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Consumers are more aware and demanding of healthy food options, besides being concerned with environment-friendly consumption. This paper aims to evaluate nutritional, technological, and sensory characteristics of legumes and their products’ quality and versatility, considering potential applications in new food options. Legumes are foods that have a recognized nutritional group since they have high protein and fiber content. However, their consumption is still somehow limited for some reasons: in some countries it is not easy to find all the species or cultivars, they need an organization and planning before preparation since they need soaking, and there is the presence of antinutritional factors. Due to the different functionalities of legume proteins, they can be applied to a variety of foods and for different purposes, as grains themselves, aquafaba, extracts, flours, brans, and textured proteins and sprouts. These products have been inserted as ingredients in infant food formulations, gluten-free foods, vegetarian diets, and in hybrid products to reduce food costs as well. Foods such as bread, cakes, cookies, meat analogues, and other baked or cooked products have been elaborated with nutritional, technological and sensory quality. Further development of formulations focused on improving the quality of legume-based products is necessary because of their potential and protein quality.

Low back pain (LBP) is a common biopsychosocial health problem. Meditation may provide a complementary treatment option for LBP patients. The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to examine the effects of meditation on pain intensity, functional disability, quality of life, and depression in LBP populations. This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA Guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science, CENTRAL, CamQuest and PubPsych were searched up to a publication date of June 2020. Inclusion criteria were RCTs or non-RCTs with LBP patients, aged at least 18 years, the application of a specific meditation technique, and pain intensity and/or functional disability as outcomes. Pooled SMDs were calculated at post-treatment and follow up. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to estimate risk of bias. The overall quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. 12 studies with a total of 1005 participants were included in this review. Compared to controls, meditation solely showed a significant positive effect on pain intensity (SMD = −0.27 [CI −0.43; −0.11]; p = 0.001; based on 10 studies with 934 participants) and physical quality of life (SMD = 0.21 [CI 0.07; 0.36]; p = 0.005; based on 5 studies with 756 participants) at post-treatment. At follow up (mean 20 weeks, range 4–52) there were no significant effects anymore. The quality of the evidence was moderate due to study limitations and imprecision. Meditation seems to be promising with regard to reducing short-term pain intensity in patients with LBP. However, additional well-designed and large trials are required in order to draw more reliable conclusions. •12 studies with a total of 1005 participants were included in this review.•In the short-term meditation was superior to passive control groups regarding pain intensity and physical quality of life.•Effects were neither clinically relevant nor sustained in the long-term.•Overall quality of evidence was low to moderate due to study limitations and imprecision.

Background Glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSD-Ia) is one of the most common hepatic GSD. Its treatment mainly consists of a diet including a high intake of slow-digestion carbohydrates such as raw cornstarch and the restriction of simple sugars. This enables the maintenance of euglycemia and prevents secondary metabolic disorders. Starch is a glucose polymer formed by amylose and amylopectin, which can be obtained from distinct sources. Although uncooked cornstarch has been successfully used in the treatment of GSD-Ia, it can lead to hyperglycemia and weight gain. in vitro andin vivo tests indicated that sweet manioc starch can be potentially used in the treatment of GSD-Ia. Results The moisture analysis revealed a variation from 10.3 to 12.8% in the sweet manioc starch samples, whereas the moisture content of uncooked cornstarch ranged from 7.3 to 11.1%. Quantifiable sugar was detected in 3/5 samples of sweet manioc starch and 1/3 samples of uncooked cornstarch. Notably, this uncooked cornstarch brand is widely employed in GSD-Ia treatment in Brazil. Products B and E had higher values of amylopectin and undetectable levels of sugars. A clinical trial is warranted to compare samples F and G and determine the impact of sugar trace in the same dietary source of starch. Conclusions Collectively, the results demonstrated possible therapeutic alternatives for GSD-Ia in addition to traditional uncooked cornstarch.

Airborne wind energy (AWE) systems use tethered flying devices to harvest higher-altitude winds to produce electricity. For the success of the technology, it is crucial to understand how people perceive and respond to it. If concerns about the technology are not taken seriously, it could delay or prevent implementation, resulting in increased costs for project developers and a lower contribution to renewable energy targets. This literature review assessed the current state of knowledge on the social acceptance of AWE. A systematic literature search led to the identification of 40 relevant publications that were reviewed. The literature expected that the safety, visibility, acoustic emissions, ecological impacts, and the siting of AWE systems impact to which extent the technology will be accepted. The reviewed literature viewed the social acceptance of AWE optimistically but lacked scientific evidence to back up its claims. It seemed to overlook the fact that the impact of AWE’s characteristics (e.g., visibility) on people’s responses will also depend on a range of situational and psychological factors (e.g., the planning process, the community’s trust in project developers). Therefore, empirical social science research is needed to increase the field’s understanding of the acceptance of AWE and thereby facilitate development and deployment.

