In vitro evaluation of prebiotic properties derived from rice bran obtained by debranning technology.

The prebiotic ability of several rice bran fractions obtained by debranning (RBD) using human microbiota was studied in anaerobic batch cultures with agitation and pH-controlled. Fraction C (3.8-5% w/w pearling) from RBD increased the number of bifidobacteria and lactobacteria compared with the positive control, raftilose P95. RBD fermentation induced changes in the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) profile. In addition, Fraction C revealed the highest growth of positive lactobacteria than commercial control. The present work illustrates the prebiotic capacity of RBD to modulate human microbiota and highlights that fraction C could be an economical source for use in human food as well as an interesting alternative to valorise a by-product of cereal industry.

Sensory characteristics and volatile composition of a cereal beverage fermented with Bifidobacterium breve NCIMB 702257.

Most of the commercialized lactic acid fermented products are dairy-based. Hence, the development of non-dairy fermented products with probiotic properties draws significant attention within the functional foods industry. The microorganisms used in such products have complex enzyme systems through which they generate diverse metabolites (volatile and non-volatile) that provide significant flavour attributes of importance for fermented foods. The correlation of the volatile flavour compounds of a malt beverage fermented with a Bifidobacterium breve strain with its unique sensory characteristics was performed. The volatile composition analysis exposed the presence of 12 components. Eight of these flavour volatiles were produced through the metabolic activity of the bifidobacteria strain. Notably acetic acid, of reported sour flavour characteristics, exhibited the greatest intensity. Four components of considerable organoleptic characteristics were identified as Maillard-derived products, namely maltol, pyranone, 2 (5H)-furanmethanol and 3-furanmethanol. The sensory evaluation exhibited that the fermented cereal beverage had a sour flavour with mild sweet and malty notes. These results indicate that the volatile compounds identified can be appointed as significant flavour markers of the novel fermented cereal beverage.

Enhanced optical conductivity and many-body effects in strongly-driven photo-excited semi-metallic graphite.

The excitation of quasi-particles near the extrema of the electronic band structure is a gateway to electronic phase transitions in condensed matter. In a many-body system, quasi-particle dynamics are strongly influenced by the electronic single-particle structure and have been extensively studied in the weak optical excitation regime. Yet, under strong optical excitation, where light fields coherently drive carriers, the dynamics of many-body interactions that can lead to new quantum phases remain largely unresolved. Here, we induce such a highly non-equilibrium many-body state through strong optical excitation of charge carriers near the van Hove singularity in graphite. We investigate the system's evolution into a strongly-driven photo-excited state with attosecond soft X-ray core-level spectroscopy. We find an enhancement of the optical conductivity of nearly ten times the quantum conductivity and pinpoint it to carrier excitations in flat bands. This interaction regime is robust against carrier-carrier interaction with coherent optical phonons acting as an attractive force reminiscent of superconductivity. The strongly-driven non-equilibrium state is markedly different from the single-particle structure and macroscopic conductivity and is a consequence of the non-adiabatic many-body state.

Production of potentially probiotic beverages using single and mixed cereal substrates fermented with lactic acid bacteria cultures.

In the present work, single and mixed cereal substrates were fermented with lactic acid bacteria to study and compare the effect of the media formulation on fermentation parameters. Three cereal flours namely malt, barley and barley mixed with malt (barley-malt) were selected and fermented with two probiotic strains: Lactobacillus plantarum (NCIMB 8826) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (NCIMB 8821). The effect of the single and mixed cereal flour suspensions on the fermentation of these two strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was studied at an incubation temperature of 30 °C for 28 h. It was found that the LAB growth was enhanced in media containing malt and significant amounts of lactic acid were produced (0.5-3.5 g/L). A cell concentration between 7.9 and 8.5 Log10 CFU/mL and a pH below 4.0 was achieved within 6 h of fermentation. Though the cell populations in the mixed culture fermentations of mixed substrates were similar to the ones obtained with single cereal flours, significant differences in the production of lactic acid were observed. These results suggest that the functional and organoleptic properties of these cereal-based probiotic drinks could be considerably modified through changes in the substrate or inocula composition.

