[Design and Verification of Human Metabolic Measurement System Based on STM32].

A high-precision human metabolic measurement system is designed. The system uses STM32F103 as the main control chip to acquire oxygen, carbon dioxide and flow signals to calculate four quantitative indicators: oxygen consumption(VO2), carbon dioxide production(VCO2), respiratory entropy(RQ) and resting energy metabolism(REE), and finally uses an upper computer to display the calculation results.In this paper, the signal acquisition circuit design was carried out for the oxygen sensor, carbon dioxide sensor and flow sensor, and the validity of the device was verified with the American machine MGCDiagnositcs using Bland-Altman analysis method, and the results showed that the four parameters of VO2,VCO2, RQ and REE of both devices fell in the agreement interval of more than 95%. The device thus provides accurate metabolic measurements and offers an effective tool for the field of general health and clinical nutrition support in China.

A UPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of five flavonoids from Stellera chamaejasme L. in rat plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study.

Stellera chamaejasme L. has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of scabies, tinea, stubborn skin ulcers, chronic tracheitis, cancer and tuberculosis. A sensitive and selective ultra-high liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of five flavonoids (stelleranol, chamaechromone, neochamaejasmin A, chamaejasmine and isochamaejasmin) of S. chamaejasme L. in rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was accomplished on an Agilent Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column (2.1 × 100 mm, 2.7 µm) with gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min and the total analysis time was 7 min. The analytes were detected using multiple reaction monitoring in positive ionization mode. The samples were prepared by liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. The UPLC-MS/MS method was validated for specificity, linearity, sensitivity, accuracy and precision, recovery, matrix effect and stability. The validated method exhibited good linearity (r ≥ 0.9956), and the lower limits of quantification ranged from 0.51 to 0.64 ng/mL for five flavonoids. The intra- and inter-day precision were both <10.2%, and the accuracy ranged from -11.79 to 9.21%. This method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of five flavonoids in rats after oral administration of ethyl acetate extract of S. chamaejasme L.

Effect of the type of brewing water on the sensory and physicochemical properties of light-scented and strong-scented Tieguanyin oolong teas.

Variations in the quality of brewing water profoundly impact tea flavor. This study systematically investigated the effects of four common water sources, including pure water (PW), mountain spring water (MSW), mineral water (MW) and natural water (NW) on the flavor of Tieguanyin tea infusion. Brewing with MW resulted in a flat taste and turbid aroma, mainly due to the low leaching of tea flavor components and complex interactions with mineral ions (mainly Ca2+, Mg2+). Tea infusions brewed with NW exhibited the highest relative contents of total volatile compounds, while those brewed with PW had the lowest. NW and MSW, with moderate mineralization, were conducive to improving the aroma quality of tea infusion and were more suitable for brewing both aroma types of Tieguanyin. These findings offer valuable insights into the effect of brewing water on the sensory and physicochemical properties of oolong teas.

Advances in Tea Chemistry.

The origins of tea, a traditional beverage in China, can be traced back to the Shennong period, about 2737 years before the birth of Christ [...].

Effects of natural spring water on the sensory attributes and physicochemical properties of tea infusions.

The sensory quality of tea is influenced by water quality, with natural spring water (NSW) gaining much attention for its natural and healthy qualities. The effects of NSW on the sensory attributes, physicochemical composition, and antioxidant capacity of Chinese tea were investigated. Tea brewed with pure water was the most resistant to oxidation and darkening. NSW with low total dissolved solids (TDS) was most suitable for brewing unfermented or mildly fermented teas, improving their sensory quality. The simulated green tea infusion system was used to investigate further the dramatic darkening of tea infusions in NSW. Exposure of infusions to air promoted the degradation, epimerization, and oxidative polymerization of catechins, and further formed theabrownins which darkened the tea infusions. These findings enabled tea consumers to choose the most suitable NSW for brewing Chinese teas and illustrated the darkening mechanism of tea infusion in high pH/TDS water.

Optimization of brewing conditions for Tieguanyin oolong tea by quadratic orthogonal regression design.

Tieguanyin is one of the most consumed oolong teas because of its distinctive flavor. The brewing process is crucial for the flavor performance of traditional teas, thus the effects of brewing conditions, including water/tea ratio (R), brewing temperature (T), and time (S) on the sensory traits, chemical composition, and antioxidant activity of Tieguanyin tea infusion were investigated using quadratic orthogonal regression design. Results showed that R affected all the quality variables most, its reduction could lead to the promotion of tea infusion concentration, antioxidant activity, and taste intensity, which was favored by the tea consumers drinking tea almost daily (DTD) but unacceptable for those drinking tea hardly (DTH). Based on the optimization of brewing conditions in response surface methodology (RSM), we recommended several brewing schemes for diverse consume goals: R = 34 mL/g, T = 80 °C, S = 80 s for DTH; R = 39 mL/g, T = 100 °C, S = 127 s for DTO (the consumers drinking tea occasionally); R = 20 mL/g, T = 100 °C, S = 100 s for DTD; R = 26 mL/g, T = 100 °C and S = 127 s for the common consumers seeking for flavor and health benefits. These results would be helpful for tea consumers with multiple demands.

