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Sixty samples from three concrete mixes (same components) were prepared and subjected to frost salt scaling cycles. A set of 20 samples from the same mix was tested according to the French standard XP P18-420. Another set was exposed to different chloride concentrations. Different numbers of freeze/thaw cycles were applied to the last set. The mass of scaled-off particles follows a lognormal distribution. Despite high standard deviation, this scaling test enables to separate high resistant from very low resistant concrete. A combined analysis reveals that the scaling and the chloride penetration front are independent from a phenomenological point of view and that the chloride concentration on the exposed surface directly influences the amount of scaled mass according to the typical pessimum effect. These results raise two main questions: is the amount of chloride on the surface solution a direct or indirect parameter and what happens to this pessimum effect if we take into account the scaling test dispersion?

The NOx storage capacity of a NOx trap catalyst is affected by SO2 poisoning. When the extent of poisoning is low (less than 30% of BaO involved in sulphate formation), it is possible to regenerate the catalyst under reducing conditions and the initial storage capacity can be recovered, even in the presence of some remaining sulphates. When the extent of poisoning is very high, it is more difficult to regenerate the material and the initial NOx storage capacity cannot be recovered, even after long regeneration duration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The human ileum contains a high density of enteroendocrine L-cells, which release the appetite-suppressing hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY) in response to food intake. Recent evidence highlighted the potential role of food structures in PYY release, but the link between food structures, ileal metabolites, and appetite hormone release remains unclear owing to limited access to intact human ileum. In a randomized crossover trial (ISRCTN11327221; isrctn.com), we investigated the role of human ileum in GLP-1 and PYY release by giving healthy volunteers diets differing in fiber and food structure: high-fiber (intact or disrupted food structures) or low-fiber disrupted food structures. We used nasoenteric tubes to sample chyme from the intact distal ileum lumina of humans in the fasted state and every 60 min for 480 min postprandially. We demonstrate the highly dynamic, wide-ranging molecular environment of the ileum over time, with a substantial decrease in ileum bacterial numbers and bacterial metabolites after food intake. We also show that high-fiber diets, independent of food structure, increased PYY release compared with a low-fiber diet during 0 to 240 min postprandially. High-fiber diets also increased ileal stachyose, and a disrupted high-fiber diet increased certain ileal amino acids. Treatment of human ileal organoids with ileal fluids or an amino acid and stachyose mixture stimulated PYY expression in a similar profile to blood PYY concentrations, confirming the role of ileal metabolites in PYY release. Our study demonstrates the diet-induced changes over time in the metabolite environment of intact human ileum, which play a role in PYY release.

Background: Pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain (PLPP) is a common ailment during pregnancy with physical, psychosocial, and economic consequences. Despite being common, prior literature has found that this symptom is widely underreported and therefore undertreated, especially in the United States. The objectives of this study were to determine the proportion of pregnant women who report PLPP during pregnancy to their health care providers (HCPs) and to determine what contributing factors for reporting exist. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey design and was conducted at an academic medical center. All pregnant women attending a prenatal visit in obstetrical offices from July 2018 through March 2020 were asked to complete a questionnaire compiling demographic and socioeconomic information, answer validated survey instruments measuring physical and urinary function, and describe any pain, including intensity, frequency, and whether they told their HCPs about these symptoms and received any treatments. Results: Of the 538 respondents who had PLPP, only 43% ( n  = 233) reported PLPP to their provider. Of those who reported PLPP, 22% ( n  = 51) received treatment, of which 80% ( n  = 41) noted that treatment was effective. Factors that increased the likelihood of informing HCPs about PLPP were difficulty with daily mobility and a greater week of gestation. Conclusions: HCPs should inquire about PLPP throughout pregnancy. Any level of PLPP should be reported and monitored by a patient's HCP, and if it is interfering with activities of daily living, sleeping, or quality of life, it should be treated.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the implemented control measures have impacted the circulation of respiratory-transmitted pathogens. In this report, we present data from a retrospective study that included 17,883 specimens conducted between 2018 and 2022 in our facility, describing the dynamics of circulation of the main respiratory viruses. We observed a significant decrease in all viral detections (other than SARS-CoV-2) starting from March 2020. However, rhinovirus maintained comparable levels to the pre-pandemic period. Additionally, influenza viruses were not detected during the 2020-2021 season, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) exhibited a shift in its seasonality, with an epidemic peak occurring in the summer of 2021., (© 2023 The Authors. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is an important aetiologic agent of respiratory tract infection (RTI). This study aimed to describe the prevalence, genetic diversity, and evolutionary dynamics of HMPV., Methods: Laboratory-confirmed HMPV were characterised based on partial-coding G gene sequences with MEGA.v6.0. WGS was performed with Illumina, and evolutionary analyses with Datamonkey and Nextstrain., Results: HMPV prevalence was 2.5%, peaking in February-April and with an alternation in the predominance of HMPV-A and -B until the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, not circulating until summer and autumn-winter 2021, with a higher prevalence and with the almost only circulation of A2c 111dup . G and SH proteins were the most variable, and 70% of F protein was under negative selection. Mutation rate of HMPV genome was 6.95 × 10 -4 substitutions/site/year., Conclusion: HMPV showed a significant morbidity until the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2020, not circulating again until summer and autumn 2021, with a higher prevalence and with almost the only circulation of A2c 111dup , probably due to a more efficient immune evasion mechanism. The F protein showed a very conserved nature, supporting the need for steric shielding. The tMRCA showed a recent emergence of the A2c variants carrying duplications, supporting the importance of virological surveillance., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest 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., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The cell structure and low glycaemic benefits of pulses are compromised by conventional flour-milling. Cellular chickpea powders ('CCPs') are a new alternative to pulse flours. Here we investigated the in vitro bioaccessibility of essential amino acids ('EAAs') from CCP-enriched bread products and determined the effect of their consumption on serum amino acid responses in healthy humans (n = 20, randomised cross-over design). Breads were prepared with 0, 30 and 60 % of the wheat flour replaced by CCP (intact cells containing encapsulated protein). We found that significant proportion of EAAs from encapsulated protein became bioaccessible during in vitro duodenal digestion, and that in vivo serum EAA responses from healthy human participants were significantly higher following consumption of CCP-enriched breads. Furthermore, the EAA profile of in vitro digestion products were well-correlated with in vivo peak serum EAAs responses. We conclude that CCP-enrichment of wheat bread improved the amount and diversity of bioavailable EAAs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Cathrina Edwards, has patent #WO 2019155190 pending to King’s College London., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Dietary intake of pulses is associated with beneficial effects on body weight management and cardiometabolic health, but some of these effects are now known to depend on integrity of plant cells, which are usually disrupted by flour milling. Novel cellular flours preserve the intrinsic dietary fiber structure of whole pulses and provide a way to enrich preprocessed foods with encapsulated macronutrients., Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effects of replacing wheat flour with cellular chickpea flour on postprandial gut hormones, glucose, insulin, and satiety responses to white bread., Methods: We conducted a double-blind randomized crossover study in which postprandial blood samples and scores were collected from healthy human participants (n = 20) after they consumed bread enriched with 0%, 30%, or 60% (wt/wt) cellular chickpea powder (CCP, 50 g total starch per serving)., Results: Bread type significantly affected postprandial glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY) responses (time × treatment, P = 0.001 for both). The 60% CCP breads elicited significantly elevated and sustained release of these anorexigenic hormones [between 0% and 60% CPP-GLP-1: mean difference incremental area under the curve (iAUC), 3101 pM/min; 95% CI: 1891, 4310; P-adjusted < 0.001; PYY: mean difference iAUC, 3576 pM/min; 95% CI: 1024, 6128; P-adjusted = 0.006] and tended to increase fullness (time × treatment, P = 0.053). Moreover, bread type significantly influenced glycemia and insulinemia (time × treatment, P < 0.001, P = 0.006, and P = 0.001 for glucose, insulin, and C-peptide, respectively), with 30% CCP breads eliciting a >40% lower glucose iAUC (P-adjusted < 0.001) than the 0% CCP bread. Our in vitro studies revealed slow digestion of intact chickpea cells and provide a mechanistic explanation for the physiologic effects., Conclusions: The novel use of intact chickpea cells to replace refined flours in a white bread stimulates an anorexigenic gut hormone response and has potential to improve dietary strategies for prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic diseases. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03994276., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A set of mutant pea lines carrying induced mutations within the major seed-expressed starch-branching enzyme gene has been characterised at the molecular, chemical and agronomic levels. Eight of the induced mutations, three of which predicted a premature stop codon, were compared with the naturally occurring starch-branching enzyme mutation within the same genetic background. Starch, amylose and sugar measurements, coupled with analysis by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-size exclusion chromatography of starches, identified a range of phenotypes which were grouped according to the nature of the mutation. Homology modelling of proteins supported the differences in phenotypes observed. Differences in field performance were evident for selected mutants, particularly in seed yield and mean seed weight traits for early compared with late spring sowings. The data show the potential of an allelic series of mutants at this locus for nutritional studies. CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS: starch, amylose, amylopectin, raffinose, stachyose, verbascose., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The clinical significance of molecular detection of respiratory viruses in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples is poorly defined. We performed an observational retrospective study including all patients who underwent a BAL procedure in our institution, regardless of the reason for bronchoscopy, from January 2015 to December 2018. Respiratory viruses were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction with a commercial multiplex panel, and a cell culture was performed to detect cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus. Positive results were correlated with clinical symptoms and patients' characteristics. Of 540 BAL samples analyzed, 113 (20.9%) were positive for any respiratory virus. Viral detection was significantly associated with respiratory symptoms (83.2% vs. 68.9%, p = .004) and radiological infiltrates (67.3% vs. 52.2%, p = .006). The most frequent viruses detected were rhinovirus (42/113, 37.2%), influenza virus (20/113, 17.7%), and parainfluenza virus (PIV) (16/113, 14.2%). Respiratory pathogens codetections were found in 51/113 (45.1%) BAL samples, including more than one virus (16/51, 31.4%), fungi (8/51, 15.7%), and bacteria (9/51, 17.6%). Viral detection was significantly higher in immunocompromised patients (26.5% vs. 16.9%; p = .022). PIV and human metapneumovirus were mostly observed in lung (50.0%, 8/16) and hemopoietic transplant recipients (25%, 2/8), respectively, with clinical repercussions. Our data underline that molecular diagnosis allows identification of viral agents as the etiology of respiratory infections; however, the high frequency of codetections hinders identification of the agent responsible for the current respiratory symptomatology. Immunocompromised patients are the target population in whom to investigate the presence of respiratory viruses in their BAL samples., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objectives: This study focused on the role that BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) genotypes can play in the development of BKPyV-associated complications in renal transplant recipients., Methods: A retrospective observational study (January 2015 to April 2018) was conducted by analyzing BKPyV genotypes in 180 blood samples with detectable BKPyV viral load (VL) > 1000 copies/mL, from 63 renal transplant recipients. VL and BKPyV genotypes detections were based on real-time PCR (rt-PCR)-specific assays., Results: Forty-four patients (44/63 [69.8%]) were men, and the median age was 55.0 (interquartile range 49.0-66.0 years). Eleven patients had clinical manifestations (11/63 [17.5%]). The most frequently detected genotypes were I (14/63 [22.2%]) and II (13/63 [20.6%]). Half of the patients (33/63 [52.4%]) had a mixed genotype, most with genotypes I and II (25/33 [75.8%]). Patients with infection by mixed genotypes showed VLs that were detected earlier (in the first year after transplantation) than those with a single genotype (25/33 [75.8%] vs 13/30 [43.3%], P = .009) and demonstrated greater risk of developing clinical manifestations associated with BKPyV (odds ratio 12.609, 95% confidence interval 1.503-105.807). Moreover, patients with first BKPyV VL > 10 000 copies/mL more frequently presented mixed genotypes (12/16 [75.0%] vs 21/47 [44.7%], P = .036)., Conclusions: The probability of developing clinical manifestations is higher in infections by mixed genotypes. Therefore, the detection of BKPyV genotypes by rt-PCR can provide relevant information to stratify patients' risk of BKPyV-associated complications and guide the clinical management of BKPyV infection in kidney transplant recipients., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The global rise in obesity and type 2 diabetes has generated significant interest in regulating the glycaemic impact of staple foods. Wheat breads (white or wholemeal) are popular staples, but have a high-glycaemic index, due to the highly digestible wheat starch. Reducing the glycaemic potency of white bread is challenging because the bread-making conditions are mostly conducive to starch gelatinisation. Cellular legume powders are a new source of type 1 resistant starch, where the starch is encapsulated by dietary fibre in the form of intact plant cell walls. The starch in these cell powders is less susceptible to gelatinisation and digestion than starch in conventional legume flours. However, legume cell resilience to baking conditions and the effects of this ingredient on glycaemic responses and product quality are unknown. Here we show that the integrity of cell wall fibre in chickpea