X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared reflection measurements affirm the relative crystalline and ordered structures of both varieties as follows: inbred waxy > hybrid waxy > hybrid sweet > inbred sweet. Small angle X-ray scattering and 13C CP/MAS nuclear magnetic resonance proved that the amylopectin content of waxy starch was positively correlated with lamellar ordering. In contrast, an opposite trend was observed in sweet sorghum starch due to its long B2 + B3 chain content. Furthermore, the relationship between starch granule structure and function was also concluded. These findings could provide a basic theory for the accurate application of existing sorghum varieties precisely.In this study, starches were isolated from inbred (sweet and waxy) and hybrid (sweet and waxy) sorghum grains. Structural and property differences between (inbred and hybrid) sweet and waxy sorghum starches were evaluated and discussed. The intermediate fraction and amylose content present in hybrid sweet starch were lower than those in inbred sweet starch, while the opposite trend occurred with waxy starch. Furthermore, there was a higher A chain  and lower B  As the most abundant carbohydrate reserve in plants, starchy food is the staple diet of much of the world’s population. In addition to its use in food, starch has also been used in papermaking, adhesives, feed, textiles, pharmacies, and new energy due to its valuable characteristics, such as thickener, gelling agent, binder, film-formation, renewable, and biodegradable properties . Starch Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) species, which have a strong ability to tolerate drought and heat (abiotic) stresses and require minimal fertilizers, are widely planted in semiarid areas of the world  properties of sweet, waxy inbred, and hybrid sorghum starch, which is widely planted in China. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) of starch growth rings, wide and small-angle X-ray scattering (XRD and SAXS) of the lamellar crystalline structure, a-amylase  and amyloglucosidase  were acquired from Sigma–Aldrich  and Yuanye Biotechnology , respectively. Urea, iodine and potassium iodide were provided by Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd. . Sodium cyanotrihydridoborate and trisodium 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate were acquired from Sigma–Aldrich Chemical Co., Ltd. .Inbred sweet, waxy and hybrid sweet, waxy sorghum are the top two varieties planted and used as brewing and feed in China. Ten kinds of sweet sorghum and five types of waxy sorghum were selected as objects, which were kindly sponsored by the Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences . According to the significance of the experimental results, four representative sorghum samples were selected: inbred waxy (Hunan-nuo), hybrid waxy (Liaoning-11 with parents of LA-34 and NK1), inbred sweet (Keller) and hybrid sweet (Ketian 2nd with parents of H37 and M81E). These four sorghum varieties were planted in the same experimental field in Dongying, China, in 2021. There is no genetic correlation between them, while hybrid and inbred waxy and sweet are applied to brewing, edible, and feed. Sodium hydroxide was procured from Hengxing Chemical Reagent Manufacturing Co., Ltd. . Absolute ethanol (≥99.7%) and DMSO (≥99.7%) were provided by Tianjin Fuyu Fine Chemical Co., Ltd. . Porcine pancreatic Sorghum grains (200 g) were mixed with 1 L 0.3% sodium hydroxide solution and placed at 4°C in the refrigerator for 24 h. After that, they were rinsed with deionized water until they became colorless and homogenized with a multifunctional cooking machine  at room temperature for 30 s. Afterward, the homogeneous slurry was filtered by a 200 mesh sieve . The precipitate of bran residue was discarded. Again, the remaining part was soaked in 1 L 0.3% sodium hydroxide solution and kept in cold storage at 4°C for 24 h. Next, the slurry was treated by centrifugation at 3,000 × g for 15 min with 200 ml 0.3% sodium hydroxide solution, 200 ml absolute ethanol, and 200 ml deionized water at 3,000 × g for 15 min successively. The brown, red, or yellow layer (containing protein and fibers) presented on the top of the precipitate layer was removed with a spoon and abandoned. Finally, the precipitated starch was washed with deionized water five times, placed in a 30°C oven for 20 h, and ground to pass through a 200 mesh sieve.The components of the extracted sorghum starch were detected and analyzed. The starch content was detected by a Starch Content Assay Kit (Macklin S930081-100T/EA); the protein content was detected by the Kjeldahl method, and the fat content was determined using Soxhlet extraction. These conventional experimental methods were not described in detail.(v/v) 6 M urea and 90% (v/v) dimethyl sulfoxide. The iodine solution was made by dissolving 1 g I2 and 10 g KI in 500 ml of deionized water. Twenty milligrams of accurately weighed starch was dissolved into 8 ml of UDMSO solution and vortexed for 2 min. Next, the solution was heated in a water bath for 30 min at 85°C. After the temperature was cooled to 25°C, the solution was adjusted to a volume of 25 ml with purified water. Then, 3 ml of diluted solution with a pipette gun was mixed with 1 ml of iodine solution, and the volume was adjusted to 50 ml with purified water. Finally, the absorbance of the sample was logged at 630 nm. The standard curve y = 0.0133a + 0.0413 with R2 = 0.9993 was prepared with a minor modification of (Urea-DMSO (UDMSO) solution is a mixture of 10% ation of .+ Waltham, MA, USA) as described by Li et al. (v/v) DMSO and heated for 20 min at 100°C with continuous stirring at 10 rpm. Then, 4 ml of absolute ethanol was added and mixed evenly. After centrifugation at 3,500 × g for 15 min, the precipitate was mixed with 4 ml 50 mM sodium acetate buffer solution (pH 4.0) and heated at 100°C for another 20 min with continuous stirring at 10 rpm. Then, 10 μl isoamylase  was dispersed after the starch suspension equilibrium at 40°C for 10 min and kept at 40°C for 1 day with continuous stirring at 10 rpm. Finally, the suspension was sterilized in a boiling water bath at 100°C for 10 min. Then, 85% solution A (150 mM NaOH) and 15% solution B (150 mM NaOH and 500 mM CH3COONa) were used as the mobile phase, with a flow rate of 0.5 ml/min through the CarboPac PA20 column, and the branched chain of amylopectin was eluted.The CLD of different varieties of sorghum starch was analyzed by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC)  paired with refractive index (RI) detection, as described by Lin et al. . A 5 mg Maltese crosses of sorghum starches were observed by a polarizing light microscope 200 × .The morphology of starch granules was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)  .(v/v) glycerol and 50% (v/v) deionized water; 13% (w/w) deionized water, 85% (w/w) glycerol, and 2% (w/w) agar were mixed and heated at 100°C for 5 min, called Solution B. Starch samples (10 mg) were mixed with 1 M sodium cyanoborohydride aqueous solution (15 μl) and 6 mM APTS acetic acid solution (15 μl). Next, the mixtures were placed at 30°C for 8 h and washed with deionized water five times. Then, 100 μl A solution and 400 μl B solution (30°C) were quickly added to the starch samples and mixed vigorously for 2 min. The starch samples were observed by a laser confocal microscope .Solution A was a mixture of 50% °–40°  at a target voltage and current of 40 kV and 40 mA, respectively  of different sorghum starches was determined by an X-ray diffractometer with a diffraction angle of 2θ = 4ectively .× 68 μm). The automatic sampler was used under vacuum (<0.1 mbar) with q in the range of 0.07–2.1 nm.One gram of sorghum starch was blended with 3 ml of hydrated-starch deionized water and kept for 72 h at 30°C (vortex mixed every 10 h). Then, the hydrated starch was determined by a Bruker NANOSTAR SAXS system of Hangzhou Yanqu Information Technology Co., Ltd., applying three pinhole collimation for focusing, Cu Kα radiation with purity >99.5%, and a VANTEC500 2D detector  was used to determine the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra of different varieties of sorghum starch. A 1 mg starch powder was mixed with 100 mg KBr, and a thin sheet was acquired by pressing at a pressure of 12 MPa for 40 s.13C CP/MAS NMR spectra were implemented with a MAS spin rate of 10 kHz. The recovery time was 4 s, the number of scanning accumulations was 1,024, the acquisition time was 0.01 s, and the spectral width was 50505.1 Hz.Solid-state NMR spectroscopy was performed by Bruker BioSpin GmbH . The A DSC-200FC differential scanning calorimeter  was used to determine sorghum starch thermal properties. Three milligrams of starch powder and 9 μl of distilled water were mixed in an aluminum crucible and sealed with a lid. After 12 h of equilibrium, the prepared crucibles were heated from 40 to 140°C within 10°C/min.in vitro digestibility of the three different varieties of sorghum starch was analyzed as described by Englyst and Hudson (The d Hudson . Sorghumwhere d is the hydrolysis rate of the starch sample at different times (%), and a is the glucose content at a different time (mg/dL).P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.The data are presented as the mean values ± standard deviations. ANOVA was performed using SPSS Statistics 19.0, and The starch contents of inbred sweet, inbred waxy, hybrid sweet and hybrid waxy were 94.7, 95.7, 96.9, and 96.0%, respectively. The minor components are protein and lipid, less than 0.51 and 1.2%, respectively.P < 0.05) in amylose contents for inbred waxy, hybrid waxy, inbred sweet, and hybrid sweet are shown in Significant differences (Dp = 1.80 and 2.32) was lower than sweet varieties (Dp = 4.43 and 4.76), which means a narrower molecular weight distribution. Better homogeneity could be observed in hybrid varieties , which would be related to the chain length distribution. In addition, the branching degree of starch could be determined by the Rz value. The changes in the Rz value represented in The molecular weight distributions of hybrid and inbred waxy and sweet sorghum starch are shown in 3 chain DP > 37, B2 chain 25–36, and B1 chain 13–24. C-chain, only one per amylopectin with a reducing end  and a higher B chain (60.36%) were observed in inbred sweet starch. For the waxy sample, the higher A chain and lower B1 chain were only positive for the intermediate fraction and amylopectin, which have no relationship with amylose content. The change in the A and B1 chains of inbred and hybrid waxy sorghum was similar to that of sweet sorghum starch. These results were the basis for analyzing the fine structure of starch granules.Amylopectin consists of three types of branched chains. A chain connected to C or B chains through α-D--glucosyl linkages has no branches, and its degree of polymerization (DP) is 6–12. B chain, connected to other B chains or C chains through α-D--glucosyl linkage, Bcing end . The CLD2 + B3 chains of amylopectin. In conclusion, there was no apparent difference in the granule morphology between hybrid and inbred waxy and sweet sorghum.Microscope, SEM, and CLSM photographs of hybrid and inbred waxy and sweet sorghum starch are shown in P < 0.05) in the full width at half maxima (fwhm) among sorghum starches were observed, being 2.1322 (hybrid sweet), 2.3497 (inbred sweet), 2.0281 (hybrid waxy), and 1.9822 (inbred waxy). The fwhm value of these four starches was opposite to the amylopectin content. This phenomenon was determined by the differences in the content of amylopectin, which would form a double helix structure between the adjacent side chain of amylopectin, constituting the crystalline region of starch particles  and 1,022 cm–1 are susceptible to crystalline starch transformation and amorphous structure, respectively  for hybrid and inbred waxy and sweet sorghum starch are displayed in p) is considered to be a microcrystalline quality index related to the orderly structure of the amylopectin double helix, which provides structural stability and renders the granules more resistant to gelatinization, and ΔH is a measure of the content loss of molecular order  led to a looser crystalline structure than the hybrid structure, which was reflected by the lower Tp and ΔH in the DSC results. This research could provide considerable information to better understand the relations between sorghum starch structures and function and offer a theoretical basis for the precise application of sorghum starch.Waxy, sweet inbred, and hybrid sorghum starch contained three parts: amylose, an intermediate fraction, and amylopectin. The inbred waxy sorghum starch had distinctively higher amylopectin, intermediate fraction, long branch chains of amylopectin, and ACL than the hybrid waxy starch. The perfect crystalline structure of inbred waxy sorghum starch was concluded by XRD, SAXS, and The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author/s.XK: methodology, investigation, and writing—original draft. WZ, JS, TX, and WG: investigation. ZL and HJ: visualization. BC, XQ and AMA: formal analysis, validation, supervision, visualization, and writing—review and editing. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.


