Mixed cultures of food-grade probiotic bacteria and enteric bacteria demonstrate both synergism and inhibition on menaquinone production

The interaction between probiotic (Enterococcus spp., Lactobacillus spp., and Lactococcus spp.) and enteric (Bacteroides spp., Escherichia coli, and Salmonella spp.) bacteria with respect to menaquinone production was examined. Menaquinones were measured in cell pellets by high-pressure liquid chromatography and the main homologues produced were MIK_7–11. The growth of both Bacteroides and E. coli cultured with the 3 probiotics was significantly inhibited with concomitant reduction in menaquinone production. The vitamin K status of humans could be affected by consumption of probiotic dairy foods via the contribution made by gut microflora.

What are grade 5 and 6 children buying from school canteens and what do parents and teachers think about it?

Objective: The foods sold in school canteens have a significant role to play in ensuring children consume a healthy balance of nutritious foods. However, no research to date has described the foods that Australian children are purchasing at school canteens, or the perceptions held about school canteens by students, teachers and parents.
Design: An exploratory cross-sectional survey was used to obtain information from students, parents and teachers through self completion questionnaires.
Subjects: There were 384 children aged nine to 12 years, 404 parents and 41 teachers involved.
Settings: The study was conducted in 12 primary schools in Victoria, Australia.
Main outcome measures: Types of foods purchased at school canteens, school canteen usage, parents' and teachers' perceptions of the role of the school and canteen in influencing children's eating habits.
Results: More than 50% of the children surveyed used the school canteen at least once per week. Children identified preference for unhealthy alternatives and availability as key barriers to choosing healthy foods at the canteen and suggested increased availability, advertisements and cost reductions as aids to purchasing healthy foods. Teachers placed more importance on the role of the canteen than parents did.
Statistical analyses: Frequencies, cross-tabulation analyses and chi square tests were undertaken using the SPSS 11 computer program.
Conclusions: These Victorian primary school children and their teachers, and to a lesser extent parents, had a clear understanding of healthy foods. Children and teachers identified barriers that prevent school canteens
from providing healthy foods. There is likely to be strong support from these stakeholders for novel health promoting policies.

Predicting the grade of disability 1 year after stroke following rehabilitation

The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of grades of disability at least 1 year after stroke rehabilitation therapy. We recruited stroke patients from the inpatient rehabilitation department of a university hospital. The degree of disability was graded using the disability evaluation at least 1 year after stroke onset. Functional ability was evaluated using the Functional Independence Measure instrument on admission, on discharge from the inpatient rehabilitation program, and at the 6-month follow-up visit after discharge. Major sociodemographic, medical, and rehabilitative factors were also collected during the hospitalization period. Of the 109 patients surveyed, 64 (58.7%) had severe or very severe grades of disability. The correlates of severe or very severe disability in logistic regression analyses were bilaterally affected (odds ratio, OR, 10.8), impaired orientation (OR, 3.6), and poorer functional ability at discharge (OR, 7.6). Based on the significant predictors identified, the logistic regression model correctly classified severe or very severe disability in 68.0% of subjects. The higher frequency of severe or very severe disability in this study may have been due to the relatively more severely affected stroke patient population in the inpatient rehabilitation service and the use of unique disability evaluation criteria. These results may provide information useful in planning continuous rehabilitation care and setting relevant socio-welfare policies for stroke victims.

Ghosts in the machine : student participation and grade attainment in a web-assisted social work course

For many social work educators, the debate about whether social work education should be delivered using online technology has, as a result of institutional imperatives, moved on to how best this can be done. In this article, the process of designing and delivering part of a social work course using asynchronous online discussion is described and reflected upon. Student participation in the online environment is also compared with final course grades and the findings discussed in relation to existing literature. Recommendations for the future delivery of social work courses using online technology emerging from this discussion are offered.

Implementing cooperative learning in grade four mathematics classes in Thailand

This study showed that successful implementation of cooperative learning in Thai primary mathematics classrooms requires three components: preparation of teachers, preparation of instructional materials and the preparation of pupils. In addition, cooperative learning was found to have a positive effect on pupils' mathematics achievement and their attitude towards mathematics.

