Several polyunsaturated fatty acids are considered to have beneficial health effects, while saturated fatty acids and industrial trans fatty acids (TFAs) are linked to negative health consequences. Given the increased formation of TFAs during heating, many studies already investigated compositional changes in oils after prolonged heating or at extremely high temperatures. In contrast, our aim was to measure changes in fatty acid composition and in some health-related indices in edible oils after short-time heating that resembles the conventional household use. Potatoes were fried in palm, rapeseed, soybean, sunflower and extra virgin olive oils at 180 °C for 5 min, and samples were collected from fresh oils and after 1, 5 and 10 consecutive heating sequences. Regardless of the type of oil, the highest linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid values were measured in the fresh samples, whereas significantly lower values were detected in almost all samples following the heating sequences. In contrast, the lowest levels of TFAs were detected in the fresh oils, while their values significantly increased in almost all samples during heating. Indices of atherogenicity and thrombogenicity were also significantly higher in these oils after heating. The present data indicate that prolonged or repeated heating of vegetable oils should be avoided; however, the type of oil has a greater effect on the changes of health-related indices than the number of heating sequences.

Plant-based diets are becoming more popular for many reasons, and epidemiological as well as clinical data also suggest that a well-balanced vegan diet can be adopted for the prevention, and in some cases, in the treatment of many diseases. In this narrative review, we provide an overview of the relationships between these diets and various conditions and their potential biochemical background. As whole plant foods are very rich in food-derived antioxidants and other phytochemicals, they have many positive physiological effects on different aspects of health. In the background of the beneficial health effects, several biochemical processes could stand, including the reduced formation of trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) or decreased serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels and altered signaling pathways such as mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR). In addition, the composition of plant-based diets may play a role in preventing lipotoxicity, avoiding N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), and reducing foodborne endotoxin intake. In this article, we attempt to draw attention to the growing knowledge about these diets and provide starting points for further research.

Background and Objectives: Patients undergoing cardiac surgery are particularly vulnerable for developing postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the role of preoperative chest physiotherapy in such patients. Materials and Methods: All original articles that assessed patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery, with preoperative chest physiotherapy, and compared them to patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery, without preoperative chest physiotherapy, were included. Animal studies, studies conducted prior to the year 2000, commentaries, or general discussion papers whose authors did not present original data were excluded. Studies assessing physiotherapy regimens other than chest physiotherapy were also excluded. The search was performed using the following electronic resources: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the PubMed central database, and Embase. The included studies were assessed for potential bias using the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing the risk of bias. Each article was read carefully, and any relevant data were extracted. The extracted data were registered, tabulated, and analyzed using Review Manager software. Results: A total of 10 articles investigating 1458 patients were included in the study. The studies were published from 2006 to 2019. The populations were patients scheduled for elective CABG/cardiac surgery, and they were classified into two groups: the interventional (I) group, involving 651 patients, and the control (C) group, involving 807 patients. The meta-analysis demonstrated no significant differences between the interventional and control groups in surgery time and ICU duration, but a significant difference was found in the time of mechanical ventilation and the length of hospital stay, favoring the interventional group. A significant difference was shown in the forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1% _predicted), forced vital capacity (FVC% _predicted), and maximum inspiratory pressure (Pi-max), favoring the interventional group. Conclusions: This study is limited by the fact that one of the included ten studies was not an RCT. Moreover, due to lack of the assessment of certain variables in some studies, the highest number of studies included in a meta-analysis was the hospital stay length (eight studies), and the other variables were analyzed in a fewer number of studies. The data obtained can be considered as initial results until more inclusive RCTs are conducted involving a larger meta-analysis. However, in the present study, the intervention was proved to be protective against the occurrence of PPCs. The current work concluded that preoperative chest physiotherapy can yield better outcomes in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery.

The widespread consumption of plant-based drinks, driven by health and dietary reasons (including cow’s milk allergy, lactose intolerance, milk protein intolerance, following a vegetarian or vegan diet) necessitates automated and accurate test methods. Our study demonstrates the simultaneous determination of protein components and total protein concentrations in plant-based milk alternatives using a rapid and reproducible microchip gel electrophoretic method. As expected, the electrophoretic profiles of each plant-based drink differed. Based on our analyses and statistical evaluation, it can be determined that the protein profiles of different plant-based beverages do not differ significantly between different manufacturers or different expiry dates. The measured total protein content was compared with the nominal values, i.e., the values stated on the beverage labels. As the number of consumers of functional and specialized plant-based milk alternatives continues to rise, it is important to prioritize methods that provide qualitative and quantitative information on protein composition and other nutrients.

Background: Food literacy (FL) plays a crucial role in promoting healthy eating and sustainable food choices. The Short Food Literacy Questionnaire (SFLQ) has been widely used to assess FL in different populations. Objective: This study aimed to adapt and validate the SFLQ in Hungarian (SFLQ-HU) and evaluate its psychometric properties among university students. Methods: The adaptation followed international guidelines, including forward- and back-translation, pre-testing, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, while criterion validity was tested through correlations with other health-related scales. For statistical analysis, IBM AMOS 26.0 and SPSS 28.0 software were used. Results: The survey involved 1325 (n = 1325) young adults in 2024. Overall, 76% of the sample were women (n = 1007), and 77.43% of the sample were under 25 years old (n = 1025). The FL level scored 36.47 points (SD: 7.53), with the highest score being 52 and the lowest score being 14.8. The SFLQ-HU demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.850) and a good fit for the one-factor structure in CFA. Test–retest reliability confirmed the stability of the instrument. Significant correlations were found between the SFLQ-HU and measures of health literacy (r = 0.197; p < 0.001), food choice motivations (r = 0.394; p < 0.001), and barriers to health behaviors (r = 0.353; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The SFLQ-HU is a reliable and valid tool for assessing food literacy of young Hungarian-speaking adults. It can facilitate future research and public health initiatives aimed at improving FL and promoting healthy dietary habits.

Liver failure, both acute and chronic, represents a complex, life-threatening condition frequently requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Nutritional management is a crucial component of supportive therapy, aiming to mitigate catabolism, preserve lean body mass, and support immune and organ function. In acute liver failure (ALF), early nutritional intervention within 24–48 h and individualized energy–protein prescriptions are essential, even in the presence of hepatic encephalopathy. Chronic liver failure (CLF) and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) are often associated with severe malnutrition, sarcopenia, and systemic inflammation, necessitating tailored nutritional strategies. Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) and Royal Free Hospital Global Assessment (RFH-GA) tools are instrumental in identifying nutritional risk. Enteral nutrition (EN) is preferred across all stages, with parenteral nutrition (PN) reserved for contraindications. Special considerations include micronutrient repletion, prevention of refeeding syndrome, and perioperative nutritional support in transplant candidates and recipients. This clinical overview summarizes current evidence and guidelines on ICU nutrition in liver failure, emphasizing a multidisciplinary approach to improve outcomes.