Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Fermentation of Pea Protein Isolate and Its Effects on Antigenic Proteins, Functional Properties, and Sensory Profile.

Combinations of enzymatic hydrolysis using different proteolytic enzymes (papain, Esperase®, trypsin) and lactic fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum were used to alter potential pea allergens, the functional properties and sensory profile of pea protein isolate (PPI). The order in which the treatments were performed had a major impact on the changes in the properties of the pea protein isolate; the highest changes were seen with the combination of fermentation followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. SDS-PAGE, gel filtration, and ELISA results showed changes in the protein molecular weight and a reduced immunogenicity of treated samples. Treated samples showed significantly increased protein solubility at pH 4.5 (31.19-66.55%) and at pH 7.0 (47.37-74.95%), compared to the untreated PPI (6.98% and 40.26%, respectively). The foaming capacity was significantly increased (1190-2575%) compared to the untreated PPI (840%). The treated PPI showed reduced pea characteristic off-flavors, where only the treatment with Esperase® significantly increased the bitterness. The results from this study suggest that the combination of enzymatic hydrolysis and lactic fermentation is a promising method to be used in the food industry to produce pea protein ingredients with higher functionality and a highly neutral taste. A reduced detection signal of polyclonal rabbit anti-pea-antibodies against the processed protein preparations in ELISA furthermore might indicate a decreased immunological reaction after consumption.

Malformación arteriovenosa posterior a la retención de productos de la concepción / Arteriovenous malformation after retention of products of conception

Resumen OBJETIVO: Plantear un procedimiento para pacientes con retención de restos corioplacentarios y riesgo de formación de fístulas arteriovenosas que sea efectivo, seguro y ambulatorio. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Estudio de serie de casos, retrospectivo, de pacientes atendidas en el Hospital Gea González de enero a mayo de 2022. Se empleó un equipo de Bettocchi, de flujo continuo de 5 mm, lente cilíndrico de 2.9 mm y 30°. En casos específicos se programó un procedimiento quirúrgico con resectoscopio Richard Wolf Princess, con diámetro exterior de 7 mm, sistema óptico de 2.7 mm, dirección visual de 30°. RESULTADOS: Se revisaron 642 expedientes de los que se obtuvo una serie de 31 casos que se incluyeron conforme a la clasificación de Gutenberg, con biopsia por protocolo posaborto y resección con Grasper para los tipos 0 y 1; dos pacientes se enviaron a Urgencias por sangrado abundante para aspiración mecánica endouterina inmediata; dos pacientes se catalogaron con tipo 3; en la primera se optó por el tratamiento médico con metotrexato con lo que se consiguió la resolución completa y la segunda finalizó el embarazo con histerectomía laparoscópica. CONCLUSIONES: En pacientes con imágenes ecográficas sugerentes de retención de restos corioplacentarios o malformación arteriovenosa, los procedimientos con visión directa evitan las complicaciones inmediatas y futuras. El diagnóstico mediante la clasificación de Gutenberg permite definir el tipo de acceso con extracción en frío con pinza Grasper para los tipos 0 y 1, o la aplicación de una prueba farmacológica con metotrexato y resección histeroscópica para los tipos 2 y 3 en pacientes hemodinámicamente estables.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To propose an effective, safe and outpatient procedure for patients with retained chorioplacental remnants and risk of arteriovenous fistula formation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective case series study of patients attended at the Gea González Hospital from January to May 2022. A Bettocchi equipment was used, 5 mm continuous flow, 2.9 mm cylindrical lens and 30°. In specific cases a surgical procedure was scheduled with a Richard Wolf Princess resectoscope, 7 mm outer diameter, 2.7 mm optical system, 30° visual direction. RESULTS: We reviewed 642 files from which we obtained a series of 31 cases that were included according to the Gutenberg classification, with biopsy by postabortion protocol and resection with Grasper for types 0 and 1; two patients were sent to the ER for heavy bleeding for immediate MVA; two patients were categorized as type 3; in the first one we opted for medical treatment with methotrexate with which we achieved complete resolution and the second one ended the pregnancy with laparoscopic hysterectomy. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ultrasound images suggestive of retained chorioplacental debris or arteriovenous malformation, direct vision procedures avoid immediate and future complications. Diagnosis by Gutenberg classification allows to define the type of access with cold extraction with Grasper forceps for types 0 and 1, or the application of a pharmacological test with methotrexate and hysteroscopic resection for types 2 and 3 in hemodynamically stable patients.

