A review of advancements in chitosan-essential oil composite films: Better and sustainable food preservation with biodegradable packaging.

In response to the environmental pollution caused by non-degradable and non-recyclable plastic packaging films (PPFs) and the resulting health concerns due to the migration of microplastics into food, the development of biodegradable food packaging films has gained great attention. Chitosan has been extensively utilized in the food industry owing to its abundant availability, exceptional biocompatibility, degradability, and antimicrobial properties. Chitosan-essential oil composite films (CEOs) represent a promising avenue to replace conventional PPFs. This review provides an overview of the advancements in CEOs over the past decade, focusing on the effects of essential oils (EOs) on CEOs in terms of antimicrobial activity, antioxidant effect, gas barrier, light barrier, and mechanical properties. It also offers insights into the controlled release of EOs in CEOs and summarizes the application of CEOs in fresh food preservation.

Effectiveness and Safety of Early Versus Routine Switching from Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin to Maintenance Therapy of Rivaroxaban for Acute Iliofemoral Vein Thrombosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The anticoagulation strategy of switching to rivaroxaban after 1 week of initial low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) therapy is recommended by a guideline for the treatment of acute iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis (DVT). However, the initial rivaroxaban dose in the switching strategy, as well as the effectiveness and safety of the early switching (less than 1 week) to rivaroxaban, remain inadequately substantiated. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of early switching from LMWH to maintenance therapy of rivaroxaban (20 mg once daily) for acute iliofemoral DVT. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from patients with acute iliofemoral DVT who received initial LMWH anticoagulation followed by rivaroxaban maintenance therapy. The clinical outcomes were compared between early (LMWH course ≤7 days) and routine (LMWH course >7 days) switching strategies within 3 months of initiating anticoagulation. RESULTS: 217 patients were included, 59 (27.2%) receiving early switching and 158 (72.8%) receiving routine switching. Compared with routine switching, patients with early switching had a significantly shorter hospital stay (7 days vs. 14 days, P < 0.001). The length of hospital stay was significantly positively correlated with the duration of LMWH (r = 0.762, P < 0.001). The incidences of recurrent venous thromboembolism (5.1% vs. 2.5%, P = 0.606), major bleeding (0% vs. 1.9%, P = 0.564), clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding (1.7% vs. 2.5%, P = 1.000) and all-cause mortality (6.8% vs. 2.5%, P = 0.283) were not statistically different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Direct early switching from LMWH to maintenance therapy of rivaroxaban is effective and safe for acute iliofemoral DVT.

Chitosan-wampee seed essential oil composite film combined with cold plasma for refrigerated storage with modified atmosphere packaging: A promising technology for quality preservation of golden pompano fillets.

The effect of chitosan-wampee seed essential oil (WSEO) composite film coating before cold plasma (CP) treatment on the quality preservation of golden pompano fillets during refrigerated storage was investigated and compared with that of chitosan and CP alone. The results indicated that the chitosan-WSEO composite film coating before CP treatment and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), referred to as CPCW-M, exhibited the lowest total bacterial count, total volatile base nitrogen, and peroxide and thiobarbituric acid values of 4.03 log culture-forming units (CFU)/g, 13.45 mg/100 g, 24.65 meq/kg, and 1428.4 µg MDAeq/kg, respectively. Simultaneously, it contributed to the most profound inhibition of the lipid hydrolase, lipoxygenase, thus effectively preventing the oxidative deterioration of unsaturated fatty acids. Moreover, minimal color changes, drip loss, and texture deterioration of the fillets were observed. Therefore, the edible chitosan-WSEO composite film, together with CP and MAP, was effective in preserving golden pompano fillets and extending shelf life throughout the refrigerated storage period.

Effect of combined ultrasonic and enzymatic extraction technique on the quality of noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) juice.

In order to obtain noni juice with high yield and good quality, the effect of combined extraction technique of enzymatic treatment (EZ) and ultrasonication (US) on the overall quality of noni juice was investigated. Moreover, the extraction performance of the EZ-US combined extraction technique was compared with that of EZ-based extraction and the US-based extraction. Response surface methodology (RSM) was designed to optimize the parameters of ultrasonic treatment, by taking consideration of the extraction efficiency, quality parameters and bioactive ingredients of noni juice. The results indicated that combined ultrasonic and enzymatic treatment achieved a synergistic effect on promoting the quality of noni juice. The maximum juice yield of 67.95 % was obtained under ultrasonication for 10 min at 600 W after enzymatic treatment (EZU). In addition, EZU-treated juice exhibited the highest contents of total phenolic and flavonoid, which were 148.19 ± 2.53 mg gallic acid/100 mL and 47.19 ± 1.22 mg rutin/100 mL, respectively, thus contributing to better antioxidant activity. Moreover, the EZU treatment significantly reduced the particle size of noni juice, and improved its suspension stability and rheological properties. FTIR results indicated that the treatments did not bring major changes in the chemical structure and the functional groups of compounds in noni juice. Therefore, EZU treatment can be successfully applied to the extraction of noni juice with better nutritional properties and overall quality.

