Aspertaichamide a, a novel cytotoxic prenylated indole alkaloid possessing a bicyclo[2.2.2]diazaoctane framework from a marine algal-derived endophytic fungus aspergillus taichungensis 299.

Filamentous fungi belonging to the genus Aspergillus are prodigious producers of alkaloids, particularly prenylated indole alkaloids, that often exhibit structurally diversified skeletons and potent biological activities. In this study, five prenylated indole alkaloids possessing a bicyclo[2.2.2]diazaoctane core ring system, including a novel derivative, namely aspertaichamide A (1), as well as four known compounds, (+)-stephacidin A (2), sclerotiamide (3), (-)-versicolamide B (4), and (+)-versicolamide B (5), were isolated and identified from A. taichungensis 299, an endophytic fungus obtained from the marine red alga Gelidium amansii. The chemical structures of the compounds were elucidated by comprehensive NMR and HRESIMS spectroscopic analyses. In addition to the previously reported prenylated indole alkaloids, aspertaichamide A (1) was characterized as having an unusual ring structure with the fusion of a 3-pyrrolidone dimethylbenzopyran to the bicyclo[2.2.2]diazaoctane moiety, which was rare in these kinds of compounds. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined by TDDFT-ECD calculations. In vitro cytotoxic assays revealed that the novel compound 1 possessed selective cytotoxic activity against five human tumor cell lines (A549, HeLa, HepG2, HCT-116, and AGS), with IC50 values of 1.7-48.5 µM. Most importantly, compound 1 decreased the viability of AGS cells in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 1.7 µM. Further studies indicated that 1 may induce AGS cells programmed cell death via the apoptotic pathway.

A Versatile Strategy of Designing Gold Nanoparticle-cDNA Nanoprobes in Developing Aptamer-Based Lateral Flow Assay for Small-Molecule Detection.

Aptamer-based lateral flow assay (Apt-LFA) has shown promising applications for small-molecule detection. However, the design of the AuNP (gold nanoparticle)-cDNA (complementary DNA) nanoprobe is still a big challenge due to the moderate affinity of the aptamer to small molecules. Herein, we report a versatile strategy to design a AuNPs@polyA-cDNA (poly A, a repeat sequence with 15 A bases) nanoprobe for small-molecule Apt-LFA. The AuNPs@polyA-cDNA nanoprobe contains a polyA anchor blocker, complementary DNA segment to DNA on the control line (cDNAc), partial complementary DNA segment with aptamer (cDNAa), and auxiliary hybridization DNA segment (auxDNA). Using adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) as a model target, we optimized the length of auxDNA and cDNAa and achieved a sensitive detection of ATP. In addition, kanamycin was used as a model target to verify the universality of the concept. Therefore, this strategy can be easily extended to other small molecules; therefore, high application potential in Apt-LFAs can be envisaged.

Allomelanin-based biomimetic nanotherapeutics for orthotopic glioblastoma targeted photothermal immunotherapy.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy has shown great potential in the treatment of malignant tumors, but its therapeutic effect on glioblastoma (GBM) is unsatisfactory because of the low immunogenicity and T cell infiltration, as well as the presence of blood-brain barrier (BBB) that blocks most of ICB agents to the GBM tissues. Herein, we developed a biomimetic nanoplatform of AMNP@CLP@CCM for GBM-targeted photothermal therapy (PTT) and ICB synergistic therapy by loading immune checkpoint inhibitor CLP002 into the allomelanin nanoparticles (AMNPs) and followed by coating cancer cell membranes (CCM). The resulting AMNP@CLP@CCM can successfully cross the BBB and deliver CLP002 to GBM tissues due to the homing effect of CCM. As a natural photothermal conversion agent, AMNPs are used for tumor PTT. The increased local temperature by PTT not only enhances BBB penetration but also upregulates the PD-L1 level on GBM cells. Importantly, PTT can effectively stimulate immunogenic cell death to induce tumor-associated antigen exposure and promote T lymphocyte infiltration, which can further amplify the antitumor immune responses of GBM cells to CLP002-mediated ICB therapy, resulting in significant growth inhibition of the orthotopic GBM. Therefore, AMNP@CLP@CCM has great potential for the treatment of orthotopic GBM by PTT and ICB synergistic therapy. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The effect of ICB therapy on GBM is limited by the low immunogenicity and insufficient T-cell infiltration. Here we developed a biomimetic nanoplatform of AMNP@CLP@CCM for GBM-targeted PTT and ICB synergistic therapy. In this nanoplatform, AMNPs are used as both photothermal conversion agents for PTT and nanocarriers for CLP002 delivery. PTT not only enhances BBB penetration but also upregulates the PD-L1 level on GBM cells by increasing local temperature. Additionally, PTT also induces tumor-associated antigen exposure and promotes T lymphocyte infiltration to amplify the antitumor immune responses of GBM cells to CLP002-mediated ICB therapy, resulting in significant growth inhibition of the orthotopic GBM. Thus, this nanoplatform holds great potential for orthotopic GBM treatment.

