Design and validation of an artificial intelligence system to detect the quality of colon cleansing before colonoscopy.

Background And Aims: Patients' perception of their bowel cleansing quality may guide rescue cleansing strategies before colonoscopy. The main aim of this study was to train and validate a convolutional neural network (CNN) for classifying rectal effluent during bowel preparation intake as "adequate" or "inadequate" cleansing before colonoscopy.

Patients And Methods: Patients referred for outpatient colonoscopy were asked to provide images of their rectal effluent during the bowel preparation process.

Without IPv6, there is no digital transformation for healthcare.

Background: Originally, digital healthcare was created to support underserved and rural patients gain access to health services. Phones, devices, and computers need IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to connect to the Internet.

Objective: This paper aims to study the close relationship between the Internet and the transformation of healthcare services.

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis: An observational and comparative study in Mexican children and adults.

Objective: To present a case series of encephalitis patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antibodies, attending two neurological referral centers in a three-year period.

Methods: A retrospective, descriptive, comparative study included child and adult patients in two neurological populations, positive for antibodies against the NR1 and NR2 subunits of the glutamate (NMDA) receptor in serum and CSF, as determined during a three-year period.

Results: Sixty-six patients were included (40 children and 26 adults).

Increasing the low residue diet to 3 days does not improve the bowel cleansing in hard to prepare patients: Post hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Recent evidence suggests that the number of low residue diet (LRD) days does not influence the bowel cleansing quality in non-selected patients. However, there are not data in the subgroup of patients with risk factors of inadequate bowel cleansing.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether a 3-day LRD improved the bowel cleansing quality in patients with risk factors of poor bowel cleansing.

Quality evaluation of malaria diagnosis in the local laboratories network and in intermediate laboratories in a setting towards the disease elimination in Ecuador.

Introduction: To reach the goal of malaria elimination in Ecuador for the year 2020, it is necessary to have a laboratory network with the capacity to perform microscopic diagnosis according to the WHO/PAHO quality standards and to provide the adequate treatment of cases. Objective: To determine the level of competence for parasitological diagnosis of the microscopists from the local public network and the performance of intermediate reference laboratories. Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study based on the information collected in workshops carried out to appraise the competence for microscopic diagnosis of the local laboratory network (zonal health coordinating offices 1 to 8) using a slide panel to evaluate diagnosis agreement, as well as the diagnostic performance of the intermediate laboratories using an external quality assessment program.

Impact of a 1-day versus 3-day low-residue diet on bowel cleansing quality before colonoscopy: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess whether a 3-day low-residue diet (LRD) improved bowel cleansing quality compared with a 1-day LRD regimen.

Methods: Consecutive patients scheduled for outpatient colonoscopy were randomized to the 1-day LRD or 3-day LRD groups. All patients received a 2-L split-dose of polyethylene glycol plus ascorbic acid.

Attitudes Toward Violence and Gender as Predictors of Interpersonal Violence Interventions.

The purpose of the research was to determine whether attitudes toward violence (ATV) and participant sex would influence notions about interpersonal violence (IPV) intervention by university students. It was anticipated those who held stronger cultural and reactive violence attitudes and males would be less in favor of intervention, but it was not certain whether gender or attitudes would be the stronger predictor for intervention approaches. An IPV intervention scale was developed to measure preferred approaches for intervention, which resulted in four approaches (affirmative intervention, no intervention, police intervention, and intervention threshold).

The impact of indigenous cultural identity and cultural engagement on violent offending.

Background: Possessing a strong cultural identity has been shown to protect against mental health symptoms and buffer distress prompted by discrimination. However, no research to date has explored the protective influences of cultural identity and cultural engagement on violent offending. This paper investigates the relationships between cultural identity/engagement and violent recidivism for a cohort of Australian Indigenous people in custody.

Protective effect of phenolic compounds on carbonyl-amine reactions produced by lipid-derived reactive carbonyls.

