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Food Chemistry May 2024κ-Carrageenan (CG) was employed to mask the bitterness induced by 50% KCl in surimi gels to achieve salt reduction and gel performance improvement. The combination of...
κ-Carrageenan (CG) was employed to mask the bitterness induced by 50% KCl in surimi gels to achieve salt reduction and gel performance improvement. The combination of KCl and CG (KCl + CG) yielded the increased textural characteristics and water-holding capacity (WHC) of surimi gels and facilitated the transition of free water to immobilized water. In addition, the KCl + CG supplement increased the turbidity and particle size of myofibrillar protein (MP) sols but decreased the surface hydrophobicity in a dose-dependent manner. The hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bonds played crucial roles in maintaining the stability of MP gels. The specific binding of potassium ions to the sulfate groups of CG limited the release and diffusion of potassium ions from the surimi gels during oral processing, effectively masking the bitterness perception and maintaining the saltiness perception. This study provides a promising strategy to reduce the utilization of sodium salt in surimi products.
PubMed: 38870800
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139859 -
PloS One 2024This study examined land use land cover change and its determinants in Tigray, Ethiopia and its livelihood zones. We used socioeconomic panel, and satellite data, and...
This study examined land use land cover change and its determinants in Tigray, Ethiopia and its livelihood zones. We used socioeconomic panel, and satellite data, and applied a mixed-effects model to analyse the factors influencing land allocation among different uses, and transition matrix to analyse land cover dynamics. The results revealed that; land use choices were influenced by plot level factors (such as plot elevation, distance, soil type and quality, and land tenure), household characteristics (such as education, dependency ratio, plot size and number owned, income, livestock and asset, perception of climate change, and access to market and main road), and community level factors (precipitation, product price, population density and livelihood zone variations). Transition matrix analysis showed that between 1986 and 2016, 12.8% of forest was converted to bare land, 6.26% bare land was converted to pasture, and 5.84% of cropland was converted to forest. However, net deforestation occurred in most of the livelihood zones. Therefore, local communities faced environmental and socio-economic challenges from capital constraints induced land fallowing, land fragmentation, and unmanaged land cover change. The study recommended sustainable land use planning and management, market linkages, improved access to roads, forestry subsidies, land tenure security, and land consolidation programs.
Topics: Ethiopia; Conservation of Natural Resources; Socioeconomic Factors; Humans; Forests; Agriculture; Climate Change
PubMed: 38870199
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304896 -
Operative Neurosurgery (Hagerstown, Md.) Apr 2024Suprasellar tumors, particularly pituitary adenomas (PAs), commonly present with visual decline, and the endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach (EETA) is the...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Suprasellar tumors, particularly pituitary adenomas (PAs), commonly present with visual decline, and the endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach (EETA) is the primary management for optic apparatus decompression. Patients presenting with complete preoperative monocular blindness comprise a high-risk subgroup, given concern for complete blindness. This retrospective cohort study evaluates outcomes after EETA for patients with PA presenting with monocular blindness.
METHODS
Retrospective analysis of all EETA cases at our institution from June 2012 to August 2023 was performed. Inclusion criteria included adults with confirmed PA and complete monocular blindness, defined as no light perception, and a relative afferent pupillary defect secondary to tumor mass effect.
RESULTS
Our cohort includes 15 patients (9 males, 6 females), comprising 2.4% of the overall PA cohort screened. The mean tumor diameter was 3.8 cm, with 6 being giant PAs (>4 cm). The mean duration of preoperative monocular blindness was 568 days. Additional symptoms included contralateral visual field defects (n = 11) and headaches (n = 10). Two patients presented with subacute PA apoplexy. Gross total resection was achieved in 46% of patients, reflecting tumor size and invasiveness. Postoperatively, 2 patients experienced improvement in their effectively blind eye and 2 had improved visual fields of the contralateral eye. Those with improvements were operated within 10 days of presentation, and no patients experienced worsened vision.
