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Fresh onions are dehydrated to increase their shelf-life. Primarily, open dehydration techniques like solar dehydration come with the problem of contamination through natural air convection. A solar conduction dryer that uses conduction, convection, and radiation for dehydration of food samples is exploited in this study. The food samples are often contaminated by Bacillus and Aspergillus species spores. As a remedy, pulsed light treatment as a non-thermal technology and infrared treatment as a thermal technology are studied and compared. Bacillus cereus and Aspergillus niger spores are chosen as a representative of bacterial and fungal contamination in onions. Dehydrated onion shreds with varying water activities (0.4, 0.5, 0.6) were treated. The spore inactivation was best described by Weibull model as compared with first-order model. Scanning electron microscopy images of the microbial cells showed surface distortions on the bacterial and fungal spores. The effect of the treatment technologies on the colour, flavour (thiosulphinate and pyruvic acid concentration), total phenolic and flavonoid content, and ascorbic acid concentration are compared. Overall, pulsed light treatment showed promising inactivation with a maximum log reduction of 4.5 log B. cereus spores·g−1 and 3.1 log A. niger spores·g−1 at 2.131 J·cm−2 in samples with water activity 0.6. The inactivation rate increased with an increase in water activity. The colour was better retained in pulsed light treated samples. The thiosulphinate content (9.24 μmol·g−1), total phenolics (0.268 mg GAE·g−1), and flavonoid content (0.344 mg QE·g−1) in the sample were improved upon pulsed light exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many governments have introduced health insurance schemes for the poor sections of society to save them from catastrophic health expenditure. Private hospitals play a key role in India, as they are in significant number in secondary and tertiary care services. Private hospitals have to fund their infrastructure, staff salaries from the revenue of previous year. In this study, we compared money received by a private medical college hospital bed through government insurance scheme patient and private paying patient. Methods: Observational study, comparing money reimbursed for top ten procedures treated in private medical college hospitals by Ayushman Bharat (AB) fund and the price offered by a paying patient in similar bed. Results: On average 600 patients received medical care through the AB scheme per month at our tertiary care super-specialty hospital. Highest numbers were seen in specialties like cardiovascular, and cancer treatments and infectious diseases under general medicine specialty. The costs considered were surgeon's cost, medicines, devices, and hospitalization costs. The laparoscopic procedures were incurring a loss of 130%, knee replacements about 50%, coronary bypass grafting thankfully due to controlling of prices by central government is incurring a loss of 10%. The package amount offered accounts to 26–52% only of the costs incurred by the private hospitals. Conclusion: The private academic hospitals need 25% to 50% more than current prices offered, across various procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial contamination of dehydrated onion products is a challenge to the industry. The study focused on opting for a suitable drying condition for minced onion and exploring the decontamination efficacy of pulsed light (PL) treatment conditions for the dehydrated product. The minced onions were hot air dried at 55–75°C for 280 min. The drying condition selected was 195 min at 75°C with a final water activity of 0.5 and moisture content of 7% (wet basis [w.b.]). The weight losses, browning indexes (BI), shrinkage volumes (%), and thiosulfinate content were considered. The dehydrated product was exposed to PL treatment corresponding to an effective fluence range of 0.007–0.731 J/cm2. A fluence of 0.444 J/cm2 (1.8 kV for 150 s) achieved 5.00, 3.14, 2.96, and 2.98 log reduction in total plate count, yeast and mold count, Bacillus cereus 10876, and Escherichia coli ATCC 43888, respectively. The PL‐treated sample (0.444 J/cm2) produced a microbially safe product with no significant difference in the moisture contents (%w.b.) and water activity (aw) from the untreated dehydrated sample. Further, a 30.9% increase in the BI and a 4.25% depletion in thiosulfinate content were observed after PL treatment. An optimum drying combination (75°C for 195 min) of minced onion followed by decontamination using pulsed light treatment at 0.444 J/cm2 fluence satisfies the microbial safety and quality. Practical Application: Dehydrated minced onion can be used for dishes requiring low water content and short cooking time. It is helpful during shortages, high price fluctuations, and famines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open sun drying is the predominant process used for food preservation by smallholder and subsistence farmers (SHSFs), and their families, globally constituting about 2 billion people on about 475 million farms. The major problems with this process are the slow, unreliable speed of completion, rain-caused loss of vital food sources, risks from mycotoxin accumulation, environmental contamination, and loss of nutritional quality. SHSFs represent the poorest and least educated human demographic, whose survival is largely ignored by Governments, untouched by international aid programs, and with limited access to basic utilities. Solar drying systems can greatly improve the preservation of safe and nutritious food, but current systems deployed put this technology beyond the reach of the demographic which needs it most. Here, our objective was to develop the technology for the simplest low-cost drying system, which would minimize all risk factors, particularly eliminate mycotoxin accumulation, and which could be practically deployed by SHSFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drying of onion shreds in solar conductive dryer (SCD) and corrugated electrical solar conductive dryer (CESCD) are explored in this study. An attempt to improve the sample loading volume of SCD and CESCD is made using a fixed bed dryer (FBD) for initial drying. The techno-economic analysis is carried out for different pattern loading on SCD and CESCD. The techno-economic aspects analyzed include efficiency of dryer, payback period, life cycle savings, and internal rate of returns (IRR). Drying characteristics—drying rate, moisture ratio, and temperature profile of both dryers were compared. CESCD showed higher drying rate and IRR than SCD. Data fitted best in Page model. In terms of energy requirement, the overall drying efficiency of SCD was better than CESCD. Patterns 1 and 3 retained the color better, but were not cost-effective and profitable. Flavor