Acceptability Scores Research Articles

Paper 16: Long-term Outcomes of Primary Hip Arthroscopy: Multicenter Analysis at Minimum 10-Year Follow-Up with Attention to Labral and Capsular Management

Objectives: Hip arthroscopy is rapidly advancing, with literature increasingly reporting positive outcomes at short- and mid-term follow-up; however, available long-term data remains limited. The purpose of this study is to evaluate long-term outcomes of primary hip arthroscopy at minimum 10-year follow-up at two academic centers by describing patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and determining reoperation, revision, and total hip arthroplasty (THA) rates. Methods: Primary hip arthroscopies performed between January 1988 and April 2013 at 2 academic centers were evaluated for postoperative PROs including Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Tegner Activity Scale score, Hip Outcome Score Activities of Daily Living and Sport Scale (HOS-ADL/HOS-SS), modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), Nonarthritic Hip Score (NAHS), 12-item International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT-12), surgery satisfaction, function, and reoperations. Results: Two-hundred ninety-four primary hip arthroscopies with a mean age of 40±14 years; 66% female; and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 27±6 kg/m2 were followed for mean 12±3 years (range: 10-24). Labral debridement and repair were performed in 41% and 59% of patients, respectively. All patients underwent interportal capsulotomy and 2% underwent T-capsulotomy. Eleven percent of patients underwent capsular repair. At final follow-up, patients reported mean VAS at rest of 2±2, with use of 3±3, iHOT-12 of 68±27, NAHS of 81±18, mHHS of 79±17, HOS-ADL of 82±19, and HOS-SS of 74±25. Mean surgical satisfaction was 8.4±2.4 (Table 1). Sixty-five hips (23%) underwent THA and 33 (11%) underwent revision arthroscopy (Table 2). Risk factors for THA included older age (p<0.001), higher BMI (p<0.001), lower lateral center-edge angle (p=0.039), larger alpha angle (p=0.001), higher Tönnis grade (p=0.011), labral debridement (p=0.004), and capsular nonrepair (p=0.030). Patients undergoing combined labral and capsular repair demonstrated a THA conversion rate of 3% compared to 31% for patients undergoing combined labral debridement and capsular nonrepair (p=0.006) (Table 3). Labral repair trended towards increased 10-year THA-free survival (84% vs. 77%, p=0.085) while capsular repair demonstrated significantly increased 10-year THA-free survival (97% vs 79%, p=0.032) (Figure 1). Conclusions: At minimum 10-year follow-up, patients undergoing primary hip arthroscopy demonstrated high rates of satisfaction and acceptable outcome scores. In total, 11% of patients underwent revision hip arthroscopic surgery with a THA conversion rate of 23%. Conversion to THA was associated with patient factors including older age and higher Tönnis grade as well as potentially modifiable surgical factors including labral debridement and capsular nonrepair.

Artificial Intelligence-Generated Patient Education Materials for Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Comparative Analysis.

Patient education contributes to improve public awareness of Helicobacter pylori. Large language models (LLMs) offer opportunities to revolutionize patient education transformatively. This study aimed to assess the quality of patient educational materials (PEMs) generated by LLMs and compared with physician sourced. Unified instruction about composing a PEM about H. pylori at a sixth-grade reading level in both English and Chinese were given to physician and five LLMs (Bing Copilot, Claude 3 Opus, Gemini Pro, ChatGPT-4, and ERNIE Bot 4.0). The assessments of the completeness and comprehensibility of the Chinese PEMs were conducted by five gastroenterologists and 50 patients according to three-point Likert scale. Gastroenterologists were asked to evaluate both English and Chinese PEMs and determine the accuracy and safety. The accuracy was assessed by six-point Likert scale. The minimum acceptable scores were 4, 2, and 2 for accuracy, completeness, and comprehensibility, respectively. The Flesch-Kincaid and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook scoring systems were employed as readability assessment tools. Accuracy and comprehensibility were acceptable for English PEMs of all sources, while completence was not satisfactory. Physician-sourced PEM had the highest accuracy mean score of 5.60 and LLM-generated English PEMs ranged from 4.00 to 5.40. The completeness score was comparable between physician-sourced PEM and LLM-generated PEMs in English. Chinese PEMs from LLMs proned to have lower score in accuracy and completeness assessment than English PEMs. The mean score for completeness of five LLM-generated Chinese PEMs was 1.82-2.70 in patients' perspective, which was higher than gastroenterologists' assessment. Comprehensibility was satisfactory for all PEMs. No PEM met the recommended sixth-grade reading level. LLMs have potential in assisting patient education. The accuracy and comprehensibility of LLM-generated PEMs were acceptable, but further optimization on improving completeness and accounting for a variety of linguistic contexts are essential for enhancing the feasibility.

