Casein/butyrylated dextrin nanoparticles and chitosan stabilized bilayer emulsions as fat substitutes in sponge cakes

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of the bilayer emulsions stabilized with casein/butyrylated dextrin nanoparticles and chitosan as fat substitutes in preparing low-calorie sponge cakes. Among the different cake groups, the substitution of bilayer emulsions at 60% exhibited comparable baking properties, appearance, texture characteristics and stable secondary structure to fat. The specific volume and height were increased by 36.94% and 22%, respectively, while the cake showed higher lightness (L*) in the cores and softer hardness in the crumb. In addition, the moisture content of cakes was increased while the water activity remained unchanged. These results showed that casein/butyrylated dextrin bilayer emulsion was a potential fat substitute for cake products at the ratio of 60% with the desirable characteristics.

Retrogradation behaviors of damaged wheat starch with different water contents

The retrogradation behaviors of five damaged wheat starches (DS) after milling 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min with different water contents (33, 50, 60 %) were evaluated. Milling treatment increased DS content and developed an agglomeration of small particles. After 7 days of storage, the recrystallinity and long-range ordered structure of starch pastes were increased with the contents of DS and water. This process led to a lower setback viscosity and poor leaching of amylose. LF-NMR indicated a conversion from tightly bound water and free water to weakly bound water. During storage, DS12 with 60 % water content had the highest retrogradation tendency where the retrogradation enthalpy increased by 1.5 J/g and 2.2 J/g compared with DS0 with 60 % and DS12 with 33 % water content. DS with higher water content promoted the water mobility and made the starch molecular chains migrated conveniently. These changes facilitated the recrystallinity process during retrogradation period.

Clinical value of [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT for assessing early-stage liver fibrosis in adult liver transplantation recipients compared with chronic HBV patients

AIMS

To investigate the clinical value and performance of [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT in assessing early-stage liver fibrosis in liver transplantation (LT) recipients.

METHODS

A prospective study including 17 LT recipients and 12 chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) patients was conducted. All patients received liver biopsy, transient elastography (TE), and [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT. On [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT scans, the liver parenchyma's maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) were measured. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to determine the diagnostic efficacy of [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT in early-stage liver fibrosis (S1-S2) compared with the diagnostic performance of TE.

RESULTS

Among those 29 patients enrolled in this study, 15(51.7%) had fibrosis S0, 10(34.5%) had S1, and 4(13.8%) had S2, respectively. The SUVmax of patients with early-stage liver fibrosis was significantly higher than those without liver fibrosis in LT recipients and CHB patients (P = 0.004, P = 0.02). In LT recipients, a SUVmax cut-off value of 2.0 detected early-stage liver fibrosis with an AUROC of 0.92 (P = 0.006), and a liver stiffness measurements (LSM) score cut-off value of 8.2 kPa diagnosed early-stage liver fibrosis with an AUROC of 0.80 (P = 0.012). In CHB patients, a SUVmax cut-off value of 2.7 detected early-stage liver fibrosis with an AUROC of 0.94 (P < 0.001) and an LSM scores cut-off value of 8.4 kPa diagnosed early-stage liver fibrosis with an AUROC of 0.91 (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

[18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT could be applied to evaluate early-stage liver fibrosis in LT recipients and CHB patients properly, with the potential additional advantages in monitoring and predicting complications after LT.

[Primary ovarian squamous cell carcinoma: clinicopathological features and prognostic analysis of fifteen cases]

Objective: To assess the clinical features and treatment outcomes in patients with primary ovarian squamous cell carcinoma (POSCC). Methods: Fifteen patients with primary ovarian squamous cell carcinoma diagnosed from January 2009 to December 2018 in Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences were collected. The expression of p16, hMLH1, hMSH2, hMSH6 and PMS2 in POSCC was detected by immunohistochemistry, and the status of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) by RNAscope test. Results: Squamous cell carcinoma with different degrees of differentiation was found in 15 cases, including three cases with high differentiation and 12 cases with medium to low differentiation. There were four cases with in situ squamous cell carcinoma, four cases with teratoma, one case with endometrial carcinoma/atypical hyperplasia, and one case with endometriosis. p16 was expressed in five cases (5/15), indicating coexisting high-risk HPV infection. There was no high-risk HPV infection in the remaining 10 cases, and p16 staining was negative. There was no deficient mismatch repair protein in all cases. The overall survival time (P=0.038) and progression free survival (P=0.045) of patients with high-risk HPV infection were longer than those without HPV infection. Conclusions: POSCC is more commonly noted in postmenopausal women and often occurs unilaterally. Elevated serological indexes CA125 and SCC are the most common finding. Morphologically, the tumors show variable degrees of differentiation, but the current data suggest that the degree of differentiation cannot be used as an independent prognostic index. High-risk HPV infection may be associated with the occurrence of POSCC, and that the prognosis of POSCC patients with HPV infection is better than that of patients without infection.

