Characterization of flavor substances in cooking and seasoned cooking brown seaweeds by GC-IMS and E-nose.

The flavor of algae was one of the key factors for consumer acceptance. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristic volatile compounds in cooking and seasoned cooking edible brown seaweeds (Undaria pinnatifida and Laminaria japonica). The gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) and electronic nose (E-nose) analysis showed that baking resulted in significant difference in flavor of brown seaweeds. However, the overall effect of cooking was not as significant as that of the seasoning solution treatment. Additionally, brown seaweeds treated with the seasoning solution were more acceptable. Undaria pinnatifida was found to contain 72 volatile flavor compounds, while Laminaria japonica had a total of 70. This study proved the applicability of GC-IMS combined with E-nose technology to detect the changes of volatile components of brown seaweeds after processing, providing beneficial knowledge and basic theory for the deep processing of brown seaweeds.

The time-dependent expression of FPR2 and ANXA1 in murine deep vein thrombosis model and its relation to thrombus age.

Thrombus age determination in fatal venous thromboembolism cases is an important task for forensic pathologists. In this study, we investigated the time-dependent expressions of formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2) and Annexin A1 (ANXA1) in a stasis-induced deep vein thrombosis (DVT) murine model, with the aim of obtaining useful information for thrombus age timing. A total of 75 ICR mice were randomly classified into thrombosis group and control group. In thrombosis group, a DVT model was established by ligating the inferior vena cava (IVC) of mice, and thrombosed IVCs were harvested at 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, and 21 days after modeling. In control group, IVCs without thrombosis were taken as control samples. The expressions of FPR2 and ANXA1 during thrombosis were detected using immunohistochemistry and double immunofluorescence staining. Their protein and mRNA levels in the samples were determined by Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR. The results reveal that FPR2 was predominantly expressed by intrathrombotic neutrophils and macrophages. ANXA1 expression in the thrombi was mainly distributed in neutrophils, endothelial cells of neovessels, and fibroblastic cells. After thrombosis, the expressions of FPR2 and ANXA1 were time-dependently up-regulated. The percentage of FPR2-positive cells and the level of FPR2 protein significantly elevated at 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after IVC ligation as compared to those at 10, 14 and 21 days after ligation (p < 0.05). Moreover, the mRNA level of FPR2 were significantly higher at 5 days than that at the other post-ligation intervals (p < 0.05). Besides, the levels of ANXA1 mRNA and protein peaked at 10 and 14 days after ligation, respectively. A significant increase in the mRNA level of ANXA1 was found at 10 and 14 days as compared with that at the other post-ligation intervals (p < 0.01). Our findings suggest that FPR2 and ANXA1 are promising as useful markers for age estimation of venous thrombi.

Evaluation of the EMulate Therapeutics Voyager's ultra-low radiofrequency energy in murine model of glioblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma (GBM) presents as an aggressive brain cancer, notorious for its recurrence and resistance to conventional treatments. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the EMulate Therapeutics Voyager®, a non-invasive, non-thermal, non-ionizing, battery-operated, portable experimental medical device, in treating GBM. Using ultra-low radiofrequency energy (ulRFE) to modulate intracellular activity, previous preliminary results in patients have been encouraging. Now, with a focus on murine models, our investigation seeks to elucidate the device's mechanistic impacts, further optimizing its therapeutic potential and understanding its limitations. METHODS: The device employs a silicone over molded coil to deliver oscillating magnetic fields, which are believed to interact with and disrupt cellular targets. These fields are derived from the magnetic fluctuations of solvated molecules. Xenograft and syngeneic murine models were chosen for the study. Mice were injected with U-87 MG or GL261 glioma cells in their flanks and were subsequently treated with one of two ulRFE cognates: A1A, inspired by paclitaxel, or A2, based on murine siRNA targeting CTLA4 + PD1. A separate group of untreated mice was maintained as controls. RESULTS: Mice that underwent treatments with either A1A or A2 exhibited significantly reduced tumor sizes when compared to the untreated cohort. CONCLUSION: The EMulate Therapeutics Voyager® demonstrates promising potential in inhibiting glioma cells in vivo through its unique ulRFE technology and should be further studied in terms of biological effects in vitro and in vivo.

The development of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells against CD70 for renal cell carcinoma treatment.

