Consumer susceptibility to front-of-package (FOP) food labeling: Scale development and validation.

Current research in food science has explored the influence of front-of-package (FOP) labeling systems on consumer decision-making, yielding mixed results. We suggest that these inconsistent findings regarding FOP labeling effectiveness stem from a failure to consider a pivotal individual-level variable: consumer susceptibility to FOP labeling (CSFL). In the present research, we define this focal construct and develop and psychometrically validate a seven-item instrument that captures the construct across six studies (N = 1134). The current research may assist in segmenting consumers based on their susceptibility to FOP labeling, thereby facilitating the creation of targeted interventions tailored to this individual difference. Notably, the CSFL scale is positively correlated with consumers' willingness to purchase food items with genuine, third-party FOP labels, but not products lacking labels or products with fictitious FOP labels. This supports the predictive validity of the scale in determining important consumption-related outcomes.

Developments in understanding and applying prebiotics in research and practice-an ISAPP conference paper.

AIMS: The concept of using specific dietary components to selectively modulate the gut microbiota to confer a health benefit, defined as prebiotics, originated in 1995. In 2018, a group of scientists met at the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics annual meeting in Singapore to discuss advances in the prebiotic field, focussing on issues affecting functionality, research methodology and geographical differences. METHODS AND RESULTS: The discussion ranged from examining scientific literature supporting the efficacy of established prebiotics, to the prospects for establishing health benefits associated with novel compounds, isolated from different sources. CONCLUSIONS: While many promising candidate prebiotics from across the globe have been highlighted in preliminary research, there are a limited number with both demonstrated mechanism of action and defined health benefits as required to meet the prebiotic definition. Prebiotics are part of a food industry with increasing market sales, yet there are great disparities in regulations in different countries. Identification and commercialization of new prebiotics with unique health benefits means that regulation must improve and remain up-to-date so as not to risk stifling research with potential health benefits for humans and other animals. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF STUDY: This summary of the workshop discussions indicates potential avenues for expanding the range of prebiotic substrates, delivery methods to enhance health benefits for the end consumer and guidance to better elucidate their activities in human studies.

Perineurioma -a rare cause of proptosis.

Perineurioma is a rare benign soft tissue tumor arising from the peripheral nerve sheath. To date only two cases of orbital perineurioma have been reported in literature. A 45-year-old, with no comorbidities, presented with protrusion of the right eye since one-year. Examination revealed 8mm proptosis of the right eye. Dilated fundoscopy of the right eye showed a pale optic disc with choroidal folds temporal to it. Computerised Tomogram (CT) of the orbit showed a well-defined intraconal mass in the inferotemporal part of the orbit. A trans conjunctival orbitotomy with lateral canthotomy was performed and the tumor was removed en bloc. On immunohistochemistry, the tumour was negative for S-100 and showed patchy weak Epithelial Membrane Antigen positivity which was suggestive of a soft tissue perineurioma.

Development of mathematical model for prediction of adulteration levels of cow ghee with vegetable fat using image analysis.

The present study was undertaken to develop a protocol for acquisition and analysis of images of ghee samples to derive mathematical parameters related to adulteration of cow ghee with vegetable fat and to develop a model to predict the adulteration levels. The images acquired using a flatbed scanner were quantified in terms of their pixel intensity, colour, morphological, textural and skeleton parameters using ImageJ software. The selected parameters were measured for images of pure cow ghee and compared with that obtained for ghee adulterated with 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% vegetable fat. The parameters were assessed for their ability to detect the fixed adulteration levels on a discrete scale was assessed using discriminant analysis and the adulteration levels of the samples were correctly classified to the extent of 92.2%. An equation for predicting adulteration levels on a continuous scale using regression analysis (adjusted R 2 value 0.94) was developed, tested and further validated using a fresh data set including a commercially popular market sample of ghee giving a good fit (R 2 value of 0.85).