Detection of human Mastadenovirus C in wild guinea pigs (Cavia aperea aperea) feces.

The Adenoviridae family is composed by a high diversity of viruses that are extremely resistant in environment and are frequently excreted in animal reservoir feces for long periods. The knowledge of adenovirus (AdV) diversity among wild species may be important for the understanding of the epidemiology of putative emerging diseases. Cavia aperea aperea, commonly known as wild guinea pigs, wild cavies, or preas, are small herbivorous rodents widely distributed throughout South America and classified in Caviidae family, as well as domestic guinea pigs and capybaras. In order to investigate their potential role as reservoir of zoonotic agents, the present study aimed to verify the presence of AdV in fecal samples of 14 preas from Northeast Brazil. When submitted to nested PCR, two out of 14 samples (14.28%) were positive for AdV and classified as human Mastadenovirus C (HAdV-C) using DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Wild guinea pigs are synanthropic rodents that live in close contact with humans. The investigation of viral agents in rodents is important due to their potential role as reservoirs of human and animal pathogens. Moreover, the present work presents the first known evidence of HAdV in wild guinea pig stool samples, which may represent both the impact of anthropogenic pollution to wild animals and an important knowledge in terms of human health.

"Ask me what I need": A call for shifting responsibility upwards and creating inclusive learning environments in clinical placement.

BACKGROUND: Ontario's human-rights legislation and institutions' support for students with disabilities have influenced these students' increased enrolment in the postsecondary environment. Yet more attention is paid to in-classroom than to out-of-classroom experiences. Students with disabilities enrolled in nursing are least likely to be accommodated. This has significant implications for access and equity upon graduation, as clinical placements are a bridge between school and employment. OBJECTIVES: To explore clinical instructors' and students who identify with disabilities' perspectives on nursing clinical placements. METHOD: A descriptive case-report was used: interactive take-home diaries were completed and semi-structured interviews were conducted with clinical instructors (n-14) and nursing students with disabilities (n-14) in Ontario. An iterative inductive analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: Three overarching themes were identified: (a) an immovable clinical environment in relation to technology and time, (b) a perceived conflict between nursing and disability identity, and (c) a need to shift responsibility upwards while listening to lived experience. The clinical environment is a highly contested space; different identity groups have distinct roles and differing degrees of power within it. CONCLUSION: Our research calls for a shift in the nursing landscape to be led by education and medical institutions that can build supportive networks, develop clear policies and listen to nursing students with disabilities.

In Situ DESI-MSI Lipidomic Profiles of Breast Cancer Molecular Subtypes and Precursor Lesions.

Clinically meaningful molecular subtypes for classification of breast cancers have been established, however, initiation and progression of these subtypes remain poorly understood. The recent development of desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) facilitates the convergence of analytical chemistry and traditional pathology, allowing chemical profiling with minimal tissue pretreatment in frozen samples. Here, we characterized the chemical composition of molecular subtypes of breast cancer with DESI-MSI. Regions of interest were identified, including invasive breast cancer (IBC), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and adjacent benign tissue (ABT), and metabolomic profiles at 200 µm elaborated using Biomap software and the Lasso method. Top ions identified in IBC regions included polyunsaturated fatty acids, deprotonated glycerophospholipids, and sphingolipids. Highly saturated lipids, as well as antioxidant molecules [taurine (m/z 124.0068), uric acid (m/z 167.0210), ascorbic acid (m/z 175.0241), and glutathione (m/z 306.0765)], were able to distinguish IBC from ABT. Moreover, luminal B and triple-negative subtypes showed more complex lipid profiles compared with luminal A and HER2 subtypes. DCIS and IBC were distinguished on the basis of cell signaling and apoptosis-related ions [fatty acids (341.2100 and 382.3736 m/z) and glycerophospholipids (PE (P-16:0/22:6, m/z 746.5099, and PS (38:3), m/z 812.5440)]. In summary, DESI-MSI identified distinct lipid composition between DCIS and IBC and across molecular subtypes of breast cancer, with potential implications for breast cancer pathogenesis. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings present the first in situ metabolomic findings of the four molecular subtypes of breast cancer, DCIS, and normal tissue, and add to the understanding of their pathogenesis.