Although few studies examine the implications of breakthrough innovations in the exporting context, we have little understanding about how contingent factors in the developing countries shape the breakthrough innovations–export performance link. Thus, this study aims at examining the impact of breakthrough innovations  on the export performance of SMEs in developing countries, while studying the role of contingent factors, i.e., institutional environment specificity and enforceability. The data were collected from a sample of 410 SMEs in Pakistan. Hypotheses were tested through structural equation modeling in AMOS 20. The results reveal that both technology-based and market-based innovations have a positive impact on the export performance of SMEs in terms of strategic export performance and economic export performance. Second, institutional environment specificity and enforceability enhance the impact of breakthrough innovations on the export performance of SMEs. Studies confirm that innovation strategies and technology enable firms to expand and compete internationally . For insAlthough we may find the role of breakthrough innovations in influencing export performance from the perspective of developed countries , the impThe current study adds value to the export business literature and innovation literature, in the following three major ways. First, drawing on the institutional theory and institutional literature framework , we exteAfter the introduction and research background, the structure of the paper is as follows: First, the literature review and conceptual model of the study are provided. Second, the methodology is elaborated, explaining sampling design and measurement of the constructs. Third, the findings of the current study are provided. That is followed by a discussion of the findings and conclusion.Previous research emphasizes the importance of dynamic capabilities for the firms in achieving a competitive advantage, particularly during changing environments . DynamicGenerally, innovation involves the process of developing and executing an idea in the form of a product, process, or behavior . InnovatThe role of innovation in getting and maintaining competitive advantages is not new in the literature . InnovatTechnology-based innovations are key determinants of firm performance , as it hHypothesis 1: Technology-based innovations are positively associated with the export performance of SMEs in terms of economic export performance and strategic export performance.Market-based innovations include covering new markets or market expansions with a focus on creating superior customer values . Due to Hypothesis 2: Market-based innovations are positively associated with the export performance of SMEs in terms of economic export performance and strategic export performance.We have adopted institutional theory to better explain the influence of the institutional environment  on the relationship between breakthrough innovations and export performance. The characteristics of the institutional theory reflect that institutional frameworks and arrangements whether it is external or internal to the firm may impact business transaction mechanisms, strategic decisions, and subsequent performance outputs, including the chances of being involved in exporting and international activities . StudiesConsidering the influence of breakthrough innovation on export performance  and takiThe institutional environment specificity refers to the degree to which firms’ ownership rights of innovation and invention in the form of new products, processes, and administrative or organizational methods are explicitly stated and defined in the existing rules and regulations of a particular context . We arguHypothesis 3a: Institutional environment specificity strengthens the impact of technology-based innovations on the export performance of SMEs.Hypothesis 3b: Institutional environment specificity strengthens the impact of market-based innovation on the export performance of SMEs.The institutional environment enforceability can be defined as the degree to which firms’ ownership rights of innovation and invention in the form of new products, processes, and administrative or organizational methods are assured and effectively enforced by the relevant authority in the home country . The lacHypothesis 4a: Institutional environment enforceability enhances the impact of technology-based innovations on the export performance of SMEs.Hypothesis 4b: Institutional environment enforceability enhances the impact of market-based innovations on the export performance of SMEs.The conceptual model is elaborated in To examine study hypotheses, we used a sample of SMEs operating in Pakistan. There are two important reasons behind considering Pakistan as the research setting. First, SMEs in Pakistan are greatly contributing to the economy by sharing 40% in GDP, creating 80% employment in the country, and managing 30% of export activities . Hence, Considering our study context and following previous studies , the folTo handle non-response bias, we compared early responses  and late responses (the remaining 40%) with all items measuring main study constructs, number of employees, and export intensity. We found no significant differences under this comparison, indicating that there is no significant issue of non-response bias in this study .To manage common method bias (CMB), this study maintained the conciseness and simplicity in the questionnaire. Moreover, we used reverse coded items with different dimensions spreading across the questionnaire. By doing this, we ensured consistency in the questionnaire. To further address the bias, we ran ex post statistical technique. For that purpose, we conducted partial correlation and Harman’s single factor test to check CMB . The HarWe adopted measures from previous studies in the developing context of Pakistan. The detail about measures is given in Descriptive statistics provide a level of respondents’ agreement regarding study constructs. We employed two-stage structural equation modeling (SEM) through AMOS 21 to determine the construct validity and to examine hypothesized paths. During the first stage, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess the discriminant and convergent validity. In this regard, the measurement model was developed. The construct of export performance was considered as a second-order construct in the measurement model as it contains two dimensions, i.e., economic export performance and strategic export performance . The modThe discriminant validity of the constructs was assessed by following the method of p < 0.05 ; CFI > 0.90 (0.98); NNFI > 0.90 (0.97); RMSEA < 0.08(0.048) . Findingp < 0.05 . This fip < 0.05 . Technolp < 0.05 . H2 posi0.05 see . This fip < 0.05. Besides, the interaction graph , while examining the breakthrough innovations–export performance link. The findings reveal that technology-based innovations and market-based innovations enhance the export performance of SMEs, whereas technology-based innovations have a greater influence on export performance as compared to market-based innovations. Furthermore, we find that the institutional environment in terms of specificity and enforceability enables SMEs to enhance their export performance through breakthrough innovations.The current study adds value to the export business literature, innovation, and institutional literature in the following three major ways. First, drawing on the institutional theory and institutional literature framework , we exteThis study has several implications for SME owners, policymakers, and those stakeholders who engage in export activities. First, our findings reveal that technology-based and market-based innovations improve the export performance of SMEs. Thus, SMEs can get maximum benefits from their export decisions by doing technology-based and market-based innovations. Specifically, SMEs can get better export performance by exploring their capabilities in developing technologically advanced products and unique products. It is often noted that SMEs in developing economies face difficulties and barriers in both local and international markets ; howeverThe current study is limited in certain ways, setting avenues for future research. First, we have examined the moderating role of institutional environment specificity and enforceability among the relationship between breakthrough innovations and export performance. However, we did not include other attributes of the institutional environment such as institutional predictability and stability . TherefoThe original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Ethical review and approval was not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. Written informed consent for participation was not required for this study in accordance with the national legislation and the institutional requirements.The idea of the original draft belongs to HH and CV. The introduction literature review and empirical outcomes sections are written by HH and WO. HH, CV, WO, and MC helped in methodology, data analysis, writing, proofreading, and discussion. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.


Large defects in high-tension areas can be difficult to close with primary closures alone. Skin grafts are often used. We describe a technique using epidermal pulley sutures and a Burow’s full-thickness skin graft (FTSG) that allows reconstruction of large defects while optimizing wound coverage and healing. Partial closure followed by healing by secondary intention is often used for large defects that are subjected to high tension. When primary closures or flaps cannot completely close a defect, grafts can be used to cover the remaining exposed tissue. A Burow’s full-thickness skin graft (FTSG) is preferable due to adjacent tissue matching and avoidance of donor site morbidity . Some BuIn addition, grafts must be in good contact with the wound bed to ensure graft survival. Without proper wound bed preparation and contact, the wound is at an increased risk of infection or graft failure . Large gFirst, the Burow’s triangles are removed to facilitate a partial primary closure Figure . Next, eAfter proper graft and wound bed preparation, the two Burow’s FTSG are placed underneath the pulley sutures with the bases of the triangles adjacent to each other. In addition to shrinking the defect size, the pulley sutures promote graft and wound bed contact Figure  which isOn follow up, the patient showed excellent graft survival and wound healing Figure . The pulLarge high-tension defects of the trunk and extremities can be difficult to close. The use of Burow’s triangles placed beneath pulley sutures simultaneously decreases the size of graft needed and encourages proper contact of the graft and the wound bed. A recent study conducted by Marsidi et al. attempted to determine the influence of different tie-overs and dressings on graft take for FTSGs . The stuDecreasing dead space between graft and wound bed increases the chance of graft survival in FTSGs. Using pulley sutures to both decrease defect size and provide downward pressure on the skin graft is an excellent option to close defects. Use of this technique will assist dermatologists as they close large wounds, defects from tumors that need to be monitored, or those in high tension areas.


