Extraction, functionality, and applications of Chlorella pyrenoidosa protein/peptide.

Chlorella pyrenoidosa (C. pyrenoidosa) has been widely used in commercial food and feed production for numerous years. Its high protein content and cost-effectiveness make it an attractive source of novel protein. With a focus on sustainable development and the search for green natural products, current research is dedicated to maximizing the utilization of C. pyrenoidosa protein (CPP) and peptide. Various techniques, such as the use of ionic liquids, freeze-thawing, ultrasonication, enzyme digest, microwaving are employed in the extraction of CPP. The extracted CPP has demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and bacteriostatic properties. It can also stimulate immune regulation, prevent cardiovascular disease, protect red blood cells, and even be used in wastewater treatment. Furthermore, CPP has shown some potential in combating obesity. Additionally, CPP is being explored in three-dimensional (3D) printing applications, particularly for the creation of biological scaffolds. It is also anticipated to play a role in 3D food printing. This review aimed to supply a comprehensive summary of CPP and C. pyrenoidosa peptide extraction methods, their functions, and practical applications in various industries. By doing so, it seeks to underpin subsequent research efforts, highlight current research limitations, and identify future research directions in this field.

Regulation of fructose levels on carbon flow and metabolites in yeast during food fermentation.

In this study, the effects of fructose levels on yeast growth, metabolic pathways and products, and redox status were investigated by simulated dough medium. The results showed that yeast was subjected to oxidative stress and damage under both sugar-free and high-fructose conditions. Yeast has a strong ability to metabolize pentose phosphate, trehalose, and tricarboxylic acid under sugar-free conditions. In the high fructose environment, yeast preferentially produced trehalose and glycerol in the early stage and gradually increased the metabolism of pentose phosphate in the later stage. Compared with the low fructose concentration, yeast had stronger pentose phosphate and tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) metabolism to ensure nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content in higher fructose levels. Therefore, sugar-free and high fructose levels affected the growth of yeast cells and yeast responded to fructose levels by regulating the metabolic carbon flow of glycolysis, pentose phosphate, trehalose, and TCA.

Discovery of Potent and Selective Dual Leucine Zipper Kinase/Leucine Zipper-Bearing Kinase Inhibitors with Neuroprotective Properties in In Vitro and In Vivo Models of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK) and leucine zipper-bearing kinase (LZK) are regulators of neuronal degeneration and axon growth. Therefore, there is a considerable interest in developing DLK/LZK inhibitors for neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, we use ligand- and structure-based drug design approaches for identifying novel amino-pyrazine inhibitors of DLK/LZK. DN-1289 (14), a potent and selective dual DLK/LZK inhibitor, demonstrated excellent in vivo plasma half-life across species and is anticipated to freely penetrate the central nervous system with no brain impairment based on in vivo rodent pharmacokinetic studies and human in vitro transporter data. Proximal target engagement and disease relevant pathway biomarkers were also favorably regulated in an in vivo model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Biochar-supported Cu nanocluster as an electrochemical ultrasensitive interface for ractopamine sensing.

Electrochemical sensors actually involve an electrocatalytic process involving an efficient and selective energy conversion that is related to the morphology and size of the interface of the modified materials. Ultrasmall nanoclusters or single atoms generate a greater catalytic ability than normal nanomaterials. In this study biochar-supported Cu nanoclusters (CuNCs@CNFs) were fabricated via a carbon confinement synthesis method toward ultrasensitive electrochemical sensing of ractopamine (RAC). RAC is a ß-adrenergic receptor agonist that is illegally used as a feed additive to significantly improve muscle accretion, resulting in RAC accumulation in meat-based food products. The unique structure of CuNCs@CNFs and the interconnectivity between the CuNCs and the CNFs enable the nanocomposite to significantly enhance conductivity and electrocatalytic activity. Using the CuNCs@CNFs-based sensor, RAC was determined with a high sensitivity of 1641 µA µM-1 cm-2. The feasibility of detecting RAC in spiked meat samples was also carried out with satisfactory recoveries ranging from 91.39 % to 94.58 %.

Exploring the Risk Factors of Conjunctival Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Establishing a Prognostic Model: Retrospective Study.