Atrial reservoir function by strain rate imaging in asymptomatic mitral stenosis: prognostic value at 3 year follow-up.

AIMS: Assessment of left and right systolic atrial reservoir function in asymptomatic mitral stenosis (MS) by strain and strain rate imaging (SRI) and their prognostic power at 3 year follow-up was the purpose of this study. There is clear indication to treat (by surgery or percutaneous valvotomy) symptomatic patients with MS, whereas for the asymptomatic ones, the question is much debated. So, we need new echocardiographic parameters helpful for the management of asymtomatic patients. Atrial reservoir function by SRI could help in evaluation of these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty-three asymptomatic patients with MS and 53 healthy controls were evaluated by the standard echo-Doppler study [mitral valve (MV) area, mean gradient, systolic pulmonary pressure, left atrial (LA) width, LA volumes, LA compliance index] and by Doppler myocardial imaging (velocity, strain, and SR of both atria). The endpoint at 3 year follow-up was symptoms, hospitalization for cardiac cause, atrial fibrillation, thrombo-embolic events, valvular surgery, or percutaneous commissurotomy. LA width, volumes, and systolic pulmonary pressure were significantly increased in MS patients (P < 0.001). Atrial myocardial velocities and deformation indices were significantly compromised in MS patients (P < 0.0001). Significant correlation was found between atrial myocardial velocity and MV area (by pressure half-time method: P = 0.019, R = 0.41; by planimetric method: P = 0.016, R = 0.43). Peak systolic LA myocardial strain and SR were significantly correlated with atrial volumes (strain: P = 0.03, R = -0.28; SR: P = 0.0008, R = -0.42), with atrial compliance index (strain: P = 0.04, R = 0.26; SR: P = 0.04, R = 0.16), with atrial ejection fraction (strain: P < 0.0001, R = 0.56; SR: P = 0.03, R = 0.43). At 3 year follow-up, 22 (41%) patients had events. Comparing the MS patients who had events during the 3 year follow-up with those who did not, the former had bigger LA volumes, although these parameters did not reached a significant value, whereas atrial myocardial systolic SR was significantly impaired in patients with events. In multivariate analysis, the best predictor of adverse events was LA peak systolic SR average (P = 0.04; coefficient: 0.113; SE: 0.055; cut-off value of 1.69 s(-1) for LA peak systolic SR average) with a sensitivity of 88%, specificity of 80.6%, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.852 (SE: 0.048; 95% CI: 0.74-0.93, P = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Atrial myocardial deformation properties, assessed by SRI, are abnormal in asymptomatic patients with rheumatic MS. The degree of this impairment is predictor of events in a 3 year follow-up. SRI could be helpful in decision-making of asymtomatic patients with MS.

In vitro fermentation of oat bran obtained by debranning with a mixed culture of human fecal bacteria.

The prebiotic potential of oat samples was investigated by in vitro shaker-flask anaerobic fermentations with human fecal cultures. The oat bran fraction was obtained by debranning and was compared with other carbon sources such as whole oat flour, glucose, and fructo-oligosaccharide. The oat bran fraction showed a decrease in culturable anaerobes and clostridia and an increase in bifidobacteria and lactobacilli populations. A similar pattern was observed in fructo-oligosaccharide. Butyrate production was higher in oat bran compared to glucose and similar to that in fructo-oligosaccharide. Production of propionate was higher in the two oat media than in fructo-oligosaccharide and glucose, which can be used as energy source by the liver. This study suggests that the oat bran fraction obtained by debranning is digested by the gut ecosystem and increases the population of beneficial bacteria in the indigenous gut microbiota. This medium also provides an energy source preferred by colonocytes when it is metabolized by the gut flora.

Synthesis of highly fluorescent carbon dots from lemon and onion juices for determination of riboflavin in multivitamin/mineral supplements.

