Acceptable Quality Research Articles

A Narrative Review of the Digital Equity Gap of Apps for Cigarette Smoking Cessation for Persons Living in the Hispanosphere

Abstract Purpose of Review The Hispanosphere is a vast region of the world that has received little attention in the digital health literature. No study to date has examined the availability and quality of publicly available mobile applications (apps) for cigarette smoking cessation in this region. Three coders utilized the American Psychiatry Association (APA)’s Brief App Evaluation Model Screener (Brief-AEM Screener) to evaluate the quality of the label and public-facing screens of smoking cessation apps in Spanish. Availability of apps in the Hispanosphere was compared to availability of apps in the Anglosphere. Recent Findings We identified and reviewed 19 apps in Spanish in Google Play. The median score using the Brief-AEM Screener was 63 out of 100 suggesting generally acceptable app quality and features according to the quality standards for digital health tools proposed by the APA. However, we found (1) notable inaccurate and misleading labelling claims, (2) poor grammar or incomplete translations, and (3) a lack of cultural and linguistic adaptation to countries in the Hispanosphere. Our comparison of smoking cessation apps between the Hispanosphere and the Anglosphere suggested that there is a large digital equity gap between these two regions, with a four to sevenfold gap in app availability. Summary There is a relative shortage of quality and quantity of digital health apps for smoking cessation in the Hispanosphere. To ensure the cultural appropriateness of those digital interventions, it is essential that developers of digital health tools establish community partners in the region prior to developing apps for smoking cessation.

Machine Learning-Based Resource Allocation Algorithm to Mitigate Interference in D2D-Enabled Cellular Networks

Mobile communications have experienced exponential growth both in connectivity and multimedia traffic in recent years. To support this tremendous growth, device-to-device (D2D) communications play a significant role in 5G and beyond 5G networks. However, enabling D2D communications in an underlay, heterogeneous cellular network poses two major challenges. First, interference management between D2D and cellular users directly affects a system’s performance. Second, achieving an acceptable level of link quality for both D2D and cellular networks is necessary. An optimum resource allocation is required to mitigate the interference and improve a system’s performance. In this paper, we provide a solution to interference management with an acceptable quality of services (QoS). To this end, we propose a machine learning-based resource allocation method to maximize throughput and achieve minimum QoS requirements for all active D2D pairs and cellular users. We first solve a resource optimization problem by allocating spectrum resources and controlling power transmission on demand. As resource optimization is an integer nonlinear programming problem, we address this problem by proposing a deep Q-network-based reinforcement learning algorithm (DRL) to optimize the resource allocation issue. The proposed DRL algorithm is trained with a decision-making policy to obtain the best solution in terms of spectrum efficiency, computational time, and throughput. The system performance is validated by simulation. The results show that the proposed method outperforms the existing ones.

Evaluation of stevia leaf (<em>Stevia rebaudiana</em> Bertoni) powder as sugar-substitute in cashew nut fortified cookies

Stevia rebaudiana is an herbal supplement used as a substitute for sugar in food processing. Considering the potentials of stevia as a zero-calorie-natural sweetener, this study aimed to assess the antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic properties of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) leaf powder (SLP) to find its suitability to formulate low-calorie foods. Extracts of SLP obtained with hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol were evaluated for DPPH, ABTS+, FRAP and enzyme inhibitory assays. Adopting a standard recipe, five different cookie types were prepared by incorporating varying proportions of SLP and evaluated by a 30 semi-trained panel. The nutritional composition and shelf-life stability were also evaluated. SLP had moisture (8.0 %), ash (13.5 %), crude protein (12.4 %), crude fat (6.9 %), crude fiber (18.3 %), and carbohydrate (40.9 %). Sensory results showed that the cookie formulated with the lowest amount of SLP (T1= 2.0g) had the highest overall acceptability with the highest preference for appearance and smell. The cookie type formulated with the highest amount of SLP (T4= 8.0g) had the highest crude protein (13.50%), crude fiber (21.76%), and lowest carbohydrate contents (40.88%). The keeping quality of the cookies remained acceptable within the storage period. These results suggest that acceptable quality cashew nut fortified cookies could be prepared by replacing sucrose with stevia leaf powder

Comparative assessment of a COVID-19 vaccine after technology transfer to Iran from critical quality attributes to clinical and immunogenicity aspects

