Characterization of the Structure and Physicochemical Properties of Soluble Dietary Fiber from Peanut Shells Prepared by Pulsed Electric Fields with Three-Phase Partitioning.

This study evaluated the impact of pulsed electric fields (PEFs) combined with three-phase partitioning (TPP) extraction methods on the physicochemical properties, functional properties, and structural characterization of the soluble dietary fiber (SDF) derived from peanut shells (PS). The findings of this study indicated that the application of a PEF-TPP treatment leads to a notable improvement in both the extraction yield and purity of SDF. Consequently, the PEF-TPP treatment resulted in the formation of more intricate and permeable structures, a decrease in molecular weight, and an increase in thermal stability compared to SDFs without TPP treatment. An analysis revealed that the PEF-TPP method resulted in an increase in the levels of arabinose and galacturonic acid, leading to enhanced antioxidant capacities. Specifically, the IC50 values were lower in SDFs which underwent PEF-TPP (4.42 for DPPH and 5.07 mg/mL for ABTS) compared to those precipitated with 40% alcohol (5.54 mg/mL for DPPH, 5.56 mg/mL for ABTS) and PEF75 (6.60 mg/mL for DPPH, 7.61 mg/mL for ABTS), respectively. Notably, the SDFs which underwent PEF-TPP demonstrated the highest water- and oil-holding capacity, swelling capacity, emulsifying activity, emulsion stability, glucose adsorption, pancreatic lipase inhibition, cholesterol adsorption, nitric ion adsorption capacity, and the least gelation concentration. Based on the synthesis scores obtained through PCA (0.536 > -0.030 > -0.33), which indicated that SDFs which underwent PEF-TPP exhibited the highest level of quality, the findings indicate that PEF-TPP exhibits potential and promise as a method for preparing SDFs.

Construction and validation of a TP53-associated immune prognostic model for gastric cancer.

Increasing evidence indicates that TP53 mutation impacts the patients' prognosis by regulating the gastric cancer (GC) immunophenotype. An immune prognostic signature (IPS) was constructed based on TP53 status. The effects of the IPS on the immune microenvironment of GC were analyzed. We also constructed a nomogram integrating the IPS and other clinical factors. An IPS was constructed in the TCGA cohort and validated in the meta-GEO cohort. TP53 mutation resulted in the downregulation of the immune response in GC. Concretely, high-risk patients were characterized by increased monocyte, macrophage M0 and T cell follicular helper infiltration; increased stromal score, ESTIMATE score and immune score; higher TIM3 and BTLA expression; and decreased dendritic cell and T cell CD4 memory-activated infiltration and tumor purity. The nomogram also showed good predictive performance. These results suggest that the IPS is an effective prognostic indicator for GC patients, which might provide a theoretical foundation for immunotherapy.

Construction of a 13-microRNA-based signature and prognostic nomogram for predicting overall survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy associated with a poor prognosis due to difficulties in reliably estimating overall survival (OS). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in HCC initiation, progression, and metastasis and are highly correlated with patient prognosis. Thus, miRNA-based risk signatures and nomograms are urgently required for predicting OS in patients with HCC. METHODS: We constructed a 13-miRNA-based signature and prognostic nomogram using 408 HCC samples and 58 normal tissues with miRNA sequencing data and clinical data from 323 patients downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas. A total of 195 patients were assigned as the internal validation cohort for verification and testing. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis was applied to investigate pathway enrichment for the signature. RESULTS: We identified and validated a 13-miRNA risk signature highly associating with the OS of HCC patients. The signature showed good performances by calculating C-index, area under the curve, and calibration curves. After verification and testing using an internal validation cohort, the results yielded a miRNA-based signature and a prognostic nomogram with reliable predictive accuracy. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis indicated that various genes and multiple pathways were closely related to the mechanisms of HCC proliferation and metastasis. CONCLUSION: We successfully identified a 13-miRNA-based signature and prognostic nomogram that are capable of predicting OS in patients with HCC.

Reversal of neurochemical alterations in the spinal dorsal horn and dorsal root ganglia by Mas-related gene (Mrg) receptors in a rat model of spinal nerve injury.

