Laccase-Induced Gelation of Sugar Beet Pectin-Curcumin Nanocomplexes Enhanced by Genipin Crosslinking.

Research on the use of polysaccharides as hydrophobic bioactive carriers instead of proteins is still scarce. Sugar beet pectin (SBP) contains a small amount of protein and is a potential carrier for loading curcumin. In this work, SBP encapsulation, genipin crosslinking, and laccase-induced gelation were used to develop novel jelly food and improve the stability of curcumin without the incorporation of oil. By mixing the SBP solution (40 mg/mL) with curcumin powder (25 mg/mL SBP solution), an SBP-curcumin complex (SBP-Cur) was fabricated with a loading amount of 32 mg/g SBP, and the solubility of curcumin improved 116,000-fold. Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that hydrophobic interactions drove the complexation of curcumin and SBP. Crosslinked by genipin (10 mM), SBP-Cur showed a dark blue color, and the gel strength of laccase-catalyzed gels was enhanced. Heating and UV radiation tests suggested that the genipin crosslinking and gelation strategies substantially improved the stability of curcumin. Because of the unique UV-blocking capacity of blue pigment, crosslinked samples retained 20% more curcumin than control samples. With the enhanced stability of curcumin, the crosslinked SBP-curcumin complexes could be a functional food ingredient used in functional drinks, baked food, and jelly food.

First Hyperpolarizabilities of Intramolecular Charge-Transfer Architectures Based on Acenaphthene Derivatives in Gas, Solution, and Solid States.

Constructing charge transfer (CT) systems and packing arrangement are common and effective methods to control the efficiency of nonlinear optical (NLO) materials. Apart from the traditional through-bond CT (TBCT) systems, through-space CT (TSCT) also leads to distinctive optical and electronic properties. Meanwhile, corresponding theoretical investigations of the aggregation effect are highly desired. In this work, some TSCT and model compounds incorporating acenaphthene as a scaffold and triphenylamine (TPA) as the donor are theoretically performed to systematically reveal the effect of both solvent and solid environments on their static first hyperpolarizabilities (ßtot) by using the polarizable continuum model (PCM) and the combined quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics (QM/MM) method. Results indicate that the dichloromethane solvent effect within the PCM approach causes an almost 2 times increase of the ßtot values. Besides, the different packing modes and intermolecular interactions have remarkable influence on the second-order NLO properties. For the case of TPA-ace-CN in the crystal state, the parallel arrangement will lead to large NLO responses (4.9 × 10-30 esu) compared to the correspondingly isolated molecule (3.4 × 10-30 esu). However, for the TPA-ace-TRZ compound with the TSCT architecture, selection of the molecular arrangement may make the aggregate ineffective due to the offset of the through-space dipole and charge transfer between D-A groups, which lead to the ßtot values decreasing from 15.2 × 10-30 to 7.7 × 10-30 esu. We believe that our calculation will serve as a guide for the exploration of more efficient NLO materials wherein the molecules are oriented in their most favorable arrangements.

[Circumcision versus the foreskin-deglove plus shaft-fix procedure for phimosis or redundant prepuce in obese adult patients].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effects of circumcision and the foreskin-deglove plus shaft-fix (FDSF) procedure in the treatment of phimosis or redundant prepuce in obese adult males (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 28 kg/m²). METHODS: Forty-four obese adult men with phimosis or redundant prepuce underwent circumcision (n = 24) or FDSF (n = 20) according to their own wishes. The patients in the circumcision and FDSF groups were aged (26.38 ± 4.24) and (26.90 ± 3.14) years, with BMIs of (27.77 ± 0.77) and (28.07 ± 2.28) kg/m² and penis lengths of (3.51 ± 0.46) and (3.50 ± 0.59) cm, respectively. The operations were performed under local anesthesia with lidocaine plus ropivacaine mesylate. RESULTS: The operation time of circumcision was (28.04 ± 2.65) min and that of FDSF was (45.45 ± 3.49) min. At 6 months after surgery, normal penile erection was found in all the patients, the penis length was significantly longer in the FDSF than in the circumcision group ([5.01 ± 0.73] vs [3.70 ± 0.47] cm) , and the rate of satisfaction with penile appearance was markedly higher in the former than in the latter group (3.25 ± 0.71 vs 2.83 ± 0.56). CONCLUSION: The foreskin-deglove plus shaft-fix procedure under local anesthesia with lidocaine and ropivacaine mesylate may achieve desirable penile erection and appearance in the treatment of phimosis or redundant prepuce in obese adult patients.