[Different criteria of metabolically healthy obesity and its effects on the prevalence]

The problem of obesity is getting serious. However, recent studies have shown that obesity is not necessarily harmful to health, thus the concept of metabolically healthy obesity is proposed. So far, no standard definition/criterion had been set up for metabolically healthy obesity. Through searching related literature on metabolically healthy obesity worldwide, different diagnostic criteria were reviewed, and compared with the difference of prevalence as well. The aim of the study is to provide reference for the precise prevention of obesity in China.

Incidence of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke and the association with smoking and smoking cessation: a 10-year multicentre prospective study in China

OBJECTIVES

To examine the effects of cigarette smoking and smoking cessation on the incidence of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke in a multicentre prospective cohort study among Chinese.

STUDY DESIGN

A multicentre population-based prospective cohort study.

METHODS

The incidence of, and deaths from, stroke were monitored among 26,607 participants (12,560 men and 14,047 women) who were enrolled in 1986 and free from stroke until 2000. Cox's proportional hazard model was performed to obtain the hazard ratio (HR) of cigarette smoking for stroke risk after adjustment for major confounders.

RESULTS

After an average of 9.5 years of follow-up, 1108 subjects developed stroke. The excess risk of all types of stroke (total stroke) among male current smokers [HR 1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-1.67] was mainly due to a significantly elevated risk of ischaemic stroke (HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.17-1.90). A significantly increased risk for total stroke and ischaemic stroke was observed among men who smoked >15 cigarettes/day and men who had smoked for >25 years. The rate of smoking cessation was very low among Chinese men (7.2%) and women (1.5%). Smoking cessation did not appear to reduce the risk of haemorrhagic stroke, but may reduce the risk of ischaemic stroke; however, the possibility that this result was due to chance cannot be excluded (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.26-2.08).

CONCLUSION

This study confirmed that cigarette smoking is a major determinant for the incidence of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke in Chinese men, and emphasizes the need for improved strategies to help people quit smoking.

Longitudinal study of blood pressure and stroke in over 37,000 People in China

As part of a longitudinal study performed in urban China, 37,655 subjects were evaluated for stroke risk factors, including having their blood pressure measured in a standard fashion. The cohort was followed for 3.5 years during which time 427 subjects experienced incident strokes--221 ischemic, 203 hemorrhagic, and 3 undefined. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly related to risk of stroke and stroke type. Associations were stronger for systolic than diastolic blood pressure. These results emphasize the importance of systolic blood pressure, as opposed to diastolic, as a risk factor for stroke. In this study, the risk of stroke is increased by about 25% with each 10 mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure.

Prevention of stroke in urban China: a community-based intervention trial

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Stroke has been the second leading cause of death in large cities in China since the 1980s. Meanwhile, the prevalences of hypertension and smoking have steadily increased over the last 2 decades. Therefore, a community-based intervention trial was initiated in 7 Chinese cities in 1987. The overall goal of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention aimed at reducing multiple risk factors for stroke. The primary study objective was to reduce the incidence of stroke by 25% over 3.5 years of intervention.

METHODS

In May 1987 in each of 7 the cities, 2 geographically separated communities with a registered population of about 10 000 each were selected as either intervention or control communities. In each community, a cohort containing about 2700 subjects (>/=35 years old) free of stroke was sampled, and a survey was administered to obtain baseline data and screen the eligible subjects for intervention. In each city, a program of treatment for hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes was instituted in the intervention cohort (n approximately 2700) and health education was provided to the full intervention community (n approximately 10 000). A follow-up survey was conducted in 1990. Comparisons of intervention and control cohorts in each city were pooled to yield a single summary.

