Osmotic Demyelination Syndrome (ODS) is one of the primary cause of demyelination in alcoholics and malnourished resulting in various kind of clinical manifestations in pontine symptoms, neuro-behavioural symptoms movement disorders as well as speech and language and swallowing difficulties. The study was done to introspect the prognosis of swallowing therapy in a patient with ODS using MASA (Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability). A 36 years old male with a history of regular alcohol intake and hypertensiom reported in our healthcare centre with hypoaklemia and speech, language and swallowing difficulty. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed bilateral symmetrical T2 and T2 FLAIR (fluid attenuated inversion recovery) hyperintensity lesion in the bilateral basal ganglia involving the caudate nuclei, putaminal region and bilateral thalami with similar lesion along the mid brain. There were no areas of acute restriction in diffusion study. The findings suggested of Osmotic Demyelination Syndrome (ODS).When accessed with N-DAT, WAB and MASA; patient was diagnosed with Spastic Dysarthria, Transcortical Motor Aphasia and Moderate Dysphagia. Intervention was provided using speech and swallowing therapy and when introspected with MASA scores, improvement was seen within 5 days and statistically 97% of variance was seen inferring the progressing trend in the MASA scores. This study concludes that MASA can be an effective tool in introspecting the prognosis of Dysphagia in ODS and early intervention in the management of dysphasia shows positive results.

Tortillas are a traditional staple food in Mesoamerican cuisine, which have also become popular on a global level, e.g., for wraps or as snacks (tortilla chips). Traditional tortilla production includes alkaline cooking (nixtamalization) of maize kernels. This article summarizes the current knowledge on mycotoxin changes during the nixtamalization of maize and tortilla production. Upon nixtamalization, mycotoxins can be affected in different ways. On the one hand, the toxins can be physically removed during steeping and washing. On the other hand, mycotoxins might be degraded, modified, or released/bound in the matrix by high pH and/or high temperature. This also applies to the subsequent baking of tortillas. Many studies have shown reduced mycotoxin levels in alkali-cooked maize and in tortillas. Most of the available data relate to aflatoxins and fumonisins. The reduction (and detoxification) of aflatoxins during nixtamalization might, however, be partially reversed in acidic conditions. The loss of fumonisin concentrations is to some extent accompanied by hydrolyzation and by lower toxicity. However, some studies have indicated the potential formation of toxicologically relevant modified forms and matrix-associated fumonisins. More data are required to assess the influence of alkaline cooking regarding such modified forms, as well as mycotoxins other than aflatoxins/fumonisins.

Background: Dysphagia is frequently observed in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Dysphagia and its complications are common causes of morbidity and mortality in final stages of MS disease. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of dysphagia in Iranian patients with MS and identifying predictors associated with dysphagia. Methods: A total of 230 MS patients were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Dysphagia was evaluated using Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA). Demographic characteristics (age and gender), duration of the disease, disease course, and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) were recorded for all participants. Results: In total, dysphagia was found in 85 participants (37%) with mild to severe dysphagia (mild 50.6%; moderate 29.4%; and severe 20%). The logistic regression model demonstrated that disability status in EDSS (OR= 2.1; 95% CI 0.5-1.2) and disease duration (OR= 2.3; 95% CI 0.4-1.1) predicts a high risk for dysphagia in MS patients. Conclusion: Dysphagia is prevalent in Iranian patients with MS. Disability level and disease duration are significant predictors of dysphagia after MS.

BACKGROUND: Staling of maize tortillas is a major drawback affecting their manufacture, commercialization and consumption. The development of methods that may help retard staling of maize tortillas is an ongoing research topic. In this work, a novel, simple, economic and effective method is proposed, based on adding completely gelatinized nixtamalized maize flour (GMF) dispersion to the basic masa formulation recipe (water, 600 g kg-1 ; nixtamalized maize flour, 400 g kg-1 ) in substitution of 50, 100 and 150 g kg-1 of water.
RESULTS: Masa added with GMF showed increased water retention capacity, reduced freezable water content and improved flow and dynamic rheological properties and produced tortillas with decreased firmness. The infrared 1047/1022 cm-1 spectral ratio indicated that a more disordered starch granule arrangement was formed, while enthalpy peaks associated with starch retrogradation decreased. All the above indicators were more pronounced the higher was the GMF content.
CONCLUSIONS: This work showed that GMF can play the role of a self-hydrocolloid anti-staling agent by retarding the retrogradation of maize starch and deterring the loss of water and rheological properties of masa and the increase in undesirable sensory characteristics of tortilla such as increased firmness. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