During COVID-19 pandemic, international pharmaceutical companies put effort to build global manufacturing networks for vaccines. Soberana Plus vaccine, a recombinant protein based vaccine (RBD dimer), with the trade name of PastoCovac Plus in Iran, is based on a protein subunit platform in Cuba and completed preclinical and toxicological assessments. This study aimed at presenting the steps of vaccine technology transfer from Cuba to Iran. This study provides the first practical comparability results in Iran to ensure the quality, safety and efficacy of a protein subunit vaccine against COVID-19 after a successful technology transfer from Cuba. PastoCovac Plus was transferred to Iran at the formulation stage. The assessment of the active ingredient pharmaceutical (API) was achieved through physicochemical and clinical data collection and tests to assure if there was any adverse impact on the vaccination results. In order to assess the quality of the vaccine product after technology transfer, we sought different properties including regulatory features, physicochemical quality, vaccine potency and stability as well as its immunogenicity and safety. Following the evaluation of the clinical quality attributes (CQAs) based on the standard protocols, the results showed that the two vaccines are highly similar and comparable, with no considerable effect on safety or efficacy profiles. The CQAs were all in the acceptance limits in terms of safety and efficacy as well as clinical evaluation results. The immunogenicity evaluation also confirmed no significant differences between the vaccines regarding reinfection (P = 0.199) or vaccine breakthrough (P = 0.176). Furthermore, the level of anti-spike and neutralizing antibodies in the both vaccine groups was not significantly different indicating the equality of performance between the two vaccines. According to the results of the quality and clinical assessment of this study, we achieved an acceptable quality attributes and acceptant limits in terms of safety and efficacy of the vaccines pre and post technology transfer.

Optimizing Probiotic Low‐Fat Yogurt: The Benefits of Incorporating Defatted Rice Bran for Enhanced Quality and Functionality

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the effects of incorporating defatted rice bran (DRB) at different concentrations (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2%) on the quality, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of probiotic low‐fat yogurt (LFY) during a 21‐day storage period at 4°C. DRB is rich in dietary fiber, essential amino acids, vitamins, and bioactive compounds, and its addition aimed to enhance the nutritional and functional properties of LFY. LFY samples were evaluated for proximate composition, hardness, viscosity, syneresis, color characteristics, rheology, and sensory evaluation. Also, microbiological analysis includes total bacterial counts (TBC), Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum counts. Results indicated that DRB addition significantly (p < 0.05) increased probiotic counts, especially at 1% and 1.5% concentrations, with these samples maintaining higher bacterial stability over the storage period. DRB‐added LFY also showed improved nutritional profiles, with increased TS, protein, ash, fiber, and antioxidant activity. Additionally, hardness, viscosity, and rheology (G′ and G″) values significantly (p < 0.05) increased with the addition of DRB, while syneresis significantly (p < 0.05) decreased. However, higher DRB concentrations negatively affected the color, with lightness decreasing and the browning index increasing. This also impacted sensory characteristics, resulting in lower scores for color, flavor, and overall acceptability, particularly in LFY with 2% DRB. To conclude, moderate DRB addition (up to 1.5%) optimally balances the enhancement of probiotic and nutritional properties with acceptable sensory quality offering a viable strategy for producing functional low‐fat yogurt.

Low-Dose Cone-Beam Computed Tomography in Swedish Pediatric Patients With Alveolar Clefts Following Alveolar Bone Grafting-A Clinical Study.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether a low-dose cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) protocol provides diagnostically acceptable image quality for assessing bone healing after alveolar bone grafting. The study cohort comprised 11 patients (aged 7-14 years) with orofacial clefts who had undergone alveolar bone grafting at Skåne University Hospital in Malmö, Sweden. During the postsurgical follow-up at 6 months, each patient was assessed twice: once with a standard-dose CBCT protocol and once with a low-dose CBCT protocol, which in total corresponds to one CBCT examination made with the exposure settings recommended by the manufacturer. Among others, the assessed parameters included subjective image quality, as well as bone graft height, thickness, and integration. No significant differences were found between the standard- and low-dose protocols for most parameters (p > 0.05). Exceptions included subjective image quality (one observer, p = 0.05) and confidence levels during the assessment (three observers, p = 0.01, 0.01, 0.02). The low-dose protocol yielded adequate image quality for postoperative CBCT healing assessment in patients who have undergone alveolar bone grafting. However, the confidence level of observers during the assessment with the low-dose protocol was reduced. This study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06395077). This study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06395077).