Screening of Twelve Pea (Pisum sativum L.) Cultivars and Their Isolates Focusing on the Protein Characterization, Functionality, and Sensory Profiles.

Pea protein concentrates and isolates are important raw materials for the production of plant-based food products. To select suitable peas (Pisum sativum L.) for protein extraction for further use as food ingredients, twelve different cultivars were subjected to isoelectric precipitation and spray drying. Both the dehulled pea flours and protein isolates were characterized regarding their chemical composition and the isolates were analyzed for their functional properties, sensory profiles, and molecular weight distributions. Orchestra, Florida, Dolores, and RLPY cultivars showed the highest protein yields. The electrophoretic profiles were similar, indicating the presence of all main pea allergens in all isolates. The colors of the isolates were significantly different regarding lightness (L*) and red-green (a*) components. The largest particle size was shown by the isolate from Florida cultivar, whereas the lowest was from the RLPY isolate. At pH 7, protein solubility ranged from 40% to 62% and the emulsifying capacity ranged from 600 to 835 mL g-1. The principal component analysis revealed similarities among certain pea cultivars regarding their physicochemical and functional properties. The sensory profile of the individual isolates was rather similar, with an exception of the pea-like and bitter attributes, which were significantly different among the isolates.

Development of Monoclonal Antibodies against Pea Globulins for Multiplex Assays Targeting Legume Proteins.

Legume proteins are widely used as food ingredients, but only some (soybean, lupin, and peanut) must be declared under consumer safety regulations to protect allergy sufferers. It is not yet mandatory to declare pea proteins as allergens even though they are predicted to be allergenic based on cross-reactivity in sensitized people. The processing of legume proteins can modify their allergenic properties and hence the need for specific and precise methods for the detection of all major legume allergens. There are many commercially available tests for known food allergens but not for ingredients that are yet to be classified as allergenic. We therefore generated sets of pea-specific antibodies targeting globulins to be used in a multiplex assay for the simultaneous detection of soybean, lupin, peanut, and pea proteins. We focused on the 7S globulin family, which is the least conserved among the four legumes, allowing the specific detection of proteins from each species. Having confirmed the specificity and sensitivity of the multiplex assay, we evaluated different processing steps for proteins rich in pea globulins to demonstrate the impact of food processing on antibody binding. Our sensitive multiplex assay provides a fast and reliable method for the specific detection of soybean, lupin, peanut, and pea allergens and is therefore ideal for food safety and authenticity testing applications.

Sensory profile, functional properties and molecular weight distribution of fermented pea protein isolate.

Pea protein isolate (PPI, from Pisum sativum L.) was fermented with six different lactic acid bacteria strains for 24 â€‹h and 48 â€‹h. The fermented samples were analyzed regarding their retronasal aroma and taste, their protein solubility, emulsifying and foaming capacity. Changes in the molecular weight distribution were analyzed to monitor potential effects of fermentation on the main allergenic protein fractions of PPI. After 24-h fermentation, PPI's characteristic aroma attributes and bitter taste decreased for all fermented PPI. However, after 48-h fermentation, cheesy aroma, and acid and salty tastes were increased. The PPI fermented with L. plantarum showed the most neutral taste and the panel's highest preference; instead, fermentation with L. fermentum led to a fecal aroma and was the least preferred. The protein solubility and emulsifying capacity decreased after PPI fermentation, while foaming capacity remained constant in comparison to the untreated PPI. The electrophoretic results showed a reduction in the intensity of the allergenic protein fractions; however, these changes might be attributed to the reduced protein solubility rather than to a high proteolytic effect of the strains. Fermentation of PPI for 24 â€‹h and 48 â€‹h might not be a suitable method for the production of highly functional pea proteins. Further modification methods have to be investigated in the future.

Crowdsourcing pneumothorax annotations using machine learning annotations on the NIH chest X-ray dataset.