and bioactives were higher in SCD than CESCD dried onion shreds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small freshwater fishes are a sustainable source of nutrition that is often disregarded in the fishing industry. Even though dry fish sectors utilize these fishes, they often do not reach potential customers due to the time-consuming, weather-dependent traditional drying practices and the associated hygiene-related issues involved in open sun drying of small fishes. There is little to no information on the drying of small freshwater species, especially Vitamin A rich mola carplet. Therefore, the drying behavior and quality characteristics of dried molas were investigated using two available forms of solar conduction dryers – corrugated solar conduction dryer (CSCD) and corrugated electrical solar conduction dryer (CESCD) which were then compared with open sun drying (OSD). The salt and turmeric marinated fresh molas were dried to 1.12%, 4.03%, and 30.82% (d.b.) within 5 h of drying by using CESCD, CSCD, and OSD, respectively and the respective average moisture diffusivity were 12.5 × 10−9 m2/s, 9.3 × 10−9 m2/s, and 2.47 × 10−9 m2/s. The color change (ΔE) kinetics and Vitamin A degradation kinetics were also analyzed for samples dried by using both dryers. The ΔE kinetics showed the color change during drying of mola followed the zero-order kinetics model whereas, Vitamin A degradation followed first-order kinetics. The proximate analysis of key constituents such as proteins and fats showed better retention in CESCD and CSCD as compared to OSD. Economic analysis of both the dryers was used to indicate their commercial feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mining industry has powered the human endeavor to make life more innovative, flexible, and comfortable. However, it has also led to concerns due to the increasing amount of mining and associated industrial waste. Special attention is highly desired for its proper management and safe disposal in the environment. The problem has only augmented with the increase in the mining costs because of the investments needed for ecological remediation after the mining operation. It is pertinent that the targeted technologies need to be developed to utilize mining and associated industrial waste as a secondary resource to ensure sustainable mining operations. Every perceived waste is a valuable resource that is needed to be utilized to create additional value. In this review, the case of alkaline bauxite residue (red mud)—alumina refinery waste has been discussed at length. The highlight of the proposed work is to understand the importance of alkaliphile-assisted biomining—a sustainable alternative to conventional metal recovery processes. Along with the recovery of metals, pH reduction of red mud is possible through biomining, which ultimately paves the way for its complete utilization. The unique adaptation strategies of alkaliphiles make them more suitable for biomining of red mud through bioleaching, biosorption, and bioaccumulation, which have been discussed here. Furthermore, we have focused on the potential of the indigenous microflora of red mud for metal recovery in addition to its neutralization. The study of indigenous alkaliphiles from red mud, including its isolation and propagation, is crucial for the industrial-scale application of alkaliphile-based technology and has been emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermented foods are popular around the globe for their health‐promoting components and activity. In recent years, for promoting better health and nutrition, fortification and supplementation of fermented fruits are used as functional healthy beverage, especially for those who are intolerant to lactose‐based products. Moreover, industrial revolution has transformed traditional fermentation process to a controlled process suitable for industrial scale production of functional ingredients. The aim of this systematic review is to provide an in‐depth perspective of non‐alcoholic fermented fruit beverages with an emphasis on improving bioactive and nutritional compounds such as phenolic compounds, vitamins, and minerals, and their effort as pro/prebiotics diets. For instance, consumption of fermented fruits and fruit‐based probiotic foods such as kombucha has increased, and the evidence for effects on antioxidant and bioactive compounds is presented and discussed. Researchers use cutting‐edge technology and innovations to convert fermented fruits into functional beverages with bioactive metabolites and phytochemicals. Hence, for the production of any functional beverage, it is essential to optimize the microbial strains that can utilize different fruit matrices as a single or in combination. These perspectives articulate fruit‐based probiotics as one of the possibilities of processing fruit for culinary and pro‐health purposes. Novelty impact statement: This systematic review noticeably focuses on the fruit fermentation along with various bioactive ingredients derived from fermented fruits. In addition, comprehensive description on fruits and fruit juices as a promising carrier of probiotics, fermented fruits as dietary supplements that are in the market, and related future perspectives are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) are often present in more than one polymorphic form. Most of the time one of these polymorphs has better properties than others and is the desired form. However, the undesired polymorph may be generated during the production of the solid dosage form from the API. One of the unit operations that may produce undesired polymorph is drying. Drying and solvent addition are frequently used for solid dosage manufacturing since they are required for granulation, a frequently used unit operation for many pharmaceutical production lines. In this article, we present a critical review of current open literature on this subject. The goal of this review is to produce a thorough account of past and current research and indicate the future directions which will benefit the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound has excellent potential in reducing microbial contamination and has also shown remarkable results in the wastewater treatment and pollutant removal. The different mechanisms of ultrasound in reducing the microbial contamination in food industry are rather exploratory. The present review focuses on the role of ultrasound in improved disinfection, sanitization, and preservation applications in food processing. This paper discusses the physical and chemical effects of ultrasonic cavitation on microbial inactivation. A comprehensive literature is provided to investigate and analyze the broad area application of ultrasound in preventing the microbial contamination in fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy, and during alcohol fermentation. The applied combination of