In this study, we investigated CD70 as a promising target for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) therapy and developed a potent chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells for potential clinical testing. CD70, found to be highly expressed in RCC tumors, was associated with decreased survival. We generated CAR-T cells expressing VHH sequence of various novel nanobodies from immunized alpaca and a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) derived from human antibody (41D12). In our in vitro experiments, anti-CD70 CAR-T cells effectively eliminated CD70-positive tumor cells while sparing CD70-negative cells. The nanobody-based CAR-T cells demonstrated significantly higher production of cytokines such as IL-2, IFN-γ and TNF-ɑ during co-culture, indicating their potential for enhanced functionality. In xenograft mouse model, these CAR-T cells exhibited remarkable anti-tumor activity, leading to the eradication of RCC tumor cells. Importantly, human T cell expansion after infusion was significantly higher in the VHH groups compared to the scFv CAR-T group. Upon re-challenging mice with RCC tumor cells, the VHH CAR-T treated group remained tumor-free, suggesting a robust and long-lasting anti-tumor response. These findings provide strong support for the potential of nanobody-based CD70 CAR-T cells as a promising therapeutic option for RCC. This warrants further development and consideration for future clinical trials and applications.

Effects of different curing concentrations and drying times on the microbial community structure and metabolites of dried Spanish mackerel.

Cured Spanish mackerel has a promising market owing to its nutritious nature as well as ease of transportation and preservation. However, the nutritional and flavor formation mechanism of Spanish mackerel after curing and drying is unclear. To overcome this problem, the effects of different processing conditions on the free amino acid, microbial community, and flavor of Spanish mackerel were explored. Staphylococcus and Cobetia are the main microorganisms in cured mackerel and are closely associated with the formation of their quality. Compared with fresh mackerel, cured mackerel contains increased levels of protein, fat, and chloride, contributing to its distinctive flavor. The contents of free amino acids in the BA64 group were substantially higher than those in other groups, particularly the contents of threonine, glycine, and tyrosine. These findings will contribute to the development of high-quality cured Spanish mackerel products and cured aquatic products.

A near-infrared fluorescent probe based FRET for ratiometric sensing of H2O2 and viscosity in live cells.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and viscosity play vital roles in the cellular environment as signaling molecule and microenvironment parameter, respectively, and are associated with many physiological and pathological processes in biological systems. We developed a near-infrared fluorescent probe, CQ, which performed colorimetric and ratiometric detection of H2O2 and viscosity based on the FRET mechanism, and was capable of monitoring changes in viscosity and H2O2 levels simultaneously through two different channels. Based on the specific reaction of H2O2 with borate ester, CQ exhibited a significant ratiometric response to H2O2 with a large Stokes shift of 221 nm, a detection limit of 0.87 µM, a near-infrared emission wavelength of 671 nm, a response time of 1 h, a wide detection ranges of 0.87-800 µM and a high energy transfer efficiency of 99.9 %. CQ could also recognize viscosity by the TICT mechanism, and efficiently detect viscosity changes caused by food thickeners. More importantly, CQ could successfully detect endogenous/exogenous H2O2 and viscosity in live HeLa cells, which was expected to be a practical tool for detecting H2O2 and viscosity in live cells.

Bibliometric and visualized analysis of DME from 2012 to 2022.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic macular edema (DME) is the main cause of irreversible vision loss in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), resulting in a certain burden to patients and society. With the increasing incidence of DME, more and more researchers are focusing on it. METHODS: The papers related to DME between 2012 and 2022 from the Web of Science core Collection were searched in this study. Based on CiteSpace and VOS viewer, these publications were analyzed in terms of spatiotemporal distribution, author distribution, subject classification, topic distribution, and citations. RESULTS: A total of 5165 publications on DME were included. The results showed that the research on DME is on a steady growth trend. The country with the highest number of published documents was the US. Wong Tien Yin from Tsinghua University was the author with the most published articles. The journal of Retina, the Journal of Retinal and Vitreous Diseases had a large number of publications. The article "Mechanisms of macular edema: Beyond the surface" was the highly cited literature and "Aflibercept, bevacizumab, or ranibizumab for diabetic macular edema" had the highest co-citation frequency. The treatment, diagnosis, pathogenesis, as well as etiology and epidemiological investigation of DME, have been the current research direction. Deep learning has been widely used in the medical field for its strong feature representation ability. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed the important authoritative literature, journals, institutions, scholars, countries, research hotspots, and development trends in in the field of DME. This indicates that communication and cooperation between disciplines, universities, and countries are crucial. It can advance research in DME and even ophthalmology.

Sensory properties of rehydrated Toona sinensis shoots after dehydrated by different drying methods and association with gamma-glutamyl transferase reaction.