Pneumothorax is a potentially life-threatening condition that requires prompt recognition and often urgent intervention. In the ICU setting, large numbers of chest radiographs are performed and must be interpreted on a daily basis which may delay diagnosis of this entity. Development of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to detect pneumothorax could help expedite detection as well as localize and potentially quantify pneumothorax. Open image analysis competitions are useful in advancing state-of-the art AI algorithms but generally require large expert annotated datasets. We have annotated and adjudicated a large dataset of chest radiographs to be made public with the goal of sparking innovation in this space. Because of the cumbersome and time-consuming nature of image labeling, we explored the value of using AI models to generate annotations for review. Utilization of this machine learning annotation (MLA) technique appeared to expedite our annotation process with relatively high sensitivity at the expense of specificity. Further research is required to confirm and better characterize the value of MLAs. Our adjudicated dataset is now available for public consumption in the form of a challenge.

Augmenting the National Institutes of Health Chest Radiograph Dataset with Expert Annotations of Possible Pneumonia.

This dataset is intended to be used for machine learning and is composed of annotations with bounding boxes for pulmonary opacity on chest radiographs which may represent pneumonia in the appropriate clinical setting.

Association between completed suicide and environmental temperature in a Mexican population, using the Knowledge Discovery in Database approach.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Suicide is a worldwide health problem and climatological characteristics have been associated with suicide behavior. However, approaches such as the Knowledge Discovery in Database are not frequently used to search for an association between climatological characteristics and suicide. The aim of the present study was to assess the association between weather data and suicide in a Mexican population. METHODS: We used the information of 1357 patients who completed suicide from 2005 to 2012. Alternatively, weather data were provided by the National Water Commission. We used the Knowledge Discovery in Database approach with an Apriori algorithm and the data analyses were performed with the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis software. One hundred rules of association were generated with a confidence of 0.86 and support of 1. RESULTS: We found an association between environmental temperature and suicide: days with no rain and temperatures between 30 °C and 40 °C (86-104 °F) were related to males completing suicide by hanging. CONCLUSIONS: In the prevention of suicidal behavior, the Knowledge Discovery in Database could be used to establish climatological characteristics and their association with suicide. This approach must be considered in future prevention strategies.

Cage Versus Noncage Laying-Hen Housings: Respiratory Exposures.

The objective of this study was to compare the personal respiratory exposures of poultry workers in three different types of layer housing under commercial production conditions. Workers were randomly assigned to each of conventional cage, enriched cage, and aviary barns in a crossover repeated-measures design for three observation periods over the hens' lifetime. Inhalable and fine particulate matter (PM) and endotoxin in both size fractions were assessed by personal and area samplers over the work shift. Concentrations of inhalable PM, PM2.5 (PM with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 µm), and endotoxin in both size fractions were higher in aviary than either the conventional or enriched barns. Geometric means (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of inhalable PM and endotoxin for the aviary, conventional, and enriched barns were 8.9 (6.8-11.5) mg/m(3) and 7517.9 (5403.2-10,460.2) EU/m(3), 3.7 (2.8-4.8) mg/m(3) and 1655.7 (1144.6-2395.2) EU/m(3), 2.4 (1.8-3.3) mg/m(3) and 1404.8 (983.3-2007.0) EU/m(3), respectively. Area samplers recorded a lower mean inhalable PM concentration and higher PM2.5 concentration than personal samplers. Ammonia concentrations were low throughout three monitoring seasons. These findings show that the aviary barns pose higher respiratory exposures to poultry workers than either conventional or enriched barns.

Cage Versus Noncage Laying-Hen Housings: Worker Respiratory Health.

The objective of this study was to compare respiratory health of poultry workers in conventional cage, enriched cage and aviary layer housing on a single commercial facility, motivated by changing requirements for humane housing of hens. Three workers were randomly assigned daily, one to each of conventional cage, enriched cage, and aviary housing in a crossover repeated-measures design for three observation periods (for a total of 123 worker-days, eight different workers). Workers' exposure to particles were assessed (Arteaga et al. J Agromedicine. 2015;20:this issue) and spirometry, exhaled nitric oxide, respiratory symptoms, and questionnaires were conducted pre- and post-shift. Personal exposures to particles and endotoxin were significantly higher in the aviary than the other housings (Arteaga et al., 2015). The use of respiratory protection was high; the median usage was 70% of the shift. Mixed-effects multivariate regression models of respiratory cross-shift changes were marginally significant, but the aviary system consistently posted the highest decrements for forced expiratory volume in 1 and 6 seconds (FEV1 and FEV6) compared with the enriched or conventional housing. The adjusted mean difference in FEV1 aviary - enriched cage housing was -47 mL/s, 95% confidence interval (CI): (-99 to 4.9), P = .07. Similarly, for FEV6, aviary - conventional housing adjusted mean difference was -52.9 mL/6 s, 95% CI: (-108 to 2.4), P = .06. Workers adopting greater than median use of respiratory protection were less likely to exhibit negative cross-shift pulmonary function changes. Although aviary housing exposed workers to significantly higher respiratory exposures, cross-shift pulmonary function changes did not differ significantly between houses. Higher levels of mask use were protective; poultry workers should wear respiratory protection as appropriate to avoid health decrements.

