Prospects and challenges for the application of salty and saltiness-enhancing peptides in low-sodium meat products.

A long-term high-sodium diet has been reported to increase the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and other diseases, including osteoporosis, gastric cancer, stomach cancer, and kidney stones. Meat products contain high NaCl content and contribute to approximately 20% of the total sodium intake, so reducing its sodium content has always been the critical focus of industries and researchers. Salty and saltiness-enhancing peptides (SSEP) are a potential salt substitute that exhibits a salt taste or saltiness-enhancing activity. The partial replacement of NaCl by SSEP in low-sodium meat products has been a technological challenge. This review discussed the salt taste transduction mechanism of SSEP. The current studies about preparing SSEP based on different protein sources were summarized. Further, the effects of SSEP combined with other chloride salts, such as KCl and CaCl2, on the sensory properties of meat products were summarized. Finally, the challenges associated with applying the peptide to low-sodium meat products were discussed, focusing on the efficient preparation method and the effect of meat product processing methods and matrices on the efficacy of SSEP.

Stimulating Tourist Inspiration by Tourist Experience: The Moderating Role of Destination Familiarity.

The tourist experience is a core indicator of destination management for the comprehensive evaluation of destination value. Tourist experience and tourist inspiration are important concepts in the stream of research on destination marketing and management. However, these relationships remained under-explored in the extant literature. This study examined the impact of tourist experience on tourist inspiration under the moderating impact of destination familiarity. To achieve the objective of this study, data were collected online from 622 Chinese tourists. We employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to statistically analyze the gathered data. Findings show that four types of tourist experiences, namely education, esthetics, entertainment, and escapism, significantly and positively influenced the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration, which further influenced the inspired-to-state of tourist inspiration. Destination familiarity exerted a significantly negative moderating impact on the relationship between education experience and inspired-by state of tourist inspiration. Sensitivity analysis presents that education experience was the strongest predictor of the inspired-by state followed by aesthetics, escapism, and entertainment facets of the tourist experience. Findings contribute to the theory and practice of tourism management with a robust interpretation of tourist experience, tourist inspiration, and destination familiarity to solidify the effective management of tourist destinations. Limitations and future research directions are noted.

Formation and Prediction of PhIP, Harman, and Norharman in Chemical Model Systems Containing Epicatechin under Various Reaction Conditions.

The aim of this study was to investigate the formation rules of 1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]-pyridine (PhIP), 1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]-indole (Harman), and 9H-pyrido[3,4-b]-indole (Norharman) in chemical model systems containing epicatechin under various reaction conditions and establish their prediction models. The results indicated that at 100-200 °C and pH 5.5-7.5 for 10-90 min, epicatechin inhibited the formation of PhIP, Harman, and Norharman by 32-100, 1-93, and 5-98%, respectively. The exponential growth equation in the growth model with R2 of 0.986-0.997, the second-order equation in the polynomial model with R2 of 0.900-0.949, and the trigonometric function equation in the Fourier model with R2 of 0.513-0.926 were well fitted for the formation of PhIP, Harman, and Norharman at various temperatures, times, and pHs, respectively. The calibration set (R2c) and the prediction set (R2p) of the optimal partial least squares regression prediction model was 0.74 and 0.70 for PhIP, 0.75 and 0.70 for Harman, and 0.90 and 0.91 for Norharman, respectively. The results provide theoretical support to develop technologies or equipment for the real-time synchronous monitoring of PhIP, Harman, and Norharman during meat processing.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Flavor in Charcoal and Electric-Roasted Tamarix Lamb by HS-SPME/GC-MS Combined with Electronic Tongue and Electronic Nose.

To prevent the pollution generated during charcoal roasting of tamarix lamb, environmental-friendly electric is gradually applied in meat processing. The profile and formation of flavor in roasted tamarix lamb were evaluated using HS-SPME/GC-MS combined with E-nose/-tongue. Results indicated that charcoal-roasted tamarix lamb exhibited the higher taste of umami and sourness in E-tongue and had higher contents of alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, alkanes, and aromatics in E-nose, while the electric ones exhibited the higher taste of sweetness and bitterness and had higher contents of nitrogen oxides, terpenes, aromatics, and organic sulfur. Compared with charcoal, application of the electric significantly decreased the numbers of key volatile compounds with VIP > 1 (markers) and the contents of most markers.