CONCLUSION
This is the first series of EETA outcomes in patients with higher-risk PA with monocular blindness on presentation. In these extensive lesions, vision remained stable for most without further decline and improvement from monocular blindness was observed in a small subset of patients with no light perception and relative afferent pupillary defect. Timing from vision loss to surgical intervention seemed to be associated with improvement. From a surgical perspective, caution is warranted to protect remaining vision and we conclude that EETA is safe in the management of these patients.
PubMed: 38869495
DOI: 10.1227/ons.0000000000001116 -
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024Childhood sexual abuse persists as a painful societal reality, necessitating responses from institutions and healthcare professionals to prevent and address its severe...
Psychological intervention in women victims of childhood sexual abuse: a randomized controlled clinical trial comparing EMDR psychotherapy and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy.
INTRODUCTION
Childhood sexual abuse persists as a painful societal reality, necessitating responses from institutions and healthcare professionals to prevent and address its severe long-term consequences in victims. This study implements an intervention comprising two psychotherapeutic approaches recommended by the WHO and international clinical guidelines for addressing short-, medium-, and long-term posttraumatic symptomatology: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Both approaches are adapted from group formats for implementation in small online groups via Zoom.
METHODS
The impact of both therapeutic approaches on trauma improvement was assessed in a sample of 19 women who were victims of childhood sexual abuse through a Randomized Clinical Trial comparing EMDR Psychotherapy and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy after a baseline period. Intra and inter comparison were made using statistics appropriate to the sample.
RESULTS
Both therapeutic approaches significantly reduced symptomatology across various evaluated variables, suggesting their efficacy in improving the quality of life for these individuals. Following CBT-FT treatment, patients exhibited enhanced emotional regulation, reduced reexperiencing, and avoidance. The EMDR group, utilizing the G-TEP group protocol, significantly improved dissociation, along with other crucial clinical variables and the perception of quality of life.
DISCUSSION
Although the limitations of this study must be taken into account due to the size of the sample and the lack of long-term follow-up, the results align with existing scientific literature, underscoring the benefits of trauma-focused psychological treatments. The online group format appears promising for enhancing the accessibility of psychological treatment for these women. Furthermore, the differential outcomes of each treatment support recent research advocating for the inclusion of both approaches for individuals with trauma-related symptomatology.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
The study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Valencian International University (VIU) (Valencia, Spain) (Ref. CEID2021_07). The results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated to the scientific community.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04813224, identifier NCT04813224.
PubMed: 38868491
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1360388 -
Heliyon Jun 2024Narrative Medicine and Nursing are clinical-supporting intervention methodologies that aim to enhance professionals' communication skills and place patients at the heart...
Narrative Medicine and Nursing are clinical-supporting intervention methodologies that aim to enhance professionals' communication skills and place patients at the heart of their therapeutic path. A narrative interview (NI) is a communication tool between practitioner and patient. The role of NI is debated extensively in the literature, but no studies focus on its use by nurses responsible for first-diagnosed cancer patients. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and utility of NI, carried out by Nurses, in managing people recently diagnosed with cancer. A pilot mixed-methods study with before-and-after-intervention evaluation, qualitative longitudinal data analysis, and concurrent data triangulation was conducted. The Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer assessed disease adaptation, while the Psychological Distress Inventory investigated psychological distress. The qualitative analysis of the narrative interviews assessed the usefulness of this intervention. 13 out of 14 eligible patients took voluntary part in the study. Of those, 9 (69 %) completed T1 and T2 questionnaires and NI. The following five themes emerged from thematic analysis: reaction to the disease, feelings related to the new condition of life, changes, importance of relationships and perception of care. Patients reported being highly stressed and recognized the importance of a supporting social network for better coping with the condition. The adoption of an NI approach at the time of cancer diagnosis is feasible. Due to the limited sample size, it is unclear if NI may positively impact psychological distress in this patient population. Further studies would benefit from the integration of an additional investigation tool aiming to clarify whether NI promotes disease awareness in cancer patients. Furthermore, the recruitment of a larger sample is equally recommended.
PubMed: 38868003
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31802 -
Science Robotics Jun 2024Repetitive overhead tasks during factory work can cause shoulder injuries resulting in impaired health and productivity loss. Soft wearable upper extremity robots have...
