A Review of the Design and Architecture of Starch-Based Dietary Foods

Carbohydrates,which are mostly present in sugar,starch,and fiber,are one of the main ingredients of food and the primary source of energy in the human diet.Among these three main sources,starch stands out as one of the most abundant reserves of carbohydrates.Investigating starch would not only enhance our understanding of the functionality of starch in the human body but also aid in the design of novel starch-based dietary foods.The present review first provides a state-of-the-art understanding of the various classifications of dietary starches,including rapidly digesting starch(RDS),slowly digesting starch(SDS),and resistant starch(RS).Moreover,both the in vivo and in vitro determination methods of the digestibility of starch-based dietary foods are discussed.Based on the current understanding,present research strategies to design novel starch-based dietary foods through either the direct addition of modified starch or the alteration of processing conditions are highlighted.Furthermore,certain perspectives related to the future research directions of starch-based foods are also included.

The emerging concept of travel therapy in health science:Will it be applied to tourists visiting sub-frigid climate zones?

Have you ever thought that taking a tourism-related trip could contribute to your well-being or even improve your health status?Have you considered that tourism research could play a role in health science by showcasing new ways of thinking?Tourism scholars have recently contemplated tourism's place in public/global health[1]as a means of enriching the well-being of people living with conditions such as dementia.A seminal study using an interdisciplinary approach[2]integrated expertise in tourism,psychology,marketing,and medical science and proposed tourism as a dementia intervention based on positive psychology.

Current status of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator dosage for acute ischaemic stroke:an updated systematic review

The optimal dose of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator(rtPA)for acute ischaemic stroke(AIS)remains controversial,especially in Asian countries.We aimed to update the evidence regarding the use of low-dose versus standard-dose rtPA.We performed a systematic literature search across MEDLINE,Embase,Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials(CENTRAL),PsycINFO and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature(CINAHL)from inception to 22 August 2016 to identify all related studies.The outcomes were death or disability(defined by modified Rankin Scale 2-6),death,and symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage(sICH).Where possible,data were pooled for meta-analysis with ORs and corresponding 95% CIs by means of random-effects or fixed-effects meta-analysis.We included 26 observational studies and 1 randomised controlled trial with a total of 23210 patients.Variable doses of rtPA were used for thrombolysis of AIS in Asia.Meta-analysis shows that low-dose rtPA was not associated with increased risk of death or disability(OR 1.13,95% CI 0.95 to 1.33),or death(OR 0.86,95% CI 0.74 to 1.01),or decreased risk of sICH(OR 1.06,95% CI 0.65 to 1.72).The results remained consistent when sensitivity analyses were performed including only low-dose and standard-dose rtPA or only Asian studies.Our review shows small difference between the outcomes or the risk profile in the studies using low-dose and/or standard-dose rtPA for AIS.Low-dose rtPA was not associated with lower risk of death or disability,death alone,or sICH.

Increasingγ-CD conversion rates by improving thermostability of Bacillus sp.FJAT-44876γ-CGTase

Poor thermostability is a limiting factor for applications ofγ-CGTase that affects starch utilization and yield ofγ-CD.Here thermostability of Bacillus sp.FJAT-44876γ-CGTase(BFγ-CGTase)was improved by addition of Ca^(2+)and site-directed mutagenesis.Thus,10 mM Ca^(2+)increased the half-life(t1/2)at 55 and 60℃ from 3.0 to 0.3 h to 17.4 and 2.0 h,respectively.Fluorescence spectra indicated that Ca^(2+)stabilized the tertiary structure of the BFγ-CGTase and hence improved the thermostability.Mutation to serine of a glycine residue in anα-helix related to thermostability also improved the stability especially at the higher temperature.Importantly,in 10 mM Ca^(2+)the G208S mutant further increased t1/2 to 20.0 h and 4.0 h at 55 and 60℃,respectively.The G208S mutant in 10 mM Ca^(2+)producedγ-CD from tapioca starch with 40%increased yield of that from BFγ-CGTase.This work involving rational protein engineering provided a new tool for enzymaticγ-CD production.

The Incidence of Moderate and Severe Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome in Hospitalized Patients in China

Background:Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome(OHSS)occurs in women receiving fertility treatments.Moderate and severe OHSS cases are required to be admitted to hospital for treatment.The incidence of moderate and severe OHSS and the characteristics of these cases are unknown in China.We aimed to assess the incidence of moderate and severe OHSS in national databases from China between 2013 and 2017.Methods:We extracted moderate and severe OHSS cases from the Hospital Quality Monitoring System,the nationwide inpatient data collection system.We used ovum pick-up(OPUbaidu)cycle data from the annual report of China’s National Health Commission,developed on the basis of OPU data collected by National ART Management Information System.Overall incidence of moderate and severe OHSS(women aged 20 to 50 years)and year-specific incidence by each calendar year in China were calculated.We also investigated the age distribution in OHSS and OHSS with different comorbidities.Results:We extracted 18,022 eligible patients with moderate or severe OHSS and 1,581,703 OPU cycles.The overall incidence of moderate and severe OHSS between 2013 and 2017 was 1.14%.The year-specific moderate and severe OHSS incidence was 1.1%in 2013,1.4%in 2014,1.4%in 2015,1.1%in 2016,0.9%in 2017,respectively.Women aged 26 to 30 years accounted for 48.4%of OHSS cases,followed by women aged 31 to 35 years(30%)and 20 to 25 years(14.2%).The age distribution pattern was consistent across OHSS with different comorbidities.Conclusions:This study reported the incidence of moderate and severe OHSS in China using nationwide data for the first time.Our findings support that women aged under 35 years receiving assisted reproductive technology need more attention than other age groups in terms of OHSS risk control.