Effect of ultrasound combined with chemical pretreatment as an innovative non-thermal technology on the drying process, quality properties and texture of cherry subjected to radio frequency vacuum drying.

To obtain high-quality cherry products, ultrasound (US) combined with five chemical pretreatment techniques were used on cherry prior to radio frequency vacuum drying (RFV), including carboxymethyl cellulose coating (CMC), cellulase (CE), ethanol (EA), isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO), and potassium carbonate + ethyl oleate (PC + AEEO). The effect of different pretreatments (US-CMC, US-CE, US-EA, US-IMO, US-(PC + AEEO)) on the drying characteristics, quality properties, texture, and sensory evaluation of cherries was evaluated. Results showed that the dehydration time and energy consumption were decreased by 4.17 - 20.83 % and 3.22 - 19.34 %, respectively, and the contents of individual sugars, soluble solid, total phenolics (TPC), natural active substances, total flavonoids (TFC), and antioxidant properties (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP) were significantly increased after US combined with five chemical treatments (P < 0.05). Moreover, the pretreatment played important role in improving texture properties and surface color retention in the dried cherries. According to the sensory evaluation analysis, the dehydrated cherries pretreated with US-CMC exhibited the highest overall acceptance, texture, crispness, color, and sweet taste showed lower off-odor, bitter taste and sour taste compared to control and other pretreatments. The findings indicate that US-CMC pretreatment is a promising technique for increasing physicochemical qualities and dehydration rate of samples, which provides a novel strategy to processing of dried cherry.

Enhancing peach slices radio frequency vacuum drying by combining ultrasound and ultra-high pressure as pretreatments: Effect on drying characteristics, physicochemical quality, texture and sensory evaluation.

To maximally maintain fruits and vegetables quality after harvest, this study used ultrasonic (US) and ultra-high pressure (UHP) techniques as pretreatments for radio frequency vacuum (RFV) drying of peach slices, and investigated the effects of different pretreatments (US, UHP, UHP-US, and US-UHP) on drying characteristics, physicochemical qualities, texture properties, and sensory evaluation of peach slices. Results showed that the drying rate was increased by 15.79 âˆ¼ 54.39 % and the contents of pectin, hemicellulose, total phenolic, total flavonoid, phenolic acids, individual sugar annd antioxidant of the samples were significantly increased after US combined with UHP pretreatment (P < 0.05). US-UHP + RFV dried peach slices obtained brighter color, better texture attributes of hardness, cohesiveness, chewiness, springiness, and resilience. The dehydrated samples pretreated by UHP-US had the best overall acceptance, appearance, and crispness with lower off-odor and sourness compared to the dehydrated peach slices with US and UHP pretreatment. Notably, the highest cellulose and organic acids were found in dehydrated peach slices by control, followed by samples US, and samples with UHP pretreatment. The microstructure showed that the internal organization of peach slices appeared as uniform and regular honeycomb porous structure after US-UHP pretreatment. The findings may provide theoretical reference for the development of energy-efficient and high-quality drying technology for fruits and vegetables.

Identification and validation of a dysregulated TME-related gene signature for predicting prognosis, and immunological properties in bladder cancer.