Repetitive overhead tasks during factory work can cause shoulder injuries resulting in impaired health and productivity loss. Soft wearable upper extremity robots have the potential to be effective injury prevention tools with minimal restrictions using soft materials and active controls. We present the design and evaluation of a portable inflatable shoulder wearable robot for assisting industrial workers during shoulder-elevated tasks. The robot is worn like a shirt with integrated textile pneumatic actuators, inertial measurement units, and a portable actuation unit. It can provide up to 6.6 newton-meters of torque to support the shoulder and cycle assistance on and off at six times per minute. From human participant evaluations during simulated industrial tasks, the robot reduced agonist muscle activities (anterior, middle, and posterior deltoids and biceps brachii) by up to 40% with slight changes in joint angles of less than 7% range of motion while not increasing antagonistic muscle activity (latissimus dorsi) in current sample size. Comparison of controller parameters further highlighted that higher assistance magnitude and earlier assistance timing resulted in statistically significant muscle activity reductions. During a task circuit with dynamic transitions among the tasks, the kinematics-based controller of the robot showed robustness to misinflations (96% true negative rate and 91% true positive rate), indicating minimal disturbances to the user when assistance was not required. A preliminary evaluation of a pressure modulation profile also highlighted a trade-off between user perception and hardware demands. Finally, five automotive factory workers used the robot in a pilot manufacturing area and provided feedback.
Topics: Humans; Robotics; Wearable Electronic Devices; Equipment Design; Biomechanical Phenomena; Male; Shoulder; Adult; Range of Motion, Articular; Torque; Muscle, Skeletal; Electromyography; Industry; Shoulder Injuries; Female; Young Adult; Task Performance and Analysis; Shoulder Joint; Exoskeleton Device
PubMed: 38865477
DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adi2377 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024It is unclear whether memory for images of poorer visibility (as low contrast or small size) will be lower due to weak signals elicited in early visual processing...
It is unclear whether memory for images of poorer visibility (as low contrast or small size) will be lower due to weak signals elicited in early visual processing stages, or perhaps better since their processing may entail top-down processes (as effort and attention) associated with deeper encoding. We have recently shown that during naturalistic encoding (free viewing without task-related modulations), for image sizes between 3°-24°, bigger images stimulating more visual system processing resources at early processing stages are better remembered. Similar to size, higher contrast leads to higher activity in early visual processing. Therefore, here we hypothesized that during naturalistic encoding, at critical visibility ranges, higher contrast images will lead to higher signal-to-noise ratio and better signal quality flowing downstream and will thus be better remembered. Indeed, we found that during naturalistic encoding higher contrast images were remembered better than lower contrast ones (~ 15% higher accuracy, ~ 1.58 times better) for images at 7.5-60 RMS contrast range. Although image contrast and size modulate early visual processing very differently, our results further substantiate that at poor visibility ranges, during naturalistic non-instructed visual behavior, physical image dimensions (contributing to image visibility) impact image memory.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Adult; Young Adult; Photic Stimulation; Visual Perception; Memory; Contrast Sensitivity; Attention
PubMed: 38862623
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63953-5 -
The Aging Male : the Official Journal... Dec 2024This study aims to examine the relationship between male genital self-perception and sexual functioning and depression anxieties.
AIM
This study aims to examine the relationship between male genital self-perception and sexual functioning and depression anxieties.
METHOD
The study included male patients who were referred to the andrology outpatient clinic between March 2022 and June 2022. Demographic data of the patients were recorded. Cigarette and alcohol consumption was also noted. The Male Genital Self Image Scale (MGSIS) questionnaire was used for the Genital Self Image(GSI) assessment, which consists of 7 questions. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), composed of 15 questions, was used to evaluate sexual function. STAI-I, STAI-II, and BECK scales were used for depression and anxiety. The penis size of the patients was measured in a flask and stretched condition, and the midpenile circumference was recorded. Patients were compared with respect to GSI, depression, anxiety, and sexual functioning.
