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The aim of this study was to assess how transglutaminase (TG) impacts the microstructure, texture, and rheological properties of fermentation-induced pea protein emulsion gels. Additionally, the study examined the influence of storage time on the functional properties of these gels. Fermentation-induced pea protein gels were produced in the presence or absence of TG and stored for 1, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Texture analysis, rheological measurements, moisture content and microstructure evaluation with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and 3D image analysis were conducted to explore the effects of TG on the structural and rheological properties of the fermented samples. The porosity of the protein networks in the pea gels decreased in the presence of TG, the storage modulus increased and the textural characteristics were significantly improved, resulting in harder and more springy gels. The gel porosity increased in gels with and without TG after storage but the effect of storage on textural and rheological properties was limited, indicating limited structural rearrangement once the fermentation-induced pea protein emulsion gels are formed. Greater coalescence was observed for oil droplets within the gel matrix after 16 weeks of storage in the absence of TG, consistent with these protein structures being weaker than the more structurally stable TG-treated gels. This study shows that TG treatment is a powerful tool to enhance the textural and rheological properties of fermentation-induced pea protein emulsion gels.
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Proteínas de Ervilha , Proteínas de Ervilha/metabolismo , Emulsões/química , Fermentação , Transglutaminases/metabolismo , Géis/química , ReologiaRESUMO
SIGNIFICANCE: Retinal migraine and migrainous infarction are distinct clinical entities delineated by the International Headache Society. Presented is a novel case report demonstrating unique optical coherence tomography evidence of retinal ischemia experienced during a migraine with effects across retinal vascular territories. This may represent evidence of migrainous infarction within the retina. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to present clinical and quasi-histologic optical coherence tomography features of retinal ischemia associated with migraine. CASE REPORT: Presented is a case of profound monocular vision loss coincident with a migraine episode. Optical coherence tomography with novel features of acute inner retinal thinning, increased delineation of the inner plexiform and outer plexiform layers, and increased signal intensity of the photoreceptor layer is reported. These discriminating characteristics contrast those of retinal artery occlusions and other primary ocular vasculopathies such as Susac syndrome and acute macular neuroretinopathies. CONCLUSIONS: A case of permanent vision loss with retinal thinning and ischemic hyperreflectivity of retinal layers on optical coherence tomography in different vascular territories is shown to be associated with migraine. These features may provide clinical evidence of migrainous pathophysiology within the retina.
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Transtornos de Enxaqueca , Doenças Retinianas , Humanos , Infarto , Transtornos de Enxaqueca/complicações , Transtornos de Enxaqueca/diagnóstico , Retina/diagnóstico por imagem , Tomografia de Coerência ÓpticaRESUMO
This research was carried out to quantify the effects of a range of variables on milk fat globule (MFG) size for a herd of Holstein-Friesian cows managed through an automatic milking system with year-round calving. We hypothesised that the overall variation in average MFG size observed between individual animals of the same herd cannot sufficiently be explained by the magnitude of the effects of variables that could be manipulated on-farm. Hence, we aimed to conduct an extensive analysis of possible determinants of MFG size, including physiological characteristics (parity, days in milk, days pregnant, weight, age, rumination minutes, somatic cell count) and milk production traits (number of milkings, milk yield, fat yield, protein and fat content, fat-protein ratio) on the individual animal level; and environmental conditions (diet, weather, season) for the whole herd. Our results show that when analysed in isolation, many of the studied variables have a detectable effect on MFG size. However, analysis of their additive effects identified days in milk, parity and milk yield as the most important variables. In accordance with our hypothesis, the estimated effects of these variables, calculated using a multiple variable linear mixed model, do not sufficiently explain the overall variation between cows, ranging from 2.70 to 5.69 µm in average MFG size. We further show that environmental variables, such as sampling day (across seasons) or the proportion of pasture and silage in the diet, have limited effects on MFG size and that physiological differences outweigh the effects of milk production traits and environmental conditions. This presents further evidence that the selection of individual animals is more important than the adjustment of on-farm variables to control MFG size.
