Symposium on the lactic acid bacteria

Calcium supplementation to prevent pre-eclampsia: protocol for an individual participant data meta-analysis, network meta-analysis and health economic evaluation

INTRODUCTION

Low dietary calcium intake is a risk factor for pre-eclampsia, a major contributor to maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity worldwide. Calcium supplementation can prevent pre-eclampsia in women with low dietary calcium. However, the optimal dose and timing of calcium supplementation are not known. We plan to undertake an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis of randomised trials to determine the effects of various calcium supplementation regimens in preventing pre-eclampsia and its complications and rank these by effectiveness. We also aim to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of calcium supplementation to prevent pre-eclampsia.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We will identify randomised trials on calcium supplementation before and during pregnancy by searching major electronic databases including Embase, CINAHL, MEDLINE, CENTRAL, PubMed, Scopus, AMED, LILACS, POPLINE, AIM, IMSEAR, ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, without language restrictions, from inception to February 2022. Primary researchers of the identified trials will be invited to join the International Calcium in Pregnancy Collaborative Network and share their IPD. We will check each study's IPD for consistency with the original authors before standardising and harmonising the data. We will perform a series of one-stage and two-stage IPD random-effect meta-analyses to obtain the summary intervention effects on pre-eclampsia with 95% CIs and summary treatment-covariate interactions (maternal risk status, dietary intake, timing of intervention, daily dose of calcium prescribed and total intake of calcium). Heterogeneity will be summarised using tau2, I2 and 95% prediction intervals for effect in a new study. Sensitivity analysis to explore robustness of statistical and clinical assumptions will be carried out. Minor study effects (potential publication bias) will be investigated using funnel plots. A decision analytical model for use in low-income and middle-income countries will assess the cost-effectiveness of calcium supplementation to prevent pre-eclampsia.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

No ethical approvals are required. We will store the data in a secure repository in an anonymised format. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42021231276.

Changes in the Microflora of Vacuum-packaged, Irradiated Petrale Sole (Eopsetta jordani) Fillets Stored at 0.5 C

The microfloral changes of irradiated petrale sole fillets during anaerobic (vacuum-packed in cans) refrigerated storage was determined by the identification of 1,260 microbial isolates to the generic level. The samples were irradiated at 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 Mrad from a cobalt-60 gamma source, stored at 0.5 C, and examined periodically for spoilage and total microbial population and composition. The preirradiation flora consisted of Achromobacter, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, coryneforms, Lactobacillus, and Flavobacterium. Immediately after irradiation, Micrococcus, Achromobacter, coryneforms, and Bacillus were predominant. After storage under vacuum, the spoilage flora of the nonirradiated petrale sole was predominantly Pseudomonas; the spoilage flora of the 0.1-Mrad irradiated samples consisted of Pseudomonas and Lactobacillus; and that of the 0.2-, 0.3-, and 0.4-Mrad samples was almost entirely Lactobacillus.

729. Characteristics of a presumptive pediococcus occurring in New Zealand Cheddar cheese

1. Cultural and biochemical details are given of a homofermentative species of lactic acid-producing bacteria, repeatedly isolated from typical maturing New Zealand Cheddar cheese.

2. The Gram-positive cocci, occurring mainly in pairs and tetrads in acid media, are greatly stimulated in growth by the presence of yeast or tomato extracts. The organism converts glucose into inactive lactic acid and smaller amounts of acetic acid.

3. With the exceptions that the organism does not ferment trehalose and is less tolerant to low pH and high concentrations of Teepol, all its characteristics are similar to those for the genusPediococcus, in particular to the type speciesP. cerevisiaeBalcke.

Section B. Bacteriology and mycology applied to dairying

It is now some 6 years since the appearance in this series of a Review of Bacteriology and Mycology applied to Dairying (1) with sections on milk control, detergents and disinfectants, and pasteurization. Nearly 12 years have elapsed since a complete Review (2) including all the sections listed above was published in theJournal of Dairy Research; some attempt has been made to deal with the more important work going back to these Reviews.

Bacterial fermentation of cheese whey for production of a ruminant feed supplement rich in curde protein

A simple and efficient process for the production of a ruminant feed supplement, rich in crude protein (defined as total N X 6.25), by bacterial fermentation of cheese whey has been developed. The lactose in unpasteurized whey is fermented to lactate acid by Lactobacillus bulgaricus at a temperature of 43 degrees C and pH 5.5. The lactic acid produced is continually neutralized with ammonia to form ammonium lactate. The fermented product is concentrated by evaporation to a solids content of about 70% and adjusted to pH 6.8 with additional ammonia. The concentrated product contains about 55% crude protein. Approximately 6 to 8% of the crude protein is derived from bacterial cells. 17% from whey proteins, and 75 to 77% from ammonium lactate. The efficiency of conversion of lactose to lactic acid usually exceeds 95%. The fermentation time is greatly reduced upon the addition of 0.2% yeast extract or 0.1% corn steep liquor as a source of growth factors. Whey containing lactose at concentrations up to 7% can be fermented efficiently, but at higher concentrations lactose is fermented incompletely. The process has been scaled up to a pilot plant level, and 40 tons of concentrated product were produced fro animal feeding trials, without ever encountering putrefactive spoilage.

NUTRITIONAL PATTERNS OF SOME ANAEROBIC STREPTOCOCCI1

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