Background The reciprocal relationship between aging and alterations in the gut microbiota is a subject of ongoing research. While the role of bacteria in the gut microbiome is well-documented, specific changes in the composition of methanogens during extreme aging and the impact of high methane production in general on health remain unclear. This study was designed to explore the association of predominant methanogenic archaea within the human gut and aging. Methods Shotgun metagenomic data from the stool samples of young adults ( n  = 127, Age: 19–59 y), older adults ( n  = 86, Age: 60–99 y), and centenarians ( n  = 34, age: 100–109 years) were analyzed. Results Our findings reveal a compelling link between age and the prevalence of high methanogen phenotype, while overall archaeal diversity diminishes. Surprisingly, the archaeal composition of methanogens in the microbiome of centenarians appears more akin to that of younger adults, showing an increase in Methanobrevibacter smithii , rather than Candidatus Methanobrevibacter intestini. Remarkably, Ca. M. intestini emerged as a central player in the stability of the archaea-bacteria network in adults, paving the way for M. smithii in older adults and centenarians. Notably, centenarians exhibit a highly complex and stable network of these two methanogens with other bacteria. The mutual exclusion between Lachnospiraceae and these methanogens throughout all age groups suggests that these archaeal communities may compensate for the age-related drop in Lachnospiraceae by co-occurring with Oscillospiraceae . Conclusions This study underscores the dynamics of archaeal microbiome in human physiology and aging. It highlights age-related shifts in methanogen composition, emphasizing the significance of both M. smithii and Ca. M. intestini and their partnership with butyrate-producing bacteria for potential enhanced health.

Grapes are one of the most cultivated fruits in the world. Concomitantly, a large amount of waste is generated from this product. Grape pomace (GP) flour can be used as an increment for making new food products. GP is rich in fibers and phenolic compounds, and in addition could be used to reduce agro-industrial residues. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the addition of different percentages of grape pomace (GP) on the chemical, technological, and sensory characteristics in pasta and bakery products. An integrative review was conducted. The selection of papers was carried out by searching studies in databases. An improvement in chemical quality with the addition of GP was observed, such as fiber, anthocyanin, and micronutrient content. Biscuits, cookies, cakes, breads, and pasta did not show any impairment in terms of acceptability. However, biscuits and cookies had the best global acceptance. The degree of acceptance still seems to be low for the use of GP to be included in high quantities in successful products. Samples with a maximum of 10% addition of GP flour seem to be accepted. On the other hand, the higher the percentage of GP flour, the healthier benefits they seem to promote.

More than half of all elderly people have some degree of cerebral white matter lesions. However, the rate of progression of these lesions is uncertain. We aimed to assess the progression of lesions in community-dwelling volunteers aged 50–75 years without neuropsychiatric disease. We used MRI to grade and measure the total volume of white matter lesions in 296 volunteers at baseline, 3 years, and 6 years. 58 participants with no lesions and 123 with punctate abnormalities at baseline had a low tendency for lesion progression, whereas 14 participants with early confluent and nine with confluent lesions underwent median increases of 2·7 cm 3 (IQR 0·5–5·9) and 9·3 cm 3 (7·1–21·0), respectively, in lesion volume at 6 years. Lesion grade at baseline was the only significant predictor of lesion progression (p<0·0001). Punctate white matter lesions are not progressive and are thus benign, whereas early confluent and confluent white matter abnormalities are progressive, and thus malignant.