Physicochemical and Sensory Attributes of Trihoney Blend (Trigona sp., Apis mellifera, and Apis dorsata) for Enhanced Antioxidant Optimization using Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

INTRODUCTION: The therapeutic applications of honey products have been extensively studied, but the various combination of honeys as a high-antioxidant product has not been explored. This study aimed to develop an optimized three honey formulation (Trihoney) with maximal antioxidant potency and physicochemical characteristics, as well as favourable among panellists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The three types of honey studied are; i) Trigona sp. honey (TH), ii) Apis mellifera honey (MH), and iii) Apis dorsata honey (DH). Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to design optimal Trihoney formulation for i) total phenolic content (TPC), ii) ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), and iii) 2,2’-diphenyl-1 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. Proximate and nutrient analyses, such as moisture, protein, fibre, carbohydrate, sugar, and gross energy were also conducted. Additionally, sensory evaluation was carried out to support the findings. RESULTS: Based on RSM, three optimal Trihoney formulation were developed; i) Trihoney 1 (MH15:DH10:TH45), ii) Trihoney 2 (MH15:DH10:TH25), and iii) Trihoney 3 (MH15:DH10:TH15). Trihoney 1 was the most promising formulation, exhibiting the highest TPC (0.50 mg/GAE/g), remarkable values of FRAP (230.85 AAE/g) and DPPH (86.32%). Physicochemical and sugar analysis indicated that all values complied with permitted quality standards. MH received the highest overall acceptability scores based on sensory evaluation. CONCLUSION: These findings warrant further extensive investigation of Trihoney formulation in animal studies to support its efficacy as a valuable food supplement.

Eco-safe hot water dip alleviates antioxidant level and sensory quality of Indian jujube fruits

Indian jujube (Ber) is highly perishable climacteric fruit owing to high decay index limiting its marketability and demands interventions to prolong shelf life. Fungicides are normally used to control rot during postharvest storage, however, residues left necessitate eco-safe alternatives like hot water dipping. Mature, pre-climacteric jujubes were dipped in 45, 50 or 55 °C water for 8, 6 or 4 min, respectively and then stored at 5 °C for periodic quality evaluation. Dipping fruits in 55 °C water resulted in 32.69 and 35.27, 64.21 and 58.57, 30.41 and 30.42, 38.50 and 52.20 % lower weight loss, decay index, malondialdehyde (MDA) and electrolyte leakage, whereas 15.40 and 16.77, 19.51 and 20.48 % greater antioxidant activity and ascorbic acid respectively for Umran and Pakwhite compared to 25 °C water dip. The highest glucose, fructose, malic, citric, and tartaric acids were 23.44 ± 1.04 and 29.9 ± 0.95, 30.68 ± 1.72 and 41.17 ± 2.34 mg/100 g, 138.1 ± 6.45 and 112.97 ± 6.16, 57.49 ± 1.71 and 53.78 ± 1.90, 79.58 ± 5.1 and 65.3 ± 4.83 μg/100 g whereas lower sucrose 12.34 ± 0.94 and 16.33 ± 1.05 mg/100 g were respectively recorded in 55 °C water dipped Umran and Pakwhite fruits. High dip water temperature (55 °C) exhibited better quality with the lowest decay index and weight loss, greater membrane integrity, bioactives content and sensory acceptance scores. Hence, hot water dipping was shown to be an effective residue-free option to extend the marketable period of jujubes to capture distant markets.

Effects of Stir-Frying and Heat-Moisture Treatment on the Physicochemical Quality of Glutinous Rice Flour for Making Taopian, a Traditional Chinese Pastry.