RESULTS

A total of 18 786 subjects were recruited to the intervention cohort and 18 876 to the control cohort from 7 cities. After 3.5 years, 174 new stroke cases had occurred in the intervention cohort and 253 in the control cohort. The 3.5-year cumulative incidence of total stroke was significantly lower in the intervention cohort than the control cohort (0.93% versus 1.34%; RR=0.69; 95% CI, 0.57 to 0.84). The incidence rates of nonfatal and fatal stroke, as well as ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, were significantly lower in the intervention cohort than the control cohort. The prevalence of hypertension increased by 4.3% in the intervention cohort and by 7.8% in the control cohort. The average systolic and diastolic blood pressures increased more in the control cohort than in the intervention cohort. Among hypertensive individuals in the intervention cohort, awareness of hypertension increased by 6.7% and the percentage of hypertensives who regularly took antihypertensive medication increased 13.2%. All of these indices became worse in the control cohort. The prevalence of heart diseases and diabetes increased significantly in the both cohorts (P<0.01). The prevalence of consumption of alcohol increased slightly, and that of smoking remained constant in both cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

A community-based intervention for stroke reduction is feasible and effective in the cities of China. The reduction, due to the intervention, in the incidence of stroke in the intervention cohort was statistically significant after 3.5 years of intervention. The sharp reduction in the incidence of stroke may be due to the interventions having blunted the expected increase in hypertension that accompanies aging as well as to better and earlier treatment of hypertension, particularly borderline hypertension. Applied health education to all the residents of the community may have prevented some normotensive individuals from developing hypertension and improved overall health awareness and knowledge.

[Modulation of norepinephrinergic control of hypothalamus preoptic areas on hibernation bouts in ground squirrels (Citellus dauricus)]

In our previous work, it was shown that hibernation could be enhanced by injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA, 200 micrograms) into the lateral cerebral ventricle of ground squirrels by destructing norepinephrine (NE) nerve terminals in brain areas including hypothalamus, cerebral cortex, hippocampus and periaqueductal gray matter of middle brain. In order to identify the specific area contributing for the modulation of NE system on hibernation, small doses of 6-OHDA (4 micrograms) were microinjected bilaterally into medial preoptic hypothalamus (MPA), lateral preoptic hypothalamus (LPA) and ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH). The results showed: (1) Depletion of NE on MPA may facilitate hibernation. (2) Little effect was seen by microinjection of 6-OHDA into LPA. (3) The effect of 6-OHDA on VMH was similar to that on MPA, through the mechanism remains to be investigated.

A case-control study on the environmental risk factors of Parkinson's disease in Tianjin, China

Using a case-control method, we studied the role of environmental risk factors and viral infection in the development of Parkinson's disease (PD) in China. Ninety-three PD patients and 186 controls were investigated with a questionnaire and from most of them, blood was taken to test the antibody levels of four virus (measles, rubella, HSV-1, CMV) IgG. The study result showed that positive family history, living near rubber plants, drinking river-water were associated with an increased risk of developing PD. In contrast, living in small cities, drinking well-water, drinking hard-liquor frequently, were associated with a decreased risk for PD. PD cases and controls did not differ with respect to other factors investigated including smoking and viral infection. These findings suggest that some environmental factors may be related to the development of PD, but further standardized studies will be required to confirm our results.

[Delayed hemothorax after chest injuries. Report of 31 cases]

Thirty-one patients with delayed hemothorax were treated. The time from trauma to hemothorax formation ranged from 2 to 30 days. The patients with chest injuries accompanied by multiple rib fracture, potential vascular injuries and foreign body retention the thoracic cavity were observed closely. The diagnosis, pathogenesis and treatment were discussed.

Regional anesthesia for microsurgery in China: a review

Between June 1968 and December 1985, a total of 1185 microsurgical operations were performed at the No. 6 Municipal Hospital, Shanghai. These included 500 reimplantations of amputated hands or fingers, 271 free transfers of toes, 96 free transfers of fibula, 63 free transfers of muscle, 34 reconstructions of hands, and 88 ENT procedures. The anesthetic methods used were brachial plexus block 401 (33.8%), cervical epidural block 232 (19.6%), general anesthesia 193 16.3%), double catheter lumbar and cervical epidural block 149 (12.6%), brachial plexus plus lumbar epidural block 123 (10.4%), lumbar epidural block alone 64 (5.4%), and acupuncture 22 (1.9%). Anesthesia in microsurgical operations must provide good operating conditions for very prolonged periods, devoid of any vasospasm and preferably with a degree of vasodilatation to facilitate vascular anastomosis.