Proliferative leukoplakia: Proposed new clinical diagnostic criteria.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to characterize proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) from a clinical and histopathological standpoint and suggest an updated classification. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Records of patients seen at three oral medicine centers with a clinical diagnosis of PVL were reviewed for clinical and histopathological features and malignant transformation (MT). RESULTS: There were 42 patients (median age: 69 years [range: 36-88]; 35 females). 12.2% were current smokers. Family history of cancer was present in 43.7% of patients. Partial demarcation of lesion margins was present in 31.3% of lesions, followed by verrucous (27.5%), smooth (22.7%) erythematous (22.3%), and fissured (18.3%) appearance. Large and contiguous and multisite and non-contiguous lesions comprised 57.1% (24/42) and 35.7% (15/42) of PVL cases, respectively. 19.1% had prominent erythema (erythroleukoplakia). The most common histopathological diagnosis at first visit was hyperkeratosis without dysplasia (22/42; 56.4%). MT occurred in 71.4% patients after a median of 37 months [range: 1-210] from initial visit; erythroleukoplakia exhibited MT in 100% of cases. CONCLUSION: The generic term "proliferative leukoplakia (PL)" may be more appropriate than PVL because 18.3% were fissured and 22.7% erythematous. We also propose the term proliferative erythroleukoplakia to more accurately describe the subset of PL with prominent erythema, which had the highest MT rate.

Cavernous haemangioma of the cauda region: case report and review of literature.

Cavernomas arising from nerve roots in the cauda quina are extremely rare with less than 30 reported cases in world literature. We report a case of a 21-year old lady with a L3-4 cavernoma successfully managed by surgery thereby adding to the general fund of knowledge on this rare entity.

Online Healthy Food Experiments: Capturing Complexity by Using Choice-Based Conjoint Analysis.

The impact of complex environmental factors on consumer choices and preferences can be analyzed through the prism of consumer behavior analysis, whereas variations of marketing attributes and their impact on choice can be measured using conjoint analysis. Considering the case of the constantly growing online food selections, we discuss choice-based conjoint analysis and explore the opportunities for behavior analysts to examine the interrelationships of multiple variables and socially important choice settings, and to promote desired behaviors. We show a few examples of using trade-off analyses in online food retail to understand consumer behavior with respect to healthy food items. As demonstrated in these examples based on our own pilot research, conjoint analysis can be used for complex behavior-that which is not amenable directly to an experimental analysis-or as an efficient initial step before moving into further experiments or analyses using biometrics (e.g., eye-tracking) or web analytics conducted in different settings such as e-commerce, e-mail, social media, or on mobile platforms. This paper summarizes the personalized, data driven economic analysis that is possible with a choice-based conjoint analysis.

Effects of vitamin D2 or D3 supplementation on glycaemic control and cardiometabolic risk among people at risk of type 2 diabetes: results of a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

AIMS: To investigate the effect of short-term vitamin D supplementation on cardiometabolic outcomes among individuals with an elevated risk of diabetes. METHODS: In a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial, 340 adults who had an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes (non-diabetic hyperglycaemia or positive diabetes risk score) were randomized to either placebo, 100,000 IU vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) or 100,000 IU vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), orally administered monthly for 4 months. The primary outcome was change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) between baseline and 4 months, adjusted for baseline. Secondary outcomes included: blood pressure; lipid levels; apolipoprotein levels; C-reactive protein levels; pulse wave velocity (PWV); anthropometric measures; and safety of the supplementation. RESULTS: The mean [standard deviation (s.d.)] 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]2 concentration increased from 5.2 (4.1) to 53.9 (18.5) nmol/l in the D2 group, and the mean (s.d.) 25(OH)D3 concentration increased from 45.8 (22.6) to 83.8 (22.7) nmol/l in the D3 group. There was no effect of vitamin D supplementation on HbA1c: D2 versus placebo: -0.05% [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.11, 0.02] or -0.51 mmol/mol (95% CI -1.16, 0.14; p = 0.13); D3 versus placebo: 0.02% (95% CI -0.04, 0.08) or 0.19 mmol/mol (95% CI -0.46, 0.83; p = 0.57). There were no clinically meaningful effects on secondary outcomes, except PWV [D2 versus placebo: -0.68 m/s (95% CI -1.31, -0.05); D3 versus placebo -0.73 m/s (95% CI -1.42, -0.03)]. No important safety issues were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term supplementation with vitamin D2 or D3 had no effect on HbA1c. The modest reduction in PWV with both D2 and D3 relative to placebo suggests that vitamin D supplementation has a beneficial effect on arterial stiffness.

