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An electronic nose based on an array of 12 Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) sensors and 10 Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field--Effect Transistor (MOS-ET) sensors was investigated to determine if it could be used to monitor olive oil oxidation during storage. Samples of extra virgin olive oil, olive oil and olive-pomace oil were stored at 40°C in the dark for 64 days. At established times, the three types of olive oil were evaluated for volatile compounds by the electronic nose and for peroxide value. The electronic nose data and the peroxide values were correlated and, on the basis of the correlation coefficients, a small number of sensors were selected. The responses of the selected sensors were analysed by Principal Component Analysis. The first principal component was able to discriminate olive oil samples on the basis of aging time. These results suggest that the electronic nose may be suitable for measuring changes in volatile compounds associated with olive oil oxidation during storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A specific and rapid method to determine the number of eggs in egg pasta based on the determination of ovalbumin thiol groups is described. Pasta water extracts were analysed by a Flow Injection Analysis (FIA) system with an electrochemical detector operating in amperometry with a tungsten sensor working at -0.2 V vs SCE. There was a good linear correlation between the SH content obtained using the proposed electrochemical method and the number of eggs in egg pasta. Moreover to confirm the results of the electro-chemical method, the ovalbumin content of egg pasta was also evaluated by electrophoretic SDS-Page analysis. Because of the speed of analysis, the electrochemical method could be useful for the rapid determination of the number of eggs in egg pasta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to investigate the effect of packaging materials and storage time on volatile profiles of mulberry tea. The mulberry tea samples were packaged in linear lowdensity polyethylene laminated aluminum (AL) bag and polypropylene (PP) bag and stored at 30±1°C for 18 months. The volatile profiles were monitored using a headspace solid phase microextraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed that storage time had no significant impact on the key volatile compounds of the AL packaged samples. However, some volatiles associated with lipid oxidation like hexanal and 4-oxo-2-nonenal were observed to significantly (p<0.05) increase in the PP packaged samples with storage time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction : We report the case of a neonate diagnosed with severe hemophilia A (HA) and conduct a literature review of cases of severe HA presenting at the neonatal age to help define the clinical diagnostic findings and existing differences between the sporadic and familial onset of this condition. Report of a Case : A 6-day-old newborn presented with worsening pallor, inappetence, and hyporeactivity for 48 h. The diagnosis was severe hemophilia A (HA), leading to an unfavorable outcome. A literature review focusing on case reports and series focusing on the clinical expression of HA in neonates was conducted, documenting clinical presentation, family history, and outcomes. Literature review: Forty patients were included. HA was observed in five cases (12.5%) of very preterm births (≤32 weeks) and in four cases (10%) of moderately or late preterm births. Seventeen patients (43%) had a family history, with inheritance being sporadic (21 newborns, 53%) or acquired (2 cases, 4%). Clinical onset typically occurred within the first week of life (approximately 8 out of 10 cases), while only three cases (7.5%) had onset after the first month. Inherited cases presented with hemorrhagic states (nine cases), hypovolemic shock (five cases), or intracranial hypertension (two cases). Sporadic cases showed localized bleeding (11 cases), hypovolemic shock (5 cases), or neurological symptoms like seizures and anisocoria (5 cases). Acquired cases included severe intracranial hemorrhage in one case. Conclusions : Neonatal HA can manifest with severe symptoms and rapid progression, making early diagnosis crucial. Non-specific signs and the absence of coagulophaty disorders in family history can delay diagnosis. Symptoms like prolonged bleeding, cutaneous hematomas, or intracranial bleeding necessitate ruling out major coagulopathy, and neurological signs require immediate imaging to exclude intracranial bleeding.