Cost and Time Reduction of Industrial Mold Design and Manufacturing by Implementing Additive Manufacturing for Premature Neonatal Prong.

For a long time, molding was one of the most important methods of producing metal, ceramic, and polymer materials. The two essential factors in this method were always cost and time. Technology advancements have made it possible to design in 3D using a computer and additive manufacturing. This article covers methods for using 3D printers to save time and money in the process of creating the final product. The "Prong" molds for premature neonatal respiratory aid were designed and produced based on neonatologists' considerations. The study was conducted on fifteen very low birth neonates at Alzahra Hospital in Tabriz University from September 2017 to September 2019. In the first section, we described dental plaster material for molding. When using this material, the printing material must be selected and the parameters, like melting temperature and printer speed, must be controlled to achieve acceptable quality for the final sample. CAD software can be used to print various objects if the final 3D design is appropriate. We used additive manufacturing technology to create a new design and successfully resolved bubble issues at a low cost through a combination of creativity and experimentation. The new mold has cavities that allow the silicon to occupy the entire space and escape any bubbles. The use of 3D printers allows us to achieve the best design for the prong mold while reducing both production costs and time. The ultimate mold made of aluminum was finally produced by the CNC machine. The final product was tested at Al-Zahra Hospital in Tabriz, Iran, and the results were satisfactory, with no reports of necrosis on the babies' noses.

Interaction between material and process parameters during 3D concrete extrusion process

Extrusion of cement-based materials in additive manufacturing is influenced by a complex interaction of various material and process parameters. This study aims to investigate the impact of rheological properties and printing parameters on the extrudability of cement-based materials as well as the interaction between rheological properties of print materials and extrusion speed, as a key printing process parameter. 20 different print materials with diverse rheological properties were extruded at 10 different extrusion speeds. The effect of material parameters (i.e. rheological properties) and process parameters (i.e., extrusion speed) and their interaction during the extrusion process were evaluated using filament continuity, conformity and consistency. At a constant printing speed, a higher yield stress adversely impacted filament continuity in mixtures with a yield stress of over 260 Pa, whereas viscosity showed minimal influence on filament quality within the tested range of the rheological properties. The results of this study highlighted a significant correlation between material and process parameters and that adapting process parameters to variations in material properties is crucial for meeting printing criteria. The filament consistency of the mixtures with high yield stress was more sensitive to change in the extrusion speed than that of mixtures with low yield stress. An opposite trend, however, was observed for filament conformity where low yield stress mixtures showed a higher sensitivity to the extrusion speed. A procedure was suggested and applied to determine the optimum extrusion speed. Optimal extrusion speeds enabled printing mixtures with a broader spectrum of rheological properties with an acceptable visual quality, filament conformity and consistency requirements. With extrusion speed adjustment, the extrudability window was expanded from dynamic yield stress of 108–126 Pa to 108–263 Pa and plastic viscosity of 8.2–12.3 Pa.s to 5.1–16.4 Pa.s.

Smartphone Apps for Pulmonary Hypertension: Systematic Search and Content Evaluation.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a chronic and complex condition, requiring consistent management and education. The widespread use of smartphones has opened possibilities for mobile health apps to support both patients and health care professionals in monitoring and managing PH more effectively. This study aimed to identify and assess the quality of free smartphone apps for PH targeted at either patients or health care professionals. A systematic search was conducted on freely available apps for patients with PH and health care professionals, accessed from a Spanish IP address, on Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store) platforms. Searches were performed in October 2022 and 2023. Apps were independently analyzed by two reviewers, focusing on general characteristics. Quality assessment was based on the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) framework, and Mann-Whitney U tests compared mean MARS scores against specific variables. In the overall study, 21 apps were identified. In the 2022 search, 19 apps were listed (9 iOS, 7 Android, 3 available on both platforms). In the subsequent 2023 search, 16 apps were identified (6 Android, 7 iOS, 3 available on both platforms). Of those identified in 2022, 14 remained available in 2023, with only 7 updated since 2022. In addition, 12 apps targeted patients or the general population, while 9 targeted health care professionals; none involved patients in the development or design. Conversely, 13 apps involving health care professionals were identified. There were 10 apps that received pharmaceutical industry funding. The primary goal for 81% (17/21) of the apps was to disseminate general information about PH. The overall mean MARS quality was acceptable in 2022 and 2023, with mean ratings of 3.1 (SD 0.6) and 3.3 (SD 0.5), respectively. The functionality category achieved the highest scores in both years, indicating ease of use and intuitive navigation. In contrast, the subjective quality domain consistently received the lowest ratings in the MARS assessment across both years. None of the apps underwent clinical testing themselves; however, 2 incorporated tools or algorithms derived from trials. The overall quality of iOS apps statistically outperformed that of Android apps in both years (P<.05). Furthermore, the involvement of health care professionals in app development was associated with enhanced quality, a trend observed in both years (P=.003 for both years). This review of mobile health apps for PH reveals their emergent development stage, with generally acceptable quality but lacking refinement. It highlights the critical role of health care professionals in app development, as they contribute significantly to quality and reliability. Despite this, a notable stagnation in app quality and functionality improvement over 2 years points to a need for continuous innovation and clinical validation for effective clinical integration. This research advocates for future app developers to actively engage with health care professionals, integrate patient insights, and mandate rigorous clinical validation for PH management.