Pharmacokinetics and tolerability of paritaprevir, a direct acting antiviral agent for hepatitis C virus treatment, with and without ritonavir in healthy volunteers.

AIMS: Paritaprevir is a direct acting antiviral agent for use as part of a multidrug hepatitis C virus infection treatment regimen. To characterize the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of paritaprevir and determine an optimal dosing regimen for subsequent evaluations, clinical studies were conducted with paritaprevir alone or with ritonavir, a cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibitor anticipated to increase paritaprevir exposure. METHODS: Two phase 1, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group studies were conducted in healthy volunteers (NCT00850044 and NCT00931281). Single dose study participants (n = 87) were randomized to one time administration of either paritaprevir or placebo, or paritaprevir with ritonavir or placebo. Participants (n = 38) enrolled in the multiple dose study received paritaprevir with ritonavir or placebo once or twice daily for 14 days. Pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability were assessed throughout the study treatment periods. RESULTS: After single or multiple dose administration, paritaprevir displayed non-linear pharmacokinetics, with maximum plasma concentration and area under the plasma concentration-time curve increasing in a greater than dose proportional manner. Concomitant administration of 100 mg ritonavir increased paritaprevir exposure from a 300 mg dose approximately 30- to 50-fold and extended paritaprevir half-life. The tolerability of paritaprevir was similar with or without ritonavir. Asymptomatic, transient increases in bilirubin were observed but were not associated with abnormalities in other liver function tests. CONCLUSIONS: Paritaprevir exhibits non-linear pharmacokinetics with greater than dose proportional increases in exposure after single or multiple dosing. Co-administration with ritonavir increases paritaprevir exposure and half-life without adversely influencing tolerability.

Pharmacokinetics and dose recommendations for cyclosporine and tacrolimus when coadministered with ABT-450, ombitasvir, and dasabuvir.

ABT-450, ombitasvir, and dasabuvir are direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) that have been developed for combination treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Because these DAAs have metabolic and transporter profiles that overlap with cyclosporine and tacrolimus disposition, there is potential for drug interactions. Two Phase 1 studies assessed effects of ABT-450 (150 mg coadministered with ritonavir 100 mg once daily), ombitasvir (25 mg once daily), and dasabuvir (400 mg twice daily) on the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of a single dose of cyclosporine (30 mg) or tacrolimus (2 mg) in healthy volunteers (N = 12 per study). In the presence of steady-state concentrations of all 3 DAAs, dose-normalized cyclosporine concentration at 24 hours (C24), and area under the concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity (AUC(∞)) were 15.8-fold and 5.8-fold, respectively, and dose-normalized tacrolimus C24 and AUC(∞) were 17-fold and 57-fold, respectively, of either agent alone. Cyclosporine and tacrolimus half-lives increased from 7 to 25 h and 32 to 232 h, respectively. There were no major safety or tolerability issues in these studies. The results suggest that cyclosporine and tacrolimus doses and dosing frequency should be reduced in HCV-infected posttransplant patients being treated with this 3-DAA regimen.

Characterization of amygdalin-degrading Lactobacillus species.

