Understanding the nutritional benefits through plant proteins-probiotics interactions: mechanisms, challenges, and perspectives.

The nutritional benefits of combining probiotics with plant proteins have sparked increasing research interest and drawn significant attention. The interactions between plant proteins and probiotics demonstrate substantial potential for enhancing the functionality of plant proteins. Fermented plant protein foods offer a unique blend of bioactive components and beneficial microorganisms that can enhance gut health and combat chronic diseases. Utilizing various probiotic strains and plant protein sources opens doors to develop innovative probiotic products with enhanced functionalities. Nonetheless, the mechanisms and synergistic effects of these interactions remain not fully understood. This review aims to delve into the roles of promoting health through the intricate interplay of plant proteins and probiotics. The regulatory mechanisms have been elucidated to showcase the synergistic effects, accompanied by a discussion on the challenges and future research prospects. It is essential to recognize that the interactions between plant proteins and probiotics encompass multiple mechanisms, highlighting the need for further research to address challenges in achieving a comprehensive understanding of these mechanisms and their associated health benefits.

High-Precision Fiber Noise Detection and Comparison over a 260 km Field Fiber Link.

In this paper, we present a high-precision optical frequency noise detection and comparison technique using a two-way transfer method over a 260 km field fiber link. This method allows for the comparison of optical frequencies between remote optical references without the need for data transfer through communication. We extend a previously established two-way comparison technique to obtain all data at the local site. Two optical carrier signals are injected into the bidirectional fiber from both ends, and one carrier is reflected back from the remote end. This enables the phase comparison of the two carrier signals at a single site without the need to transmit experimental data. The common-mode frequency noise induced by the bidirectional fiber link is detected and effectively suppressed without the need for sophisticated active fiber noise control. Our demonstration system, which uses a 260 km field fiber link and a common laser source, achieves a fractional instability of 2.5×10-17 at 1 s averaging time and scales down to 3.5×10-21 at 8000 s. This scheme offers the distinct advantage of completing the comparison at a single site, eliminating the need for remote data transfer via communication. This method is expected to enhance reliability for high-precision frequency comparisons between remote optical clocks and advanced atomic clocks.

Implementation of field two-way quantum synchronization of distant clocks across a 7†km deployed fiber link.

The two-way quantum clock synchronization has been shown to provide femtosecond-level synchronization capability and security against symmetric delay attacks, thus becoming a prospective method to compare and synchronize distant clocks with enhanced precision and safety. In this letter, a field test of two-way quantum synchronization between a H-maser and a Rb clock linked by a 7 km-long deployed fiber is implemented by using time-energy entangled photon-pair sources. Limited by the intrinsic frequency stability of the Rb clock, the achieved time stability at 30 s is measured as 32 ps. By applying a fiber-optic microwave frequency transfer technology to build frequency syntonization between the separated clocks, the limit set by the intrinsic frequency stability of the Rb clock is overcome. A significantly improved time stability of 1.9 ps at 30 s is achieved, which is mainly restrained by the low number of acquired photon pairs due to the low sampling rate of the utilized coincidence measurement system. Such implementation demonstrates the high practicability of the two-way quantum clock synchronization method for promoting field applications.

Widely flexible and finely adjustable nonlocal dispersion cancellation with wavelength tuning.

In fiber-based quantum information processing with energy-time entangled photon pairs, optimized dispersion compensation is vital to preserve the strong temporal correlation of the photon pairs. We propose and experimentally verify that, by simply tuning the wavelength of the entangled photon pairs, nonlocal dispersion cancellation (NDC) can provide a widely flexible and finely adjustable solution for optimizing the dispersion compensation, which cannot be reached with the traditional local dispersion cancellation (LDC) instead. By way of example, when a 50 km-long single-mode fiber (SMF) is dispersion compensated by a 6.2-km-long commercial dispersion compensating fiber (DCF) based on the LDC configuration, it will lead to an almost invariant over-compensation in the wavelength range of 1500-1600 nm which restricts the observed temporal coincidence width of the self-developed energy-time entangled photon-pairs source to a minimum of ∼110 ps. While in the NDC configuration, the dispersion compensation can be readily optimized by tuning the signal wavelength to 1565.7 nm and a minimum coincidence width of 86.1 ± 0.7 ps is observed, which is mainly limited by the jitter of the single-photon detection system. Furthermore, such optimized dispersion compensation can also be achieved as the fiber length varies from 48 km to 60 km demonstrating the wide flexibility of NDC. Thanks to these capabilities, elaborate dispersion compensation modules are no longer required, which makes NDC a more versatile tool in fiber-based quantum information and metrology applications.