Elucidating structure of pectin in ramie fiber to customize enzyme cocktail for high-efficiency enzymatic degumming.

Pectin is one of the main components of bast fiber including ramie fiber, and must be removed before use. Enzymatic degumming is the preferred process as it is an environment-friendly, simple and controllable process for ramie degumming. However, an important problem limiting wide application of this process is the high cost due to the low efficiency of enzymatic degumming. In this study, pectin samples were extracted from raw ramie fiber and degummed ramie fiber, respectively, and their structures were characterized and compared to allow tailoring of an enzyme cocktail for degrading the pectin. It was elucidated that pectin from ramie fiber is composed of low esterified homogalacturonan (HG) and low branched rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I), and the ratio of HG/RG-I is 1.72:1. Based on the pectin structure, potential enzymes to be used for enzymatic degumming of ramie fiber were proposed and an enzyme cocktail was customized. Degumming experiments confirmed that the customized enzyme cocktail can effectively remove pectin from ramie fiber. To our knowledge, this is the first time the structural characteristics of pectin in ramie fiber have been clarified, and it also provides an example of tailoring a specific enzyme system to achieve high-efficiency degumming for biomass containing pectin.

Mechanisms of changing speciation and bioavailability of selenium in agricultural mollisols of northern cold regions.

The distribution, speciation, and bioavailability of selenium (Se) - an essential micronutrient for human beings - in agricultural soils influence the resource recovery of agricultural benefits and the sustainable use of Se in agroecosystems. Quantitative understanding in this regard however remains limited in the world's mollisol agroecosystems, despite their critical importance in securing global food supply. Herein, a systematic investigation of Se in the river sediment-irrigation water-mollisols-rhizosphere-rice seeds continuum, at the core zone of the northern mollisol regions, was conducted to elucidate the hydrological-hydrogeochemical processes and mechanisms responsible for the distribution and bioavailability of Se. The content of total Se in the mollisols ranged between 0.12 and 0.54 mg/kg with an average of 0.31 mg/kg. At the riverside flood plains, humic-acid bound Se accounted on average for 39 % of total Se. This pool of Se can be transformed to water-soluble and ion-exchangeable Se(VI), supporting a higher potential of Se bioavailability at riparian agricultural mollisols. For mollisol lands far from the river channels, the topography affects the speciation and partitioning of Se presumably through regulating water retention and organic matter transport. Moreover, altering pH and redox conditions in response to irrigation with the river water may boost Se bioavailability in weakly acidic and high Eh mollisols. It can be in part ascribed to the transformation of organic-bound Se along with infiltrated oxygenated water that leads to the increase of water-soluble and ion-exchangeable Se. These findings reinforce that hydrological-hydrogeochemical perturbations due to irrigation with surface water need to be assessed carefully in the management of Se resources in the mollisol agroecosystems.

Customized optimization of lignocellulolytic enzyme cocktails for efficient conversion of pectin-rich biomass residues.