AIMS: Cyanogenic glycosides are phytotoxic secondary metabolites produced by some crop plants. The aim of this study was to identify lactic acid bacteria (LAB) capable of catabolizing amygdalin, a model cyanogenic glycoside, for use in the biodetoxification of amygdalin-containing foods and feeds. METHODS AND RESULTS: Amygdalin-catabolizing lactobacilli were characterized using a combination of cultivation-dependent and molecular assays. Lactobacillus paraplantarum and Lactobacillus plantarum grew robustly on amygdalin (Amg(+)), while other LAB species typically failed to catabolize amygdalin (Amg(-)). Interestingly, high concentrations of amygdalin and two of its metabolic derivatives (mandelonitrile and benzaldehyde) inhibited the growth of Lact. plantarum RENO 0093. The differential regulation of genes tentatively involved in cyanohydrin metabolism illustrated that the metabolism of amygdalin- and glucose-grown cultures also differed significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Amygdalin fermentation was a relatively uncommon phenotype among the LAB and generally limited to strains from the Lact. plantarum group. Phenotype microarrays (PM) enabled strain-level discrimination between closely related strains within a species and suggested that phenotypic differences might affect niche specialization. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Amygdalin-degrading lactobacilli with practical application in the biodetoxification of amygdalin were characterized. These strains show potential for use as starter cultures to improve the safety of foods and feeds.

Highcor: a novel data-driven regressor identification method for BOLD fMRI.

A data-driven regressor selection technique for reducing physiological noise in BOLD fMRI is presented that capitalizes on additional information contained in the phase of the signal time-course. This method, termed highcor, identifies a set of suspect voxels by selecting based on high temporal correlation between the magnitude and phase components of the time-course. Temporal regressors are generated from principal component analysis of this voxel set. Regressor spectral content is investigated with high temporal resolution datasets, and filtering performance is demonstrated. The technique is benchmarked against compcor, an increasingly popular data driven technique. Highcor was found to select a unique set of physiological noise source voxels, and identification of confound and physiologically related signals was robust even at slow temporal sampling rates. Filtering using regressors derived from compcor and highcor voxels resulted in reductions in overall temporal standard deviation in cortical areas of 16.1%±3.1%, and 18.1%±3.8%, (mean±sd.) as measured over 36 BOLD fMRI datasets that featured an anti-saccade task. An approach combining both methods resulted in further reductions of temporal standard deviations by 31.4%±3.8%. In these regions, mean temporal SNR values were improved from 38.7±3.4 to 47.7±3.7 (cc), 49.2±2.2 (hc), and 57.8±2.3 (hc+cc). tSNR increases from data-driven filtering translated into some associated improvements in overall detection of task in the sample datasets.

Difficult Terrains of Research Publications Faced by Researchers: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background The publication of scholarly work in peer-reviewed journals is a well-established method for disseminating knowledge and findings to a global audience. However, the publishing process is constantly evolving and encountering various obstacles that hinder progress. Despite a significant increase in the number of research projects undertaken, there are few studies evaluating the challenges faced by investigators in publishing their research. This study aims to identify the factors and elements that influence the publication process after the completion of research. Methods This study included 759 projects approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) from 2016 to 2021 at a tertiary care centre in South India. A list of these approved projects was analysed for overall output in terms of publication and completion. Investigators were contacted and interviewed using a validated, 15-question survey to identify various factors influencing scientific publications. Results A total of 759 projects approved by the IEC from 2016 to 2021 were analyzed. It was found that only 36.72% of studies were completed by faculty members, and the publication conversion rate was 34.24%. A single-point analysis showed a statistically significant lower conversion rate for resident articles (p = 0.032). The 15-point analysis detailed the factors influencing publication conversion, revealing that the majority of researchers publish based on academic and research interests (68.89% and 72.12%, respectively). Various deterrents to publication, such as study design, statistical analysis, journal selection, and knowledge about journal submission, were identified. Notably, 98.4% of researchers expressed a desire to publish more in the future, highlighting the importance of this study. Conclusion The study highlights areas that require attention to facilitate and augment research. It identifies the real gaps in the publication process and suggests points of intervention needed to enhance the research environment, increase publication rates, and establish demand-based research support units in the medical education sector.

