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Objective: To explore the effect of early swallowing training on postoperative outcomes of patients who had undergone oral cancer surgery plus free flap reconstruction. Subjects and Methods: In this prospective, randomized controlled trial, 121 patients who had undergone oral cancer surgery plus free flap reconstruction were randomly assigned to the control (n = 59) or intervention group (n = 62). The control group underwent routine nursing measures. The intervention group received swallowing training on the sixth postoperative day. On the 15th day and 1 month after surgery, the swallowing function (Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability‐Oral Cancer [MASA‐OC] score), weight loss rate, time of nasogastric tube removal, and quality of life were evaluated. Results: Patients in the intervention group had higher MASA‐OC scores and better weight loss rates than those in the control group on the 15th day (MASA‐OC: p = 0.014, weight loss: p < 0.001) and 1 month (both p < 0.001) after surgery. The time of nasogastric tube removal and the quality of life was statistically significant between groups (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Early swallowing training improves the swallowing function, nutritional status, and quality of life and shortens the indwelling time of nasogastric tube of patients who have undergone oral cancer surgery plus free flap reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to investigate clinical features of atypical pulmonary tuberculosis (aPTB) mimicking bacterial pneumonia, determine imaging features with the highest degree of correlation, and identify predictors for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) positivity.

Objective: Determine the safety and effectiveness of a nasogastric tube removal plan designed to shorten nasogastric tube indwelling time after oral cancer surgery plus free flap reconstruction. Materials and Methods: A parallel randomized clinical trial was conducted from May 2021 to December 2021 at Peking University School of Stomatology. Volunteers (n = 128) were separated into four groups: non‐tracheostomy control and intervention groups and tracheostomy control and intervention groups. Control patients received the conventional nasogastric tube removal plan. Non‐tracheotomy intervention patients were asked to swallow 5 ml of water on the first postoperative day. If there was no coughing, they were allowed progressively increasing amounts of water for the following 2 days. The nasogastric tube was removed only after ensuring level I/II performance on the Watian water swallowing test, no "wet voice" after drinking water, no marked decrease in blood oxygen saturation after drinking, and satisfactory daily oral nutritional intake. Tracheotomy intervention patients received the same protocol plus an additional Watian water swallowing test after tracheal tube removal. Results: Nasogastric tube removal time was earlier in the intervention subgroups than in control subgroups: 5.0 ± 2.3 days versus 7.8 ± 3.9 days (p = 0.001) in non‐tracheostomy patients and 9.8 ± 1.1 days versus 16.2 ± 13.0 days (p = 0.049) in tracheostomy patients. Incidence of wound complications and daily food intake were comparable between the groups. The incidence of pneumonia was lower in the tracheostomy intervention group than in the tracheostomy control group (12.5% vs. 3.1%, p = 0.162). Pharyngeal pain score was lower in tracheotomy intervention patients than in tracheotomy control patients (p = 0.029). Postoperative hospital stay was shorter in tracheotomy intervention patients than in tracheotomy control patients (p = 0.005). Conclusions: On the basis of ensuring safety and effectiveness, patients undergone free flap reconstruction for oral cancer could be offered oral intake early after surgery, which will not increase the incidence of wound complications and pneumonia or adversely affecting the oral intake of the patients; it can also help minimize pharyngeal pain and shorten postoperative hospital stay of patients with a tracheotomy. Level of Evidence: 2 Laryngoscope, 133:1382–1387, 2023 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two physical methods are used to accelerate curing and improve quality of reduced‐sodium bacon, including vacuum‐tumbling and ultrasound‐assisted dry curing (UDC) at 300/800 W for 30/60 min. Pork belly was evenly smeared with 1.5% of salt and evaluated by examining the NaCl infiltration, porcine tissue microstructure, protein solubilization, water distribution, sensory quality, and textural characteristic of bacon. The results showed that both UDC and tumbling could significantly (P＜0.05) promote salt infiltration in meat compared with static dry‐curing. UDC for 60 min at 300 W caused favorable changes of the texture and sensory quality of reduced‐sodium bacon due to UDC‐induced destruction of tissue structures, solubilization, and limited exudate of myofibrillar proteins, increased penetration of salt, and synchronous accumulation of both proteins and sodium ion on the layer. It is suggested that a moderate UDC treatment is a potential practical technique for improving the quality of sodium‐reduced bacon. Practical applications: UDC and tumbling could significantly promote NaCl infiltration in meat. Moderate UDC caused favorable texture and sensory quality of reduced‐sodium bacon via promoting the tissue destruction, solubilization and limited exudate of proteins. It is implied that UDC is a potential practical technique for improving the quality of low‐salt bacon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flavor loss from sodium reduction is a large challenge faced in the meat industry. The effects of salt mixture (KCl: CaCl2 = 1:1, w/w) content (0%–1.0%) on flavor of reduced‐sodium (1.5% NaCl) restructured bacon with ultrasound treatment (UT, 600 w for 30 min) were investigated. The results showed that 0.5% salt mixture (0.25% KCl and 0.25% CaCl2) could significantly (p <.05) enhance the lipid