An efficient approach for identifying important biomarkers for biomedical diagnosis.

In this paper, we explore the challenges associated with biomarker identification for diagnosis purpose in biomedical experiments, and propose a novel approach to handle the above challenging scenario via the generalization of the Dantzig selector. To improve the efficiency of the regularization method, we introduce a transformation from an inherent nonlinear programming due to its nonlinear link function into a linear programming framework under a reasonable assumption on the logistic probability range. We illustrate the use of our method on an experiment with binary response, showing superior performance on biomarker identification studies when compared to their conventional analysis. Our proposed method does not merely serve as a variable/biomarker selection tool, its ranking of variable importance provides valuable reference information for practitioners to reach informed decisions regarding the prioritization of factors for further investigations.

Microplastics exacerbate co-occurrence and horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes.

Microplastic pollution is a rising environmental issue worldwide. Microplastics can provide a niche for the microbiome, especially for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which could increase the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, the interactions between microplastics and ARGs are still indistinct in environmental settings. Microplastics were found to be significantly correlated with ARGs (p < 0.001), based on the analysis of samples taken from a chicken farm and its surrounding farmlands. Analysis of chicken feces revealed the highest abundance of microplastics (14.9 items/g) and ARGs (6.24 ×108 copies/g), suggesting that chicken farms could be the hotspot for the co-spread of microplastics and ARGs. Conjugative transfer experiments were performed to investigate the effects of microplastic exposure for different concentrations and sizes on the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of ARGs between bacteria. Results showed that the microplastics significantly enhanced the bacterial conjugative transfer frequency by 1.4-1.7 folds indicating that microplastics could aggravate ARG dissemination in the environment. Potential mechanisms related to the up-regulation of rpoS, ompA, ompC, ompF, trbBp, traF, trfAp, traJ, and down-regulation of korA, korB, and trbA were induced by microplastics. These findings highlighted the co-occurrence of microplastics and ARGs in the agricultural environment and the exacerbation of ARGs' prevalence via rising the HGT derived from microplastics.

Effect of high pressure pretreatment on myrosinase-glucosinolate system, physicochemical and bacterial properties during fermentation of brine-pickled radishes.

The myrosinase-glucosinolate system, physicochemical properties, and bacterial community were profiled during fermentation of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) pretreated brine-pickled radishes; traditionally brine-pickled radishes were utilised as the control. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that 300 MPa pretreatment promoted brine infiltration in radish cells and damaged cellular microstructures, which activated the myrosinase-glucosinolate system. The conversion of glucosinolate (GLs) to isothiocyanates (ITC) increased and significantly enhanced the raphasatin and sulforaphene contents of pickled radish. However, 600 MPa pretreatment suppressed myrosinase activity. HHP pretreatment altered the natural radish bacterial communities by reducing the total bacterial and lactic acid bacteria counts. Lactobacillus spp. became the dominant bacterial genus within 15 d of fermentation. However, the destruction of cellular structures by HHP pretreatment also significantly decreased hardness and caused the dissolution of amino acids and TTA into brine. This caused reduced amino acid and TTA contents compared to the control group, as well as decreases in pH. HHP pretreatment suppressed the growth of spoilage bacteria (e.g. Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, and Shewanella genera). This study provides new insight into the potential applications of HHP treatment in pickling, as it demonstrates that HHP can increase the ITC conversion rate of pickled radish, modify its physiochemical characteristics, and decrease microbial risk. Therefore, HHP is a promising preprocessing technique to be used for pickle manufacturing industry.

Effects of high-pressure processing on the physicochemical properties and glycemic index of fruit puree in a hyperglycemia mouse model.

BACKGROUND: In this study, the duration of high-pressure processing (HPP) required to achieve a 5 log reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in fruit purees was evaluated. Banana, cantaloupe, and dragon fruit purees were subjected to HPP at 600 MPa for 300, 270, and 270 s, respectively, and their physicochemical properties and enzyme activities were then analysed. Diabetic mice were fed fresh and HPP-treated purees to observe their effects on the glycemic index (GI) and postprandial blood glucose response. RESULTS: Compared with their fresh counterparts, the HPP-treated banana and dragon fruit purees exhibited significantly higher viscosities, lower glucose concentrations, and higher glucose dialysis retardation indices and showed disrupted sucrose invertase and polygalacturonase activities. The GI and postprandial blood glucose response were not significantly different between the fresh and HPP-treated cantaloupe purees. By contrast, the peak time of glucose response (Tmax ) was delayed from 30 min to 60 min, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was reduced by 40% in the mice fed HPP-treated banana and dragon fruit purees. The GIs of the HPP-treated banana and dragon fruit purees (were 50.3 and 44.8, respectively) were significantly lower than those of their fresh counterparts (85.1 and 75.2, respectively). CONCLUSION: HPP can change the physicochemical properties of fruit purees, resulting in stabilized blood glucose levels and lower GIs after consumption. Therefore, purees processed in this manner would benefit consumers and patients with diabetes/pre-diabetes who need to maintain stable blood glucose levels (Fig. S1). © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