Development of a carbohydrate-supplemented semidefined medium for the semiselective cultivation of Lactobacillus spp.

The macronutrient and micronutrient compositions of traditional media used to cultivate Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) are largely undefined, which precludes their use in many metabolic bioassays. In order to address this deficiency, we developed MS: a carbohydrate-supplemented semidefined medium with low-background coloration. MS was designed to support the semiselective cultivation of a wide range of fastidious species belonging to the Lactobacillus clade of the LAB. When supplemented with 100 mM D-glucose, the MS medium stimulated the proliferation of 21 strains of LAB, including Pediococcus spp. and Lactobacillus spp. The MS medium supported biomass accumulation comparable with MRS, an undefined medium routinely used for the cultivation of lactobacilli. Interestingly, however, the novel MS medium exhibited greater semiselectivity against non-LAB than MRS. Together, these results suggest that MS is an acceptable alternative to MRS for use in metabolic and phenotypic bioassays that use a colorimetric reporter system or would benefit from a semidefined nutrient composition.

Dysregulated biomarkers induce distinct pathways in preterm birth.

OBJECTIVE: To document racial disparity in biomarker concentrations in maternal/fetal plasma and amniotic fluid between African Americans and European Americans with spontaneous preterm birth (PTB; cases) and normal term birth (controls), and their contribution to distinct pathophysiological pathways of PTB. DESIGN: Nested case-control study. SETTING: The Perinatal Research Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. SAMPLE: Maternal and fetal plasma and amniotic fluid samples were collected from 105 cases (59 African American and 46 European American) and 86 controls (40 African American and 46 European American). METHODS: Thirty-six biomarkers were analysed using the protein microarray approach. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Differences in biomarker concentrations between cases and controls of different races in maternal, fetal and intra-amniotic compartments, and the risk of PTB. Dysregulated biomarker-induced PTB pathways associated with PTB in each race were determined using ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA). RESULTS: Racial disparity was observed in biomarker concentrations in each compartment between cases and controls: amniotic fluid, IL8 and MIP1α differed between case and controls in European Americans, whereas ANGPT2, Eotaxin, ICAM-1, IL-1ß, IL1RA, RANTES and TNFα differed between case and controls in African Americans. In both races the FAS ligand, MCP-3 and TNFR-I differed between cases and controls. For fetal plasma, ANGPT2, Eotaxin, FGF basic, ICAM-1, IGF-I, IL10, IL-1ß, IL2, IP10 KGF, MCP-3, MIP1α, PDGF-BB, TGFα, TGFß1, TIMP1, TNFα, TNFR-I, TNFR-II and VEGF differed between cases and controls in European Americans, whereas only MMP7 differed between cases and controls in African Americans. IL-8 differed between cases and controls in both races. For maternal plasma, IL1RA, MMP7 and VEGF differed between cases and controls in European Americans, whereas ANGPT2, FGF basic, IL-1ß, IL5, IL6R, KGF, MCP-3, MIP1α, TIMP1 and TNFα differed between cases and controls in African Americans. ANG, IL8 and TNFR-I differed between cases and controls in both races. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that: (1) biomarker concentrations in maternal, fetal and intra-amniotic compartments differ between cases and controls; (2) there is racial disparity in the biomarker profile in each of the compartments; (3) substantial numbers of dysregulated fetal plasma biomarkers contribute to PTB in European Americans, whereas maternal plasma biomarkers contribute to PTB in African Americans; and (4) both inflammation and haematological functions are associated with PTB in European Americans, but maternal proinflammatory changes dominate PTB in African Americans. Biomarker analyses document racial disparity and the distinct pathophysiological contributions from different compartments that can determine pregnancy outcome.

Vocal cord movement: can it be accurately graded?

