Influences of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum dy-1 Fermentation on the Bitterness of Bitter Melon Juice, the Composition of Saponin Compounds, and Their Bioactivities.

Lactic acid bacteria fermentation is a beneficial bioprocessing method that can improve the flavor, transform nutrients, and maintain the biological activity of foods. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum dy-1 fermentation on the nutritional components, flavor and taste properties, and composition of saponin compounds and their hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities. The results suggested that the total polyphenol content increased, and the soluble polysaccharides and total saponin contents decreased in fermented bitter melon juice (FJ) compared with those in non-fermented bitter melon juice (NFJ). The determination of volatile flavor substances by GC-MS revealed that the response values of acetic acid, n-octanol, sedumol, etc., augmented significantly, and taste analysis with an electronic tongue demonstrated lower bitterness and higher acidity in FJ. Furthermore, UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS testing showed a significant decrease in bitter compounds, including momordicines I and II, and a significant increase in the active saponin momordicine U in the fermented bitter melon saponin group (FJBMS). The in vitro assays indicated that FJBMS exhibited similar antioxidant activities as the non-fermented bitter melon saponin group (NFBMS). The in vitro results show that both NFBMS and FJBMS, when used at 50 µg/mL, could significantly reduce fat accumulation and the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and increased the catalase (CAT) activity, while there was no significant difference in the bioactivities of NFBMS and FJBMS. In conclusion, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum dy-1 fermentation is an effective means to lower the bitterness value of bitter melon and preserve the well-known bioactivities of its raw materials, which can improve the edibility of bitter melon.

Association between nocturnal sleep duration and midday napping and the incidence of sarcopenia in middle-aged and older adults: a 4-year longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Identifying treatment targets for sarcopenia is a public health concern. This study aimed to examine the association of nocturnal sleep duration and midday napping with the presence of sarcopenia in middle-aged and older adults, utilizing data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2011 and 2015. METHODS: A sum of 7,926 individuals (≥40 years) took part in this study. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data on nocturnal sleep duration and midday napping. Nocturnal sleep duration was categorized into three groups: short sleepers (<6 h), normal sleepers (6-8 h), and long sleepers (>8 h). Midday napping was coded as a dichotomous outcome (yes/no). RESULTS: The incidence of sarcopenia was 5.3% during the 4-year follow-up. Short sleep duration (<6 h) was substantially linked to an increased incidence of sarcopenia (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.21-1.87) as compared to nocturnal sleep length (6-8 h). Adults with midday napping had a lower risk of developing sarcopenia than non-nappers (OR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.63-0.95). We further found that short sleepers with midday napping did not have a significantly higher risk of subsequent diagnosis of sarcopenia compared to normal sleepers without midday napping. CONCLUSION: These findings imply that short sleep duration in middle-aged and older persons is related to an increased incidence of sarcopenia. However, the adverse effect of short sleep duration on sarcopenia can be compensated by midday napping.

Single-pixel p-graded-n junction spectrometers.

Ultra-compact spectrometers are becoming increasingly popular for their promising applications in biomedical analysis, environmental monitoring, and food safety. In this work, we report a single-pixel-photodetector spectrometer with a spectral range from 480 nm to 820 nm, based on the AlGaAs/GaAs p-graded-n junction with a voltage-tunable optical response. To reconstruct the optical spectrum, we propose a tailored method called Neural Spectral Fields (NSF) that leverages the unique wavelength and bias-dependent responsivity matrix. Our spectrometer achieves a high spectral wavelength accuracy of up to 0.30 nm and a spectral resolution of up to 10 nm. Additionally, we demonstrate the high spectral imaging performance of the device. The compatibility of our demonstration with the standard III-V process greatly accelerates the commercialization of miniaturized spectrometers.