ultrasound with different novel and conventional methods to intensify the ultrasound‐based effect has also been discussed. Overall, this work clearly establishes the background on the prospects of ultrasound disinfection and cleaning in the food industry as a green, effective, sustainable approach to prevent foodborne diseases. Novelty impact statement: The present study establishes a groundwork for the application prospects of ultrasound‐based novel, green, and sustainable methods for disinfection and cleaning in the food industry and provides a new insight into the ultrasound mechanisms while analyzing the combined approaches for varied microbial inactivation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Fruit crops are valuable commodities considering both processed as well as pre‐processed products. Current consumer trends have created a huge demand for fruit‐based products to improve nutritional wellbeing. In order that the processing industry may deliver the products with their full potential, it is necessary to have an uninterrupted supply of raw materials to eliminate the bottlenecks. Most fruits are perishable and available seasonally so it is difficult to have a continuous supply of the fruits. Hence, to overcome the issues associated with seasonal availability an alternate practice for the processing of fruits up to an intermediate level can be adapted to give a continuous supply of pre‐processed fruit products. This review article discusses the processing conditions for different fruits, the commonly associated problems with the processing and their applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The demand for pre‐processed fruits has grown rapidly in recent years as a result of consumer attention towards fresh, healthy and convenient foods. Most of the fruits are available seasonally and they are perishable, so it is necessary to have a continuous supply of the fruits to avoid the blockages in the fruit processing industry. The review is written in the purview of this issue, and it presents pre‐processed fruits as a sustainable solution. The present review is part II of the series of articles on pre‐processed fruits as the raw material for various food industries. The fruits covered here are mango, pineapple, pear, olive and papaya. The article continues to emphasise the critical processing and storage condition for these fruits ranked higher in terms of their production quantity and economic value. The fruits are critically reviewed for their processing, storage and safety aspects along with key research findings of different processing techniques. The important safety aspects associated with such processed commodities are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the shrinkage of onion cells, single and multi-layer onion section, and expansion of intercellular pathways during dehydration. For macro and bulk-level studies, moisture analyzer and hot air convective dryer were used, respectively. Shrinkage, size retention, and color changes due to dehydration and rehydration of onion shreds were compared. At micro-level, CaCl2 and water blanched samples dehydrated at 70 °C, citric acid blanched samples dehydrated at 60 and 80 °C showed less shrinkage compared to unblanched samples. On rehydration, single layer section showed comparable cell size and intercellular space retention. Multi-layer section of CaCl2 blanched samples dehydrated at 70 °C retained better structure. At macro-level dehydration, shrinkage of CaCl2 blanched samples was the least. At bulk-level, all blanched samples shrank by 82–90%. Bulk level rehydration at 50 °C achieved better size retention. Blanching resulted a porous structure of onion shreds with an improved rehydration characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piper betel, a well-known and widely used herb of tropical Asiatic countries, contain several bioactive constituents that possess therapeutic uses and health-promoting properties. The postharvest losses of 35% to 70% are reported due to biomass spoilage, fungal infections and dechlorophyllations. Controlled dehydration to retain the oils in the natural cellular matrix for further extraction is a potential solution for these avoidable postharvest losses. Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to determine the impact of dehydration on microstructural changes, shrinkage and swelling of the cellular matrix, retention of oil reserves/glands, and implications for extraction yield. The betel leaf samples were dehydrated at 40, 50 and 60 °C using a hot-stage under a microscope to report microstructural changes. The moisture balance instrument was deployed to determine the drying rate at the macro level, and separately hot air drying was conducted to elucidate the drying of bulk betel leaves and its impact on oil retention. Visual inspection during dehydration gave an insight into the preservation of the oil cells/reserves. The result indicated that oil cells/reserves in the epidermal layer and traverse section of the petiole were protected and preserved during dehydration at 40 to 50 °C and were ruptured at 60 °C. The same was reflected through the yields and composition of the extracts obtained by Supercritical fluid extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal solid waste (MSW) consists of the waste obtained from various sources like households, industries, municipalities and other commercial areas. Common landfill and incineration strategies are insufficient to process the waste generated on daily basis. Municipal solid waste contains significant amounts of organic carbon (50–60%) that has great potential for the production of fuels and value‐added products. This review discusses the composition of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and waste processing strategies that enable organic carbon recovery compared with conventional methods. Changes in the composition of MSW worldwide and the factors influencing it in various regions are discussed in this study. The processing of diverse OFMSW through thermochemical methods such as incineration, gasification, pyrolysis, torrefaction and hydrothermal carbonization is discussed here with the results of densification or gasification of the organic carbon, enabling its chemical transformation. Additionally, the combined methods, where OFMSW is pre‐treated followed by enzymatic hydrolysis for the conversion of OFMSW to monomeric sugars have also been described. Globally, to ensure sustainable solid waste management and efficient carbon recycling, combined methodologies seem more appropriate. The study also attempts to list the different attempts across the globe that highlight this concept of the transformation of waste into materials and chemicals, improving its commercial value. The commercial success of such OFMSW processing attempts can provide momentum for establishing sustainable treatment technologies and reaping profits, laying the groundwork for a strong and complete carbon‐recycling environment and circular carbon‐based economy. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccines are the most important life-saving prophylactic medicines administered in maintaining global health. In a pandemic situation, the manufacturing, formulation followed by preservation of vaccine are challenging areas of concern looking at the dire need of administering it to several billion people on the planet in a pandemic like situation. An important area of major concern is the potential loss of vaccine activity during storage and transportation. Scientists have developed several innovative ideas to store vaccines for a longer period of time. This article focuses on a critical overview of various methods of vaccine storage in dry powder form. Conventional vaccine drying processes, such as freeze drying under different conditions, spray drying along with the upcoming novel technologies such as spray freeze drying are described in detail for the application in vaccine drying. Some other emerging methods, such as, microwave freeze drying and atmospheric freeze drying techniques are also discussed; these could be the game changers in the future. Several drying techniques make use of protective agents during the process of drying and storage. This review also highlights a comparative study of various technological challenges in drying of vaccines in support of the current global health scenario affected by COVID19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a comprehensive study of the effect of the chemical structure of boron carbonitride films on the variability of their functional characteristics. The BCxNy films are prepared on Si(100) and fused silica substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering of a B4C target in an argon/nitrogen mixture. The deposition rate, elemental composition, and types of chemical bonds in the films is studied depending on the nitrogen content in the gas mixture. Optical (refractive index, transmission coefficient, band gap) and mechanical (hardness, Young′s modulus, substrate adhesion) characteristics are investigated depending on the deposition parameters and the chemical structure of the films. Particular attention is paid to the surface properties of the BCxNy films (morphology, roughness, contact angle, and surface free energy). Stability of the BCxNy films upon storage in air is studied for the first time. The data obtained for the composition, structural characteristics, and some functional properties of the BCxNy films are compared with those reported in literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomatoes are a valuable highly perishable agricultural product that are dried on a large scale for extending shelf life. The drying of both tomatoes and tomato processing waste can yield valuable products. The dried forms serve as raw material for different commercial products, as an ingredient for functional foods. It is also used all over the world for direct consumption. However, the production of dried forms with quality attributes equivalent to those of fresh tomatoes such as the nutrient content, appearance, flavor, texture, reconstitution properties etc. are major challenges. This paper provides an overview of the diverse drying techniques employed along with the effects of pretreatment to produce dried tomatoes, powders, and various by-products of tomato processing industries. A comparison is provided with regard to the quality of dried tomato products obtained by different drying techniques for lycopene content, ascorbic acid, β-carotene, total phenolic content, flavonoids, antioxidant activity, rehydration ratio, color change, texture, and flavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crowdsourcing is a procedure for demonstrating data outsourcing to a wide range of individual workers rather than considering a unique entity or a company. Crowdsourcing has made different kinds of chances for some trying issues by utilizing human knowledge. In order to attain an optimal global assignment technique, it is necessary to gather information regarding the location of the entire workers. There occur few security issues during information gathering that causes severe threat to all workers. To overcome the concerns based on privacy-preserving, this paper proposes a privacy-preserving model based on Fuzzy with the Black widow and Spider Monkey Optimization (BW–SMO). The fuzzy can be used to cluster the query solution. To optimize the query selection, we exploited the Black widow optimization algorithm incorporated with the Spider Monkey optimization algorithm. The parameters of both algorithms are controlled by the Fuzzy logic controller. Thus, our proposed frameworks of Fuzzy with BW–SMO effectively solve optimizing selection and join queries with low cost, latency, and securing data. The proposed model will be compared with the existing models to show the system's effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In less than a decade, organic–inorganic metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have shown tremendous progress in the field of light‐emitting applications. Perovskite light‐emitting diodes (PeLEDs) have reached external quantum efficiencies (EQE) exceeding 20 % and they have been recognized as a potential contender of the commercial display technologies. However, perovskite thin films in PeLEDs are generally deposited via a spin‐coating process, which is not favourable for large area device fabrication. Despite the great success of solution‐processed PeLEDs, very few articles have been reported on vacuum processed PeLEDs and the improvements in their optoelctronic performances are also progressing slowly. On the other hand, vacuum processing techniques are mostly used in organic LED technology as they can guarantee (i) the absence of solvent during thin‐film growth, (ii) process scalability over large area substrates, and (iii) precise thin‐film thickness control. This thin‐film growth process is suitable for application in the advancement of a large variety of display technologies. In this Review, we present an overview of current research advances in the field of perovskite thin films grown via vacuum techniques, a study of their photophysical properties, and integration in PeLEDs for the generation of different colors. We also highlight the current challenges and future prospects for the further development of vacuum processed PeLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crowdsourcing is an environment where a group of users collaborates together to exchange information and to find answers for complex problems (queries). Query optimization is the task of selecting the best query strategy with less cost associated with it. The crowdsourcing cost can be determined by selecting the best plan from the set of options available and