Sulfur-containing compounds are responsible for the aroma of Toona sinensis shoot (TS). In this study, vacuum-freeze-drying (VFD), microwave-drying (MD), and hot-air-drying at 100 and 40 °C (HAD100 and HAD40, respectively), were applied to dehydrate perishable TS for preservation. VFD-TS retained most aroma of fresh/raw TS after rehydration. The content of sulfur-containing compounds reached to 118.00 µg/g with leading by methyl thiirane, (E,E)/(E,Z)/(Z,Z)-bis-(1-propenyl) disulfides, and (Z)/(E)-2-mercapto-3,4-dimethyl-2,3-dihydrothiophenes accounting for 86.33 %. They were undetected in the rehydrated MD-TS and HAD100-TS, as the indigenous enzymes in TS were deactivated under their dehydration conditions. Interestingly, the sulfur-containing compounds was restored by 77.47 % after the TS was treated by gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT). Thus, the release of sulfur-containing compounds from TS could depend on GGT reaction. It was different from alliaceous vegetables relying on alliinase reaction. The results revealed the aroma formation in TS and provided an approach to enhance the aroma of TS dried by different methods.

Cross-Linked Polyacrylic-Based Hydrogel Polymer Electrolytes for Flexible Supercapacitors.

Hydrogel polymer electrolytes (GPEs), as an important component of flexible energy storage devices, have gradually received wide attention compared with traditional liquid electrolytes due to their advantages of good mechanical, bending, and safety properties. In this paper, two cross-linked GPEs of poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) or poly(acrylic acid-co-N-methylolacrylamide) with NaNO3 aqueous solution (P(AA-co-AM)/NaNO3 or P(AA-co-HAM)/NaNO3) were successfully prepared using radical polymerization, respectively, using acrylic acid (AA) as the monomer, N-methylolacrylamide (HAM) or acrylamide (AM) as the comonomer, and N, N-methylenebisacrylamide (MBAA) as the cross-linking agent. We investigated the morphology, glass transition temperature (Tg), ionic conductivities, mechanical properties, and thermal stabilities of the two GPEs. By comparison, P(AA-co-HAM)/NaNO3 GPE exhibits a higher ionic conductivity of 2.00 × 10-2 S/cm, lower Tg of 152 °C, and appropriate mechanical properties, which are attributed to the hydrogen bonding between the -COOH and -OH, and moderate cross-linking. The flexible symmetrical supercapacitors were assembled with the two GPEs and two identical activated carbon electrodes, respectively. The results show that the flexible supercapacitor with P(AA-co-HAM)/NaNO3 GPE shows good electrochemical performance with a specific capacitance of 63.9 F g-1 at a current density of 0.2 A g-1 and a capacitance retention of 89.4% after 3000 charge-discharge cycles. Our results provide a simple and practical design strategy of GPEs for flexible supercapacitors with wide application prospects.

Self-Reinforced PTLG Copolymer with Shish Kebab Structures and a Bionic Surface as Bioimplant Materials for Tissue Engineering Applications.

Green and biodegradable materials with great mechanical properties and biocompatibility will offer new opportunities for next-generation high-performance biological materials. Herein, the novel oriented shish kebab crystals of a novel poly(trimethylene carbonate-lactide-glycolide) (PTLG) vascular stent are first reported to be successfully fabricated through a feasible solid-state drawing process to simultaneously enhance the mechanical performance and biocompatibility. The crystal structure of this self-reinforced vascular stent was transformed from spherulites to a shish kebab crystal, which indicates the mechanical interlocking effect and prevents the lamellae from slipping with a significant improvement of mechanical strength to 333 MPa. Meanwhile, it is different from typical biomedical polymers with smooth surface structures, and the as-obtained PTLG vascular stent exhibits a bionic surface morphology with a parallel micro groove and ridge structure. These ridges and grooves were attributed to the reorganization of cytoskeleton fiber bundles following the direction of blood flow shear stress. The structure and parameters of these morphologies were highly similar to the inner surface of blood vessels of the human, which facilitates cell adhesion growth to improve its proliferation, differentiation, and activity on the surface of PTLG.

The impact of A-site cations on the crystal structure and magnetism of the new double perovskites ALaCoTeO6 (A = Na and K).