Taopian is a traditional Chinese pastry made from cooked glutinous rice flour. The effects of heat-moisture treatment (110 °C, 4 h; moisture contents 12-36%, w/w) on the preparation of cooked glutinous rice flour and taopian made from it were compared with the traditional method of stir-frying (180 °C, 30 s). The color of heat-moisture-treated (HMT) flours was darker. HMT flours exhibited a larger mean particle size (89.5-124 μm) and a greater relative crystallinity of starch (23.08-42.92%) and mass fractal dimension (1.77-2.28). The flours exhibited water activity in the range of 0.589-0.631. Although the oil-binding capacity of HMT flours was largely comparable to that of stir-fried flours, HMT flours exhibited a lower water absorption index. Accordingly, the taopian produced with HMT flours exhibited a lower brightness, accompanied by a stronger reddening and yellowing. In addition, more firmly bound water was observed in the taopian produced with HMT flour. The taopian made with HMT flour with a moisture content of 24% exhibited moderate hardness, adhesiveness and cohesiveness and received the highest score for overall acceptability (6.80). These results may be helpful to improve the quality of taopian by applying heat-moisture treatment in the preparation of cooked glutinous rice flour.

Determining Asymmetry Thresholds in Anophthalmia/Microphthalmia Using a Three-dimensional Animated Model.

Congenital microphthalmia and anophthalmia are rare development disorders with underdevelopment of the orbital region, resulting in asymmetry of the face. No clear guidelines exist to determine when these deviations are acceptable. The face of a healthy 6-year-old child was three-dimensionally scanned. On this scan, we modeled various incremental degrees of facial asymmetries using three-dimensional modeling software. We modeled for smaller palpebral fissures, sunken eyes, and downward displacement of the eye. We also tested whether adjusting the vertical palpebral fissure height in relation to the horizontal palpebral fissure width affected perception. A total of 22 videos were created in which the model turned the head horizontally and vertically. We created a questionnaire asking raters how acceptable the face is, on a linear scale from 0 to 10. Results showed a correlation between the degree of asymmetry and the acceptability score of the raters. Enophthalmos of ≥6 mm, palpebral fissure width ≤79% compared with the other eye, and 2 mm or more downward displacement of the eye resulted in a significant different acceptability score. The desire for correction was strongly increased when these thresholds were exceeded. Adjusting the vertical palpebral fissure height to the horizontal palpebral fissure width resulted in a worse acceptability score. A unilateral sunken eye (enophthalmos) of 6 mm or more, asymmetric horizontal palpebral fissure length of ≤79%, and a lower position of one eye of more than 2 mm resulted in unacceptable judgment. These data can be used to evaluate treatment outcome in children treated for congenital microphthalmia and anophthalmia.

Home-based aerobic exercise feasibility in oxaliplatin-receiving newly-diagnosed cancer survivors

PurposePhysical activity (PA) is beneficial but difficult to maintain during chemotherapy. This pilot RCT explored the feasibility of the MI-Walk intervention—an 8-week motivational enhancement therapy- and home-based brisk walking intervention—among gastrointestinal (GI) cancer survivors receiving chemotherapy. MethodsSixty stage II-IV GI cancer survivors were recruited from 5 sites at their second infusion visit. Participants were randomized to receive PA education alone or the MI-Walk intervention: motivational enhancement therapy consisting of 3 motivational interviewing and self-efficacy-enhancing counseling sessions, a Fitbit Charge 2, exercise diaries, telephone follow-up, scripted motivational email messages, and optional weekly walking groups. ResultsThe enrollment and completion rates were 62% and 90%, respectively. The MI-Walk participants (n = 29; mean age = 56.79, SD = 11.72; 97% white; 79% male) reported a baseline moderate-vigorous PA duration of 250.93 (SD = 636.52) min/wk. The mean MI-Walk Intervention acceptability score was 50.32 (SD = 12.02) on a scale of 14–70. Mean Fitbit and counseling helpfulness scores on a 5-point scale were 3.67 (SD = 1.43) and 3.44 (SD = 1.36), respectively. Participants’ Fitbit moderate-vigorous PA 8-week averages ranged from 0 to 716.88 min/wk; 64% of participants adhered to ≥127 min/wk. Several characteristics (e.g., age, comorbidity, PA level, employment status, BMI, education level, gender, symptoms) were associated with enrollment, attrition, and intervention acceptability and adherence (p < 0.05). ConclusionEnrollment and retention were adequate. The Fitbit and counseling were the most helpful. Acceptability and adherence varied based on participant characteristics; therefore, intervention tailoring and further research among cancer survivors less physically active at baseline and most in need of complex exercise intervention are needed.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03515356.