A targeted and nontargeted metabolomics study on the oral processing of epicatechins from green tea.

Oral processing (OP), referring to the whole process of food digestion in human mouth, has a major influence on food flavor perception. This study focused on the compositional changes of the four green tea epicatechins (viz., EC, EGC, ECG, EGCG) during OP, based on targeted and nontargeted metabolomics. It was found that the four epicatechins were all extensively lost through transformation undergoing OP, among which EC was the most stable one, whereas EGCG the least. EGCG was further revealed to be susceptible to human oral cavity in the simulated OP in vitro. It could be converted physically by precipitating with mucin in saliva, and chemically through hydrolysis and dimerization, mediated mainly by the neutral pH condition. The OP of epicatechins also caused salivary composition changes possibly involving health benefits of green tea. These findings could raise awareness of the interactions between epicatechins, or any other food materials, with human mouth.

Effects of the Baking Process on the Chemical Composition, Sensory Quality, and Bioactivity of Tieguanyin Oolong Tea.

Tieguanyin oolong tea (TOT), a semi-oxidized tea originating from Anxi county in China, is categorized into jade TOT, medium-baked TOT, and deep-baked TOT, based on different baking processes. To study the effects of baking, chemical analysis, sensory evaluation, and bioactivity assessments of the three TOTs were conducted. The results indicated that the baking process promoted the formation of colored macromolecules (e.g., theabrownins), which affected the color of tea infusion. Free amino acids underwent the Maillard reaction and generated specific Maillard reaction products, such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural, which modified the taste and aroma. Floral and fresh volatiles were remarkably reduced, while multiple new volatiles were produced, forming a typically baked aroma. The antioxidant activity and antibacterial activity were reduced after baking, which might be associated with the decrease of monomeric catechins. These results provide a scientific basis for understanding the changes caused by the baking process.

Anticoagulant treatment for pulmonary embolism in patient with cerebral hemorrhage secondary to mechanical thrombectomy: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral hemorrhage secondary to cerebral embolism after mechanical thrombectomy is characterized by high morbidity, disability and mortality. If the patient also has severe pulmonary embolism (PE) at the same time, the treatment becomes more complex. This report describes the treatment strategy for a patient with PE and cerebral hemorrhage secondary to cerebral embolism after mechanical thrombectomy. CASE SUMMARY: A 70-year-old woman presented to our emergency department with right-sided hemiplegia and mixed aphasia of 2.5 h duration. She was diagnosed with left cerebral embolism, left internal carotid artery occlusion, PE and left calf intramuscular vein thrombosis. Following mechanical thrombectomy, brain magnetic resonance imaging showed cerebral infarction with basal ganglia hemorrhage. We observed changes in cerebral hemorrhage on serial monitoring of brain computed tomography and adjusted the dose of anticoagulant drugs. After 3 wk of treatment, the patient's neurological and respiratory symptoms significantly improved, and a favorable prognosis was obtained. CONCLUSION: Anticoagulation could be a potential option for PE accompanied by hemorrhagic transformation of an ischemic infarct.

A predictive model for astringency based on in vitro interactions between salivary proteins and (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate.

Astringency is an important quality attribute of green tea infusion, and (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the main contributor to astringency. Turbidity was used to predict the intensity of astringency for EGCG. The interactions between the selected proteins and EGCG, and the impacts of temperature, pH, protein structure, and EGCG concentration were studied. Mucin was selected as the protein in study for the prediction of EGCG astringency intensity. A predictive model (R2 = 0.994) was developed based on the relationship between the astringency of EGCG and the turbidity of EGCG/mucin mixtures at pH 5.0 and 37 °C. The fluorescence quenching analyses showed the interactions between EGCG and the selected proteins, which induced the reversible protein molecule conformational changes. The interactions were considered as the main reason that causes the astringency of tea infusions. The results provided a biochemical approach to explore the sensory qualities of green tea.

Sensory and chemical characteristics of Tieguanyin oolong tea after roasting.