The degradation of phenylalanine initiated by 2-pentenal, 2,4-heptadienal, 4-oxo-2-pentenal, 4,5-epoxy-2-heptenal, or 4,5-epoxy-2-decenal in the presence of phenolic compounds was studied to determine the structure-activity relationship of phenolic compounds on the protection of amino compounds against modifications produced by lipid-derived carbonyls. The obtained results showed that flavan-3-ols were the most efficient phenolic compounds followed by single m-diphenols. The effectiveness of these compounds was found to be related to their ability to trap rapidly the carbonyl compound, avoiding in this way the reaction of the carbonyl compound with the amino acid.

Patriotism and the impact on perceived threat and immigration attitudes.

Patriotism and threat have been shown to predict immigration attitudes. We suggest that patriotism is influential in producing threat, and such threat drives anti-immigration attitudes, but this relationship is different for Whites and Latinos. All participants completed a patriotism scale (blind and constructive patriotism measures), a threat scale (realistic and symbolic threat), and anti-immigration attitude scale.

Antagonism between lipid-derived reactive carbonyls and phenolic compounds in the Strecker degradation of amino acids.

The Strecker-type degradation of phenylalanine in the presence of 2-pentanal and phenolic compounds was studied to investigate possible interactions that either promote or inhibit the formation of Strecker aldehydes in food products. Phenylacetaldehyde formation was promoted by 2-pentenal and also by o- and p-diphenols, but not by m-diphenols. This is consequence of the ability of phenolic compounds to be converted into reactive carbonyls and produce the Strecker degradation of the amino acid.

Cost-effectiveness of a Barcelona home care program for individuals with multimorbidity.

To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of care and optimize healthcare resources, a home healthcare program was created for individuals with multiple chronic conditions. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the 261 individuals (mean age 84) included in the program from its inception in 2011 through 2013 (mean stay in the program 203±192 days) were prospectively analyzed. The number of hospital admissions, length of stay, and costs for individuals admitted to the program were compared for two time periods: the 6 months before admission to the program and their stay in the program.

Contribution of phenolic compounds to food flavors: Strecker-type degradation of amines and amino acids produced by o- and p-diphenols.

The ability of 20 phenolic derivatives to produce the Strecker-type degradation of phenylalanine and phenylglycine methyl ester was studied to investigate both the direct degradation of amino acids and amines by phenolic compounds in the absence of added oxidants and the effect of the number and positions of hydroxyl groups in the aromatic ring of the phenolic compound in relation to its ability to produce carbonyl derivatives from amino compounds. The obtained results showed that polyphenols can produce the Strecker degradation of amino acids and amines in the absence of added oxidants. The only requisite for producing the reaction is the presence of two hydroxyl groups in ortho or para positions.

Relationship between lutein and mycotoxin content in durum wheat.

Levels of lutein and a number of mycotoxins were determined in seven varieties of durum wheat (Triticum durum) and two varieties of common wheat (Triticum aestivum) in order to explore possible relationships amongst these components. Durum wheat cultivars always showed both higher lutein and mycotoxin contents than common wheat cultivars. The mycotoxins detected in both common and durum wheat cultivars were produced by the genera Fusarium, Claviceps, Alternaria and Aspergillus.

Intermediate role of α-keto acids in the formation of Strecker aldehydes.

The ability of α-keto acids to covert amino acids into Strecker aldehydes was investigated in an attempt to both identify new pathways for Strecker degradation, and analyse the role of α-keto acids as intermediate compounds in the formation of Strecker aldehydes by oxidised lipids. The results obtained indicated that phenylalanine was converted into phenylacetaldehyde to a significant extent by all α-keto acids assayed; glyoxylic acid being the most reactive α-keto acid for this reaction. It has been proposed that the reaction occurs by formation of an imine between the keto group of the α-keto acid, and the amino group of the amino acid.

Determination of α-keto acids in pork meat and Iberian ham via tandem mass spectrometry.

An analytical method which offers accurate determination and identification of eight α-keto acids (α-ketoglutaric acid, pyruvic acid, 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid, 3-methyl-2-oxobutyric acid, α-keto-γ-methylthiobutyric acid, 4-methyl-2-oxovaleric acid, 3-methyl-2-oxovaleric acid, and phenylpyruvic acid) in pork meat and Iberian ham samples is reported. The method utilises a highly selective and sensitive method of multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) by mass spectrometry. The analytical method is simple (although the chemical derivatisation of the α-keto acids with dansylhydrazine is required), precise (<18% RSD), accurate (90-110%), sensitive (0.