Food consumption score and predictors among pregnant women attending antenatal care services in health centers of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Using ordinal logistic regression model.

Poor maternal nutrition during pregnancy creates a stressful environment that can lead to long-term effects on tissue development. Understanding the food consumption score can be used to prevent problems associated with poor dietary intake of pregnant mothers. In Ethiopia, the food consumption score ranges from 54% to 81.5%, which is far below the World Food Program (WFP) recommendation. Thus, this study aimed to assess food consumption score and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care services in health centers of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This study has used institution based cross sectional study. Overall, 999 pregnant women were selected for this study. A multistage sampling technique followed by systematic random sampling was used to include pregnant women coming for antenatal care services in the selected health centers of Addis Ababa from June 07 to July 08, 2022. We used interviewer administered questionnaire using the Kobo toolbox. Food consumption score (FCS) was assessed after collecting data on frequency of eight food groups consumed over the previous seven days, which were weighted according to their relative nutritional value. STATA 14 was used to analyse the data. Ordinal logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of food consumption score. Those variables having p value < 0.25 in the bivariable ordinal logistic regression were considered for the final model. Crude and Adjusted Odds Ratio were used to assess the strength of the association. In the final model, p value < 0.05 at 95% confidence interval was used to declare statistical significance. From the total of 949 pregnant women a little over half (51.20% (95%CI: 48.00%-54.40%) had acceptable food consumption score, while just over two fifth (42.60% (95% CI: 39.40%-45.70%)) and a small proportion (6.2% (95%CI: 4.84%-7.94%)) of the study participants had borderline and poor food consumption score, respectively. No meal skip (AOR = 1.37, 95% CI:1.03-1.81), able to read and write (AOR = 3.99, 95% CI: 1.33-11.96), poorest wealth status (AOR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.34-0.78), positive attitude towards consumption of a diversified diet (AOR = 1.52,95% CI: 1.17-1.98) were independent predictors of acceptable food consumption score. In this study, considerably low level of acceptable food consumption score among the study participants was observed. Besides, not skipping meal, having better educational status, wealth status and attitude towards consumption of a diversified diet were associated with acceptable food consumption score. Therefore, nutritional education considering important dietary modifications should be intensified targeting vulnerable groups.

Flowable bulk-fill versus layering restorative material on Class II restorations: A randomized clinical trial

ObjectiveThis study evaluated the clinical performance of Class II restorations made with flowable bulk-fill base versus conventional layering ORMOCER-based restorative material in a split-mouth randomized clinical trial. MethodsThirty patients received two class II restorations (n = 60) performed with different strategies. All preparations received the application of the universal self-etching adhesive system according to the manufacturer's recommendation, followed by the placement of a sectional matrix, wooden wedge, and separation ring. The first restoration was performed using 4 mm of flowable bulk-fill material covered by 2 mm of conventional viscosity restorative material (Bulk-fill technique). The second restoration was performed only with the conventional viscosity material, with a maximum of 2 mm thick increments, up to fill the cavity (Layering technique). After occlusal adjustment, the same polishing system was used for all restorations. Evaluations using the FDI criteria were conducted after 7 days, 12, and 24 months. Data were analyzed with the Fisher's Exact test (α=0.05). ResultsFrom 30 participants, 24 attended the 24-month recall, and 48 restorations were evaluated. All restorations received acceptable overall scores for esthetic and biological properties after this period, while only 6.66 % of the restorations exhibited unacceptable overall scores for the functional properties in both groups. No significant differences between the tested restorative materials and techniques were found for each FDI criterion assessed. The success rate after 2 years was 93.33 % for both groups. ConclusionBoth restorative materials exhibited good clinical performance for the parameters analyzed with no differences between them after 24-month follow-up. Clinical relevanceFlowable bulk-fill ORMOCER-based material is a suitable alternative for direct Class II restorations, providing good clinical outcomes and simplifying the restorative procedure. Clinical trial registration numberRBR-6mvp9w

Aplikasi Chatbot sebagai Layanan Informasi Virtual pada Website Infinite Learning

This research focuses on the development and implementation of virtual information services in the form of an artificial intelligence (AI) based chatbot on the Infinite Learning website. The primary goal of this study is to develop a chatbot application as a virtual information service to improve the quality and effectiveness of digital learning. The method used is Research and Development to develop the product and test its effectiveness, with the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) model including stages of needs analysis, system design, system creation, and implementation as well as testing. This chatbot was designed and built with the help of IBM applications, namely Watson Assistant and Smart Document Understanding. Testing in this study used Black box testing to detect problems in the system. Data was collected through surveys, questionnaires, and interviews with users, and analysed to evaluate the chatbot's performance. Our findings are a virtual information service on the Infinite Learning website using a chatbot integrated with IBM application technology. The test results show the system runs well with an acceptable score of 83%.