Mechanism underlying long non­coding RNA ILF3­AS1­mediated inhibition of cervical cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration, and promotion of apoptosis.

Long non­coding RNA ILF3 divergent transcript (ILF3­AS1) displays a tumor­suppressing effect. StarBase predicted that the potential target microRNA (miR) of ILF3­AS1 was miR­454­3p; therefore, the present study investigated the effect of ILF3­AS1 and its target miR­454­3p on cervical cancer (CC). Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis was used to predict the expression of ILF3­AS1 in CC and the overall survival rate of patients. The present study demonstrated that ILF3­AS1 expression was significantly downregulated in human CC tissues and cells compared with adjacent tissues (ANTs) and normal cervical epithelial cells (NCEs), respectively. Patients with CC with high ILF3­AS1 expression displayed higher survival rates compared with patients with low ILF3­AS1 expression. Cell viability, apoptosis, migration and invasion were detected by performing Cell Counting Kit­8, flow cytometry, wound healing and Transwell assays, respectively. Compared with the negative control (NC) group, ILF3­AS1 overexpression significantly inhibited CC cell viability and migration, but significantly increased CC cell apoptosis. Moreover, ILF3­AS1 overexpression significantly upregulated E­Cadherin expression levels, but significantly downregulated N­Cadherin and snail family transcriptional repressor 1 expression levels compared with the NC group. miR­454­3p expression was negatively correlated with ILF3­AS1, and highly expressed in CC tissues and cells compared with ANTs and NCEs, respectively. PTEN, which was predicted and verified as the target gene for miR­454­3p, was significantly downregulated in CC tissues and cells compared with ANTs and NCEs, respectively. ILF3­AS1 expression was positively correlated with PTEN expression, and ILF3­AS1 overexpression partially reversed the inhibitory effect of miR­454­3p on PTEN expression. In conclusion, the present study indicated that ILF3­AS1 inhibited CC cell proliferation and migration, and promoted CC cell apoptosis by inhibiting epithelial­mesenchymal transition, and ILF3­AS1 overexpression partially reversed the inhibitory effect of miR­454­3p on PTEN expression.

Potential Alternative to Nitrite in Roasted Lamb for Sensory Attributes: Atmospheric Nonthermal Plasma Treatment.

Reducing or replacing sodium nitrite without compromising the sensory attributes of meat products has always been a focus of the meat industry. In this study, five treatments, CT (without nitrite and plasma treatment), NT (with nitrite treatment), PT15, PT30, and PT45 (without nitrite and with plasma treatment for 15, 30, and 45 min, respectively), were designed to investigate the effect of atmospheric nonthermal plasma treatment replacing nitrite on the sensory attributes of roasted lamb. Results showed that PT45 decreased the residual nitrite of roasted lamb by 30% compared with NT, and nitrite was not detected in the PT15 and PT30 samples. The inhibition effect of plasma treatment on the lipid oxidation reached values from 86.69% to 89.89% compared with NT. Compared with CT, the redness of plasma-treated samples was increased by 9.30% to 31.40%, and the redness of NT samples was increased by 30.87%. In addition, the volatile compounds (OAVs > 1) of the PT30 sample were higher than those of the NT sample. The overall sensory score of the PT30 sample was higher than that of the CT sample and was similar to that of the NT samples. In conclusion, the sensory attributes of roasted lamb were enhanced by plasma treatment, and the 30 min plasma treatment is recommended.

In vitro and ex vivo anti­tumor effect and mechanism of Tucatinib in leukemia stem cells and ABCG2­overexpressing leukemia cells.

