Radio frequency inactivation of Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes in skimmed and whole milk powder

Milk powder is a convenient, shelf-stable food ingredient used in a variety of food products. However, pathogenic bacteria can be present and survive during prolonged storage, leading to outbreaks of foodborne diseases and product recalls. Radio frequency (RF) heating is a processing technology suitable for bulk treatment of milk powder, aiming at microbial inactivation. This study investigates the RF inactivation of Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes in two types of milk powder; skimmed and whole milk powder. Specifically, the aims were to (i) examine the influence of the powder's composition on bacterial inactivation, (ii) evaluate the response of bacteria with different Gram properties (Gram positive and Gram negative) and (iii) verify the use of Enterococcus faecium as a surrogate for the two microorganisms for the specific RF process. In order to examine exclusively the influence of RF, a non-isothermal temperature profile was used, employing solely different RF energy levels to heat the product to the target temperatures. A log-linear model with a Bigelow-type temperature dependency was fitted to the experimental data. S. Typhimurium was less susceptible to RF treatments in comparison to L.monocytogenes, demonstrating a higher inactivation rate (k) and higher percentage of sublethal injury. A higher k was also observed for both microorganisms in the whole milk powder, indicating that the increased fat content and decreased levels of lactose and protein in the milk powder had an adverse impact on the microbial survival for both pathogens. The surrogate microorganism E. faecium successfully validated the microbial response of the two microorganisms to RF treatments. In general, a low heating rate RF-only process was successful in inactivating the two foodborne pathogens in skimmed and whole milk powder by 4 log(CFU/g).

Technologies of targeting histone deacetylase in drug discovery: Current progress and emerging prospects

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) catalyze the hydrolysis of acetyl-l-lysine side chains in histones and non-histones, which are key to epigenetic regulation in humans. Targeting HDACs has emerged as a promising strategy for treating various types of cancer, including myeloma and hematologic malignancies. At present, numerous small molecule inhibitors targeting HDACs are actively being investigated in clinical trials. Despite their potential efficacy in cancer treatment, HDAC inhibitors suffer from multi-directional selectivity and preclinical resistance issues. Hence, developing novel inhibitors based on cutting-edge medicinal chemistry techniques is essential to overcome these limitations and improve clinical outcomes. This manuscript presents an extensive overview of the properties and biological functions of HDACs in cancer, provides an overview of the current state of development and limitations of clinical HDAC inhibitors, and analyzes a range of innovative medicinal chemistry techniques that are applied. These techniques include selective inhibitors, dual-target inhibitors, proteolysis targeting chimeras, and protein-protein interaction inhibitors.

Challenges and processing strategies to produce high quality frozen meat

Freezing is an effective means to extend the shelf-life of meat products. However, freezing and thawing processes lead to physical (e.g., ice crystals formation and freezer burn) and biochemical changes (e.g., protein denaturation and lipid oxidation) in meat resulting in loss of quality. Over the last two decades, several attempts have been made to produce thawed meat with qualities similar to that of fresh meat to no avail. This is due to the fact that no single technique exists to date that can mitigate all the quality challenges caused by freezing and thawing. This is further confounded by the consumer perception of frozen meat as lower quality compared to equivalent fresh-never-frozen meat cuts. Therefore, it remains challenging for the meat industry to produce high quality frozen meat and increase consumer acceptability of frozen products. This review aimed to provide an overview of the applications of novel freezing and thawing technologies that could improve the quality of thawed meat including deep freezing, high pressure, radiofrequency, electro-magnetic resonance, electrostatic field, immersion solution, microwave, ohmic heating, and ultrasound. This review will also discuss the development in processing strategies such as optimising the ageing of meat pre- or post-freezing, and the integration of freezing and thawing in one process/regime to collapse the difference in quality between thawed meat and fresh-never-frozen equivalents.

Advances in diabetes management: have pregnancy outcomes in women with type 1 diabetes changed in the last decades?

AIMS

Over the recent years multiple therapeutic and management opportunities have been made available to treat pregnant women with Type 1 diabetes (T1DM). However, analyses assessing whether these different approaches may have any specific advantage/disadvantage in metabolic control and neonatal outcomes is still limited. The aim of this study was to compare metabolic control and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women with T1DM among different basal insulins (NPH vs. analogue), insulin administration ways [Multiple Daily Injections (MDI) vs. Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (CSII)] and glucose monitoring systems [Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG) vs. real-time/intermittently scanned Continuous Glucose Monitoring (rtCGM/isCGM)].