powder was preserved on baking and this led to a ~40% reduction in in vivo glycaemic responses (iAUC 120 ) to white bread rolls (~50 g available carbohydrate and 12 g wheat protein per serving) when 30% or 60% (w/w) of the wheat flour was replaced with intact cell powder. Significant reductions in glycaemic responses were achieved without adverse effects on bread texture, appearance or palatability. Starch digestibility analysis and microscopy confirmed the importance of cell integrity in attenuating glycaemic responses. Alternative processing methods that preserve cell integrity are a new, promising way to provide healthier low glycaemic staple foods; we anticipate that this will improve dietary options for diabetes care., Competing Interests: There are no immediate conflicts of interest. The methods of preparation of chickpea cell powder (as PulseON®) is covered by a published international patent application but is not commercialised. The patent is authored by CE and PE. SB receives consultancy and shares from ZOE Global Ltd. The other authors [BB, AP, PR, JAJ, NPM, AS, CS, CB] have no conflicts of interest to declare., (© 2020 The Author(s).)

Elevated postprandial glucose (PPG) is a significant risk factor for non-communicable diseases globally. Currently, there is a limited understanding of how starch structures within a carbohydrate-rich food matrix interact with the gut luminal environment to control PPG. Here, we use pea seeds (Pisum sativum) and pea flour, derived from two near-identical pea genotypes (BC1/19RR and BC1/19rr) differing primarily in the type of starch accumulated, to explore the contribution of starch structure, food matrix and intestinal environment to PPG. Using stable isotope 13 C-labelled pea seeds, coupled with synchronous gastric, duodenal and plasma sampling in vivo, we demonstrate that maintenance of cell structure and changes in starch morphology are closely related to lower glucose availability in the small intestine, resulting in acutely lower PPG and promotion of changes in the gut bacterial composition associated with long-term metabolic health improvements., (© 2020. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Background: Retrospective diagnosis of congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection may be challenging mainly because of the high variable sensitivity of PCR on dried blood spots (DBS) samples., Objectives: To compare cytomegalovirus (CMV) viral load (VL) values in different samples obtained at birth from infants with cCMV infection. To evaluate dried umbilical cord (DUC) samples as an alternative to DBS., Study Design: Saliva and/or urine, peripheral blood (PB), and DBS from 16 infants with confirmed cCMV infection were collected at birth. CMV VL were determined by DNA extraction and real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR). In two cases, VL was determined from DUC samples., Results: Six (37.5 %) of the 16 infants were symptomatic, and 10 (62.5 %) were asymptomatic. The CMV VL found in saliva (median: 1,958,525 [IQR: 597,683-3,483,843] IU/mL) and in urine (median: 691,865 [IQR: 188,489.5-3,175,696] UI/mL) were both higher than those found in PB (median: 1115 [IQR: 364-4,002] IU/mL), p: 0.0001). Symptomatic infants presented 100 % of detectable VL in PB and 50 % in DBS. Asymptomatic infants showed 75 % of detectable VL in PB and 30 % in DBS. The VL in DUC were 22,341, 9754 IU/mL and 994 IU/mL., Conclusions: When VL was detectable in PB, the values were lower than in saliva or urine, in both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases of cCMV. The low sensitivity in DBS samples could be due to low blood volume content, making CMV VL undetectable even when using optimised extraction and PCR protocols. In our limited experience, DUC could play a complementary diagnostic role when DBS VL is undetectable., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interests The authors declare no competing interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of preparation method and particle size on digestion of starch in fresh and dry pasta types. Pasta samples were boiled, refrigerated and re-heated, with samples collected after each stage, and then prepared as small (2 mm) and large (5 mm) particles for subsequent starch digestibility testing and logarithm of slope analyses. There were significant main effects of particle size (F 1,24 = 568.895, p < 0.001, η p 2 = 0.960) and processing treatment (F 2,24 = 19.897, p < 0.001 η p 2 = 0.624) on starch digestibility overall, however the main effect of pasta type was not significant at the p < 0.05 level (F 1,24 = 2.978, p = 0.097, η p 2 = 0.110). Particle size had the largest effect on digestibility, and the extent of starch digestion was at least 50% lower in samples prepared as large particles compared with small particles. The most digestible sample was the boiled fresh-type pasta prepared as small particles (C ∞ = 57.9%) and cold storage alone and/or with subsequent re-heating significantly reduced the extent of digestion in this sample to ∼40.6%. In the dry pasta type, processing treatment had no significant effects on starch digestibility. The rate constant, k, was not significantly altered by processing treatment or pasta type (k = 0.0275 min -1 , mean of all samples). These findings suggest that cold-storage and re-heating treatments have limited potential to impact on glycaemic responses and highlight the importance of masticated particle size as a potential rate-limiting factor in digestibility studies.

