Passion fruit-inspired dendritic mesoporous silica nanospheres-enriched quantum dots coupled with magnetism-controllable aptasensor enable sensitive detection of ochratoxin A in food products.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a powerful mycotoxin present in a variety of food products, and its detection is important for human health. Here, a fluorescent aptasensor is reported for sensitive OTA determination. Specifically, the surface of bio-inspired passion fruit-like dendritic mesoporous silica nanospheres-enriched quantum dots (MSNQs-apt) was first modified with the OTA aptamer as the recognition unit and fluorescence emitter, while the aptamer-complementary DNA (MNPs-cDNA) was linked with the magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as the separation element. In the range of 2.56 pg/mL to 8 ng/mL, the proposed aptasensor exhibited satisfactory linearity and a detection limit of 1.402 pg/mL. The developed aptasensor achieved recoveries of 90.98-103.20% and 94.33-107.57 % in red wine and wheat flour samples, respectively. By simply replacing the aptamer, this aptasensor can be easily extended to detection of other analytes, suggesting its potential as a universal detection platform for mycotoxins in food products.

Insights into the key quality components in Se-Enriched green tea and their relationship with Selenium.

Selenium-enriched green tea (Se-GT) is of increasing interest because of its health benefits, but its quality components obtained limited research. In this study, Enshi Se-enriched green tea (ESST, high-Se green tea), Pingli Se-enriched green tea (PLST, low-Se green tea), and Ziyang green tea (ZYGT, common green tea) were subjected to sensory evaluation, chemical analysis, and aroma profiling. Chemical profiles in Se-GT were consistent with the taste attributes of the sensory analysis. 9 volatiles were identified as key odorants of Se-GT based on multivariate analysis. Correlations between Se and quality components were further assessed and highly Se-related compounds contents in these three tea samples were compared. The results showed that most amino acids and non-gallated catechins were highly negatively correlated with Se, while gallated catechins exhibited strong positive correlation with Se. And there were strong and significant associations between the key aroma compounds and Se. Moreover, 11 differential markers were found between Se-GTs and common green tea, including catechin, serine, glycine, threonine, l-theanine, alanine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, histidine, and lysine. These findings provide great potential for quality evaluation of Se-GT.

Electrospray-Assisted Fabrication of Dextran-Whey Protein Isolation Microcapsules for the Encapsulation of Selenium-Enriched Peptide.

Selenium-enriched peptide (SP, selenopeptide) is an excellent organic selenium supplement that has attracted increasing attention due to its superior physiological effects. In this study, dextran-whey protein isolation-SP (DX-WPI-SP) microcapsules were fabricated via high-voltage electrospraying technology. The results of preparation process optimization showed that the optimized preparation process parameters were 6% DX (w/v), feeding rate Q = 1 mL/h, voltage U = 15 kV, and receiving distance H = 15 cm. When the content of WPI (w/v) was 4-8%, the average diameter of the as-prepared microcapsules was no more than 45 µm, and the loading rate for SP ranged from ~46% to ~37%. The DX-WPI-SP microcapsules displayed excellent antioxidant capacity. The thermal stability of the microencapsulated SP was improved, which was attributed to the protective effects of the wall materials for SP. The release performance was investigated to disclose the sustained-release capacity of the carrier under different pH values and an in-vitro-simulated digestion environment. The digested microcapsule solution showed negligible influence on the cellular cytotoxicity of Caco-2 cells. Overall, our work provides a facile strategy of electrospraying microcapsules for the functional encapsulation of SP and witnesses a broad prospect that the DX-WPI-SP microcapsules can exhibit great potential in the food processing field.

A prediction model for acute kidney injury in adult patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

Background and aims: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is a clinical syndrome resulting from abnormally active immune cells and a cytokine storm, with the accompanying phagocytosis of blood cells. Patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis often suffer acute kidney injury during hospitalization, which usually signifies poor prognosis. We would like to establish a prediction model for the occurrence of acute kidney injury in adult patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis for risk stratification. Method: We extracted the electronic medical records of patients diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis during hospitalization from January 2009 to July 2019. The observation indicator is the occurrence of acute kidney injury within 28 days of hospitalization. LASSO regression was used to screen variables and modeling was performed by COX regression. Results: In the present study, 136 (22.7%) patients suffered from acute kidney injury within 28 days of hospitalization. The prediction model consisted of 11 variables, including vasopressor, mechanical ventilation, disseminated intravascular coagulation, admission heart rate, hemoglobin, baseline cystatin C, phosphorus, total bilirubin, lactic dehydrogenase, prothrombin time, and procalcitonin. The risk of acute kidney injury can be assessed by the sum of the scores of each parameter on the nomogram. For the development and validation groups, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.760 and 0.820, and the C-index was 0.743 and 0.810, respectively. Conclusion: We performed a risk prediction model for the development of acute kidney injury in patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, which may help physicians to evaluate the risk of acute kidney injury and prevent its occurrence.