Prediction of the burden and characteristics of coronary plaques by cardiorespiratory fitness

Abstract Background Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and coronary plaque burden are both important predictors of mortality. Although mortality of coronary heart disease (CHD) is reduced, prevalence remains high and there is a need to improve early detection and preventive measures. How CRF relates to coronary plaque burden and composition in the general population is largely unknown. Purpose The aim was to study the relationship between CRF and the total coronary plaque burden, including subgroups of coronary plaques, in subjects without known CHD. Methods A random sample of participants from a large population-based echocardiographic reference range study aged 55-70 at baseline was included. Coronary plaque burden was assessed, on average, 4.0 years after the baseline evaluation using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). The burden and characteristics of the coronary plaques were evaluated using a validated, commercially available, semi-automatic software that assessed all coronary territories including the left main, left anterior descending, circumflex, and right arteries. Coronary plaques were classified as dense calcified plaques, plaques with necrotic core, fibrous, and fibrous-fatty plaques. Baseline measures included cardiovascular risk factor assessment and measurement of peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) assessed by treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Linear regression models were used to assess the impact of VO2peak on coronary plaque burden. In Model 1, we adjusted for sex and age, while Model 2 also included adjustments for non-HDL cholesterol, HbA1c, systolic blood pressure, smoking status, and body mass index. Results Of 845 invited to undergo CCTA, 707 (51% females) underwent CT scanning. Of these, 699 scans had acceptable quality for further analyses. Table 1 shows baseline characteristics and Table 2 shows the associations of VO2peak with coronary plaque burden. In the fully adjusted Model 2, there was a significant negative association of VO2peak with total plaque burden (β -0.18, R2 15%, p&amp;lt;0.001), while the association was not significant in Model 1 (p=0.54). Similarly, higher VO2peak significantly predicted a lower burden of dense calcified plaques, plaques with necrotic core, and fibrofatty plaques in both models (R2 3-17%, p≤0.01). The results were consistent whether the coronary plaques were evaluated across the entire coronary arteries (down to a diameter of 1.5 mm) or solely in the proximal segments. However, the predictive power of the models was relatively low with R2 of maximum 17%. Conclusion In a population without known CHD, CRF explained a modest part of the variation in coronary plaque burden. Considering CRF in risk prediction may enhance coronary artery disease prevention beyond traditional risk factors.

Sublingual microcirculatory assessment on admission independently predicts the outcome of old intensive care patients suffering from shock

Shock is a life-threatening condition. This study evaluated if sublingual microcirculatory perfusion on admission is associated with 30-day mortality in older intensive care unit (ICU) shock patients. This trial prospectively recruited ICU patients (≥ 80 years old) with arterial lactate above 2 mmol/L, requiring vasopressors despite adequate fluid resuscitation, regardless of shock cause. All patients received sequential sublingual measurements on ICU admission (± 4 h) and 24 (± 4) hours later. The primary endpoint was 30-day mortality. From September 4th, 2022, to May 30th, 2023, 271 patients were screened, and 44 included. Patients were categorized based on the median percentage of perfused small vessels (sPPV) into those with impaired and sustained microcirculation. 71% of videos were of good or acceptable quality without safety issues. Patients with impaired microcirculation had significantly shorter ICU and hospital stays (p = 0.015 and p = 0.019) and higher 30-day mortality (90.0% vs. 62.5%, p = 0.036). Cox regression confirmed the independent association of impaired microcirculation with 30-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 3.245 (95% CI 1.178 to 8.943, p = 0.023). Measuring sublingual microcirculation in critically ill older patients with shock on ICU admission is safe, feasible, and provides independent prognostic information about outcomes.Trial registration NCT04169204.