oxidation, the protein oxidation, and the formation of free amino acids of reduced‐sodium UT‐restructured bacon and could also markedly (p <.05) improve its flavor and the overall quality of sensory evaluation via promoting the release of five kinds of volatile phenolic compounds (o‐cresol, m‐cresol, 2‐methoxy‐phenol, 2‐methoxy‐4‐methylphenol, and 2‐methoxy‐5‐methylphenol) and the formation of five kinds of volatile aldehyde compounds (hexanal, nonanal, decanal, furfural, and 5‐methyl furfural). It is interesting to understand the mechanism for the effect of salt mixture on flavor and to efficiently develop a technique for improving the flavor of reduced‐sodium products in the meat industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The water holding capacity (WHC) of sodium‐reduced (0.3 m sodium chloride, corresponding to the salt percentage (w/v) of 1.755%) myofibrillar protein (MP) gel in response to combined calcium chloride (CaCl2, 20, 60, 100 mm) and high‐pressure processing (HPP, 200 MPa, 10 min) was investigated. The results showed that 200 MPa + 20 mm CaCl2 synergistically increased the WHC of MP gel via reducing particle size of MP solutions, strengthening hydrogen‐bonding and disulphide‐bonding, promoting formation of β‐sheet and uncoiling of α‐helix, exposing tryptophan residues, enhancing hydrophobic interactions of aliphatic residues and forming a compact and continuous networked gel structure. However, high concentrations (≥60 mm) of CaCl2 could attenuate the enhancing effects of HPP on the WHC by inducing decreased hydrogen bonds, fewer tryptophan residues exposed and coarser and aggregated gel structures with large cavities. Therefore, a combined moderate HPP and low concentration of CaCl2 is a potential alternative for developing sodium‐reduced meat products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neonatal hypoxic–ischemic (HI) brain injury is a detrimental disease, which results in high mortality and long-term neurological deficits. Nevertheless, the treatment options for this disease are limited. Thus, the aim of the present study was to assess the role of liraglutide in neonatal HI brain injury in rats and investigate the associated mechanisms. The results showed that treatment with liraglutide significantly reduced infarct volume and ameliorated cerebral edema, decreased inflammatory response, promoted the recovery of tissue structure, and improved prognosis following HI brain injury. Moreover, treatment with liraglutide inhibited apoptosis and promoted neuronal survival both in the rat model and following oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) insult. LY294002, an inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), partially reversed these therapeutic effects, suggesting that the PI3K/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway was involved. In conclusion, our data revealed that treatment with liraglutide exerts neuroprotection after neonatal HI brain injury via the PI3K/Akt/glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) pathway and may be a promising therapy for this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the effect of purmorphamine (PUR), a Shh co-receptor Smoothened (Smo) agonist, on postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) rat models. Methods: Eighteen-month-old male Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to intramedullary fixation of a tibial fracture with 7% chloral hydrate anesthesia to mimic human clinical surgery. PUR was administered via an intraperitoneal injection at a dose of 15mg/kg/day for 3 consecutive days at 6 h after surgery. The aged rats were sacrificed after performing a Morris water maze test 1, 3, and 7 days postoperatively to evaluate the expression of related proteins at the appointed time. Results: Compared to the POCD + vehicle group and sham + PUR group, the POCD + PUR group restored neurological deficit (P = 0.01). PUR administration induced upregulation of Shh expression on postoperative day 1 (P = 0.02), which continued on the third day (P = 0.008) but dropped by the 7th day (P = 0.03). Immunofluorescent analysis, similar to western blot analysis, showed a significant increase in the autophagy-marker LC3 (P = 0.006) as well as p62 degradation (P = 0.000) in the dentate gyrus of the aged rats (P = 0.000) after PUR treatment. Importantly, LC3 was mainly found in the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes of the hippocampus. Conclusions: These results indicate a link between Shh and autophagy in the rat model of POCD, providing new insights into Shh signaling pathway-mediated mechanisms of neuroprotection and cognitive repair after POCD. It also provides a potential entry point for the development of clinical drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Pectin was extracted from orange peel using surfactant and microwave assisted method. • Pectin yield, GA content, and DE were considered during Box–Behnken design. • Chemical properties of pectin extracted by different methods were compared. • S-MAE showed the best effect on the yield and characteristics of extracted pectin. Abstract Surfactant and microwave assisted extraction (S-MAE) was used for pectin extraction from orange peel. First, we optimized the conditions of microwave assisted extraction (MAE), e.g., irradiation time, liquid-to-solid ratio (LSR), and pH on pectin yield (PY), galacturonic acid (GA) content, and degree of esterification (DE) using a Box-Behnken design. Under optimal conditions (pH 1.2, 7.0 min, and 21.5 v/w LSR), we obtained a PY of 28.0 ± 0.5%, which was close to the predicted value (31.1%). Second, we analyzed the effect of surfactant on microwave extraction of pectin. Among the surfactants investigated, Tween-80 (8 g/L, w/v) increased PY by 17.0%. Compared with conventional solvent extraction, S-MAE is a novel and efficient method for pectin extraction, which generated a higher (p < 0.05) PY (32.8%), GA content (78.1%), DE (69.8%), and M w (286.3 kDa). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]