The rodent Mas-related gene (Mrg) receptor subtype C has been demonstrated to inhibit pathological pain. This study investigated the mechanisms underlying the reversal of pain hypersensitivity by the selective MrgC receptor agonist bovine adrenal medulla 8-22 (BAM8-22) in a rat model of L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL). Intrathecal (i.t.) administration of BAM8-22 (0.1-10nmol) attenuated mechanical allodynia in a dose-dependent manner on day 10 after SNL. The antiallodynia effect of BAM8-22 was abolished by MrgC receptor antibody, but not by naloxone. I.t. BAM8-22 (10nmol) inhibited SNL-induced upregulation of neuronal nitric oxide synthesis (nNOS) and phosphorylation of cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (p-CREB) in the spinal dorsal horn. The BAM8-22 treatment reversed the SNL-induced astrocyte activation, increase of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) expression and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) in the spinal cord. BAM8-22 also reversed the upregulation of fractalkine and IL-1ß in small- and medium-sized dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Furthermore, the BAM8-22 exposure suppressed the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced increase of nNOS and IL-1ß in the DRG explant cultures and the BAM8-22-induced suppression disappeared in the presence of MrgC receptor antibody. The present study provides evidence that activation of MrgC receptors inhibits nerve injury-induced increase of pronociceptive molecules in DRG neurons, suppressing astrocyte activation, the upregulation of excitatory mediators and phosphorylation of transcription factors in the spinal dorsal horn. As MrgC receptors are unequally expressed in the dorsal root and trigeminal ganglia, this study suggests that targeting MrgC receptors could be a new therapy for neuropathic pain with limited unwanted effects.

miR-196a-5p Correlates with Chronic Atrophic Gastritis Progression to Gastric Cancer and Induces Malignant Biological Behaviors of Gastric Cancer Cells by Targeting ACER2.

BACKGROUND: As the prognosis of early gastric cancer (EGC) is significantly better than that of advanced gastric cancer (AGC), the development of biomarkers to monitor the progression of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) to gastric cancer (GC) is essential. METHODS: Stomach tissue miRNA and mRNA sequences from patients with chronic non-atrophic gastritis (CNAG), CAG, precancerous lesions of gastric cancer (PLGC), and GC were analyzed. A publicly available GC-related miRNA microarray dataset was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Spearman's correlation and differential gene analyses, and clinical validation were used to identify novel miRNAs correlating with CAG progression to GC. miRNA targets were predicted using weighted gene co-expression analysis and databases. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to check for direct interaction between miR-196a-5p and ACER2. The CCK-8 and wound healing assays, and flow cytometry were performed to evaluate cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. RESULTS: miR-196a-5p was correlated with CAG progression to GC. Overexpression of miR-196a-5p promoted GC cell proliferation and migration and inhibited apoptosis, whereas suppression of miR-196a-5p exerted the opposite effect. Based on the prediction and luciferase assays, ACER2 was identified as the target of miR-196a-5p. ACER2 was downregulated in GC cell lines. Knockdown of ACER2 increased GC cell proliferation rates and migration ability and inhibited apoptosis, while ACER2 overexpression led to the opposite effect. CONCLUSIONS: miR-196a-5p correlated with CAG progression to GC and induced malignant biological behaviors of GC cells by targeting ACER2, providing a novel monitoring biomarker and target for GC prevention.

Targeting abnormal lipid metabolism of T cells for systemic lupus erythematosus treatment.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. However, the causes of SLE remain unknown. Dyslipidemia is a common symptom observed in SLE patients and animal models and is closely correlated to disease activity. Lipid metabolic reprogramming has been considered as a hallmark of the dysfunction of T cells in patients with SLE, therefore, manipulating lipid metabolism provides a potential therapeutic target for treating SLE. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms for the metabolic events of immune cells under pathological conditions is crucial for tuning immunometabolism to manage autoimmune diseases such as SLE. In this review, we aim to summarize the cross-link between lipid metabolism and the function of T cells as well as the underlying mechanisms, and provide light on the novel therapeutic strategies of active compounds from herbals for the treatment of SLE by targeting lipid metabolism in immune cells.

Two new species of Amphinemura (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) from southwestern China.

Two new species of nemourid stonefly, Amphinemura daloushana sp. nov. and A. liui sp. nov., are described from Chongqing municipality of southwestern China. The relationships between the new species and similar species in the genus are discussed.

