Formation of acrylamide in microwave-roasted sorghum and associated dietary risk

The effect of microwave roasting parameters (300, 450 and 600 W; 5, 10 and 15 min) on acrylamide content in sorghum grain was determined using High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)-photo diode array (PDA) detector coupled with C-18 column. Samples roasted at 300 and 450 W did not possess acrylamide, whereas 600 W (15 min) favoured formation of 2740.19 µg/kg of acrylamide, levels far exceeding the defined European Union (EU) limits. The chronic daily intake (CDI) for acrylamide through consumption of such grain flour was 3.25–9.5-fold higher to Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) defined high exposure limits. The margin of exposure (MOE) values ranged from 4.3 to 12.76 and from 11.07 to 32.27 for neoplastic and neurological effects, respectively, demonstrating high exposure and serious health concerns associated with dietary intake of this toxicant. This study assesses the risk for the Indian population and highlights the importance of optimising process parameters for food product to minimise such exposure risks.     

Structural health monitoring system based on multi-agent coordination and fusion for large structure

In practical applications of structural health monitoring technology, a large number of distributed sensors are usually adopted to monitor the big dimension structures and different kinds of damage. The monitored structures are usually divided into different sub-structures and monitored by different sensor sets. Under this situation, how to manage the distributed sensor set and fuse different methods to obtain a fast and accurate evaluation result is an important problem to be addressed deeply. In the paper, a multi-agent fusion and coordination system is presented to deal with the damage identification for the strain distribution and joint failure in the large structure. Firstly, the monitoring system is adopted to distributedly monitor two kinds of damages, and it self-judges whether the static load happens in the monitored sub-region, and focuses on the static load on the sub-region boundary to obtain the sensor network information with blackboard model. Then, the improved contract net protocol is used to dynamically distribute the damage evaluation module for monitoring two kinds of damage uninterruptedly. Lastly, a reliable assessment for the whole structure is given by combing various heterogeneous classifiers strengths with voting-based fusion. The proposed multi-agent system is illustrated through a large aerospace aluminum plate structure experiment. The result shows that the method can significantly improve the monitoring performance for the large-scale structure.     

Consumer perception of extruded snacks containing brown rice and dried mushroom

Effects of mushroom type, seasoning and health benefit information (HBI) on consumers’ saltiness expectation, sensory liking, elicited emotions and purchase intent (PI) of extruded snacks were investigated. Five snacks were evaluated: straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) extrudates without (SME) or with seasoning (SMES), phoenix mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius) extrudates without (PME) or with seasoning (PMES), and the control without mushroom and seasoning. Hedonic scores and positive emotions were generally higher for seasoned mushroom-containing snacks (SMES and PMES) with 65% and 75.83% of consumers reporting willingness to purchase, respectively, after receiving HBI. Bored, interested and satisfied were identified as significant emotional predictors for PI odds. Flavour, saltiness, overall liking, bored, good and interested were critical attributes, differentiating snacks. This study demonstrated that sensory liking and PI of extruded brown rice-based snacks containing mushroom could be improved through savoury seasoning addition, which also allowed saltiness expectations to be met.     

Association of Dietary Phytosterols with Cardiovascular Disease Biomarkers in Humans

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Elevated concentrations of serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are major lipid biomarkers that contribute to the risk of CVD. Phytosterols well known for their cholesterol-lowering ability, are non-nutritive compounds that are naturally found in plant-based foods and can be classified into plant sterols and plant stanols. Numerous clinical trials demonstrated that 2 g phytosterols per day have LDL-C lowering efficacy ranges of 8–10%. Some observational studies also showed an inverse association between phytosterols and LDL-C reduction. Beyond the cholesterol-lowering beneficial effects of phytosterols, the association of phytosterols with CVD risk events such as coronary artery disease and premature atherosclerosis in sitosterolemia patients have also been reported. Furthermore, there is an increasing demand to determine the association of circulating phytosterols with vascular health biomarkers such as arterial stiffness biomarkers. Therefore, this review aims to examine the ability of phytosterols for CVD risk prevention by reviewing the current data that looks at the association between dietary phytosterols intake and serum lipid biomarkers, and the impact of circulating phytosterols level on vascular health biomarkers. The clinical studies in which the impact of phytosterols on vascular function is investigated show minor but beneficial phytosterols effects over vascular health. The aforementioned vascular health biomarkers are pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, and arterial blood pressure. The current review will serve to begin to address the research gap that exists between the association of dietary phytosterols with CVD risk biomarkers.     