Bisphenol A induces apoptosis in response to DNA damage through c-Abl/YAPY357/ p73 pathway in P19 embryonal carcinoma stem cells.

Bisphenol A (2,2-bis(4'-hydroxyphenyl) propane, BPA) is a well-known endocrine-disrupting compound that is widely used in various daily products and exhibits embryonic development toxicity and genotoxicity. However, the affected signaling pathways involved in embryonic development especially the interactions of involved proteins remain unclear. In our previous study (Ge et al., 2021), BPA induces DNA damage and apoptosis in Xenopus embryos, resulting in multiple malformations of larvae. However, the signaling pathways induced for apoptosis response to DNA damage are still not well elucidated. Here, we systematically elucidated the enriched pathways affected by BPA and illustrated the interactions of involved proteins. Results indicated that BPA affected multiple embryonic development pathways including Hippo, TGF-ß, Wnt, and Notch pathways. Furthermore, the protein-protein interaction network suggested that the c-Abl/YAPY357/p73 pathway may play a key role in apoptosis induction in response to DNA damage. P19 embryonal carcinoma stem cells, as a developmental toxicity model, were treated with different BPA concentrations to establish an in vitro model to verify the role of the c-Abl/YAPY357/p73 pathway in apoptosis. BPA triggered DNA damage and significantly upregulated the expression levels of c-Abl, phosphorylated YAPY357, phosphorylated p73Y99, and cleaved caspase-3 protein (p < 0.05), thus decreasing cell viability and transcriptionally activating the p73 target genes Bax and Puma. These data suggested that BPA activated the c-Abl/YAPY357/p73 pathway in response to DNA damage. Imatinib, an inhibitor of tyrosine kinase c-Abl, significantly downregulated the elevated expression levels of p-YAPY357, p-p73Y99 and cleaved caspase-3 (p < 0.05) caused by BPA and then ameliorated the cell index of P19 cells in the BPA-treated group. Therefore, this substance restrained the phosphokinase activity of c-Abl and suppressed the c-Abl/YAPY357/p73 pathway. Results showed that the c-Abl/YAPY357/p73 pathway served as a mechanism for caspase-3 activation that induced the apoptosis response to DNA damage stress.

Health Care Costs and Treatment Patterns Associated with Uterine Fibroids and Heavy Menstrual Bleeding: A Claims Analysis.

Background: Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is one of the most common distressing complications of uterine fibroids (UF); however, data on the health care costs for treatments in women experiencing HMB associated with UF are lacking. The objective of this study was to compare the direct costs and treatments patterns for women diagnosed with UF+HMB, UF only, and HMB only in the United States. Materials and Methods: The study design was retrospective matched cohort study using claims data. Women, aged 18-51 years, comprising four cohorts (HMB only, UF only, UF+HMB, and controls) were identified in the IBM MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters Database (October 1, 2007‒September 30, 2018) and matched by demographics and Charlson Comorbidity Index score. Baseline characteristics and treatments during the 12 months post-diagnosis were summarized descriptively. Costs (2018 U.S. dollars) during the post-diagnosis year were compared using analysis of variance. Results: Before matching, women with UF+HMB represented 54% of UF cases. Following diagnosis, 32% in the matched UF+HMB cohort had no treatment, 49% underwent surgeries/procedures with (12%) or without (37%) medications, and 18% received medications only. The mean all-cause total costs for UF+HMB ($16,762) exceeded that for UF only by 24% ($13,506) and HMB only by 50% ($11,135), and almost tripled the mean cost for the control cohort ($6,691) (all, p < 0.001). The mean diagnosis-related costs were significantly higher for UF+HMB ($8,741) than for UF only ($4,550) and HMB only ($3,081) (all, p < 0.0001). Surgery/procedure costs comprised 80% of diagnosis-related medical costs for UF+HMB. Conclusions: UF with HMB were associated with significant economic burden, driven primarily by surgical/procedural costs and treatment patterns.

Gene polymorphisms and expression levels of interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 in lumbar disc disease: a meta-analysis and immunohistochemical study.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the association between interleukin-6 (IL-6) (rs1800795, rs1800796, rs1800797, rs13306435, rs2069849) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) (rs1800871, rs1800896) gene polymorphisms, expression levels, and lumbar disc disease (LDD). METHODS: We conducted a literature research on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) until February 28, 2019. We included all case-control studies about the association between IL-6 and IL-10 gene polymorphisms and LDD. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to estimate the strength of association. Statistical analysis was conducted by Review Manager (RevMan) 5.3 software. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and RT-PCR were performed to evaluate IL-6 and IL-10 expressions in the normal and degenerated disc. RESULTS: A total of 6 studies, involving 1456 cases and 1611 controls, were included in this meta-analysis. G alleles of rs1800795 and rs1800797 in the IL-6 gene were significantly associated with LDD (rs1800795: G vs. C, OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.16-1.64, P = 0.0002; rs1800797: G vs. A, OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.14-1.61, P = 0.0006). Begg's funnel plot and Egger's tests did not show any evidence of publication bias. IL-6 expression and IL-6 mRNA levels were significantly increased in the degenerated disc compared with those in the normal disc (IL-6 immunopositive cells, 73.68 ± 10.99% vs. 37.23 ± 6.42%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: IL-6 gene polymorphisms (rs1800795 and rs1800797) were significantly associated with susceptibility to LDD. A high expression level of IL-6 may be an important risk factor for LDD.