Pulsed vapor cell atomic clock with a differential Faraday rotation angle detection.

Laser intensity noise is one of the main limiting factors in pulsed vapor cell clocks. To reduce the contribution of the laser intensity noise to detection signal in the pulsed optically pumped atomic clock, a scheme based on the differential Faraday rotation angle is proposed. Theoretically, the Ramsey fringes, the sensitivity of clock frequency to laser intensity fluctuation and the signal to noise ratio for absorption, differential, and Faraday rotation angle methods are calculated and compared. Using a Wollaston prism rotated 45°relative to the incident polarization, and two photodetectors, Ramsey fringes of three detection methods are obtained simultaneously. In the proposed scheme, the long-term Faraday rotation angle fluctuation is 0.66% at 30000s, which is much smaller than fluctuation of traditional absorption signal 3.9% at 30000s. And the contribution of laser intensity noise to clock instability is also reduced. Using optimized photodetector with high common mode rejection ratio, a better performance should be expected. This proposed scheme is attractive for the development of high performance vapor clock based on pulsed optically pumped.

EGFR mutation mediates resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors in NSCLC: From molecular mechanisms to clinical research.

With the development of precision medicine, molecular targeted therapy has been widely used in the field of cancer, especially in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a well-recognized and effective target for NSCLC therapies, targeted EGFR therapy with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) has achieved ideal clinical efficacy in recent years. Unfortunately, resistance to EGFR-TKIs inevitably occurs due to various mechanisms after a period of therapy. EGFR mutations, such as T790M and C797S, are the most common mechanism of EGFR-TKI resistance. Here, we discuss the mechanisms of EGFR-TKIs resistance induced by secondary EGFR mutations, highlight the development of targeted drugs to overcome EGFR mutation-mediated resistance, and predict the promising directions for development of novel candidates.

The Application of Low-Frequency Transition in the Assessment of the Second-Order Zeeman Frequency Shift.

Second-order Zeeman frequency shift is one of the major systematic factors affecting the frequency uncertainty performance of cesium atomic fountain clock. Second-order Zeeman frequency shift is calculated by experimentally measuring the central frequency of the (1,1) or (-1,-1) magnetically sensitive Ramsey transition. The low-frequency transition method can be used to measure the magnetic field strength and to predict the central fringe of (1,1) or (-1,-1) magnetically sensitive Ramsey transition. In this paper, we deduce the formula for magnetic field measurement using the low-frequency transition method and measured the magnetic field distribution of 4 cm inside the Ramsey cavity and 32 cm along the flight region experimentally. The result shows that the magnetic field fluctuation is less than 1 nT. The influence of low-frequency pulse signal duration on the accuracy of magnetic field measurement is studied and the optimal low-frequency pulse signal duration is determined. The central fringe of (-1,-1) magnetically sensitive Ramsey transition can be predicted by using a numerical integrating of the magnetic field "map". Comparing the predicted central fringe with that identified by Ramsey method, the frequency difference between these two is, at most, a fringe width of 0.3. We apply the experimentally measured central frequency of the (-1,-1) Ramsey transition to the Breit-Rabi formula, and the second-order Zeeman frequency shift is calculated as 131.03 × 10-15, with the uncertainty of 0.10 × 10-15.

Quantification of nonlocal dispersion cancellation for finite frequency entanglement.

Benefiting from the unique quantum feature of nonlocal dispersion cancellation (NDC), the strong temporal correlation of frequency-entangled photon pair source can be maintained from the unavoidable dispersive propagation. It has thus played a major role in many fiber-based quantum information applications. However, the limit of NDC due to finite frequency entanglement has not been quantified. In this study, we provide a full theoretical analysis of the NDC characteristics for the photon pairs with finite frequency entanglement. Experimental examinations were conducted by using two spontaneous parametric down-conversion photon pair sources with frequency correlation and anticorrelation properties. The excellent agreement demonstrates the fundamental limit on the minimum temporal correlation width by the nonzero two-photon spectral correlation width of the paired photons, which introduces an inevitable broadening by interaction with the dispersion in the signal path. This study provides an easily accessible tool for assessing and optimizing the NDC in various quantum information applications.

Inherent resolution limit on nonlocal wavelength-to-time mapping with entangled photon pairs.

