Comparative transcriptome and metabolome analyses revealed quality difference between beauty tea processed through indoor withering and outdoor solar withering.

BACKGROUND: Withering is the first processing procedure of beauty tea, and there are few reports on the impact of withering methods on the quality of beauty tea and its regulatory mechanisms. RESULTS: Through comparison of fresh tea leaves (FT) with the leaves after indoor natural withering for 18 h (IWT-18) and outdoor solar withering for 6 h (OWT-6), which were collected at the end of the two withering processes, 17 282 and 13 984 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were respectively screened and 267 and 154 differential metabolites (DMs) were respectively identified. The coexpression network revealed that a large number of DEGs and DMs were enriched in phenylpropanoid, flavonoid, and adenosine triphosphate binding cassette (ABC) transporter pathways, and the number of DMs and DEGs in IWT-18 versus FT exceeded that in OWT-6 versus FT. Both withering methods promoted a significant increase in content of phenylalanine and upregulation of ß-glucoside expression in the phenylpropanoid metabolism pathway. Five theaflavin-type proanthocyanidins in the flavonoid synthesis pathway were more significantly accumulated in FT versus IWT-18 than in FT versus OWT-6. Meanwhile, both withering methods can affect the ABC transporter pathway to promote the accumulation of amino acids and their derivatives, but different withering methods affect different ABC transporter families. Outdoor withering with more severe abiotic stress has a greater impact on the ABCG family, whereas indoor withering has a more significant effect on the ABCC family. Sensory evaluation results showed that the dry tea of IWT-18 was slightly better than that of OWT-6 because of the longer withering time and more thorough substance transformation. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the formation of honey flavor in beauty tea may be closely related to the DEGs and DMs in these three pathways. Our research provides theoretical data support for further revealing the mechanism of quality formation during the withering process of beauty tea. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Performance Evaluation of the Multi-gene Methylation Detection Kit for Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) can lead to earlier diagnosis and intervention, thereby improving patient survival. Existing techniques fall short of clinical needs. Thus, early detection of CRC still needs a cost-effective, efficient, and widely accepted screening tool. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of a Multi-gene Methylation Detection Kit for Human Colorectal Cancer in a series of standards and clinical samples. Design/Outcome Measures: A series of DNA standards and 88 patients were included. According to the kit's instructions, a simplified multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction method was used to detect the methylation level of the samples. The accuracy, limit of detection, interference factors, sensitivity, and other performance parameters of the kit were studied. Results: Statistical analysis of the test results of all standards in the verification experiment showed that the positive and negative coincidence rates were 100%. The results for the kit's minimum detection limit and minimum nucleic acid input met the expected standards. The kit's sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 89.36%, 97.56% and 93.18%, respectively for clinical samples. Conclusion: The Multi-gene Methylation Detection kit for Colorectal Cancer has a high detection performance for CRC, and this non-invasive, convenient and high-performance method for early detection of CRC may address current limitations in CRC screening and meet the clinical expectations.

Comparative Metabolomic Analysis Reveals the Differences in Nonvolatile and Volatile Metabolites and Their Quality Characteristics in Beauty Tea with Different Extents of Punctured Leaves by Tea Green Leafhopper.

The fresh leaves were processed into beauty tea from the Camellia sinensis "Jinxuan" cultivar, which were punctured by tea green leafhoppers to different extents. Low-puncturing dry tea (LPDT) exhibited a superior quality. Altogether, 101 and 129 differential metabolites, including tea polyphenols, lipids, and saccharides, were identified from the fresh leaves and dry beauty tea, respectively. Most metabolite levels increased in the fresh leaves punctured by leafhoppers, but the opposite was observed for the dry beauty tea. According to relative odor activity values (rOAVs) and partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), four characteristic volatiles, including linalool, geraniol, benzeneacetaldehyde, and dihydrolinalool, were selected. Mechanical injury to leaves caused by leafhoppers, watery saliva secreted by the leafhopper, and different water contents of the fresh leaves in different puncturing degrees are the possible reasons for the difference in the quality of the beauty tea with different levels of puncturing. Overall, this study identified a wide range of chemicals that are affected by the degrees of leafhopper puncturing.

[The including and recommendation of acupuncture in NGC and NICE].

The diseases recommended to be treated by acupuncture and the recommendation in the National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) were summarized, and the diseases recommended were analyzed. The guidelines which mentioned acupuncture in NICE and NGC were searched and classified according to the types of diseases and intensity of recommendations. As a result, 45 guidelines in NGC were included, involving 59 recommendations; 29 guidelines in the NICE, involving 29 recommendations. The diseases recommended by NICE and NGC were mainly pain-related diseases, and the diseases recommended by NGC were wider. However, both needed to further describe the specific operation methods of acupuncture.

[Fixed-point release with small needle knife for the treatment of upper plexus thoracic outlet syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To study therapeutic effects and mechanisms of fixed-point release with small needle knife for the treatment of upper plexus thoracic outlet syndrome. METHODS: Among 32 patients, 22 patients were female, and 10 patients were male, ranging in age from 25 to 55 years. The disease course ranged from one month to 3 years. All the patients were unilateral thoracic outlet syndrome. The painful trabs at the facet joints of C(5,6) and infraspinatus muscle were fixed-point released one to four times every week. RESULTS: All the patients relieved pain immediately after treatment. Among 26 patients with decreased muscle strength before operation, 20 patients got muscle strength improved after treatment immediately. Among 18 patients with touch and pain sensation compromised, 8 patients got the sensation improved after operation. All the patients were followed up for 1 year. According to Wood evaluation criterion, 19 patients got an excellent result, 7 good, 3 poor, and 3 bad. One patient was transferred to operation. There were no complications. CONCLUSION: Fixed-point release with small needle knife for the treatment of upper plexus thoracic outlet syndrome is safe and curative.