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Bovinos/fisiologia , Meio Ambiente , Glicolipídeos , Glicoproteínas , Lactação/fisiologia , Leite , Animais , Feminino , Cabras , Gotículas LipídicasRESUMO
The crystallization of oil droplets is critical in the processing and storage of lipid-based food and pharmaceutical products. Arrays of femtoliter droplets on a surface offer a unique opportunity to study surfactant-free colloidlike systems. In this work, the crystal growth process in these confined droplets was followed by cooling a model lipid (trimyristin) from a liquid state utilizing synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The measurements by SAXS demonstrated a reduced crystallization rate and a greater degree of supercooling required to trigger lipid crystallization in droplets compared to those of bulk lipids. These results suggest that surface droplets crystallize in a stochastic manner. Interestingly, the crystallization rate is slower for larger femtoliter droplets, which may be explained by the onset of crystallization from the three-phase contact line. The larger surface nanodroplets exhibit a smaller ratio of droplet volume to the length of three-phase contact line and hence a slower crystallization rate.
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The solid fat content and dropping point of milk fat obtained over 2 yr and from 19 bulk milk production sites across Australia were characterized. Solid fat content at 5 °C and 20 °C, respectively, ranged between 49.9 and 66.1% and between 14.6 and 29.6% across all sites. Dropping point ranged between 30.5 and 35.4 °C. The dropping point did not correlate with solid fat content at lower temperatures across several sites, indicating that it is not an accurate or useful measure of functionality at temperatures of 15 °C or below. Although at times, considerable variation was observed in milk fat melting properties between sites located in similar geographic regions, statistical analysis by means of boxplots and multidimensional scaling revealed broad similarities within regions over the 24 mo. Multidimensional scaling also revealed similarities between some quite distant and diverse regions (e.g., Queensland and South Australia with constant and seasonal production, respectively). These analyses were used to make 5 groups from the 19 sites to describe seasonal melting properties. The groups with sites in west Victoria, southeast Victoria, and Tasmania showed the largest seasonal variation and range of values, with peaks and lows in southeast Victoria and Tasmania occurring up to 3 mo later than in west Victoria. The group with sites in New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia had the least variation and range of values, which were relatively high throughout. The group with Western Australian sites showed medium levels of variation but distinct seasonal patterns, with solids fats typically below and dropping points higher than the national average. The Victorian group's lows in dropping point occurred about 2 mo later than did the low values of solid fat content. No single factor stood out as determining the variation in melting properties.
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Gorduras/química , Congelamento , Leite/química , Estações do Ano , Animais , Austrália , Gorduras/análise , Glicolipídeos/química , Glicoproteínas/química , Gotículas LipídicasRESUMO
Acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) with a STAT5b::RARα gene fusion is an extremely rare subtype of APL characterised by resistance to conventional therapies and extremely poor prognosis. This case highlights that whilst APL with variant RARα translocations are rare, they do pose significant challenges both diagnostically and in their clinical management. This case, in the first instance, demonstrates the importance of using a combination of molecular techniques including next generation sequencing (NGS) for diagnosis particularly in morphological and immunophenotypic typical APL which appears negative by confirmatory testing. Secondly, our patient represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first documented example of this rare disease that has been managed with, and shown sensitivity to low-dose cytarabine (LDAC) in combination with venetoclax (Ven). This case demonstrates that although treatment options are extremely limited for patients not eligible for intensive chemotherapy non-intensive options do show increasing promise.