All-electric dynamic test instruments were used to place static loading on a specimen with a crosshead speed set at 1 mm/min. A Kruskal–Wallis test and a post hoc Mann–Whitney U test were used for statistical evaluation. The mean fracture resistance was 252.37 ± 82.79 N for the All-Zr group, 384.62 ± 45.24 N for ASC-Zr group, and 361.83 ± 90.31 N for the AM-Zr group. The difference of fracture resistance between the three groups was marginally significant , with the ASC zirconia abutment tending to have higher fracture resistance than the full zirconia abutment. The modes of failure among the three types of abutments are different. The All-Zr group showed an oblique fracture line starting from the buccal aspect at the region of the implant platform. While the ASC-Zr and AM-Zr groups showed a relatively horizontal fracture line with a greater distance from the implant platform. The titanium inserts cannot significantly improve the fracture resistance of the zirconia abutment. However, they may alter the modes of failure, allowing buccal fracture surfaces of the zirconia abutments to be placed away from the implant platform, thereby protecting the implant–abutment connection.Three groups of zirconia abutments ( Since their invention, dental implants have been widely applied in dental restorations to restore the occlusal function of patients. The titanium implant abutment has exhibited satisfactory biocompatibility and mechanical properties, making it suitable for long-term use in the implant-supported prosthesis. However, despite the stable and predictable characteristics of titanium abutments, long-term observations from clinical studies had revealed that an unnatural bluish color may, in certain situations, appear in the gingiva surrounding the titanium abutments, particularly when the implant was inserted too labially and when the gingival biotype of the patient is thinner ,2,3,4,5.2O3). However, studies have reported that Al2O3 has low fracture resistance [With the development of ceramic materials, computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology, and patient demands for aesthetically pleasing prostheses, ceramic materials have been gradually applied to implant abutments ,7. The fsistance ,9. Zircosistance . Zirconisistance .Zirconia abutments can be manufactured in the form of one-piece or two-piece abutments. One-piece abutments are made entirely of zirconia in their abutment body and implant–abutment connections. In vitro studies have reported that these abutments are sufficiently resistant to the maximal incisal force in the anterior region (90–370 N) ,14,15,16In clinical reality, dentists, patients, and dental technologists may opt for non-original abutments, due to their lower cost and convenience . Some afOur in vitro study aimed to compare fracture resistance and modes of failure under static loading in three different types of zirconia abutments attached to implants with standard diameters and internal hexagonal connections. Our proposed null hypothesis states that these zirconia abutments do not differ in fracture resistance and failure modes under static loading.n = 5) were used   was desiThe zirconia abutments of group AM-Zr requires the bonding of titanium inserts. The surface of the titanium inserts and the intaglio surface of the zirconia abutments were sandblasted, and an alloy primer was applied over the titanium insert. The titanium inserts and the zirconia abutments were bonded with dual-polymerized composite resin adhesive bonding. Excess adhesive was removed at ×10 magnification.Nine implant fixtures  with an internal hexagonal connection and regular platform were used. By scanning each abutment with a scanner , zirconia crowns with an 11 mm incisogingival height and 8.5 mm mesiodistal width were created for each abutment to simulate the morphology of the central incisor. The implant abutment and the intaglio surface of the zirconia crown were sandblasted and treated with a ceramic primer. A dual-cure resin cement was used to bond the crown to the abutment. After removing the excess adhesive, a preload of 35 N·cm was applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions to tighten all the abutments to the implant fixtures.p-values were adjusted by using the Benjamini and Hochberg method. In addition, the failure mode of the abutments was studied and analyzed under a digital microscope .The specimen was fixed on a metal jig, tilting in a 30° angulation of the long axis of the implant fixture to simulate the Class I incisor relationship ,27,28,29p = 0.054). The ASC-Zr abutments tend to have higher fracture resistance than full-zirconia abutments . The differences in fracture resistance between All-Zr and AM-Zr groups and between ASC-Zr and AM-Zr group were not statistically significant , but not in the ASC-Zr group (p = 0.47). For the distance of the mid-buccal fracture surface from the platform of implant fixture, there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the three groups; as for the mid-palatal site, there was no significant difference between the three groups (p = 0.32). The fracture plane of the abutments presented an oblique pattern in the All-Zr group, whereas the ASC-Zr and AM-Zr groups showed a relatively horizontal fracture plane. The modes of failure among the three types of abutments are different, and all the titanium inserts and screws did not show catastrophic damage or fracture  received the most attention, due to its excellent mechanical properties. However, the impact of the applied load on zirconia abutment is still inconclusive. Studies have determined that the type of implant–abutment connection, the physical properties of raw stock, and the manufacturing and experimental methods may significantly affect the abutment strength . Xu et aCyclic loading, which simulates fatigue loading, is the cause of most clinical failures. However, static load tests can simulate situations where the implant complex hits a hard object and is traumatized. In some cases, such as patients with parafunction habits , the incisive force could also be much higher than the physiological range . Cyclic The weak point of many all-ceramic abutments is located at the implant–abutment interface. The two-piece abutment design provides metal reinforcement at the implant–abutment connection for greater fracture resistance and possesses the ideal aesthetic of all-ceramic abutment . StimmelIt has been reported that implant abutments with internal hexagonal connections are more stable than external hexagonal designs, due to their wider stress distribution across the interface . HoweverAlong with introducing CAD/CAM and aftermarket prosthetic components into the clinical use, non-original abutments receive more attention. Although aftermarket zirconia abutments showed similar fracture resistance with OEM zirconia abutments in the current study, Gigandet et al.  reportedIn the All-Zr group, the zirconia abutments showed an oblique fracture pattern. The fracture surface was higher at the palatal side of the abutments and significantly lower at the buccal side, showing an oblique fracture line starting from the buccal aspect at the region of the implant platform. This finding is similar to the study results reported by Nothdruft et al. . The fraClinically, the deeper the abutment structure damaged may make the clinicians more difficult to manage, increasing the complexity of complications. In a systematic review, Gou et al.  showed tThe limitations of this study require careful interpretation to explain the clinical implications correctly. The first is the use of static rather than cyclic load in this study. However, this static load test can be regarded as a preliminary study; future fatigue load projects can be designed based upon the mean failure load in this study. Second, this study uses only internal hexagonal connections and standard diameter implants with one implant system. The results may not be applicable to other implant systems. Lastly, the small number of samples in each group is also a limitation to be considered in this study. Therefore, additional clinical studies are needed to determine various zirconia abutments’ clinical performance and provide guidelines for clinical use.Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the following conclusions were drawn:There was a marginally significant difference in fracture resistance between the three groups, with the ASC zirconia abutment tending to have a higher fracture resistance than the full zirconia abutment.The presence or absence of a titanium insert affects the modes of failure in zirconia abutments. When there is a titanium reinforcement, the abutment presents a relatively horizontal fracture surface; if not, it exhibits an oblique fracture. Furthermore, the titanium insert keeps the buccal fracture surface of the zirconia abutment away from the implant platform, thereby protecting the implant–abutment connection.


