Deep analysis of total serum N-glycome suggests glyco-signatures for phospholipase A2 receptor 1-related idiopathic membranous nephropathy diagnosis.

Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) is an antibody-mediated and kidney-specific autoimmune disease, with the antigen phospholipase A2 receptor 1 (PLA2R1) accounting for approximately 70% of IMN cases. Although a variety of new podocyte target antigens and their autoantibodies have been identified, they are still of limited diagnostic and therapeutic value due to lack of high specificity and sensitivity. N-glycans play vital roles in renal system and their pathobiological relevance has become increasingly recognized in many kidney diseases, but not fully explored in IMN. To find possible glyco-signatures for PLA2R1-related IMN diagnosis, we herein established a comprehensive workflow for total serum N-glycome analysis based on our recently developed mass spectrometry (MS)-based N-glycan purification method, named Ultrafast Glycoprotein Immobilization for Glycan extraction (UltraGIG). A total of 191 N-glycans were identified from IMN patients, representing the largest N-glycome dataset in IMN. Compared to healthy controls, up-regulation of sialylation and core-fucosylation as well as down-regulation of galactosylation were observed in PLA2R1-positive IMN patients, and up-regulation of hyper-galactosylation was specific for PLA2R1-negative IMN patients. A six-glycan marker panel consisting of H4N3S1, H4N3F1, H6N4S2, H6H5F1S2, H6N5 and H6N6F1S1, was proposed to aid in the accurate diagnosis of PLA2R1-related IMN, which provided new insights into IMN biomarker study. SIGNIFICANCE: PLA2R1-related IMN is a kidney-specific autoimmune disease with a high risk of developing end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and even kidney failure. Current biomarkers are still of limited diagnostic and therapeutic value due to lack of high specificity and sensitivity. An in-depth MS analysis of total serum N-glycome of PLA2R1-related IMN patients was conducted for the first time. We generated the largest dataset of serum N-glycome for IMN to date, and proposed a novel six-glycan marker panel that may help the accurate diagnosis of PLA2R1-related IMN.

Effects of seasoning addition and cooking conditions on the formation of free and protein-bound heterocyclic amines and advanced glycation end products in braised lamb.

The accumulation of heterocyclic amines (HAs) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in thermally processed meats has been arising safety concerns. The effects of cooking conditions and seasoning addition on the formation of HAs and AGEs in Chinese traditional braised lamb were investigated by UPLC-MS/MS analysis. Soy sauce significantly increased the formation of HAs and AGEs, among which light soy sauce had the greatest promoting effect (69.45-15300.62 %). Conversely, spices inhibited HAs and AGEs formation, the inhibition rate of free HAs and AGEs reached 22.06-34.72 % when using 70 % ethanol extract. Hot blanching treatment and adding soy sauce and spices at a later stage could significantly suppress HAs and AGEs production. Flavonoids, including galangin, hesperidin, narirutin, etc., were identified as key effectors in spices. These findings help to promote awareness of the formation of HAs and AGEs in braised lamb and provide valuable insights for optimizing processing techniques to minimize their production.

An online-predictive model of acute kidney injury after pancreatic surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Acute kidney injury(AKI) after pancreatic surgery is associated with increased mortality, longer hospital stays and poor prognosis. This study aims to identify the risk factors and establish an easy-to-use prediction calculator by the nomogram to predict the risk of AKI after pancreatic surgery. METHODS: From January 2016 to June 2018, 1504 patients who underwent pancreatic surgery in our center were included in this retrospective analysis and randomly assigned to primary (1054 patients) and validation (450 patients) cohorts. The independent risk factors of AKI were identified using univariate and multivariate analyses. A risk-predicted nomogram for AKI was developed through multivariate logistic regression analysis in the primary cohort while the nomogram was evaluated in the validation cohort. Nomogram discrimination and calibration were assessed using C-index and calibration curves in the primary and validation cohorts. The clinical utility of the final nomogram was evaluated using decision curve analysis. RESULTS: The overall incidence of AKI after pancreatic surgery was 5.3% (79/1504). Independent risk factors including smoking history, cardiovascular disease, ASA score, baseline eGFR, bilirubin＞2 â€‹mg/dL, undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy, and intraoperative blood loss＞400 â€‹mL were identified by multivariate analysis. Nomogram revealed moderate discrimination and calibration in estimating the risk of AKI, with an unadjusted C-index of 0.79 (95 %CI, 0.73-0.85). Application of the nomogram in the validation cohort provided moderate discrimination (C-index,0.80 [95% CI, 0.72-0.88]) and good calibration. Besides, the decision curve analysis (DCA) confirmed the clinical usefulness of the nomogram. CONCLUSIONS: An easy-to-use online prediction calculator comprised of preoperative and intraoperative factors was able to individually predict the occurrence risk of AKI among patients with pancreatic surgery, which may help identify reasonable risk judgments and develop proper treatment strategies to a certain extent.

