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Food safety has recently become a widespread concern among consumers. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a rapidly developing novel spectroscopic analysis technique with high sensitivity, an ability to provide molecular fingerprint spectra, and resistance to photobleaching, offering broad application prospects in rapid trace detection. With the interdisciplinary development of nanomaterials and biotechnology, the detection performance of SERS biosensors has improved significantly. This review describes the advantages of nanomaterial-based SERS detection technology and SERS's latest applications in the detection of biological and chemical contaminants, the identification of foodborne pathogens, the authentication and quality control of food, and the safety assessment of food packaging materials. Finally, the challenges and prospects of constructing and applying nanomaterial-based SERS sensing platforms in the field of food safety detection are discussed with the aim of early detection and ultimate control of foodborne diseases.

Probiotics and their bacteriocins have increasingly attracted interest for their use as safe food preservatives. This study aimed to produce soft white cheese fortified with Lacticaseibacillus MG847589 ( Lb. paracasei MG847589) and/or its bacteriocin; cheese with Lacticaseibacillus (CP), cheese with bacteriocin (CB), and cheese with both Lacticaseibacillus and bacteriocin (CPB) were compared to control cheese (CS) to evaluate their biopreservative and anti-mycotoxigenic potentials for prolonged shelf life and safe food applications. The effects of these fortifications on physiochemical, microbial, texture, microstructure, and sensory properties were studied. Fortification with Lacticaseibacillus (CP) increased acidity (0.61%) and microbial counts, which may make the microstructure porous, while CPB showed intact microstructure. The CPB showed the highest hardness value (3988.03 g), while the lowest was observed with CB (2525.73 g). Consequently, the sensory assessment reflected the panelists' preference for CPB, which gained higher scores than the control (CS). Fortification with Lb. paracasei MG847589 and bacteriocin (CPB) showed inhibition effects against S. aureus from 6.52 log 10 CFU/g at time zero to 2.10 log 10 CFU/g at the end of storage, A. parasiticus (from 5.06 to 3.03 log 10 CFU/g), and P. chrysogenum counts (from 5.11 to 2.86 log 10 CFU/g). Additionally, CPB showed an anti-mycotoxigenic effect against aflatoxins AFB 1 and AFM 1 , causing them to be decreased (69.63 ± 0.44% and 71.38 ± 0.75%, respectively). These potentials can extend shelf life and pave the way for more suggested food applications of safe food production by fortification with both Lb. paracasei MG847589 and its bacteriocin as biopreservatives and anti-mycotoxigenic.

Background: Radiomics can assess prognostic factors in several types of tumors, but considering its prognostic ability in pancreatic cancer has been lacking., Aim: To evaluate the performance of two different radiomics software in assessing survival outcomes in pancreatic cancer patients., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed pretreatment contrast-enhanced dual-energy computed tomography images from 48 patients with biopsy-confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who later underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation and surgery. Tumors were segmented using TexRad software for 2-dimensional (2D) analysis and MIM software for 3D analysis, followed by radiomic feature extraction. Cox proportional hazard modeling correlated texture features with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Cox regression was used to detect differences in OS related to pretreatment tumor size and residual tumor following treatment. The Wilcoxon test was used to show the relationship between tumor volume and the percent of residual tumor. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare survival in patients with different tumor densities in Hounsfield units for both 2D and 3D analysis., Results: 3D analysis showed that higher mean tumor density [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.971, P = 0.041)] and higher median tumor density (HR = 0.970, P = 0.037) correlated with better OS. 2D analysis showed that higher mean tumor density (HR = 0.963, P = 0.014) and higher mean positive pixels (HR = 0.962, P = 0.014) correlated with better OS; higher skewness (HR = 3.067, P = 0.008) and higher kurtosis (HR = 1.176, P = 0.029) correlated with worse OS. Higher entropy correlated with better PFS (HR = 0.056, P = 0.036). Models determined that patients with increased tumor size greater than 1.35 cm were likely to have a higher percentage of residual tumors of over 10%., Conclusion: Several radiomics features can be used as prognostic tools for pancreatic cancer. However, results vary between 2D and 3D analyses. Mean tumor density was the only variable that could reliably predict OS, irrespective of the analysis used., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article., (©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