The utility of non-ophthalmologist examination of eyes at risk for serious retinopathy of prematurity.

BACKGROUND: Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is the main cause of preventable blindness in premature babies. Currently, there is a shortage of trained ophthalmologists, which has resulted in an alarming increase in cases of vision loss and related complications. This study's aim was to determine the utility of examinations conducted by non-ophthalmologist physicians to assess posterior pole vessel abnormalities in eyes at risk for ROP. METHOD: Non-ophthalmologist physicians (pediatrician and neonatologist) were trained to use an indirect ophthalmoscope to view the posterior pole of babies at risk for ROP. Examinations were conducted on both eyes of premature infants born before 35 weeks gestational age (GA) starting at the third week after birth and weekly thereafter. The presence of Plus disease was identified by the non-ophthalmologist and results compared to the clinical examination by a pediatric ophthalmologist experienced in ROP detection and treatment. Chi-square was used for proportions and the Mann Whitney U test for medians. Fagan's nomogram was determined for diagnostic usability. The Kappa index was used to rate inter-observer agreement. RESULTS: Results of 228 examinations performed on 150 premature infants were analyzed to determine the correlation of the non-ophthalmologist findings and the eye examination. For any vascular change in posterior pole diagnostic, findings were 87% and 87% accuracy for pediatrician and neonatologist, 82% and 83% sensitivity, 90% and 90% specificity respectively. There was no significant difference found in the detection of Plus disease for the examinations performed by the ophthalmologist compared to those performed by the non-ophthalmologist (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: After training in the use of an indirect ophthalmoscope, non-ophthalmologist physicians can reliably detect posterior pole retinal vessel changes for ROP diagnosis.

Effects of sodium bisulfate on alcohol, amine, and ammonia emissions from dairy slurry.

Sodium bisulfate (SBS) is extensively used in the poultry industry to reduce ammonia and bacterial levels in litter. It is also used in the dairy industry to reduce bacterial counts in bedding and ammonia emissions, preventing environmental mastitis and calf respiratory stress. The present study measured the effect of SBS on the air emission of ammonia, amine, and alcohol from a dairy slurry mix. Amine flux was undetectable (<5 ng L(-1)) across treatments. Application of SBS decreased ammonia, methanol, and ethanol emissions from fresh dairy slurry. Ammonia emissions decreased with increasing levels of SBS treatment. The 3-d average ammonia flux from the control (no SBS applied) and the three different SBS surface application levels of 0.125, 0.250, and 0.375 kg m(-2) were 513.4, 407.2, 294.8, and 204.5 mg h(-1) m(-2), respectively. The ammonia emission reduction potentials were 0, 21, 43, and 60%, respectively. Methanol and ethanol emissions decreased with an increase in the amount of SBS applied. The 3-d average methanol emissions were 223.7, 178.0, 131.6, and 87.0 mg h(-1) m(-2) for SBS surface application level of 0, 0.125, 0.250, and 0.375 kg m(-2), with corresponding reduction potentials of 0, 20, 41, and 61, respectively. Similar emission reduction potentials of 0, 18, 35, and 58% were obtained for ethanol. Sodium bisulfate was shown to be effective in the mitigation of ammonia and alcohol emissions from fresh dairy slurry.

Septic embolization to the carotid bifurcation presenting as carotidynia.

Carotidynia is a term that is best defined by neck pain associated with tenderness over the carotid artery. The differential diagnosis of this entity is broad and includes vascular disorders such as carotid dissection, aneurysm, occlusion, and arteritis. We describe the first reported case of carotidynia caused by septic embolization to the carotid bulb and offer a logical plan for its management.