A review of green methods used in starch-polyphenol interactions: physicochemical and digestion aspects.

The interactions of starch with lipids, proteins, and other major food components during food processing are inevitable. These interactions could result in the formation of V-type or non-V-type complexes of starch. The starch-lipid complexes have been intensively studied for over five decades, however, the complexes of starch and polyphenols are relatively less studied and are the subject of recent interest. The interactions of starch with polyphenols can affect the physicochemical properties and its digestibility. The literature has highlighted several green methods such as ultrasound, microwave, high pressure, extrusion, ball-milling, cold plasma etc., to assist interactions of starch with polyphenols. However, comprehensive information on green methods to induce starch-polyphenol interactions is still scarce. Therefore, in light of the importance and potential of starch-polyphenol complexes in developing functional foods with low digestion, this review has summarized the novel green methods employed in interactions of starch with flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins. It has been speculated that flavonoids, phenolic acids, and tannins, among other types of polyphenols, may have anti-digestive activities and are also revealed for their interaction with starch to form either an inclusion or non-inclusion complex. Further information on the effects of these interactions on physicochemical parameters to understand the chemistry and structure of the complexes is also provided.

Effects of ultrasound-induced V-type rice starch-tannic acid interactions on starch in vitro digestion and multiscale structural properties.

V-type starch-polyphenol complexes, known for their improved physicochemical properties compared to native starch, are challenging to form efficiently. In this study, the effects of tannic acid (TA) interaction with native rice starch (NS) on digestion and physicochemical properties were investigated using non-thermal ultrasound treatment (UT). Results showed the highest complexing index for NSTA-UT3 (∼ 0.882) compared to NSTA-PM (∼0.618). NSTA-UT complexes reflected the V6I-type complex having six anhydrous glucose per unit per turn with peaks at 2θ = 7°, 13°, and 20°. The maxima of the absorption for iodine binding were suppressed by the formation of V-type complexes depending on the concentration of TA in the complex. Furthermore, rheology and particle size distributions were also affected by TA introduction under ultrasound, as revealed by SEM. XRD, FT-IR, and TGA analyses confirmed V-type complex formation for NSTA-UT samples, with improved thermal stability and increased short-range ordered structure. Ultrasound-induced addition of TA also decreased the hydrolysis rate and increased resistant starch (RS) concentration. Overall, ultrasound processing promoted the formation of V-type NSTA complexes, suggesting that tannic acid could be utilized for the production of anti-digestion starchy foods in the future.

A novel insight into green food preservation: Design of equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging (EMAP) based on gas barrier (GB) - gas conductor (GC) blending materials.

In this work, the design of equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging (EMAP) was achieved by adjusting gas permeability using gas barrier (GB) - gas conductor (GC) blending material. Sulfonated poly ether ether ketone (SPEEK) was used as promoter for gas permeation, i.e. GC, and introduced into poly ether sulfone (PES) as GB. As the results, the introduction of SPEEK cannot only enhance the gas permeability of the blending material, but also modify the physic and chemical properties. When the blending material used as EMAP for peppers, significant effects were exhibited on inhibiting the variations in sensory, color, texture, and chemical properties of the preserved peppers, especially when the samples preserved in packaging consisted of 60 % SPEEK and 40 % PES, in which suitable atmosphere with 5.18 % v/v CO2 and 3.16 % v/v O2 was maintained. The overall findings revealed the feasibility of GB - GC theory for EMAP design.

Polarity Control within One Monolayer at ZnO/GaN Heterointerface: (0001) Plane Inversion Domain Boundary.