Leukemia stem cells (LSCs), which evade standard chemotherapy, may lead to chemoresistance and disease relapse. The overexpression of ATP­binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) is an important determinant of drug resistance in LSCs and it can serve as a marker for LSCs. Targeting ABCG2 is a potential strategy to selectively treat and eradicate LSCs, and, hence, improve leukemia therapy. Tucatinib (Irbinitinib) is a novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor, targeting ErbB family member HER2, and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in April 2020, and in Switzerland in May 2020 for the treatment of HER2­positive breast cancer. In the present study, the results demonstrated that tucatinib significantly improved the efficacy of conventional chemotherapeutic agents in ABCG2­overexpressing leukemia cells and primary leukemia blast cells, derived from patients with leukemia. In addition, tucatinib markedly decreased the proportion of leukemia stem cell­like side population (SP) cells. In SP cells, isolated from leukemia cells, the intracellular accumulation of Hoechst 33342, which is an ABCG2 substrate, was significantly elevated by tucatinib. Furthermore, tucatinib notably inhibited the efflux of [3H]­mitoxantrone and, hence, there was a higher level of [3H]­mitoxantrone in the HL60/ABCG2 cell line. The result from the ATPase assay revealed that tucatinib may interact with the drug substrate­binding site and stimulated ATPase activity of ABCG2. However, the protein expression level and cellular location of ABCG2 were not affected by tucatinib treatment. Taken together, these data suggested that tucatinib could sensitize conventional chemotherapeutic agents, in ABCG2­overexpressing leukemia cells and LSCs, by blocking the pump function of the ABCG2 protein. The present study revealed that combined treatment with tucatinib and conventional cytotoxic agents could be a potential therapeutic strategy in ABCG2­positive leukemia.

KD025, an anti-adipocyte differentiation drug, enhances the efficacy of conventional chemotherapeutic drugs in ABCG2-overexpressing leukemia cells.

Most patients with advanced leukemia eventually die from multidrug resistance (MDR). Chemotherapy-resistant leukemia cells may lead to treatment failure and disease relapse. Overexpression of ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) leads to MDR, which serves as a potential biomarker and target of therapeutic intervention for leukemia cells. Targeting ABCG2 is a potential strategy for selective therapy and eradicate MDR cells, thus improving malignant leukemia treatment. KD025 (SLx-2119) is a novel Rho-associated protein kinase 2-selective inhibitor, which has been shown to inhibit adipogenesis in human adipose-derived stem cells and restore impaired immune homeostasis in autoimmunity therapy. The present study demonstrated that KD025 improved the efficacy of antineoplastic drugs in ABCG2-overexpressing leukemia cells and primary leukemia blast cells derived from patients with leukemia. Moreover, KD025 significantly inhibited the efflux of [3H]-mitoxantrone and hence accumulated higher levels of [3H]-mitoxantrone in HL60/ABCG2 cells. However, mechanistic research indicated that KD025 did not alter the protein levels and subcellular locations of ABCG2. KD025 may restrain the efflux activity of ABCG2 by obstructing ATPase activity. Taken together, KD025 can sensitize conventional antineoplastic drugs in ABCG2-overexpressing leukemia cells by blocking the pump function of ABCG2 protein. The present findings may provide a novel and useful combinational therapeutic strategy of KD025 and antineoplastic drugs for leukemia patients with ABCG2-mediated MDR.

Combined use of transversus abdominis plane block and laryngeal mask airway during implementing ERAS programs for patients with primary liver cancer: a randomized controlled trial.

The incidence and mortality of primary liver cancer are very high and resection of tumor is the most crucial treatment for it. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of combined use of transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block and laryngeal mask airway (LMA) during implementing Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs for patients with primary liver cancer. This was a prospective, evaluator-blinded, randomized, controlled parallel-arm trial. A total of 96 patients were enrolled (48 in each group). Patients in the control group received general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation, while patients in the TAP + LMA group received general anesthesia with LMA and an ultrasound-guided subcostal TAP block. The primary end-point was postoperative time of readiness for discharge. The secondary end-points were postoperative pain intensity, time to first flatus, quality of recovery (QoR), complications and overall medical cost. Postoperative time of readiness for discharge in the TAP + LMA group [7 (5-11) days] was shorter than that of the control group [8 (5-13) days, P = 0.004]. The postoperative apioid requirement and time to first flatus was lower in the TAP + LMA group [(102.8 ± 12.4) µg, (32.7 ± 5.8) h, respectively] than the control group [(135.7 ± 20.1) µg, P = 0.000; (47.2 ± 7.6) h, P = 0.000; respectively]. The QoR scores were significantly higher in the TAP + LMA group than the control group. The total cost for treatment in the TAP + LMA group [(66,608.4 ± 6,268.4) CNY] was lower than that of the control group [(84,434.0 ± 9,436.2) CNY, P = 0.000]. There was no difference in complications between these two groups. The combined usage of a TAP block and LMA is a simple, safe anesthesia method during implementing ERAS programs for patients with primary liver cancer. It can alleviate surgical stress, accelerate recovery and reduce medical cost.