This research aimed to investigate the properties of bio rayeb milk that results from goats fed on feed supplemented with different concentrations of coriander oil. The study design included a control treatment (C) and two coriander oil concentrations, a low level of (0.95%) T1 and a high level of (1.9%) T2. A probiotic starter culture, Direct Vat Set (DVS) of lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and streptococcus salivarius ssp. thermophilus in the ratio (1:1) was used to prepare bio rayeb. All treatments were stored at 4 °C for 2 weeks and analyzed on day one and at the end of storage. Results showed that the coagulation time during bio rayeb manufacturing remained consistent at almost 6 h for all batches. However, using a high coriander oil level (1.90%) significantly decreased the apparent viscosity and the content of monounsaturated fatty acids. The DPPH inhibition and the content of monounsaturated fatty acids increased. The electrophoresis chromatogram exhibited a high degree of proteolysis in T2 compared to the control and T1. Microbiologically, yeast, molds, and coliforms were absent in all treatments. Feeding goats on provender supplemented with a low concentration of coriander oil may positively impact the resultant milk's technological and sensorial properties., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

(1) Objective: The main objective of the current study was to evaluate in vitro and in vivo an antioxidant property of three genotypes of olive leaf extract (OLE) (picual, tofahi and shemlali), and furthermore to assess potential activity in the treatment and/or prevention of diabetes mellitus type II and related implications. (2) Methodology: Antioxidant activity was determined by using three different methods (DDPH assay, reducing power and nitric acid scavenging activity). In vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and hemolytic protective activity were assessed for the OLE. Five groups of male rats were used in in vivo experiment for evaluating the antidiabetic potential of OLE. (3) Results: The genotypes of the extracts of the three olive leaves exhibited meaningful phenolic and flavonoids content with superiority for picual extract (114.79 ± 4.19 µg GAE/g and 58.69 ± 1.03 µg CE/g, respectively). All three genotypes of olive leaves demonstrated significant antioxidant activity when using DPPH, reducing power and nitric oxide scavenging activity with IC 50 ranging from 55.82 ± 0.13 to 19.03 ± 0.13 μg/mL. OLE showed a significant α-glucosidase inhibition activity and dose-dependent protection from hemolysis. In vivo experimentation revealed that the administration of OLE alone and the combination of OLE+ metformin clearly restored the blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin, lipid parameters and liver enzymes to the normal level. The histological examination revealed that the OLE and its combination with metformin successfully repaired the liver, kidneys and pancreatic tissues to bring them close to the normal status and maintain their functionality. (4) Conclusion: Finally, it can be concluded that the OLE and its combination with metformin is a promising treatment for diabetes mellitus type 2 due to their antioxidant activity, which emphasizes the potential use of OLE alone or as an adjuvant agent in the treatment protocol of diabetes mellitus type II.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the influence of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on mandibular critical-sized defect regeneration in rats with experimentally induced type I diabetes mellitus. Restoration of large osseous defects in an impaired osteogenic condition such as diabetes mellitus is a challenging task in clinical practice. Therefore, investigating adjunctive therapies to accelerate the regeneration of such defects is crucial., Materials and Methods: Sixteen albino rats were divided into two groups (n = 8/group). To induce diabetes mellitus, a single streptozotocin dosage was injected. Critical-sized defects were created in the right posterior mandibles and filled with beta-tricalcium phosphate graft. The study group was subjected to 90-min sessions of hyperbaric oxygen at 2.4 ATA, for 5 consecutive days per week. Euthanasia was carried out after 3 weeks of therapy. Bone regeneration was examined histologically and histomorphometrically. Angiogenesis was assessed by immunohistochemistry against vascular endothelial progenitor cell marker (CD34) and the microvessel density was calculated., Results: Exposure of diabetic animals to hyperbaric oxygen resulted in superior bone regeneration and increased endothelial cell proliferation, which were revealed histologically and immunohistochemically, respectively. These results were confirmed by histomorphometric analysis which disclosed a higher percentage of new bone surface area and microvessel density in the study group., Conclusions: Hyperbaric oxygen has a beneficial effect on bone regenerative capacity, qualitatively and quantitively, as well as the ability to stimulate angiogenesis., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a strong predictor of patient survival. Edema in the peritumoral region (PTR) has been reported to be a negative prognostic factor in TNBC., Purpose: To determine whether quantitative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) features from PTRs on reduced field-of-view (rFOV) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) predict the response to NAST in TNBC., Study Type: Prospective., Population/subjects: A total of 108 patients with biopsy-proven TNBC who underwent NAST and definitive surgery during 2015-2020., Field Strength/sequence: A 3.0 T/rFOV single-shot diffusion-weighted echo-planar imaging sequence (DWI)., Assessment: Three scans were acquired longitudinally (pretreatment, after two cycles of NAST, and after four cycles of NAST). For each scan, 11 ADC histogram features (minimum, maximum, mean, median, standard deviation, kurtosis, skewness and 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentiles) were extracted from tumors and from PTRs of 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, and 20 mm in thickness with inclusion and exclusion of fat-dominant pixels., Statistical Tests: ADC features were tested for prediction of pCR, both individually using Mann-Whitney U test and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and in combination in multivariable models with k-fold cross-validation. A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: Fifty-one patients (47%) had pCR. Maximum ADC from PTR, measured after two and four cycles of NAST, was significantly higher in pCR patients (2.8 ± 0.69 vs 3.5 ± 0.94 mm 2 /sec). The top-performing feature for prediction of pCR was the maximum ADC from the 5-mm fat-inclusive PTR after cycle 4 of NAST (AUC: 0.74; 95% confidence interval: 0.64, 0.84). Multivariable models of ADC features performed similarly for fat-inclusive and fat-exclusive PTRs, with AUCs ranging from 0.68 to 0.72 for the cycle 2 and cycle 4 scans., Data Conclusion: Quantitative ADC features from PTRs may serve as early predictors of the response to NAST in TNBC., Evidence Level: 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 4., (© 2022 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

