Temperature effects on the nutritional quality in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) during ultraviolet depuration.

BACKGROUND: Oysters are mainly consumed in the raw form, so it is important to get rid of bacteria and other harmful substances. Ultraviolet (UV) sterilization depuration is a commonly used method and does not produce chemical residues or act directly on shellfish, resulting in minimal adverse effects on flavor. This study simulated the industrial depuration process using UV sterilization to depurate Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas). The effects of different temperatures (15, 20, and 25 °C) on the quality and taste components of C. gigas were investigated by measuring changes in physiological and biochemical indexes in C. gigas tissue samples. RESULTS: At the end of depuration, no oyster mortality occurred, but it was up to 55% at 25 °C at 84 h. Glycogen content decreased the most at 25 °C at 48 h. The fatty acid content was higher at 20 and 25 °C. Succinic acid content decreased significantly and was higher at 20 and 25 °C at 48 h with no significant difference. Total free amino acid (FAA) content was significantly higher at 20 °C, however, there were no significant differences in nucleotide content at any temperature at 48 h. Adenylate energy charge (AEC) values decreased, with higher values at 15 and 25 °C, and equivalent umami concentration (EUC) values increased, with higher values at 20 and 25 °C. CONCLUSION: Considering the changes in flavor substances and mortality rate, 20 °C is the appropriate temperature for UV sterilization depuration of C. gigas to produce better edible quality. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Evaluation indicators of Ruditapes philippinarum nutritional quality.

To access the nutritional quality of the Ruditapes philippinarum, a comprehensive quality evaluation procedure is always important to be established. In this study, fifteen nutritional quality evaluation indicators of R. philippinarum from 7 months were analyzed, and the most important indicators were determined using a combination of multiple chemometric methods such as correlation analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), and system cluster analysis (SCA). Significant differences in nutritional quality were observed across the 7 months, as per the ANOVA results (P < 0.05). The coefficient of variation values for the fifteen evaluation indicators for R. philippinarum across 7 months was 1.67-43.47%. The CA results revealed that some indicators were correlated to each other within a certain range. Four principal components with eigen-values > 1 were obtained with PCA, and a cumulative contribution of 92.11% was achieved. In addition, four essential quality indicators were extracted using SCA. Using these four indicators, a simple and efficient procedure can be applied for quality control in aquaculture.

Statistical analysis of twenty years (1993 to 2012) of data from mainland China's first intervention center for children with autism spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction, and restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities. This study aimed to analyze trends in ASD diagnosis and intervention in 20 years of data from the Beijing Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism (SR), the first autism intervention center in mainland China, and from a recent survey of members of the Heart Alliance, an industry association of autism intervention centers in China. METHODS: We analyzed the registration data at the SR from 1993 to 2012 for a total of 2,222 children who had a parent-reported diagnosis of ASD and 612 of 'autistic tendencies'. Most of the children who were the primary focus of our analyses were age six and under. We also analyzed results of a survey we conducted in 2013 of 100 member centers of the Heart Alliance. Generalized Estimating Equations, multiple linear regression and the Mann-Whitney test were used for data analysis. Statistically significant findings are reported here. RESULTS: The number of hospitals where SR children received their diagnosis increased from several in the early 1990s to 276 at present. The proportion of 'autistic tendencies' diagnosis increased 2.04-fold from 1998 to 2012 and was higher for children diagnosed at a younger age. The mean age at first diagnosis of ASD or 'autistic tendencies' decreased by 0.27 years every decade. A higher level of parental education was statistically significantly associated with an earlier diagnosis of the child. The mean parental age at childbirth increased by about 1.48 years per decade, and the mean maternal age was 1.40 and 2.10 years higher than that in the national population censuses of 2000 and 2010, respectively. At the time of the survey 3,957 children with ASD were being trained at the 100 autism intervention centers. Ninety-seven of these centers opened after the year 2000. Economically underdeveloped regions are still underserved. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed encouraging trends and remaining challenges in ASD diagnosis and intervention among children at the SR over the past 20 years and the 100 autism intervention centers in China at present.

Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) partially mediates HMGB1-ERKs activation in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To explore the expression of receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) and their role in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) development and progression. METHODS: Expression of RAGE and HMGB1 was examined in RCC using tissue microarrays. In vitro, quiescent or RAGE-reduced RCC cells were subjected to treatment with HMGB1 and harvested for detecting ERK1/2 phosphorylation via Western blot. Further cell proliferation, migration and invasion were evaluated by Ki-67 immunostaining, wound healing and matrigel invasion assay, respectively. RESULTS: ①Elevated co-expression of RAGE and HMGB1 in CCRCC was correlated positively with patients' clinical parameters including tumor size, nuclear Fuhrman grade and clinical stage. ②HMGB1 incubation induced ERK1/2 activation in a time- and dose-dependent manner, which could be completely blocked by U0126 (MEK1/2 inhibitor) and partially reversed by RAGE knockdown. ③RAGE knockdown partially reversed the promoted effect of cell proliferation, migration and invasion induced by HMGB1. CONCLUSION: HMGB1 promotes the development and progression of CCRCC via ERK1/2 activation, which is partially mediated by RAGE.