Timing and Nutrient Type of Isocaloric Snacks Impacted Postprandial Glycemic and Insulinemic Responses of the Subsequent Meal in Healthy Subjects.

The aim of the study was to explore the impact of both the macronutrient composition and snacking timing on the postprandial glycemic insulinemic responses and food intake. Seventeen healthy female volunteers completed the randomized crossover trials. The volunteers were provided a standard breakfast and lunch at 8:00 and 13:00, respectively, and an ad libitum dinner at 18:00. Provided at either 10:30 (midmorning) or 12:30 (preload), the glycemic effects of the three types of 70 kcal snacks, including chicken breast (mid-C and pre-C), apple (mid-A and pre-A), and macadamia nut (mid-M and pre-M), were compared with the non-snack control (CON), evaluated by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The mid-M showed increased insulin resistance after lunch compared with CON, while the pre-M did not. The pre-A stabilized the glycemic response in terms of all variability parameters after lunch, while the mid-A had no significant effect on postprandial glucose control. Both the mid-C and pre-C improved the total area under the glucose curve, all glycemic variability parameters, and the insulin resistance within 2 h after lunch compared with CON. The pre-C attained the lowest energy intake at dinner, while the mid-A and the mid-M resulted in the highest. In conclusion, the chicken breast snack effectively stabilized postprandial glycemic excursion and reduced insulin resistance while the macadamia snack did not, regardless of ingestion time. Only as a preload could the apple snack mitigate the glucose response after the subsequent meal.

Oil/Salt Use Assessment of Chinese-Style Canteens Based on Consumers' Perception of the Nutrition Environment.

Excess cooking oil and salt use in catering services contributes to obesity and cardiovascular disease, but the assessment of oil/salt use has been a challenge in nutrition environment measurement. We conducted a knowledge, attitude, and practice survey on 250 respondents in five university canteens at China Agricultural University, Beijing, China. Using on-site tools including a newly developed Likert scale and the previously tested Oil-Salt Visual Analogue Scale (OS-VAS), the respondents were asked to evaluate their personal taste, their impression of the oil/salt status of canteen dishes, and their attitude toward oil/salt reduction. Data analysis showed that gender and self-image of body shape had a significant impact on KAP scores and the impression of the oil/salt environment. The respondents' taste preferences correlated with their perception of oil and salt, but knowledge and attitude were not directly related to scores on oil and salt, while weight status was related to oil and salt scores. The Likert scale-based assessment could work but was not as effective as the OS-VAS in distinguishing the differences among the selected canteens. These results indicate that the quality of the nutrition environment in catering services needs to be comprehensively evaluated with an objective evaluation of raters and a subjective evaluation of consumers.

Corrosion Behavior of Reinforcing Steel in the Immersed Tube Tunnel (ITT) under Submarine Environment.

The corrosion behavior of reinforcing steel in the ITT under a submarine environment was investigated. Electrochemical tests were carried out to separately determine the linear polarization curves and the AC impedance spectra of rebars in the ITT scaled-down models subjected to pressurized seawater erosion, from which key parameters were obtained, including the self-corrosion potential (Ecorr), corrosion current density (icorr), polarization resistance (Rp), concrete resistance (Rc), and charge migration resistance (Rct). The results show that in the process of pressurized seawater erosion, the rebars on the seawater side of the ITT models corroded earlier than the rebars on the cavity side, and it is recommended that anti-chloride ion penetration measures be taken on the surface of the seawater side as a priority in the project. The corrosion rate of rebars on the seawater side was significantly higher than that on the cavity side, and the corrosion rate of rebars on the cavity side increased as the erosion time increased. The corrosion rate of rebars in the ITT models was affected by chloride ions to a greater extent than by oxygen. Furthermore, by regression equation, a linear function between Rp obtained from the polarization curves and Rct obtained from the AC impedance spectra was established.

Designing a solar interfacial evaporator based on tree structures for great coordination of water transport and salt rejection.