The current study aimed to figure out the effect of using a combination of 2% inulin, and 2% Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) with Lactobacillus acidophilus and their bacteriocin on some yogurt properties such as coagulation time, extending the shelf life of set yogurt and its microbiological quality, also the acceptance by consumers. The results indicated that coagulation time increased by 22.75% in yogurts prepared with Lactobacillus acidophilus and their bacteriocins compared to the control, and titratable acidity increased gradually in all treatments during storage. Hence control acidity (%) increased from 0.84 ± 0.02 A at zero time to 1.23 ± 0.03 A after 14 days of cold storage, while treatment (T4) was 0.72 ± 0.01 C at zero time and reached 1.20 ± 0.5 A after 39 days at the same conditions. The sensory properties showed the superiority of inulin, FOS, and Lactobacillus acidophilus bacteriocin groups. Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophiles, and Lactobacillus acidophilus count increased in the treatments compared to the control group, with an extended shelf life to 39 days of storage in the medicines containing lactobacillus acidophilus bacteriocin. Coliforms, Moulds, and yeasts did not detect in the treatments comprising 2% inulin, 2% FOS, and lactobacillus acidophilus bacteriocin for 39 days of refrigerated storage. This study proved that 2% inulin, 2% FOS, and Lactobacillus acidophilus bacteriocin fortification extended the shelf life by more than 5 weeks., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Appropriate correction of hyponatremia can reduce complications such as osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS)., Objective: To evaluate rates of serum sodium correction in hyponatremic hospitalized patients and identify factors associated with higher rates of overcorrection., Methods: This is an institutional review board-approved single-center, retrospective chart review of patients ≥18 years of age with at least 1 serum sodium <130 mEq/L during hospitalization. The primary end point was percentage of patients appropriately corrected for hyponatremia. Appropriate correction was defined as a sodium change ≤12 mEq/L over 24 hours and 18 mEq/L over 48 hours, and overcorrection was defined as an increase in serum sodium exceeding these cutoffs. Secondary end points included incidence of ODS, poor neurological outcome, intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital lengths of stay (LOSs), and in-hospital mortality., Results: Of 234 patients evaluated, 100 were included. Mean age was 72 ± 16 years, and 47% were male. Overcorrection occurred in 14 patients. There was no incidence of ODS. Rates of poor neurological outcome ( P = 0.77), ICU ( P = 0.09) and hospital LOS ( P = 0.13), and in-hospital mortality ( P = 0.20) were similar between appropriately corrected and overcorrected patients. Using a logistic regression analysis, severe hyponatremia (serum sodium < 120 mEq/L; P = 0.0122) and history of alcohol use disorder ( P < 0.001) were risk factors found to be associated with overcorrection., Conclusion and Relevance: Overcorrection of hyponatremia occurred in 14% of patients in this study. To minimize this risk, further caution should be taken when managing patients presenting with identified risk factors.