Scope: The majority of ingested flavanols reach the colon where they are catabolized by the microbiota to form hydroxyphenyl-γ-valerolactones (HGVLs). It is not known if the HGVLs are catabolic products of monomeric (epi)catechins (EPC), oligomeric procyanidins (OPCs), or both. Using data from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial the relative contributions of catechins and OPC to the bioavailable pool of HGVLs are estimated., Methods and Results: Participants ingested an apple extract once daily for 28 days that delivered the following: i) 70 mg EPC and 65 mg OPC (low dose EPC), ii) 140 mg EPC and 130 mg OPC (high dose EPC), iii) 6 mg EPC and 130 mg OPC (OPC), and iv) a placebo control. Urine is collected over a 24-h period before and after treatments. The median urinary excretion of HGVLs after ingestion of the high dose EPC is tenfold higher than that excreted after ingestion of the OPC that provided an equivalent dose of PC. Approximately 22% of catechins are converted to HGVLs in contrast to PC, for which there is limited conversion., Conclusion: Monomeric catechins are efficiently converted to derived HGVLs that are absorbed and excreted in human urine, whereas oligomeric PCs are much less efficiently converted., (© 2020 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Respiratory viral infections are the most frequent clinical syndrome affecting both children and adults, and early detection is fundamental to avoid infection-related risks and reduce the healthcare costs incurred by unnecessary antibiotic treatments. In this study, performance characteristics of two commercial methods, the Panther Fusion® assay (Hologic Inc., San Diego, CA, USA) were compared to Allplex™ respiratory panels (Seegene, Seoul, South Korea) for the detection of influenza A (Flu A), influenza B (Flu B), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV), rhinovirus (RV) and adenovirus (AdV) targets. A total of 865 specimens collected prospectively and retrospectively were included, and discordant results were further examined using another commercial product, R-GENE™ respiratory kits (bioMérieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France). There was high agreement between both methods, with 98.6% concordance and a kappa (k) value of 0.9 (95% CI: 0.89-0.92). A specific analysis of both methods for each viral agent demonstrated comparable sensitivity and specificity, both ranging from 0.83 to 1 with good predictive values for the prospective part of the study. Good agreement between both methods was also found for the κ values obtained (ranging from 97.55% to 98.9%), with the lowest for hMPV (k = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.75-0.91) and RV (k = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.65-0.81). Amplification efficiency, measured according to the value of the cycle threshold (Ct) obtained in each of the amplifications in both tests, was significantly better with Panther Fusion for Flu A, Flu B, hMPV and RV. Regarding discordant results, R-GENE showed higher agreement with Panther Fusion-positive specimens (negative for Allplex; n = 28/71, 34.9%) than with Allplex-positive samples (negative for Panther Fusion; n = 7/49, 14.3%). In summary, Panther Fusion proved to be a more efficient fully-automated methodology, requiring shorter hands-on and turnaround times than Allplex., Competing Interests: Rafael Delgado has received research grants from Beckman, Hologic and Roche, and has participated in Advisory Boards for Abbott and Hologic. The following authors have received speaking honoraria from Hologic: L.F. and R.D. The following authors have received paid travel to conference from Hologic: L.F. and R.D. Research grants, speaking honoraria, and paid travel were not in relation to the work presented in this manuscript This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Automation of viral diagnosis has led to an increase of BK virus (BKV) viral load (VL) requests. The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of serum creatinine (SCr) for controlling the demand and to study the clinical characteristics of BKV infection. This is a retrospective study including patients with BKV VL request during April-July 2017. Clinical records and SCr were analyzed. Five hundred samples from 333 patients were included; 61.4% of samples were from males (55.5 ± 14.8 years), and all belonged to transplant recipients (86.4% renal). BKV VL was detectable in 40 samples (8.0%) from 23 patients (6.9%), who presented high SCr (100% vs. 90.9%, P = 0.038). Most of detectable VLs (62.5%) belonged to patients in their first year post-transplant. Six patients with detectable VL (26.1%) developed clinical manifestations, most of them (83.3%) had a first BKV VL greater than 10,000 copies/mL (P = 0.001). In conclusion, SCr would be useful to identify suitable specimens for BKV VL testing without missing cases.