R2 > 0.9). We analyzed viscosity changes after 6 h of preparation. The viscosity of gum-based thickeners increased by a maximum of 6.5% after 6 h of preparation, while starch-based thickeners increased by up to 43%. These findings are important for correct handling and prescription. Gum-based thickeners have a predictable linear behavior with the formula we present, reaching nectar and honey-like textures with less quantity of thickener, and are stable over time. In contrast, starch thickeners have an exponential behavior which is difficult to handle, they reach pudding-like viscosity, and are not stable over time.The adaptation of liquids for patients with dysphagia requires precision and individualization in the viscosities used. We describe the variations of viscosity in water at different concentrations and evolution over time of the three compositions of commercial thickeners that are on the market . By increasing the concentration in water, the viscosity of gum-based thickeners increases linearly, but it did not reach pudding texture, whereas the viscosity of the starch-based thickeners  rapidly reaches very thick textures. We modeled the viscosity at different concentrations of the four thickeners using regression analysis ( Dysphagia is a swallowing disease which refers to having problems moving liquids or solids from the mouth to the stomach, and can cause malnutrition, dehydration, choking, and aspiration pneumonia, often resulting in death . One of There are scarce comparative data on the rheological properties of the three different types of commercial thickeners available on the market . Rheological properties of thickened liquids can change over time. Stability is a fundamental characteristic of thickened liquids since changes in viscosity over time can affect the safety of swallowing those liquids . The posThe aims of this work were: (1) to compare the rheological properties of four commercial thickeners dissolved in water under standard conditions, at different compositions and concentrations; (2) to formulate some equations that allow the prediction of viscosity reached according to the concentration, without the need for a rheometer, with adjustment to the Ostwald De-Waele power law; and (3) to analyze the evolution of the rheological properties over time, after preparation.® (REA) and Resource ThickenUp Clear ® (RC) from Nestlé Health Science Center, Barcelona, Spain; Delical gelodiet® (GELO) from Lactalis Nutricion Iberia, Santander, Spain; and Nutilis clear® (NC) from Nutricia, Madrid, Spain. REA is a first-generation thickener, and modified starch is used; GELO is second generation, and starch with gums are used; NC and RC are two third-generation thickeners, which use different types of gums and do not contain starch. The main ingredients of each one of the thickeners are as follows: (1) REA: modified corn starch; (2) GELO: modified corn starch, sodium chloride, native chicory inulin, guar gum, and konjac gum; (3) NC: maltodextrins, guar gum, xanthan gum, potassium chloride, and sodium chloride; and (4) RC: maltodextrins, xanthan gum, sodium chloride, and potassium chloride.We used four types of commercial thickeners: Resource ThickenUp®, Girona, Spain) with the following composition: calcium 43.2 mg/L, magnesium 11.5 mg/L, sodium 12.3 mg/L, and bicarbonates 167 mg/L. It also had a conductivity of 303 μS/m. The water temperature was always in a range between 22 °C and 25 °C. Although ordinary water is used in practice, commercial drinking water was used for the study to maintain a standardized composition.We dissolved the thickeners in commercial mineral water from the Sacalm spring in Sant Hilari  . For theAll the formulations were prepared in 200 mL of water, produced in triplicate, and placed in 200 mL beakers after preparation. Following preparation, the samples settled for 10 min before their subsequent analysis. We repeated the measurements at 6 h, aiming to evaluate the evolution of viscosity over time.A stress-controlled rheometer  equipped with a CC17 coaxial cylinder geometry was used. The dimensions of the cylindrical diameter were as follows: internal cylinder diameter: 16.7 mm; internal cylinder length: 25 mm; and external cylinder diameter: 18.1 mm.−1, plotting the shear stress and viscosity against the shear rate. Viscosity was determined at a shear rate of 50 s−1 obtained from each concentration’s flow curve. The temperature of the samples varied between 22 °C and 25 °C, in an attempt to emulate the most common temperature conditions during home and clinical consumption [Flow curves were drawn with a range between 0.01 and 200 ssumption . Three ssumption .−1 comparing those based on gums (NC vs. RC) with those based on starch (REA vs. GELO), since the differences between gum-based thickeners versus starch-based thickeners were obvious.We examined the average viscosity of the different thickeners at 50 sIn the experiments on the evolution of viscosity over time, measurements were taken at 6 h after sample preparation, in addition to the basal measurement.Evaluation by the ethics committee was not required, because no people or animals were involved.® SPSS® Statistics 26  was used. Quantitative variables were described by means (standard deviations), and qualitative variables by means of proportions. It was considered that no variable followed the normal distribution since the number of determinations was 3. Differences were considered significant with a p < 0.05.The statistical software IBMMeans were compared using the non-parametric Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. For the comparison of repeated means, the Wilcoxon sign rank test was used as a non-parametric test. The equations for calculating the theoretical viscosity from the analyzed data were obtained using the simple and exponential regression line.Shear Stress = K × (Shear Rate)n), where shear stress is the shear stress, K is the consistency index, and n is the flow behavior index. The adjustment was made using GraphPad PRISM® .The flow curve data were fitted to the rheological model of the power law , except at the concentration of 0.5%. Of the commercial thickeners containing primarily starch (GELO and REA), GELO showed lower viscosity than REA at lower than the recommended doses (p < 0.05), but when used at recommended doses its viscosity was significantly higher than REA with equal concentrations (p < 0.05). The dispersion values reflected in the standard deviation of the means obtained in the three repeated samples of the same concentration were higher, with elevated concentrations (6.9%) for the gum-based thickeners (REA and GELO).With the same concentration of thickener, each brand presented a different viscosity at 50 s−1 with different concentrations of thickeners , the formula of which is:p < 0.01 and p < 0.0001, respectively).As can be seen in R2 > 0.9).The experimental results for shear stress and shear rate fitted well with the simple power law model, with high coefficients of determination (n (flow behavior index) of all the thickeners were lower than <1, so it can be corroborated, according to this model, that the behavior of the four thickeners under study is pseudoplastic (as suggested in other sections). It should be noted that n decreased with greater thickener concentration, except in the case of the modified starch-based thickener (REA), where n increased with greater concentration. This may be due to the complex rheological behavior of starch, which exhibits dilating behavior at high concentrations. Among the gum-based thickeners (NC and RC), the highest K values (consistency index) obtained were those corresponding to the thickener based on xanthan gum, maltodextrins, and guar gum (NC). This would explain the higher viscosity values obtained in said thickener compared to RC. Among the starch-based thickeners (REA and GELO), the highest K values were for the modified starch-based thickener and gums (GELO).As can be seen in In this study, we compared the rheological properties of four thickeners commonly used in clinical practice, and their stability over time. The rheological properties of thickeners depend on their concentration, swallowing strength (shear rate), and time since preparation. The understanding of these characteristics can help to make correct use of thickeners and facilitate an individualized prescription. At a shear rate that can be the physiological speed of swallowing, the viscosity of gum-based thickeners (NC and RC) had a linear relationship with concentration. However, the viscosity of starch-based thickeners (REA and GELO) grew exponentially with increasing concentration. Describing this situation is very important, because when using starch-based thickeners in preparations, we have to be very precise with the quantity so as not to obtain undesirable viscosities.Between the two gum-based thickeners analyzed, NC showed a higher thickening power at all concentrations less than 0.5% . This faStarch-based thickeners (REA and GELO) obtained low viscosities at concentrations below 4%, but high viscosities when they reached concentrations above 6%. It is at these concentrations when the highest dispersion values are also appreciated. These results coincide with those of Garcia Gonzalez et al. , where t−1. Furthermore, when analyzing a thickener based on modified starch with a mixture of gums similar to the one we used (GELO), Sopade obtained results very similar to our study with regard to low and medium concentrations (163.9 mPa·s at 3.6% and 426.1 mPa·s at 4.4%), but different in higher concentrations (5185.4 mPa·s at 6.9%). These differences between the results of studies may be due to multiple variables such as temperature, pH, rheology equipment with which the results were determined, or the ionic charge with which the thickener solution was carried out [Sopade et al.  describeried out .−1 with different concentrations of thickeners, the starch-based thickeners (REA and GELO) showed an exponential behavior with the concentration, so that with low doses of thickener, lower viscosities were achieved than with the gum-based thickeners (NC and RC). However, with high doses of thickener, the viscosity increased in a non-linear way, reaching much more elevated viscosities than those expected according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Similar results were obtained by García González et al. [−1 in a modified starch-based thickener increased exponentially with concentrations of 3%. This fact can lead to incorrect handling of the product, since small differences in thickener concentration can result in disparate viscosity values.When we analyzed the viscosities reached at 50 sz et al. , who desAs mentioned above, to obtain water viscosities corresponding to nectar and honey textures (around 1000 mPa·s), the most efficient option would be to use gum-based thickeners, since less quantity of product is needed. However, certain factors must be taken into account  which may influence its behavior. To obtain higher viscosities of the pudding type (>1750 mPa·s) the best option could be to use thickeners based on modified starch. Conversely, according to Clavé and García , nectar n < 1 with a high correlation (R2 > 0.9). This behavior indicates that the viscosity decreases when an external shear force is applied to it, such as when the fluid enters the mouth and is propelled towards the pharynx [−1. Consistently measuring viscosities at this shear rate can be a mistake, since the speeds vary greatly depending on the patient and the phase of swallowing, even reaching values of 900s−1 [n > 1, by applying the Generalized Herschel-Bulkley model. This value would indicate dilatant fluid behavior (an increase in viscosity with shear rate). The characteristic that thickened fluids exhibit a non-Newtonian behavior is of great importance from the clinical point of view, to choose the method to measure said viscosity. The NDD recommends the use of a rheometer, but the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) proposes a simple method by assessing the rate of fall of the thickened fluid through a syringe, where the shear stress is much lower [The Ostwald–de Waele power law model shows that the rheological behavior of the thickeners under study is pseudoelastic, and the value  pharynx . This faf 900s−1 . The psef 900s−1 ,29, bothf 900s−1 , and in f 900s−1 . The behf 900s−1 , where tch lower . EvaluatThe most common textures in clinical practice are nectar and honey . Variatip > 0.05) over time, while they noticed a significant (p < 0.05) change with starch-based thickeners, some doubling their viscosity within 30 min of preparation. However, Dear and Joyce [The viscosity variations observed over time with starch-based thickeners have already been described by other authors, with occasionally controversial results. In our study, determinations were made at 6 h to have a better understanding of what is happening with the viscosity of the thickened water throughout the day. Other works  have evand Joyce , when stp > 0.05) variations between any of them at 24 h. It was not established whether the observed variations in viscosity and the differences between the brands of thickeners were due to the constituent ingredients, to a greater dissolution of the powder over time, to the evaporative concentration of the fluid, or changes in the nature of the chemical bonds.Furthermore, O’Leary et al.  studied Finally, Alves et al.  studied This study provides as a novelty the rheological comparison with a wide range of concentrations and the management characteristics of four different types of thickeners, representative of the thickeners for clinical use which the market offers. Most of the works previously published are limited to one or two thickeners, and to very specific concentrations. This has allowed us to describe for the first time that gum-based thickeners have a linear relationship between their concentration and viscosity, while starch-based thickeners have an exponential one. Finally, we present the regression curves for the different water-based thickeners that predict the rheological results of this work, thus eliminating the necessity of performing rheological determinations in the laboratory any longer.−1 in future studies. Another limitation of the study was the lack of evaluation of the early changes in viscosity, as we only performed determinations at the beginning and 6 h. Nevertheless, we considered it more important, from a practical point of view, to determine the preparation stability during a regular healthcare worker shift. However, there are some limitations. It was not possible to determine whether the different rheological characteristics are associated with greater safety during swallowing. Studies by videofluoroscopy would be necessary to evaluate the risk of aspiration with the different viscosities. In addition, it would be interesting to carry out measurements at speeds other than 50 sThe viscosity of gum-based thickeners is quite predictable, because there is a linear relationship between the viscosity achieved and the concentration of the thickener in water. The higher the concentration, the higher the viscosity achieved. This makes gum-based thickener much easier to handle, although it is very difficult to achieve pudding-like texture. In addition, there are rheological differences between thickeners based on gums with different compositions. Conversely, the viscosity obtained with starch-based thickeners is not so predictable, since there is an exponential relationship between viscosity and concentration. At low and medium concentrations, the viscosity of starch-based thickeners in water is very low, but at high concentrations, the viscosity rises to very thick pudding-like textures. This can complicate handling in daily clinical practice, especially if concentrations in the preparation are not well calculated.To achieve viscosities in water corresponding to the textures of nectar and honey, the best option could be to use thickeners based on gums, and not on starch, since less product is needed to achieve the desired results. Starch-based thickeners are best to achieve very thick textures. However, they are not stable over time (their viscosity increases), and they add flavor, color to the water, unpalatability, and pharyngeal residue.The changes observed in viscosity over time have clinical implications, since thickened liquids are often not immediately consumed after mixing. In this sense, gum-based thickeners are much more stable than starch-based thickeners, the viscosity of which increases over time. In order to be sure that the modified texture viscosity is as desired for clinical use, it is recommended that thickened liquids are consumed within a short period of being mixed, otherwise they should be withdrawn and prepared again. The formulas presented allow estimation of the desired concentration or viscosity for these types of thickeners, which can be very useful for handling and individualizing the prescription.Further studies are needed to verify whether the rheological characteristics of thickeners influence safety, adherence, or patient preference for different thickeners according to the type or intensity of their dysphagia.