METHODS

A retrospective analysis on metabolic data and neonatal outcomes of 136 T1DM pregnant women (76% on MDI, based on NPH (51%) or analogue (49%); 24% on CSII; 24% using rtCGM/isCGM), managed between 2008 and 2020, was performed, comparing different therapeutic approaches.

RESULTS

Metabolic data and neonatal outcomes were comparable among women treated with different basal insulins. Women on CSII planned their pregnancy more frequently (82 vs. 60%; p = 0.043) and had better pregestational HbA1c (52 ± 5 vs. 60 ± 13 mmol/mol; p = 0.044) and first trimester HbA1c (48 ± 4 vs. 51 ± 8 mmol/mol; p = 0.047). Pregestational and first trimester HbA1c were also lower in women using rtCGM/isCGM (53 ± 8 vs. 58 ± 13 mmol/mol; p = 0.027 and 46 ± 5 vs. 51 ± 7 mmol/mol; p = 0.034, respectively). In the whole cohort, LGA risk was directly correlated to HbA1c at third trimester (correlation coefficient: 0.335, p = 0.001) and inversely correlated to the achievement of HbA1c target (≤6% [<42 mmol/mol]) at third trimester (correlation coefficient: - 0.367, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Treatment with insulin analogs didn't significantly change metabolic control and neonatal outcomes in T1DM women, while CSII and rtCGM/isCGM can optimize preconception and first trimester pregnancy glycemic control. Irrespective of the therapeutic management, third trimester HbA1c remains the strongest risk factor for LGA.

Improving microbial and lipid oxidative stability of cheddar cheese using cricket protein hydrolysates pre-treated with microwave and ultrasonication

The study was carried out to investigate cricket protein hydrolysates' (CPH) potential to enhance the storage stability of cheddar cheese. The cricket protein (CP) samples pre-processed with microwave (T₁), ultrasonication (T₂) or without pre-treatment (T₀) were used for developing the CPH using alcalase enzyme (3%). Freeze-dried CPH were incorporated in the cheese samples (CPH-T₁, CPH-T₂ and CPH-T₀) at the maximum level of 1.5% and were analysed for quality during 3 months of storage (4 ± 1 °C) compared to the control samples without CPH. The pre-treatments significantly improved the antimicrobial and antioxidant potential of the CPH. The CPH exhibited a significant positive effect on antioxidant potential, lipid stability, protein oxidation, microbial growth, and sensory quality of the cheddar cheese during storage. Digestion simulation showed a significant positive impact on the antioxidant activity of the cheddar cheese. Our results indicate the potential of CPH to enhance the quality of fat-rich foods during storage.

Challenges of developing and executing a multi-site registry for a novel device with evolving indications for use

BACKGROUND

The introduction of new technologies in endoscopy has been met with uncertainty, skepticism, and lack of standardization or training parameters, particularly when disruptive devices or techniques are involved. The widespread availability of a novel endoscopic suturing device (OverStitch™) for tissue apposition has enabled the development of applications of endoscopic suturing.

METHODS

The American Gastroenterological Association partnered with Apollo Endosurgery to develop a registry to capture in a pragmatic non-randomized study the safety, effectiveness, and durability of endoscopic suturing in approximating tissue in the setting of bariatric revision and fixation of endoprosthetic devices.

RESULTS

We highlight the challenges of the adoption of novel techniques by examining the process of developing and executing this multicenter registry to assess real-world use of this endoscopic suturing device. We also present our preliminary data on the safety and effectiveness of the novel device as it is applied in the treatment of obesity.

CONCLUSIONS

The Prospective Registry for Trans-Orifice Endoscopic Suturing Applications (ES Registry) was an effective Phase 4, postmarketing registry aimed at capturing pragmatic, real-world use of a novel device. These findings serve to solidify the role of endoscopic suturing in clinical practice.