Objective: Exploring the risk factors of conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) and establishing a prognostic model. Methods: Information on patients with CSCC was extracted from the SEER database, conducting a retrospective study. 650 patients with CSCC were finally included in the model. Descriptive analysis was performed by Chi-square test and T-test. The risk factors of CSCC were explored by COX multivariate analysis, and the corresponding prognostic model was established as a result. Results: The all-cause mortality rate of CSCC was 38.3%, and the risk factors were age (HR = 1.077), sex (HR = 0.691), grade (HR = 7.857), laterality (HR = 1.403), N (HR = 7.195), M (HR = 0.217), and surgery (HR = 1.618), all P < 0.05. The new model had C index and area under curve ROC (AUC) value greater than 0.7. Calibration curve, Net Reclassification Index (NRI), Integrated Discrimination Improvement (IDI), and Decision Curve Analysis (DCA) indicate the new model has better predictive performance than the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC-TNM). Conclusions: Compared with the clinical guidance of AJCC (TNM) for patients with CSCC, the established model exhibits good performance and can provide guidance for clinical decision-making.

Tailoring diameters of carbon nanofibers with optimal mesopores to remarkably promote hemin adsorption toward ultrasensitive detection of bisphenol A.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a worldwide used endocrine disrupting chemical that can migration from food containers and packaging, resulting in bioaccumulation of BPA in humans and causing adverse health effects. Porous electrodes have been proved with large surface areas and high sensing abilities in electrochemical detection of BPA. However, how to tailor the pore sizes to further improve the sensing performance is still a great challenge. Here, we delicately tailored the diameters of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) by adjusting electrospinning parameters to have optimal mesopore structure for strong adsorption of hemin that has been demonstrated with high electrocatalytic activity for BPA sensing. Benefiting from the optimal mesopores structure of CNFs and the synergistic effect of hemin and CNFs, this hemin@CNFs based sensor achieves an ultrahigh sensitivity of 40.97 µA cm-2 µM-1, a low detection limit of 3.1 nM and satisfactory recoveries from 90.2% to 104.2% in the direct detection of BPA in liquors. This work offers a promising sensing platform for ultrasensitive monitoring of BPA.

Effect of glucose levels on carbon flow rate, antioxidant status, and enzyme activity of yeast during fermentation.

BACKGROUND: The physiological metabolism of yeast has a significant impact on the quality of fermentation products. The present study aimed to investigate yeast metabolism in response to a changing glucose content environment, especially in fermentation products, as well as the change of carbon flow rate, antioxidant status, and yeast enzyme activity. RESULTS: Yeast in a 0 g L-1 glucose level was subjected to carbon starvation stress, cell growth retardation and cell proliferation was significantly inadequate; in the logarithmic growth stage of yeast, at a 30 g L-1 glucose level, the carbon source mainly flowed to tricarboxylic acid cycle and pentose phosphate metabolism, cell division, proliferation, and increased cell growth. In later logarithmic growth period and stable period, carbon flowed into glycerol and trehalose metabolism, to cope with the environmental stress; yeast in 60 and 150 g L-1 glucose levels faced high glucose stress at the beginning, the content of reactive oxygen increased, malondialdehyde content increased, cell damage was reduced through the regulation of superoxide dismutase and catalase enzyme activities, and most of the carbon flowed into the metabolic pathway of ethanol, glycerol, and trehalose to cope with high glucose stress, the pentose phosphate pathway showed a large late influx, and NADPH also started to increase rapidly after 24 h. CONCLUSION: Yeast was stressed in a high-sugar environment and ensured the activity of yeast by preferentially increasing the metabolic intensity of trehalose, glycerol, and glycolytic metabolism, weakening tricarboxylic acid metabolism, and first weakening and then increasing pentose phosphate metabolism. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Clinical feasibility of the therapeutic strategies total neoadjuvant therapy and "watch and wait" in the treatment of rectal cancer patients with recurrence after clinical complete response.

Purpose: In recent years, total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) has emerged as a new therapeutic strategy against advanced rectal cancer (RC). After administration of TNT, some patients show complete clinical response (cCR) to treatment however, disputes about the effects of TNT and the alternative treatment plans in case of recurrence after cCR still exist. Methods: A total of 100 patients were included in this paper. CR and non-CR was observed when these patients were administered with TNT at the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, China from May 2015 to June 2021. These patients received different chemotherapeutic regimens, with close monitoring and watch and wait (W&W) strategy being applied by a multidisciplinary team (MDT). According to treatment results, patients were divided into a cCR group and a non-cCR group; according to the recurrence during W&W, they were divided into a recurrence group and a no-local-recurrence group. This study analyzed the factors that may affect the prognosis, and summarized the surgery and treatment after recurrence. Results: The TNT strategy was effective, and 85% of patients achieved local remission. However, W&W did not affect the survival time of CR patients, nor did it cause new distant metastasis due to local recurrence during the observation period (P > 0.05). However, for patients with positive CRM, we do not recommend W&W as the first choice of treatment (P < 0.05). Conclusion: (1) Whole-course neoadjuvant therapy was an effective treatment scheme for advanced mid-term rectal cancer. The total local reduction rate of this group of cases was 85.00%, meaning that 25 patients achieved CR. (2) W&W was safe and reliable, and CR patients could receive it as the preferred treatment. (3) CRM was an independent risk factor for local recurrence in CR patients. We do not recommend W&W as the preferred treatment for CR patients with positive CRM.