Adherence to thyroid hormone replacement therapy: a retrospective, claims database analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this analysis was to compare adherence at 6 months and 12 months across levothyroxine formulations for patients with hypothyroidism. METHODS: This retrospective analysis utilized insurance claims data from a commercially insured population from January 1, 2000 through March 31, 2016. Patients were included if they were diagnosed with hypothyroidism and initiated treatment with generic levothyroxine, Levoxyl, Synthroid, Unithroid, or Tirosint. Patients were excluded if they were younger than age 18, were diagnosed with thyroid cancer, received a prescription for liothyronine, or did not have continuous insurance coverage over the study period. Adherence, defined by the proportion of days covered (PDC) ≥ 80%, was examined using multivariable analyses for both 6 and 12 months post-initiation on therapy Results: The study identified 580,331 patients who fit the study criteria. At 6 months, 40.3% of patients were found to be non-adherent, while 51.9% were non-adherent at 12 months. Synthroid was associated with significantly higher adherence compared to all other levothyroxine formulations at both 6 and 12 months. Compared to generic levothyroxine, the likelihood of being adherent at 12 months was highest for Synthroid (OR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.43-1.46), followed by Levoxyl (OR = 1.20 95% CI = 1.17-1.23). Tirosint and Unithroid were associated with significantly lower adherence at 12 months compared to generic levothyroxine (OR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.57-0.75 and OR = 0.79; 95% CI = 0.71-0.89, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This large, retrospective real-world study demonstrated that adherence to levothyroxine remains a concern among patients with hypothyroidism, and that differences in adherence may exist across levothyroxine formulations.

Collagen IX gene polymorphisms and lumbar disc degeneration: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of studies have investigated associations between collagen IX alpha 2 chain (COL9A2) and collagen IX alpha 3 chain (COL9A3) gene polymorphisms and the risk of lumbar disc degeneration (LDD). However, these studies have yielded contradictory results. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to investigate the association between the collagen IX gene polymorphisms (rs12077871, rs12722877, rs7533552 in COL9A2; rs61734651 in COL9A3) and LDD. METHODS: All relevant articles were collected from PubMed, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The last electronic search was performed on September 1, 2017. The allele/genotype frequencies were extracted from each study. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the strength of associations under the five comparison genetic models. Statistical analysis was performed by Review Manager (RevMan) 5.31 software. RESULTS: The meta-analysis of 10 case-control studies, including 2102 LDD cases and 2507 controls, indicated that COL9A2 gene (rs12077871, rs12722877, rs7533552) and COL9A3 gene (rs61734651) polymorphisms were not associated with LDD (rs12077871: T vs. C, OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 0.87-3.91, P = 0.11; rs12722877: G vs. C, OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.69-1.01, P = 0.06; rs7533552: G vs. A, OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 0.98-1.25, P = 0.09; rs61734651: T vs. C, OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 0.51-4.84, P = 0.43). The Egger text and the Begg funnel plot did not show any evidence of publication bias. CONCLUSION: rs12077871, rs12722877, and rs7533552 variants in COL9A2 and rs61734651 variant in COL9A3 were not significantly associated with a predisposition to LDD. Large-scale and well-designed studies are needed to confirm this conclusion.

Gas-fragmentation study of the novel synthetic zwitterionic drug 3-methyl-9-(2-oxa-2lambda5-2H-1,3,2-oxazaphosphorine-2-cyclohexyl)-3,6,9-triazaspiro[5,5]undecane chloride (SLXM-2) by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

The zwitterionic drug 3-methyl-9-(2-oxa-2lambda5-2H-1,3,2-oxazaphosphorine-2-cyclohexyl)-3,6,9-triazaspiro[5,5]undecane chloride (SLXM-2) is a novel synthetic compound which has shown anticancer activity and low toxicity in vivo. In this study, the various gas-phase fragmentation routes were analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (positive ion mode) in conjunction with tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS(n)) for the first time. In ESI-MS the fragment ion at m/z 289 (base peak) was formed by loss of the chlorine anion from the zwitterionic precursor SLXM-2. The fragment ion at m/z 232 was formed from the ion at m/z 289 by loss of 1-methylaziridine. The detailed gas-phase collision-induced dissociation (CID) fragmentation mechanisms obtained from the various precursor ions extracted from the zwitterionic SLXM-2 drug was obtained by tandem mass spectrometry analyses.