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Introduction: Despite improvements in chemotherapy and molecularly targeted therapies, the life expectancy of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains less than 1 year. There is thus a major global need to advance new treatment strategies that are more effective for NSCLC. Drug delivery using liposomal particles has shown success at improving the biodistribution and bioavailability of chemotherapy. Nevertheless, liposomal drugs lack selectivity for the cancer cells and have a limited ability to penetrate the tumor site, which severely limits their therapeutic potential. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in NSCLC tumors in about 80% of patients, thus representing a promising NSCLC-specific target for redirecting liposome-embedded chemotherapy to the tumor site. Methods: Herein, we investigated the targeting of PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin (Caelyx), a powerful off-the-shelf antitumoral liposomal drug, to EGFR as a therapeutic strategy to improve the specific delivery and intratumoral accumulation of chemotherapy in NSCLC. EGFR-targeting of Caelyx was enabled through its complexing with a polyethylene glycol (PEG)/EGFR bispecific antibody fragment. Tumor targeting and therapeutic potency of our treatment approach were investigated in vitro using a panel of NSCLC cell lines and 3D tumoroid models, and in vivo in a cell line-derived tumor xenograft model. Results: Combining Caelyx with our bispecific antibody generated uniform EGFR-targeted particles with improved binding and cytotoxic efficacy toward NSCLC cells. Effects were exclusive to cancer cells expressing EGFR, and increments in efficacy positively correlated with EGFR density on the cancer cell surface. The approach demonstrated increased penetration within 3D spheroids and was effective at targeting and suppressing the growth of NSCLC tumors in vivo while reducing drug delivery to the heart. Conclusion: EGFR targeting represents a successful approach to enhance the selectivity and therapeutic potency of liposomal chemotherapy toward NSCLC.
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Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas , Doxorrubicina , Receptores ErbB , Neoplasias Pulmonares , Animais , Feminino , Humanos , Camundongos , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/tratamento farmacológico , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/metabolismo , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Doxorrubicina/química , Doxorrubicina/farmacologia , Doxorrubicina/farmacocinética , Doxorrubicina/análogos & derivados , Doxorrubicina/administração & dosagem , Sistemas de Liberação de Medicamentos/métodos , Receptores ErbB/metabolismo , Neoplasias Pulmonares/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Pulmonares/metabolismo , Camundongos Nus , Polietilenoglicóis/química , Polietilenoglicóis/farmacocinética , Distribuição Tecidual , Ensaios Antitumorais Modelo de XenoenxertoRESUMO
High-risk neuroblastoma has poor survival due to treatment failure and off-target side effects of therapy. Small molecule inhibitors have shown therapeutic efficacy at targeting oncogenic cell cycle dysregulators, such as polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1). However, their clinical success is limited by a lack of efficacy and specificity, causing off-target toxicity. Herein, we investigate a new treatment strategy whereby a bispecific antibody (BsAb) with dual recognition of methoxy polyethylene glycol (PEG) and a neuroblastoma cell-surface receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), is combined with a PEGylated small interfering RNA (siRNA) lipid nanoparticle, forming BsAb-nanoparticle RNA-interference complexes for targeted PLK1 inhibition against high-risk neuroblastoma. Therapeutic efficacy of this strategy was explored in neuroblastoma cell lines and a tumor xenograft model. Using ionizable lipid-based nanoparticles as a low-toxicity and clinically safe approach for siRNA delivery, we identified that their complexing with EGFR-PEG BsAb resulted in increases in cell targeting (1.2 to >4.5-fold) and PLK1 gene silencing (>2-fold) against EGFR+ high-risk neuroblastoma cells, and enhancements correlated with EGFR expression on the cells (r > 0.94). Through formulating nanoparticles with PEG-lipids ranging in diffusivity, we further identified a highly diffusible PEG-lipid which provided the most pronounced neuroblastoma cell binding, PLK1 silencing, and significantly reduced cancer growth in vitro in high-risk neuroblastoma cell cultures and in vivo in a tumor-xenograft mouse model of the disease. Together, this work provides an insight on the role of PEG-lipid diffusivity and EGFR targeting as potentially relevant variables influencing the therapeutic efficacy of siRNA nanoparticles in high-risk neuroblastoma.