On the acceptance, commissioning, and quality assurance of electron FLASH units.

FLASH or ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) radiation therapy (RT) has gained attention in recent years for its ability to spare normal tissues relative to conventional dose rate (CDR) RT in various preclinical trials. However, clinical implementation of this promising treatment option has been limited because of the lack of availability of accelerators capable of delivering UHDR RT. Commercial options are finally reaching the market that produce electron beams with average dose rates of up to 1000Gy/s. We established a framework for the acceptance, commissioning, and periodic quality assurance (QA) of electron FLASH units and present an example of commissioning. A protocol for acceptance, commissioning, and QA of UHDR linear accelerators was established by combining and adapting standards and professional recommendations for standard linear accelerators based on the experience with UHDR at four clinical centers that use different UHDR devices. Non-standard dosimetric beam parameters considered included pulse width, pulse repetition frequency, dose per pulse, and instantaneous dose rate, together with recommendations on how to acquire these measurements. The 6- and 9-MeV beams of an UHDR electron device were commissioned by using this developed protocol. Measurements were acquired with a combination of ion chambers, beam current transformers (BCTs), and dose-rate-independent passive dosimeters. The unit was calibrated according to the concept of redundant dosimetry using a reference setup. This study provides detailed recommendations for the acceptance testing, commissioning, and routine QA of low-energy electron UHDR linear accelerators. The proposed framework is not limited to any specific unit, making it applicable to all existing eFLASH units in the market. Through practical insights and theoretical discourse, this document establishes a benchmark for the commissioning of UHDR devices for clinical use.

Optimizing the Measurement of Information on the Context of Alcohol Consumption Within the Drink Less App Among People Drinking at Increasing and Higher Risk Levels: Mixed-Methods Usability Study.

There is a growing public health evidence base focused on understanding the links between drinking contexts and alcohol consumption. However, the potential value of developing context-based interventions to help people drinking at increasing and higher risk levels to cut down remains underexplored. Digital interventions, such as apps, offer significant potential for delivering context-based interventions as they can collect contextual information and flexibly deliver personalized interventions while addressing barriers associated with face-to-face interventions, such as time constraints. This early phase study aimed to identify the best method for collecting information on the contexts of alcohol consumption among users of an alcohol reduction app by comparing 2 alternative drinking diaries in terms of user engagement, data quality, usability, and acceptability. Participants were recruited using the online platform Prolific and were randomly assigned to use 1 of the 2 adapted versions of the Drink Less app for 14 days. Tags (n=31) included tags for location, motivation, and company that participants added to drink records. Occasion type (n=31) included a list of occasion types that participants selected from when adding drink records. We assessed engagement and data quality with app data, usability with a validated questionnaire, and acceptability with semistructured interviews. Quantitative findings on engagement, data quality, and app usability were good overall, with participants using the app on most days (tags: mean 12.23, SD 2.46 days; occasion type: mean 12.39, SD 2.12 days). However, around 40% of drinking records in tags did not include company and motivation tags. Mean usability scores were similar across app versions (tags: mean 72.39, SD 8.10; occasion type: mean 74.23, SD 6.76). Qualitative analysis found that both versions were acceptable to users and were relevant to their drinking occasions, and participants reported increased awareness of their drinking contexts. Several participants reported that the diary helped them to reduce alcohol consumption in some contexts (eg, home or lone drinking) more than others (eg, social drinking) and suggested that they felt less negative affect recording social drinking contexts out of their home. Participants also suggested the inclusion of "work drinks" in both versions and "habit" as a motivation in the tags version. There was no clearly better method for collecting data on alcohol consumption as both methods had good user engagement, usability, acceptability, and data quality. Participants recorded sufficient data on their drinking contexts to suggest that an adapted version of Drink Less could be used as the basis for context-specific interventions. The occasion type version may be preferable owing to lower participant burden. A more general consideration is to ensure that context-specific interventions are designed to minimize the risk of unintended positive reinforcement of drinking occasions that are seen as sociable by users.

A Person-Based Web-Based Sleep Intervention Aimed at Adolescents (SleepWise): Randomized Controlled Feasibility Study.

