RESULTS: All EPH samples revealed induction effects towards Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus-Enterococcus and Bacteroidaceae/Prevotellaceae populations similar to those in inulin fermentation. A significant decrease (P ≤ 0.05) in pathogenic Clostridium histolyticum group was observed in the response of raw sago palm hearts. In general, all samples stimulate the production of SCFA. Particularly in the colonic fermentation of sago palm heart, acetate and propionate revealed the highest concentrations of 286.18 and 284.83 mmol L-1 in raw and cooked form, respectively.
CONCLUSION: This study concluded that edible palm hearts can be a potential prebiotic ingredient that promotes human gastrointestinal health, as well as discovering a new direction towards an alternative source of functional foods. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare the effects of computerized Acugraph-guided acupuncture versus manually selected acupuncture as adjuncts to physiotherapy in managing KOA.
METHODS: A randomized, double-blind controlled trial will be conducted with 50 participants diagnosed with mild to moderate KOA. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: Group 1 Comp-AcuPhysio (n = 25), receiving Acugraph-guided acupuncture with physiotherapy, or Group 2 Man-AcuPhysio (n = 25), receiving manually selected acupuncture with physiotherapy. Both groups will undergo 12 weekly treatment sessions, each lasting 60 minutes. Outcome measures, including the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, active knee flexion range, Timed Up and Go test, Visual Analog Scale for pain, Short Form-36 health survey, and Personal Integrated Energetics score, will be assessed at baseline and immediately post-intervention. An intention-to-treat analysis will be applied. Changes from baseline to 12 weeks will be analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance for both within-group and between-group comparisons.
RESULTS: This study will provide a definitive assessment of the effectiveness of computerized Acugraph-guided acupuncture compared to manually selected acupuncture as supplementary treatments alongside KOA physiotherapeutic rehabilitation.
CONCLUSION: This trial will offer insights into how incorporating technology-driven approaches, such as Acugraph, with physiotherapy can enhance the customization and effectiveness of KOA management, leading to improved clinical outcomes. These results could advocate for the integration of technological tools in acupuncture to boost treatment precision and efficacy for KOA.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12624000646549p).
METHODS: Twenty volunteers were recruited for this study. The participants performed the self-test under the observation of trained observers who recorded if any procedural error was committed. The results of each test were interpreted by the participants using a given interpretation table.
RESULTS: Ninety-five percent (95%) of the study participants found the instruction manual was easy to follow and 70% felt the test kit was easy to use. Additionally, 80% of the participants successfully obtained the expected results. A majority (80%) would consider using the test kit if needed and would recommend it to family members and friends. Seventy percent (70%) of the participants, most of whom with monthly income of less than USD417, were willing to pay less than USD2 for the test kit.
CONCLUSION: Findings from the study suggested that a self-test diagnostic for dengue fever is highly acceptable and, hence, could be a viable approach for the early detection of the infection. Trial registration MRECID.NO: 2022628-11345.
Methods: In this study, the region spanning exon 2 from the 4th to 18th codon within the peptide sequence of wtKRAS was chosen for sequence manipulation. Mutated G12V and G13D K-ras controls were generated in silico, along with additional single amino acid substitutions flanking the original codon 12/13 mutations. IEDB was used for assessing human and mouse MHC class I/II epitope predictions, as well as linear B-cell epitopes predictions, while RNA secondary structure prediction was performed via CENTROIDFOLD. A scoring and ranking system was established in order to shortlist top mimotopes whereby normalized and reducing weighted scores were assigned to peptide sequences based on seven immunological parameters. Among the top 20 ranked peptide sequences, peptides of three mimotopes were synthesized and subjected to in vitro and in vivo immunoassays. Mice PBMCs were treated in vitro and subjected to cytokine assessment using CBA assay. Thereafter, mice were immunized and sera were subjected to IgG-based ELISA.
Results: In silico immunogenicity prediction using IEDB tools shortlisted one G12V mimotope (68-V) and two G13D mimotopes (164-D, 224-D) from a total of 1,680 candidates. Shortlisted mimotopes were predicted to promote high MHC-II and -I affinities with optimized B-cell epitopes. CBA assay indicated that: 224-D induced secretions of IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-12p70, and IL-21; 164-D triggered IL-10 and TNF-α; while 68-V showed no immunological responses. Specific-IgG sera titers against mutated K-ras antigens from 164-D immunized Balb/c mice were also elevated post first and second boosters compared to wild-type and G12/G13 controls.
Discussion: In silico-guided predictions of mutated K-ras T- and B-cell epitopes were successful in identifying two immunogens with high predictive scores, Th-bias cytokine induction and IgG-specific stimulation. Developments of such immunogens are potentially useful for future immunotherapeutic and diagnostic applications against KRAS(+) malignancies, monoclonal antibody production, and various other research and development initiatives.