Pectin is a major component in many agricultural feedstocks. Despite the wide use in industrial production of cellulases and hemicellulases, the fungus Trichoderma reesei lacks a complete enzyme set for pectin degradation. In this study, three representative pectinolytic enzymes were expressed and screened for their abilities to improve the efficiency of T. reesei enzymes on the conversion of different agricultural residues. By replacing 5 % of the T. reesei proteins, endopolygalacturonase and pectin lyase remarkably increased the release of sugars from inferior tobacco leaves. In contrast, pectin methylesterase showed the strongest improving effect (by 31.1 %) on the hydrolysis of beetroot residue. The pectin in beetroot residue was only mildly degraded with the supplementation of pectin methylesterase, which allowed the extraction of pectin keeping the original emulsifying activity with a 51.1 % higher yield. The results provide a basis for precise optimization of lignocellulolytic enzyme systems for targeted valorization of pectin-rich agricultural residues.

Tea plantation intercropping green manure enhances soil functional microbial abundance and multifunctionality resistance to drying-rewetting cycles.

Climate change leads to more serious drying-rewetting alternation disturbance, which furtherly affects soil ecosystem function and agriculture production. Intercropping green manure, as an ancient agricultural practice, can improve the physical, chemical, and biological fertility of soil in tea plantation. However, the effects of intercropping green manure on soil multifunctional resistance to drying-rewetting disturbance in tea plantation has not been reported. In this study, the effects of different green manure practices over four years (tea plant monoculture, tea plant and soybean intercropping, tea plant and soybean + milk vetch intercropping) on soil multifunctionality resistance to drying-rewetting cycles, and the pivotal influencing factors were investigated. We used quantitative PCR array and analysis of multiple enzyme activities to characterize the abundance of functional genes and ecosystem multifunctionality, respectively. Compared with tea plantation monoculture, tea plant intercropping soybean and soybean + milk vetch significantly increased multifunctionality resistance by 12.07% and 25.86%, respectively. Random forest analysis indicated that rather than the diversity, the abundance of functional genes was the major drive of multifunctionality resistance. The structure equation model further proved that tea plantation intercropping green manure could improve the abundance of C cycling related functional genes mediated by soil properties, and ultimately increased multifunctionality resistance to drying-rewetting disturbance. Therefore, tea plantation intercropping green manure is an effective approach to maintain the multifunctionality resistance, which is conducive to maintain the soil nutrient supply capacity and tea production under the disturbance of drying-rewetting alternation.

The effects of tea plants-soybean intercropping on the secondary metabolites of tea plants by metabolomics analysis.

BACKGROUND: Intercropping, especially with legumes, as a productive and sustainable system, can promote plants growth and improves the soil quality than the sole crop, is an essential cultivation pattern in modern agricultural systems. However, the metabolic changes of secondary metabolites and the growth in tea plants during the processing of intercropping with soybean have not been fully analyzed. RESULTS: The secondary metabolomic of the tea plants were significant influence with intercropping soybean during the different growth stages. Especially in the profuse flowering stage of intercropping soybean, the biosynthesis of amino acids was significantly impacted, and the flavonoid biosynthesis, the flavone and flavonol biosynthesis also were changed. And the expression of metabolites associated with amino acids metabolism, particularly glutamate, glutamine, lysine and arginine were up-regulated, while the expression of the sucrose and D-Glucose-6P were down-regulated. Furthermore, the chlorophyll photosynthetic parameters and the photosynthetic activity of tea plants were higher in the tea plants-soybean intercropping system. CONCLUSIONS: These results strengthen our understanding of the metabolic mechanisms in tea plant's secondary metabolites under the tea plants-soybean intercropping system and demonstrate that the intercropping system of leguminous crops is greatly potential to improve tea quality. These may provide the basis for reducing the application of nitrogen fertilizer and improve the ecosystem in tea plantations.

Antimicrobial and cytotoxic phenolic bisabolane sesquiterpenoids from the fungus Aspergillus flavipes 297.

Phenolic bisabolane-type sesquiterpenoids (PBS) represent a rare class of natural products with diverse biological activities. In this study, chemical investigations of the fungus Aspergillus flavipes 297 resulted in the isolation and identification of seven PBS, including a pair of new enantiomers (+)-1a and (-)-1b, a new derivative 2, and five previously reported ones 3-7. The chemical structures of the isolated PBS were determined by extensive NMR and HRESIMS spectroscopic analysis. The absolute configurations of the separated enantiomers (+)-1a and (-)-1b were solved by comparison of the experimental ECD spectra with those of the TDDFT-ECD calculated spectra. The new compounds 1 and 2 represent rare cases of PBS bearing a methylsulfinyl group, which was distinct from the commonly-observed PBS structurally. All the isolated compounds 1-7 were evaluated their antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. As a result, the tested compounds showed selective antimicrobial activity against several pathogenic bacteria and fungi with the MIC (minimum inhibiting concentrations) values ranging from 2 to 64 µg/mL. Moreover, enantiomers (+)-1a and (-)-1b, together with compound 2, exhibited promising cytotoxicity against MKN-45 and HepG2 cell lines, respectively, indicating that the methylsulfinyl substituent enhanced cytotoxicity to a certain degree.