INTRODUCTION: Flexible nasendoscopy (FNE) is the principal assessment method for vocal cord movement. Because the procedure is inherently subjective it may not be possible for clinicians to grade the degree of vocal cord movement reliably. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy and consistency of grading vocal cord movement as viewed via FNE. METHODS: Thirty FNE videos, without sound or clinical information, were assessed by six consultant head and neck surgeons. The surgeons were asked to assess and grade right and left vocal cord movement independently, based on a five-category scale. This process was repeated three times on separate occasions. Agreement and reliability were assessed. RESULTS: Mean overall observed inter-rater agreement was 67.7% (sd 1.9) with the five-category scale, increasing to 91.4% (sd 1.9) when a three-category scale was derived. Mean overall observed intra-rater agreement was 78.3% (sd 9.7) for five categories, increasing to 93.1% (sd 3.3) for three categories. Discriminating vocal cord motion was less reliable using the five-category scale (k = 0.52) than with the three-category scale (k = 0.68). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates quantitatively that it is challenging to accurately and consistently grade subtle differences in vocal cord movement, as proven by the reduced agreement and reliability when using a five-point scale instead of a three-point scale. The study highlights the need for an objective measure to help in the assessment of vocal cord movement.

Ex-Ex Primer: An experimentally validated tool for designing oligonucleotides spanning spliced nucleic acid regions from multiple species.

A comparative study of existing junction-primer-designing software revealed many limitations among them. Hence, we developed a new computational program, Ex-Ex Primer, which offers many improved, user-friendly features, and reliably creates junction primers and probes. This online suite can also be used to design primers/probes from other sites of nucleic acid recombination, insertion, deletion, or splicing, and regular probes/primers. The threshold for Tm difference between the complete junctional primer vs its partial sequence, which maps to one of the junctional regions, was changed based on an important observation made during the initial experimental validations. The tool is now thoroughly checked with RT-PCR and RT-qPCR experiments with more than 250 primer pairs over a few years. The junction-primer-designing features of the software are also better than other equivalent tools. Visualizing the exons and introns across transcripts, and enabling primer designing based on information from Ensembl, are some of the unique features of this tool. The primers suggested by the tool can be used to detect the expression of known transcripts, to test the existence of predicted DNA or RNA joints via hybridization-based techniques, or for validation and in silico analysis of RNA-Seq. URL: http://resource2.ibab.ac.in/exprimer/.

Use of cognitive screening instruments in primary care: the impact of national dementia directives (NICE/SCIE, National Dementia Strategy).

BACKGROUND: Publication of national dementia directives, namely the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence/Social Care Institute for Excellence (NICE/SCIE) guidelines (2006) and the National Dementia Strategy (NDS; 2009), has aimed to improve dementia awareness, diagnosis and management in all sectors of the health service. AIM: To measure the frequency of cognitive screening instrument use reported in referrals from primary care to a dedicated secondary care Cognitive Function Clinic (CFC) over the period encompassing the launch of NICE/SCIE guidance and NDS, in comparison with cohorts seen before these directives were issued. The design of study is prospective. The setting of the study is CFC, Regional Neuroscience Centre. METHOD: Over a 2 year period (February 2008 to February 2010), referral letters for patients referred from primary care to CFC (n = 306) were examined for mention of cognitive screening instrument use. Patients were evaluated in CFC with standard clinical, neuropsychological and neuroimaging methods and diagnoses were made following widely accepted diagnostic criteria for dementia and dementia subtypes. RESULTS: There was an increase in the number of GP referrals over the study period compared to a prior cohort but the proportion of dementia diagnoses fell and the frequency of cognitive screening instrument use was unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Increased numbers of referrals would be consistent with an awareness raising effect of NICE/SCIE and NDS and a willingness among GPs to refer cases. But the falling proportion of dementia diagnoses suggests that these are 'worried well' individuals. There is no evidence for closure of the dementia 'diagnosis gap'.