In this work, lemon and onion biomasses commonly found in street markets are for the first time used to develop a facile, fast and low-cost one-step microwave-assisted carbonization method for synthesis of highly fluorescent carbon dots (CDs). The structure and optical properties of CDs were investigated by TEM, XRD, XRF, UV-Vis, FTIR, and fluorescence spectroscopy. CDs displayed satisfactory optical proprieties, a high quantum yield of 23.6%, and excellent water solubility, and the particle size was 4.23-8.22 nm with an average diameter of 6.15 nm. An efficient fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the CDs and riboflavin was achieved with CDs acting as donor and riboflavin as acceptor. A linear relationship between FRET and the riboflavin concentration from 0.10 to 3.0 µg/mL was observed, allowing the development of an accurate and fast analytical method to determine this vitamin in multivitamin/mineral supplements. Despite the potential interferences in these supplements, CDs were selective for riboflavin under optimized conditions. A paired t-test at a 95% confidence level indicated no statistically significant difference between the proposed and the reference methods. Recovery test presented values ranged from 96.0% to 101.4%. The limit of detection and relative standard deviation were estimated at 1.0 ng/mL and <2.6% (n = 3), respectively. CDs were successfully synthesized in a domestic microwave oven (1450 W, 6 min), presenting satisfactory parameters when compared with results of other studies reported in the literature, suggesting that the proposed method is a potentially useful method for the synthesis of CDs and determination of riboflavin.

WITHDRAWN: Prognostic Value of Pharmacologic Stress Echocardiography in Diabetic Patients.

The publisher regrets that this was an accidental duplication of an article that has already been published in Eur. J. Echocardiogr., 4 (2003) 202-208, . The duplicate article has therefore been withdrawn.

Spectral analysis of cyclic symptoms in late luteal phase dysphoric disorder.

Fifty-eight subjects self-referred for premenstrual difficulty were evaluated for late luteal phase dysphoric disorder through a spectral analysis technique applied to prospective symptom ratings. Data from the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia--Life-time Version were used to group the subjects according to the absence or presence of past or present psychiatric disorders. The two psychiatric groups were compared with regard to both patterns of significant symptom change and premenstrual symptom severity. Differences between the groups are used to discuss issues regarding the reliable identification of late luteal phase dysphoric disorder and the impact of other psychiatric disorders on this syndrome.

Late luteal phase dysphoric disorder and DSM-III-R.

Text and diagnostic criteria for a new category, late luteal phase dysphoric disorder, appear in appendix A of DSM-III-R: "Proposed Diagnostic Categories Needing Further Study." The inclusion of this category in the manual was perhaps the most controversial aspect of the revision of DSM-III. In this paper the authors describe the work of the advisory committee that first proposed the category, the rationale for the category's inclusion in the manual, and the many issues that were the focus of heated debates.

Late luteal phase dysphoric disorder in 670 women evaluated for premenstrual complaints.

OBJECTIVE: The American Psychiatric Association's DSM-IV Work Group on Late Luteal Phase Dysphoric Disorder (LLPDD) reanalyzed existing data from prospective, daily symptom ratings to evaluate the DSM-III-R criteria for LLPDD. The objectives were to 1) evaluate the individual symptoms presently required for the diagnosis and other symptoms, 2) determine the proportion of treatment-seeking women who meet the LLPDD criteria, and 3) explore the association between LLPDD and other mental disorders. METHOD: Data from over 1,000 women seeking evaluation for premenstrual complaints at five U.S. sites were examined. The data from 670 of these women were sufficiently complete to warrant evaluation by four different methods of assessing symptom change. RESULTS: Depending on the assessment method used, 14% to 45% of the women met the criteria for LLPDD. The current DSM-III-R symptoms were classified as positive for 7% to 54% of the women. Each of these symptoms was significantly more common among women with LLPDD regardless of the assessment method used. Five symptoms not presently included were also significantly more common. Women who had had mental disorders in the past, but not present, showed a significantly greater, but very small, relative risk of LLPDD. CONCLUSIONS: The variability in the frequency of LLPDD diagnosis according to method of assessing symptom change underscores the need for a uniform assessment method. The five additional symptoms with frequencies comparable to those of the DSM-III-R symptoms should be studied further for possible inclusion in the criteria.