Surgical repair of the tympanic membrane, termed a type one tympanoplasty is a tried and tested treatment modality. Overlay or underlay technique of tympanoplasty is common. Sandwich tympanoplasty is the combined overlay and underlay grafting of tympanic membrane.To describe and evaluate the modified sandwich graft  tympanoplasty using temporalis fascia and areolar fascia. To compare the clinical and audiological outcome of modified sandwich tympanoplasty with underlay tympanoplasty.A total of 88 patients of chronic otitis media were studied. 48 patients (Group A) underwent type one tympanoplasty with modified sandwich graft. Temporalis fascia was underlaid and the areolar fascia was overlaid. 48 patients (Group B) underwent type one tympanoplasty with underlay technique. We assessed the healing and hearing results.Successful graft take up was accomplished in 47 patients (97.9%) in Group A and in 40 patients (83.3%) Group B. The average Air-Bone gap closure achieved in Group A was 24.4 ± 1.7 dB while in Group B; it was 22.5 ± 3.5 dB. Statistically significant difference was found in graft healing rate. Difference in hearing improvement was not statistically significant.Double layered graft with drum-malleus as a ‘meat’ of sandwich maintains a perfect balance between sufficient stability and adequate acoustic sensitivity. Chronic otitis media with perforation of the tympanic membrane is a common cause of hearing loss and ear discharge.We prospectively studied 96 patients during 2014–2016. Institutional Review Board approval was taken. The approval protocol number is Ref. SKNMC No/Ethics/App/2014/236 dated 23/07/2014. The Registration number is ECR/275/Inst/MH/2013.1.To compare the clinical outcome in terms of healing of the graft in tympanoplasty by underlay technique and modified sandwich technique.2.To compare the audiological outcome in terms of post operative hearing gain in tympanoplasty by underlay technique and modified sandwich technique.Patients with tubotympanic type of chronic otitis media with large or subtotal perforation.Patients with atticoantral type of chronic otitis media, revision ear surgery, patients requiring ossicular reconstruction, patients with mixed hearing loss.n = 48) includes patients who underwent tympanoplasty by modified sandwich technique.Group A (n = 48) includes patients who underwent tympanoplasty by underlay technique. Data collected of each patient included: age, gender, previous ear surgery, preoperative pure tone audiometry and clinical findings, surgical details, postoperative clinical findings and pure tone audiometry. In all cases the ear was dry and with normal middle ear mucosa for at least one month prior to surgery.Group B , we observed a successful graft take up in 47 patients (97.9%). One patient (2.1%) had postoperative infection and rejection of graft. In Group B (n = 48), 40 patients (83.3%) had well accepted graft. Five patients (10.5%) had rejection of graft due to medialisation and 3 patients (6.2%) had reperforation of graft due to post operative infection. Statistical comparative analysis was done for the graft healing rate of the two groups. Chi-square value with Yates correction was 4.414 with 1 degrees of freedom. Two tailed p-value was 0.0356. With Fisher's exact probability test, 2 tailed p-value was 0.0356. Statistically significant difference was found in the graft healing rate of the two groups (p = 0.0356)  .Table 1At-test. The t value was 0.9074 with standard error of difference 1.873. With Confidence Interval 95%, two tailed p-value was 0.460. The post operative hearing gain assessed after healed graft in the two groups was statistically not significant  was 41.0 ± 3.9 dB and the post-operative average Air-Bone gap was 16.6 ± 2.6 dB. Average Air-Bone gap closure (dB) achieved was 24.4 ± 1.7 dB. In Group B, the preoperative average Air-Bone gap in speech frequencies  was 43.6 ± 4.4 dB and the post-operative average Air-Bone gap was 21.0 ± 4.6 dB. Average Air-Bone gap closure (dB) achieved was 22.5 ± 3.5 dB. Statistical analysis was done with Paired nificant .Table 2ASuccessful tympanoplasty depends on the integrity and stability of tympanic membrane (TM) which in turn affects the final position of the reconstructed tympanic membrane. Though a variety of materials like skin, perichondrium, vein, dura and cartilage are available for closure of TM perforations, temporalis fascia is the most commonly used graft with its certain advantages as it is easily available in sufficient quantity and through same incision, its thickness is similar to TM with low basal metabolic rate.8The sandwich graft tympanoplasty, described by Farrior,p = 0.0356) (The sandwich tympanoplasty or the over-under tympanoplasty is a combination of the underlay and overlay techniques and has been developed with the aim of minimizing the disadvantages inherent in the other two techniques. This may explain why the sandwich graft is becoming popular. 0.0356) .n = 30). In the study done by Yagit et al.n = 58). Another study by Ahmed et al.The average Air-Bone gap closure which gives an indication of the degree of hearing improvement was 24.4 ± 1.7 dB in Group A and 22.5 ± 3.5 dB in Group B . This imAs we experienced, the advantages of modified sandwich tympanolasty are:1. Stability of the graft, like a button in a button hole.2. Prevents medialisation or lateralization of graft.3. Temporalis fascia and areolar fascia both can be harvested through the same incision.4. Easy to perform because epithelial layer of only the anterior half of tympanic membrane remnant is elevated rather than the entire TM.5. Though it is a double layer of graft, thickness is optimum for acoustic sensitivity.Single-layer graft techniques in tympanoplasty  have persistent problems like fascia graft medialisation, lateralization and recurrent perforations. A double layered graft with temporalis fascia (underlay) and areolar fascia (overlay) using drum-malleus sandwich technique gives excellent results in postoperative healing of graft. Considerable audiological outcome is also achieved. This modified sandwich graft technique, and its results are presented to help the practicing otologic surgeon obtain a better understanding of this effective tympanoplasty.The authors declare no conflicts of interest.


On 24 February 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine. The fighting has already caused unimaginable conditions and millions of people were forced to flee their homes. For decades, conflicts have been linked to environmental pollution, exposure to radioactivity and heavy metals as well as infectious diseases. The invasion may cause specific environmental risks, like the release of radioactive substances from nuclear power plants and contaminated soils. Because international collaboration is one of the most effective ways to address environmental problems, it is critical to establish scientific bodies within a global framework to identify concrete actions and tangible measures to provide immediate assistance to citizens. This commentary discusses the above issues from lessons learned from the past wars and the way forward in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On 24 February 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine. The fighting has already caused catastrophic conditions, millions of people are forced to escape from their homes, and thousands of them are trapped under the wreckage of buildings. Political, economic, and potentially military supports and responses have been debated, but the health consequences should be considered severe. Most evident are direct deaths by the conflict. There have been reported 4,633 civilian casualties, 1982 killed and 2651 injured including 147 children as of April 15, 2022 [As Ukraine is an industrialized country . The principle also points out that water-related infrastructures are used by civilians and should therefore not be deliberately attacked. This draft pays attention to the increasing use of water infrastructure during the war and strengthens the role of water in peacebuilding concerns. An agreement to implement international efforts and humanitarian law concerning water is paramount to ensure health resilience for vulnerable groups.The second is to maintain clean water and food supply. The depleted uranium from projectile wreckage will leave uranium dust in the environment. Thus, humans could be exposed through inhalation and ingestion by consuming contaminated food, vegetable, and meat products . Accessi2 (6.6% in 2030) and air pollutant emissions such as fine particulate matter and sulfur dioxide [2 were emitted [The third is to evaluate the impact on energy resources and greenhouse gas emissions. Several Western countries restricted Russian fossil fuel imports and the Russian federation also cut off their supplies to the European Union (EU). This will cause changes in energy policies in the EU to decrease fossil fuel power generation. A recent analysis showed a long-term environmental benefit of reducing CO dioxide . On the  emitted . The oveThe fourth is to prevent emerging infectious diseases. Some infectious diseases have raised serious concerns in Ukraine, such as Polio, COVID-19, and cholera. Polio resumed in Ukraine because of the lowering rate of immunization. Polio is a severe threatening virus that can cause paralysis in children, and 20 cases have been confirmed in the Rivne and Zakarpattia regions in 2021  and the Although this war has drawn global attention for its environmental health damage in the region, there has been little assistance from the international community to solve this issue. However, because international collaboration is one of the most effective ways to address environmental problems, it is critical to establish scientific bodies within a global framework to identify concrete actions and tangible measures to provide immediate assistance to citizens. For this reason, we suggest the implementation of monitoring and controlling processes which can be undertaken by international scientific and academic communities to tackle environmental health issues. International collaboration to evaluate and prevent environmental health risks is a way to support scientific evidence of the public health impacts of an armed conflict.http://www.nihon-eisei.org/seimei220407/).Competent laboratories are essential to monitor the environment from harmful chemical substances and inform the public and governments. To achieve this, the international community can provide appropriate infrastructure and data management tools to detect and monitor threats to public health. Improving health professionals’ education and training at the international level is also critical to address the shortage of health professionals after warfare. Secondly, controlling emerging infectious diseases has become a top priority in creating a safe environment for civilians to rebuild the country. Hence, the international organization should provide a surveillance tool–linking databases and sharing epidemic information. A comprehensive preventative and intervention approach should also be implemented with international cooperation in environmental protection. Effective international cooperation in environmental protection will require the active participation of international organizations and scientific communities. Not only research activities, but strong advocacy from the community for peace will also remain crucial as stated by the Japanese society for hygiene (Finally, Russia’s forces were not complying with international humanitarian law and continue their brutal attacks on civilian areas. The Ukrainian people are currently in danger. It is our responsibility to highlight the issues, at least, in environmental health.