Sensitive detection of microRNA-21 in cancer cells and human serum with Au@Si nanocomposite and lateral flow assay.

We report a highly sensitive approach for detecting microRNA-21 (miR-21) in cancer cells and human serum by using Au@Si nanocomposite labeled lateral flow assay. The Au@Si nanocomposite was prepared by coating numerous 3-5 nm gold nanoparticles (GNP) on a silica nanoparticle (SiNP) with a diameter of 150 nm and used as colored label on the lateral flow assay for signal amplification. TEM results show there are around 1000 GNPs coated on the SiNP surface. The principle of miR-21 detection is based on on-strip DNA-microRNA hybridization reactions to form DNA-miR-21-DNA-Au@Si complexes, which are captured on the test zone of the lateral flow test strip and produce a visible red band. A thiol-modified detecting DNA probe (Det-DNA) and a biotin-modified capturing DNA probe (Cap-DNA), which are complementary to miR-21, were used to prepare the lateral flow test strips. After systematic optimization, the method can detect a minimum concentration of 1.0 pM miR-21, which is 60 times lower than that of the GNP-based lateral flow assay (Gao et al. Biosens & Bioelectro, 2014, 54, 578-584). The method was applied to detect miR-21 in cancer cells and spiked human serum with satisfactory results.

Effects of Bacillus Subtilis-Zinc on Rats with Congenital Zinc Deficiency.

This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation of Bacillus subtilis-zinc on growth rates of the body and organs, nutrient utilization, microbial diversity in caecum, and contents of zinc (Zn) in organs of rats fed a Zn-deficient diet. In trial 1, 72 female pregnant SD rats were allocated to two groups and respectively fed the basal diet containing 13 mg Zn/kg, or the control diet containing 38 mg Zn/kg by supplementing ZnSO4 from day 10 of pregnancy until the offspring rats 24 days old. In trial 2, 18 offspring rats from the control group were fed the control diet. Ninety offspring from the Zn deficiency group were allocated to 5 groups and were fed the basal diet drenched with ZnSO4 solution (the total Zn 38 mg/kg), the basal diet only, or the basal diet drenched with Bacillus subtilis-Zn at doses of 2, 17, and 32 mg/kg Zn respectively. Each group had 3 replicates of 6 rats. The experiment lasted for 5 weeks. We found feeding young rats the Zn-deficient diet reduced feed intake, growth rate, unitization efficiencies of nitrogen (N), and Zn content in the organs. Administration of Bacillus subtilis-Zn to rats increased feed intake and the growth rates of the body and liver, kidney and heart, increased N utilization efficiency, and the contents of Zn in heart and brain but not in liver, regulated microbial diversity in the cecal content. The optimal amount of Bacillus subtilis-Zn ranged 15~20 mg Zn/kg, with the corresponding total Zn level at 28~33 mg/kg diet, the effects of which were superior to these by adding ZnSO4 at 38 mg/kg.