The effect of nixtamalization on the content of fumonisins (FBs), hydrolysed (HFBs) and partially hydrolysed (PHFBs) fumonisins in maize was investigated at laboratory-scale. Maize naturally contaminated with FBs and PHFBs was cooked with lime. Starting raw maize, steeping and washing waters and final masa fractions were analysed for toxin content. Control-cooking experiments without lime were also carried out. The nixtamalization reduced the amount of FBs and PHFBs in masa and converted them to HFBs. However, the three forms of fumonisins collected in all fractions amounted to 183%, indicating that nixtamalization made available forms of matrix-associated fumonisins that were then converted to their hydrolysed forms. Control-cooking enhanced FBs and PHFBs reduction, due to the solubility of fumonisins in water during the steeping process, but did not form HFBs. These findings indicate that benefits associated with enhancing the nutritional value of nixtamalized maize are also associated with a safer product in terms of fumonisin contamination.

OBJECTIVE: Hybrid models of psychopathology propose to combine the current categorical diagnostic system with shared symptom dimensions common across various disorders. Recently, the first empirically derived hybrid model of social anxiety was developed, including both a specific factor for the diagnostic category of social anxiety and 5 nonspecific factors for related symptoms. The present investigation developed a self-report measure-the Multidimensional Assessment of Social Anxiety (MASA)-based on this model to further the research on hybrid models.
METHODS: This investigation included three studies across large undergraduate (N = 411; 52.3% male; mean [M] age = 19.6) and clinical (N = 684; 61.4% female; M age = 35.8) samples, involving the administration of the MASA item pool and existing measures of related constructs.
RESULTS: Through a series of psychometric evaluations, the initial 466-item pool was reduced to a final 38-item measure that represented 6 distinct scales with adequate model fit, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity.
CONCLUSIONS: Together, these studies likely will lead to additional research and advances in the development of the hybrid models of the mood and anxiety disorders through the dissemination and administration of the MASA.

New hybrid models of psychopathology have been proposed that combine the current categorical approach with symptom dimensions that are common across various disorders. The present study investigated the new hybrid model of social anxiety in a large sample of participants with anxiety disorders and unipolar mood disorders to improve understanding of the comorbidity and symptom overlap between social phobia (SOC) and the other anxiety disorders and unipolar mood disorders. Six hundred and eighty two participants from a specialized outpatient clinic for anxiety treatment completed a semi-structured diagnostic interview and the Multidimensional Assessment of Social Anxiety (MASA). A hybrid model symptom profile was identified for SOC and compared with each of the other principal diagnoses. Significant group differences were identified on each of the MASA scales. Differences also were identified when common sets of comorbidities were compared within participants diagnosed with SOC. The findings demonstrated the influence of both the principal diagnosis of SOC and other anxiety disorders and unipolar mood disorders as well as the influence of comorbid diagnoses with SOC on the six symptom dimensions. These findings highlight the need to shift to transdiagnostic assessment and treatment practices that go beyond the disorder-specific focus of the current categorical diagnostic systems.

Corn tortillas are a staple in the diet among the Mexican population, and are traditionally produced through a process known as nixtamalization. This traditional process involves steeping whole-kernel corn in an alkaline solution overnight and then grinding the corn into dough (masa), which is then baked. While the masa is held before baking, significant microbial change can occur which leads to fermentation and spoilage. The objective of this research was to characterize and identify the microflora of nixtamalized corn masa from six different commercial tortilla mills throughout Guadalajara, Mexico. The identification of samples was conducted using the microbial identification system (MIS), which analyzes cellular fatty acids via gas chromatography to identify bacterial species. Lactic acid bacteria and aerobic mesophiles were the predominant organisms, with both groups having counts ranging from 10(4) to 10(7)cfu/g across all mills. Coliform populations were observed at counts of 10(2) to 10(3)cfu/g, while yeast and mold counts were typically less than 10(1)cfu/g. Some mills showed no presence of coliforms or yeast or mold. Streptococcus bovis and Lactobacillus oris were isolated from all mills, and were the most prevalent organisms representing 43% and 17% of all lactic acid bacteria isolated, respectively. S. bovis was also isolated on the aerobic tryptic soy plates and was the most prevalent species representing 19% of the total organisms from these aerobic plates.

The clinical signs of heart masses tend to be nonspecific, generally depending more on their repercussions on heart function caused by their location rather than on their type. Imaging techniques make it possible to limit the differential diagnosis of heart masses based on their location, morphology, and characteristics of echogenicity, density, or intensity, depending on the technique used to study them. We present the case of a woman with squeezing mid chest pain irradiating to her shoulder and positive cardiac markers in whom a left atrial mass was identified at echocardiography. This finding was confirmed at chest CT. The signs at chest CT were compatible with a mural hematoma and this diagnosis was confirmed after intraoperative biopsy.