Effectiveness of a Multifaceted Mobile Health Intervention (Multi-Aid-Package) in Medication Adherence and Treatment Outcomes Among Patients With Hypertension in a Low- to Middle-Income Country: Randomized Controlled Trial.

The high prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension in Pakistan is predominantly attributed to poor medication adherence. As more than 137 million people in Pakistan use cell phones, a suitable mobile health (mHealth) intervention can be an effective tool to overcome poor medication adherence. We sought to determine whether a novel mHealth intervention is useful in enhancing antihypertensive therapy adherence and treatment outcomes among patients with hypertension in a low- to middle-income country. A 6-month parallel, single-blinded, superiority randomized controlled trial recruited 439 patients with hypertension with poor adherence to antihypertensive therapy and access to smartphones. An innovative, multifaceted mHealth intervention (Multi-Aid-Package), based on the Health Belief Model and containing reminders (written, audio, visual), infographics, video clips, educational content, and 24/7 individual support, was developed for the intervention group; the control group received standard care. The primary outcome was self-reported medication adherence measured using the Self-Efficacy for Appropriate Medication Adherence Scale (SEAMS) and pill counting; the secondary outcome was systolic blood pressure (SBP) change. Both outcomes were evaluated at baseline and 6 months. Technology acceptance feedback was also assessed at the end of the study. A generalized estimating equation was used to control the covariates associated with the probability of affecting adherence to antihypertensive medication. Of 439 participants, 423 (96.4%) completed the study. At 6 months post intervention, the median SEAMS score was statistically significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the controls (median 32, IQR 11 vs median 21, IQR 6; U=10,490, P<.001). Within the intervention group, there was an increase in the median SEAMS score by 12.5 points between baseline and 6 months (median 19.5, IQR 5 vs median 32, IQR 11; P<.001). Results of the pill-counting method showed an increase in adherent patients in the intervention group compared to the controls (83/220, 37.2% vs 2/219, 0.9%; P<.001), as well as within the intervention group (difference of n=83, 37.2% of patients, baseline vs 6 months; P<.001). There was a statistically significant difference in the SBP of 7 mmHg between the intervention and control groups (P<.001) at 6 months, a 4 mmHg reduction (P<.001) within the intervention group, and a 3 mmHg increase (P=.314) within the controls. Overall, the number of patients with uncontrolled hypertension decreased by 46 in the intervention group (baseline vs 6 months), but the control group remained unchanged. The variables groups (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.714, 95% CI 2.387-3.825), time (AOR 1.837, 95% CI 1.625-2.754), and age (AOR 1.618, 95% CI 0.225-1.699) significantly contributed (P<.001) to medication adherence. Multi-Aid-Package received a 94.8% acceptability score. The novel Multi-Aid-Package is an effective mHealth intervention for enhancing medication adherence and treatment outcomes among patients with hypertension in a low- to middle-income country. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04577157; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04577157.

Improved vascular depiction and image quality through deep learning reconstruction of CT hepatic arteriography during transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.