Solar interfacial evaporation has been receiving increasing attention but it is still a huge challenge to achieve excellent coordination between efficient water transport and salt rejection. Here, unlike the common wood-inspired evaporators with equal-diameter directional pores, we have constructed an integrated structure with highly connected gradient pores that mimic the xylem vessels and phloem sieve tubes found in trees. The bio-inspired structure can reduce the resistance of water transport and salt rejection in the same channel. The average transport speed of the 6.5 cm high (2 cm in diameter) porous structure reached 1.504 g s-1, and water was transported 16 cm after 100 seconds. Using multilayer graphene oxide as the photothermal conversion material, the evaporators with different heights can work for more than 9 hours under the condition of 1 sun illumination and 23 wt% brine without any salt crystallization, and the evaporation rates range from 3.28 to 4.51 kg m-2 h-1, with the highest energy utilization efficiency of about 80%. When used in heavy metal treatment, the rejection was greater than 99.99%. This research provides a simple but innovative design idea for evaporators and is expected to further expand the application of solar interfacial evaporation.

Apple preload increased postprandial insulin sensitivity of a high glycemic rice meal only at breakfast.

PURPOSE: The possible impact of preload food on insulin sensitivity has yet been reported. This study aimed to investigate the glycemic and insulinemic effect of an apple preload before breakfast, lunch and early supper, based on high glycemic index (GI) rice meals. METHODS: Twenty-three healthy participants in Group 1 and 14 participants in Group 2 were served with the reference meal (white rice containing 50 g of available carbohydrate) or experimental meals (apple preload and rice, each containing 15 and 35 g of available carbohydrate). The meals were either served at 8:00 for breakfast, 12:30 for lunch or 17:00 for early supper to explore the possible effect of time factor. The group 1 assessed the postprandial and subsequent-meal glycemic effect of the test meals by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), along with subjective appetite; The group 2 further investigated the glycemic and insulin effect by blood collection. RESULTS: The apple preload lowered the blood glucose peak value by 33.5%, 31.4% and 31.0% in breakfast, lunch and supper, respectively, while increased insulin sensitivity by 40.5% only at breakfast, compared with the rice reference. The early supper resulted significantly milder glycemic response than its breakfast and lunch counterparts did. The result of CGM tests was consistent with that of the fingertip blood tests. CONCLUSION: Apple preload performed the best at breakfast in terms of enhancing the insulin sensitivity. The preload treatment could effectively attenuate postprandial GR without increasing the area under insulin response curve in any of the three meals.

Transfer Parameter Analysis of Chloride Ingress into Concrete Based on Long-Term Exposure Tests in China's Coastal Region.

Chloride penetration resistance is one of the most important performance measures for the evaluation of the durability of concrete under a chloride environment. Due to differences in theory and experimental conditions, the durability index (chloride diffusion coefficient) obtained from laboratory accelerated migration tests cannot reflect the real process of chloride ingress into concrete in the natural environment. The difference in test methods must be considered and the transfer parameter kt should be introduced into the service life prediction model when the test results of accelerated methods are used. According to the test data of coastal exposure in South China, the attenuation rule of the chloride diffusion coefficient of different cement-based materials changed with time and was analyzed in this paper. Based on the diffusion coefficient-time curve, the theoretical natural diffusion coefficients of 28 d and 56 d were deduced, which were compared with the chloride diffusion coefficients obtained from the non-steady-state rapid migration method (RCM) at the same age. Therefore, the transfer parameter kt that expounds the relationship between concrete resistance to chloride permeability under a non-stationary electrical accelerated state and natural diffusion in the marine environment can be calculated; thus, the RCM testing index can be used to evaluate the long-term performance of the concrete structure in the marine environment. The results show that the value of kt was related to environmental conditions, test methods, and binder systems.

The characteristics of postprandial glycemic response patterns to white rice and glucose in healthy adults: Identifying subgroups by clustering analysis.

