Simultaneous mitigation of heterocyclic aromatic amines and advanced glycation end products in roasted beef patties by plasma-activated water: Effects and mechanisms.

Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are hazardous substances produced when food is heated. In this study, the ability of plasma-activated water (PAW) to simultaneously mitigate production of HAAs and AGEs in roasted beef patties was investigated. Assays of free radicals, lipid peroxidation, and active carbonyls were used to analyze the mechanisms. PAW treatment decreased the contents of free HAAs, free AGEs, bound HAAs, and bound AGEs to 12.65 ng/g, 0.10 µg/g, 297.74 ng/g, and 4.32 µg/g, with the inhibition rates of 23.88%, 23.08%, 11.02%, and 8.47%, respectively. PAW treatment decreased HAAs and AGEs and mitigated their increase during storage. The decrease of HAAs and AGEs in PAW-treated samples was correlated with the enhancement of antioxidant capacity. The increase of free radical scavenging ability by PAW treatment led to the decrease of lipid peroxidation and the decrease of active carbonyls, HAAs, and AGEs in meat products.

Effect of free and bound proanthocyanidins from Chinese quince on heterocyclic aromatic amine formation and quality in fried chicken.

The abilities of Chinese quince free proanthocyanidins (FP) and bound proanthocyanidins (BP) at different levels (0.1%, 0.15%, and 0.3%) to mitigate heterocyclic aromatic amine (HAA) formation in fried chicken patties were investigated for the first time and compared with vitamin C (Vc). FP and BP reduced HAAs in a dose-dependent manner. Significantly, high concentrations of FP (0.3%) resulted in a reduction of PhIP, harman, and norharman levels by 59.84%, 22.91%, and 38.21%, respectively, in chicken patties. The addition of proanthocyanidins significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the weight loss of fried chicken patties. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed among pH, weight loss, and total HAA formation in all three groups (FP, BP, and Vc). Multivariate analysis showed that FP had a more pronounced effect than BP from the perspective of enhancing the quality of fried chicken patties and reducing the formation of HAAs. These results indicate that proanthocyanidins, both BP and FP, but especially FP, from Chinese quince can inhibit the formation of carcinogenic HAAs when added to protein-rich foods that are subsequently fried.

Effects of different precursors on the structure of lignin-based biochar and its ability to adsorb benzopyrene from sesame oil.

Agricultural by-products of sesame are promising bioresources in food processing. This study extracted lignin from the by-products of sesame oil production, namely, the capsules and straw of black and white sesame. Using acid, alkali, and ethanol methods, 12 distinct lignins were obtained to prepare biochar, aiming to investigate both the structural characteristics of lignin-based biochar (LBB) and its ability to remove benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) from sesame oil. The results showed that white sesame straw was the most suitable raw material for preparing biochar. In terms of the preparation method, acid-extracted lignin biochar was more effective in removing BaP than alkaline or ethanol methods. Notably, WS-1LB (white sesame straw acid-extracted lignin biochar) exhibited the highest BaP adsorption efficiency (91.44 %) and the maximum specific surface area (1065.8187 m2/g), characterized by porous structures. The pseudo 2nd and Freundlich models were found to be the best fit for the adsorption kinetics and isotherms of BaP on LBB, respectively, suggesting that a multilayer adsorption process was dominant. The high adsorption of LBB mainly resulted from pore filling. This study provides an economical and highly efficient biochar adsorbent for the removal of BaP in oil.

Validation of a real-time biliopancreatic endoscopic ultrasonography analytical device in China: a prospective, single-centre, randomised, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is a key procedure for the diagnosis of biliopancreatic diseases. However, the performance among EUS endoscopists varies greatly and leads to blind spots during the operation, which can impair the health outcomes of patients. We previously developed an artificial intelligence (AI) device that accurately identified EUS standard stations and significantly reduced the difficulty of ultrasonography image interpretation. In this study, we updated the device (named EUS-IREAD) and validated its performance in improving the quality of EUS procedures. METHODS: In this single-centre, randomised, controlled trial, we updated EUS-IREAD so it consisted of five learning models to identify eight EUS stations and 24 anatomical structures. The trial was done at the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University (Wuhan, China) and included patients aged 18 years or older with suspected biliopancreatic (pancreas and biliopancreatic duct) lesions due to clinical symptoms, radiological findings, or laboratory findings, and with a high risk of pancreatic cancer. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) by a dedicated research assistant using a computer-generated random number series (with a block size of four) to undergo the EUS procedure with or without the assistance of EUS-IREAD. Endoscopists in the EUS-IREAD-assisted group were required to observe all standard stations and anatomical structures according to the prompts by the AI device. Data collectors, the independent data anaylsis team, and patients were masked to group allocation. The primary outcome was the missed scanning rate of standard stations between the two groups, which was assessed in patients who underwent EUS procedure in accordance with the assigned intervention (per protocol). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05457101. FINDINGS: Between July 9, 2022, and Feb 28, 2023, 290 patients (mean age 55·93 years [SD 14·06], 152 [52%] male, and 138 [48%] female) were randomly assigned and analysed, including 144 in the EUS-IREAD-assisted group and 146 in the control group. The EUS-IREAD-assisted group had a lower missed scanning rate of stations than the control group (4·5% [SD 0·8] vs 14·3% [1·0], -9·8% [95% CI -12·2 to -7·5]; odds ratio 3·6 [95% Cl 2·6 to 4·9]; p<0·0001). No significant adverse event was found during the study. INTERPRETATION: Our study confirms the capability of EUS-IREAD to monitor the blind spots and reduce the missed rate of stations and structures during EUS procedures. The EUS-IREAD has the potential to play an essential part in EUS quality control. FUNDING: Innovation Team Project of Health Commission of Hubei Province and College-enterprise Deepening Reform Project of Wuhan University.

