Application of spectral image processing with different dimensions combined with large-screen visualization in the identification of boletes species.

Boletes are favored by consumers because of their unique flavor, rich nutrition and delicious taste. However, the different nutritional values of each species lead to obvious price differences, so shoddy products appear on the market, which affects food safety. The aim of this study was to find a rapid and effective method for boletes species identification. In this paper, 1,707 samples of eight boletes species were selected as the research objects. The original Mid-Infrared (MIR) spectroscopy data were adopted for support vector machine (SVM) modeling. The 11,949 spectral images belong to seven data sets such as two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2DCOS) and three-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (3DCOS) were used to carry out Alexnet and Residual network (Resnet) modeling, thus we established 15 models for the identification of boletes species. The results show that the SVM method needs to process complex feature data, the time cost is more than 11 times of other models, and the accuracy is not high enough, so it is not recommended to be used in data processing with large sample size. From the perspective of datasets, synchronous 2DCOS and synchronous 3DCOS have the best modeling results, while one-dimensional (1D) MIR Spectrum dataset has the worst modeling results. After comprehensive analysis, the modeling effect of Resnet on the synchronous 2DCOS dataset is the best. Moreover, we use large-screen visualization technology to visually display the sample information of this research and obtain their distribution rules in terms of species and geographical location. This research shows that deep learning combined with 2DCOS and 3DCOS spectral images can effectively and accurately identify boletes species, which provides a reference for the identification of other fields, such as food and Chinese herbal medicine.

Comp34 displays potent preclinical antitumor efficacy in triple-negative breast cancer via inhibition of NUDT3-AS4, a novel oncogenic long noncoding RNA.

The abnormal PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is one of the most common genomic abnormalities in breast cancers including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and pharmacologic inhibition of these aberrations has shown activity in TNBC patients. Here, we designed and identified a small-molecule Comp34 that suppresses both AKT and mTOR protein expression and exhibits robust cytotoxicity towards TNBC cells but not nontumorigenic normal breast epithelial cells. Mechanically, long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) AL354740.1-204 (also named as NUDT3-AS4) acts as a microRNA sponge to compete with AKT1/mTOR mRNAs for binding to miR-99s, leading to decrease in degradation of AKT1/mTOR mRNAs and subsequent increase in AKT1/mTOR protein expression. Inhibition of lncRNA-NUDT3-AS4 and suppression of the NUDT3-AS4/miR-99s association contribute to Comp34-affected biologic pathways. In addition, Comp34 alone is effective in cells with secondary resistance to rapamycin, the best-known inhibitor of mTOR, and displays a greater in vivo antitumor efficacy and lower toxicity than rapamycin in TNBC xenografted models. In conclusion, NUDT3-AS4 may play a proproliferative role in TNBC and be considered a relevant therapeutic target, and Comp34 presents promising activity as a single agent to inhibit TNBC through regulation of NUDT3-AS4 and miR-99s.

Arsenic in Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms from Southwest China.

Many species of wild-grown mushrooms are appreciated as food and also found use in traditional medicine. As arsenic is one of the most hazardous elements due to the carcinogenic risk, the contents of total arsenic in 48 species of wild-grown edible and medicinal mushrooms in China were determined by atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The results showed that the highest content was found in Scleroderma citrinum (1.70 mg kg-1 dry weight, dw), whereas the lowest content was found in Termitomyces eurrhius (0.17 mg kg-1 dw).

A mini-review of chemical composition and nutritional value of edible wild-grown mushroom from China.

In China, many species of edible wild-grown mushrooms are appreciated as food and also found use in traditional Chinese medicine. In this mini-review, for the first time, is summarized and discussed data available on chemical components of nutritional significance for wild-grown mushrooms collected from China. We aimed to update and discuss the latest data published on ash, fat, carbohydrates, fibre, proteins, essential amino acids and nonessential amino acids, some essential (P, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu) and toxic elements (As, Hg, Cd, Pb), vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, tocopherol, vitamin D), flavour and taste compounds, antioxidants and also on less studied organic compounds (lectin, adustin, ribonuclease and nicotine) contents of wild-grown mushrooms.

Comparison of the hypoglycemic effect of acarbose monotherapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus consuming an Eastern or Western diet: a systematic meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Because of its mechanism of action, the starch content of a diet might alter the hypoglycemic effect of acarbose. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine whether differences in this hypoglycemic effect existed between individuals consuming Eastern and Western diets with significantly different starch contents, a systematic meta-analysis of studies comparing acarbose with placebo or other hypoglycemic agents in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was performed. METHODS: Records were retrieved from the Cochrane clinical controlled trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Wanfang, Chinese Technical Periodicals, and ongoing trials databases, and full texts and reference lists were screened. Because no study has directly compared patients consuming different types of diet, fixed- and random-effect models were used to indirectly compare the hypoglycemic effect of acarbose monotherapy with that of placebo and/or comparator drugs in patients with T2DM consuming an Eastern (Eastern Asia) or Western (including Europe and North America) diet. RESULTS: A total of 46 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results revealed that, compared with placebo, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were reduced to a significantly greater extent (1.02%) in the Eastern diet (mean [SD], 1.54% [2.00%]) than in the Western diet (mean [SD], 0.52% [1.20%]) P < 0.00001). The ability of acarbose to reduce HbA1c levels in the Eastern (P = 0.20) and Western (P = 0.10) diet groups was similar to that of sulfonylureas, and HbA1c levels were reduced significantly more (0.39%; P < 0.00001) in the Eastern than in the Western diet group. The ability of acarbose to reduce HbA1c levels was similar to those of metformin and nateglinide/repaglinide, but a comparison of its efficacy with different diets was difficult because of the inclusion of few studies in these categories. Analysis of all included studies revealed that acarbose achieved a greater absolute reduction of HbA1c levels in the Eastern diet (mean [SD], 1.26% [1.20%]) than in the Western diet (mean [SD], 0.62% [1.28%]; P < 0.00001) group. However, the poor quality of Eastern diet trials may have affected the outcomes of the meta-analysis. CONCLUSION: The hypoglycemic effect of acarbose is superior in patients with T2DM consuming an Eastern diet than in those consuming a Western diet and is similar to that of sulfonylureas, metformin, and glinide drugs.

Mycology, cultivation, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Wolfiporia cocos (Schwein.) Ryvarden et Gilb.: a review.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Wolfiporia cocos (Schwein.) Ryvarden et Gilb. has a long history as a Chinese traditional medicine with uses of inducing diuresis, excreting dampness, invigorating the spleen, and tranquilizing the mind. Recently, Wolfiporia cocos has received increasing interest, and phytochemical and pharmacological studies have validated the traditional uses of this species. AIMS OF THE REVIEW: To provide an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the mycology, cultivation, traditional uses, chemical constituents and pharmacological activities aspects of Wolfiporia cocos in order to highlight its ethnopharmacological use and to explore its therapeutic potentials and to provide a basis for future research. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The accessible literature, from 1980 to 2012, on Wolfiporia cocos written in English, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish and Turkish were selected and analyzed. RESULTS: The phytochemical and modern pharmacological studies demonstrated that Wolfiporia cocos possess a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities, such as anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-rejection, nematicidal, anti-hyperglycemic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertonic stress activities, which could be explained by the presence of various triterpenes and polysaccharides. CONCLUSIONS: Modern phytochemical and pharmacological investigations showed that major active components separated from Wolfiporia cocos had anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-rejection activities, and so on. Further investigations are needed to explore the relationship of the molecular mass, chain stiffness, and water solubility of polysaccharide from Wolfiporia cocos with the antitumor activities.