Background: Propranolol, largely prescribed as an antihypertensive and antiarrhythmic drug in pediatrics, is characterized by a bitter taste and an astringent aftertaste. Currently, the therapy requires crushing of tablets for adults and their dispersion in water many times a day, leading to loss of dosing accuracy, low palatability, and poor compliance for both patients and caregivers., Objectives: This work aimed to exploit cyclodextrin complexation by cogrinding to develop orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) endowed with reliable dosing accuracy, good palatability and safety, ease of swallowability, and ultimately better compliance for both pediatric patients and caregivers., Results: Different formulation variables and process parameters were evaluated in preparing ODTs. The technological and morphological characterization and disintegration tests were performed according to official and alternative tests to select the ODT formulation based on the drug Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) coground complex form containing Pearlitol ® Flash as the diluent and 8% Explotab ® as the superdisintegrant, which demonstrated the highest % drug dissolution in simulated saliva and acceptable in vitro palatability assessed by the electronic tongue, confirming the good taste-masking power of HPβCD towards propranolol., Conclusions: Such a new dosage form of propranolol could represent a valid alternative to the common extemporaneous preparations, overcoming the lack of solid formulations of propranolol intended for pediatric use.

Fungi are an alternative source to animal-based chitin. In fungi, chitin fibrils are strongly interconnected and bound with glucans that justify the unique matrix. The present study aimed to extract chitin and glucans from the mycelium of several wood decay fungal strains in order to obtain flexible materials and to check correlations between chitin content and the mechanical properties of these materials. Five strains were chosen in consideration of their different cell wall chemical composition (high content of α-glucans, β-glucans or chitin) to evaluate how these differences could influence the mechanical and chemical characteristics of the material. The fungal strains were cultivated in liquid-submerged dynamic fermentation (both flasks and bioreactor). Chitin and glucans were crosslinked with acetic acid and plasticized with glycerol to obtain flexible sheets. Abortiporus biennis , Fomitopsis iberica and Stereum hirsutum strains were found to adapt to produce material with adequate flexibility. The obtained materials were characterized by Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for the understanding of the material composition. The material obtained from each species was mechanically tested in terms of tear strength, elongation at break, and Young's modulus., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Nordic walking (NW) has several potential benefits for individuals with cardiovascular (CV) disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity and/or overweight. NW improves cardiovascular health, including exercise capacity and blood pressure control. NW enhances glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in diabetes, and aids in weight management and body composition improvement. NW offers additional advantages, such as improvement in muscular strength, joint mobility, physical activity levels, and psychological well-being., Methods: This open-label study with 3 arms will aim to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and adherence to exercise prescription in obese and/or overweight diabetic patients with CV complications. The primary objective will be to assess the CV performance of participants after a 6-month and a 12-month follow-up period, following a 3-month NW intervention, compared with standard rehabilitation, and with cardiological counseling (control group) training lasting 3 months., Results: The results of the study will provide valuable insights into the comparative effectiveness of a NW intervention vs standard rehabilitation and control group training in improving CV performance in obese and/or overweight diabetic patients with CV complications. Additionally, safety and adherence data will help inform the feasibility and sustainability of the exercise prescription over an extended period., Conclusions: These findings may have implications for the development of tailored exercise programs for this specific patient population, with the aim of optimizing CV health outcomes., Clinical Trials Registration: NCT05987410., (© 2024 The Authors.)

High levels of job demands are considered as the main predictor for teachers' exhaustion, but longitudinal studies of the causal effects are few. Recently it has been suggested that research should further explore possible reciprocal relationships between stressors and strain and investigate if work rumination contributes to explain these relationships. In a sample of teachers (n = 1067) using a three-wave design, we hypothesized positive causal effects of job demands (work pace and role conflict) on affective work rumination, and of affective work rumination on exhaustion. We also hypothesized a positive reversed causal effect of exhaustion on affective work rumination, and of affective work rumination on job demands. Furthermore, affective work rumination was expected to mediate the positive causal and reversed causal effects between job demands and exhaustion. The results partly confirmed the expected causal and reversed causal effects. However, affective work rumination was only found to mediate the reversed causal effect of exhaustion and role conflict. Furthermore, a reciprocal relationship was only found between role conflict and exhaustion. The empirical, theoretical, and practical implications of the study are discussed., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Geisler et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)