A new species and new record of Chinoperla Zwick, 1980 (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from Yunnan Province, China.

Two species of the genus Chinoperla Zwick, 1980 are reported with color images from Yunnan Province of southwestern China, including one described as new to science: C. longispina Yan Li, sp. nov., and a new provincial record: C. gorohovi Sivec Stark, 2010.

Species of Nemoura (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) from Qinghai, China.

A new species of forest stonefly, Nemoura jixiangwangi Yang Li, sp. nov., is described and compared with related taxa, based on specimens from the Qilian Mountain National Park, Qinghai Province, northwestern China. Nemoura geei Wu, 1929, Nemoura papilla Okamoto, 1922 and Nemoura securigera Klaplek, 1907 are recorded from the province and the mountain range for the first time.

Gelsolin Can Be a Prognostic Biomarker and Correlated with Immune Infiltrates in Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gelsolin (GSN) is the most widely expressed actin-severing protein in humans, which could regulate cell morphology, differentiation, movement and apoptosis. This study aims to explore the GSN as a prognostic biomarker of stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD). METHODS: In this study, we used several online databases to comprehensively analyze the role of GSN in STAD. Oncomine and HPA databases were used to explore the GSN expression in various cancer, especially in gastric cancer. Then, UALCAN database was used to evaluate the relationship between GSN expression and promoter methylation in clinical characteristics. Finally, we used TIMER to analyze the correlation between GSN expression and immune infiltrates in gastric cancer. RESULTS: GSN was down-regulated in gastric cancer, and decreased expression of GSN was related to worse survival. The GSN expression was significantly related to tumor purity in STAD and significantly correlated with infiltrating level of various immune cells, especially the dendritic cells. CONCLUSION: Our study proposes that GSN can be served as the biomarker of disease and neoantigen for STAD treatment, which can improve the deficiency of disease-specific targeted therapies currently exist.

Characterization of the structural, physicochemical, and functional properties of soluble dietary fibers obtained from the peanut shell using different extraction methods.

Objective: To propose a possible solution for a peanut by-product, peanut shell (PS), this study evaluated the effects of different methods, including enzymatic extraction (E-SDF), microwave extraction (M-SDF), and pulsed electric field extraction (PEF-SDF), on the characterization of soluble dietary fibers (SDFs) from PS. Methods: We determined the physicochemical properties, including water- and oil-holding capacities (WHC and OHC), emulsifying properties, rheological properties, functional properties, including pancreatic lipase activity inhibition (PRAI), glucose and cholesterol adsorption capacities (GAC and CAC), and the structural properties of SDFs. Results: The results showed that PEF-SDF possessed the highest WHC, OHC, and emulsifying properties. M-SDF and PEF-SDF appeared to have more complex and porous structures, and they showed small molecular weights. Notably, PEF-SDF showed the strongest capacities in CAC, GAC, and PRAI. Conclusions: The results indicate that PEF-SDF is a potential SDF preparation method for a promising dietary fiber (DF) source, PS.

Exploration of Potential Roles of m5C-Related Regulators in Colon Adenocarcinoma Prognosis.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of 13 m5C-related regulators in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) and determine their prognostic value. Methods: Gene expression and clinicopathological data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. The expression of m5C-related regulators was analyzed with clinicopathological characteristics and alterations within m5C-related regulators. Subsequently, different subtypes of patients with COAD were identified. Then, the prognostic value of m5C-related regulators in COAD was confirmed via univariate Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analyses. The prognostic value of risk scores was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The correlation between the two m5C-related regulators, risk score, and clinicopathological characteristics were explored. Additionally, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis were performed for biological functional analysis. Finally, the expression level of two m5C-related regulators in clinical samples and cell lines was detected by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and through the Human Protein Atlas database. Results: m5C-related regulators were found to be differentially expressed in COAD with different clinicopathological features. We observed a high alteration frequency in these genes, which were significantly correlated with their mRNA expression levels. Two clusters with different prognostic features were identified. Based on two independent prognostic m5C-related regulators (NSUN6 and ALYREF), a risk signature with good predictive significance was constructed. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses suggested that the risk score was an independent prognostic factor. Furthermore, this risk signature could serve as a prognostic indicator for overall survival in subgroups of patients with different clinical characteristics. Biological processes and pathways associated with cancer, immune response, and RNA processing were identified. Conclusion: We revealed the genetic signatures and prognostic values of m5C-related regulators in COAD. Together, this has improved our understanding of m5C RNA modification and provided novel insights to identify predictive biomarkers and develop molecular targeted therapy for COAD.