Adherence to Iron Supplementation in 22 Sub-Saharan African Countries and Associated Factors among Pregnant Women: A Large Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy is a significant public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and is associated with serious adverse health outcomes. Although it is recommended that all women receive iron supplementation during pregnancy, little research has been conducted to measure overall compliance with this recommendation or variation across SSA countries. OBJECTIVES: To assess prevalence and sociodemographic-economic factors associated with adherence to iron supplementation among pregnant women in SSA. METHODS: This was a weighted population-based cross-sectional study of 148,528 pregnant women aged 15-49 y in 22 SSA countries that participated in the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in 2013-2018 and measured iron supplementation during pregnancy. Adherence to iron supplementation was defined as using iron supplementation for ≥90 d during pregnancy of the most recent birth. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of adherence to ≥90 d of iron supplementation during pregnancy was 28.7%, ranging from 1.4% in Burundi to 73.0% in Senegal. Factors associated with adherence included receiving ≥4 antenatal care visits [adjusted Prevalence Ratio (aPR): 25.73; 95% CI: 22.36, 29.60] compared with no antenatal visits; secondary or higher education (aPR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.19) compared with no education; wealthy (aPR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.16) compared with poor; and older women aged 35-49 y (aPR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.10) compared with younger women aged 15-24 y. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to iron supplementation during pregnancy in SSA is low and varies substantially across countries and in relation to factors such as number of antenatal visits, education, and level of family wealth. These results underscore the need for increased efforts to improve the uptake of iron supplementation for pregnant women in SSA.

ASC-J9® increases the bladder cancer chemotherapy efficacy via altering the androgen receptor (AR) and NF-κB survival signals.

BACKGROUND: The current chemotherapy regimens may extend survival for patients with metastatic bladder cancer (BCa) for a few months, but eventually most patients succumb to disease because they develop resistance to their chemotherapy. METHODS: TCGA human clinical sample survey and urothelial tumor tissue microarrays (TMAs) were applied to investigate the expression of androgen receptor (AR) and NF-κB. Multiple BCa cell lines were used to test chemotherapy's efficacy via multiple assays including XTT, flow cytometry, TUNEL, and BrdU incorporation. The effects of the AR degradation enhancer, ASC-J9®, combined with various chemotherapy reagents were examined both in vivo and in vitro. RESULTS: We unexpectedly found that in muscle-invasive BCa (miBCa) the signals of both the AR and NF-κB were increased via a TCGA sample survey. Results from multiple approaches revealed that targeting these two increased signals by combining various chemotherapeutic agents, including Cisplatin, Doxorubicin or Mitomycin C, with ASC-J9® led to increase the therapeutic efficacy. The combined therapy increases the expression of the pro-apoptosis BAX gene and cell cycle inhibitor p21 gene, yet suppresses the expression of the pro-survival BCL2 gene in miBCa cells. Preclinical studies using an in vivo mouse model with xenografted miBCa cells confirmed in vitro cell line data showing that treatment with ASC-J9® combined with Cisplatin can result in suppressing miBCa progression better than Cisplatin alone. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results support a novel therapeutic approach via combining Cisplatin with ASC-J9® to better suppress the progression of miBCa.

Selenium impedes cadmium and arsenic toxicity in potato by modulating carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism.

Past studies have already determined that selenium (Se) is very effective in alleviating cell oxidative damage caused by various abiotic stresses in plants. Past studies have also indicated other physiological pathways by which Se may benefit plants. In order to better understand the full array of potential applications for Se in agriculture, this study investigated the influence of Se on carbohydrate and nitrogen (N) metabolism in potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Sante) grown under cadmium (Cd) and/or arsenic (As) toxicity. Potato plants were grown in a growth chamber and fertigated with Hoagland nutrient solution with or without Se (9 µM). After 48-d of growth under Cd (40 µM) and/or As (40 µM) stress, carbohydrate and N metabolism in leaves, roots and stolons were measured. For carbohydrate metabolism, various sugars-i.e., sucrose, starch, glucose, fructose, and total soluble sugar contents (TSSC)-and the activities of enzymes associated with sucrose metabolism and glycolysis-i.e., acid invertase (AI), neutral invertase (NI), sucrose-synthetase (SS), sucrose phosphatesynthetase (SPS), fructokinase (FK), hexokinase (HK), phosphofructokinase (PFK), and pyruvatekinase (PK)-were measured. For N metabolism, NO3-, NO2- and NH4+ contents along with the enzymatic activities of nitrate reductase (NRA), nitrite reductase (NiRA), glutamine-synthetase (GS), and glutamate-synthetase (GOGAT) were measured. Overall, Cd and/or As treatments had reduced plant growth relative to those plants grown without heavy metal toxicity, due to hindered photosynthesis and alterations in N metabolism and glycolysis. Regarding N metabolism, heavy metal toxicity caused a reduction in NO3- and NO2- content and NRA and NiRA enzymatic activity and enhanced NH4+ content and GDH activity in leaves, roots and stolons. Regarding glycolysis, the activity of enzymes of glycolysis-i.e., FK, HK, PFK, and PK-were also reduced. In the C metabolism study, plants combatted Cd and As toxicity naturally by an adaptation mechanism which caused an increase in soluble sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose) by increasing NI, SS and SSP enzymatic activity. Supplementation with Se in the Cd and/or As treatments in the carbohydrate and N metabolism studies improved plant growth. Selenium supplementation in the Cd and As treatments decreased Cd and/or As content in the plant tissue and alleviating the Cd- and/or As-induced toxicity by enhancing the C-metabolism adaptation mechanism. Applying Se to Cd and As treatments also decreased nitrogen losses by hindering Cd- and As-induced changes in the N-metabolism. Se also limited Cd and As accumulation in the plant tissue by the antagonistic effect between Cd/Se and As/Se in the roots. The results of this study indicate that in the presence of Cd and/or As. soil toxicity, Se may be a powerful tool for promoting plant growth.