Electrochemical detection of bisphenols in food: A review.

Bisphenols (BPs) are worldwide used organic compounds in plastics, belonging to the group of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) which exhibits endocrine disruption to beings. Migration of BPs from food contact materials like plastic containers, epoxy coatings in metal cans and thermal papers, would results in bioaccumulation of BPs in human beings, causing adverse health effects. Therefore, sensitive and selective determination of BPs in food is needed. Among different strategies have been explored for the detection of BPs, electrochemical sensors with relatively high sensitivity and fast response are promising. This paper is devoted to comprehensively review the developed electrochemical methods for BPs sensing in food, so that to find a direction for developing low cost, high accuracy and compatibility sensors toward the sensitive and selective detection of BPs. Different electrochemical technologies categorized by recognition agents, aptamers, enzymes, molecularly imprinted polymers and nanomaterials are discussed and summarized in their mechanisms, usages, merits and limitations. The challenges and further perspectives in the development of electrochemical sensors is also discussed.

Synthesis, α-glucosidase inhibitory and molecular docking studies of prenylated and geranylated flavones, isoflavones and chalcones.

Three series of prenylated and/or geranylated flavonoids were synthesized and evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The 3',5'-digeranylated chalcone (16) was identified as a new α-glucosidase inhibitor whose activity (IC50=0.90 µM) was 50-fold more than that of acarbose (IC50=51.32 µM). Molecular docking studies revealed the existence of strong hydrophobic interaction and H-bonding between compound 16 and α-glucosidase's active site. The inhibitory mode analysis showed that 16 exhibited a competitive inhibitory mode.

In vitro simulation research on the hoop stress of myocardial bridge--coronary artery.

AIMS: The aim of this study is to investigate how the myocardial bridge oppression affects the hoop stress of mural coronary artery. METHODS: The "myocardial bridge - coronary artery" simulative device records the hoop stress which is changed by adjusting the external pressure of the simulated coronary artery and the oppression degree of the respectively. RESULTS: Simulation experiment in vitro indicates that the abnormal hoop stress mainly occurs in the proximal end of mural coronary artery. As the oppression degree of myocardial bridge increases, the mean and the oscillatory value (maximum-minimum) of hoop stress in the proximal end increase markedly. CONCLUSIONS: The "myocardial bridge - coronary artery" simulation device can provide an experiment method of studying the hoop stress influence on mural coronary artery in vitro.

[Value of three-dimensional endoanal ultrasonography for anal fistula assessment].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of preoperative evaluation with three-dimensional endoanal ultrasonography (3D-EAUS) for anal fistula in order to provide preoperative assessment for anal fistula. METHODS: One hundred patients diagnosed with anal fistula undergoing surgery between March 2012 and March 2013 in our department were prospectively enrolled. All the patients were randomly divided into the ultrasound group and the control group with fifty patients in each group. The ultrasound group received 3D-EAUS and the control group received routine examinations (digital examination and probe) to assess the position of the internal opening, the type of fistula and secondary tracks, respectively. The concordance rate of the preoperative assessment and intraoperative exploration was evaluated between the two groups. RESULTS: The accuracy of identifying internal opening was 96.0% for the ultrasound group and 82.0% for the control group with statistically significant difference (P=0.02). The accuracy of identifying internal opening for simple anal fistula was similar (95.0% vs. 91.3%, P=1). For complex anal fistula, the accuracy was also higher in the ultrasound group (96.7% vs. 74.1%, P=0.025). The accuracy of fistula classification was 78.0% for the ultrasound group and 96.0% for the control group with significant difference (P=0.01). The accuracy of identifying a second track was higher in the ultrasound group (96.0% vs. 82.0%, P=0.025). CONCLUSIONS: It is significantly superior for 3D-EAUS to detect the internal opening, fistula classification and identification of a second track in complex anal fistulas as compared to conventional examination. 3D-EAUS should be recommended as a preoperative assessment for anal fistula, especially for complex one.