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Nanopartículas , Neuroblastoma , Humanos , Animais , Camundongos , RNA Interferente Pequeno , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/genética , Quinase 1 Polo-Like , Polietilenoglicóis/química , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Neuroblastoma/tratamento farmacológico , Receptores ErbB/genética , Nanopartículas/química , Proliferação de Células , Lipídeos/farmacologiaRESUMO
This study investigated the individual and combined effects of ĸ-Casein (ĸ-CN; AA, AB, BB), ß-Casein (ß-CN; A1A1, A1A2, A2A2) and high and low ratios of glycosylated ĸ-CN to total ĸ-CN, referred to as the glycosylation degree (GD), on bovine cream whipping properties. The genetic variants of individual cows were identified using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and verified through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). A previously discovered relationship between days-in-milk and GD was validated and used to obtain high and low GD milk. Whipped creams were created through the mechanical agitation of fat standardised cream from milk of different ĸ-CN, ß-CN, and GD combinations, and whipping properties (the ability to whip, overrun, whipping time and firmness) were evaluated. No significant correlation was measured in whipping properties for cream samples from milks with different ĸ-CN and ß-CN genetic variants. However, 80 % of samples exhibiting good whipping properties (i.e., the production of a stiffened peak) were from milk with low GD suggesting a correlation between whipping properties and levels of glycosylation. Moreover, cream separated from skim milk of larger casein micelle size showed superior whipping properties with shorter whipping times (<5 min), and higher firmness and overrun. Milk fat globule (MFG) size, on the other hand, did not affect whipping properties. Results indicate that the GD of κ-CN and casein micelle size may play a role in MFG adsorption at the protein and air interface of air bubbles formed during whipping; hence, they govern the dynamics of fat network formation and influencing whipping properties.
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Caseínas , Micelas , Animais , Feminino , Bovinos , Caseínas/química , Glicosilação , Leite/químicaRESUMO
Limited studies in the literature have compared in vitro dynamic and in vitro static protocols for modelling the gastric digestive process of food systems. This experiment explores the differences between two different in vitro approaches to the devolution of a transglutaminase-induced acid gel (TG, pH 5.1-5.3) and rennet-induced gel (RG, pH 6.5-6.7). Gels were exposed to a simulated oral phase, followed by either the dynamic DIDGI® or static COST action INFOGEST protocol to simulate gastric conditions. Protein hydrolysis was evident from 15 min onwards for TG exposed to the dynamic protocol where levels continued to increase at a steady rate. In contrast, RG exhibited a notable lag-phase before levels increased from around 60 min onwards. Under the static protocol, protein hydrolysis was observed for both TG and RG upon exposure to the gastric environment which continued to increase over time. Despite these differences, similar levels of protein hydrolysis were found for TG and RG at the gastric endpoint using either protocol demonstrating that both the dynamic DIDGI® and static COST action INFOGEST methods provide a suitable and comparable environment for the in vitro digestion of casein protein under simulated gastric conditions.
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Caseínas , Transglutaminases , Caseínas/metabolismo , Digestão , GéisRESUMO
Purpose: To map contact lens (CL) comfort over the full wear day and across 1 month's wear in established, asymptomatic to minimally symptomatic, reusable, soft CL wearers. Methods: Adult, 18- to 45-year-old, participants were recruited and required to have 20/20 best-corrected visual acuity or better and must have been asymptomatic to minimally symptomatic CL wearers. Participants were required to be able to wear TOTAL30® sphere CLs and have minimal astigmatism. Participants were fit in the study CLs and asked to wear these CLs daily for the next month for 16 hours per day each day. Participants were asked to complete a visual analog scale (VAS) survey via text message at time of CL application and after 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 hours of wear and at CL removal on days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 and at 2 weeks and 1 month. The utilized VAS had a ±50 scale with positive scores being comfortable, negative scores being uncomfortable, and scores of 0 being neutral comfort. Results: Forty-eight participants were recruited who had a mean ± SD age of 26.2 ± 5.2 years (71% female). Mean initial VAS CL comfort scores at initial CL dispense were 45.56 ± 9.20 units. Mean CL wear times for any of the days evaluated were at least 14.80 ± 2.41 hours per day and did not differ across the study (p = 0.77). Mean comfort VAS scores significantly decreased over the wear day (all days p ≤ 0.02), yet there were no significant differences in VAS comfort scores across the same time of day for the duration of the study (all times p ≥ 0.06). Conclusion: This study determined that while CL wearers were slightly less comfortable at the end of the day compared to application, this comfort change was minimal given that the average participants had overwhelmingly good comfort at all time-points evaluated. Comfort scores were likewise consistent across 1 month of wear.