Efficacy and Safety of Cordyceps militaris as an Adjuvant to Duloxetine in the Treatment of Insomnia in Patients With Depression: A 6-Week Double- Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Background: Insomnia is a common clinical manifestation in patients with depression. Insomnia is not only a depression symptom but also an independent risk factor for recurrence. Cordyceps militaris (C. militaris) is thought to have the potential to treat insomnia. This study aimed to examine the efficacy and safety of duloxetine with C. militaris in improving sleep symptoms in patients with depression. Methods: This study was a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that recruited outpatients admitted to Beijing Anding hospital from January 2018 to January 2019. Major depressive disorder (MDD) with insomnia was diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) criteria and Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.). Eligible subjects will be randomly assigned to two treatment groups in a 1:1 ratio, and receive treatment and follow-up of about 6 weeks of duloxetine plus Cordyceps militaris or placebo, respectively. The severity of depression and insomnia was evaluated at baseline and at 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17) and Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). Results: A total of 59 subjects were included in the study (31 in the placebo group and 28 in the C. militaris group). 11 (18.6%) participants withdrew during the study period, 5 (17.9%) in the C. militaris group, and 6 (19.3%) in the placebo group. Depressive and sleep symptoms in all patients reduced over time. We found that the total scores of AIS and its subscales decreased more in the placebo group compared to the C. militaris group (p < 0.05). Secondary outcome revealed that there were no significant differences between the two groups in total HAMD-17 and its sleep factor scores (p > 0.05) at 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks after treatment initiation. The incidences of adverse events were not significantly different between the two groups (all p > 0.05). Conclusion: C. militaris at the current dose and duration did not improve sleep symptoms in patients with depression, but it is safe with rare side effects.

Fast-track multidisciplinary treatment versus conventional treatment for colorectal cancer: a multicenter, open-label randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic surgery, fast-track perioperative treatment and XELOX chemotherapy are effective strategies for shortening the duration of hospital stay for cancer patients. This trial aimed to clarify the safety and efficacy of the fast-track multidisciplinary treatment (FTMDT) model compared to conventional surgery combined with chemotherapy in Chinese colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: This trial was a prospective randomized controlled study with a 2 × 2 balanced factorial design and was conducted at six hospitals. Patients in group 1 (FTMDT) received fast-track perioperative treatment and XELOX adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients in group 2 (conventional treatment) received conventional perioperative treatment and mFOLFOX6 adjuvant chemotherapy. Subgroups 1a and 2a had laparoscopic surgery and subgroups 1b and 2b had open surgery. The primary endpoint was total length of hospital stay during treatment. RESULTS: A total of 374 patients were randomly assigned to the four subgroups, and 342 patients were finally analyzed, including 87 patients in subgroup 1a, 85 in subgroup 1b, 86 in subgroup 2a, and 84 in subgroup 2b. The total hospital stay of group 1 was shorter than that of group 2 [13 days, (IQR, 11-17 days) vs. 23.5 days (IQR, 15-42 days), P = 0.0001]. Compared to group 2, group 1 had lower surgical costs, fewer in-hospital complications and faster recovery (all P < 0.05). Subgroup 1a showed faster surgical recovery than that of subgroup 1b (all P < 0.05). There was no difference in 5-year overall survival between groups 1 and 2 [87.1% (95% CI, 80.7-91.5%) vs. 87.1% (95% CI, 80.8-91.4%), P = 0.7420]. CONCLUSIONS: The FTMDT model, which integrates laparoscopic surgery, fast-track treatment, and XELOX chemotherapy, was the superior model for enhancing the recovery of Chinese patients with colorectal cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01080547 , registered on March 4, 2010.

Consumption of garlic and risk of colorectal cancer: an updated meta-analysis of prospective studies.

AIM: To conduct an updated meta-analysis of prospective studies addressing the association between garlic consumption and colorectal cancer. METHODS: Eligible cohort studies were identified by searching MEDLINE (PubMed) and screening the references of related articles published up to October 2013. Meta-analyses were conducted for colorectal cancer in relation to consumption of raw and cooked (RC) garlic and garlic supplements, separately. The summary relative risks (RR) with 95%CI were calculated using fixed-effects or random-effects model depending on the heterogeneity among studies. RESULTS: A total of 5 prospective cohort studies were identified. In contrast to the previous meta-analysis, no significant associations were found between consumption of RC garlic (RR: 1.06; 95%CI: 0.95-1.19) or garlic supplements (RR: 1.12; 95%CI: 0.96-1.31) and risk of colorectal cancer. A non-significant protective effect of garlic supplement intake against colorectal cancer was observed in females (RR: 0.84; 95%CI: 0.64-1.11), but the opposite was the case in males (RR: 1.24; 95%CI: 0.96-1.59). CONCLUSION: Consumption of RC garlic or garlic supplements is not significantly associated with reduced colorectal cancer risk.