Background: During tumor growth, tumor cells interact with their tumor microenvironment (TME) resulting in the development of heterogeneous tumors that promote tumor occurrence and progression. Recently, there has been extensive attention on TME as a possible therapeutic target for cancers. However, an accurate TME-related prediction model is urgently needed to aid in the assessment of patients' prognoses and therapeutic value, and to assist in clinical decision-making. As such, this study aimed to develop and validate a new prognostic model based on TME-associated genes for BC patients. Methods: Transcriptome data and clinical information for BC patients were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and IMvigor210 databases, along with the MSigDB, were utilized to identify genes associated with TMEs (TMRGs). A consensus clustering approach was used to identify molecular clusters associated with TMEs. LASSO Cox regression analysis was conducted to establish a prognostic TMRG-related signature, with verifications being successfully conducted internally and externally. Gene ontology (GO), KEGG, and single-sample gene set enrichment analyses (ssGSEA) were performed to investigate the underlying mechanisms. The potential response to ICB therapy was estimated using the Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithm and Immunophenoscore (IPS). Additionally, it was found that the expression level of certain genes in the model was significantly correlated with objective responses to anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 treatment in the IMvigor210, GSE111636, GSE176307, or Truce01 (registration number NCT04730219) cohorts. Finally, real-time PCR validation was performed on 10 paired tissue samples, and in vitro cytological experiments were also conducted on BC cell lines. Results: In BC patients, 133 genes differentially expressed that were associated with prognosis in TME. Consensus clustering analysis revealed three distinct clinicopathological characteristics and survival outcomes. A novel prognostic model based on nine TMRGs (including C3orf62, DPYSL2, GZMA, SERPINB3, RHCG, PTPRR, STMN3, TMPRSS4, COMP) was identified, and a TMEscore for OS prediction was constructed, with its reliable predictive performance in BC patients being validated. MultiCox analysis showed that the risk score was an independent prognostic factor. A nomogram was developed to facilitate the clinical viability of TMEscore. Based on GO and KEGG enrichment analyses, biological processes related to ECM and collagen binding were significantly enriched among high-risk individuals. In addition, the low-risk group, characterized by a higher number of infiltrating CD8+ T cells and a lower burden of tumor mutations, demonstrated a longer survival time. Our study also found that TMEscore correlated with drug susceptibility, immune cell infiltration, and the prediction of immunotherapy efficacy. Lastly, we identified SERPINB3 as significantly promoting BC cells migration and invasion through differential expression validation and in vitro phenotypic experiments. Conclusion: Our study developed a prognostic model based on nine TMRGs that accurately and stably predicted survival, guiding individual treatment for patients with BC, and providing new therapeutic strategies for the disease.

Study on Ultrasonic Far-Infrared Radiation Drying and Quality Characteristics of Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.) under Different Pretreatments.

In order to explore the effects of different pretreatment methods on the ultrasonic far-infrared synergistic drying characteristics and quality of wolfberry, the bioactive components (polysaccharide, total phenol, total flavonoids, and antioxidants), the quality characteristics (rehydration ratio, color, vitamin C content, and betaine content), and the microstructure of the dried products were used as evaluation indices to test wolfberry treated by five different pretreatments (hot blanching; candied pretreatment; NaOH solution treatment; NaCl solution treatment; and Na2CO3 solution treatment). The results showed that hot blanching pretreatment improved the drying rate and shortened the drying time, and that the vitamin C content of dried products pretreated by hot blanching (92.56 mg/100 g) was higher than that of dried products pretreated by other methods. All five pretreatment methods increased the contents of the total phenols, vitamin C, and betaine of wolfberry. Wolfberry treated by candied pretreatment had lower color differences and higher contents of polysaccharide (0.83 g/g), total phenol (9.26 mg/g), and total flavonoids (2.61 mg/g) than wolfberry treated by the other pretreatment methods. Wolfberry pretreated by NaCl solution had the strongest antioxidant capacity (65.01%). Wolfberry pretreated by Na2CO3 solution had the highest betaine content (3.24%). The observation of the microstructure of the dried products revealed that hot blanching caused the most damage to wolfberry, while the candied pretreatment was less destructive to the tissue cells of wolfberry. On the whole, the dried wolfberry products obtained by the candied pretreatment were of a better quality than products obtained by the other pretreatment methods.

Characteristics and Quality Analysis of Radio Frequency-Hot Air Combined Segmented Drying of Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum).

To overcome the problems of a long conventional drying time, low energy efficiency, and poor product quality, a segmented drying approach was developed for fresh wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) using a radio frequency (RF)-hot air drying process, which was investigated under different parameters of plate spacing (80, 90, 100 mm), vacuum degree (0.015, 0.025, 0.035 Mpa), and hot air temperature (50, 55, 60 °C). Analysis of the wolfberry's drying characteristics, comprehensive quality, and microstructure indicated that: combined drying was faster and less time-consuming than natural drying or hot air drying, and components such as polysaccharides, ascorbic acid, and betaine in wolfberries were effectively retained. Based on the acceptable drying rate, stable temperature application, and avoidance of arcing effects, the optimal combined segmented drying parameters were determined to be as follows: a plate spacing of 90 mm, vacuum degree of 0.025 MPa, and air temperature of 55 °C. For the dried wolfberries under these conditions, the total drying time was 17 h and the berries had an improved comprehensive quality, the content of total soluble sugars was 0.62 g/g, total phenol was 10.01 mg/g, total flavonoids was 2.60 mg/g, VC was 3.18 mg/100 g, betaine was 3.48%, oxidation resistance represented by an inhibition rate was 66.14%, color was better, and rehydration rate was 48.56%. The microstructure was more regular because of the special dielectric heating characteristics of RF vacuuming. Despite the differing drying characteristics of individual materials, the overall RF-hot air combined drying process was found to achieve high-quality dehydration of wolfberries.