To evaluate the effect of deep learning reconstruction (DLR) on vascular depiction, tumor enhancement, and image quality of computed tomography hepatic arteriography (CTHA) images acquired during transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Institutional review board approval was obtained. Twenty-seven patients (18 men and 9 women, mean age, 75.7years) who underwent CTHA immediately before TACE were enrolled. All images were reconstructed using three reconstruction algorithms: hybrid-iterative reconstruction (hybrid-IR), DLR with mild strength (DLR-M), and DLR with strong strength (DLR-S). Vascular depiction, tumor enhancement, feeder visualization, and image quality of CTHA were quantitatively and qualitatively assessed by two radiologists and compared between the three reconstruction algorithms. The mean signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) of sub-segmental arteries and sub-sub-segmental arteries, and the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of tumors, were significantly higher on DLR-S than on DLR-M and hybrid-IR (P < 0.001). The mean qualitative score for sharpness of sub-segmental and sub-sub-segmental arteries was significantly better on DLR-S than on DLR-M and hybrid-IR (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the feeder artery detection rate of automated feeder artery detection software among three reconstruction algorithms (P = 0.102). The contrast, continuity, and confidence level of feeder artery detection was significantly better on DLR-S than on DLR-M (P = 0.013, 0.005, and 0.001) and hybrid-IR (P < 0.001, P = 0.002, and P < 0.001). The weighted kappa values between two readers for qualitative scores of feeder artery visualization were 0.807-0.874. The mean qualitative scores for sharpness, granulation, and diagnostic acceptability of CTHA were better on DLR-S than on DLR-M and hybrid-IR (P < 0.001). DLR significantly improved the SNR of small hepatic arteries, the CNR of tumor, and feeder artery visualization on CTHA images. DLR-S seems to be better suited to routine CTHA in TACE than does hybrid-IR.

Effects of different drying techniques of ground sprouted chickpeas on quality, textural properties, and sensory attributes of fried falafel

AbstractThe process of sprouting makes legumes better by changing their nutrition, chemicals, and taste. Ground sprouted chickpeas are commonly used as the main ingredient in falafel. The aim of this research was to study the impact of drying techniques that include hot‐air, infrared, and microwave on the moisture, ash, total phenolics, antioxidant capacity, color, and rehydration ratio of dried ground sprouted chickpeas. Also, the effects of drying techniques of ground sprouted chickpeas on the moisture, ash, total phenolics, antioxidant activity, color, volume, density, oil content, textural properties, and sensory attributes of fried falafel were examined. The total phenolics of hot‐air‐dried, infrared‐dried, and microwave‐dried samples were 463.42, 766.20, and 470.82 μg Gallic acid (GA)/g dry, respectively. The infrared‐dried ground sprouts had the highest antioxidant capacity. Additionally, the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of fried falafels made from infrared‐dried ground sprouted chickpeas were significantly higher than those of the fried falafels made from hot‐air‐dried and microwave‐dried sprouts (p &lt; .05). The mean values of lightness, redness, and yellowness of the fried falafel core ranged from 57.37 to 59.29, 3.66 to 6.88, and 40.50 to 43.31, respectively. The lowest oil absorption was related to the sample prepared from the hot‐air‐dried sprouted chickpeas (p &lt; .05). The firmness, cohesiveness, springiness, and chewiness of the fried falafels were between 38.17 N and 91.56 N, 0.29 and 0.44, 0.48 and 0.58, and 5.38 N and 17.24 N, respectively. The use of infrared‐dried sprouted chickpeas for producing fried falafel, due to the highest odor, flavor, and overall acceptance scores, high phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity, high volume, low density, and low hardness, is recommended.

Patient-reported outcomes after minimally invasive sacro-iliac joint surgery: a cohort study based on the Swedish Spine Registry.

There is conflicting evidence regarding treatment outcomes after minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion for long-lasting severe sacroiliac joint pain. The primary aim of our cohort study was to investigate change in patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) after minimally invasive sacroiliac joint surgery in daily practice in the Swedish Spine Registry. Secondary aims were to explore the proportion of patients reaching a patient acceptable symptom score (PASS) and the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for pain scores, physical function, and health-related quality of life outcomes; furthermore, to evaluate self-reported satisfaction, walking distance, and changes in proportions of patients on full sick leave/disability leave and report complications and reoperations. Data from the Swedish Spine Registry was collected for patients with first-time sacroiliac joint fusion, aged 21 to 70 years, with PROMs available preoperatively, at 1 or 2 years after last surgery. PROMs included Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for low back pain (LBP) and leg pain, and EQ-VAS, in addition to demographic variables. We calculated mean change from pre- to postoperative and the proportion of patients achieving MCID and PASS. 68 patients had available pre- and postoperative data, with a mean age of 45 years (range 25-70) and 59 (87%) were female. At follow-up the mean reduction was 2.3 NRS points (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-2.9; P < 0.001) for LBP and 14.8 points (CI 10.6-18.9; P < 0.001) for ODI. EQ-VAS improved by 22 points (CI 15.4-30.3, P < 0.001) at follow-up. Approximately half of the patients achieved MCID and PASS for pain (MCID NRS LBP: 38/65 [59%] and PASS NRS LBP: 32/66 [49%]) and physical function (MCID ODI: 27/67 [40%] and PASS ODI: 24/67 [36%]). The odds for increasing the patient's walking distance to over 1 km at follow-up were 3.5 (CI 1.8-7.0; P < 0.0001), and of getting off full sick leave or full disability leave was 0.57 (CI 0.4-0.8; P = 0.001). In the first 3 months after surgery 3 complications were reported, and in the follow-up period 2 reoperations. We found moderate treatment outcomes after minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion when applied in daily practice with moderate pain relief and small improvements in physical function.