Adolescents are advised to sleep 8-10 hours per night; however, most do not sleep for this recommended amount. Poor adolescent sleep is associated with detrimental health outcomes, including reduced physical activity, risk-taking behaviors, and increased depression and anxiety levels, making this an important public health concern. Existing interventions targeting adolescent sleep are often unsuccessful or their effectiveness unclear, as they are frequently noninteractive, time-consuming, and lack a strong theoretical foundation; highlighting an urgent need for innovative interventions deemed acceptable by adolescents. The main objective of this study was to determine the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary impact of a web-based person-based sleep intervention (SleepWise) on adolescent sleep quality. Participant incentivization was also explored to understand its impact on engagement, acceptability, and sleep quality. A feasibility trial was conducted to test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary impact of SleepWise on adolescent sleep quality, developed based on the person-based approach to intervention development. In total, 90 participants (aged 13-17 years) from further education institutions and secondary schools were recruited for two 2-arm randomized controlled trials. One trial (trial 1) was incentivized to understand the impact of incentivization. Acceptability and sleep quality were assessed via questionnaires, and a mixed methods process evaluation was undertaken to assess participant engagement and experience with SleepWise. Engagement was automatically tracked by SleepWise, which collected data on the date and time, pages viewed, and the number of goals and sleep logs completed per participant. Semistructured interviews were carried out to gain participant feedback. Participants in both trials reported high levels of acceptability (trial 1: mean 21.00, SD 2.74; trial 2: mean 20.82, SD 2.48) and demonstrated similar levels of engagement with SleepWise. Participants in trial 1 viewed slightly more pages of the intervention, and those in trial 2 achieved their set goals more frequently. Improvements in sleep quality were found in both trials 1 and 2, with medium (trial 1) and large (trial 2) effect sizes. A larger effect size for improvement in sleep quality was found in the nonincentivized trial (d=0.87), suggesting that incentivization may not impact engagement or sleep quality. Both trials achieved acceptable recruitment (trial 1, N=48; trial 2, N=42), and retention at 5 weeks (trial 1: N=30; trial 2: N=30). Qualitative findings showed that adolescents lead busy lifestyles, which may hinder engagement; however, participants deemed SleepWise acceptable in length and content, and made attempts at behavior change. SleepWise is an acceptable and potentially efficacious web-based sleep intervention aimed at adolescents. Findings from this study showed that incentivization did not greatly impact engagement, acceptability, or sleep quality. Subject to a full trial, SleepWise has the potential to address the urgent need for innovative, personalized, and acceptable sleep interventions for adolescents. OSF Registries osf.io/yanb2; https://osf.io/yanb2.

Sensory Evaluation of Chhana Burfi Process with Jackfruit (Artocarpus hetrophyllus L.) Pulp

The study was conducted at Dept. of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Science, Dr. BSKKV, Dapoli, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India during August 2021 to May 2022 to evaluate the suitability of Jackfruit pulp as flavouring agent in developing flavoured Chhana Burfi and its production cost. Basically, Cow milk required for preparation of Chhana, Citric acid used for Coagulation of milk, Sugar and Jackfruit pulp etc. was required to conduct this research. The curd mass obtained when milk is coagulated with the organic acids such as citric acid at higher temperature and after subsequent drainage of whey, mass of curd obtained is called chhana. Chhana was used as base material for preparation of chhana burfi. The Chhana Burfi was prepared from cow milk by incorporating jackfruit pulp @ 10% (F1), 15% (F2), and 20% (F3) and two sugar level i.e. 15% (S1) and 18% (S2) On the basis of weight of Chhana. All treatment is analyzed for sensory characteristic i.e. colour and appearance, body and texture, flavour and overall acceptability by using 9-point Hedonic scale. Present study investigated that jackfruit pulp could be successfully utilized for preparation of flavoured chhana burfi. The most acceptable quality flavour Chhana Burfi could be prepared by using 15% jackfruit pulp and 18% sugar. Prepared delicious milk product i.e. Jackfruit flavour Chhana Burfi rich taste and flavour along with nutritional value. The production cost of Jackfruit flavour Chhana Burfi (most acceptable level i.e.S2F2) was Rs. 355.8/- per kg.

