Enhancing Meat Analog Texture Using Wet-Spun Fibroin Protein Fibers: A Novel Approach to Mimic Whole-Muscle Meat.

The increasing demand for protein-rich, plant-based foods has driven the development of meat analogs that closely mimic the texture and mouthfeel of animal meat. While plant-based fibrils and electrospun silk fibroin fibers have been explored for texture enhancement and scaffolding in both meat analogs and cell-based meats, the use of wet-spun fibroin protein fibers as a food ingredient remains underexplored. This study investigates the potential of wet-spun recombinant fibroin fibers to enhance the textural properties of meat analogs.

UpToDate versus DynaMed: a cross-sectional study comparing the speed and accuracy of two point-of-care information tools.

Objective: To compare the accuracy, time to answer, user confidence, and user satisfaction between UpToDate and DynaMed (formerly DynaMed Plus), which are two popular point-of-care information tools.

Methods: A crossover study was conducted with medical residents in obstetrics and gynecology and family medicine at the University of Toronto in order to compare the speed and accuracy with which they retrieved answers to clinical questions using UpToDate and DynaMed. Experiments took place between February 2017 and December 2019.

Reducing day 3 baseline monitoring bloodwork and ultrasound for patients undergoing timed intercourse and intrauterine insemination treatment cycles.

Background: In the current context of a global pandemic it is imperative for fertility clinics to consider the necessity of individual tests and eliminate those that have limited utility and may impose unnecessary risk of exposure. The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate a multi-modal quality improvement (QI) strategy to promote resource stewardship by reducing routine day 3 (d3) bloodwork and transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) for patients undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI) and timed intercourse (IC) treatment cycles.

Methods: After literature review, clinic stakeholders at an academic fertility centre met to discuss d3 testing utility and factors contributing to d3 bloodwork/TVUS in IC/IUI treatment cycles.

Understanding genetic progression of squamous cell carcinoma to spindle cell carcinoma in a mouse model of head and neck cancer.

Reports have suggested that spindle cell carcinoma of the head and neck occurs following radiation therapy of incompletely resected SCC, representing anaplastic progression of the primary tumor. Examination of differences between spindle cell carcinoma and SCC may provide important information about anaplastic progression, clinical behavior, and response to therapy. We created a mouse model that developed spindle cell carcinoma.