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Wakui N, Ichikawa K, Okami A, Kagi H, Kawakubo S, Togawa C, Matsuoka R, Watanabe M, Yamamura M, Shirozu S, Tsubota Y, Yoshizawa Y, Machida Y. Evaluating the effectiveness of applying aroma seals to masks in reducing stress caused by wearing masks: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0294357. [PMID: 37971989 PMCID: PMC10653515 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks on patients and healthy people have been recommended to prevent airborne transmission of the virus. This increased the number of people who felt stressed while wearing masks. In this study, we investigated the stress-relieving effects of attaching aroma seals to masks. A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 62 university students. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups and instructed to apply a seal to their masks once a day throughout the study period. The primary measure used was the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), while the secondary measures included the assessment of breathlessness associated with mask-wearing and the World Health Organization Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5). The intervention group, referred to as the aroma-seal use group, utilized aroma seals infused with orange-lime essential oil with the expectation of experiencing the healing effects of citrus. On the other hand, the non-intervention group, known as the placebo-seal use group, utilized identical seals without any aroma. Results indicated that the aroma-seal use group exhibited significant improvements in both the total DASS-21 scores and depression scores compared to their baseline values by the second week of the intervention. Furthermore, the aroma-seal use group demonstrated a reduced occurrence of breathlessness while wearing masks compared to the placebo-seal group. Additionally, when assessing the item "I have felt calm and relaxed" from the WHO-5 questionnaire, the aroma-seal use group displayed significantly higher scores than the placebo group. Therefore, using aroma seals containing orange-lime essential oil could be beneficial in relieving mental stress and reducing breathlessness while wearing a mask, thus improving mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuyuki Wakui
- Division of Applied Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kotoha Ichikawa
- Division of Applied Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Aika Okami
- Division of Applied Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hinako Kagi
- Division of Applied Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shoko Kawakubo
- Division of Applied Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Chikako Togawa
- Division of Applied Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Raini Matsuoka
- Division of Applied Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mai Watanabe
- Division of Applied Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Miho Yamamura
- Division of Applied Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Shirozu
- Division of Applied Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuika Tsubota
- Division of Applied Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukiko Yoshizawa
- Division of Applied Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Machida
- Division of Applied Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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Khosroshahi ED, Razavi SH, Kiani H, Aghakhani A. Mixed fermentation and electrospray drying for the development of a novel stabilized wheat germ powder containing highly viable probiotic cultures. Food Sci Nutr 2023; 11:2176-2185. [PMID: 37181318 PMCID: PMC10171522 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.3092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Nondairy fermented probiotic powder was developed based on stabilized wheat germ through mixed fermentation (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum) and electrospraying process. In the first step, the effect of mixed fermentation on lipase and lipoxygenase activity of wheat germ was investigated. The results showed a significant reduction in the activity of both enzymes (82.72% for lipase and 72% for lipoxygenase), therefore, mixed fermentation effectively stabilizes the wheat germ. In the next step, after the preparation of the solutions for drying process and investigating the physical properties (surface tension, electrical conductivity, and viscosity) of the solutions, the electrosprayability of the samples was evaluated at different conditions and revealed that 18 kV applying voltage, 0.3 flow rate, and 12 cm distance between tip to collector was the best for electrospraying the 20% solution of fermented wheat germ with morphologically most semi-uniform particles. Finally, the viability of the probiotics after drying process and during the storage at 25°C was examined. The number of initial cells counted as 14.48 ± 0.2 log cfu/g and the viability studies showed 0.55 log cfu/g decrease in the number of viable bacteria from initial count as a result of the electrospraying process. Furthermore, 7.86 ± 0.03 log cfu/g in freeze-dried and 9.05 ± 0.45 log cfu/g in electrosprayed samples survived after 70 days of storage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Divan Khosroshahi
- Bioprocess Engineering Laboratory (BPEL) Department of Food Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran Karaj Iran
| | - Seyed Hadi Razavi
- Bioprocess Engineering Laboratory (BPEL) Department of Food Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran Karaj Iran
| | - Hossein Kiani
- Bioprocessing and Biodetection Lab (BBL) Department of Food Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran Karaj Iran
| | - Ali Aghakhani
- Bioprocess Engineering Laboratory (BPEL) Department of Food Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran Karaj Iran
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Liu W, Li H, Wen Y, Liu Y, Wang J, Sun B. Molecular Mechanism for the α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Effect of Wheat Germ Peptides. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2021; 69:15231-15239. [PMID: 34874169 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c06098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Wheat germ peptides (WGPs) have various benefits to human health, while their antidiabetes mechanism remains unknown. In this study, the α-glucosidase inhibition activity of WGPs was identified, exhibiting an IC50 value of 6.87 mg/mL. By further filtrating them into five groups according to molecular weight (Mw), the fraction with Mw < 1 kDa displayed the highest inhibitory activity with an IC50 of 2.10 mg/mL. The addition of 2 mg/mL WGPs with Mw < 1 kDa effectively reduced the glucose-releasing rate on everted intestine sleeves. By virtual screening and HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS, LDLQR, AGGFR, and LDNFR were identified and synthesized for the first time, and their IC50 values were 8.59, 8.66, and 9.21 mM, respectively. Molecular docking and amino acid composition analysis results showed that the high content of C-terminal Arg residues in the peptides could be the essential reason for their α-glucosidase inhibition activity. This study paved a way to utilize WGPs as potential antidiabetes ingredients for the food industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Liu
- China-Canada Joint Lab of Food Nutrition and Health (Beijing), School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), 11 Fucheng Road, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Hongyan Li
- China-Canada Joint Lab of Food Nutrition and Health (Beijing), School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), 11 Fucheng Road, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Yangyang Wen
- College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), 11 Fucheng Road, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Yingli Liu
- China-Canada Joint Lab of Food Nutrition and Health (Beijing), School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), 11 Fucheng Road, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Jing Wang
- China-Canada Joint Lab of Food Nutrition and Health (Beijing), School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), 11 Fucheng Road, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Baoguo Sun
- China-Canada Joint Lab of Food Nutrition and Health (Beijing), School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), 11 Fucheng Road, Beijing 100048, China
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