Investigation into the fabrication of plant-based simulant connective tissue utilizing algae polysaccharide-derived hydrogel

Connective tissue is an important component of meat products that provides support to animal muscles. Hydrogels are considered a promising alternative to connective tissues and simulate actual products by adjusting the gel texture and mouthfeel. This study used soybean protein isolate (SPI), corn starch (CS), konjac glucomannan (KGM), and seaweed powder (SP) as raw materials to examine the effect of different added SP and KGM concentrations on the gel texture. The G' of the gel increased five-fold when the SP and KGM concentration was increased from 1 % to 3 %. The results of mechanical property tests showed that with the addition of SP, the gel hardness increased from 316.00 g to 1827.23 g and the tensile strength increased from 0.027 MPa to 0.089 MPa. Sensory evaluation showed that the samples with 2 % SP and KGM presented the highest overall acceptability score and the most significant similarity to real connective tissue. The connective tissue simulants exhibited excellent water-holding capacity (>90 %), significantly increasing their juiciness. SEM indicated that 2 % KGM addition improved gel network structure stability. The results demonstrate the potential of seaweed polysaccharide-derived hydrogels as connective tissue mimics. This provides a new strategy for the preparation of high mechanical strength hydrogels and lays the foundation for structural diversification of plant-based meat.

Development and Characterization of New Plant-Based Ice Cream Assortments Using Oleogels as Fat Source.

The objective of this study was to develop candelilla wax oleogels with hemp seed oil and olive oil and use them as a fat source in the development of new plant-based ice cream assortments. Oleogels were structured with 3 and 9% candelilla wax and characterized by oil-binding capacity, peroxide value and color parameters. The oil-binding capacities of 9% wax oleogels were significantly higher than those of 3% wax oleogels, while peroxide values of oleogels decrease with increasing wax dosage. All oleogel samples are yellow-green due to the pigments present in the oils and candelilla wax. Physicochemical (pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, fat, protein) and rheological (viscosity and viscoelastic modulus) parameters of plant-based ice cream mixes with oleogels were determined. Also, sensory attributes and texture parameters were investigated. The results showed that titratable acidity and fat content of plant-based ice cream samples increased with increasing wax percentage, while pH, soluble solids and protein values are more influenced by the type of plant milk used. The plant-based ice cream sample with spelt milk, hemp oil and 9% candelilla wax received the highest overall acceptability score. The hardness of the plant-based ice cream samples increased as the percentage of candelilla wax added increased.

Impact of Pediococcus pentosaceus containing multicopper oxidase gene on biogenic amine accumulation and quality of Xinjiang sausage during ripening

Herein, we investigated the impact of Pediococcus pentosaceus containing the multicopper oxidase (MCO) gene on fundamental physical and chemical parameters, biogenic amines (BAs) accumulation, MCO gene expression levels, and the quality of Xinjiang sausage. Our findings revealed that the introduction of Pediococcus pentosaceus altered the predominant microbial composition in the sausage, establishing itself as the dominant species during the fermentation process. Moreover, Pediococcus pentosaceus demonstrated the ability to suppress the accumulation of BAs in the sausage by inhibiting the growth of Enterobacteria and upregulating the expression of the MCO gene. Additionally, the incorporation of Pediococcus pentosaceus facilitated the degradation of protein in the sausage, resulting in an increased content of free amino acids, and also increased the appearance, color, texture and overall acceptability scores of sausages. Overall, our results highlight the potential of Pediococcus pentosaceus containing MCO gene in reducing BAs accumulation and improving the sensory quality of Xinjiang sausage.