Dietary advanced glycation end‐products: Perspectives linking food processing with health implications

Dietary advanced glycation end products (dAGEs) are complex and heterogeneous compounds derived from nonenzymatic glycation reactions during industrial processing and home cooking. There is mounting evidence showing that dAGEs are closely associated with various chronic diseases, where the absorbed dAGEs fuel the biological AGEs pool to exhibit noxious effects on human health. Currently, due to the uncertain bioavailability and rapid renal clearance of dAGEs, the relationship between dAGEs and biological AGEs remains debatable. In this review, we provide the most updated information on dAGEs including their generation in processed foods, analytical and characterization techniques, metabolic fates, interaction with AGE receptors, implications on human health and reducing strategies. Available evidence demonstrating a relevance between dAGEs and food allergy is also included. AGEs are ubiquitous in foods and their contents largely depend on the reactivity of carbonyl and amino groups, along with surrounding condition mainly pH and heating procedures. Once being digested and absorbed into the circulation, two separate pathways can be involved in the deleterious effects of dAGEs: an AGE receptor‐dependent way to stimulate cell signals, and an AGE receptor‐independent way to dysregulate proteins via forming complexes. Inhibition of AGEs formation during food processing and reduction in the diet are two potent approaches to restrict health‐hazardous dAGEs. To elucidate the biological role of dAGEs toward human health, the following significant perspectives are raised: molecular size and complexity of dAGEs; interactions between unabsorbed dAGEs and gut microbiota; and roles played by concomitant compounds in the heat‐processed foods.     

Skeletal Muscle Health and Cognitive Function: A Narrative Review

Sarcopenia is the loss of skeletal muscle mass and function with advancing age. It involves both complex genetic and modifiable risk factors, such as lack of exercise, malnutrition and reduced neurological drive. Cognitive decline refers to diminished or impaired mental and/or intellectual functioning. Contracting skeletal muscle is a major source of neurotrophic factors, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which regulate synapses in the brain. Furthermore, skeletal muscle activity has important immune and redox effects that modify brain function and reduce muscle catabolism. The identification of common risk factors and underlying mechanisms for sarcopenia and cognition may allow the development of targeted interventions that slow or reverse sarcopenia and also certain forms of cognitive decline. However, the links between cognition and skeletal muscle have not been elucidated fully. This review provides a critical appraisal of the literature on the relationship between skeletal muscle health and cognition. The literature suggests that sarcopenia and cognitive decline share pathophysiological pathways. Ageing plays a role in both skeletal muscle deterioration and cognitive decline. Furthermore, lifestyle risk factors, such as physical inactivity, poor diet and smoking, are common to both disorders, so their potential role in the muscle–brain relationship warrants investigation.     

Symptoms and risks for musculoskeletal disorders among male and female footwear industry workers

BackgroundConsidering the growing participation of woman in the labor market and the high prevalence of the musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the footwear industry workers, the aim of this study was to evaluate and compare female and male footwear industry workers in relation to their demographics, occupational characteristics, stress levels, MSD symptoms prevalence, physical activity levels, alcohol and tobacco use.MethodsThe study included 175 female and 182 male footwear industry workers. Data was collected using the Perceived Stress Scale – 10, the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and the Fagerstrom test for Nicotine Dependence.ResultsThe female workers were younger, had less time in the company and in the current job. They reported more stress (p = 0.001), had less time for physical activity (p = 0.004), higher prevalence of MSD symptoms in the last 12 months (p = 0.003), and consumed less alcohol (p = 0.006) than the male workers.ConclusionsFemale and male footwear industry workers presented significant differences in their demographics, occupational characteristics, stress levels, MSD prevalence, physical activity levels, alcohol and tobacco use. These differences should be taken into consideration in the implementation of intervention programs for optimum outcomes.Relevance to industryFemale footwear industry workers were more stressed, presented higher prevalence of MSD symptoms, and reported less time for physical activity than male footwear industry workers. The differences between male and female workers should be taken into consideration in the implementation of MSD prevention programs.     

Sleep Disorders Reduce Health-Related Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis (Nottingham Health Profile Data in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis)

Quality of Life (QoL) is decreased in multiple sclerosis (MS), but studies about the impact of sleep disorders (SD) on health-related quality of Life (HRQoL) are lacking. From our original cohort, a cross-sectional polysomnographic (PSG) study in consecutive MS patients, we retrospectively analysed the previously unpublished data of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). Those MS patients suffering from sleep disorders (n = 49) showed significantly lower HRQoL compared to MS patients without sleep disorders (n = 17). Subsequently, we classified the patients into four subgroups: insomnia (n = 17), restless-legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder and SD due to leg pain (n = 24), obstructive sleep apnea (n = 8) and patients without sleep disorder (n = 17). OSA and insomnia patients showed significantly higher NHP values and decreased HRQoL not only for the sleep subscale but also for the “energy” and “emotional” area of the NHP. In addition, OSA patients also showed increased NHP values in the “physical abilities” area. Interestingly, we did not find a correlation between the objective PSG parameters and the subjective sleep items of the NHP. However, this study demonstrates that sleep disorders can reduce HRQoL in MS patients and should be considered as an important confounder in all studies investigating HRQoL in MS.