Blood flow restriction therapy applied to sports training / Terapia de restrição do fluxo sanguíneo aplicada ao treinamento esportivo / Terapia de restricción del flujo sanguíneo aplicada al entrenamiento deportivo

ABSTRACT Introduction: Blood flow restriction therapy, also known as KAATSU pressurization training or ischemic exercise training is a controlled method of vascular occlusion combined with resistance training, with the great growth of its research in recent years. Regular strength training, prevention of lean mass loss, and post-operative rehabilitation are some areas in which the therapy has been prominent. It is believed that it can also be beneficial in sports performance. Objective: Study the effects of an intervention with blood flow restriction therapy on athletes during training. Methods: 32 college athletes with more than two years of experience in sports training, free of injuries, and 20±3 years old were volunteers. They were randomly divided into groups A (no pressure), B (training pressure), C (intermittent pressure), D (full compression). Results: The athletes in the no pressurization group, intermittent pressurization group, training pressurization group, and full-time pressurization group showed significant differences (P<0.05). It can be considered that there is a significant difference in the muscular endurance indexes of the athletes in the non-compression group before and after training, while the athletes in the non-compression group achieved a significant increase in muscular endurance after 6 weeks of training Conclusion: Blood flow restriction therapy can effectively enhance the training effect with various strength qualities, and play a role as a promoter of hypertrophy and vascularization. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

RESUMO Introdução: A terapia de restrição do fluxo sanguíneo, também conhecida como treinamento de pressurização da KAATSU ou treinamento de exercício isquêmico é um método controlado de oclusão vascular combinado ao treino de resistência, com grande crescimento de suas pesquisas nos últimos anos. Treinos regulares de força, prevenção de perda de massa magra e reabilitação pós-operatória são algumas áreas em que a terapia tem se destacado. Acredita-se que possa ser benéfica também no desempenho esportivo. Objetivo: Estudar os efeitos de uma intervenção com terapia de restrição do fluxo sanguíneo nos atletas durante o treinamento. Métodos: Foram voluntários 32 atletas universitários com mais de dois anos de experiência em treinamento esportivo, livres de lesões e com 20±3 anos de idade. Foram divididos aleatoriamente em grupos A (sem pressão), B (pressão de treinamento), C (pressão intermitente), D (compressão integral). Resultados: Os atletas do grupo sem pressurização, do grupo de pressurização intermitente, do grupo de pressurização de treinamento e do grupo de pressurização em tempo integral, mostraram diferenças significativas (P<0,05). Pode-se considerar que existe uma diferença significativa nos índices de resistência muscular dos atletas do grupo sem compressão antes e depois do treinamento, enquanto os atletas do grupo sem compressão conseguiram um aumento significativo na resistência muscular após 6 semanas de treinamento Conclusão: A terapia de restrição do fluxo sanguíneo pode efetivamente melhorar o efeito de treinamento com várias qualidades de força, além de desempenhar um papel como promotor de hipertrofia e vascularização. Nível de evidência II; Estudos terapêuticos - investigação dos resultados do tratamento.

RESUMEN Introducción: La terapia de restricción del flujo sanguíneo, también conocida como entrenamiento de presurización KAATSU o entrenamiento de ejercicio isquémico es un método controlado de oclusión vascular combinado con entrenamiento de resistencia, con gran crecimiento de su investigación en los últimos años. El entrenamiento regular de la fuerza, la prevención de la pérdida de masa magra y la rehabilitación postoperatoria son algunas de las áreas en las que la terapia se ha destacado. Se cree que también puede ser beneficioso para el rendimiento deportivo. Objetivo: Estudiar los efectos de una intervención con terapia de restricción del flujo sanguíneo en atletas durante el entrenamiento. Métodos: 32 atletas universitarios con más de dos años de experiencia en el entrenamiento deportivo, libres de lesiones y con 20±3 años de edad fueron voluntarios. Se dividieron aleatoriamente en los grupos A (sin presión), B (presión de entrenamiento), C (presión intermitente), D (compresión total). Resultados: Los atletas del grupo sin presurización, del grupo con presurización intermitente, del grupo con presurización de entrenamiento y del grupo con presurización a tiempo completo mostraron diferencias significativas (P<0,05). Se puede considerar que existe una diferencia significativa en los índices de resistencia muscular de los atletas del grupo sin compresión antes y después del entrenamiento, mientras que los atletas del grupo sin compresión lograron un aumento significativo de la resistencia muscular después de 6 semanas de entrenamiento Conclusión: La terapia de restricción del flujo sanguíneo puede mejorar eficazmente el efecto del entrenamiento con diversas cualidades de fuerza, y desempeñar un papel como promotor de la hipertrofia y la vascularización. Nivel de evidencia II; Estudios terapéuticos - investigación de los resultados del tratamiento.