Impact of Aging Methods and Frozen Storage on Beef Quality Attributes from Different Finishing Diets

The effects of finishing diet (pasture or grain) and meat preservation method on beef&amp;rsquo;s physicochemical, micro- biological, and sensory attributes were evaluated. The preservation methods assessed were dry aging in bag (DAb) and wet aging (WA) for 40 d, and then frozen storage (Fr) ([DAb + Fr] and [WA + Fr]) for 180 d. Sixty striploins (Longissimus lumborum) from British breed steers (n = 15 from pasture and n = 15 from grain-based diet) were used. Lightness (L*) was only affected by finishing diet where meat from grain-fed steers was lighter than those fed on pasture (P &amp;lt; 0.01). DAb meat had higher pH (P &amp;lt; 0.01) and lower cooking losses (P &amp;lt; 0.01) than WA. DAb + Fr had the highest Psychotrophic bacteria counts compared to WA + Fr, DAb and WA (P &amp;lt; 0.01). DAb and DAb + Fr increased Enterobacteriaceae bacteria counts (P &amp;lt; 0.01) compared to WA and WA + Fr. DAb + Fr samples had the lowest L*, a*, and b* values. No interaction between physicochemical characteristics (color coordinates, pH, cooking losses, and shear force) and surface microbiological load was observed (P &amp;gt; 0.05). Greater polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), PUFA n-3, conjugated linoleic acid (c9, t11 &amp;ndash; 18:2) (P &amp;lt; 0.01), and PUFA/saturated fatty acid ratio (P &amp;lt; 0.05) and lower n-6:n-3 ratio (P &amp;lt; 0.01) were observed in pasture- than grain-fed steers. The consumer sensory panel showed acceptable scores for all treatments, although some differences between attributes were detected by cluster analysis. Different aging methods followed by a frozen storage period could be used to produce and export meat with the required quality attributes to meet consumer expectations

Bitterness and flavanone composition of ‘Redson’ fruit: A new red-fleshed pomelo × grapefruit hybrid

‘Einat’ (‘Redson™’) is a new triploid, red-fleshed pomelo × grapefruit hybrid. We examined the quality, flavor, bitterness and flavanone composition of ‘Redson’ fruit, as compared to 'Oroblanco', another pomelo x grapefruit hybrid, 'Star Ruby' grapefruit, 'Goliath' pomelo and 'Newhall' navel orange. ‘Redson’ fruit are seedless with a yellow peel and red flesh and have unique quality characteristics. Descriptive sensory tests revealed that ‘Redson’ fruit are bitterer than other citrus fruit, but earned a high consumer acceptance score and ranked first for preference among all bitter citrus fruits, including pomelo, grapefruit and their hybrids. ‘Redson’ fruit contained the highest amount of the bitter flavanone naringin, but had low levels of other bitter flavanones (neohesperidin and poncirin) and non-bitter flavanones (hesperidin and narirutin). Furthermore, we detected a high correlation (R2 = 0.957) between naringin levels and the sensation of bitterness among citrus fruit, featuring the importance of naringin in determining citrus bitterness.

The attitude of occupational health and safety engineering students towards the field of study and future career at Ilam University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: One of the important factors of students' success is a positive attitude towards their field of study and future career. Occupational health and safety engineering is a science that works in the field of employee health and work environment safety. Therefore, it is very important to know the factors affecting the attitude of students in occupational health and safety engineering. Methodology: In this study, 62 students of occupational health engineering of Ilam University of Medical Sciences were examined in the academic year of 2020-2021. The data were collected using the questionnaire of the University of Minnesota, containing 17 questions with a Likert spectrum scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: From 66 questionnaires, the mean and standard deviation of the attitude score towards the field of study (28.97 ± 4.25) and the mean and standard deviation of the attitude score towards the future career (24.8 ± 4.7) were calculated. Considering the score of 22 and 19 as the average score of the attitude towards the field of study and future career, the scores obtained are more than the acceptable score. Conclusion: The findings of the present study show a positive attitude towards the field of study and future career. Matching the capacity of accepting students with the needs of the labor market, familiarizing students with university courses before the national entrance exam, providing advice and support to students in justifying the course and work environment, and better communication between industry and university will improve students' attitudes.