Objectives: Large interpersonal variability in postprandial glycemic response (PGR) to white rice has been reported, and differences in the PGR patterns during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) have been documented. However, there is scant study on the PGR patterns of white rice. We examined the typical PGR patterns of white rice and glucose and the association between them. Materials and methods: We analyzed the data of 3-h PGRs to white rice (WR) and glucose (G) of 114 normoglycemic female subjects of similar age, weight status, and same ethnic group. Diverse glycemic parameters, based on the discrete blood glucose values, were calculated over 120 and 180 min. K-means clustering based on glycemic parameters calculated over 180 min was applied to identify subgroups and representative PGR patterns. Principal factor analysis based on the parameters used in the cluster analysis was applied to characterize PGR patterns. Simple correspondence analysis was performed on the clustering categories of WR and G. Results: More distinct differences were found in glycemic parameters calculated over 180 min compared with that calculated over 120 min, especially in the negative area under the curve and Nadir. We identified four distinct PGR patterns to WR (WR1, WR2, WR3, and WR4) and G (G1, G2, G3, and G4), respectively. There were significant differences among the patterns regard to postprandial hyperglycemia, hypoglycemic, and glycemic variability. The WR1 clusters had significantly lower glycemic index (59 ± 19), while no difference was found among the glycemic index based on the other three clusters. Each given G subgroup presented multiple patterns of PGR to WR, especially in the largest G subgroup (G1), and in subgroup with the greatest glycemic variability (G3). Conclusion: Multiple subgroups could be classified based on the PGR patterns to white rice and glucose even in seemingly homogeneous subjects. Extending the monitoring time to 180 min was conducive to more effective discrimination of PGR patterns. It may not be reliable to extrapolate the patterns of PGR to rice from that to glucose, suggesting a need of combining OGTT and meal tolerance test for individualized glycemic management.

Development and Validation of Nutrition Environment Scoring for Chinese Style University/Work-Site Canteens (NESC-CC) and Oil-Salt Visual Analogue Scale (OS-VAS).

The assessment of the use of cooking oil/fat and salt in dining food is an unsolved issue in non-quantitative nutrition environment evaluation, and the nutrition environment of Chinese-style dining establishments has not been effectively assessed. This study developed two evaluation tools: the Nutrition Environment Scoring for Chinese Style University/Work-site Canteens (NESC-CC) and the Oil-Salt Visual Analogue Scale (OS-VAS) and applied them in nine university canteens. The NESC-CC, which includes comprehensive items from the healthiness of food availability, cooking methods to other factors that support healthy choices, is featured by adjusting the scoring categories and items to suit Chinese food culture and canteen operation model. The OS-VAS is a novel virtual analog scale (VAS) based on the fuzzy judgement of the diners. It requires the randomly recruited respondents to rate their personal preference for salty taste/greasy food preference, overall saltiness/greasiness of canteen dishes, and personal demands for salt/cooking oil reduction. The oil use score, the salt use score, and the total score are derived from the given formula. The field tests of the NESC-CC in nine university canteens at three time points showed that this tool was able to effectively distinguish the nutrition environment of the Chinese food-style canteens with good reliability and validity. The result of OS-VAS scoring achieved a good resolution of the overall salt and oil/fat use and confirmed our hypothesis on the fuzzy judgement of the diners These tools are suitable for the comprehensive evaluation of Chinese-style canteens and have the potential to be applied to more group-meal-providing establishments.

Phosphogypsum-Based Ultra-Low Basicity Cementing Material.

Traditional Portland cement is widely used in the preparation of various hydraulic concrete. However, the high alkalinity produced by cement hydration threatens the survival of aquatic animals and plants. In this paper, a new eco-friendly, ultra-low alkalinity, cementitious material was prepared with industrial waste phosphogypsum, granulated ground blast slag (GGBS) and sulphoaluminate cement. When appropriate proportions are used, the pH value of the test blocks' pore solutions at different ages were all less than 9, showing the remarkable characteristic of ultra-low alkalinity. The XRD and SEM analyses showed that the 56 d hydration products were mainly ettringite and hydrated calcium silicate, and the content of Ca(OH)2 was not detected. The new cementitious material also has the advantages of short setting time, low heat of hydration, high strength of cement mortar and the ability to fix harmful substances in phosphogypsum, such as phosphate, fluoride and Cr and Ba elements. It has a broad application prospect in the construction of island and reef construction, river restoration and so on.

Extended Inter-Meal Interval Negatively Impacted the Glycemic and Insulinemic Responses after Both Lunch and Dinner in Healthy Subjects.