Fenestration of Lamina Terminalis During Anterior Circulation Aneurysm Clipping on Occurrence of Shunt-Dependent Hydrocephalus After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Shunt-dependent hydrocephalus (SDH) is a common complication after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and affects its outcome significantly. Whether fenestration of the lamina terminalis (FLT) during anterior circulation aneurysm clipping for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage can decrease the occurrence of SDH is still controversial. METHODS: Ovid and PubMed databases were retrieved by the following key words: "hydrocephalus," "subarachnoid hemorrhage," "aneurysm," "fenestration," and "lamina terminalis." The Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test was used to compare overall incidence of SDH. RESULTS: The literatures were searched, and 15 were included involving 2839 patients. The overall incidence of SDH in fenestrated cohort was 11.4%, compared with 15.3% in the nonfenestrated cohort (P = 0.008). The relative risk of SDH in fenestrated cohort was 0.67 (95% confidence interval 0.50-0.90). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that FLT during anterior circulation aneurysm clipping reduces the incidence of SDH. However, a well-designed, randomized controlled trial is necessary to prove the efficacy of FLT to reduce SDH.

Emergence of superconductivity from fully incoherent normal state in an iron-based superconductor (Ba0.6K0.4)Fe2As2.

In unconventional superconductors, it is generally believed that understanding the physical properties of the normal state is a pre-requisite for understanding the superconductivity mechanism. In conventional superconductors like niobium or lead, the normal state is a Fermi liquid with a well-defined Fermi surface and well-defined quasipartcles along the Fermi surface. Superconductivity is realized in this case by the Fermi surface instability in the superconducting state and the formation and condensation of the electron pairs (Cooper pairing). The high temperature cuprate superconductors, on the other hand, represent another extreme case that superconductivity can be realized in the underdoped region where there is neither well-defined Fermi surface due to the pseudogap formation nor quasiparticles near the antinodal regions in the normal state. Here we report a novel scenario that superconductivity is realized in a system with well-defined Fermi surface but without quasiparticles along the Fermi surface in the normal state. High resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurements have been performed on an optimally-doped iron-based superconductor (Ba0.6K0.4)Fe2As2. We find that, while sharp superconducting coherence peaks emerge in the superconducting state on the hole-like Fermi surface sheets, no quasiparticle peak is present in the normal state. Its electronic behaviours deviate strongly from a Fermi liquid system. The superconducting gap of such a system exhibits an unusual temperature dependence that it is nearly a constant in the superconducting state and abruptly closes at Tc. These observations have provided a new platform to study unconventional superconductivity in a non-Fermi liquid system.

L-ascorbic acid metabolism in an ascorbate-rich kiwifruit (Actinidia. Eriantha Benth.) cv. 'White' during postharvest.