Two new species and a new synonym of Neoperla (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from China, with proposal of a new species group.

Two new species of the stonefly genus Neoperla, N. jiangae sp. nov. and N. jiaoxihe sp. nov., are described from Shaanxi Province of northwest China. The new species are compared with related congeners. Neoperla flagellata Li Muryi, 2012 (in Li et al. 2012b) is placed as a synonym of N. bicornua Wu, 1973. The Neoperla sinensis species subgroup in the N. montivaga group is proposed and defined.

A new species of Amphinemura (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) from Vietnam, with additions to A. bimaculata Li, Wang and Yang, 2016.

A new species of the Amphinemurinae genus Amphinemura, A. similibimaculata sp. nov. is described from central Vietnam. The new species is compared with related congeneric Amphinemura bimaculata Li, Wang and Yang, 2016. Taxonomic notes on A. bimaculata are also presented.

A new species of Kamimuria (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from China, with notes on K. circumspina Li, Mo amp; Yang, 2019.

Kamimuria dabieshana sp. n. from Dabie Mountains in Hubei Province, central China, is described as new to science. The morphological characters between Kamimuria dabieshana sp. n. and similar congeners are compared and discussed. The first provincial records for K. circumspina Li, Mo Yang, 2019 from Fujian province is given. The female and eggs of Kamimuria circumspina are described.

Taxonomic notes on the genus Furcaperla (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from China.

Two species of the genus Furcaperla Sivec 1988 (in: Sivec et al. 1988), F. bifurcata (Wu, 1948) and F. jiangxiensis Yang Yang, 1991 are illustrated and redescribed. The taxonomic relationship of F. bifurcata and F. jiangxiensis is discussed. An unassociated female from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Furcaperla Cn-G is described under informal designation. The first record for F. jiangxiensis from Fujian Province is given.

High Endothelin Receptor Type A Expression as an Independent Prognostic Biomarker and Correlated with Immune Infiltrates in Stomach Adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) is the most common gastrointestinal cancer and is associated with high mortality worldwide. Endothelin receptor type A (EDNRA) is associated with guanine-nucleotide-binding (G) proteins and plays important roles in cellular processes and various diseases. PURPOSE: To investigate the prognosis value of EDNRA expression and its correlation with immune infiltrates in patients with STAD. METHODS: The association between clinical characteristics and EDNRA expression in STAD was analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and logistic regression. The Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis and Cox regression were constructed to evaluate the influence of EDNRA on prognosis, and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and nomogram were constructed. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) were conducted to analyze the correlation between EDNRA and immune infiltrates. In addition, Oncomine, TIMER databases and qRT-PCR of STAD cell lines were used to verify the EDNRA expression in STAD. RESULTS: Our results revealed that EDNRA expression was significantly higher in patients with STAD than normal gastric tissues, and the results have been confirmed by RT-qPCR. KM-plotter analysis revealed that patients with STAD had shorter OS, FP, and PPS (P<0.001). Multivariate Cox analysis further confirmed that high EDNRA expression was an independent risk factor for OS in patients with STAD. Moreover, other clinicopathologic features were related with worse prognosis in STAD, including age, lymph nodes metastases and primary outcome. More importantly, ROC analysis also confirmed the diagnostic value, and a prognostic nomogram involving age, T, M, N classification, pathologic stage, residual tumor and EDNRA was constructed. GSEA revealed that high EDNRA expression was correlated with immunoregulatory interactions between lymphoid and non lymphoid cells pathways, natural killer cell activation involved in immune response, interleukin 1 receptor binding and pathways in cancer, and ssGSEA showed that EDNRA is correlated with macrophages and NK cells. CONCLUSION: Collectively, EDNRA can be an independent prognostic biomarker and correlated with immune infiltration in stomach adenocarcinoma.

High-Throughput Sequencing Reveals Bacterial Diversity in Raw Milk Production Environment and Production Chain in Tangshan City of China.