Nonlocal wavelength-to-time mapping between frequency-entangled photon pairs generated with the process of spontaneous parametric down-conversion is theoretically analyzed and experimentally demonstrated. The spectral filtering pattern experienced by one photon in the photon pair will be non-locally mapped into the time domain when the other photon propagates inside a dispersion-compensation fiber with large group velocity dispersion. Our work, for the first time, points out that the spectral bandwidth of the pump laser will become the dominated factor preventing the improvement of the spectral resolution when the involved group velocity dispersion is large enough, which provides an excellent tool for characterizing the resolution of a nonlocal wavelength-to-time mapping for further quantum information applications.

Hybrid frequency-time spectrograph for the spectral measurement of the two-photon state.

In this Letter, a hybrid frequency-time spectrograph combining a tunable optical filter and a dispersive element is presented for measurement of the spectral properties of the two-photon state. In comparison with the previous single-photon spectrograph utilizing the dispersive Fourier transformation (DFT) technique, this method is advanced since it avoids the need for additional wavelength calibration and the electronic laser trigger for coincidence measurement; therefore, its application is extended to continuous wave (CW) pumped two-photon sources. The achievable precision of the spectrum measurement has also been discussed in theory and demonstrated experimentally with a CW pumped periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide-based spontaneous parametric down-conversion photon source. Such a device is expected to be a versatile tool for the characterization of the frequency entangled two-photon state.

Simulation and realization of a second-order quantum-interference-based quantum clock synchronization at the femtosecond level.

Quantum clock synchronization schemes utilizing frequency-entangled pulses have flourished for their potentially superior precision to the classical protocols. In this Letter, a new experimental record based on the second-order quantum interference algorithm is reported, to the best of our knowledge. The synchronization accuracy between two parties separated by a 6 km fiber coiling link, which is evaluated by the time offset shift relative to that with the fibers removed, has been measured to be 13±1 ps. The stability in terms of time deviation (TDEV) of 0.81 ps at an averaging time of 100 s has been achieved. The long-term synchronization stability is seen determined by the measurement device, and a minimum stability of 60 fs has been reached at 25,600 s. Furthermore, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, we quantify the performance of this quantum synchronization scheme, and very good agreements with the experimental results have been achieved. According to the quantum simulation, further improvements for both the synchronizing stability and accuracy can be expected.

Enhancement of organic pollutants bio-decontamination from aqueous solution using newly-designed Pseudomonas putida-GA/MIL-100(Fe) bio-nanocomposites.

As a natural adsorption material, graphene has become a hot research topic in water treatment due to its unique framework, large surface area, low cost, and simple preparation. Here, a series of composite material aerogels (GA/MIL-100(Fe)) consisting of Fe metal-organic frameworks (MIL-100 (Fe)) and graphene-based aerogel (GA) were prepared through a hydrothermal and step-by-step strategy and used for the adsorption of an azo dye in wastewater, scilicet acid orange 10 (AO10). The adsorption equilibrium of AO10 solutions with concentrations of 50 and 100 mg/L was reached within 45 min but the dye could not be fully removed. Besides, the synthesized composite material (GA/MIL-100(Fe)) was a good carrier for immobilized Pseudomonas putida cells due to its good biocompatibility and non-toxicity. A new, environmentally friendly adsorption and biodegradation process has been exploited here, which was to immobilize bacterial cells to the surface of GA/MIL-100(Fe) by a covalent bonding method to form a novel biocomposite material. The material could be used to completely remove AO10 dyes in 14 and 26 h from solutions with initial AO10 concentrations of 50 and 100 mg/L, respectively. This way of combining biological and physical adsorption has a higher processing efficiency and shows huge potential for the treatment of industrial wastewater.

The Neuroprotective Role of MiR-124-3p in a 6-Hydroxydopamine-Induced Cell Model of Parkinson's Disease via the Regulation of ANAX5.

Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain. Several pathogenetic factors have been involved in the onset and progression of PD, including inflammation, oxidative stress, unfolded protein accumulation, and apoptosis. Ample evidence indicates that miRNAs could regulate post-transcriptional gene expression and neuronal disease. In this study, we evaluated the effects and mechanism of miR-124-3p on 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells and SH-SY5Y cells. qRT-PCR results showed that the level of miR-124-3p was downregulated in 6-OHDA-treated PC12 and SH-SY5Y cells, and overexpression of miR-124-3p significantly promoted the cell viability of 6-OHDA-treated PC12 and SH-SY5Y cells, whereas miR-124-3p inhibitor reversed these effects. In addition, PC12 or SH-SY5Y cells were treated with miR-124-3p mimics or inhibitors following 6-OHDA administration, which mediated cell apoptosis and downregulation or upregulation of Caspase-3 activity, respectively. A luciferase reporter assay revealed that annexinA5 (ANXA5) is a direct target gene of miR-124-3p, and miR-124-3p overexpression markedly downregulated the level of ANXA5. Strikingly, further analysis showed that miR-124-3p enhanced the viability of 6-OHDA-treated PC12 or SH-SY5Y cells by targeting ANXA5, which was associated with the stimulation of the ERK pathway. This study revealed that miR-124-3p may play a neuroprotective role in PD; this observation may provide new ideas and therapeutic targets for PD. J. Cell. Biochem. 119: 269-277, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