Kiwifruit (Actinidia eriantha Benth.) 'White', a novel cultivar with higher L-ascorbic acid (AsA) level, is registered in China. Changes in AsA, related metabolites, enzymatic activity, and gene expression associated with AsA biosynthesis and recycling process were investigated in this paper. The results indicated that AsA biosynthesis through L-galactose pathway supplemented by D-galacturonic acid pathway and AsA recycling collectively contributed to accumulating and remaining higher AsA level in kiwifruit cv. 'White' during postharvest. Moreover, L-galactose dehydrogenase (GalDH) activity and relative expressions of the genes encoding GDP-D-mannose pyrophosphorylase (GMP), L-galactose-1-P phosphatase (GPP), GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase (GGP), GalDH and D-galacturonate reductase (GalUR) were important for regulation of AsA biosynthesis, and the activity and expression of dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) were primarily responsible for regulation of AsA recycling in kiwifruit 'White' during postharvest.

An aldonolactonase AltA from Penicillium oxalicum mitigates the inhibition of ß-glucosidase during lignocellulose biodegradation.

Efficient deconstruction of lignocellulose is achieved by the synergistic action of various hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes. However, the aldonolactones generated by oxidative enzymes have inhibitory effects on some cellulolytic enzymes. In this work, D-glucono-1,5-lactone was shown to have a much stronger inhibitory effect than D-glucose and D-gluconate on ß-glucosidase, a vital enzyme during cellulose degradation. AltA, a secreted enzyme from Penicillium oxalicum, was identified as an aldonolactonase which can catalyze the hydrolysis of D-glucono-1,5-lactone to D-gluconic acid. In the course of lignocellulose saccharification conducted by cellulases from P. oxalicum or Trichoderma reesei, supplementation of AltA was able to relieve the decrease of ß-glucosidase activity obviously with a stimulation of glucose yield. This boosting effect disappeared when sodium azide and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) were added to the saccharification system to inhibit the activities of oxidative enzymes. In summary, we describe the first heterologous expression of a fungal secreted aldonolactonase and its application as an efficient supplement of cellulolytic enzyme system for lignocellulose biodegradation.

[Association between folic acid supplement in peri-conceptional period and depression in pregnancy: a cohort study].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiological characteristics on the supplement of folic acid in progestation and early pregnancy, and to probe the protective effects of supplement of folic acid in early pregnancy against pregnant depression, in Ma'anshan city, Anhui province. METHODS: In this cohort study, 5 150 subjects who had their first antenatal examination at Ma'anshan Maternal and Child Care Centers were recruited under informed consent, from October 2008 to October 2010. All the information were collected through questionnaires in the first, second and third trimesters respectively. A "Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)" was used to assess the mood of depression in the second questionnaire. Single factor analysis and the unconditional multivariate logistic regression were applied to analyze the association of supplement folic acid in peri-conceptional period and pregnancy depression. RESULTS: In the study, the prevalence of those who had never taken the supplement folic acid but only the supplement folic acid in progestation and supplement in the first-trimester, or supplement in the peri-conceptional period were 27.3%,0.5%, 27.4% and 17.9%, respectively. The incidence of pregnancy depression was 4.8% (247/5 150). Data from logistic regression analysis showed that, supplement of folic acid only in the first-trimester or in the peri-conceptional period were negatively associated with pregnancy depression even after adjustment for potential confounders. The adjusted odds ratio were 0.63 (95%CI:0.44-0.90) and 0.61 (95%CI:0.39-0.95) respectively. CONCLUSION: Supplement of folic acid in peri-conceptional period could be a preventive factor for pregnancy depression.

[Development of spectrometer for tongue diagnosis based on plane holography concave grating].

The traditional tongue inspection method should be urgently improved due to the relative large diagnosis error probability caused by the excessive dependence on the Chinese physician's experience and judgment. But the application of tongue diagnosis based on image processing is limited by some factors including the performance of light source, image acquisition device and the low recognition rate of similar color for different diseases. In order to overcome these drawbacks, the spectroscopy method was employed to analyze the tongue by using the unique fingerprint effect of tongue spectrum. A spectrometer for tongue diagnosis (STD) was developed to achieve this goal in this paper. Meanwhile, to overcome the shortcomings of traditional light-splitting devices, a plane holographic concave grating was used as the diffractive grating, which not only can improve the luminous flux efficiency and miniaturize system, but also improve the spectral imaging quality and resolution. Experimental results demonstrated that the spectral range of STD reached 340-850 nm, and its spectral resolution is better than 2 nm. And the result of simulation experiment validated the feasibility of spectrometer's system.