Potato starch modified by Streptococcus thermophilus GtfB enzyme has low viscoelastic and slowly digestible properties.

Potato starch with high viscosity and digestibility cannot be added into some foods. To address this issue, a novel starch-acting enzyme 4,6-α-glucosyltransferase from Streptococcus thermophilus (StGtfB) was used. StGtfB decreased the iodine affinity and the molecular weight, but increased the degree of branching of starch at a mode quite different from glycogen 1,4-α-glucan branching enzyme (GBE). StGtfB at 5 U/g substrate mainly introduced DP 1-7 into amylose (AMY) or DP 1-12 branches into amylopectin (AMP), and increased the ratio of short- to long-branches from 0.32 to 2.22 or from 0.41 to 2.50. The DP 3 branch chain was the most abundant in both StGtfB-modified AMY and StGtfB-modified AMP. The DP < 6 branch chain contents in StGtfB-modified AMY were 42.68%, much higher than those of GBE-modified AMY. StGtfB significantly decreased viscoelasticity but still kept pseudoplasticity of starch. The modifications also slowed down the glucose generation rate of products at the mammalian mucosal α-glucosidase level. The slowly digestible fraction in potato starch increased from 34.29% to 53.22% using StGtfB of 5 U/g starch. This low viscoelastic and slowly digestible potato starch had great potential with respect to low and stable postprandial blood glucose.

Distribution and predictors of hospital charges for haemorrhagic stroke patients in Beijing, China, March 2012 to February 2015: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to analyse hospital charges for patients with haemorrhagic stroke in China and investigate potential factors associated with inpatient charges. METHODS: The study participants were in-hospital patients with a primary diagnosis of haemorrhagic stroke from all the secondary and tertiary hospitals in Beijing during the period from 1 March 2012 to 28 February 2015. Distribution characteristics of detailed hospital charges were analysed. The influence of potential factors on hospital charges was researched using a stepwise multiple regression model. RESULTS: A total of 34 890 patients with haemorrhagic stroke of mean age 61.19±14.37 years were included in the study, of which 37.2% were female. Median length of hospital stay (LOHS) was 15 days (IQR 9-23) and median hospital cost was 18 577 Chinese yuan (CNY) (IQR 10 442-39 784). The hospital costs for patients in Western medicine hospitals (median 19 651 CNY) were significantly higher (P<0.01) than those in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals (median 14 560 CNY), and were significantly higher (P<0.01) for Level 3 hospitals (median 20 029 CNY) than for Level 2 hospitals (median 16 095 CNY). The proportion of medicine fees and bed fees within total hospital charges showed a decreasing trend during the study period. With stepwise multiple regression, the major factors associated with hospital charges were LOHS, surgery, pulmonary infection, ventilator usage, hospital level, occupation, hyperlipidaemia, hospital type, in-hospital death, sex and age. CONCLUSION: We conclude that medicines form the largest part of hospital charges but are showing a decreasing trend, and LOHS is strongly associated with patient charges for haemorrhagic stroke in China. This implies that the cost structure is very unreasonable in China and medical technology costs fail to be fully manifested. A reasonable decrease in medicine charges and shortening LOHS may be effective ways to reduce hospital charges.