Shelf Stable Chicken Pickle Incorporated with Poultry by Products Using Different Acidulants: A Review

The present study was aimed to develop an acceptable quality chicken pickle with incorporation of poultry by products viz. Heart &amp; gizzard (1:1) and different acidulants. Different level of heart and gizzard (5, 10 &amp; 15%) were incorporated in chicken pickle formulations. Meat chunks prepared from broiler meat with inclusion of spices, acidulants and poultry by-products were used for preparation of chicken pickle. It was observed that incorporation of 10% heart and gizzard exhibited higher sensory and physico-chemical scores which were comparable to the control. These results revealed that 10% heart and gizzard can be used as poultry by-products in chicken pickle without any adverse effect on the quality and sensory properties of chicken pickle. Chicken pickle prepared by using above selected levels of heart and gizzard were further incorporated with different acidulants viz. Citric acid, acetic acid &amp; lactic acid for sensory and physico-chemical properties and evaluated at ambient temperature on every 15th day interval for 90 days. During storage chicken pickle incorporated with acetic acid maintained sensory and physico-chemical attributes for longer time as compared to the products incorporated with citric acid and lactic acid. During storage of chicken pickle the sensory scores for all the attributes declined significantly with the progress of storage period. Similarly, pH, TBA values and microbial count increased considerably at the later part of storage but were within spoilage limit. It is concluded that chicken pickle prepared with incorporation of 10% heart &amp; gizzard and acetic acid packed in PET bottles could be stored safely for 90 days at ambient temperature.

Deep learning reconstruction of diffusion-weighted brain MRI for evaluation of patients with acute neurologic symptoms

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate whether the deep-learning (DL) accelerated diffusion weighted image (DWI) is clinically feasible for evaluating patients with acute neurologic symptoms, regarding its shorter study time and acceptable image quality. Materials and methods: In this retrospective study, brain images obtained at DWI with a b-value of 0 s/mm2 and DWI with a b-value of 1000 s/mm2 (DWI 1000) from 321 consecutive patients with acute stroke-like symptom were reconstructed with and without DL algorithm. We compare the diagnostic performance between DL-DWI and conventional DWI for detecting brain lesions, including acute infarction. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of conventional DWI and DL-DWI and compared the results. Qualitative analysis based on image quality was assessed and compared using a five-point visual scoring system. Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) from DWI with and without DL were also compared. Results: The mean acquisition time for the DL-DWI (49 s) was significantly shorter (P < 0.001) than conventional DWI (165 s). Both DWI with and without DL showed similar performance in diagnosing brain lesions especially sensitivity (98.8% in both DWI and DL-DWI) and specificity (99.5% in both DWI and DL-DWI). Overall image quality, gray-white matter and deep gray matter differentiation of two sequences were similar. DL DWI showed more artifacts than DWI. Lesion conspicuity, especially smaller than 5 mm, was better with DL DWI than conventional DWI (p = 0.03). ADC values of white matter, deep gray matter, and pons with DL were lower than conventional DWI. Conclusions: Compared to conventional DWI, DL-DWI achieved comparable image quality and brain lesion visualization for acute neurological symptoms, with a significantly shorter scan time.

Assessing the Potential Impacts of Contaminants on the Water Quality of Lake Victoria: Two Case Studies in Uganda

Nutrients are essential for the growth of aquatic life; however, in excess, they can result in a decline in water quality, posing serious risks to both human and aquatic organisms. Human activities, such as urbanisation, industry, and farming, can increase the amount of nutrients and other elements that reach receiving waterbodies like Lake Victoria in Uganda, which can be problematic at elevated levels. There is therefore a strong need to evaluate recent changes in pollutant concentrations and their potential negative effects. To contribute to this gap and to explore the pollutant changes in Lake Victoria, a series of water chemistry data (phosphate, nitrate, potassium, ammonium, sodium, sulphate, silica and chlorine) was collected between 2016 and 2023 in Uganda’s Napoleon Gulf (NG) and Murchison Bay (MB), primarily by the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE). These locations were chosen based on their vicinity to expanding urban centres and agriculture, and they are also areas where fishing frequently occurs. The datasets were collected at different water depths (0.5–24 m). Data were analysed with the use of IBM’s Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 28.0) software and confirmed the excessive concentrations of pollutants within MB compared to NG. The analysis identified the different nutrient types that exceeded internationally recognised thresholds relating to acceptable water quality during the data collection period. Seasonal variations were observed, during the dry season; nutrient levels, however, in NG showed higher nutrient concentrations during the wet season. The study’s capacity to inform local authorities and policymakers about such potential major sources of pollution is of crucial importance for beginning to address the potential impacts on human health and aquatic life.