High nocturnal body temperature in premenstrual syndrome and late luteal phase dysphoric disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Because women with late luteal phase dysphoric disorder (LLPDD) experience symptomatic affective states predictably, they can be studied to determine whether there are biological findings related solely to the clinically symptomatic state. The authors sought to answer the question, Does body temperature change with affective state? METHOD: The core body temperature and motor activity patterns of 10 women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), six of whom also met criteria for LLPDD, and no other psychological or medical illness were compared to those of six women with chronic, noncyclic dysphoria and six asymptomatic comparison women at four phases of the menstrual cycle. RESULTS: The nocturnal temperatures of the women with PMS/LLPDD were significantly higher than those of the comparison subjects across the entire menstrual cycle, but there were no differences in nocturnal activity levels. The women with noncyclic dysphoria had a mean nocturnal temperature in the follicular phase as high as that of the women with PMS/LLPDD. The temperatures of all women were higher in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that in the future investigators should document menstrual cycle phase in all female subjects and, when studying body temperature, should carefully monitor symptomatic state in comparison subjects.

Myocardial diastolic impairment caused by left ventricular hypertrophy involves basal septum more than other walls: analysis by pulsed Doppler tissue imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To assess regional diastolic function in patients with hypertension with or without left ventricular hypertrophy using Doppler tissue imaging, a new tool that analyzes myocardial wall motion 'on-line'. METHODS: Ten normotensive subjects, 20 hypertensive patients without hypertrophy and 20 with hypertrophy (left ventricular mass index >50 g/m2.7), all men, underwent Doppler echocardiography and Doppler tissue imaging, which was performed in apical view by placing pulsed sample volume at the level of the basal and middle septum, basal and middle lateral wall, and infero-posterior wall. Peak velocities and time-velocity integrals of myocardial early (Em) and late (Am) waves and their ratios, regional deceleration time and regional relaxation time were measured in each segment. RESULTS: Transmitral peak E/A ratio was 1.37 in normotensive subjects, 1.01 in hypertensive patients without hypertrophy and 0.77 in those with hypertrophy (P < 0.00001). The myocardial diastolic indexes derived by Doppler tissue imaging worsened at all levels in hypertensive patients without hypertrophy compared with normotensive subjects. In hypertensive patients with hypertrophy, the majority of myocardial diastolic indexes were further impaired at the basal septal level, but only marginal differences were found in other regions, compared with indexes in hypertensive patients without hypertrophy. The main diastolic indexes were found, using separate intra-group analyses, to be more compromised at the basal septum than at other levels only in hypertrophic hypertensive patients. The prevalence of regions having peak Em/Am ratios < 1 increased significantly from normotensive subjects to hypertensive patients without hypertrophy, but not significantly from these to the hypertrophic group. Among pooled hypertensive patients, after adjusting for heart rate and diastolic blood pressure using multivariate models, the septal wall thickness was shown to be an independent determinant of the diastolic indexes of the basal and middle septum. CONCLUSIONS: In hypertensive patients without hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction is uniform along the ventricular walls, whereas in those with hypertrophy it is more evident at the basal septal level than in other walls. Overall among hypertensive patients, the diastolic properties of the interventricular septum worsen as the thickness of the septal wall increases, in the presence and in the absence of hypertrophy.

Use of pulsed Doppler tissue imaging to assess regional left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