Raw milk is a nature media of microbiota that access milk from various sources, which constitutes a challenge in dairy production. This study characterizes the relationship between the raw milk quality and the bacteria diversity at different sampling sites in dairy farms, aiming to provide a strong scientific basis for good hygienic practices and optimized procedure in milk production. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA V3-V4 region was used to analyze the components, abundance and diversity of 48 bacterial population sampled from 8 different sites in dairy farm: pre-sterilized cow's teats (C1), post-sterilized cow's teats (C2), milking cluster (E), milk in storage tank (M1), transport vehicle (M2), storage equipment (E2), cow's dung samples (F) and drinking water (W). Firmicutes account for predominantly 32.36% (C1), 44.62% (C2), 44.71% (E), 41.10% (M1), 45.08% (M2), 53.38% (F) of all annotated phyla. Proteobacteria accounts for 81.79% in W group and Actinobacteria 56.43% in E2 group. At the genus level, Acinetobacter was the most abundant genus that causes bovine mastitis, Acinetobacter and Arthrobacter were dominant in C1, C2, and E groups, Kocuria in E2 group and Arcobacter in W group. E, C1, and C2 group have very similar bacterial composition, and M1 and M2 demonstrated similar composition, indicating that the milking cluster was polluted by the environment or contact with cow udders. Bacterial population composition in different sampling sites identified by NGS reveals a correlation between the bacteria communities of raw milk production chain and the quality of raw milk.

Identification of N6-Methylandenosine-Related lncRNAs for Subtype Identification and Risk Stratification in Gastric Adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of m6A-related lncRNAs in gastric adenocarcinoma (STAD) and to determine their prognostic value. METHODS: Gene expression and clinicopathological data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Correlation analysis and univariate Cox regression analysis were conducted to identify m6A-related prognostic lncRNAs. Subsequently, different clusters of patients with STAD were identified via consensus clustering analysis, and a prognostic signature was established by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analyses. The clinicopathological characteristics, tumor microenvironment (TME), immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) expression, and the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in different clusters and subgroups were explored. The prognostic value of the prognostic signature was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method, receiver operating characteristic curves, and univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Additionally, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis were performed for biological functional analysis. RESULTS: Two clusters based on 19 m6A-related lncRNAs were identified, and a prognostic signature comprising 14 m6A-related lncRNAs was constructed, which had significant value in predicting the OS of patients with STAD, clinicopathological characteristics, TME, ICGs expression, and the response to ICIs. Biological processes and pathways associated with cancer and immune response were identified. CONCLUSIONS: We revealed the role and prognostic value of m6A-related lncRNAs in STAD. Together, our finding refreshed the understanding of m6A-related lncRNAs and provided novel insights to identify predictive biomarkers and immunotherapy targets for STAD.

Ferroptosis Patterns Correlate with Immune Microenvironment Characterization in Gastric Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to build a ferroptosis-based classifier to characterize the molecular features of gastric cancers (GC) and investigate the relationship between different ferroptosis patterns and GC tumor microenvironment (TME). METHODS: Based on the genomic and clinical information from TCGA portal and GEO database, non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) was used to identify ferroptosis subtypes in GC patients. In order to estimate the ferroptosis levels, we established ferroptosis subtype score (FSS) to quantify ferroptosis patterns and ferroptosis potential index (FPI) by principal component analysis (PCA). The correlations of different ferroptosis patterns with TME cell-infiltrating characteristics (including immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints expression levels, tumor mutational burden (TMB) and immunotherapy response) were systematically analyzed. RESULTS: Two ferroptosis subtypes, C1 (with lower FSS) and C2 (with higher FSS), were determined. C2 displayed a significantly lower FPI than C1. Besides, C2 was associated with diffuse subtype while C1 with intestinal subtype. As for TME characteristics, C2 was in accordance with the immune-excluded phenotype as it showed more active immune and stromal activities but lower TMB, less probability of immunotherapy response and poorer prognosis. C1 was linked to immune-inflamed phenotype as it had lower stromal activities but increased neoantigen load, enhanced response to immunotherapy and relatively better prognosis. CONCLUSION: The systematic assessment of ferroptosis patterns and ferroptosis levels presented in our study implied that ferroptosis serves as an important factor in the formation of TME, which may expand the understanding of TME and provide a novel perspective for the development of targeted immunotherapeutic strategies for GC patients.