Carriers of APOE ɛ2 and ɛ4 have an increased risk of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) in lobar regions, presumably because of the effects of these gene variants on risk of cerebral amyloid angiopathy. We aimed to assess whether these variants also associate with severity of ICH, in terms of haematoma volume at presentation and subsequent outcome. We investigated the association of APOE ɛ2 and ɛ4 with ICH volume and outcomes in patients with primary ICH in three phases: a discovery phase of 865 individuals of European ancestry from the Genetics of Cerebral Hemorrhage on Anticoagulation study, and replication phases of 946 Europeans (replication 1) and 214 African-Americans (replication 2) from an additional six studies. We also assessed the association of APOE variants with ICH volume and outcomes in meta-analyses of results from all three phases, and the association of APOE ɛ4 with mortality in a further meta-analysis including data from previous reports. Admission ICH volume was quantified on CT scan. We assessed functional outcome (modified Rankin scale score 3–6) and mortality at 90 days. We used linear regression to establish the effect of genotype on haematoma volume and logistic regression to assess the effect on outcome from ICH. For patients with lobar ICH, carriers of the APOE ɛ2 allele had larger ICH volumes than did non-carriers in the discovery phase (p=2·5×10 −5), in both replication phases (p=0·008 in Europeans and p=0·016 in African-Americans), and in the meta-analysis (p=3·2×10 −8). In the meta-analysis, each copy of APOE ɛ2 increased haematoma size by a mean of 5·3 mL (95% CI 4·7–5·9; p=0·004). Carriers of APOE ɛ2 had increased mortality (odds ratio [OR] 1·50, 95% CI 1·23–1·82; p=2·45×10 −5) and poorer functional outcomes (modified Rankin scale score 3–6; 1·52, 1·25–1·85; p=1·74×10 −5) compared with non-carriers after lobar ICH. APOE ɛ4 was not associated with lobar ICH volume, functional outcome, or mortality in the discovery phase, replication phases, or meta-analysis of these three phases; in our further meta-analysis of 2194 patients, this variant did not increase risk of mortality (1·08, 0·86–1·36; p=0·52). APOE allele variants were not associated with deep ICH volume, functional outcome, or mortality. Vasculopathic changes associated with the APOE ɛ2 allele might have a role in the severity and clinical course of lobar ICH. Screening of patients who have ICH to identify the ɛ2 variant might allow identification of those at increased risk of mortality and poor functional outcomes. US National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Keane Stroke Genetics Research Fund, Edward and Maybeth Sonn Research Fund, and US National Center for Research Resources.

To assess the influence of cognitive, functional and behavioral factors, co-morbidities as well as caregiver characteristics on driving cessation in dementia patients. The study cohort consists of those 240 dementia cases of the ongoing prospective registry on dementia in Austria (PRODEM) who were former or current car-drivers (mean age 74.2 (±8.8) years, 39.6% females, 80.8% Alzheimer's disease). Reasons for driving cessation were assessed with the patients' caregivers. Standardized questionnaires were used to evaluate patient- and caregiver characteristics. Cognitive functioning was determined by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the CERAD neuropsychological test battery and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), activities of daily living (ADL) by the Disability Assessment for Dementia, behavior by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and caregiver burden by the Zarit burden scale. Among subjects who had ceased driving, 136 (93.8%) did so because of \"Unacceptable risk\" according to caregiver's judgment. Car accidents and revocation of the driving license were responsible in 8 (5.5%) and 1(0.7%) participant, respectively. Female gender (OR 5.057; 95%CI 1.803-14.180; p = 0.002), constructional abilities (OR 0.611; 95%CI 0.445-0.839; p = 0.002) and impairment in Activities of Daily Living (OR 0.941; 95%CI 0.911-0.973; p<0.001) were the only significant and independent associates of driving cessation. In multivariate analysis none of the currently proposed screening tools for assessment of fitness to drive in elderly subjects including the MMSE and CDR were significantly associated with driving cessation. The risk-estimate of caregivers, but not car accidents or revocation of the driving license determines if dementia patients cease driving. Female gender and increasing impairment in constructional abilities and ADL raise the probability for driving cessation. If any of these factors also relates to undesired traffic situations needs to be determined before recommendations for their inclusion into practice parameters for the assessment of driving abilities in the elderly can be derived from our data.

Background: Physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness relate to better cognitive performance. Little is known about the effects of fitness on structural brain abnormalities in the elderly. Objective: Assess the association between maximal oxygen consumption (VO 2 max), white matter lesion (WML) volume and brain parenchymal fraction (BPF) in a large cohort of community-dwelling elderly individuals. Methods: The study population consisted of 715 participants of the Austrian Stroke Prevention Study who underwent brain MRI with semi-automated measurement of WML volume (cm 3 ) and automated assessment of BPF (%) by the use of SIENAX. A maximal exercise stress test was done on a bicycle ergometer. VO 2 max was calculated based on maximum and resting heart rate. Results: After adjustment for possible confounders, VO 2 max was independently associated with WML volume (β = –0.10; p = 0.02); no significant relationship existed with silent cerebral infarcts and BPF. Associations between VO 2 max and WML load were only significant in men, but not in women. Conclusion: Our findings may have important preventive implications because WMLs are known to be a major determinant of cognitive decline and disability in old age.