In semiconductor heterojunction, polarity critically governs the physical properties, with an impact on electronic or optoelectronic devices through the presence of pyroelectric and piezoelectric fields at the active heteropolar interface. In the present work, the abrupt O-polar ZnO/Ga-polar GaN heterointerface was successfully achieved by using high O/Zn ratio flux during the ZnO nucleation growth. Atomic-resolution high-angle annular dark-field and bright-field transmission electron microscopy observation revealed that this polarity inversion confines within one monolayer by forming the (0001) plane inversion domain boundary (IDB) at the ZnO/GaN heterointerface. Through theoretical calculation and topology analysis, the geometry of this IDB was determined to possess an octahedral Ga atomic layer in the interface, with one O/N layer symmetrically bonded at the tetrahedral site. The computed electronic structure of all considered IDBs revealed a metallic character at the heterointerface. More interestingly, the presence of two-dimensional (2D) hole gas (2DHG) or 2D electron gas (2DEG) is uncovered by investigating the chemical bonding and charge transfer at the heterointerface. This work not only clarifies the polarity control and interfacial configuration of the O-polar ZnO/Ga-polar GaN heterojunction but, more importantly, also gives insight into their further application on heterojunction field-effect transistors as well as hybrid ZnO/GaN optoelectronic devices. Moreover, such polarity control at the monolayer scale might have practical implications for heterojunction devices based on other polar semiconductors.

Sulphonated modification of polysaccharides from Pleurotus eryngii and Streptococcus thermophilus ASCC 1275 and antioxidant activities investigation using CCD and Caco-2 cell line models.

Polysaccharides extracted from Pleurotus eryngii (PEPS) and Streptococcus thermophilus ASCC 1275 (EPS) were sulphonated and their composition determined. Antioxidant activities of crude and sulphonated polysaccharides (S.PEPS and S.EPS) were investigated using the ABTS radical scavenging test and CCD and Caco-2 cell models. Degrees of sulphonation for S.PEPS and S.EPS were 0.73 and 0.37, respectively. Results showed that S.PEPS and S.EPS had significantly higher scavenging capacities than PEPS and EPS in the ABTS radical scavenging test. Reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde in H2O2 treated CCD 841 CoN (CCD) and Caco-2 cells were significantly inhibited by PEPS, EPS, S.PEPS and S.EPS compared to the control group. Additionally, S.PEPS and S.EPS significantly improved superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities in H2O2 treated CCD and Caco-2 cells compared to PEPS, EPS and control groups. Results indicated that sulphonation was effective in improving antioxidant activities of both PEPS and EPS.

Sulfonation and Antioxidative Evaluation of Polysaccharides from Pleurotus Mushroom and Streptococcus thermophilus Bacteria: A Review.

Human beings are equipped with antioxidant defense systems to neutralize free radicals as free radicals could damage macromolecules, subsequently resulting in serious diseases. Researchers have been attracted to search for potential natural antioxidants to reduce oxidative damage. Pleurotus and Streptococcus thermophilus have been chosen as sources of sustainable bioactive compounds that have been consumed for thousands of years. Polysaccharides are important bioactive components produced by Pleurotus mushrooms and Streptococcus thermophilus bacteria. Additionally, there is a continued interest in sulfonation of crude polysaccharides from both sources, since sulfonation has been found to improve or create new bioactive properties in polysaccharides. Both crude and sulfated polysaccharides with good antioxidant capacities have great potential for the further development as commercial products. This review focuses on characterization, sulfonation methods, and antioxidant capacity evaluations of polysaccharides from Pleurotus and S. thermophilus. Common antioxidant capacity assays, including the mechanisms underlying each assay, and various experimental procedures are also discussed.

Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and Antiproliferative Activities of Free and Bound Phenolics from Peel and Flesh of Fuji Apple.

This study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiproliferative activities of flesh free (FF), flesh bound (FB), peel free (PF), and peel bound (PB) phenolics from Fuji apple. The PB, which had highest total phenolic contents (126.15 ± 2.41 mg/100 g wet weight) and lowest total carbohydrate contents (34.68 ± 2.78 mg/100 g wet weight), showed the strongest 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenthiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity (EC50 = 0.36 ± 0.02 mg/mL), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (EC50 = 0.26 ± 0.01 mg/mL), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (Ferric reducing antioxidant power; EC50 = 0.19 ± 0.02 mg/mL) compared with those of FF, FB, and PF. The PB also showed the strongest antibacterial activities on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes and it also showed the highest antiproliferative effects on Caco-2 human colonic cancer cell (EC50 = 1.44 ± 0.01 mg/mL) and Hela human cervical cell (EC50 = 2.81 ± 0.01 mg/mL). Both free and bound phenolics from Fuji apple showed good antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiproliferative activities in our study, and bound phenolics had significantly higher activities compared with those of free phenolics.