In this work, we report the structural and magnetic characterization of two new B-site rock-salt ordered double perovskites ALaCoTeO6 (A = K+ and Na+) with mixed A-site cations. KLaCoTeO6 crystallizes in the space group P4/nmm with a long-range ordering degree of 84.8% for the A-site K+/La3+ cations, whereas NaLaCoTeO6 adopts an unexpected triclinically distorted I1̄-structure with Na/La3+ disordering, validated by combined Rietveld refinements against high-resolution neutron diffraction data and Cu Kα1 X-ray powder diffraction data. Magnetic susceptibility at low temperatures shows clear antiferromagnetic (AFM) transitions for both compounds. KLaCoTeO6 exhibits the highest AFM transition temperature of 20 K amongst all the Co/Te-ordered 3C-type A2CoTeO6 (A = Pb2+, Sr2+, and Ca2+) and ALaCoTeO6 double perovskites due to its larger Co2+-O-Te6+ bond angle and A-site cationic ordering-induced larger distortion of the Co2+-based face-centered cubic sublattice. Moreover, we found that the average radius of the A-site cations plays a decisive role in the AFM transition temperatures of all these ordered double perovskites, that is, a larger A-site cation always results in a higher AFM transition temperature. This provides a strategy to subtly manipulate the magnetic properties of ordered double perovskites.

A ratiometric fluorescent probe based on the FRET platform for the detection of sulfur dioxide derivatives and viscosity.

BACKGROUND: Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a common gaseous pollutant that significantly threatens environmental pollution and human health. Meanwhile, viscosity is an essential parameter of the intracellular microenvironment, manipulating many physiological roles such as nutrient transport, metabolism, signaling regulation and apoptosis. Currently, most of the fluorescent probes used for detecting SO2 derivatives and viscosity are single-emission probes or probes based on the ICT mechanism, which suffer from short emission wavelengths, small Stokes shifts or susceptibility to environmental background. Therefore, the development of powerful high-performance probes for real-time monitoring of sulfur dioxide derivatives and viscosity is of great significance for human health. RESULTS: In this research, we designed the fluorescent probe QQC to detect SO2 derivatives and viscosity based on FRET platform with quinolinium salt as donor and quinolinium-carbazole as acceptor. QQC exhibited a ratiometric fluorescence response to SO2 with a low detection limit (0.09 µM), large Stokes shift (186 nm) and high energy transfer efficiency (95 %), indicating that probe QQC had good sensitivity and specificity. In addition, QQC was sensitive to viscosity, with an 9.10-folds enhancement of orange fluorescence and an excellent linear relationship (R2 = 0.98) between the logarithm of fluorescence intensity at 592 nm and viscosity. Importantly, QQC could not only recognize SO2 derivatives in real water samples and food, but also detect viscosity changes caused by food thickeners and thereby had broad market application prospects. SIGNIFICANCE: We have developed a ratiometric fluorescent probe based on the FRET platform for detecting sulfur dioxide derivatives and viscosity. QQC could not only successfully detect SO2 derivatives in food and water samples, but also be made into test strips for detecting HSO3-/SO32- solution. In addition, the probe was also used to detect viscosity changes caused by food thickeners. Therefore, this novel probe had significant value in food and environmental detection applications.

Distinct changes of taste quality and metabolite profile in different tomato varieties revealed by LC-MS metabolomics.

Breeding of tomato varieties based on phenotypic traits can potentially lead to a decline in taste and nutritional values, thereby impacting consumer acceptance. However, taste is an intrinsic characteristic of tomatoes. Its decoding requires the identification of crucial compounds and the associated metabolic pathways implicated in taste development and formation. In this study, the taste parameter differences of four tomato varieties were distinguished using an electronic tongue. The content of organic acids and free amino acids, which were closely associated with taste variations, was quantitatively analyzed. Several important taste metabolites and metabolic pathways were identified based on LC-MS metabolomics and enrichment analysis. Through correlation analysis, it was determined that there existed significant associations between the taste, compounds, and metabolites of tomato varieties with different phenotypes. This study could provide references and theoretical basis for tomato breeding, as well as the control and evaluation of taste and quality of tomato varieties.

Distributed Sensitivity and Critical Interference Power Analysis of Multi-Degree-of-Freedom Navigation Interference for Global Navigation Satellite System Array Antennas.