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In recent years, small and ultra-small angle scattering techniques, collectively known as small angle scattering (SAS) have been used to study various food structures during the digestion process. These techniques play an important role in structural characterisation due to the non-destructive nature (especially when using neutrons), various in situ capabilities and a large length scale (of 1 nm to â¼20 µm) they cover. The application of these techniques in the structural characterisation of dairy products has expanded significantly in recent years. Casein, a major dairy protein, forms the basis of a wide range of gel structures at different length scales. These gel structures have been extensively researched utilising scattering techniques to obtain structural information at the nano and micron scale that complements electron and confocal microscopy. Especially, neutrons have provided opportunity to study these gels in their natural environment by using various in situ options. One such example is understanding changes in casein gel structures during digestion in the gastrointestinal tract, which is essential for designing personalised food structures for a wide range of food-related diseases and improve health outcomes. In this review, we present an overview of casein gels investigated using small angle and ultra-small angle scattering techniques. We also reviewed their digestion using newly built setups recently employed in various research. To gain a greater understanding of micro and nano-scale structural changes during digestion, such as the effect of digestive juices and mechanical breakdown on structure, new setups for semi-solid food materials are needed to be optimised.
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Caseínas , Difração de Nêutrons , Espalhamento a Baixo Ângulo , Difração de Nêutrons/métodos , Géis , DigestãoRESUMO
Purpose: To understand the impact of Systane Hydration PF on dryness symptoms and quality of life in digital device users and to determine if participants prefer either the unit-dose or multi-dose dispensing system of Systane Hydration PF. Materials and Methods: This 2-week, three visit study recruited regular digital device users. Participants were required to score ≤80 on the Impact of Dry Eye on Everyday Life (IDEEL) Quality of Life (QoL) Work domain and between 13 and 32 on the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire. Participants were randomized to either Systane Hydration PF unit-dose or multi-dose for 1 week and switched to the alternative dosing system for the second week. Participations were evaluated by completing the full IDEEL-QoL module and OSDI questionnaire at each visit. Likert surveys were completed to probe dispensing system preferences. Results: Thirty participants with a mean ± SD age of 28.6 ± 12.0 years (70% female) were recruited. Participants had significant improvements in all three IDEEL-QoL domains as well as in OSDI scores (all p < 0.0001). Participants had similar preferences for the two dispensing systems, though they were more likely to indicate that they thought that the multi-dose bottle was more environmentally friendly than the unit-dose vials. Conclusion: Digital device users with dry eye symptoms had meaningful improvements in eye comfort and quality of life scores after being treated with Systane Hydration PF for 2 weeks. Participants did not have a clear dispensing system preference suggesting that the best dispensing system may depend on the patient.
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The processes for extracting and refining edible oils are well-established in industry at different scales. However, these processing lines encounter inefficiencies and oil losses when recovering crude or refined oil. Palm oil and olive oil extraction methods are used mainly as a combination of physical, thermal, and centrifugal methods to recover crude oil, which results in oil losses in the olive pomace or in palm oil effluents. Seed oils generally require a seed steam conditioning, and cooking stage, followed by physical oil recovery through an inefficient expeller. Most of the crude oil remaining in the expeller cake is then recovered by hexane. Crude seed oil is further refined in stages that also undergo oil losses. This chapter provides an overview of innovative technologies using microwave, ultrasound, megasonic and pulsed electric field energies, which can be used in the above-mentioned crude and refined oil processes to improve oil recovery. This chapter describes traditional palm oil, olive oil, and seed oil processes, as well as the specific process interventions that have been tested with these technologies. The impact of such technology interventions on oil quality is also summarized.