This study aimed to investigate the glycemic and insulinemic effects of lunch timing based on a fixed feeding window, and the effects of apple preload on postprandial glucose and insulin responses after nutrient-balanced lunch and the subsequent high-fat dinner in healthy participants. Twenty-six participants completed four randomized, crossover experimental trials: (1) early standardized lunch at 12:00 (12S); (2) apple preload to 12S (12A+S); (3) late standardized lunch at 14:00 (14S); and (4) apple preload to 14S (14A+S); wherein twenty participants' blood samples were collected for insulin analysis following the lunch trails. In each experimental trial, each participant equipped with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) was provided with a standardized breakfast and a high-fat dinner to be consumed at 8:00 and 18:00, respectively. The late lunch (14S) resulted in significantly elevated glucose peak, delayed insulin peak time, decreased insulin sensitivity, and increased insulin resistance following the lunch; also decreased glycemic response following the subsequent dinner and larger blood glucose fluctuation over the 24-h period compared with the 12S. The 14A+S significantly reduced the glucose peak, the insulin peak time and the glycemic variability following the lunch, also the 24-h glycemic variability compared with the 14S. The insulin sensitivity was significantly improved in the 12A+S, compared with that of the 12S. In conclusion, the present study found that an extra 2-h inter-meal fasting before and after lunch resulted in elevated glycemic response in both macronutrient-balanced meal and high-fat meal in healthy subjects. The negative impact of a late lunch could be partly reversed by the apple preload, without a trade-off of insulin secretion.

Combination of Texture-Induced Oral Processing and Vegetable Preload Strategy Reduced Glycemic Excursion but Decreased Insulin Sensitivity.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of the oral processing of vegetables induced by texture modification on acute postprandial glycemic response (GR) and insulin response (IR) when co-ingested and ingested prior to a rice meal. In a randomized crossover trial, 14 healthy female subjects consumed (1) co-ingestion of soft broccoli and rice (SR); (2) co-ingestion of hard broccoli and rice (HR); (3) soft broccoli prior to rice (S+R); (4) hard broccoli prior to rice (H+R); (5) rice (R). Postprandial GR and IR was compared between test meals over a period of 180-min, and the oral processing behaviors were measured for each test food samples. Hard broccoli was observed to have a higher mastication time and chews than soft broccoli. All the broccoli meals resulted in reduced incremental peak glucose (IPG) and an increased incremental area under the insulin curve in 180 min (iAUC0-180) compared with R. The S+R curbed the IPG by 40% with comparable HOMA-IR AUC0-180 compared with R, while the H+R elevated the HOMA-IR AUC0-180 by 62% more than that of R. In conclusion, the soft broccoli intake prior to a rice meal effectively attenuated postprandial GR, without lowering insulin sensitivity as its hard counterpart did.

Diurnal differences in glycemic responses, insulin responses and cognition after rice-based meals.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The variation in glycemic responses to white rice caused by the circadian rhythm has been widely investigated but remain controversial. This study investigated diurnal differences in the effect of rice meals on glycemic responses, insulin responses, satiety, and acute cognitive function. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A total of 20 healthy participants in Group 1 and 14 in Group 2 were served identical servings of cooked white rice containing 50 g of available carbohydrates at 8:00 a.m. (rice at breakfast), 12:30 p.m. (rice at lunch), and 5:00 p.m. (rice at early supper) in a randomized order. Postprandial blood glucose, insulin, satiety, and cognitive performance tests were conducted for each test meal. RESULTS: The rice at an early supper elicited significantly milder glycemic responses than did the rice at lunch and resulted in a lower insulin sensitivity than did rice at breakfast. No difference was observed among the test meals in terms of hunger and prospective food intake. Diurnal acute cognitive performance did not differ considerably among the meals. A correlation analysis indicated that low variability in glycemic responses was positively associated with superior cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS: A high-glycemic index white rice supper at 5:00 p.m. may facilitate daily glycemic management.