Potential impact of ultrasound, pulsed electric field, high-pressure processing and microfludization against thermal treatments preservation regarding sugarcane juice (Saccharum officinarum)

Sugarcane juice (Saccharum officinarum) is a proven nutritious beverage with high levels of antioxidants, polyphenols, and other beneficial nutrients. It has recently gained consumer interest due to its high nutritional profile and alkaline nature. Still, high polyphenolic and sugar content start the fermentation in juice, resulting in dark coloration. Lately, some novel techniques have been introduced to extend shelf life and improve the nutritional value of sugarcane juice. The introduction of such processing technologies is beneficial over conventional processes and essential for producing chemical-free, high-quality, fresh juices. The synergistic impact of these novel technologies is also advantageous for preserving sugarcane juice. In literature, novel thermal, non-thermal and hurdle technologies have been executed to preserve sugarcane juice. These technologies include high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), ultrasound (US), pulsed electric field (PEF), ultraviolet irradiation (UV), ohmic heating (OH), microwave (MW), microfludization and ozone treatment. This review manifests the impact of novel thermal, non-thermal, and synergistic technologies on sugarcane juice processing and preservation characteristics. Non-thermal techniques have been successfully proved effective and showed better results than novel thermal treatments. Because they reduced microbial load and retained nutritional content, while thermal treatments degraded nutrients and flavor of sugarcane juice. Among non-thermal treatments, HHP is the most efficient technique for the preservation of sugarcane juice while OH is preferable in thermal techniques due to less nutritional loss.

Brazilians' attitudes to meat consumption and production: Present and future challenges to the sustainability of the meat industry

Brazil is a main global producer, exporter, and consumer of farm animal products. Information about the knowledge and attitudes of Brazilian citizens and consumers towards the different dimensions of meat production sustainability can support policy discussions and guide the industry to adopt production systems compatible with societal expectations. Here we provide a historical, social, and economic overview of meat production and consumption in Brazil, review the scientific literature on Brazilian public attitudes towards meat production and consumption, and discuss some actions Brazil is taking to develop more sustainable production systems. We show that Brazilians expect affordable meat products with high organoleptic, sanitary, nutritional qualities and produced under high ethical standards. The pace of discussions and changes in policies and in meat production systems needs to accelerate to follow domestic and international demands and the changes in ethical expectations of society. Constructive dialogue between all interested stakeholders, including citizens and consumers, needs to be fostered to design more sustainable meat production systems.

Airborne ultrasonic application on hot air-drying of pork liver. Intensification of moisture transport and impact on protein solubility

Nowadays, there is increasing interest in developing strategies for the efficient and sustainable use of animal by-products, such as pork liver. In order to stabilize the product, a prior dehydration stage may be required due to its high perishability. The water removal process of pork liver is energy costly and time consuming, which justifies its intensification using novel technologies. In this sense, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of the airborne application of power ultrasound on the hot air-drying of pork liver. For that purpose, drying experiments were carried out at 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 °C on pork liver cylinders at 2 m·s^-1 with (US) and without ultrasonic application (AIR). The drying process was modeled from the diffusion theory and, in the dried pork liver, the protein solubility was analyzed in order to determine the effect of drying on the protein quality. The ultrasound application increased the drying rate, shortening the drying time by up to 40% at 30 °C. The effect of power ultrasound at high temperatures (60 and 70 °C) was of lesser magnitude. Drying at 70 °C involved a noticeable reduction in the protein solubility for dried liver, while the impact of ultrasound application on the solubility was not significant (p > 0.05).

Current view on novel vaccine technologies to combat human infectious diseases

Inactivated and live attenuated vaccines have improved human life and significantly reduced morbidity and mortality of several human infectious diseases. However, these vaccines have faults, such as reactivity or suboptimal efficacy and expensive and time-consuming development and production. Additionally, despite the enormous efforts to develop vaccines against some infectious diseases, the traditional technologies have not been successful in achieving this. At the same time, the concerns about emerging and re-emerging diseases urge the need to develop technologies that can be rapidly applied to combat the new challenges. Within the last two decades, the research of vaccine technologies has taken several directions to achieve safe, efficient, and economic platforms or technologies for novel vaccines. This review will give a brief overview of the current state of the novel vaccine technologies, new vaccine candidates in clinical trial phases 1-3 (listed by European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)), and vaccines based on the novel technologies which have already been commercially available (approved by EMA and FDA) with the special reference to pandemic COVID-19 vaccines. KEY POINTS: • Vaccines of the new generation follow the minimalist strategy. • Some infectious diseases remain a challenge for the vaccine development. • The number of new vaccine candidates in the late phase clinical trials remains low.