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Petróleo , Azeite de Oliva , Óleo de Palmeira , Indústrias Extrativas e de ProcessamentoRESUMO
In order to explore the functions of glycosylation of κ-Casein (κ-CN) in bovine milk, unglycosylated (UG) and twice glycosylated (2G) forms of κ-CN B were purified by selective precipitation followed by anion exchange chromatography from κ-CN BB milk and tested for their amyloid fibril formation and morphology, oligomerisation states and protein structure. The diameter of self-assembled κ-CN B aggregates of both glyco-form were shown for the first time to be in the same 26.0-28.7 nm range for a 1 mg mL-1 solution. The presence of two bound glycans in the protein structure of 2G κ-CN B led to a greater increase in the maximum amyloid fibril formation rate with increasing protein concentration and a difference in both length (82.0 ± 29.9 vs 50.3 ± 13.7 nm) and width (8.6 ± 2.1 vs 13.9 ± 2.5 nm) for fibril morphology compared to UG κ-CN B. The present results suggest that amyloid fibril formation proceeds at a slow but steady rate via the self-assembly of dissociated, monomeric κ-CN B proteins at concentrations of 0.22-0.44 mg mL-1. However amyloid fibril formation proceeds more rapidly via the assembly of either aggregated κ-CN present in a micelle-like form or dissociated monomeric κ-CN, packed into reorganised formational structures above the critical micellar concentration to form fibrils of differing width. The degree of glycosylation has no effect on the polarity of the adjacent environment, nor non-covalent and disulphide interactions between protein molecules when in the native form. Yet glycosylation can influence protein folding patterns of κ-CN B leading to a reduced tryptophan intrinsic fluorescence intensity for 2G compared to UG κ-CN B. These results demonstrate that glycosylation plays an important role in the modulation of aggregation states of κ-CN and contributes to a better understanding of the role of glycosylation in the formation of amyloid fibrils from intrinsically disordered proteins.
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CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study found 0.7% olopatadine (Pataday Once Daily Relief Extra Strength) eye drops to provide better initial comfort than 0.3% pheniramine maleate/0.025% naphazoline hydrochloride (VISINE® Allergy Eye Relief Multi-Action Antihistamine and Redness Reliever) eye drops suggesting that patients may comply better with the Pataday than VISINE. BACKGROUND: To compare the ocular comfort at instillation of Pataday and VISINE allergy eye drops. METHODS: Minimally symptomatic participants were recruited based upon Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) questionnaire scores (≤3 units); they also had minimal between-eye inter-ocular comfort differences as judged by visual analogue scale scores (VAS; ≤7 units). Baseline comfort was evaluated by eye with a VAS. One drop of Pataday or VISINE was then applied to the right eye with the alternative drop being applied to the left eye. The same VAS evaluated comfort by eye at drop instillation, and then at 30 seconds, 1 minute, and 2 minutes post-instillation. Drop experience was also evaluated with Likert questions. LogMAR visual acuities and bulbar conjunctival redness were evaluated pre- and post-drop instillation. RESULTS: A total of 159 participants were recruited (mean ± SD age = 26.2 ± 7.5). The VAS found that eyes treated with Pataday were significantly more comfortable at instillation than eyes treated with VISINE. Likert questions indicated that participants significantly preferred Pataday drops compared to the VISINE drops at instillation with regards to overall eye comfort, eye stinging, eye burning, and foreign body sensation. There were no between drop differences in visual acuity, though eyes treated with VISINE were less red than eyes treated with Pataday. CONCLUSIONS: Topically applied Pataday drops were more comfortable than VISINE drops.
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Conjuntivite Alérgica , Dibenzoxepinas , Humanos , Adolescente , Adulto Jovem , Adulto , Cloridrato de Olopatadina/uso terapêutico , Feniramina/uso terapêutico , Nafazolina/uso terapêutico , Conjuntivite Alérgica/tratamento farmacológico , Soluções Oftálmicas/uso terapêutico , Dibenzoxepinas/uso terapêutico , Método Duplo-CegoRESUMO
PURPOSE: To compare the ocular comfort at application of topical, over-the-counter, 0.7% olopatadine and 0.035% ketotifen fumarate anti-allergy eye drops. METHODS: This study recruited participants who were minimally symptomatic based upon Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) questionnaire scores (≤3 units) and who had minimal between-eye inter-ocular comfort differences as judged by visual analog scale scores (VAS; ≤7 units). Baseline comfort was evaluated by eye with a VAS. One drop of 0.7% olopatadine or 0.035% ketotifen fumarate was then applied to the right eye with the alternative drop being immediately applied to the left eye. Participants were next evaluated with the same comfort VAS by eye at drop application, and then at 30 s, 1 min, and 2 min post-application. LogMAR visual acuities and bulbar conjunctival redness were evaluated pre- and post-drop application to judge initial changes. RESULTS: This study enrolled 159 participants who had a mean ± SD age of 26.3 ± 7.7 years, and 78.6% of the participants were female. The VAS found that the 0.7% olopatadine drop was more comfortable than the 0.035% ketotifen fumarate drop at all time-points. There were no between-eye differences in LogMAR visual acuities, yet bulbar redness was significantly less in 0.7% olopatadine treated eyes compared 0.035% ketotifen fumarate treated eyes. CONCLUSION: This study found that topically applied 0.7% olopatadine drops were initially more comfortable than 0.035% ketotifen fumarate drops.