Oral Diabetes Medication Videos on Douyin: Analysis of Information Quality and User Comment Attitudes.

Oral diabetes medications are important for glucose management in people with diabetes. Although there are many health-related videos on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), the quality of information and the effects on user comment attitudes are unclear. The purpose of this study was to analyze the quality of information and user comment attitudes related to oral diabetes medication videos on Douyin. The key phrase "oral diabetes medications" was used to search Douyin on July 24, 2023, and the final samples included 138 videos. The basic information in the videos and the content of user comments were captured using Python. Each video was assigned a sentiment category based on the predominant positive, neutral, or negative attitude, as analyzed using the Weiciyun website. Two independent raters assessed the video content and information quality using the DISCERN (a tool for assessing health information quality) and PEMAT-A/V (Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials) instruments. Doctors were the main source of the videos (136/138, 98.6%). The overall information quality of the videos was acceptable (median 3, IQR 1). Videos on Douyin showed relatively high understandability (median 75%, IQR 16.6%) but poor actionability (median 66.7%, IQR 48%). Most content on oral diabetes medications on Douyin related to the mechanism of action (75/138, 54.3%), precautions (70/138, 50.7%), and advantages (68/138, 49.3%), with limited content on indications (19/138, 13.8%) and contraindications (14/138, 10.1%). It was found that 10.1% (14/138) of the videos contained misinformation, of which 50% (7/14) were about the method of administration. Regarding user comment attitudes, the majority of videos garnered positive comments (81/138, 58.7%), followed by neutral comments (46/138, 33.3%) and negative comments (11/138, 8%). Multinomial logistic regression revealed 2 factors influencing a positive attitude: user comment count (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.00, 95% CI 1.00-1.00; P=.02) and information quality of treatment choices (adjusted OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.09-2.04; P=.01). Despite most videos on Douyin being posted by doctors, with generally acceptable information quality and positive user comment attitudes, some content inaccuracies and poor actionability remain. Users show more positive attitudes toward videos with high-quality information about treatment choices. This study suggests that health care providers should ensure the accuracy and actionability of video content, enhance the information quality of treatment choices of oral diabetes medications to foster positive user attitudes, help users access accurate health information, and promote medication adherence.

Image Quality and Lesion Detectability of Low-Concentration Iodine Contrast and Low Radiation Hepatic Multiphase CT Using a Deep-Learning-Based Contrast-Boosting Model in Chronic Liver Disease Patients.

This study investigated the image quality and detectability of double low-dose hepatic multiphase CT (DLDCT, which targeted about 30% reductions of both the radiation and iodine concentration) using a vendor-agnostic deep-learning-based contrast-boosting model (DL-CB) compared to those of standard-dose CT (SDCT) using hybrid iterative reconstruction. The CT images of 73 patients with chronic liver disease who underwent DLDCT between June 2023 and October 2023 and had SDCT were analyzed. Qualitative analysis of the overall image quality, artificial sensation, and liver contour sharpness on the arterial and portal phase, along with the hepatic artery clarity was conducted by two radiologists using a 5-point scale. For quantitative analysis, the image noise, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio were measured. The lesion conspicuity was analyzed using generalized estimating equation analysis. Lesion detection was evaluated using the jackknife free-response receiver operating characteristic figures-of-merit. Compared with SDCT, a significantly lower effective dose (16.4 ± 7.2 mSv vs. 10.4 ± 6.0 mSv, 36.6% reduction) and iodine amount (350 mg iodine/mL vs. 270 mg iodine/mL, 22.9% reduction) were utilized in DLDCT. The mean overall arterial and portal phase image quality scores of DLDCT were significantly higher than SDCT (arterial phase, 4.77 ± 0.45 vs. 4.93 ± 0.24, AUCVGA 0.572 [95% CI, 0.507-0.638]; portal phase, 4.83 ± 0.38 vs. 4.92 ± 0.26, AUCVGA 0.535 [95% CI, 0.469-0.601]). Furthermore, DLDCT showed significantly superior quantitative results for the lesion contrast-to-noise ratio (7.55 ± 4.55 vs. 3.70 ± 2.64, p < 0.001) and lesion detectability (0.97 vs. 0.86, p = 0.003). In patients with chronic liver disease, DLDCT using DL-CB can provide acceptable image quality without impairing the detection and evaluation of hepatic focal lesions compared to SDCT.