Current research on the interference of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) array antennas focuses on the single interference effect and the improvement of interference hardware capability, while the multi-degree-of-freedom (DOF) interference model and mechanism remain to be fully studied. Aiming at this problem, this paper analyzes the preconditions for the definition of anti-jamming degrees of freedom and the characteristics of super-DOF interference through formula derivation and simulation. First, by analyzing the influence of the number of interfering signals on the angular resolution, the prerequisite of the definition of anti-interference degrees of freedom in the airspace is proposed. Second, the definition of anti-interference degrees of freedom is used to calculate the change rule of the critical power of the interference under different numbers of interfering signals. Finally, the influence of super-DOF interference on the array antenna is analyzed. The results show that the prerequisite for the anti-interference freedom of the array antenna is that the distribution interval of the interfering signal is greater than 15°, taking a four-array element uniform circular array antenna as an example. The critical interference power of the array antenna decreases by about 15 dB when the number of interfering signals exceeds the degrees of freedom of the array antenna's interference immunity, provided that the interference resolution is satisfied. The conclusions of this paper give the critical power change rule of multi-DOF interference and the effect of super-DOF interference, as well as the prerequisites for the setting of interference signals, which can be used, for example, in the deployment of distributed interference sources and the development of anti-jamming algorithms.

Effects of curing concentration and drying time on flavor and microorganisms in dry salted Spanish mackerel.

This study investigated the quality changes of dry salted mackerel during curing and drying process and the relationship between flavor substances and microorganisms. The results showed that the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values increased gradually with the increase of salt concentration and treatment time. The total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) values and total viable counts (TVC) values showed the same trend. Under 3% condition, the TVB-N values exceeded the standard and was not suitable for consumption. A total of 61 volatile flavor substances were identified by Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS), among which aldehydes contributed the most. Staphylococcus and Cobetia were the most abundant by High-throughput sequencing (HTS). There was significant correlation between TOP15 microorganisms and TOP20 flavor substances. Staphylococcus and Cobetia were positively correlated with 13 volatile flavor substances, which contributed to the formation of flavor in naturally fermented Spanish mackerel.

Modified Danzhi Xiaoyao Powder (MDXP) improves the corneal damage in dry eye disease (DED) mice through phagocytosis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Modified Danzhi Xiaoyao Powder (MDXP) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula remedy for treating Dry Eye Disease (DED). It showed the function of dispersing stagnated liver Qi for relieving Qi stagnation and clearing heat, which can be effective in treating conditions such as Dry Eye Disease (DED) and irregular menstruation due to liver depression and fire transformation. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study investigated the mechanism of the effect of MDXP in mice with DED. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A DED model was induced in mice using chronic painful stimulation (tail clamping) in combination with Benzalkonium Chloride Solution drops administered in a dry box for 28 days. After modeling, the MDXP groups were given Chinese medicine with different dosages by gavage for 14 days. The following parameters were recorded in each group: body mass, anal temperature, tear secretion, tear film rupture time, and corneal fluorescein staining. Behavioral changes were evaluated by elevating cross-maze and open-field experiments. The levels of inflammatory factors serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß), fcγR-mediated phagocytosis pathway cell division control protein 42 homolog (CDC42), actin-related protein 2/3 complex subunit 2 (ARPC2), and actin-related protein 3 (ACTR3) were measured by using Enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), immunohistochemical staining, and real-time fluorescent qualitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). RESULTS: MDXP increased body mass and lowered body temperature, prolonged tear film break-up time, promoted tear secretion, repaired corneal damage, decreased horizontal and vertical scores, elevated percentage of open arm times and boom opening time percentage, and reduced the expression levels of inflammatory factors of TNF-α, IL-1ß and pathway-related proteins CDC42, ARPC2, and ACTR3 in mice. MDXP also reduced the expression levels of inflammatory factors of TNF-α and IL-1ß in human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs), mouse mononuclear macrophage cells (RAW264.7), and human myeloid leukemia mononuclear cells (THP-1). CONCLUSIONS: MDXP can relieve tension and anxiety, inhibit apoptosis, reduce phagocytosis, reduce the expression of pro-inflammatory factors, repair corneal damage, and improve the symptoms in DED mice. The mechanism of action may be through the fcγR-mediated phagocytosis pathway.

Characterization of volatile flavor compounds from fish maw soaked in five different seasonings.

In this study, sensory evaluation, electronic nose, and HS-GC-IMS were used to investigate the effects of different seasonings (deionized water, onion, ginger, Sichuan pepper, and mixed seasonings) on the flavor of fish maw. The results showed that the volatile compounds of fish maw soaked in different seasonings were mainly organic sulfides and aromatic compounds. A total of 95 volatile compounds were identified, including 25 aldehydes, 23 olefins, 19 alcohols, 11 esters, 9 ketones, 3 acids, 2 sulfides, 1 furan, 1 ether and 1 ketoxime. Sichuan pepper group and mixed seasoning group had the most significant changes in volatile components, and had the most effective improvement on the flavor of fish maw compared with other groups. These findings will provide reference for producing high quality fish maw and improving its flavor quality. These findings will provide feasible theoretical support for the pretreatment and exploration of fish maw products in the future.