the best plan considerably reduce the cost for the inquiry configuration. As one of the center tasks in information recovery, the investigation of top‐k queries with crowdsourcing, to be specific group empowered top k inquiries is depicted. This issue is defined with three key variables, latency, money related expense, and nature of answers. The fundamental point is to plan a novel system that limits financial cost when the latency is compelled. In this article, we used a heuristic search algorithm named as Evolutionary Fuzzy‐based Gravitational Search algorithm (EFGSA) that produces an optimal query feature selection results with minimizing cost and latency. EFGSA‐based crowdsourcing framework gives a better balance between latency and cost while generating query plans. The performance analysis of proposed EFSGA for optimal query plan is evaluated in terms of running time, accuracy, monetary cost, and so on. From the experimental results, the proposed method achieved better results than other methods in our cost and latency model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally, human and machine-based query operations can be modified with the use of crowdsourcing. Location-based queries are classified into range and k-nearest neighbor (KNN) queries. Space and point of interest (POI) information can be obtained from both range and KNN queries. In this paper, we expose the trust stage computation of range and KNN query answers with the help of the whale optimization algorithm (WOA). The system chooses either parallel or serial processing, and the experiments are carried out using real-time crowdsourcing. The effectiveness of the proposed concept is evaluated through various consequences such as gang dimension, POI information, space information, and range and KNN query consequences. Each of these effects produces an optimal and reliable result. Finally, the computation time and communication overhead performance of serial and parallel processing are analyzed by examining consequences and production of optimal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of the pretreatments namely heating, microwave (MW), and ultrasound (US), followed by the enzymatic hydrolysis using different proteases (flavourzyme, neutrase, and protamex) on the protein recovery, umami taste compound content, and antioxidant activities of the Labeo rohita head (LRH) protein hydrolysate was investigated. US and MW pretreatments increased the protein recovery, MSG-like amino acid and flavour 5′-nucleotide contents, equivalent umami concentration (EUC) and antioxidant activities of LRH protein hydrolysates significantly (p < 0.05). The type of enzyme influenced the protein recovery and EUC significantly but did not influence the flavour 5′-nucleotide content of LRH protein hydrolysate (p > 0.05). The highest recovery yield of LRH protein hydrolysate (69.75%) was obtained with the MW pretreatment followed by the protamex hydrolysis, while the highest EUC (41.82 g monosodium glutamate (MSG)/kg) was yielded with the combination of the US pretreatment and the flavourzyme hydrolysis. These results indicate that US and MW pretreatments can help to enhance the recovery yield, umami taste compound content and antioxidant activities of the LRH protein hydrolysate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural convection and direct type (NCDT) solar dryers The various designs of natural convective and direct type (NCDT) of solar dryers are comprehensively reviewed by Chavan et al.[[10]] for the most intriguing state-of-the-art of practicing of solar drying technology for the benefit of one and all. 6 Patel, S. K.; Bade, M. H. Superheated Steam Drying and Its Applicability for Various Types of the Dryer: The State of Art. [Extracted from the article]

In an attempt to deliver multiple drugs through a nanoparticulate platform, the present study was designed to deliver isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RMP) together through conjugation/encapsulation approaches using PEG-PLA (polyethylene glycol-poly-L-lactic acid) polymeric micelles. The objective of this study is to identify the preparation and evaluation of PEGylated polymeric micelles with dual drug delivery of INH and RMP for the effective treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Synthesized PEG-PLA di-block-copolymer was further conjugated to INH-forming PEG-PLA-INH (PPI) conjugate. Separately, these conjugates were loaded with RMP building the rifampicin-loaded PEG-PLA-INH polymeric micelles (PMC). The critical micelle concentration (CMC) for the PEG-PLA copolymer was found to be 8.9 ± 0.96 mg/L, and the size and zeta potential were observed to be 187.9 ± 2.68 nm and − 8.15 ± 1.24 mV (0.251 ± 0.042 pdi), respectively. Percent drug loading of PMC was 16.66 ± 1.52 and 23.07 ± 1.05 with entrapment efficiency of 72.30 ± 3.49 and 78.60 ± 2.67% for RMP and INH, respectively. RBC hemolysis capacity of PMC was significantly less than pure RMP and INH. Microplate Alamar blue assay (MABA) along with microscopy showed that the nanoconstructed PMC were more effective than the drugs, and approximately 8-fold reduction in overall minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was observed. The prepared duo drug-loaded nano-engineered polymeric micelles were highly effective against sensitive Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains and found to be less hemolytic in nature. The micelles could be further explored (in the future) for in vivo anti-TB studies to establish further to achieve better treatment for TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Patient safety cannot be considered in isolation when organizational factors, both active and latent, influence patient outcomes. Methods. We did a cross-sectional mixed methods study using a convergent parallel design at a tertiary care public sector hospital in Hyderabad, Telangana (i) to qualitatively investigate the nature and determinants of patient safety incidents occurring in the hospital; (ii) to quantify the perception of hospital staff regarding factors affecting patient safety from an organizational perspective; and (iii) to triangulate the results to highlight areas in need of improvement. Results. The most common factors affecting patient safety were situational factors, working conditions and latent organizational factors including communication systems. Despite the relatively poor knowledge of paramedical staff regarding patient safety incidents, they perceived innovation and flexibility, outward focus, reflexivity, quality, pressure to produce, performance feedback and effort to be significantly higher compared to the heads of departments and clinical faculty. The strength of the dimensions: integration, involvement, training, welfare, supervisory support in the hospital was weak as perceived by all categories of staff. Conclusion. There is a need to build team work, improve