Nanoscale zero-valent iron/silver@activated carbon-reduced graphene oxide: Efficient removal of trihalomethanes from drinking water.

AC-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron composites (nZVI/AC) exhibit significant environmental implications for trihalomethanes (THMs)-contaminated water remediation. To improve the adsorption and degradation capability of AC, herein, a composite (nZVI/Ag@AC-RGO) consisting of AC, reduced graphene oxide (RGO), nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), and silver (Ag) was synthesized and characterized using several techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The analysis of textural and morphological structures showed that a tightly-attached RGO film, amorphous iron, and weak crystal silver nanoparticles with a size of 20-30 nm were evenly immobilized on the support. Specific surface area increased by 19.12% after supporting RGO, while it decreased after supporting nZVI and Ag due to the partial blockage of micropores. The Fe surface was concurrently coated by iron oxides (Fe2O3, FeOOH) and Ag. THMs were eliminated through multilayer reaction processes. The values of the adsorption constant (KF) of chloroform (CHCl3), dichlorobromoethane (CHBrCl2), dibromochloroethane (CHBr2Cl), and tribromomethane (CHBr3) adsorbed by nZVI/Ag@AC-RGO increased by 34.4, 33.7, 81.6, and 67.3%, respectively, compared to pristine AC. THMs with more Br atoms exhibited better removal efficiency and adsorption capacity, along with a higher oxidation degree of the Fe surface. CHBrCl2 and CHBr2Cl mainly decomposed into chloromethane (CH3Cl) and dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), and CHBr3 and CHCl3 primarily degraded into dibromomethane (CH2Br2) and CH2Cl2, respectively, along with generating Cl- and Br-. Conclusively, THMs-contaminated water could be remediated by coupling AC pre-enrichment and the reactivity of nZVI/Ag.

Adsorption performance and mechanisms of mercaptans removal from gasoline oil using core-shell AC-based adsorbents.

Sulfur compound detection such as mercaptans in liquid fuels is undesirable because sulfur is the main sourcing emission of sulfur oxide (SOx) into the air. The use of activated carbon (AC) has proven to efficiently remove mercaptans. In the meantime, it is limited by the generation of the second pollution in oil and the difficulties of recovery and regeneration. A core-shell structured AC with high mechanical strength and big intra-particles space was synthesized and demonstrated to efficiently remove organic pollutants from an aqueous solution without the generation of the second pollution in our previous work. However, the performance and behaviors of mercaptans adsorption from gasoline oil by core-shell structured AC were still unclear. In this study, the mercaptans adsorption behaviors using core-shell powdered activated carbon (CSAC) and core-shell granulated activated carbon (CSGAC), along with raw PAC, PAC-core, raw GAC, and GAC-core, were carried out. The results showed that both the CSAC and CSGAC adsorbents effectively removed sulfur-based pollutants and were provided with good recovery and recyclability without second pollution in gasoline oil. The CSGAC exhibited a higher mercaptans removal efficiency compared to those of CSAC as a result of the bigger intra-particles space. PAC-based adsorbents presented the shrinking of removal efficiency after regeneration. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was dominated for mercaptans adsorption by both CSAC and CSGAC. The adsorption of ethanethiol on CSGAC was better fitted to the Freundlich model, 1-butanethiol adsorption by CSAC and CSGAC, and ethanethiol adsorption on CSAC which was dominated by Langmuir model.

Huanglian-Jie-Du-Tang Extract Ameliorates Depression-Like Behaviors through BDNF-TrkB-CREB Pathway in Rats with Chronic Unpredictable Stress.

Neuroinflammation is considered as one of the common pathogeneses of depression. Huanglian-Jie-Du-Tang (HJDT) is a traditional Chinese herbal formula. The present study investigates the antidepressant-like effect of HJDT and its possible mechanism in rats. Rats were given HJDT (2, 4, and 8 g/kg, intragastrically), paroxetine (1.8 mg/kg, intragastrically), or an equivalent volume of saline for 42 days. The depression-related behaviors, including sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT), novel objective recognition task (NORT), and forced swimming test (FST), were detected. 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) contents, microglial activation, proinflammatory cytokines, and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tropomyosin receptor kinases B (TrkB), and cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) expression were investigated. The results indicated HJDT (2 and 4 g/kg) dramatically ameliorated the depression-like behaviors. Also HJDT decreased the number of microglia and the proinflammatory cytokines in hippocampus. Western-blotting analysis displayed HJDT upregulated BDNF, TrkB, and pCREB/CREB expression in hippocampus. Particularly, pCREB DNA activity enhanced with HJDT treatment in hippocampus. But there was no difference in the 5-HT and DA contents with HJDT treatment. In conclusion, it was supposed that HJDT might be a potential Chinese medicine decoction for treating or alleviating complex symptoms of depression through BDNF-TrkB-CREB pathway.

