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Background Health systems globally promote appropriate prescribing by healthcare providers and safe and effective medicine use by consumers. Rx for Change, a publicly available database, provides access to systematic reviews regarding best practices for prescribing and using medicines. Despite the value of the database for improving prescribing and medicine use, its use remains suboptimal. This study aimed to develop a training program for five medicine-focused organisations in Canada and Australia to facilitate the use and understanding of the Rx for Change database. Methods Four steps were undertaken: 1) key informant interviews were completed across all organisations to understand the knowledge user perspective; 2) a directed content analysis was completed of the interview transcripts and proposed training was developed; 3) a second round of feedback on the proposed training by knowledge users was gathered; and 4) feedback was integrated to develop the final training. Results Sixteen key informant interviews with knowledge users were conducted. Themes for training content included the scope of, navigation and strategies for using Rx for Change (generic content) and practical examples on incorporating evidence within their workplace context (tailored content). The final training consisted of an informational video, a 60-minute face-to-face workshop and two post-training reminders. Conclusions A method of engaging knowledge users in the development of a training program to improve the use of an on-line database of systematic reviews was established and used to design training. Next steps include the delivery and evaluation of the training.

Dairy beverages were produced from milk protein and fortified with linseed oil, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Polyphenol extract was obtained from passion fruit seeds (PFSE) and added to beverages to prevent lipid oxidation. Three passion fruit polyphenol concentrations (0, 0.1 and 1.0 g/kg) were tested and two thermal treatments (pasteurization and sterilization) were applied to dairy beverages. Emulsion stability was measured and lipid oxidation was determined during storage and during simulated digestion. Production of conjugated dienes and aldehydes (propanal and 4-hydroxyhexanal) during storage was significantly reduced in the presence of PFSE and sterilization treatment further increased the resistance to oxidation. During simulated digestion, pasteurized beverages were prone to oxidation, and the addition of PFSE (1.0 g/kg) reduced the formation of propanal and 4-hydroxyhexanal by 85% and 88% respectively. In the absence of PFSE, sterilization treatment reduced aldehyde production during digestion of dairy beverages by more than 70%, which was attributed to the formation of Maillard reaction products. For sterilized beverages, adding PFSE to the formulation only had limited impact on aldehyde formation. These results showed the potential of PFSE and heat treatments to enhance the oxidation stability of beverages containing omega-3 fatty acids.

The addition of propolis to food formulations containing conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) can improve nutritional properties and stability during storage. The purpose of this study was to enrich dairy beverages with both CLA and Canadian propolis extracts and to determine the chemical characteristics of the enriched beverages, with a focus on antioxidant properties and protection against lipid oxidation. Analysis of DPPH, ORAC, color and aldehyde production along with CLA quantification was performed. Adding different propolis extracts increased the antioxidant capacity of dairy beverages enriched with CLA, while pasteurization treatment reduced the antioxidant capacity. The production of aldehydes during storage under light exposure was reduced significantly in the presence of propolis extracts. Since no nutritional loss was observed during processing and storage of dairy beverages, the main advantage of using propolis extract relates to its higher antioxidant capacity and ability to reduce off-flavors associated with aldehyde production.

A headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method was developed to quantify lemon oil components and their degradation products in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions prepared with sodium caseinate-heated-lactose (NaC-T + Lact) glycoconjugates as wall materials at two pH values (3.0 and 6.8). NaC-T + Lact conjugates had a significantly lower solubility at both pHs. Hydrolysis prior to glycation enhanced the solubility of glycoconjugates. Glycation with lactose did not improve the emulsion activity of NaC, while caseinate glycoconjugates showed much stronger antioxidant activity than the NaC-control sample. This might be due to the presence of melanoidins formed between the sugar and amino acid compounds as supported by the increase in browning intensity. Among the SPME-fibres tested, carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (CAR/PDMS) provided better results in terms of sensitivity and selectivity for oil lemon components and their degradation products. Storage studies of these emulsions demonstrated that glycated NaC-T + Lact showed protection against peroxidation compared to the control. However, acidic pH conditions altered their stability over storage time. The major off-flavor components (α-terpineol and carvone) were inhibited in emulsions stabilized with glycated NaC, particularly at pH 6.8. The use of NaC-T + Lact conjugates showed improved encapsulation efficiency and stability and could be used as potential food ingredient-emulsifiers for stabilising citrus oils against oxidative degradation in food and beverage applications.