trust and communication between various departments, invest more in training, and provide supervisory support along with structural and process improvements in issues such as drug procurement and developing patient-friendly physical environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in osteosarcoma correlates with a poor outcome. We conducted a phase II trial to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of combining bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody against VEGF, with methotrexate, doxorubicin and cisplatin (MAP) in patients with localized osteosarcoma. Eligible patients received two courses of MAP chemotherapy before definitive surgery at week 10. Bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) was administered 3 days before starting chemotherapy then on day 1 of weeks 3 and 5 of chemotherapy. After surgery, patients received MAP for a total of 29 weeks; bevacizumab was added every 2 or 3 weeks on day 1 of chemotherapy at least 5 weeks after surgery. Group sequential monitoring rules were used to monitor for unacceptable bevacizumab-related targeted toxicity (grade 4 hypertension, proteinuria or bleeding, grade 3 or 4 thrombosis/embolism, and grade 2-4 major wound complications). Thirty-one patients (median age 12.8 years) with localized osteosarcoma were enrolled. No unacceptable targeted toxicities were observed except for wound complications (9 minor and 6 major), which occurred in 15 patients; none required removal of prosthetic hardware or amputation. The estimated 4-year event-free survival (EFS) rate and overall survival rate were 57.5 ± 10.0% and 83.4 ± 7.8%, respectively. Eight (28%) of 29 evaluable patients had good histologic response (<5% viable tumor) to preoperative chemotherapy. The addition of bevacizumab to MAP for localized osteosarcoma is feasible but frequent wound complications are encountered. The observed histologic response and EFS do not support further evaluation of bevacizumab in osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Longer survival for children with sarcoma has led to the recognition of chronic health conditions related to prior therapy. We sought to study the association of sarcoma therapy with the development of scoliosis.Methods: We reviewed patient demographics, treatment exposures, and functional outcomes for patients surviving >10 years after treatment for sarcoma between 1964 and 2002 at our institution. The diagnosis of scoliosis was determined by imaging. Functional performance and standardized questionnaires were completed in a long-term follow-up clinic.Results: We identified 367 patients, with median age at follow-up of 33.1 years. Scoliosis was identified in 100 (27.2%) patients. Chest radiation (relative risk (RR), 1.88 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.21-2.92), p < 0.005) and rib resection (RR, 2.64 (CI, 1.79-3.89), p < 0.0001) were associated with an increased incidence of scoliosis; thoracotomy without rib resection was not. Of 21 patients who underwent rib resection, 16 (80.8%) had the apex of scoliosis towards the surgical side. Scoliosis was associated with worse pulmonary function (RR, 1.74 (CI, 1.14-2.66), p < 0.01) and self-reported health outcomes, including functional impairment (RR, 1.60 (CI, 1.07-2.38), p < 0.05) and cancer-related pain (RR, 1.55 (CI, 1.11-2.16), p < 0.01). Interestingly, pulmonary function was not associated with performance on the 6-min walk test in this young population.Conclusions: Children with sarcoma are at risk of developing scoliosis when treatment regimens include chest radiation or rib resection. Identification of these risk factors may allow for early intervention designed to prevent adverse long-term outcomes.Implications For Cancer Survivors: Cancer survivors at risk of developing scoliosis may benefit from monitoring of pulmonary status and early physical therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: First line antiTB drugs have several physical and toxic manifestations which limit their applications. RIF is a hydrophobic drug and has low water solubility and INH is hepatotoxic. The main objective of the study was to synthesize, characterize HPMA-PLA co-polymeric micelles for the effective dual delivery of INH and RIF. Methods: HPMA-PLA co-polymer and HPMA-PLA-INH (HPI) conjugates were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR and H-NMR spectroscopy. Later on RIF loaded HPMA-PLA-INH co-polymeric micelles (PMRI) were formulated and characterized for size, zeta potential and surface morphology (SEM, TEM) as well as critical micellar concentration. The safety was assessed through RBC's interaction study. The prepared PMRI were evaluated through MABA assay against sensitive and resistant strains of M. Tuberculosis. Results: Size, zeta and entrapment efficiency for RIF loaded HPMA-PLA-INH polymeric micelles (PMRI) was 87.64 ± 1.98 nm, −19 ± 1.93 mV and 97.2 ± 1.56%, respectively. In vitro release followed controlled and sustained delivery pattern. Sustained release was also supported by release kinetics. Haemolytic toxicity of HPI and PMRI was 8.57 and 7.05% ( p < 0.01, INH Vs PMRI; p < 0.0001, RIF Vs PMRI), respectively. MABA assay (cytotoxicity) based MIC values of PMRI formulation was observed as ≥0.0625 and ≥0.50 μg/mL (for sensitive and resistant strain). The microscopic analysis further confirmed that the delivery approach was effective than pure drugs. Conclusions: RIF loaded and INH conjugated HPMA-PLA polymeric micelles (PMRI) were more effective against sensitive and resistant M tuberculosis. The developed approach can lead to improved patient compliance and reduced dosing in future, offering improved treatment of tuberculosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt fermented fish hydrolysate (SFFH) was prepared from freshwater fish Rohu (Labeo rohita), an Indian major carp, using salt at room temperature for 50 days. Total lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts of SFFH prepared using 20% and 30% NaCl (w/w) were found to be in the range of 5.83–7.25 log cfu/ml and 3.93–5.46 log cfu/ml, respectively, whereas the log cfu/ml values for the halotolerant LAB counts varied from 2.09 to 7.17 and 2.02 to 4.77, respectively. Out of 96 isolates from SFFH, 21 isolates were screened based on their pH reducing ability, total titratable acidity, and proteolytic properties. Morphological, biochemical, and molecular characterization of four selected LAB strains were carried out. The isolates FSAP3-3 (Pediococcus pentosaceus), FSBP4-40 (Pediococcus pentosaceus), FSBP16-40 (Pediococcus pentosaceus), and FSBP28-50 (Pediococcus acidilactici) showed both halotolerant and proteolytic properties. The identified LAB isolates showed antagonistic properties against several human pathogens and exhibited sensitivity toward a broad spectrum of antibiotics. All the identified LAB isolates showed excellent proteolytic activity and phosphohydrolase activity. These halotolerant LAB isolates that had both proteolytic properties and acidifying ability have the potential for application in an acceleration of fermentation to produce salted fish products (i.e., fish sauce, fish paste, fish mince, etc.). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Rationale: The relationship between treatment-related impairment of pulmonary function in adult survivors of childhood cancer and subsequent physical function has not been studied.Objectives: In this prospective evaluation of 606 adult survivors of childhood cancer, we sought to determine the risk factors for, as well as the functional impact of, clinically ascertained pulmonary function impairment.Methods: We measured FEV1, FVC, total lung capacity (TLC), and single-breath diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide corrected for hemoglobin (DlCOcorr), expressing the results as percent predicted and lower limit of normal (LLN) values, and we also assessed functional exercise capacity (6-minute-walk distance). Lung radiation exposure was expressed as the estimated percentage of lung tissue that received at least 10 Gy (V10). Associations of clinical and treatment factors with pulmonary function measures were assessed using log-binomial regression to calculate relative risks and 95% confidence intervals.Measurements and Main Results: The participants' median age at evaluation was 34.2 years, and the median elapsed time from diagnosis was 21.9 years. Among the sample population, 50.7% had an FEV1 percent predicted less than 80%, 47.2% had an FVC percent predicted less than 80%, 31.2% had a TLC percent predicted less than 75%, and 44.6% had DlCOcorr percent predicted less than 75%. Also, 49.0% had FEV1 less than the LLN on the basis of the Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) criteria, and 45.4% had FVC less than LLN. Obstructive lung defects (FEV1/FVC, <0.7) were found in 0.8%, but none had obstructive lung defects on the basis of the GLI criterion of FEV1/FVC less than the LLN. Restrictive lung defects (TLC, <75%) were found in 31.2% of participants. V10 and elapsed time since diagnosis were associated with abnormal FEV1 and FVC based on the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.03 criteria, and with abnormal FEV1 using the GLI criterion. Age at diagnosis was an additional risk factor for abnormal FVC based on the GLI criteria. Age at diagnosis and V10 were associated with abnormal TLC. Increased body mass index, V10, and elapsed time since diagnosis were risk factors for abnormal DlCOcorr. Abnormal pulmonary function tests were associated with decreased 6-minute walk distance.Conclusions: Impaired pulmonary function in adult survivors of childhood cancer is associated with decreased physical function. These patients may benefit from interventions designed to preserve and/or improve pulmonary function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Delimed tannery fleshing (DTF) hydrolysates-obtained through acid hydrolysis and fermentation-have the potential for use in poultry and fish feed owing to their protein content and inherent biofunctionalities like antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The objective was to establish the safety of DTF hydrolysates for a possible use as feed supplement. Methods: Weanling male Wistar rats were fed with a dose of 5, 10 and 15 % of acid hydrolyzed DTF (AH), fermented DTF (FH) and DTF. The test animals were monitored for signs of toxicity for a period of 15 days in acute toxicity studies; while, for the sub-acute studies, rats were fed with 15 % AH, FH and DTF for 30 days. In both cases, rats were not adversely affected by the diet containing DTF hydrolysates or DTF. The feed intake, body and organ weights of the test diet fed rats were comparable to that of the control group. Result: Further, there were no significant ( P > 0.05) changes in biochemical parameters of serum, liver and urine samples analysed from all the groups. The histology of liver revealed no changes among all the groups as compared to control. Conclusions: The present study showed that DTF/DTF hydrolysates can be supplemented in diets up to 15 % without inducing any toxicity related changes; and, emphasizes the scope of a novel form of protein based feed ingredient. Our study gives the path forward for developing livestock feeds containing DTF and DTF hydrolysates as one of the ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like Southeast Asian countries fermented fish is a well known strategy of food preservation in the Northeast region of India. Shidals are mostly preferred salt-free fermented fish product amongst all. Chemical and microbial composition, antioxidative potential, fatty acid profile and proteins profile in gel electrophoresis of shidals were studied. pH and total titratable acidity (TTA) have been found as 5.86 ± 0.11, 0.115 ± 0.01 and 6.62 ± 0.07, 0.092 ± 0.01 in punti and phasa shidal respectively. DPPH radical scavenging activity of punti and phasa shidal was determined as 80.15 ± 5.67 and 68.30 ± 3.22 respectively. Presence of eicosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic, arachidonic, linolenic and linoleic acid indicate the nutritional significance of shidal. However, the result showed that punti shidal was rich in omega-3 but poor in omega-6 fatty acid, whereas, reverse was observed in respect of phasa shidal. Poly acrylamide gel electrophoretic study of protein revealed disappearance of myosin head chain (MHC) in the dry puntius fish (raw material of shidal). Proteins or peptides with low molecular weight between 45 and 29 kDa and between 45 and 66 kDa were noticed in both the shidals and indicative of intensive protein degradation during fermentation. Therefore, fermented fish product, shidal could be used as a potential source of nutrients and natural antioxidants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein hydrolysates were prepared from chicken liver using fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis. The lactic acid bacteria Pediococcus acidilactici NCIM5368 was employed in the fermentation process and a commercial protease (Alcalase® 2.5) was used in enzymatic hydrolysis. Chicken liver hydrolysates prepared by fermentation (FCLH) and enzymatic hydrolysis (ECLH) revealed appreciable amounts of protein [55.85 and 61.34 %; on dry weight basis, respectively]. Fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in 14.3 and 26.12 % of degree of hydrolysis. Total antioxidant activity, reducing power, scavenging of superoxide, 2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2, 2-azino-bis-3-ethyl-benzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radicals were determined for both FCLH & ECLH. FCLH & ECLH showed total antioxidant activity of 0.99 and 1.13 μg AAE mg proteins, respectively; while, they scavenged 96.14 and 92.76 % of DPPH radicals