Ropivacaine via nuclear factor kappa B signalling modulates CD62E expression and diminishes tumour cell arrest.

BACKGROUND: The issue whether anaesthesia has an impact on the prognosis of carcinoma has been widely discussed and remains debated. Ropivacaine has been widely used in perioperative period as a long acting local anesthetic. An early event during recurrence or metastasis of carcinoma is the adhesion of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) to endothelial cells (ECs) through binding adhesion molecules that are up-regulated on inflamed endothelium during the perioperative period or other periods. This study was to explore the impact of ropivacaine on the adhesion of tumour cells, providing evidences of its influence on the prognosis of carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were pre-treated with ropivacaine (10-7-10-5 M; 30 min) prior to treatment with tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) (10 ng ml-1; 1, 4 and 8 h). Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), endothelial-selectin (CD62E) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) mRNA levels were detected via quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). To clarify the underlying action mechanism, p65, p-p65, IκBα, p-IκBα, IKKα/ß and p-IKKα/ß protein levels were evaluated via western blotting. Cell viability and tumour cell adhesion assays were also assessed. RESULTS: The clinically usage concentration of ropivacaine (10-6 M) produced a significant decrease in CD62E expression compared with that produced by TNFα only (p < 0.001). Moreover, adhesion assays showed that ropivacaine effectively inhibited the adhesion of hepatoma cells (p < 0.01), human colon cancer cells (p < 0.01) and human leukemic monocyte (p < 0.01). Western blot results showed that pre-treatment with ropivacaine inhibited the phosphorylation of p65 (p < 0.05), IκBα (p < 0.001) and IKKα/ß (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Ropivacaine decreased the adhesion of tumour cells. Ropivacaine modulated CD62E expression by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB. These results might provide new insight into the issue whether anaesthesia has an impact on the prognosis of carcinoma.

Hierarchical hydroxyapatite/polyelectrolyte microcapsules capped with AuNRs for remotely triggered drug delivery.

In the present paper, a smart drug delivery platform combining the hollow hierarchical hydroxyapatite (HAP), chitosan/hyaluronic acid polyelectrolyte multilayers and Au nanorods (AuNRs) had been prepared via a layer-by-layer (LbL) technique. AuNRs capped on the surface of HAP/polyelectrolyte hybrid microcapsules acted as the "gate-keeper" to obstruct the leakage of loaded drug and endow the hybrid microcapsules with excellent near-infrared (NIR)-triggered drug release property. In vitro drug release results indicated that the hybrid microcapsules exhibited distinguished pH- and NIR-responsive drug release properties. More interestingly, relatively high DOX release could be observed at pH 4.5 upon NIR laser irradiation owing to the hybrid matrix disintegration in acidic media and the noteworthy photothermal transition effect of AuNRs. The cell viability results demonstrated that the hybrid microcapsules possessed excellent biocompatibility. The present paper provides a facile and green route to fabricate hierarchical multi-responsive drug carriers with high drug loading capacity and outstanding biocompatibility, which are highly attractive for remotely controllable drug delivery.

[Effect of single low level laser therapy on initial pain during fixed orthodontic treatment].

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of single low level laser therapy on initial pain during fixed orthodontic treatment. METHODS: Sixty patients who underwent fixed orthodontic treatment in our hospital from January 2015 to December 2017 were enrolled.Patients were divided into 2 groups by random number table method, 30 in each group. Patients in the experimental group were treated with a single low level laser therapy ,while patients in the control group were treated with a placebo.The results of the 2 groups were compared in regard to spontaneous pain and chewing pain during the day and night using SPSS 22.0 software package. RESULTS: Spontaneous pain during day and night with 0.012, 0.014 inch superelastic nickel-titanium (NiTi) line was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group(P<0.05), and there was no significant difference with 0.016 and 0.018 inch NiTi (P>0.05).Chewing pain with 0.012, 0.014, 0.016, and 0.018 inch NiTi lines in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Single low level laser therapy significantly reduced postoperative pain while placing a superelastic NiTi wire for initial alignment and correction.