Yam paste in glycemic preloads curbs peak glycemia of rice meals in apparent healthy subjects.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: People with dental problems and dysphagia frequently consume foods in paste form. A strategy is required to mitigate the glycemic responses of these foods. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: The effect of yam paste ingestion on postprandial glycemic responses was assessed using a two-arm study design for yam paste ingestion: (1) as low- and medium-glycemic index food and (2) as preload and coingested food in a rice meal. In a randomized crossover trial, 18 healthy volunteers consumed (1) low-intensity-cooked yam paste; (2) medium-intensity-cooked yam paste; (3) cooked white rice; (4) coingested low-intensity-cooked yam paste with rice; (5) coingested medium-intensity-cooked yam paste with rice; (6) a preload of low-intensity-cooked yam paste before rice; (7) a preload of medium-intensity-cooked yam paste before rice. Postprandial glycemic responses and satiety assessments were conducted for each food approach. The glycemic characteristics of yam paste were manipulated with the preparatory treatment. RESULTS: Ingesting a preload of 10 g of yam paste before a rice meal resulted in better glycemic responses for 0-60 min in terms of peak glucose value and positive increments under the curve than co-ingesting yam paste with rice, with no adverse effect on satiety, irrespective of the glycemic index of the yam paste. CONCLUSIONS: Regarding isocarbohydrates, both low- and medium-glycemic index yam paste preloads curbed the glucose peak value of a rice meal and lowered the glycemic index value of mixed meals in young healthy people.

Both Isocarbohydrate and Hypercarbohydrate Fruit Preloads Curbed Postprandial Glycemic Excursion in Healthy Subjects.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of fruit preloads on the acute postprandial glycemic response (PGR) and satiety response of a rice meal in healthy female subjects based on iso-carbohydrate (IC) and hyper-carbohydrate (HC) contents, respectively. The IC test meals including (1) rice preload (R + 35R), (2) orange preload (O + 35R), (3) apple preload (A + 35R) and (4) pear preload (P + 35R), contained 50.0 g available carbohydrates (AC) where the preload contributed 15.0 g and rice provided 35.0 g. The HC meals included (1) orange preload (O + 50R), (2) apple preload (A+50R) and (3) pear preload (P + 50R), each containing 65.0 g AC, where the fruits contributed 15.0 g and rice provided 50.0 g. Drinking water 30 min before the rice meal was taken as reference (W + 50R). All the preload treatments, irrespective of IC or HC meals, resulted in remarkable reduction (p < 0.001) in terms of incremental peak glucose (IPG) and the maximum amplitude of glycemic excursion in 180 min (MAGE0-180), also a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in the area of PGR contributed by per gram of AC (AAC), compared with the W + 50R. Apple elicited the lowest PGR among all test meals, as the A + 35R halved the IPG and slashed the incremental area under the curve in 180 min (iAUC0-180) by 45.7%, while the A + 50R reduced the IPG by 29.7%, compared with the W + 50R. All the preload meals and the reference meal showed comparable self-reported satiety in spite of the difference in AC. In conclusion, pre-meal consumption of three fruits effectively curbed post-meal glycemia even in the case of a 30% extra carbohydrate load.

Co-ingested vinegar-soaked or preloaded dried apple mitigated acute postprandial glycemia of rice meal in healthy subjects under equicarbohydrate conditions.

This study investigated 2 possible approaches to dietary control of acute postprandial responses to a rice-based meal under equicarbohydrate conditions: (1) a dried apple (DA) preload and (2) co-ingestion of vinegar-soaked DA. We hypothesized that both approaches would counteract hyperglycemia with no negative effect on satiety, possibly explained by an inhibitory effect on digestive enzyme activity and/or the effect of the sugar component of the DA. Fifteen healthy female subjects consumed (1) rice, (2) co-ingestion of DA and rice (DA + R), (3) DA preload and rice (PDA + R), (4) rice with sugar solution (same sugar profile as in DA) preloaded (PSS + R), or (5) co-ingestion of rice with vinegar-soaked DA (VDA + R) in a randomized crossover trial. Acute postprandial glycemic response tests and subjective satiety tests were conducted for each test meal. Compared with rice reference, the PA + R and PSS + R achieved 31.4% and 36.3% reduction of the incremental area under the curve0-120, 24.3% and 27.0% decreases in the average glucose peak, along with 21.6% and 27.0% decreases in glycemic excursion in 240 minutes, whereas the VDA + R resulted 42.4%, 27.0%, and 29.7% reductions in the incremental area under the curve0-120, peak, and glycemic excursion, respectively. The DA-containing meals had no effect or a favorable effect on satiety. The in vitro assay found larger resistant starch and smaller rapid digestible starch fractions in DA + R and VDA + R meals compared to those of the rice reference (P < .001). The result of this study supported the research hypothesis, and the DA-containing meals could be considered as a potential dietary approach for glycemic management.