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Conjuntivite Alérgica , Dibenzoxepinas , Humanos , Feminino , Adolescente , Adulto Jovem , Adulto , Masculino , Cloridrato de Olopatadina , Cetotifeno , Conjuntivite Alérgica/diagnóstico , Conjuntivite Alérgica/tratamento farmacológico , Método Duplo-Cego , Soluções OftálmicasRESUMO
Introduction: Outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 onboard maritime platforms spread rapidly and have high attack rates. The aim of the COVID-19 Risk, Attitudes and Behaviour (CRAB) study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practises in the Royal Navy in relation to COVID-19 prevention. Methods: The CRAB study was a cross-sectional survey, using a census sampling method, conducted in May and June 2021. An online questionnaire was distributed to all serving Royal Navy regular personnel using either the MyNavy application or via a QR code through email for a continuous 14 day period. The questionnaire was based on an existing validated questionnaire used for avian influenza epidemics. Questions investigated individual perceptions of COVID-19 seriousness, compliance with prevention methods, explored vaccination intention and vaccine hesitancy (unvaccinated individuals who declined or were unsure about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine). The chi-squared test of best fit was used to compare the demographic responses against the whole organisation, with p-value < 0.05 deemed significant. Odds ratios were used to investigate associations between demographic groups and responses to questions, with an odds ratio crossing 1.0 deemed non-significant. Results: The response rate was 6% (2,080/33,200), with 315 responses collated in the pilot phase and 1,765 in the main study phase. Male participants were less likely to rate COVID-19 as serious (OR 0.34; 95% CI: 0.23-0.49). BAME ethnicity (OR 2.41; 95% CI: 1.12-5.17) rated it as more serious. At the time of the study 62% of respondents had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In the 797 unvaccinated personnel, vaccine hesitancy accounted for 24.2% (193/797), of whom 136 were white males. Those who had a higher COVID-19 serious rating, the most significant factor for non-adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures in both vaccinated (OR 1.61 [95%CI: 1.20-2.17]) and vaccine-hesitant (OR 3.24 [95%CI: 1.63-6.41]) individuals was colleagues' non-adherence. The most trusted source of information on vaccines was provided by the Defence Medical Services (77.2% [1,606/2,080]). Conclusion: This study has identified reasons for COVID-19 protective measure adherence, sources of information trusted by respondents and vaccine hesitancy, in the Royal Navy. The questionnaire can be used to investigate attitudes and behaviours in future emerging infectious diseases.
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COVID-19 , Animais , Masculino , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiologia , COVID-19/prevenção & controle , Vacinas contra COVID-19 , Estudos Transversais , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , SARS-CoV-2RESUMO
The influence of microstructure and mechanical properties on the in vitro digestibility of 15% whey protein isolate (WPI) gels was investigated. Gels were prepared via heat set gelation at three pH values (pH 3, 5 and 7), which produced gels with distinct microstructures and mechanical properties. The gels were minced to simulate an oral/chewing phase, which led to the formation particles of various sizes and textures. The minced gels were passed through either an Infogest (pre-set pH of 3) or Glass stomach (dynamic pH) protocol. Gels were digested in the gastric phase for up to 120 min, at which point the extent of digestion was measured by the amount of filterable nitrogen passing through a sieve. The digesta from both gastric methods were passed through an in vitro simulated intestinal phase. A strong link was found between the elasticity of the initial gel and the gel particle size following simulated oral processing, which significantly (p < 0.01) affected the rate of digestion in the gastric phase. A weaker correlation was also found between the pH of the gels and the extent of gastric digestion. This work highlights the differences in the rate of gastric digestion, arising from oral processing, which can be attributed to the material properties of the substrate.