RESULTS
A total of 75 patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 46.69 ± 11.32 (2672), and the mean BMI was 27.82 ± 3.79 (22.4640.40) kg/m. A slightly positive correlation was found between the patients' flask penis size and MGSIS-total scores ( = 0.260, = .024) and IIEF-SF scores ( = 0.240, = .038). There was a moderately positive correlation between the stretched penis size and IIEF-OS ( = 0.403, < .001) and IIEF-SF ( = 0.354, = .002). While the MGSIS-total score and the STAI-I and STAI-II scores had a moderate negative correlation, there was an advanced negative correlation between the MGSIS-total score and the BECK score.
CONCLUSION
Disruption of men's genital self-perception is moderately related to their susceptibility to depression and anxiety. This situation affects the person's sexual performance and causes orgasm problems to increase.
Topics: Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Depression; Adult; Anxiety; Self Concept; Surveys and Questionnaires; Aged; Penis; Sexual Behavior
PubMed: 38858824
DOI: 10.1080/13685538.2024.2363275 -
BMC Infectious Diseases Jun 2024We conducted a systematic review to explore the relationship between perceived risk for HIV acquisition and sexual HIV exposure among sexual and gender minorities. We...
We conducted a systematic review to explore the relationship between perceived risk for HIV acquisition and sexual HIV exposure among sexual and gender minorities. We included 39 studies divided into (i) correlations or associations, (ii) models using sexual HIV exposure as the outcome, and (iii) models using perceived risk for HIV acquisition as the outcome. The sample size range was from 55 to 16,667 participants, primarily cisgender men who have sex with men (73.3%) and White (51.3%). Sexual HIV exposure and perceived risk for HIV acquisition assessments and recall time frames across studies differed markedly. Most of studies (84.6%) found significant correlations, comparisons, or associations between different levels of perceived risk for HIV acquisition and high sexual HIV exposure. In addition, 51.3% of studies reported other variables associated with high sexual HIV exposure (i.e., misuse of substances or alcohol) or with high perceived risk for HIV acquisition (i.e., younger age). In conclusion, the association between perceived risk for HIV acquisition and sexual HIV exposure has shown to be consistent. However, the assessment for perceived risk for HIV acquisition should include more components of perception (i.e., an affective component), or for sexual HIV exposure should consider the different estimated sexual per-acts probability of acquiring HIV.
Topics: Humans; HIV Infections; Sexual and Gender Minorities; Male; Sexual Behavior; Female; Risk Factors; Adult
PubMed: 38858666
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09456-0 -
Surgical Endoscopy Jun 2024Despite the advancements in technology and organized training for surgeons in laparoscopic surgery, the persistent challenge of not being able to feel the resistance and...
INTRODUCTION
Despite the advancements in technology and organized training for surgeons in laparoscopic surgery, the persistent challenge of not being able to feel the resistance and characteristics of the tissue, including pulsations, remains unmet. A recently developed grasper (Optigrip®) with real time haptic feedback, based on photonic technology, aims to address this issue by restoring the tactile sensation for surgeons. The key question is whether pulsations can be detected and at what minimal size level they become clinical significant.
METHODS
To simulate arterial conditions during laparoscopic procedures, four different silicone tubes were created, representing the most prevalent arteries. These tubes were connected to a validated pressure system, generating a natural pulse ranging between 80 and 120 mm Hg. One control tube without pressure was added. The surgeons had to grasp these tubes blindly with the conventional grasper or the haptic feedback grasper in a randomized order. They then indicated whether they felt the pressure or not and the percentage of correct answers was calculated.
RESULTS
The haptic grasper successfully detected 96% of all pulsations, while the conventional grasper could only detect 6%. When considering the size of the arteries, the Optigrip® identified pulsations in 100% the 4 and 5 mm arteries and 92% of the smallest arteries. The conventional grasper was only able to feel the smallest arteries in 8%. These differences were highly significant (p < 0.0001).
CONCLUSION
This study demonstrated that the newly developed haptic feedback grasper enables detection of arterial pulsations during laparoscopy, filling an important absence in tactile perception within laparoscopic surgery.
PubMed: 38858248
DOI: 10.1007/s00464-024-10877-w