Consumption of L-Theanine (L-THE) has been associated with a sensation of relaxation, as well as a reduction of stress. However, these physiological responses have yet to be elucidated in humans where L-THE is compared alongside food or as a functional ingredient within the food matrix. The aim of this study was to determine the physiological responses of a single intake of a potential functional food product (mango sorbet) containing L-THE (ms-L-THE; 200 mgw/w) in comparison to a flavour and colour-matched placebo (ms). Eighteen healthy male participants were recruited in this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The participants were required to consume ms-L-THE or placebo and their blood pressure (BP) (systolic and diastolic), heart rate (HR), and heart rate variability (HRV) were monitored continuously over 90 minutes. Eleven males (age 27.7 ± 10.8 years) completed the study. Changes in area under the curve for systolic and diastolic blood pressure and HRV over the 90 minute observation period indicated no differences between the three conditions (all p > 0.05) or within individual groups (all p > 0.05). The values for heart rate were also not different in the placebo group (p = 0.996) and treatment group (p = 0.066), while there was a difference seen at the baseline (p = 0.003). Based on the findings of this study, L-THE incorporated in a food matrix (mango sorbet) demonstrated no reduction in BP or HR and showed no significant parasympathetic interaction as determined by HRV high-frequency band and low-frequency/high-frequency ratio. Further studies should be focussed towards the comparison of pure L-THE and incorporation within the food matrix to warrant recommendations of L-THE alongside food consumption.

Respirators are an essential medical device vital to prevent the transmission of airborne illness between persons. This study presents an investigation conducted by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) into the particle filtration efficiency (PFE) performance of respirators supplied in Australia that were included as medical devices in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) throughout the COVID-19 pandemic or supplied to the TGA from other jurisdictions for compliance testing. A total of 400 real-world batches of respirators were tested against a rapid-screen PFE method developed by the TGA. The TGA analysed a respirator's ability to meet its claimed filtration efficiency with a statistical power analysis differentiated by the claimed PFE standard, country of manufacture, time of inclusion into the ARTG and respirators with surgical against non-surgical claims. Of the tested batches of respirators (n = 400), 70 % were compliant with the pre-set compliance criteria. The results indicate statistically significant PFE differences (p < 0.05) between respirators claiming the standards 42 CFR Part 84, AS 1716:2012, GB 19083: 2010 and EN 149:2001+ A1:2009 when tested against respirators claiming GB 2626:2006. There were no observed significant differences between the PFE of surgical and non-surgical respirators (p > 0.05). The findings of this study highlight the importance of ensuring respirators meet their claimed PFE level based on their claimed standard prior to manufacturer release. Further studies should be focussed on investigating the effect of respiratory protection devices and their claimed efficiency in clinical settings such as hospitals against aerosolised particulates using a range of respiratory protection devices.

Precision nutrition is a tailored dietary approach that considers an individual’s genetic and metabolic profile, lifestyle factors, and specific nutritional needs to improve health and potentially modify disease progression. While research is ongoing into precision nutrition approaches for preventing dementia, there is no evidence on its targeted application to slow dementia-related disease progression and mitigate functional and cognitive decline. This narrative review addresses this gap by synthesising evidence on nutrient–gene interactions, genotype, gut microbiome, nutritional status and the interplay between metabolic pathways implicated in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration to modify disease progression in a protective or therapeutic manner. Understanding and addressing comorbidities that share pathological mechanisms with dementia have the potential to enhance the understanding of precision nutrition to inform more effective, tailored approaches to slow dementia progression. To increase the robustness of precision nutrition trials for people with dementia, further research is needed into biomarker discovery, multi-omics technologies, and increasing mechanistic research to map the precise biological pathways underpinning the interactions between diet, gene expression, and neuroinflammation. Moreover, there is a need to evaluate the feasibility of precision nutrition for people experiencing cognitive impairment. Addressing these gaps will determine if people with dementia can benefit from precision nutrition and, subsequently, improve their quality of life and health outcomes.

During the 2010 influenza season, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) reviewed adverse event (AE) signals of febrile convulsions in children following the administration of the seasonal Fluvax® trivalent vaccine. These AEs were attributed to nuclear factor kappa-beta (NF-κB) activation. In response, the TGA developed a method to detect NF-κB activation by vaccine samples. Complementary Toll-Like Receptor (TLR)-expressing reporter cell lines THP1-Blue and Ramos-Blue enabled detection of TLR1-9 activation using the QUANTI-Blue™ system following incubation with a panel of TLR agonists, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), or vaccine sample. Using TNF-α as a positive control and specific Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, specificity was confirmed for each cell line based on extracellular (THP1-Blue) or endosomal (Ramos-Blue) TLR expression. Agonists for each cell line demonstrated linearity within the working range, met precision criteria for repeatability and precision. The assay tested viral protein, messenger RNA (mRNA), and bacterial protein vaccines, met accuracy parameter of 80-120 % recovery of spiked controls. We established and validated a robust, sensitive and reliable analytical approach for detecting possible NF-κB activation by bioactive components in vaccines. This assay enables manufacturers and regulators to meet the growing demand for reliable impurity screening assays that support the characterization of vaccines activating the NF-κB pathway. Future studies must further characterise NF-κB activation by individual TLRs across a broader range of vaccines.