Liver transplantation is a well-established treatment for many with end-stage liver disease. Unfortunately, the increasing organ demand has surpassed the donor supply, and approximately 30% of patients die while waiting for a suitable liver. Clinicians are often forced to consider livers of inferior quality to increase organ donation rates, but ultimately, many of those organs end up being discarded. Extensive testing in experimental animals and humans has shown that ex-vivo machine preservation allows for a more objective characterization of the graft outside the body, with particular benefit for suboptimal organs. This review focuses on the history of the implementation of ex-vivo liver machine preservation and how its enactment may modify our current concept of organ acceptability. We provide a brief overview of the major drivers of organ discard  and how this technology may ultimately revert such a trend. We also discuss future directions for this technology, including the identification of new markers of injury and repair and the opportunity for other ex-vivo regenerative therapies. Finally, we discuss the value of this technology, considering current and future donor characteristics in the North American population that may result in a significant organ discard. More than 10,000 liver transplants (LT) are performed every year worldwide . DespiteECD organs have also been associated with increasing discard rates . Given tex vivo machine preservation (MP) of organs before transplantation. An old technology recently implemented into clinical settings  . One of settings . MP has settings . This tesettings . Studiessettings .ex vivo machine perfusion may be the key to improving ECD livers, expanding the donor pool and decreasing the discard rate of liver grafts  was first published in 2006 to predict the survival of transplanted grafts after liver transplantation using seven donor characteristics that increase the risk of graft failure . These sTraditionally, there is an interval between organ removal from the donor and its implantation in the recipient. During this time, the liver experiences two stages of injury: ischemia (the stopping of blood flow), followed by reperfusion, when the blood flow is restored in the recipient. Damage resulting from these two events has been defined as ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), characterized by multiple cell signals leading to inflammatory response and ultimately associated with various degrees of graft dysfunction , 6. IRI The decline in donated liver health can be slowed by cooling the organ and reducing metabolic activity . Belzer HTK, a histidine buffer with tryptophan and ketoglutarate, has a very low viscosity that allows for faster cooling and is postulated to protect against biliary complications compared to UW , 44. CS There is no consensus on which preservation fluid is most effective in liver transplant, and their advantages may be context specific. UW and CS seem superior to HTK for primary non-function and biliary complications, respectively . But allAlthough SCS is the gold-standard method for preserving liver grafts before transplantation, it is limited by time, as organs can only be safely kept for up to 12 h . ProlongWarm ischemia time (WIT) is defined as the ischemic insult of cells and tissue under normothermic conditions  . An hourEx vivo preservation techniques were initiated at the beginning of the 20th century when Dr. Alexis Carrel and Charles Lindbergh employed perfusions in animal organs. This concept was later revisited by Belzer, who first successfully preserved a human kidney  preserves livers between 4° and 12°C using the benefits of the anaerobic hypothermic ischemia concept paired with continuous perfusion throughout the microcirculation of the organ . HMP hasThis is the most accessible modality to clinically implement as it maintains a concept like the widely accepted SCS with minimal requirements in terms of training, supervision, and cost. It also demonstrated to be an effective method to preserve initially discarded livers with superior outcomes regarding EAD, biliary complications, and patient survival compared to traditional SCS . HMP alsNew evidence is now supporting better preservation during HMP when combined with oxygenation. Hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion (HOPE) . HOPE prSub-normothermic machine perfusion (SNMP) is another alternative in liver transplantation where organs are dynamically preserved between 20° and 34°C , 81. SNMNormothermic machine perfusion (NMP) is the most popular and widely used form of MP because it mimics the physiological characteristics of the liver. NMP maintains the graft by providing oxygen, nutrients and other vasoactive drugs at a temperature of 37° . This reNew studies now report that NMP can increase the acceptance rate of liver grafts, including those traditionally discarded , 72, 87 Ideally, a biomarker for graft health in liver transplantation should predict how much injury the organ has sustained before transplantation and predict the risk of EAD and PNF. Currently, there is no single biomarker with such characteristics, and instead, clinicians and scientists use a combination of indicators before donation and during preservation . Today, ex vivo machine preservation, many of these are usually hampered by the low clinical uptake, given the prolonged processing time to measure them, the accessibility across transplant centers, and their cost (Although liver transaminases are widely used in the posttransplant evaluation of the graft, the interpretation of its values during all types of MP may be challenging, as AST and ALT seem to accumulate during the perfusion period without necessarily indicating graft dysfunction . Insteadeir cost .Because machine perfusion is known to reduce IRI and allow the option to deliver targeted therapeutics directly to the graft, it is theoretically our best option to reduce the liver discard rate . SeveralDonation after cardiocirculatory death rapidly expands in all regions as an alternative to widen the donor pool. Despite the intrinsic risk of EAD and ischemic cholangiopathy, DCD is a sizable worldwide source for transplantation . A reasoIn liver steatosis, MP is also seen as a potential tool for defatting livers and decreasing discard . MP reduAfter many years of clinical transplantation, SCS seems sufficient for low-risk organs with short ischemia because normal livers are somewhat resilient against IRI and show adequate post-transplant outcomes , 28. HowFuture directions should focus on new research to identify more accurate biomarkers and predictors of liver health during preservation and regenerative therapies that can be applied during MP to rescue marginal livers. Another avenue for development is related to optimizing the technology to safely preserve livers for days, as recently demonstrated by the group at the University of Zurich , 107. ThWith an ever-increasing organ demand and limited supply of adequate donors, further improvements in the transplantation process, including strategies to minimize IRI, will be necessary to avail less-ideal organs for transplant. The expansion of the donor pool relies mainly on increasing the usability of ECD organs by bringing forward strategies to ameliorate ischemic injury or to improve those grafts deemed unusable safely. Machine preservation seems to be the ideal tool for this purpose by combining old concepts with new technology and discovery. Research rapidly shows its value by allowing comprehensive clinical implementation and innovation, quickly transferred from bench to bedside. The future of liver transplantation is inspiring, and traditional organ acceptability criteria will necessarily change in light of such disruptive technology.


The mission of applied gerontology is to bridge science and practice to benefit the health and well-being of older people, their families, their communities, and other contexts. The Journal of Applied Gerontology features original investigations or meta-analyses/systematic reviews with significant clinical, policy, and/or practice implications. This presentation will provide insights from the Journal of Applied Gerontology and its commitment to publish and disseminate scholarship with international application. Following an overview of the growing internationalization of peer-reviewed submissions to the Journal of Applied Gerontology on a variety of topics and from a range of perspectives, the presentation will highlight opportunities to apply gerontological scholarship to aging contexts worldwide. Concluding comments will examine how outlets for dissemination and authors themselves can better position their work to enhance their influence on aging in an international context.