Potato Preload Mitigated Postprandial Glycemic Excursion in Healthy Subjects: An Acute Randomized Trial.

This study investigated the preload effect of the medium and high glycemic index (GI) potato, as well as the combination of partially hydrolyzed guar gum (HG) and potato, when ingested prior to a rice meal, on the iso-carbohydrate basis. In a randomized crossover trial, 17 healthy female subjects consumed (1) rice; (2) co-ingestion of highly cooked potato (HP), and rice (HP + R); (3) co-ingestion of minimally cooked potato (MP) and rice (MP + R); (4) preload HP prior to rice meal (PHP + R); (5) preload MP prior to rice meal (PMP + R); (6) co-ingestion of partially hydrolyzed guar gum (HG), HP and rice (HG + HP + R); (7) preload HG prior to co-ingestion of HP and rice (PHG + HP + R); (8) co-preload of HG and HP prior to rice (PHG + PHP + R); and (9) preload of HP prior to co-ingestion of HG and rice (PHP + HG + R). Postprandial glycemic response (GR) tests and subjective satiety tests were conducted for each test food. Cooked potato as a preload to a rice meal could significantly cut the acute postprandial glycemic excursion by around 1.0 mmol/L, irrespective of the GI of the preload. Co-preload of partial hydrolyzed guar gum and highly cooked potato (PHG + PHP + R) resulted in improved acute GR in terms of peak glucose value and glycemic excursion compared with either HG preload or HP preload. All the meals with preload showed comparable or improved self-reported satiety. Within an equicarbohydrate exchange framework, both high-GI and medium-GI potato preload decreased the postprandial glycemic excursion in young healthy female subjects. The combination of HG and HP as double preload resulted in better GR than both single HG or HP preload did.

Biochemical characterization of a novel α-L-fucosidase from Pedobacter sp. and its application in synthesis of 3'-fucosyllactose and 2'-fucosyllactose.

Fucosyllactoses have gained much attention owing to their multiple functions, including prebiotic, immune, gut, and cognition benefits. In this study, human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) 2'-fucosyllactose (α-L-Fuc-(1,2)-D-Galß-1,4-Glu, 2'FL) and its isomer 3'-fucosyllactose (α-L-Fuc-(1,3)-D-Galß-1,4-Glu, 3'FL) with potential prebiotic effect were synthesized efficiently by a novel recombinant α-L-fucosidase. An α-L-fucosidase gene (PbFuc) from Pedobacter sp. CAU209 was successfully cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli). The deduced amino acid sequence shared the highest identity of 36.8% with the amino sequences of other reported α-L-fucosidases. The purified α-L-fucosidase (PbFuc) had a molecular mass of 50 kDa. The enzyme exhibited specific activity (26.3 U/mg) towards 4-nitrophenyl-α-L-fucopyranoside (pNP-FUC), 3'FL (8.9 U/mg), and 2'FL (3.4 U/mg). It showed the highest activity at pH 5.0 and 35 °C, respectively. PbFuc catalyzed the synthesis of 3'FL and 2'FL through a transglycosylation reaction using pNP-FUC as donor and lactose as acceptor, and total conversion ratio was up to 85% at the optimized reaction conditions. The synthesized mixture of 2'FL and 3'FL promoted the growth of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus NRRL B-548, L. casei subsp. casei NRRL B-1922, L. casei subsp. casei AS 1.2435, and Bifidobacterium longum NRRL B-41409. However, the growths of E. coli ATCC 11775, S. enterica AS 1.1552, L. monocytogenes CICC 21635, and S. aureus AS 1.1861 were not stimulated by the mixture of 2'FL and 3'FL. Overall, our findings suggest that PbFuc possesses a great potential for the specific synthesis of fucosylated compounds.Key Points• A novel α-L-fucosidase (PbFuc) from Pedobacter sp. was cloned and expressed.• PbFuc showed the highest hydrolysis activity at pH 5.0 and 35 °C, respectively.• It was used for synthesis of 3'-fucosyllactose (3'FL) and 2'-fucosyllactose (2'FL).• The mixture of 3'FL and 2'FL promoted the growth of some Lactobacillus sp. and Bifidobacteria sp.