Uncovering the differences in flavor volatiles of different colored foxtail millets based on gas chromatography-ion migration spectrometry and chemometrics.

The differences of volatile organic compounds in commercially available foxtail millets with different colors (black, green, white and yellow) were assayed through gas chromatography-ion migration spectrometry (GC-IMS) to explore their volatile flavor characteristics. Fifty-five volatile components were found in various colored foxtail millets, including 25 kinds of aldehydes (accounting for 39.19-48.69%), 10 ketones (25.36-32.37%), 15 alcohols (20.19-24.11%), 2 ethers (2.29-2.45%), 2 furans (1.49-2.95%) and 1 ester (0.27-0.39%). Aldehydes, alcohols and ketones were the chief volatiles in different colored foxtail millet, followed by furans, esters and ethers. These identified volatile flavor components in various colored foxtail millets obtained by GC-IMS could be well distinguished by principal components and cluster analysis. Meanwhile, a stable prediction model was fitted via partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), in which 17 kinds of differentially volatile components were screened out based on variable importance in projection (VIP>1). These findings might provide certain information for understanding the flavor traits of colored foxtail millets in future.

Characterization and discrimination of flavor volatiles of different colored wheat grains after cooking based on GC-IMS and chemometrics.

Changes in flavor volatiles of three colored wheat grains (black, green, and yellow) after cooking were detected via gas chromatography-ion migration spectrometry (GC-IMS) to explore corresponding volatile flavor traits. A total of 52 volatile chemicals were spotted among these cooked wheat grains, including 30 aldehydes (accounting for 73.86-83.78%), 11 ketones (9.53-16.98%), 3 alcohols (0.88-1.21%), 4 furans (4.82-7.44%), 2 esters (0.28-0.42%), and 2 pyrazines (0.18-0.32%). Aldehydes, ketones, and furans were the main volatile compounds in three different cooked wheat. For black-colored wheat, the relative contents of benzene acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde, 2-methyl butanal, and 3-methyl butanal were much higher (p < 0.05). For green-colored wheat, the relative contents of nonanal, 2-pentyl furan, (E)-hept-2-enal, 2-butanone, and acetone were significantly higher (p < 0.05). For yellow-colored wheat, the relative amounts of heptanal, hexanal, and pentanal were much higher (p < 0.05). The overall volatile substances of the three cooked wheat grains might be classified by GC-IMS data coupled with principal component analysis and heatmap clustering analysis. A reliable forecast set was established through orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and 22 differential volatile compounds were screened out based on variable importance in projection (VIP) being higher than 1.0, as flavor markers for distinguishing the three cooked wheat grains. These results suggest that GC-IMS could be used for characterizing the flavor volatiles of different colored wheat, and the findings could contribute certain information for understand the aroma traits in different colored cooked wheat and related products in the future.

The Brucella Effector Protein BspF Regulates Apoptosis through the Crotonylation of p53.

The Brucella type IV secretion system (T4SS) can promote the intracellular survival and reproduction of Brucella. T4SS secretes effector proteins to act on cellular signaling pathways to inhibit the host's innate immune response and cause a chronic, persistent Brucella infection. Brucella can survive in host cells for a long time by inhibiting macrophage apoptosis and avoiding immune recognition. The effector protein, BspF, secreted by T4SS, can regulate host secretory transport and accelerate the intracellular replication of Brucella. BspF has an acetyltransferase domain of the GNAT (GCN5-related N-acetyltransferases) family, and in our previous crotonylation proteomics data, we have found that BspF has crotonyl transferase activity and crotonylation regulation of host cell protein in the proteomics data. Here, we found that BspF attenuates the crotonylation modification of the interacting protein p53, which reduces the p53 expression through the GNAT domain. BspF can inhibit the transcription and protein expression of downstream apoptotic genes, thereby inhibiting host cell apoptosis. Additionally, the Brucella ΔbspF mutant stain promotes apoptosis and reduces the survival rate of Brucella in the cells. In conclusion, we identified that the T4SS effector protein BspF can regulate host cell apoptosis to assist Brucella in its long-term survival by attenuating crotonylation modification of p53 and decreasing p53 expression. Our findings reveal a unique mechanism of elucidating how Brucella regulates host cell apoptosis and promotes its proliferation through the secretion of effector proteins.