MicroRNA-137 protects neurons against ischemia/reperfusion injury through regulation of the Notch signaling pathway.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as novel regulators in various pathological processes including ischemic stroke. However, the precise role of miRNAs in ischemic stroke remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-137 in the regulation of neuronal ischemia/reperfusion injury with oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R), a model of global brain ischemia. The results showed that miR-137 was significantly downregulated in neurons subjected to OGD/R treatment: OGD/R-induced cell injury was markedly inhibited by miR-137 overexpression and exacerbated by miR-137 suppression. Moreover, Notch1 was predicted as a target gene of miR-137 and verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analysis. Through targeting of Notch1, miR-137 regulated the Notch signaling pathway. The blockade of the Notch signaling pathway reversed the effect of miR-137 suppression, whereas overexpression of the Notch intracellular domain abrogated the effect of miR-137 overexpression on OGD/R-induced cell injury. Overall, our study suggests that miR-137 regulated the Notch signaling pathway by targeting Notch1 to protect neurons from OGD/R-induced cell injury, providing a novel insight into understanding the molecular basis of ischemia stroke and a potential therapeutic target.

Coherent phase transfer via fiber using heterodyne optical phase locking as optical amplification.

We demonstrate a coherent phase transfer via a 224 km cascaded fiber link comprising two 112 km links stabilized by two phase-locking loops, respectively. The optical signal is regenerated employing heterodyne optical phase locking (HOPL) after the first 112 km transfer. With a gain of more than 50 dB, the HOPL is capable of tracking the frequency of the incoming carrier with a fluctuation of 0.48 mHz and preserving the instability of the incoming laser to 6×10-20 at 1000 s. The phase noise cancellation of each span is investigated, and the out-loop transfer instability of the 224 km link reaches 7.7×10-19 at 10,000 s. The relation between the transfer instability of each span and that of the whole link is also deduced in the paper, in agreement with experimental results of the 224 km link.

Prevalence, Risk Factors, Outcomes, and Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients with Cerebrovascular Disease: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known to increase the risk of cerebrovascular disease (CVD), and patients with CVD have high incidence of OSA. The study aimed to systematically evaluate the prevalence of OSA in patients with CVD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medline, Embase, Science Citation Index, Wanfang, CNKI, and Wiley Online Library were thoroughly searched to identify relevant studies. Random-effects models were used to calculate the pooled rate estimates. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were performed to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. RESULTS: Thirty-seven studies with 3242 patients were analyzed. The prevalence of OSA (apnea hypopnea index [AHI] >10) ranged from 34.5% to 92.3%, the random-effects pooled prevalence was 61.9%. Furthermore, the prevalence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) with AHI greater than 5 was 70.4%, with AHI greater than 20 was 39.5%, and with AHI greater than 30 was 30.1%. Only 8.3% of the SDB was primarily central apnea. Seventeen studies reported risk factors for OSA, 6 of which used multivariate analyses to extract risk factors. In univariate meta-regression analysis, male had higher prevalence than female (P = .041). OSA was associated with increased length of hospitalization in 2 studies, and 1 long-term study reported severe sleep apnea was associated with poor functional outcome. Among the 5 studies on treatment, 3 indicated that early treatment with CPAP was effective; the remaining studies did not find benefit from CPAP treatment and reported the CPAP acceptance was poor. CONCLUSIONS: There is high prevalence of OSA in patients with CVD (61.9%). Therefore, accurate diagnosis and treatment to OSA is very important so as to prevent CVD.

Realization of multiform time derivatives of pulses using a Fourier pulse shaping system.

The technique of multiform time derivatives of pulse has been shown necessary to achieve various time-space metrology goals with a precision at or beyond the standard quantum limit. However, the efficient generation of the desired time derivatives remains challenging. In this paper, we report on the efficient realization of multiform time derivatives with a programmable 4-f pulse shaping system. The first-order time derivative of the pulse electric field has been achieved with a generation efficiency of 72.12%, which is more than 20 times higher than that of previous methods. Moreover, the first- and second-order time derivatives of the pulse envelope have been achieved with the generation efficiencies being 11.10% and 3.53%, respectively. In comparison, these efficiencies are three times higher than those for previously reported methods. Meanwhile, the measured fidelities of the three time-derived pulses are reasonably high, with values of 99.53%, 98.37% and 97.32% respectively.

