics reporting of clinical measurement procedures.

Reporting a measurement procedure and its analytical performance following method evaluation in a peer-reviewed journal is an important means for clinical laboratory practitioners to share their findings. It also represents an important source of evidence base to help others make informed decisions about their practice. At present, there are significant variations in the information reported in laboratory medicine journal publications describing the analytical performance of measurement procedures. These variations also challenge authors, readers, reviewers, and editors in deciding the quality of a submitted manuscript.The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Working Group on Method Evaluation Protocols (IFCC WG-MEP) developed a checklist and recommends its adoption to enable a consistent approach to reporting method evaluation and analytical performance characteristics of measurement procedures in laboratory medicine journals. It is envisioned that the LEAP checklist will improve the standardisation of journal publications describing method evaluation and analytical performance characteristics, improving the quality of the evidence base that is relied upon by practitioners.

Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157: H7 in foods by emerging technologies: a review.

Escherichia coli O157: H7 is a representative foodborne pathogen that causes haemorrhagic colitis, bloody diarrhea, and fatal haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Previously, only conventional heat treatment was used to pasteurised food; however, this method decreases food quality, including colour change, denatures proteins, and causes lipid oxidation. Therefore, emerging technologies to inactivate pathogens in food that affect food quality minimally have been researched and developed. This review aims to compile research since 2018 and briefly describe the inactivation mechanisms of emerging technologies such as microwave, radio frequency, ohmic heating, superheated steam, ionising radiation (gamma irradiation, electron beam, and X-rays), high pressure, ultraviolet light, pulsed light, ultrasound, gas treatment, plasma, and combination treatments. Pulsed electric field and electrolysed water were excluded because few research papers were published after 2018. In addition, the shortcomings of emerging technologies in the control of E. coli O157: H7 and the directions for emerging technology research are presented. Taking advantage of emerging technologies with many benefits will significantly improve food safety.

ChatGPT: the threats to medical education.

While it offers abundant advantages, ChatGPT threatens to significantly harm the educational attainment, and the intellectual life, of students of medicine and the subjects that compliment it. This technology poses a serious threat to the ability of such students to deliver safe and effective medical care once they graduate to clinical practice. Institutions that providemedical education must react to the existence, availability, and rapidly increasing competency of GPT models. This article suggests an intervention by which this could be, at least partially, achieved.

Emerging healthcare interventions: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute's programmatic initiative.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization established by the U.S. Congress to fund comparative clinical effectiveness research focusing on patient-centered outcomes through the engagement of stakeholders. Evaluation of emerging healthcare innovations is one of PCORI's five National Priorities for Health. One such initiative is PCORI's Emerging Technologies and Therapeutics Reports program, established to provide timely overviews of evidence on new drugs and other healthcare technologies. This article provides an overview of completed and ongoing Emerging Technologies and Therapeutics Reports including lessons learned to date. In addition to systematic searches, systematic selection of studies, and transparent reporting of the available evidence, informed by a select number of stakeholders (i.e., key informants), these reports focus on contextual factors shaping the diffusion of emerging technologies that are often not reported in the medical literature. This article also compares processes and methodologies of health technology assessments (HTAs) from a selected number of national and international publicly funded agencies with a goal toward potential future enhancement of PCORI's Emerging Technologies and Therapeutics Reports program. HTAs vary considerably in terms of funding, types of assessments, the role of manufacturers, stakeholder engagement, timeline to complete from the start to the finish of a draft report publication, and communication of uncertainty for informed decision making. Future Emerging Technologies and Therapeutics Reports may focus on rapid reports to support a more expedient development of evidence. Future research could explore the role of contextual factors identified in these reports on targeted evidence generation.

Can droplet size influence antibacterial activity in ultrasound-prepared essential oil nanoemulsions?