High hydrostatic pressure treatment induced microstructure changes and isothiocyanates biosynthesis in kale.

Effects of high-pressure processing (HPP) on the myrosinase activity, glucosinolate (GLS) content, isothiocyanate (ITC) conversion rate, color, and bacterial count of kale leaves were investigated. Thermal process at 100 °C were used as negative control groups. The sample processed at 600 MPa exhibited the highest myrosinase activity and ITC conversion rate of 70.4%, while the GLS content was significantly lower than those in the raw and the thermally processed samples. However, processing of the samples at elevated temperatures results in gradual loss of myrosinase activity. SEM images showed that HPP induces irregular crushing damage to the veins, edges, and surfaces of the leaves, thereby promoting the conversion process in the myrosinase-GLS-ITC system. Additionally, HPP caused less significant color change of the kale leaves than thermal treatment. HPP achieved the same level of pasteurization as thermal treatment in terms of bacterial count.

Involvement of hypothalamic PI3K-STAT3 signalling in regulating appetite suppression mediated by amphetamine.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Appetite suppression induced by amphetamine has been attributed to its inhibition of neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurons and activation of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the hypothalamus. This study examined whether STAT3 was involved in these actions of amphetamine. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Rats were given amphetamine daily for 4 days. Changes in the expression of NPY, POMC, melanocortin MC3 receptors, PI3K and STAT3 in the hypothalamus were assessed by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Antisense oligonucleotides to STAT3 were also used. KEY RESULTS: Expression of NPY decreased with a maximum effect day 2 of amphetamine treatment. Expression of POMC, MC3 receptors, PI3K and STAT3 increased with a maximum response on day 2. Moreover, phosphorylation of STAT3 and its DNA binding activity increased and was expressed in a similar pattern. Infusion (i.c.v.) of STAT3 antisense at 60 min before amphetamine treatment, partly blocked amphetamine-induced anorexia and modulated expression of NPY, POMC, MC3 receptors and PI3K, indicating the involvement of STAT3 in amphetamine-treated rats. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Hypothalamic PI3K-STAT3 signalling participated in the regulation of NPY- and POMC-mediated appetite suppression. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of anorectic drugs.

The grainyhead-like 2 gene (GRHL2) single nucleotide polymorphism is not associated with age-related hearing impairment in Han Chinese.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The grainyhead-like 2 gene (GRHL2) was found to be associated with age-related hearing impairment (ARHI) in Europeans. We tested whether the same association exists in the Han Chinese population. STUDY DESIGN: Individual cohort study. METHODS: Among a total of 1,175 Han Chinese volunteers, 310 were classified into the case group (the 26% with poorest hearing), and 308 were placed into the control group (the 26% with best hearing) according to the Zhigh scores converted from the original frequency-specific hearing thresholds. The GRHL2 single nucleotide polymorphism locus (rs10955255: A/G) in intron 1 (coordinate: 102605581) shown in the HapMap was genotyped with correlation to the audiologic phenotypes. RESULTS: The genotype distributions of GRHL2 (AA/AG/GG) were not significantly different between the control and the case groups (P = .349). Compared to genotype AA, the odds ratios of the GRHL2 genotypes AG and GG for ARHI were not significantly different after adjustment for other environmental risk factors by logistic regression analyses; 0.78 ± 0.139, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.55-1.10, P = .160 for AG; 0.85 ± 0.283, 95% CI = 0.44-1.63, P = .625 for GG. In each audiogram pattern, AA was most common, but the adjusted odds ratios of the genotypes AG and GG for ARHI still were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed no positive association between GRHL2 polymorphisms and ARHI in Han Chinese individuals. Population differences might be a key factor leading to nonreplication of the association.