Mastocytosis is a rare disorder due to the abnormal proliferation of clonal mast cells. Mast cells exist in most tissues, mature in situ from hematopoietic stem cells and develop unique characteristics of local effector cells. Mastocytosis develops by activation mutation of the KIT surface receptor which is involved in the proliferation of a number of cell lines such as mast cells, germ cells, melanocytes, and hematopoietic cells. It manifests as two main categories: cutaneous mastocytosis and systemic mastocytosis. Imaging can play an important role in detection and characterization of the disease manifestation, not only by radiography and bone scans, but also magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, which can be more sensitive in the assessment of distinctive disease patterns. Radiologists should be aware of various appearances of this disease to better facilitate diagnosis and patient management. Accordingly, this review will discuss the clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and role of imaging in detection and extent estimation of the systemic involvement of the disease, in addition to demonstration of appearance on varying imaging modalities. Familiarity with the potential imaging findings associated with mastocytosis can aid in early disease diagnosis and classification and accordingly can lead directing further work up and better management.

Background: Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI is useful for diagnosis and assessment of treatment response in breast cancer. Fast DCE MRI offers a higher sampling rate of contrast enhancement curves in comparison to conventional DCE MRI, potentially characterizing tumor perfusion kinetics more accurately for measurement of functional tumor volume (FTV) as a predictor of treatment response., Purpose: To investigate FTV by fast DCE MRI as a predictor of neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) response in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)., Study Type: Prospective., Population/subjects: Sixty patients with biopsy-confirmed TNBC between December 2016 and September 2020., Field Strength/sequence: A 3.0 T/3D fast spoiled gradient echo-based DCE MRI ASSESSMENT: Patients underwent MRI at baseline and after four cycles (C4) of NAST, followed by definitive surgery. DCE subtraction images were analyzed in consensus by two breast radiologists with 5 (A.H.A.) and 2 (H.S.M.) years of experience. Tumor volumes (TV) were measured on early and late subtractions. Tumors were segmented on 1 and 2.5-minute early phases subtractions and FTV was determined using optimized signal enhancement thresholds. Interpolated enhancement curves from segmented voxels were used to determine optimal early phase timing., Statistical Tests: Tumor volumes were compared between patients who had a pathologic complete response (pCR) and those who did not using the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) and Mann-Whitney U test., Results: About 26 of 60 patients (43%) had pCR. FTV at 1 minute after injection at C4 provided the best discrimination between pCR and non-pCR, with AUC (95% confidence interval [CI]) = 0.85 (0.74,0.95) (P < 0.05). The 1-minute timing was optimal for FTV measurements at C4 and for the change between C4 and baseline. TV from the early phase at C4 also yielded a good AUC (95%CI) of 0.82 (0.71,0.93) (P < 0.05)., Data Conclusion: FTV and TV measured at 1 minute after injection can predict response to NAST in TNBC., Level of Evidence: 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: 4., (© 2021 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome/Cowden syndrome (CS) is a rare autosomal dominant syndrome containing a germline PTEN mutation that leads to the development of multisystem hamartomas and oncogenesis. Benign tumors such as Lhermitte-Duclos disease and malignant tumors involving the breast, thyroid, kidneys, and uterus are seen in CS. Radiologists have an integral role in the comanagement of CS patients. We present the associated imaging findings and imaging screening recommendations. Knowledge of the types of cancers commonly seen in CS and their imaging findings can aid in early tumor recognition during cancer screening to help ensure near-normal life spans in CS patients.

Background: Benzodiazepine is first-line therapy for alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS), and phenobarbital is an alternative therapy. However, its use has not been well validated in the surgical-trauma patient population., Objective: To describe the use of fixed-dose phenobarbital monotherapy for the management of patients at risk for AWS in the surgical-trauma intensive care unit., Methods: Surgical-trauma critically ill patients who received phenobarbital monotherapy, loading dose followed by a taper regimen, for the management of AWS were included in this evaluation. The effectiveness of phenobarbital monotherapy to treat AWS and prevent development of AWS-related complications were evaluated. Safety end points assessed included significant hypotension, bradycardia, respiratory depression, and need for invasive mechanical ventilation., Results: A total of 31 patients received phenobarbital monotherapy; the majority of patients were at moderate risk for developing AWS (n = 20; 65%) versus high risk (n = 11; 35%). None of the patients developed AWS-related complications; all patients were successfully managed for their AWS. Nine patients (29%) received nonbenzodiazepine adjunct therapy for agitation post-phenobarbital initiation. Three patients (10%) experienced hypotension, and 3 (10%) were intubated. None of the patients had clinically significant bradycardia or respiratory depression., Conclusion and Relevance: Fixed-dose phenobarbital monotherapy appears to be well tolerated and effective in the management of AWS. Further evaluation is needed to determine the extent of benefit with the use of phenobarbital monotherapy for management of AWS.