Chemical conversion of phenylethylamine into phenylacetaldehyde by carbonyl-amine reactions in model systems.

The chemical conversion of phenylethylamine into phenylacetaldehyde in the presence of lipid oxidation products (LOPs) was studied to investigate the possibility that biogenic amines can be converted into Strecker aldehydes upon processing. Model systems of phenylethylamine and methyl 13-hydroperoxyoctadeca-9,11-dienoate (HP), 2,4-decadienal (DD), 4,5-epoxy-2-heptenal (EH), 4,5-epoxy-2-decenal (ED), 4-oxo-2-hexenal (OH), 4-oxo-2-nonenal (ON), or 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HN) were heated for 1 h at 180 °C and pH 3. Although HN and EH did not produce more phenylacetaldehyde than when phenylethylamine was heated alone, all other lipid oxidation products assayed increased the amount of phenylacetaldehyde produced by 300-900%, with ON being the most reactive compound for this reaction.

Strecker aldehydes and α-keto acids, produced by carbonyl-amine reactions, contribute to the formation of acrylamide.

The formation and disappearance of acrylamide in binary and ternary mixtures of asparagine (or acrylamide), carbonyl compounds and amino acid derivatives was studied in an attempt to understand the different reactions produced in mixtures of carbonyl compounds and amino acids. The carbonyl compounds assayed included glucose, 2,4-decadienal, mercaptopyruvic acid, phenylpyruvic acid, and phenylacetaldehyde. The assayed amino acids were cysteine, N-acetylcysteine, and phenylalanine, in addition to asparagine.

Asparagine decarboxylation by lipid oxidation products in model systems.

The decarboxylation of asparagine in the presence of alkanals, alkenals, and alkadienals, among other lipid derivatives, was studied in an attempt to understand the reaction pathways by which some lipid oxidation products are able to convert asparagine into acrylamide. Asparagine was converted into 3-aminopropionamide in the presence of lipid derivatives as a function of reaction conditions (pH, water content, time, and temperature), as well as the type and amount of lipid compound involved. Alkadienals (and analogous ketodienes) were the most reactive lipids followed by hydroperoxides and alkenals.

Model reactions of acrylamide with selected amino compounds.

The reaction of acrylamide with amines, amino acids, and polypeptides was studied in an attempt to understand the role of amino compounds on acrylamide fate. The obtained results showed that amino compounds are added to acrylamide by means of a Michael addition to produce the corresponding 3-(alkylamino)propionamides. Although 3-(alkylamino)propionamides can also be added to a new molecule of acrylamide to produce a new adduct, this last adduct was not detected under the employed conditions in which the concentration of acrylamide was much lower than the concentration of the amino compounds.

Serotyping of Avibacterium paragallinarum isolates from Peru.

This study appears to represent the first serotyping study of 24 isolates of Avibacterium paragallinarum obtained from different regions of Peru during 1998-2008. All isolates were characterized as beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dependent. According to the Page scheme, modified by Blackall, it was found that eight isolates were classified as serogroup A, seven isolates as serogroup B, and five isolates as serogroup C, while four isolates could not be serotyped.

Conversion of 3-aminopropionamide and 3-alkylaminopropionamides into acrylamide in model systems.

Carbonyl compounds have been shown to play a major role in the conversion of asparagine into acrylamide. However, it is unclear at this point if its role is only restricted to the decarboxylation of the amino acid or if carbonyl compounds also play a role in the deamination reaction of the decarboxylated intermediates 3-aminopropionamide and 3-(alkylamino)propionamides. This study describes the deamination reaction of 3-aminopropionamide and 3-(alkylamino)propionamides (benzyl, phenylethyl, butyl, and octyl) in model systems and in the presence, or not, of different carbonyl compounds (alkadienals, alkenals, and alkanals).