Production of Omega-3 Triacylglycerol concentrates using a new food grade immobilized Candida antarctica Lipase B

Triacylglycerol concentrates of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic omega-3 fatty acids were synthesized either via transesterification or esterification of glycerol with the corresponding ethyl ester or free fatty acid concentrates, respectively. A newly developed food grade immobilized Candida antarctica lipase Β system using an Amberlite FPX-66 hydrophobic matrix, was compared with a commercially available non-food grade commercial system, for their ability to catalyze these reactions. For either system, the transesterification required higher temperature (90◦C) than esterification (70°C) to achieve maximum triacylglycerol yields. The newly developed immobilized system efficiently catalyzes the esterification of free fatty acids with glycerol and differs from the existing commercial system in that it is food grade and has a more uniform and larger particle distribution. The new system significantly improves flow in a packed bed reactor, enabling multiple reuse of the catalyst for up to 80 repeats.

A look-ahead road grade determination method for HEVs

This paper presents a look-ahead road grade determination method for use in energy management of hybrid electric vehicles. Data that is gathered from a digital map and vehicle sensors is used to predict the future road grade and longitudinal forces. The predicted information is employed to specify the near future traction force demand. A simulation is carried out using data associated with a 50 km section of a real highway for a typical vehicle. The results are presented and discussed.

Oxidation and stability of food grade fish oil : role of antioxidants

Oxidation of lipids containing unsaturated fatty acids is a common and complicated phenomenon. Volatile compounds generated during the oxidation of fish oil contribute to the unfavourable flavours and odours of the oil and the food products containing them. Although the initial mechanism of the oxidation seems simple, the mechanism and product mix become much more complicated and unpredictable during its progress, depending upon factors including the nature of the substrate and its environment. Oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic, linoleic, and α-linolenic, predominantly from vegetable oils, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from fish or microbial oil, produce several types of flavour volatiles that affect the sensory properties of these oils. Antioxidants are commonly used to retard the oxidation and improve the quality of food-grade oils. This chapter will discuss mechanisms of lipid oxidation and methods to control lipid oxidation, including the use of antioxidants.

Bevacizumab for the treatment of high-grade glioma

Introduction: Gliomas are highly vascular and rich in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that promotes angiogenesis. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody against VEGF inhibiting angiogenesis by preventing receptor activation. Phase II clinical trials using bevacizumab in both newly diagnosed and recurrent high-grade glioma (HGG) showed promising results.

Areas covered: This is a review of clinical trials investigating bevacizumab in newly diagnosed and recurrent HGGs with a focus on outcome results. A future perspective about the expected role of bevacizumab is given. Bevacizumab efficacy, safety and tolerability, the combination of radiation and bevacizumab as well as the use of bevacizumab to treat pseudoprogression are discussed. Further criteria of response evaluation needed to be adjusted in the age of anti-angiogenic therapy and this will be discussed.

Expert opinion: Bevacizumab has been shown to be safe and tolerable in HGG. In the recurrent disease setting, bevacizumab alone might be sufficient for a clinical benefit and is currently approved as a single agent for this indication. While clinical trials demonstrate a prolonged progression-free survival in bevacizumab-treated HGG, a benefit on OS has not been demonstrated yet. Bevacizumab has also been introduced into other settings in neuro-oncology including concurrent administration with re-irradiation for recurrent HGG.

Anti-angiogenic therapy for high grade glioma

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows:

To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of anti-angiogenic therapy, either alone or in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in patients with HGG. Comparisons will be as follows:

1. Newly diagnosed HGG treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy in combination with angiogenesis inhibitor versus without angiogenesis inhibitors.
2. First relapse therapy with angiogenesis inhibitor versus without angiogenesis inhibitors.
3. Second or third line angiogenesis inhibitors versus therapy without angiogenesis inhibitors.

Neuro-oncology : late neurocognitive decline after radiotherapy for low-grade glioma

Radiotherapy is administered to most patients with low-grade glioma. A well-designed, retrospective study assessed neurocognitive function in patients who had received radiotherapy for low-grade gliomas versus those who had not. Cognitive function did not differ markedly between groups after 6 years, but by 12 years this feature was worse in the group that received radiotherapy.

Exercising sociomathematical norms in classroom discourse about data representation : insights from one case study of a grade 6 lesson in Indonesia

This paper examines a research study to foster mathematical discourse about data representations among Indonesian students. It was situated in the context of implementing an Indonesian version of Realistic Mathematics Education, labelled as PMRI, in primary schools. A case study of one lesson involving Grade 6 students on the choice of data representations in Yogyakarta will be discussed. The analysis focused on the enacted social norms and sociomathematical norms during a wholeclass discussion and their impacts on students’ knowledge of data representations. The need for constant effort to enact these norms in classroom mathematical discourse is highlighted.