Using the developmental cohort, the correlation coefficients between size mismatch parameters, including CRWR, and the posttransplantation estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were calculated. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to define a formula to predict eGFR 1-month posttransplantation. Using the validation cohort, the validity of the formula was examined. The correlation coefficient was the highest for CRWR . By multiple regression analysis, eGFR at 1-month was predicted using the linear model: 0.23 × donor preoperative eGFR + 17.03 × CRWR + 8.96 × preemptive transplantation + 5.10 (adjusted coefficient of determination = 0.54). In most patients in the validation cohort, the observed eGFR was within a 10 ml/min/1.73 m2 margin of the predicted eGFR. CRWR was the strongest parameter to predict early graft function. Predicting renal function using this formula could be useful in clinical application to select proper donors and to avoid unnecessary postoperative medical interventions.Early renal function after living-donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) depends on the “nephron mass” in the renal graft. In this study, as a possible donor-recipient size mismatch parameter that directly reflects the “nephron mass,” the cortex to recipient weight ratio (CRWR) was calculated by CT-volumetric software, and its ability to predict early graft function was examined. One hundred patients who underwent LDKT were enrolled. Patients were classified into a developmental cohort ( In most patients undergoing living-donor kidney transplantation (LDKT), immediate graft function (IGF), in which grafts show immediate urinary formation, is observed , 2. The Initial renal function after LDKT is affected by donor age, sex, donor preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), donor-recipient size difference, etc., all of which reflect the “nephron mass” of the renal graft , 11. TheThe purpose of this study was to quantify the “nephron mass” of the renal graft using CT-volumetric software and examine whether our novel size mismatch parameter that directly reflects the “nephron mass,” the cortex to recipient weight ratio (CRWR), could determine early renal function after LDKT compared with other representative size mismatch parameters.n = 85) and Mito Medical Center (n = 27). Patient records were identified by an administrative database. In both cohorts, all LDKTs were conducted with Asian pairs of donors and recipients, and none of the recipients demonstrated delayed graft function. Eight patients were excluded since the arterial phase of the contrast-enhanced CT was insufficient for reconstruction. Four patients were excluded since the patients demonstrated acute rejection within 12 months posttransplantation. Thus, a final population consisting of 100 pairs of LDKT was enrolled in our study. Patients who underwent transplantation at Tsukuba University Hospital (n = 79) were allocated as a developmental cohort to build a prediction model, and patients who underwent transplantation at Mito Medical Center (n = 21) were allocated as a validation cohort. All data for this study were collected in accordance with the Tsukuba University Hospital and Mito Medical Center Internal Review Boards.Between October 2013 and February 2022, 112 patients underwent ABO identical/compatible adult-to-adult LDKT at Tsukuba University Hospital  was introduced on the day of surgery and 4 days after surgery. Maintenance immunosuppression was conducted with triple therapy comprising long-acting tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and steroids. The trough value of tacrolimus was maintained at 7–10 ng/mL 3 months after surgery and 5–8 ng/mL 4–12 months after transplantation.§ ver. 6.1; Fujifilm Corporation, Tokyo, Japan), which semiautomatically calculates the volume of the kidney graft and its cortex  and transferred to high-end simulation software (Synapse Vincents cortex . The col2), calculated using the conversion formula for Japanese individuals. Proteinuria was measured in 24-h urine samples. The donor eligibility criterion at both centers was renal function with an inulin clearance of at least 70 ml/min. In this study, since postoperative renal function was assessed by eGFR, eGFR was also used for preoperative renal function.Graft function was evaluated based on eGFR  . The volt-test. Pearson’s correlation coefficients (r) were calculated, and single and multiple regression analyses were performed. Analyses were conducted using SPSS 27.0  and SAS software V.9.4 . All variables that had a p < 0.05 in a single regression model were included in a multiple regression model. A value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Categorical variables are presented as numbers and percentages, and groups were compared using the chi-square test. Continuous variables were expressed as median, minimum, and maximum values. Groups were compared using Student’s p < 0.001). The 1-year graft and patient survival rates were 100% in both cohorts.r = 0.65, p < 0.001), and Graft-act tended to be heavier than Graft-sim . BMIR did not show a significant correlation with postoperative renal function. Correlation coefficients between CRWR and posttransplantation eGFR were generally high compared with those with GRWR-sim and GRWR-act .r = –0.27, p = 0.02 and r = –0.34, p = 0.002, respectively, r = –0.17, p = 0.16).Cortex to recipient weight ratio demonstrated a weak reverse correlation with urinary protein at 1 and 6 months posttransplantation , donor preoperative eGFR , CRWR , and preemptive kidney transplant  were significantly correlated with recipient eGFR at 1-month posttransplantation. In multiple regression analysis, the donor preoperative eGFR , CRWR , and PEKT  became significantly associated with the recipient’s eGFR at 1 month . In more than 80% of patients (17/21), the observed eGFR was within a 10 ml/min/1.73 m2 margin of the predicted eGFR, showing that the performance of the formula was good (This formula is graphically illustrated in was good .The novelty of this study is that CRWR was a novel size mismatch parameter that directly reflected the “nephron mass” of the allograft and could be calculated form preoperative CT images using CT-volumetric software. CRWR demonstrated the strongest correlation with postoperative early renal function among the representative donor-recipient size mismatch parameters, and it enabled the prediction of early allograft function using a formula.Factors that influence renal function after LDKT can be divided into immunologic and non-immunologic factors . In the § to quantify graft volumes and reported that GRWR-sim was correlated with eGFR at 1-year postoperation (The correlation between postoperative renal function and parameters such as BMIR, BSAR, WR, and GRWR-act have previously been discussed as indicators of donor-recipient size mismatch –16. Seveperation . On the peration . CRWR isIn this study, eGFR at 1-month posttransplantation was expressed as a linear equation using donor preoperative eGFR, CRWR, and PEKT. This provides preoperative information on the degree to which renal function can be achieved postoperatively with any one donor in the case of multiple potential living donors. Therefore, this formula can be applied as a tool in donor selection. In addition, the ability to predict peak renal function avoids unnecessary fluid replacement or diuretic intervention when postoperative renal function has reached the predicted value, thereby avoiding prolonged hospitalization and wasteful use of medical resources. Conversely, if postoperative renal function is not the predicted value, the involvement of immunologic and other non-immunologic factors should be considered, providing a rationale for invasive interventions such as renal biopsy.A decreased renal graft survival rate after LDKT has been reported in situations where a small donor kidney is transplanted to a large body size recipient –24. ThisThe limitations of this study are as follows. First, this is a retrospective study of patients at two institutions, and the sample size is small. Furthermore, since the study was conducted only in Asian, the size mismatches may not be as significant as those in other countries. Second, this study did not measure inulin clearance in the early postoperative period; thus, eGFR was used as an outcome measure. The eGFR is generally lower than the true GFR obtained from inulin clearance and therefore may not provide a precise evaluation of postoperative renal function. Third, GV should be evaluated by renal biopsies at each time point, but GV obtained from protocol biopsies at 12 months posttransplantation was used to evaluate postoperative GV altogether. Despite these limitations, given that we for the first time proposed CRWR as a surrogate parameter of the size mismatch that directly reflects the “nephron mass,” this study provides unique implications for the application of this novel indicator in clinical practice.The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by Tsukuba University Hospital and Mito Medical Center Internal Review Boards. Written informed consent for participation was not required for this study in accordance with the national legislation and the institutional requirements.KT, KF, and TK collected the data. KT and MG analyzed the data. KT, KF, and MG wrote the manuscript. JU, AH, SH, HN, TO, KYu, and KYa did critical comments on the manuscript. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.


The pasting process using a viscograph showed that normal and waxy potato starch with the addition of chia had a different pasting characteristic. The addition of chia seeds had a greater effect on the properties of normal potato starch than waxy potato starch. From a rheological point of view, starch pastes without chia were less theologically stable as they showed bigger areas of hysteresis loops. Minor changes in the hardness of gels were obtained in normal starch gels with chia seeds during 20 days of storing compared to the samples without chia seeds, whereas in the waxy starch gels, the effect was the opposite.With regard to technological innovations, we applied chia (oilseeds) as a stabilizer additive in a normal and waxy potato starch sample to obtain stable starch-based gels during 20 days of storage. The aim of this study was to investigate the 5%  Starch is a carbohydrate of plant origin found in grains, roots, tubers, and plant fruits. It consists of two factions that differ in structure, called amylose and amylopectin. Amylose molecules are long, linear chains of anhydroglucose rings linked together exclusively by α-1,4-glycosidic bonds . In normStarch is an inseparable component of many food products. The most important reason for adding starch is to give the products the right rheological properties. Starch plays a thickening role due to the ability to form gels and gelatinization ability. It affects the structure of products and improves their stability. It is used as an emulsifier, including in sauces, mayonnaises, soups, or pudding masses, and it is as an ingredient in puddings, jellies, ice cream, cake mixes, as well as in breadcrumbs . MoreoveCurrently, the number of people who pay attention to the composition of food products is gradually increasing. Consumers avoid synthetic food additives . NaturalSalvia hispanica L.) belongs to the Labiatae family [Salvia is due to its nutritional properties thanks to a significant amount of dietary fiber, lipid, protein, and polyphenols [O-methyl-α- D-glucopyranosyluronic acid [w/w) soluble fraction  and 65% (w/w) insoluble fraction . A soluble fraction is a neutral polysaccharide, and an