Essential oil nanoemulsion may have improved antibacterial properties over pure oil and can be used for food preservation. Ultrasonic cavitation is the most common mechanism for producing nanoemulsions, and the impact of processing parameters on droplet properties needs to be elucidated. A systematic literature search was performed in four databases (Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed), and 987 articles were found, 16 of which were eligible for the present study. A meta-analysis was performed to qualitatively assess which process parameters (power, sonication time, essential oil, and tween 80 concentration) can influence the final droplet size and polydispersity and how droplet size is associated with antibacterial activity. We observed that power, essential oil, and tween 80 concentrations added during processing are the critical variables for forming smaller droplets. Ratios of up to 3:1 (surfactant:oil) can produce droplets smaller than 180 nm with antibacterial properties superior to pure oil or isolated compounds. The improved properties of nanoemulsions are associated with the size and chemical composition of the droplet since the proportion of the hydrophobic core (EO) and the hydrophilic outer layer (Tween 80) directly influences the antibacterial mechanism of action.

Pesticide residues in milk and dairy products: An overview of processing degradation and trends in mitigating approaches.

Milk and dairy products present considerable socioeconomic importance but are also a regular pesticide residue contamination source, which is considered a worldwide public health concern and a major international trade issue. Thus, a literature review was conducted to assess pesticide residue levels in milk and dairy products, as well as the residue degradation capacity during its processing. Organochlorine, organophosphate, synthetic pyrethroid and/or triazine were found in fluid milk, powder products, yogurts, cheese, butter, and sour cream. Thermal processing reduced most residue levels, although some treatments increased total hexachlorocyclohexane and its isomers (α-, γ-, δ-, and ß-). Emerging non-thermal treatments presented promising results, but some by-products had higher toxicity than their precursors. Biodegradation by lactic acid bacteria were effective during yogurt and cheese fermentation. However, ß-hexachlorocyclohexane level seems to increase in yogurts containing Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, while increase or maintenance of pesticide residue concentration was observed during coagulation and cheese maturation. Deep research is needed to understand the isomerization and degradation mechanisms after thermal, non-thermal, and fermentation processing. Emerging heat technology can be an excellent topic to be investigated for pesticide residues degradation in the future. These mitigation approaches can be a feasible future alternative to milk and dairy production.

SARS-CoV-2: Mechanism of infection and emerging technologies for future prospects.

The novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread globally to over 200 countries with more than 23 million confirmed cases and at least 800,000 fatalities as of 23 August 2020. Declared a pandemic on March 11 by World Health Organization, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has become a global public health crisis that challenged all national healthcare systems. This review summarized the current knowledge about virologic and pathogenic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 with emphasis on potential immunomodulatory mechanism and drug development. With multiple emerging technologies and cross-disciplinary approaches proving to be crucial in our global response against COVID-19, the application of PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras strategy, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology, and Single-Nucleotide-Specific Programmable Riboregulators technology in developing antiviral drugs and detecting infectious diseases are proposed here. We also discussed the available but still limited epidemiology of COVID-19 as well as the ongoing efforts on vaccine development. In brief, we conducted an in-depth analysis of the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and reviewed the therapeutic options for COVID-19. We also proposed key research directions in the future that may help uncover more underlying molecular mechanisms governing the pathology of COVID-19.

IR-Based Novel Device for Real-Time Online Acquisition of Fish Heart ECG Signals.

We developed an infrared (IR)-based real-time online monitoring device (US Patent No: US 10,571,448 B2) to quantify heart electrocardiogram (ECG) signals to assess the water quality based on physiological changes in fish. The device is compact, allowing us to monitor cardiac function for an extended period (from 7 to 30 days depending on the rechargeable battery capacity) without function injury and disturbance of swimming activity. The electrode samples and the biopotential amplifier and microcontroller process the cardiac-electrical signals. An infrared transceiver transmits denoised electrocardiac signals to complete the signal transmission. The infrared receiver array and biomedical acquisition signal processing system send signals to the computer. The software in the computer processes the data in real time. We quantified ECG indexes (P-wave, Q-wave, R-wave, S-wave, T-wave, PR-interval, QRS-complex, and QT-interval) of carp precisely and incessantly under the different experimental setup (CuSO4 and deltamethrin). The ECG cue responses were chemical-specific based on CuSO4 and deltamethrin exposures. This study provides an additional technology for noninvasive water quality surveillance.