Wireless Passive LC Temperature and Strain Dual-Parameter Sensor.

There is an increasing demand for bearing temperature and strain monitoring in high-speed rotating systems. This study proposes a new multiresonance, multiplexing, wireless, passive inductance capacitance (LC) temperature and strain sensor. The sensor has two capacitors connected at different locations (turns) on the same inductor to achieve simultaneous temperature and strain measurements. The plate capacitor is connected to the inner part of the inductor and the other interdigital capacitor is connected to the outer part of the inductor to form two LC loops. The structure of the sensor is optimized through High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) simulations to realize frequency separation of the two parameters and avoid mutual interference between the two signals. The sensor is fabricated on a polyimide film using electroplating technology. The experimental results show that the temperature-strain sensor can operate stably from 25 °C to 85 °C with an average sensitivity of 27.3 kHz/°C within this temperature range. The sensor can detect strains in the range of 1000-5000 µÎµ with a strain sensitivity of 100 Hz/µÎµ at 25 °C. Therefore, the proposed wireless passive LC temperature-strain sensor exhibits stable performance. In addition, the use of a single inductor effectively reduces the sensor's area. The flexible substrate provides advantageous surface conformal attachment characteristics suitable for monitoring high-temperature rotating parts in adverse environments.

Application of Audio Education in Respiratory Medicine Wards.

Improving the efficiency of patient education can help improve patient's satisfaction and alleviate the pressure of nurse shortage. This study aimed to develop and pilot an educational audio to improve the effectiveness of inpatient education. A primary literature review was conducted and educational materials were written and recorded by MP3. A pilot study was conducted in 713 adult patients in the department of respiratory medicine at a large urban Shanghai teaching hospital. Patients in the experimental group showed greater satisfaction with their health education. For the education to be effective during the admission, the asthma patients in the experimental group spent less time in face-to-face communication. The feedback rate for disease education among asthma patients in the experimental group was significantly higher. Wider applications of audio in patient education may be valuable to better adjust to nurse reduction and to improve nursing service quality.

A comparison between whole grain and pearled oats: acute postprandial glycaemic responses and in vitro carbohydrate digestion in healthy subjects.

PURPOSE: To compare the glycaemic response of whole grain oat kernels and pearled oats cooked under normal pressure or higher pressure and examine whether replacing half of the rice in a given meal with either of the two oat grains could make a difference in acute glycaemic responses. METHODS: In a randomised crossover trial, ten healthy subjects consumed two groups of test meals: (1) oat grain-only, including whole grain oats cooked under normal pressure (WONP) and higher pressure (WOHP) as well as their pearled oat counterparts, PONP and POHP; and (2) mixed meals of aforementioned oat grains and cooked rice (OG + R), including WONP + R, WOHP + R, PONP + R and POHP + R. A postprandial blood glucose test, texture profile analysis and in vitro carbohydrate digestion assay were carried out for each test meal. RESULTS: Compared with the rice reference, oat grain-only meals induced lower glucose levels at all time points, lower peak values and smaller glucose excursions at 120 min (P < 0.05), but OG + Rs did not have the abovementioned effects. The oat grain-only meals had glycaemic indexes (GIs) ranging from 51 to 58, while those of OG + Rs ranged from 59 to 70. WONP + R had a 21% lower iAUC0-60 and a 40% lower iAUC60-120 value than those of rice (P < 0.05). Oat-rice mixed meals had lower iAUC0-60 values compared with that of the rice control (P < 0.05), except for POHP + R. Excellent consistency between the hydrolysis index and the GI was observed (r = 0.969, P < 0.001) in oat grain-only meals. CONCLUSIONS: All oat grain-only meals could be included in the glycaemic management diet, regardless of the oat grain type or cooking treatment. In oat-rice mixed meals, whole grain oats and normal pressure cooking ensured a favourable glycaemic effect.