Long non-coding RNAs as possible therapeutic targets in protozoa, and in Schistosoma and other helminths

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) emerged in the past 20 years due to massive amounts of scientific data regarding transcriptomic analyses. They have been implicated in a plethora of cellular processes in higher eukaryotes. However, little is known about lncRNA possible involvement in parasitic diseases, with most studies only detecting their presence in parasites of human medical importance. Here, we review the progress on lncRNA studies and their functions in protozoans and helminths. In addition, we show an example of knockdown of one lncRNA in Schistosoma mansoni, SmLINC156349, which led to in vitro parasite adhesion, motility, and pairing impairment, with a 20% decrease in parasite viability and 33% reduction in female oviposition. Other observed phenotypes were a decrease in the proliferation rate of both male and female worms and their gonads, and reduced female lipid and vitelline droplets that are markers for well-developed vitellaria. Impairment of female worms' vitellaria in SmLINC156349-silenced worms led to egg development deficiency. All those results demonstrate the great potential of the tools and methods to characterize lncRNAs as potential new therapeutic targets. Further, we discuss the challenges and limitations of current methods for studying lncRNAs in parasites and possible solutions to overcome them, and we highlight the future directions of this exciting field.

Can preclinical drug development help to predict adverse events in clinical trials?

The development of novel therapeutics is associated with high rates of attrition, with unexpected adverse events being a major cause of failure. Serious adverse events have led to organ failure, cancer development and deaths that were not expected outcomes in clinical trials. These life-threatening events were not identified during therapeutic development due to the lack of preclinical safety tests that faithfully represented human physiology. We highlight the successful application of several novel technologies, including high-throughput screening, organs-on-chips, microbiome-containing drug-testing platforms and humanised mouse models, for mechanistic studies and prediction of toxicity. We propose the incorporation of similar preclinical tests into future drug development to reduce the likelihood of hazardous therapeutics entering later-stage clinical trials.

Effects of thermal and non-thermal processing of cruciferous vegetables on glucosinolates and its derived forms

Brassica vegetables, which include broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts, are known for their high glucosinolate content. Glucosinolates and their derived forms namely isothiocyanates are of special interest in the pharmaceutical and food industries due to their antimicrobial, neuroprotective, and anticarcinogenic properties. These compounds are water soluble and heat-sensitive and have been proved to be heavily lost during thermal processing. In addition, previous studies suggested that novel non-thermal technologies such as high pressure processing, pulsed electric fields, or ultraviolet irradiation can affect the glucosinolate content of cruciferous vegetables. The objective of this paper was to review current knowledge about the effects of both thermal and non-thermal processing technologies on the content of glucosinolates and their derived forms in brassica vegetables. This paper also highlights the importance of the incorporation of brassica vegetables into our diet for their health-promoting properties beyond their anticarcinogenic activities.

Antimicrobial potential of macro and microalgae against pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in food

Algae are a valuable and never-failing source of bioactive compounds. The increasing efforts to use ingredients that are as natural as possible in the formulation of innovative products has given rise to the introduction of macro and microalgae in food industry. To date, scarce information has been published about algae ingredients as antimicrobials in food. The antimicrobial potential of algae is highly dependent on: (i) type, brown algae being the most effective against foodborne bacteria; (ii) the solvent used in the extraction of bioactive compounds, ethanolic and methanolic extracts being highly effective against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria; and (iii) the concentration of the extract. The present paper reviews the main antimicrobial potential of algal species and their bioactive compounds in reference and real food matrices. The validation of the algae antimicrobial potential in real food matrices is still a research niche, being meat and bakery products the most studied substrates.

Novel technologies combined with traditional metabolic engineering strategies facilitate the construction of shikimate-producing Escherichia coli

Shikimate is an important intermediate in the aromatic amino acid pathway, which can be used as a promising building block for the synthesis of biological compounds, such as neuraminidase inhibitor Oseltamivir (Tamiflu^®). Compared with traditional methods, microbial production of shikimate has the advantages of environmental friendliness, low cost, feed stock renewability, and product selectivity and diversity, thus receiving more and more attentions. The development of metabolic engineering allows for high-efficiency production of shikimate of Escherichia coli by improving the intracellular level of precursors, blocking downstream pathway, releasing negative regulation factors, and overexpressing rate-limiting enzymes. In addition, novel technologies derived from systems and synthetic biology have opened a new avenue towards construction of shikimate-producing strains. This review summarized successful and applicable strategies derived from traditional metabolic engineering and novel technologies for increasing accumulation of shikimate in E. coli.