VRK1 promotes proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric carcinoma cells by activating ß-catenin.

Vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1) is a member of the VRK subfamily belonging to the casein kinase superfamily, and it regulates the proliferation and survival of cells both in normal and malignant tissues. A variety of transcription factors including c-Jun can also be specifically phosphorylated and stimulated by VRK1. However, the regulatory mechanism of VRK1 in gastric carcinoma (GC) remains unclear. This research aimed to determine the function of VRK1 during tumor progression in GC. The mRNA and protein expression of the VRK1 and other genes were evaluated in GC cell lines using real-time RT-PCR and western blotting. Cell proliferation was analyzed using the cell count kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, and cell migration and invasion were monitored by the Transwell assay. The downregulated genes in shVRK1 cells compared with shCtrl were assessed using RNA-seq. The interactions of VRK1 with ß-catenin or c-Jun were detected by co-IP. We found that VRK1 was overexpressed in gastric cancer cells, conversely, knockdown of VRK1 inhibits GC cells' proliferation, migration, and invasion. Moreover, VRK1 might regulate the expression of ß-catenin (CTNNB1) at the transcriptional level by phosphorylating c-Jun, the transcriptional factor of ß-catenin. VRK1 changes the subcellular location and decreases the nuclear aggregation of c-Jun by phosphorylating the Ser243 site. To conclude, VRK1 can affect migration and invasion by regulating the expression of ß-catenin at the transcriptional level in GC cells.

Clinical research on minimally invasive rotary resection in the treatment of lactational breast abscess.

BACKGROUND: This study sought to compare the efficacy of minimally invasive rotatory resection plus catheter drainage and puncture abscess aspiration in the treatment of lactational breast abscess. METHODS: The data of 80 patients with lactational breast abscess at the Department of Mammary Gland, Tianjin Central Hospital of Gynecology Obstetrics, from January 2019 to January 2020 were retrospectively collected. The patients were divided into the minimally invasive group (n=30) and the abscess aspiration group (n=50). Clinical data, including age, parity, preoperative body temperature, postpartum time, time of abscess cavity generation, diameter and position of abscess cavity, intraoperative drainage, bleeding, recovery time, and satisfaction score, were collected and compared between the 2 groups of patients. RESULTS: The baseline data between the 2 groups were not significantly different. The minimally invasive group had a higher single drainage volume and single bleeding volume (P<0.05), and lower cumulative pain score (P<0.05); the cumulative bleeding volume did not differ significantly between the 2 groups (P>0.05). For the abscess cavities with a diameter ≤5 cm, the single drainage volume, single bleeding volume, and single pain score in the minimally invasive group were significantly higher than those in the abscess aspiration group (P<0.05); the total drainage volume was similar between the 2 groups (P>0.05). For the abscess cavities with a diameter >5 cm, the single drainage volume and single bleeding volume in the minimally invasive group were significantly higher than those in the abscess aspiration group (P<0.05), while the cumulative bleeding volume, single pain score, and cumulative pain score were lower in the minimally invasive group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in total drainage between the 2 groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: When the abscess cavity is ≤5 cm in diameter and the abscess is superficial, puncture and abscess aspiration may be more advantageous than the minimally invasive rotatory resection plus catheter drainage. When the abscess cavity is >5 cm in diameter and there are multiple abscesses or deep large abscess, the efficacy of minimally invasive rotary resection plus catheter drainage may be better than the puncture and abscess aspiration.