Roasting, a critical process for oolong tea, has been applied to Tieguanyin tea to improve flavor attributes. To investigate the effects of the roasting on the flavor of Tieguanyin, the global metabolomics analysis on the non-volatile and volatile components were proceeded. The weakening of bitterness and astringency, caused by roasting, may be attributed to the decreasing of flavonoids glycosides and procyanidins, whereas the enhancing of sweet aftertaste to the increasing of gallic acid. Besides, l-theanine flavan-3-ols adducts (N-ehtyl-2-pyrrolidinone substituted flavan-3-ols) increased dramatically at 130 °C compared with 105 °C, with the reduction of l-theanine and flavan-3-ols. Meanwhile, high temperature hampered the volatiles' diversity and intensity, resulting from the lowering of floral volatiles, i.e., ß-ionone, jasmine, and nerolidol, yet the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds increased, e.g., pyrroles and pyrazines. The results can help to comprehensively understand the influences of roasting technology on the flavor and chemistry of oolong tea.

Effects of brewing water on the sensory attributes and physicochemical properties of tea infusions.

The effects of brewing water on the sensory attributes and physicochemical properties of tea infusions made from Chinese teas were investigated. The tea infusions brewed in water with higher pH and total dissolved solids (TDS), generally had a darker color and lower overall sensory acceptability. Moreover, those infusions had less catechins, particularly galloylated-catechins, and lower antioxidant capacity. The teas with less fermentation contained more galloylated-catechins and had higher antioxidant capacity, but were much more susceptible to high mineral brewing water. Green tea was proved to be the most susceptible one, whereas dark tea the most stable one. Green tea infusions prepared with higher pH/TDS water were more rapidly oxidized, resulting in a darker color due to polymerization of catechins, when exposed to the air. These findings suggested that low mineral brewing water was better for Chinese tea, both from the sensory and health benefit perspectives.

Chromatin modified protein 4C (CHMP4C) facilitates the malignant development of cervical cancer cells.

Despite improvements in prevention and treatment, cervical cancer (CC) still poses a serious threat to women's health. CHMP4C (chromatin modified protein 4C) is a subunit of the endosomal sorting complex required for transport, which is expressed in both nucleus and cytoplasm. Here, we examined the effect of CHMP4C on the biological behavior of CC cells and the underlying mechanisms. We report that CHMP4C expression is higher in CC tissues, and high CHMP4C expression is associated with lower survival. Up-regulation of CHMP4C in C-33A cells accelerates cell proliferation, migration and invasion, whereas down-regulation of CHMP4C in Ca Ski cells had the opposite effect. Moreover, overexpression of CHMP4C induced activation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway, whereas depletion of CHMP4C inhibited activation. Our results suggest that CHMP4C contributes to the viability and motility of CC cells by modulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition and may facilitate the identification of novel biomarkers for CC therapy.

Combined treatment with acetazolamide and cisplatin enhances the chemosensitivity of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma TU868 cells.

AIMS: To investigate whether combination of acetazolamide and cisplatin can enhance the chemosensitivity of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell line TU868. METHODS: MTT assay was performed to determine the effect of acetazolamide, cisplatin and their combination on the proliferation of TU868 cells. Then the effect of these 2 drugs on the expression of proliferation-related and apoptosis-related proteins was detected by Western blot. Moreover, the effect of acetazolamide and cisplatin on the expression of aquaporin-1 was detected by RT-qPCR. Loss-of-function assays was performed to assess whether the effect of acetazolamide and cisplatin on TU868 cells was mediated by aquaporin-1. The effect of acetazolamide and cisplatin on tumor cell growth was confirmed in mice by testing the tumor growth size. RESULTS: Acetazolamide and cisplatin treatment displayed synergistic effects on the inhibition of TU868 cell growth compared with the drugs used alone. Moreover, the acetazolamide/cisplatin combination could decrease the level of PCNA but increase the level of p53; decrease the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax and increase the expression of caspase-3 compared with the single drug treated group. Moreover, we found that the combination also significantly inhibits aquaporin-1 expression. Loss-of-function assays suggested that the anti-tumor effect of these 2 drugs was achieved via affecting aquaporin-1. Consistent with the in vitro assays, combined treatment with acetazolamide and cisplatin significantly inhibits the tumor growth in mice compared with the single drug treated group. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated that combined treatment with acetazolamide and cisplatin could synergistically inhibit the malignant development of HNSCC cells.

Improving the taste of autumn green tea with tannase.