Interaction between Chinese quince fruit proanthocyanidins and bovine serum albumin: Antioxidant activity, thermal stability and heterocyclic amine inhibition.

Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are carcinogenic and mutagenic substances produced in fried meat. Adding natural antioxidants (e.g., proanthocyanidins (PAs)) is a common method to reduce HCAs; however, the interaction between the PAs and protein can affect the inhibitory efficacy of PAs on the formation of HCAs. In this study, two PAs (F1 and F2) with different degrees of polymerization (DP) were extracted from Chinese quince fruits. These were combined with bovine serum albumin (BSA). The thermal stability, antioxidant capacity and HCAs inhibition of all four (F1, F2, F1-BSA, F2-BSA) were compared. The results showed that F1 and F2 interact with BSA to form complexes. Circular dichroism spectra indicate that complexes had fewer α-helices and more ß-sheets, ß-turns and random coils than BSA. Molecular docking studies indicated that hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions are the forces holding the complexes together. The thermal stabilities of F1 and, particularly, F2 were stronger than those of F1-BSA and F2-BSA. Interestingly, F1-BSA and F2-BSA showed increased antioxidant activity with increasing temperature. F1-BSA's and F2-BSA's HCAs inhibition was stronger than F1 and F2, reaching 72.06 % and 76.3 %, respectively, for norharman. This suggests that PAs can be used as natural antioxidants for reducing the HCAs in fried foods.

Kinetic modeling of the sesamin conversion into asarinin in the presence of citric acid loading on Hß.

In the present work, effects of reaction temperature, reactant concentration, catalyst loading, and rotation speed on the kinetics of sesamin conversion in a sesame oil system were studied by using citric acid loading on Hß zeolite (CA/Hß) as a catalyst. A kinetic model was built for sesamin conversion. The kinetic model fits correctly the experimental concentration of sesamin and asarinin ( R S ⁢ e ⁢ s ⁢ a ⁢ m ⁢ i ⁢ n 2 = 0.93 and R A ⁢ s ⁢ a ⁢ r ⁢ i ⁢ n ⁢ i ⁢ n 2 = 0.97). The sesamin conversion is an endothermic reaction (△H rIso = 3 4.578kJ/mol). The CA/Hß catalyst could be easily regenerated by calcination, and there was no obvious loss of catalytic activity when reused. Knowledge of the sesamin conversion is of great significance for guiding production and improving the value and nutrition of sesame oil. In a word, this study lays the foundation for the scale-up of the production of asarinin from sesame oil using CA/Hß as the catalyst.

ß-carbolines norharman and harman in vegetable oils in China.

The beta-carbolines norharman and harman, two heterocyclic aromatic amines with potential mutagenicity, have been determined in vegetable oils. Identification and analysis were carried out by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). In 88 samples analysed, the concentrations of norharman and harman were < LOD to 336.22 ng/g and < LOD to 505.14 ng/g, respectively. A high variability of norharman and harman levels among different oil types was observed. Sesame-, flaxseed-, sunflower seed-, peanut- and rapeseed oils were most contaminated. Both ß-carbolines were most likely formed during roasting of the oilseeds. Oil consumption, especially of oils obtained after roasting of the seeds, was a major dietary source of the ß-carbolines norharman and harman. Under existing oil risk factors, this investigation contributes to the unprecedented and essential information for dietary assessments associated with oil consumption.

miR-20a inhibits the killing effect of natural killer cells to cervical cancer cells by downregulating RUNX1.

BACKGROUND: NK cells are presented in tumor microenvironments and acts as an essential defense line against multiple malignancies. Recently, miRNAs are reported to involve in the development of natural killer (NK) cells via negatively regulating gene expression. Here, we aim to explore the function and mechanism underlying how miR-20a modulated the killing effect of NK cells to cervical cancer cells. METHODS: Abundances of miR-20a and runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) in NK cells from cervical cancer patients and healthy donors were detected by qRT-PCR and western blot. The releases of IFN-γ and TNF-α were determined by ELISA. The cytotoxicity of NK cells against cervical cancer cells was measured by CytoTox 96 non-radioactive cytotoxicity assay. Luciferase reporter, western blot, and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were performed to assess the interaction between miR-20a and RUNX1. RESULT: miR-20a was upregulated while RUNX1 was downregulated in NK cells from cervical cancer patients compared to healthy donors. IL-2 stimulated the releases of IFN-γ and TNF-α, and the killing effect of NK cells to cervical cancer cells, which was overturned by miR-20a introduction. RUNX1 was identified to be a target of miR-20a. Restoration of RUNX1 abolished the inhibitory effects of miR-20a on the secretions of IFN-γ and TNF-α, as well as the killing effect of NK cells to colorectal cancer cells. CONCLUSION: miR-20a attenuated the killing effect of NK cells to cervical cancer cells by directly targeting RUNX1.