Does garlic have a role as an antidiabetic agent?

Diabetes affects a large segment of the population worldwide, and the prevalence of this disease is rapidly increasing. Despite the availability of medication for diabetes, traditional remedies are desirable and are currently being investigated. Garlic (Allium sativum), which is a common cooking spice and has a long history as a folk remedy, has been reported to have antidiabetic activity. However, there is no general agreement on the use of garlic for antidiabetic purposes, primarily because of a lack of scientific evidence from human studies and inconsistent data from animal studies. The validity of data from previous studies of the hypoglycemic effect of garlic in diabetic animals and the preventive effects of garlic on diabetes complications are discussed in this review. The role of garlic as both an insulin secretagogue and as an insulin sensitizer is reviewed. Evidence suggests that garlic's antioxidative, antiinflammatory, and antiglycative properties are responsible for garlic's role in preventing diabetes progression and the development of diabetes-related complications. Large-scale clinical studies with diabetic patients are warranted to confirm the usefulness of garlic in the treatment and prevention of diabetes.     

Losses of the parallel-plate dielectric resonator

The various loss aspects of the parallel-plate microwave dielectric resonator for the TE_01delta mode is studied from a modified field model. The main merit of this field model is that it provides very simple electromagnetic field expressions of this field mode. Various methods of calculation of losses are discussed. The analyses of the calculated results of conductor and radiation losses are given. The relationship of the loss with the dimensions of the device is introduced. By conducting practical measurements to compare with theoretical calculation results, this modified model has shown dramatic improvement over the unmodified model. The dielectric loss measurement by using this parallel-plate dielectric resonator is also studied.     

Optimal parallel machines scheduling with machine availability and eligibility constraints

In reality, the machine might become unavailable due to machine breakdowns or various inevitable reasons, and machine might have different capability to processing job. Motivated by this, we consider the problem of scheduling n non-preemptive and independent jobs on m identical machines incorporating machine availability and eligibility constraints while minimizing the maximum lateness. Each machine is capable of processing at specific availability intervals. We develop a branch and bound algorithm applying several immediate selection rules for solving this scheduling problem.     

Survival of Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella spp. on Catfish Fillets Exposed to Microwave Heating in a Continuous Mode

Microwave (MW) heating using continuous power output with feedback control and a modified ingredient formulation may provide better and consistent cooking of foods. Currently, household units with build-in inverter power supply units are available. These new generation MW ovens provide continuous, adjustable output and cooking, in contrast to the traditional rectifier-based ovens that rely on the on-off mechanism for control. This study attempted to apply a feedback power control (termed as modified or "smart" MW oven) and phosphate treatment to further improve heating uniformity and enhance food quality and safety. Listeria monocytogenes (Lm, 4-strain cocktail), Escherichia coli O157:H7 (Ec, 5-strain cocktail), and Salmonella spp. (Sal, 6-strain cocktail), surface inoculated onto catfish fillets (75 × 100 × 15 mm; weight 110 g), were heated using the modified MW oven to study the inactivation of the pathogens. The sensitivity of these 3 bacteria to MW heating was in the order of Ec (most), Lm, and Sal (least). Greater than 4 to 5 log CFU reductions of Ec, Lm, or Sal counts on catfish fillet surfaces were inactivated within 2 min of 1250 W MW heating, where the fillet surface temperature increased from 10 to 20 °C to 80 to 90 °C. MW heating caused degradation of catfish fillet texture, which was noticeable as early as 10 to 15 s after the heating started, as evidenced by bumping sounds. Bumping can be significantly reduced by soaking fillets in phosphate solution. However, the results may need verification if applied in different MW ovens and/or with foods positioned away the geometric oven center. This study successfully demonstrated the feasibility of applying MW energy to eliminate foodborne pathogens on fish fillets. Practical Application: The results demonstrated in this report with the "smart" microwave oven design may enhance microwaveable food safety and quality, and therefore promote the microwaveable food business.     

Impact of Mechanical Shear on the Survival of Listeria monocytogenes on Surfaces

Abstract: The impact of mechanical surface shear on microbial viability is rarely a subject for exploration in food processing. The objective of this research was to investigate the impact of mechanical shear on the survival of Listeria monocytogenes on surfaces. Mechanical shear created by slicing a model food was explored to investigate the viability of L. monocytogenes. Cell injury/death was readily demonstrated in fluorescence images by confocal microscopy in which the live and dead cells were fluorescently stained green and red, respectively, with a viability dye kit. Images showed that a large percentage of dead cells appeared after slicing, and they were readily transferred from the slicer blade onto the surfaces of sliced agar, indicating that surface shear may cause the lethal effect on L. monocytogenes. Surface transfer results also showed that viable cell counts on agar slices (in a slicing series) followed a consistently decreasing pattern. The cell counts initially at 5 to 6.5 log CFU/slice (slices 1 to 6), decreased to 3 to 4 log CFU/slice (slices 8 to 30), then to 2 to 3 log CFU/slice (slices 31 to 40), and counts would be expected to further decrease if slicing continued. The overall cell recovery (survival) ratio was about 2% to 3% compared to the initial 8.4 log CFU/blade on a 10 cm² edge area. The impact of shear on microbial viability during slicing may contribute 99% of viable cell count reduction. This study provides clear evidence that surface shear can kill foodborne pathogens and reduce cross-contamination. The lethal effects of surface shear may further enhance food safety.     

Maternal Iron Deficiency Programs Rat Offspring Hypertension in Relation to Renin—Angiotensin System and Oxidative Stress

Hypertension is an important public health challenge, affecting up to 30–50% of adults worldwide. Several epidemiological studies indicate that high blood pressure originates in fetal life—the so-called programming effect or developmental origin of hypertension. Iron-deficiency anemia has become one of the most prevalent nutritional problems globally. Previous animal experiments have shown that prenatal iron-deficiency anemia adversely affects offspring hypertension. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. We used a maternal low-iron diet Sprague Dawley rat model to study changes in blood pressure, the renal renin-angiotensin system, oxidative stress, inflammation, and sodium transporters in adult male offspring. Our study revealed that 16-week-old male offspring born to mothers with low dietary iron throughout pregnancy and the lactation period had (1) higher blood pressure, (2) increased renal cortex angiotensin II receptor type 1 and angiotensin-converting enzyme abundance, (3) decreased renal cortex angiotensin II receptor type 2 and MAS abundance, and (4) increased renal 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine and interleukin-6 abundance. Improving the iron status of pregnant mothers could influence the development of hypertension in their offspring.