Influence of Carbohydrate Intake on Caprylic Acid (C8:0)-Induced Ketogenesis-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The ketogenic diet is used worldwide to treat various diseases, especially drug-resistant epilepsies. Medium-chain triglycerides or medium-chain fatty acids, primarily the major ketogenic compound caprylic acid (C8; C8:0), can significantly support ketogenesis. This review examines the effects of concurrent carbohydrate intake on C8-induced ketogenesis. A systematic literature search (PubMed and Web of Science) with subsequent data extraction was performed according to PRISMA guidelines and the Cochrane Handbook. Studies investigating the metabolic response to C8-containing MCT interventions with carbohydrate intake were included. The studies did not include a ketogenic diet. Three intervention groups were created. The quality of the studies was assessed using the RoB II tool, and the meta-analysis was performed using the Cochrane RevMan software. A total of 7 trials, including 4 RCTs, met the inclusion criteria. Ketone production was lower when C8 was combined with carbohydrates compared to MCT intake alone. The lower C8 dose group (11 g) did not show a significantly lower ketogenic effect than the higher dose group (19 g). Forest plot analysis showed heterogeneous data. The data suggest a non-linear relationship between C8, carbohydrate intake and ketone production. Further studies are needed to investigate the influence of different carbohydrates on C8-induced ketogenesis. Limitations include heterogeneous intervention conditions, such as different types of dispersions, caffeine intake, limited number of studies and variability in study design.

Which Potential Linguistic Challenges do Pre-Service Teachers Identify in a Mathematical Expository Text?

Language is a crucial aspect of mathematical thinking and learning, and it is therefore essential for teachers to be equipped with the skills required for linguistically responsive teaching. This includes the ability to identify potential linguistic challenges in expository texts. In the present study, we investigated the ability of pre-service teachers (N = 115) to identify potential linguistic challenges in a mathematical expository text for ninth graders. Participants identified about 12% of the potential linguistic challenges that were previously identified by a reference expert group. They identified challenges more frequently that were on the word level and considered to be mathematics-specific by the experts. Subjective judgements of disciplinarity of the challenges differed between participants, and between participants and experts. No differences in the ability to identify potential linguistic challenges were found between participants who studied language arts (German or English) or mathematics as a subject. Our results indicate that pre-service teachers may not be adequately prepared to identify and respond to linguistic challenges in mathematical expository texts.