Green tea processed from autumn leaves is more bitter and astringent than that from spring leaves, mainly due to gallated catechins. The present study aimed to improve the taste of autumn green tea and green tea infusion by using tannase to treat tea leaves and tea infusion. The results showed that, after hydrolysis, the sweet aftertaste and overall acceptability improved, and the ratio of gallated catechins decreased, as did the bitterness and astringency of the autumn green tea. The pH value was significantly correlated with the concentrations of gallated catechins (r = 0.930, p < 0.01), non-gallated catechins (r = -0.893, p < 0.01), and gallic acid (r = 0.915, p < 0.01), as well as with the intensities of bitterness, astringency, and sweet aftertaste during hydrolysis. Gallic acid contributed to the sweet aftertaste of green tea infusion. These results will help to improve autumn green tea products with tannase.

Effects of the Akt inhibitor Src-homology 5 on proliferation and apoptosis of the laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the Akt inhibitor Src-homology 5 (SH-5) on the proliferation and apoptosis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cells (LSCC; Hep-2 cells) and to elucidate the possible mechanisms of such effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hep-2 cells were treated with different concentrations of the Akt inhibitor SH-5. The inhibitory effect of SH-5 on cell proliferation was examined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, whereas apoptosis was detected by flow cytometric based on Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) staining. In addition, the expression level of Akt protein was evaluated by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: MTT assay results revealed that SH-5 inhibited the proliferation of Hep-2 cells, with its greatest effect being observed at 2 µM. Apoptosis of Hep-2 cells increased following treatment with SH-5. Treatment of Hep-2 cells with SH-5 decreased the expression of Akt, and this effect was statistically significantly when compared with that in controls (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: SH-5 inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in the LSCC cell line Hep-2. These effects may be caused by inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-Akt signaling pathway. We believe that our data will provide useful insights into LSCC target treatment and future researchn.

[Study on the current status and influential factors of neglect of left-behind children in rural area of Anhui province].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the status and influential factors of those neglect of left-behind children in rural area, and to provide bases for the development of intervention measures. METHODS: 2917 students were selected as the study subjects from Changfeng county of Anhui province with cluster sampling method and were evaluated by a Parents-Child Conflict Tactics Scales and questionnaire on influential factors. RESULTS: 1694 left-behind children, accounted for 58.1% of the total students, were surveyed in this investigation. The prevalence rates of neglect, among total children, left-behind children, non-left-behind children were 67.4%, 70.2%, 63.5%, respectively. The prevalence of neglect among left-behind children was higher than that among non-left-behind children (χ(2) = 14.322, P < 0.000). There were no significant associations with the neglect rate of left-behind children regarding gender or age differences. Result from multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the neglect among the left-behind children were associated with family dysfunction (OR values of moderate and serious family dysfunctions compared to good family function were 1.628 and 2.341, respectively) and the rate of keeping in touch with parents (OR values of sometimes and seldom keeping in touch compared to regular in touch were 1.299 and 1.844, respectively). The starting age of being left-behind (OR values of starting age that being left-behind from 6 to 10 and ≤ 5 years relative to starting age of left-behind ≥ 11 years were 0.703 and 0.630, respectively) appeared to be the protection factor to the neglect of those left-behind children. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that the status of neglect among the left-behind children was serious. Prevention programs on the issue should target on a number of factors, including the characteristics of the children them-selves, as well as on the family of the children.

[Study on injuries and ways of coping to them among primary and middle school students in one rural area of Anhui province].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the current epidemiological characteristics of injuries among primary and middle school students in one rural area of Anhui province and to explore the relationship between the ways of coping and related injuries. METHODS: Through cluster sampling methods, all students from 3 to 9 grades in 5 primary schools and 3 middle schools in Changfeng county of Anhui province were investigated with questionnaire. All participants completed an anonymous questionnaire concerning their experiences with injuries during the 12 months preceding the survey. The ways of coping to injuries were evaluated by Trait Coping Style Questionnaire. Factors associated with injuries were identified using a negative binomial regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 2917 students, the annual event-based rate of injuries was 17.4 per 100 students. Positive coping score had no significant differences between the injury and non-injury groups (33.98 ± 6.38 vs. 33.66 ± 6.37) (t = 0.979, P = 0.328). The score of negative coping style was higher in injury group than in non-injury group (27.65 ± 7.79 vs. 26.54 ± 7.62) (t = 2.775, P = 0.006). Statistically, the annual injury rates were significantly different in three groups on their negative styles of coping (χ(2) = 6.131, P = 0.013). Data from the multivariable negative binomial regression analysis, after adjusted for demographic characteristics, showed no significant difference on the relationship between positive coping style and injury incidence. Those with moderate negative style of coping had lower risks compared to those with highly negative one (IRR = 0.77, 95%CI: 0.63 - 0.94). CONCLUSION: Negative ways of coping was an important risk factor for injuries. Data from our research suggested that psychological preventive measure need to be taken to improve the style of coping. It was also important to promote the related personality development in planning the strategies for future prevention on injuries.