Effect of lamotrigine on epilepsy-induced cognitive impairment and hippocampal neuronal apoptosis in pentylenetetrazole-kindled animal model.

PURPOSE: Lamotrigine (LTG) is a broad-spectrum antiepileptic drug that is widely used in clinic. However, the effect of LTG on cognition and neurodegeneration during epilepsy treatment remains controversial. In this study, we compared the cognitive effects of LTG and sodium valproate in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-kindled animal model, and the dose dependency was tested for LTG. METHODS: PTZ-kindled animals were divided into the following treatment groups: control group, treated with 3.5 mL/kg of 0.9% sodium chloride; low-dose LTG group, treated with 12.5 mg/kg of LTG; middle-dose LTG group, treated with 25 mg/kg of LTG; high-dose LTG group, treated with 50 mg/kg of LTG; VPA group, treated with 300 mg/kg of VPA. The Morris Water Maze (MWM) test commenced from the 10th day of treatment. Hippocampal cell apoptosis was determined by TUNEL staining after two weeks of treatment. RESULTS: Compared to the vehicle-treated control group, escape latency was significantly reduced in the middle- and high-dose LTG- and VPA-treated groups on the 3rd and 4th day of the MWM test (p < .05), and spatial probe frequency was significantly improved in the middle- and high-dose LTG- and VPA-treated groups (p < .05). Furthermore, the immunohistochemical score of TUNEL positive cells significantly decreased in the hippocampal CA1 region in the middle- and high-dose LTG- and VPA-treated groups (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Our data suggests that LTG may ameliorate epilepsy-induced cognitive impairment and neuronal cell apoptosis during epilepsy treatment. LTG may ameliorate cognitive impairment and neuronal cell apoptosis during epilepsy treatment.

Phoma glomerata D14: An Endophytic Fungus from Salvia miltiorrhiza That Produces Salvianolic Acid C.

In recent years, more and more researches focus on endophytic fungi derived from important medicinal plants, which can produce the same bioactive metabolites as their host plants. Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge is a traditional medicinal plant with versatile pharmacological effects. But the wild plant resource has been in short supply due to the overcollection for bioactive metabolites. Our study was therefore conducted to isolate endophytic fungi from S. miltiorrhiza and get candidate strains that produce the same bioactive compounds as the plant. As a result, an endophyte that produces salvianolic acid C was obtained and identified as Phoma glomerata D14 based on its morphology and internal transcribed spacer analysis. Salvianolic acid C was found present in both the mycelia and fermentation broth. Our study indicates that the endophytic fungus has significant industrial potential to meet the pharmaceutical demands for salvianolic acid C in a cost-effective, easily accessible, and reproducible way.

Sanguinarine induces apoptosis in osteosarcoma by attenuating the binding of STAT3 to the single-stranded DNA-binding protein 1 (SSBP1) promoter region.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Osteosarcoma, a primary malignant bone tumour prevalent among adolescents and young adults, remains a considerable challenge despite protracted progress made in enhancing patient survival rates over the last 40 years. Consequently, the development of novel therapeutic approaches for osteosarcoma is imperative. Sanguinarine (SNG), a compound with demonstrated potent anticancer properties against various malignancies, presents a promising avenue for exploration. Nevertheless, the intricate molecular mechanisms underpinning SNG's actions in osteosarcoma remain elusive, necessitating further elucidation. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Single-stranded DNA-binding protein 1 (SSBP1) was screened out by differential proteomic analysis. Apoptosis, cell cycle, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial changes were assessed via flow cytometry. Western blotting and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) were used to determine protein and gene levels. The antitumour mechanism of SNG was explored at a molecular level using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and dual luciferase reporter plasmids. KEY RESULTS: Our investigation revealed that SNG exerted an up-regulated effect on SSBP1, disrupting mitochondrial function and inducing apoptosis. In-depth analysis uncovered a mechanism whereby SNG hindered the JAK/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signalling pathway, relieved the inhibitory effect of STAT3 on SSBP1 transcription, and inhibited the downstream PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling axis, ultimately activating apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The study delved further into elucidating the anticancer mechanism of SNG in osteosarcoma. Notably, we unravelled the previously undisclosed apoptotic potential of SSBP1 in osteosarcoma cells. This finding holds substantial promise in advancing the development of novel anticancer drugs and identification of therapeutic targets.