Sustainable and consumer-friendly emerging technologies for application within the meat industry: An overview

New and emerging robust technologies can play an important role in ensuring a more resilient meat value chain and satisfying consumer demands and needs. This paper outlines various novel thermal and non-thermal technologies which have shown potential for meat processing applications. A number of process analytical techniques which have shown potential for rapid, real-time assessment of meat quality are also discussed. The commercial uptake and consumer acceptance of novel technologies in meat processing have been subjects of great interest over the past decade. Consumer focus group studies have shown that consumer expectations and liking for novel technologies, applicable to meat processing applications, vary significantly. This overview also highlights the necessity for meat processors to address consumer risk-benefit perceptions, knowledge and trust in order to be commercially successful in the application of novel technologies within the meat sector.

Novel technologies provide more engineering strategies for amino acid-producing microorganisms

Traditionally, amino acid-producing strains were obtained by random mutagenesis and subsequent selection. With the development of genetic and metabolic engineering techniques, various microorganisms with high amino acid production yields are now constructed by rational design of targeted biosynthetic pathways. Recently, novel technologies derived from systems and synthetic biology have emerged and open a new promising avenue towards the engineering of amino acid production microorganisms. In this review, these approaches, including rational engineering of rate-limiting enzymes, real-time sensing of end-products, pathway optimization on the chromosome, transcription factor-mediated strain improvement, and metabolic modeling and flux analysis, were summarized with regard to their application in microbial amino acid production.

Focal impulse and rotor modulation using the novel 64-electrode basket catheter: electrogram characteristics of human rotors

AIMS

Ablation of fractionated electrograms (EGMs) has been performed to eliminate areas of slow conduction in atrial fibrillation (AF). The rotor hypothesis suggests that rapidly activating spiral waves perpetuate and maintain AF. This study describes the EGM characteristics of AF rotors, using the novel 64-electrode basket catheter.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Twenty-five patients (male n = 16) with AF (paroxysmal n = 10) underwent focal impulse and rotor modulation. A 3.5 mm irrigated-tip ablation catheter was placed at the identified rotor core and EGMs were analysed for amplitude, characteristics (single-EGM, fractionated-EGM, and continuous-EGM), and cycle length over 10 s. A total of 72 rotors were identified [right atrium (RA) = 13, left atrium (LA) = 59]. Seven rotors were excluded from EGM analysis due to location in the pulmonary veins. Single-EGMs were more frequent in the RA compared with the LA (8 (61.5) vs. 12 (23.1); P < 0.01) and EGM amplitudes were smaller in LA rotors when compared with RA rotors (0.14 (0.08-0.17) mV vs. 0.19 (0.15-0.29) mV; P = 0.029). In patients with persistent AF, single-EGMs were observed more often in the right-sided rotors compared with left-sided rotors (4 (57.1) vs. 5 (14.3); P = 0.012), and EGM amplitudes were smaller in patients with persistent AF compared with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) patients (0.15 (0.09-0.19) mV vs. 0.22 (0.17-0.47) mV; P = 0.03). Furthermore, the prevalence of fractionated- EGMs was higher in patients with persistent AF compared with PAF patients (31/42 (73.8) vs. 9/23 (39.1); P = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

There are no characteristic rotor-EGM potentials. Rotor-EGM characteristics are different between the RA and LA. Although rotors are not associated with abnormal EGMs, rotor-EGMs in persistent AF were more fractionated with lower amplitudes compared with that in PAF.

Influence of signal colored hand disinfectant dispensers on hand hygiene compliance at a medical intensive care unit

To assess the influence of signal colors on hand disinfectant dispenser activities, health care workers (HCWs) at a medical intensive care unit were analyzed for a total of 20 weeks with 8 weeks before and 12 weeks after exchange to signal color. No significant increase in hand rubs (HRs) per patient day (PD) was observed (about 40 HRs/PD); however, HCW-adjusted compliance showed a 6% increase with signal colored devices. Therefore, colored devices may help to improve hand hygiene compliance.