respectively. FCLH showed higher ABTS radical scavenging activity (32.16 %) than ECLH (19.29 %). Superoxide anion scavenging activity of FCLH & ECLH were found to be 95.02 & 88.94 %, respectively. Residues obtained after both treatments also exhibited antioxidant activities. FCLH reported highest antagonistic activity against Listeria monocytogenes (30 mm); while, ECLH showed antibacterial activity only against Micrococcus luteus (12 mm). Both hydrolysates have the potential to be a protein rich ingredient for use in formulated foods and possible help in reduction of oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to understand the influence of freeze-dried shrimp (Penaeus monodon) meat (SM) at different levels (2.5, 5, and 10%; w/w) in pasta processing. The rheological characteristics studies of SM-wheat flour blends indicated that dough stability increased with the increased addition of SM in the blends, whereas farinograph water absorption and amylograph peak viscosity decreased. Cooking loss increased with increasing levels of SM in the pasta (7.3% in 10% SM pasta; 6.7% in control pasta). However, all pasta samples were in the acceptable range. Color analysis of the pasta sample indicated that theLvalues increased with increasing levels of pasta. The instrumental texture of cooked pasta indicated that 10% SM pasta was significantly (p< 0.05) firmer (1.84 N) than that of the control (1.35 N). Microstructure studies revealed that incorporation of SM in the pasta had a better protein network. Pasta with 5% SM had the highest mean score for all sensory attributes, with increased levels of essential nutrients, fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, and amino acids such as lysine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the hepatotoxic effects of a deltamethrin containing formulation (Decis®) on developing embryo of Gallus domesticus. Fertilized eggs were immersed in three different concentrations of deltamethrin (12.5, 25 and 50 mg/L) for 60 min at 37 °C prior to incubation (ED 0) and on the 4th day of incubation (ED 4) and incubated till embryonic day (ED) 16. Exposure to 50 mg/L of deltamethrin resulted in a significant decrease in total protein and total glycogen content in the liver when exposed on ED 4 and ED 0 respectively, while total glutathione content was reduced at concentrations applied on both the exposure days. Among enzymes, liver alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly increased at 25 and 50 mg/L deltamethrin when embryos were exposed on ED 0 and 4, whereas the glutamate pyruvate transaminase activity showed a marked increase in animals exposed to 50 mg/L deltamethrin only at ED 4. Histophathological evaluation revealed mild to marked cellular lesions in liver sections of insecticide treated embryo. The magnitude of most of these changes appeared to be dose dependent being more severe on exposure to highest dose of deltamethrin. The observed pathological changes include degeneration and necrosis of hepatocytes, cytoplasmic vacuolization, enlarged and congested sinusoidal spaces, leucocyte infiltrations and congestion and dilation of the central vein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study relates to the food processing machinery and, more specifically machine for producing boneless comminuted meat from raw fish fillet. This machine is of belt and drum type meat bone separator designed for small scale fish processing in a continuous mode. The basic principal involved in this machine is compression force. The electric geared motor consists of 1HP and the conveyor belt has a linear velocity of 19 to 22 m min, which was sufficient to debone the fish effectively. During the meat bone separation trials an efficiency up to 75 % on dressed fish weight basis was observed and with a capacity to separate 70 kg h of meat from fish at the machine speed of 25 rpm. During the trials, it was demonstrated that there was no significant change in the proximate composition of comminuted fish meat when compared to unprocessed fish meat. This design has a greater emphasis on hygiene, provision for cleaning-in-place (CIP) and gives cost effective need and reliability for small scale industries to produce fish meat in turn used for their value added products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish oil recovered from fresh water fish visceral waste (FVW-FO) through lactic acid fermentation (FO-LAF) and enzymatic hydrolysis (FO-EH) were fed to rats to study their influence on lipid peroxidation and activities of antioxidant and membrane bound enzyme in liver, heart and brain. Feeding of FO-LAF and FO-EH resulted in increase ( P < 0.05) in lipid peroxides level in serum, liver, brain and heart tissues compared to ground nut oil (control). Activity of catalase (40-235 %) and superoxide dismutase (17-143 %) also increased ( P < 0.05) with incremental level of EPA + DHA in diet. The increase was similar to cod liver oil fed rats at same concentration of EPA + DHA. FO-LAF and FO-EH increased ( P < 0.05) the NaK ATPase activity in liver and brain microsomes, CaMg ATPase in heart microsome and acetylcholine esterase in brain microsomes when fed with 5 % EPA + DHA. There was also significant change in fatty acid composition and cholesterol/phospholipid ratio in microsomes of rat fed with FVW-FO. Feeding FVW-FO recovered by biotechnological approaches enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes in tissues, modulates the activities of membrane bound enzymes and improved the fatty acid composition in microsomes of tissues similar to CLO. Utilization of these processing wastes for the production of valuable biofunctional products can reduce the mounting economic values of fish oil and minimize the environmental pollution problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reverse micellar extraction (RME) was used for the separation and purification of bromelain from pineapple core and efficacy of RME purified bromelain (RMEB) in tenderization of beef meat was compared with that of commercial stem bromelain (CSB). RME resulted in reasonably high bromelain activity recovery (85.0 %) and purification fold (4.0). Reduction in meat toughness was higher in RMEB treated meat (52.1 %) compared to raw (control) and CSB treated (26.7 %). Significant increase in water holding capacity (WHC) was observed in RMEB treated meat (91.1 %) as against CSB treated (55.6 %) and control (56.6 %). No change in cooking loss was observed in RMEB treated meat, whereas the loss increased by nearly 14.0 % in case of CSB treated. While the meat color was retained, trichloroacetic acid (TCA) soluble protein content increased due to hydrolysis of protein in RMEB treated meat. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that RMEB treatment completely ruptures myofibril tissues, indicating a higher degree of tenderization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]