There is currently great interest in increasing provisions of healthier carbohydrate foods, particularly those that possess a low Glycaemic Index (GI) when measured in vivo. The metabolic response to many starch-rich foods is driven largely by differences in the rate and extent of starch amylolysis. Enzyme-kinetic parameters obtained from high-throughput in vitro amylolysis assays therefore have potential for rapid prediction of GI for starch-rich foods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a starch digestibility screening method and resulting enzyme-kinetic parameters in comparing and predicting the GI of a range of carbohydrate-rich foods. Starch-rich foods (n = 20) with GI ranging from 36 to 81 were digested by porcine pancreatic α-amylase for 90 min under a fixed enzyme-substrate ratio (4 U/10 mg starch) at 37 °C on a rotary mixer. Starch digestion progress was determined by quantification of reducing sugar concentration in aliquots collected throughout the incubation. Indices of starch digestibility (C 20 , C 60 , C 90 , HI, C ∞ , and k) were obtained and compared with GI values. Digestibility curves revealed differences in the starch amylolysis for the broad range of foods tested. In vitro starch digestibility indices were significantly correlated (p < 0.01) with GI, with the exception of the rate constant, k. Out of all the indices tested, C 90 and C ∞ were the most strongly correlated with in vivo rankings for GI of matched food products (T b = 0.596, p < 0.001 and T b = 0.599, p < 0.01, respectively), however the digestibility plots obtained for some of the more slowly digested foods were linear over 90 min meaning that C ∞ and k could not be obtained from first order kinetic analysis. C 90 was most strongly correlated with the absolute GI values (r = 0.724, p < 0.001). Overall starch digestibility profiles reflected differences in starch amylolysis for food with varying GI, and C 90 provided the best indication of absolute and relative GI values across all product categories. The in vitro starch digestibility screening method shows potential for rapid prediction of GI values and is recommended for early stage food product development and for mechanistic studies.

Some polyphenols have been shown to inhibit, at physiological levels, the VEGF-induced VEGF receptor-2 signaling that causes angiogenesis, allegedly by direct interaction with VEGF and reducing the binding to its receptor VEGFR2. Surface plasmon resonance was used to measure the parameters of binding between VEGF and polyphenols as well as the nature of the interactions by assessing the effect of physico-chemical changes in the solution. CD spectrometry was used to determine any change in the secondary structure of the protein upon binding. The kinetic parameters (k a , k d , and K D ) that characterise the binding to VEGF were measured for both inhibitor and non-inhibitor polyphenolic molecules. The effect of changes in the physico-chemical conditions of the solution where the binding occurred indicated that the nature of the interactions between VEGF and EGCG was predominantly of a hydrophobic nature. CD studies suggested that a change in the secondary structure of the protein occurred upon binding. Direct interaction and binding between VEGF and polyphenol molecules acting as inhibitors of the signaling of VEGFR2 has been measured for the first time. The binding between VEGF and EGCG seemed to be based on hydrophobic interactions and caused a change in the secondary structure of the protein.