insoluble fraction contains a negatively charged polymer fraction.The Chia plant  used in the normal and waxy potato starch gels formulation may have a positive effect on the technological parameters of gel-based products. Secondly, we wanted to show the differences in starch-based gel parameters in the case of adding chia seeds in whole or ground form to the normal and waxy potato starch.Understanding the properties of polysaccharide gel with chia seeds (whole and ground) is important from a technological point of view because such systems are used as stabilizers, thickeners or fat substitutes in food production. . Thus, tω3), 20.18–20.56% linoleic acid (ω6), and 10.36–10.70% oleic acid (ω9) [The analyzed chia seeds were rich in fat and contained up to 29.86%, which corresponds to the range of literature data presented by the authors in their works ,31,32,33cid (ω9) ,35. Chiacid (ω9) ,36,37. Tcid (ω9) ,39,40. Tcid (ω9) .The dietary fiber content in 100 g of the tested chia seeds was 36.24%. The amount of this ingredient can vary considerably from 23 to 41% ,42 . The determinations were made using a Brabender viscograph, and their pasting characteristics are presented in The examined paste of normal starch without the addition of chia seeds showed the values of the initial gelatinization temperature corresponding to the data reported in the literature (64–68 °C) ,47. Aftemax) (1802 B.U.) of all tested samples. After adding whole and ground chia seeds to the native starch, the tested mixtures achieved lower values of ƞmax, proving that the starch granules’ gelatinization was limited. The gelatinization characteristics, in this case, did not have a clear maximum, and a considerable flattening of the peaks (ƞmax) was observed both in the 5%PS + 1%CHw and 5%PS + 1%CHgsample as well.As seen in The reduction in the maximum viscosity of the starch solution during pasting is likely the result of competition between starch and chia seeds for water molecules. The insufficient amount of water needed for starch pasting results in strong competition between hydrophilic polymers for water molecules. As a result, a reduction in the viscosity of the overall system is noted. According to Goh et al. (2016) , chia se0 from 67.6 to 62.2 °C for 5%WPS + 1%CHw and to 64.1°C for 5%WPS + 1%CHg. On the other hand, in the studied waxy starch pastes, the addition of whole and ground chia seeds showed a higher ƞmax (1576.0 B.U. and 1509.0 B.U.) versus a waxy starch without the addition of chia seeds (1386.5 B.U). Thus, the relationship was opposite to that of the native starch described above  of native starch pastes  compared to waxy starch (1386.5 B.U.) . McPhersarch gel ,54. Holdh pastes  did not 528 B.U. .As the systems cool down, the viscosity started to increase again. A more pronounced increase in viscosity was noted in the case of the 5%PS paste .w and 70 B.U for sample 5%PS+ 1%CHg. In the case of waxy starch pastes, the addition of chia seeds (1%CHw and 1%CHg) increased the BD values. In the 5%WPS without the addition of chia seeds, the value was 950.5 B.U. with the addition of whole chia seeds 1124.0 B.U. and ground 980.5 B.U. As reported in the literature, a greater decrease in viscosity during heating shows starches with a tendency to less stability of the final product [The breakdown parameter (BD) describes the difference between the maximum and minimum viscosity of starch pastes during their heating at the maximum applied temperature (95 °C). In the paste with normal starch, the greatest decrease in viscosity was recorded in the samples without the addition of chia seeds (5%PS), and the value was 1069.0 B.U. The addition of chia seeds reduced the BD to 230.0 B.U. for 5%PS+ 1%CH product ,56. Acco product , the gre50°C) was recorded in a sample of normal starch with the addition of ground chia seeds (5%PS + 1%CHg). The remaining values were 1037 B.U. in 5%PS + 1%CHw and 927.5 B.U. in the 5%PS sample  after cooling to 50 °C (ηS sample . On the 7.5 B.U. .−1) and decreasing (“down” curve 300–0 s−1) shear rates and are summarized in K) and flow behavior index (n) of the starches and their mixtures with chia seeds were calculated for upward and downward curves. The rheological model used was characterized by a very good fit to the experimental data (R2 > 0.998), showing that the model was adequate to determine the flow behavior of the starch pastes with chia seeds.The highest shear stress was found in normal and waxy starch pastes without the addition of chia seeds at both increasing and decreasing shear rates. Moreover, the hysteresis loop for 5%PS was the greatest, which means that the sample is low rheologically stable ,59. AfteResults showed that the shear stress of starch-chia mixtures decreased distinctly compared to starch alone, which meant that the apparent viscosity also lowered. According to Campanella et al. (1995) , such beK) of the tested normal starch pastes showed a large differentiation with increasing (0–300 s−1) and decreasing (300–0 s−1) shear rates  and 0.76 Pa∙sn and 6.70 Pa∙sn (5%WPS + 1%CHg), respectively (In the case of waxy starch pastes (5%WPS), significant changes in the ectively .n were lower than 1  at increasing shear rates gave values of the d pastes , which in of waxy starch pastes at increasing shear rates were 0.72. The addition slightly increased the n value to 0.83 for the whole and 0.85 for the ground chia seeds. With decreasing shear rates, the n coefficient of waxy starch mixture with no additive was 0.50, and the addition of chia (whole and ground seeds) lowered this value to 0.45  and 2.06 N (5%PS + 1%CHg), respectively (w) and 2.67 (5%PS + 1%CHg) because in the normal starch, amylose forms tough gels [In the case of normal potato starch (5% PS) on the day of starting the tests, the hardness of the gel without the addition of chia seeds was 0.60 N, with whole seeds at 0.96 N, and with the ground chia seeds at 0.77 N. After 1 day of storage, the samples without chia addition significantly increased their hardness to the value of 3.85 N. But the gels with the addition of chia seeds showed a lower increase in hardness. In the following days of storage (20 days), the hardness increased regularly. The highest hardness (4.72 N) was achieved by normal potato starch gel without the addition of chia. The remaining gels had a hardness of 2.10 N (5%PS + 1%CHectively . The harugh gels . The lowugh gels . A betteAs shown in w) and 11.65 (5%WPS + 1%CHg), while in the waxy starch gel, the value was lower, 8.78 (5%WPS). The higher values of differences in hardness during storing indicate non-stable samples in time (5%WPS + 1%CHw and 5%WPS + 1%CHw).In the waxy potato starch gels, the hardness values for stored samples that were calculated as a ratio of gel hardness after 20 days of storing and the day of gel preparation (0 days) had an opposite trend than was described in the potato starch gel. The largest difference in the hardness of gels was observed in samples with chia seeds—14.76  were influenced by chia seeds. The presence of chia in the blends had a higher impact on normal potato starch pastes properties than waxy potato starch suspension. The addition of chia seeds affected the viscosity of the mixture, especially the maximum viscosity, as a clear flattening of the peak was observed. The data indicate also that adding chia seeds strongly limits the gelatinization of starch granules. Moreover, all the studied pastes  exhibited non-Newtonian, shear-thinning properties with a hysteresis loop. The bigger areas of the loops were observed in starch pastes without chia; thus, from a rheological point of view, the samples were less stable than the mixtures with chia seeds. Our results showed that the form in which the chia seeds were added to the starch suspensions, whole or ground, had an impact on gels during storage. Chia seeds can be used as an additive in starch-based food to improve the texture of starch gels and during storage, and they enrich carbohydrate products in fiber, fat, protein, and bioactive substances.w) and ground (CHg) forms. The producer of seeds was Casa Del Sur (Peru). CH had the following chemical composition per 100 g d.m. : 29.86 g fat, 41.31 g carbohydrates, 18.03 g protein, 4.49 g ash, 36.24 g total dietary fiber .Normal potato starch (PS)  and waxy potato starch (WPS)  were used. PS had the following parameters: 81.77% d.m.; 31% amylose; 110 mg% total phosphorus; 0.20%protein; 0.12% lipids. WPS contained 86.1% d.m., <1% amylose, 80 mg% total phosphorus, 0.22%protein and 0.11% lipids. Chia seeds (CH) were purchased from the local hypermarket in Rzeszów (Poland) and used in whole  methods: total protein content used the Kjeldahl procedure using the Büchi B324 extraction system , with a nitrogen to protein conversion factor of 6.25. Dietary fiber  used the enzymatic gravimetric method, and fat content used the Soxhlet method (Büchi B811), while ash content used carbonization. The total carbohydrate content was calculated by subtracting the sum of moisture, protein, fat, and ash percentages from 100%.w/w d.m.) and mixtures of 5% (w/w) starches with chia seeds (CH) (1% w/w d.m.) were taken using a Viscograph-E Brabender . The aqueous suspensions of potato starch blends were prepared at ambient temperature, and pasting behavior was measured in the viscograph for 83 min. Pasting characteristics of the PS and WPS suspensions, as well as mixtures of 5%PS + 1%CH and 5%WPS + 1%CH were run with the following parameters: (a) heating from 30 to 95 °C heated at 1.5 °C/min; (b) maintaining samples for 5 min at 95 °C; (c) cooling from 95 to 50 °C with 1.5 °C/min with constant agitation at 75 rpm. Measurements were run in duplicate.Measurements of pasting characteristics of normal and waxy potato starches (5% w/w plain starch were agitated (with constant stirring at 400 rpm) for 10 min at room temperature and a further 30 min at 95 °C. Obtained gels were distributed to the device’s measuring system. Gels of plain and waxy starch with chia seeds (whole and ground) were prepared with proportions: 5% (w/w) d.m. of starch and 1% (w/w) d.m. of chia seeds.Sample preparation: The aqueous suspensions of 5% −1 for 10 min and maintained at the maximum shear rate for 1 min. Then the shear rate was decreased from 300 to 0 s−1 over 10 min. The flow curves up (the rate of shear from 0 to 300 s−1 within 600 s) and down (the rate of shear from 300 to 0 s−1 within 600 s) were fitted to the Ostwald–de Waele (1) model [τ—shear stress (Pa), K—consistency coefficient (Pa∙sn), −1) and n—flow behavior index (-).Flow curves were carried out using an RS6000  rheometer in the controlled rate of shear (CR) mode with a CC26 Ti measuring system and a 1.9 gap. Measurements were taken at a constant temperature of 50 °C. The rate of shear was raised from 0 to 300 s1) model .(1)τ=K·The texture of the PS and WPS gels and their mixtures with chia seeds were characterized by a CT3 Texture Analyzer, Brookfield , equipped with the Texture Pro CT V1.2 Build 9 software. The penetration test was used. Fresh gels obtained in the Viscograph-E were transferred to the plastic cylinders in the amount of 30 mL. Texture measurements were performed for fresh gels (after 1 h of storing) and after 1 day, 2, 3, 7, 10, and 20 days of storing at 4 °C. The samples were compressed with a cylinder probe (ø 25.5 mm) at a 2 mm/s speed. The trigger load was set at 0.01 N, and the target value was 10 mm. Gel hardness was defined as maximal force applied (N). The reported results were the average values of at least three replications.The experimental data were calculated using Statistica v.13.3 . The analysis of variance was done using Duncan’s test at a confidence level of α = 0.05.