[Screening of Active Fractions from Huanglian Jiedu Decoction against Primary Neuron Injury after Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the protective effect of active fractions of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction (HJD) on primary cortical neuron injury after oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)/reperfusion (R) injury. Methods Using macroporous resin method, HJDFE30, HJDFE50, HJDFE75, and HJDFE95 with 30%, 50%, 75%, and 95% alcohol were respectively prepared. Then the content of active components in different HJD fractions was determined with reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The OGD/R injury model was induced by sodium dithionite on primary cortical neurons in neonate rats. MTT assay was used to observe the effect of four fractions (HJDFE30, HJDFE50, HJDFE75, and HJDFE95) and seven index components of HJD on the neuron viability. RESULTS: RP-HPLC showed active component(s) contained in HJDFE30 was geniposide; baicalin, palmatine, berberine, and wogonside contained in HJDFE50; baicalin, berberine, baicalein, and wogonin contained in HJDFE75. The neuron viability was decreased after OGD for 20 min and reperfusion for 1 h, (P <0. 01), and significantly increased after administered with HJD, HJDFE30, HJDFE50, and HJDFE75 (P <0. 05, P <0. 01). Geniposide, baicalin, baicalein, palmatine, wogonside, and wogonin could increase the cortical neuron viability (P <0. 05, P <0. 01). CONCLUSIONS: HJDFE30, HJDFE50, and HJDFE75, as active fractions of HJD, had protective effect on primary cortical neuron injury after OGD/R. Furthermore, geniposide, baicalin, and baicalein were main active components of HJD.

miR-381 suppresses C/EBPα-dependent Cx43 expression in breast cancer cells.

Cx43 (connexin43) is an enhancer of the metastasis of breast cancer cells. Our previous study identified miR-381 as an indirect suppressor of Cx43 gene expression, with the precise mechanism being not understood. In the present study, using a reporter gene assay, we found that miR-381 suppressed Cx43 gene expression via the promoter region -500/-250. With site-directed gene mutation, we demonstrated that miR-381 could directly bind with the sequences CACUUGUAU in the 3'-UTR so as to inhibit C/EBPα (CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α) expression. C/EBPα was further identified as a novel transcription factor by binding to a canonic element (AATTGTC) locating at -459/-453 in the promoter region of the Cx43 gene. Functionally, we demonstrated that miR-381 suppressed C/EBPα- and Cx43-dependent migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. Finally, we revealed that decreased levels of miR-381 as well as increased expression of C/EBPα and Cx43 in the metastatic breast cancer cells and tissues. Therefore we are the first to identify that miR-381 suppresses C/EBPα-dependent Cx43 expression in breast cancer cells. The miR-381-C/EBPα-Cx43 axis might be a useful diagnostic and therapeutic target of metastatic breast cancer.

Identification of miR-200a as a novel suppressor of connexin 43 in breast cancer cells.

Both miRNAs (miRs) and connexin 43 (Cx43) were important regulators of the metastasis of breast cancer, whereas the miRs regulating Cx43 expression in breast cancer cells were still obscure. In the present study, we scanned and found miR-1, miR-206, miR-200a, miR-381, miR-23a/b and miR-186 were functional suppressors of human Cx43 mRNA and protein expression. Specially, we demonstrated that only miR-200a could directly target the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of human Cx43 gene. Functionally, overexpression of Cx43 in MCF cells potentiated the migration activity, whereas additional miR-200a treatment notably prevented this effect. Finally, we demonstrated that decreased levels of miR-200a and elevated expression of Cx43 in the metastatic breast cancer tissues compared with the primary ones. Thus, we are the first to identify miR-200a as a novel and direct suppressor of human Cx43, indicating that miR200a/Cx43 axis might be a useful diagnostic and therapeutic target of metastatic breast cancer.