Purpose: To determine if tumor necrosis by pretreatment breast MRI and its quantitative imaging characteristics are associated with response to NAST in TNBC., Methods: This retrospective study included 85 TNBC patients (mean age 51.8 ± 13 years) with MRI before NAST and definitive surgery during 2010-2018. Each MRI included T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted (DWI), and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) imaging. For each index carcinoma, total tumor volume including necrosis (TTV), excluding necrosis (TV), and the necrosis-only volume (NV) were segmented on early-phase DCE subtractions and DWI images. NV and %NV were calculated. Percent enhancement on early and late phases of DCE and apparent diffusion coefficient were extracted from TTV, TV, and NV. Association between necrosis with pathological complete response (pCR) was assessed using odds ratio (OR). Multivariable analysis was used to evaluate the prognostic value of necrosis with T stage and nodal status at staging. Mann-Whitney U tests and area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess performance of imaging metrics for discriminating pCR vs non-pCR., Results: Of 39 patients (46%) with necrosis, 17 had pCR and 22 did not. Necrosis was not associated with pCR (OR, 0.995; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4-2.3) and was not an independent prognostic factor when combined with T stage and nodal status at staging (P = 0.46). None of the imaging metrics differed significantly between pCR and non-pCR in patients with necrosis (AUC < 0.6 and P > 0.40)., Conclusion: No significant association was found between necrosis by pretreatment MRI or the quantitative imaging characteristics of tumor necrosis and response to NAST in TNBC.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the antimicrobials nisin and lysozyme to control the growth of spoilage bacteria of pasteurized milk during cold storage., Materials and Methods: Nisin, lysozyme, and a mixture of them were inoculated into freshly pasteurized milk at 500 IU/ml concentrations each. The acidity, sensory evaluation, and bacteriological quality of the treated pasteurized milk samples were examined at zero time and every 3 days till the samples showed the signs of spoilage, that were checked every day., Results: Obtained results showed that there was a slight increase of the titratable acidity of the control and treated samples during refrigerated storage, but the acidity increase was significantly lower in samples containing lysosomes and/or nisin than the control samples. Nisin and lysozyme at 500 IU/ml concentration possessed inhibitory effect on the total bacterial, aerobic spore-formers, and psychrotrophic bacterial counts and extended the shelf-life of the treated samples. The efficacy of nisin 500 IU/ml combined with lysozyme 500 U/ml was assessed and synergistic activity has been detected, that was expressed in the form of higher inhibitory effect and extending the shelf-life of the samples up to 15 days at cold storage. Moreover, the sensory evaluation showed that nisin and lysozyme does not affect the acceptability of the examined samples., Conclusion: The obtained data indicate that nisin and lysozyme have the potential to enhance the post-process bacteriological safety of pasteurized milk during the storage period and could aid in the elimination of post-process contamination and prolong its shelf-life., Competing Interests: None of the authors have any conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright: © Journal of Advanced Veterinary and Animal Research.)

Triangular silver nanocrystals, well-known as nanoprisms (Ag-NPrs), were successfully developed via a robust and straightforward direct chemical reduction synthetic approach, producing desirable tiny and well-controlled Ag-NPrs. This procedure was accomplished by fabricating a mixture of di-sodium succinate hexa-hydrate (DSSH) and tri-sodium citrate di-hydrate (TSCD) as capping agents at optimal synthetic conditions and under an open-air condition, which proved to be an enormous challenge. Additionally, the Ag-NPrs were fully characterized by UV-vis spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Likewise, the formation stages from spherical silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) to triangular Ag-NPrs were also captured simultaneously via transmission electron microscope (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM) images. More interestingly, an active thin silica-shell was efficiently applied on the Ag-NPrs outer-layer to increase their functionality. Furthermore, to confirm their biocompatibility, we also carried out cell viability assays for the Ag-NPs, Ag-NPrs, and Ag-NPrs@SiO 2 with different concentrations at 62.5, 125, and 250 µg/mL after 12, 24, and 48 h of exposure time, respectively, on a regular African green monkey kidney cell line. The cell viability test results exemplified that the three silver nanostructures were toxic-free and suitable for further potential biological applications in the near future.