In this study, regional diastolic patterns and their relations with transmitral Doppler inflow were investigated in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) by pulsed Doppler tissue imaging (DTI). Doppler echocardiography and DTI of basal septum and lateral wall (apical 4-chamber view) were performed in 20 patients (15 men and 5 women) with HC and in 10 healthy subjects (7 men and 3 women). Diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery and valvular disease, mitral regurgitation, New York Heart Association functional classes III to IV, sinus tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and inadequate echocardiograms were exclusion criteria. Peak velocity and time-velocity integral of early and late waves and their ratios, and deceleration and isovolumic relaxation times were determined by standard Doppler and by DTI at the septal and lateral wall levels. The 2 groups were comparable for age, heart rate, blood pressure, and ejection fraction. Transmitral peak velocity and time-velocity integral E/A ratios were reduced (both p <0.05) and deceleration and isovolumic relaxation times prolonged (both p <0.00001) in HC. Septal DTI showed lower peak velocity and time-velocity integral e/a ratios (p <0.00001 and p <0.001, respectively) and lengthened regional deceleration (p <0.01) and isovolumic (p <0.001) relaxation times. DTI of the lateral wall showed a prolongation of deceleration and isovolumic relaxation times (both p <0.01). By dividing HC according to transmitral E/A, 8 patients with E/A <1 had lower DTI septal e/a ratio (p <0.01) and prolonged septal deceleration and isovolumic relaxation times (both p <0.01) but no changes in DTI pattern of lateral wall than 12 patients with E/A > 1. In conclusion, DTI is useful and complementary to standard Doppler imaging to characterize diastolic properties in HC, reflecting a typical pattern of intramyocardial impaired relaxation at the level of hypertrophied septum and also providing information about the degree of this regional impairment. The lateral wall presents minor changes in diastolic times, which indicate how diastolic asynchrony is not confined to the hypertrophied segment in HC.

Pulsed Doppler tissue imaging in endurance athletes: relation between left ventricular preload and myocardial regional diastolic function.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of endurance training on myocardial regional systolic and diastolic function by pulsed Doppler tissue imaging (DTI). Twenty male water polo players and 20 male control subjects underwent standard Doppler echocardiography and pulsed DTI, performed in apical views by placing a sample volume on left ventricular (LV) basal septal and inferior walls. Age, body surface area, and blood pressure were comparable between the 2 groups, with lower heart rate in athletes (p <0.001). They had significantly increased LV mass index (due to both higher wall thickness and end-diastolic diameter), greater endocardial fractional shortening, higher transmitral early/atrial (E/A) peak velocities ratio. In athletes, DTI analysis showed significantly prolonged myocardial deceleration time and greater myocardial E/A peak velocity ratio of septal and inferior walls, whereas myocardial early peak velocity was increased (p <0.01) only at the inferior wall. In the overall group, we found univariate relations of septal and inferior E/A peak velocity ratio and myocardial deceleration time with LV mass levels, and, in particular, with the sum of wall thickness. By separate multivariate analyses, however, these relations disappeared, being dependent on heart rate degree. Another association found between LV end-diastolic diameter and myocardial early diastolic wave peak velocity of the inferior wall (r = 0.68, p <0.0001) remained significant (standardized beta coefficient 0.60, p <0.00001), even after adjusting for heart rate, body surface area, age, and stroke volume (R(2) = 0.71, p <0.00001). In conclusion, DTI is a useful tool for detecting regional changes in myocardial function induced by training, because athletes present with an improvement in diastolic passive properties of myocardium. The higher early diastolic velocity of the inferior wall and its relation to increased preload may represent an indicator of aerobic training, allowing quantification of the degree of LV adaptation to endurance exercise.

Premenstrual syndrome. Identification and management.

Premenstrual syndrome is a legitimate illness consisting of the cyclic recurrence of symptoms (physical, mental and behavioural) in the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle of sufficient severity to require treatment. The syndrome has a yet unknown aetiology, an uncertain and variable course, and an unidentified family history. Methods are available for diagnosis including obtaining a reliable history, thorough physical and mental examinations, laboratory tests to exclude other possible causes of symptoms, and daily prospective symptom ratings to confirm symptom patterns. Because there is no known aetiology, treatment consists of symptom management of the specific symptoms experienced, based on prospective symptom ratings.

Premenstrual syndrome research: using the NIMH guidelines.

The 1983 National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) guidelines for a premenstrual syndrome (PMS) diagnosis were applied to Daily Rating Form (DRF) data in a prospective research study. The use of two sets of criteria, each consistent with the NIMH guidelines, resulted in prevalence rates of 44% and 17%. The authors discuss other problems in defining a "syndrome": symptom patterns and the relationship between PMS and the presence of a psychiatric disorder.