Characterization, Anti-Inflammatory and Antiproliferative Activities of Natural and Sulfonated Exo-Polysaccharides from Streptococcus thermophilus ASCC 1275.

Exo-polysaccharides (EPS) isolated from Streptococcus thermophilus ASCC 1275 were sulfated (31%). High-performance liquid chromatography identified that EPS was composed of mannose (30.19%), galactose (20.10%), glucose (18.05%), glucosamine (16.04%), galactosamine (9.06%), glucuronic acid (3.55%), and ribose (3.01%). Pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokine secretion ratios (IL-1ß/IL-10, IL-6/IL-10, and TNF-α/IL-10) of lipopolysaccharide stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages were significantly decreased by EPS and S.EPS treatments in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, anti-inflammatory activities of S.EPS improved 49.3% and 24.0% than those of EPS before or after LPS treatment. The reactive oxygen species were inhibited by EPS and S.EPS by 49.6% and 55.1% at 50 µg/mL, respectively. Inhibition activities of S.EPS on nitric oxide production were 12.9% and 55.4% higher than those of EPS at 10 and 50 µg/mL. Additionally, S.EPS exhibited stronger antiproliferative activity on Caco-2 and HepG2 cells. Our results indicated that anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activities of EPS were significantly (P < 0.01) improved by sulfonation.

Characterization, antioxidative and bifidogenic effects of polysaccharides from Pleurotus eryngii after heat treatments.

Polysaccharides were extracted from freeze-dried-, oven-dried- and boiling-treated Pleurotus eryngii (FDPEPS, ODPEPS and BTPEPS). Yield of FDPEPS and its total carbohydrates, total polysaccharides, reducing sugars, phenolics and protein content were higher than ODPEPS and BTPEPS. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) identified that FDPEPS, ODPEPS, and BTPEPS were composed of mannose (5.75%, 5.52%, 6.97%), glucose (88.90%, 89.31%, 87.68%) and galactose (5.34%, 5.17%, 5.35%). All three polysaccharides showed typical saccharic absorption bands in FT-IR. The FDPEPS showed the highest antioxidant activities in ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), ABTS, superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical scavenging tests. Denser aggregates and larger serum pores were observed in confocal micrographs of soymilk added with ODPEPS. Viability of Bifidobacterium longum in soymilk added with polysaccharides was significantly higher (p<0.01) than those without polysaccharides during fermentation. Heat treatments applied before extraction affected the properties, composition and microstructures of FDPEPS, ODPEPS and BTPEPS.

Effects of Pleurotus eryngii polysaccharides on bacterial growth, texture properties, proteolytic capacity, and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme-inhibitory activities of fermented milk.

Pleurotus eryngii is one of the most favored oyster mushrooms and contains various beneficial bioactive compounds. Polysaccharide extracted from P. eryngii (PEPS) was added as a natural-source ingredient to milk before fermentation, and the effects of additional PEPS on fermented milk were investigated in this study. The PEPS were extracted and added to reconstituted skim milk (12%, wt/vol) at 0.5, 0.25, and 0.125% (wt/vol) and fermented by a non-exopolysaccharide-producing strain, Streptococcus thermophilus Australian Starter Culture Collection (ASCC) 1303 (ST 1303), or an exopolysaccharide-producing Strep. thermophilus ASCC 1275 (ST 1275). Bacterial growth, texture properties, microstructure, proteolytic capacity, and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme-inhibitory activities of fermented milk (FM) were determined during refrigerated storage at 4°C for 21d. Viable counts of starter bacteria in FM with 0.5% PEPS added were the highest. Changes in pH were consistent with changes in titratable acidities for all samples. The FM samples with added PEPS showed denser protein aggregates containing larger serum pores in confocal micrographs compared with those without PEPS at d 0 and 21during refrigerated storage. The values for spontaneous whey separation of FM with added PEPS were significantly higher than those of FM fermented by ST 1303 or ST 1275 without PEPS. The proteolytic activities of ST 1303 of FM with added PEPS were higher than those of FM fermented by ST 1303 without PEPS. The FM with added 0.125% PEPS had similar angiotensin-I-converting enzyme-inhibitory activity to that fermented by ST 1303 without PEPS; both were higher than those of other samples during refrigerated storage. Firmness and gumminess values of FM with added PEPS were higher than those of FM fermented by ST 1303 or ST 1275 without PEPS.

Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of sulphated polysaccharides from Pleurotus eryngii and Streptococcus thermophilus ASCC 1275.

Polysaccharides from Pleurotus eryngii (PEPS) and exopolysaccharides from Streptococcus thermophilus ASCC 1275 (ST1275 EPS) were sulphated, and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of sulphated and crude polysaccharides were determined. Degree of sulphonation of PEPS and ST1275 EPS was 0.69 and 0.31, respectively. Characteristic bands in FT-IR spectra indicated that the sulphate group was at the C6 position of the galactose skeleton. Antioxidant activities of PEPS and ST1275 EPS were significantly (P<0.05) improved after sulphonation. For tested crude and sulphated polysaccharides, sulphated PEPS had the largest inhibition zone against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus CMCC 26003 while sulphated ST1275 EPS had the largest inhibition zone against Listeria monocytogenes CMCC 54001. Furthermore, sulphated PEPS had the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for E. coli ATCC 25922, and both sulphated PEPS and sulphated ST1275 EPS had the lowest MICs on S. aureus CMCC 26003 and L. monocytogenes CMCC 54001.

Effects of various heat treatments on phenolic profiles and antioxidant activities of Pleurotus eryngii extracts.

Free (FP) and bound phenolics (BP) were extracted from freeze dried (FD), oven dried (OD), as well as boiling treated (BT) Pleurotus eryngii samples. Free, bound, total phenolics were quantified using Folin-Ciocalteau assay. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of phenolic compounds were carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with diode array detector (DAD), and a total of 8 phenolic compounds were detected. Free phenolic contents followed the order: Freeze-dried free phenolics (FDFP) > Oven-dried free phenolics (ODFP) > Boiling-treated free phenolics (BTFP), and ranged from 95.42 (BTFP) to 442.50 (ODPF) µg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry weight (DW). Bound and total phenolic contents followed the order: FD > OD > BT, and ranged from 218.33 (BTBP) to 774.17 (FDBP) and 313.75 (BT total phenolics) to 1090.42 (FD total phenolics) µg GAE/g DW. Bound phenolics contributed 49.76% (OD), 69.59% (BT), and 71% (FD) of the total phenolic contents. All free and bound phenolic extracts were investigated for their antioxidant activities by 3 different assays, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, reducing power, and superoxide anion radical scavenging activity. FDFP showed strongest DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50 at 32.61 µg/mL), ODFP showed strongest reducing power (IC50 at 26.31 µg/mL), and BTBP showed strongest superoxide anion radical scavenging activity (IC50 at 14.07 µg/mL).

Biomarkers of oxidative stress in vascular dementia patients.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of vascular dementia (VaD). The aim of this study was to investigate the biomarkers of oxidative stress in urine, as reflected by 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 8-isoprostaglandin F(2a) (8-isoPGF(2a)) and nitrotyrosine (NT) levels, in a group of well characterized VaD patients and in two control groups of Vascular Not Demented (VaND) patients and health y subjects. METHODS: Ninety-six subjects from the Tianjin municipality in China were recruited. Forty-six patients were in the VaD group, 24 patients with VaND and 26 persons with no signs of cognitive disorder were employed as control groups. Urinary 8-OHdG and 8-isoPGF(2a) was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and urinary NT levels were measured by chemiluminescence detection. RESULTS: Significantly higher urinary 8-OHdG levels were detected in VaD patients compared to VaND patients and healthy control subjects. In contrast, urinary 8-isoPGF(2a) levels were significantly lower in VaD patients compared with two control groups. For NT levels, no statistically significant differences were observed among the three groups. CONCLUSION: Increased urinary 8-OHdG level was a potential marker of oxidative stress in VaD patients. Furthermore, it is also important to take into account potential confounders in order to improve the identification of changes in the status of oxidative stress as related to VaD.