Background: Suboptimal prescribing and medications use is a problem for health systems globally. Systematic reviews are a comprehensive resource that can help guide evidence-informed decision-making and implementation of interventions addressing such issues; however, a barrier to the use of systematic reviews is their inaccessibility (due to both dispersion across journals and inaccessibility of content). Publicly available databases, such as Rx for Change, provide quick access to summaries of appraised systematic reviews of professional and consumer-oriented interventions to improve prescribing behaviour and appropriate medication use, and may help maximise the use of evidence to inform decisions. The present study aims to evaluate a training program to improve attitudes towards, confidence in skills, intentions to use, and use of systematic review evidence contained within Rx for Change. Methods: Guided by the Knowledge to Action framework, a training program with content customised to local provider and consumer contexts was developed with knowledge user input. The training program consisted of a 6 minute information video, a 1 hour workshop with hands-on, interactive and didactic components, and two post-training reminders. Forty-nine people from five medicines-focused organisations in Canada and Australia attended one of six workshops. Participants were surveyed immediately pre and post and 3 months after training to evaluate their attitudes towards, confidence in skills, intentions to use, and use of Rx for Change, and attitudes towards and confidence in skills for using evidence for decision-making. Analyses for differences for each of the outcomes at three time points (pre, post and 3 months after training) was performed using a random effects model. Results: Immediately post-training, there were higher respondent attitudes towards Rx for Change (mean increase = 0.54 out of 5, 95% CI, 0.18-0.83, P < 0.005); intention to use Rx for Change (0.53, 95% CI, 0.21-0.86, P < 0.005); confidence in skills for using Rx for Change (2.08, 95% CI, 1.74-2.42, P < 0.005); and confidence in skills for using evidence in policy decision-making (0.50, 95% CI, 0.22-0.77, P < .005) compared to pre-training. Confidence in skills for using both Rx for Change and evidence were maintained 3 months after training (both P < 0.005). Conclusions: Participants of this training program reported sustained improvements in their confidence in skills for using evidence in policy decision-making. This may have important implications for uptake of systematic review evidence promoting improved prescribing and medication use.

This study describes an extraction process for the preparation of highly purified calcium precipitated glycinin (11S). Initial extraction of soy proteins using isoelectric precipitation at pH 6.8 followed by cryo-precipitation yielded 4.2% product (11S) recovery with 98% protein purity for the control extracted with NaOH. Addition of calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) doubled the extraction yield (9%) compared to the control and when two other salts were used (i.e., sodium (Na 2 SO 4 ) and ammonium (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 sulfate, average yields of 4.4% and 5.17%, respectively). Thermal and molecular stability under varying conditions (pH, salts, SDS as a protein structure perturbing agent), and effect of glycation on functional and structural properties were investigated. Size exclusion chromatography and electrophoresis confirmed the predominance of a major band with MW of ∼342 kDa with 98.4% purity. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) yielded one endothermic transition peak at 95.5 °C. Denaturation temperatures were >100 °C for all salt concentrations studied. The pH had a dominant influence on the structural properties of glycinin. In the presence of NaCl and CaCl 2 (0.2–1 M), the protein structure showed very little denaturation and no aggregation bands were observed even on heating to 95 °C. Lower SDS concentrations (0.5–1%) resulted in denaturation and aggregation, while at 2% SDS only denaturation was observed. Glycation did not alter the conformational structure of protein. Improvements in surface properties were observed with moderate degree of glycation (6–24 h).

Soy isoflavones are phytochemicals of intense interest due to their association with a variety of health protective effects. Analytical techniques to identify and quantify these compounds vary in accuracy, reproducibility and sensitivity. In this study, solvent extraction efficiencies, and the effect of replicate extractions, and sonication on the isoflavone content of two soy products (high and low protein content) were evaluated. The later study was conducted to determine the effect of protein content on isoflavone extractability. Repeated extractions (up to five sequential extractions) of soy meal sample increased the total concentration of isoflavones by 74%, 69% and 65%, using acetonitrile–HCl, methanol and ethanol. The increment for soy protein isolate was 147%, 103% and 105%, respectively. Sonication of both samples in the three solvents for 15 min extracted as much isoflavones as the total of the five sequential extractions. These results strongly indicates that, a one step extraction without sonication can markedly under-estimate the concentration of isoflavones in foods, and that protein content of foods may have a marked impact on isoflavone extractability.

The rate of haze formation in commercial clarified apple juice stored at 4, 25 and 37°C was monitored over a 16 to 35-week storage period. Changes in turbidity, tannin content and browning index were evaluated. The juice appeared virtually clear and had very little colloidal particles during the initial stages of storage. After 24 weeks, an increase in turbidity of 2.32 NTU was observed for juice samples stored at 37°C. An increase of 0.58 and 0.95 NTU was observed for samples stored at 25 and 4°C, respectively. There was a general decrease in tannin content and an increase in browning index with storage; this effect was most pronounced for samples stored at 37°C. The rate of haze formation and tannin depletion in juice samples followed first-order reaction kinetics. Light and headspace did not affect haze formation. NaCl and CaCl2 increased haze development while sucrose (up to 60%), urea (0.5 M), and EDTA (up to 0.01 M) had little effect. Addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate retarded haze formation.

Alkylated γ-spirolactones were prepared in one-step reactions in high yields from butane-1,4-diyl and pentane-1,5 diyldimagnesium dibromides and substituted cyclic anhydrides in tetrahydrofuran. In the light of experimental findings electronic and steric factors influence the regiospecificity of this reaction.

Largely different product distributions were observed on the action of various carboxylic esters with 1,4-di(bromomagnesio)butane and its homologue 1,5-di(bromomagnesio)pentane. The much larger yields of reduction product with the latter are the evidence for the structural geometric requirements for the annelation step.

The reaction of the di(bromomagnesio)alkanes BrMg[CH2]4MgBr and BrMg[CH2]5MgBr with cyclic anhydrides produces spirolactones in one step in good yield.

The reaction of the di(bromomagnesio)alkanes BrMg[CH2]4MgBr and BrMg[CH2]5MgBr with cyclic anhydrides produces spirolactones in one step in good yield.