Physiological Mechanisms by Which the Functional Ingredients in Beer Impact Human Health.

Nutritional therapy, for example through beer, is the best solution to human chronic diseases. In this article, we demonstrate the physiological mechanisms of the functional ingredients in beer with health-promoting effects, based on the PubMed, Google, CNKI, and ISI Web of Science databases, published from 1997 to 2024. Beer, a complex of barley malt and hops, is rich in functional ingredients. The health effects of beer against 26 chronic diseases are highly similar to those of barley due to the physiological mechanisms of polyphenols (phenolic acids, flavonoids), melatonin, minerals, bitter acids, vitamins, and peptides. Functional beer with low purine and high active ingredients made from pure barley malt, as well as an additional functional food, represents an important development direction, specifically, ginger beer, ginseng beer, and coix-lily beer, as consumed by our ancestors ca. 9000 years ago. Low-purine beer can be produced via enzymatic and biological degradation and adsorption of purines, as well as dandelion addition. Therefore, this review paper not only reveals the physiological mechanisms of beer in overcoming chronic human diseases, but also provides a scientific basis for the development of functional beer with health-promoting effects.

Generation and characterization of PBMCs-derived human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line SDQLCHi055-A from a patient with NEDSDV carrying a heterozygote mutation in the CTNNB1 gene.

Neurodevelopmental disorder with spastic diplegia and visual defects (NEDSDV, #615075), a rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder caused by heterozygous mutation in the CTNNB1 gene, is characterized by global developmental delay, impaired intellectual development, axial hypotonia, and dysmorphic craniofacial features with microcephaly. Here, we established an iPSC line (SDQLCHi055-A) from a patient with NEDSDV carrying a heterozygote mutation (c.854 T > A, p.L285*) in the CTNNB1 gene. The iPSC line has typical iPSCs characteristics, including pluripotency and trilineage differentiation hallmarks.

Generation and characterization of an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line SDQLCHi063-A from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a patient with Maturity-onset diabetes of the young type 2 carrying GCK exon 1 deletion.

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young type 2 (MODY2) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in the GCK gene. It is characterized by a non-progressive slight increase in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and mildly raised fasting glucose. Here, we generated an induced pluripotent stem cell line SDQLCHi063-A from a five-year-old boy with MODY2 carrying exon 1 deletion of the GCK gene (OMIM*138079). The iPSC line carries original gene mutation, expresses pluripotency markers, has normal karyotype and differentiated spontaneously in the three germ layers.

Generation of a human induced pluripotent stem cell line (SDQLCHi057-A) from an Isovaleric aciduria patient carrying novel compound heterozygous mutations in the IVD gene.

Isovaleric acidemia (IVA; OMIM ID#243500) is an inborn error of leucine metabolism caused by a deficiency of isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase (IVD). In this study, we generated a human induced pluripotent stem cell line (hiPSCs) SDQLCHi057-A from a 2-year-7-month old boy with IVA carrying two heterozygous missense mutations c.215A > G (p.N72S) and c.883A > G (p.M295V) of the IVD gene. Patient-specific hiPSCs provide a proper model for further understanding this rare disease.

Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell line (SDQLCHi067-A) from a patient with subcortical band heterotopia harboring a heterozygous mutation in DCX gene.

Subcortical band heterotopia (SHB) is a rare severe brain developmental malformation caused by deficient neuronal migration during the development of cerebral cortex. Here, a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs) line was established from a 4-year-1-month-old girl with SHB carrying a heterozygous mutation (c.568A > G, p.K190E) in DCX. The generated iPSC line showed the ability to differentiate into three lineages in vitro and was confirmed by pluripotency markers and the original gene mutation.

The role of AbaI quorum sensing molecule synthase in host cell inflammation induced by Acinetobacter baumannii and its effect on zebrafish infection model.

Acinetobacter baumannii is currently one of the most important opportunistic pathogens causing severe nosocomial infections worldwide. Quorum Sensing (QS) system is a widespread mechanism in bacteria to coordinate group behavior by sensing the density of bacterial populations and affect eukaryotic host cell. In Acinetobacter baumannii, AbaI protein is used as QS molecule synthetase to synthesize N- acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). Currently, QS has made great progress in the study of drug resistance, but there is still a lack of complete understanding of its damage to host cells after adhesion and invasion. Thus, in this study, we examined the effects of abaI mutant (ΔabaI) on the functions of adhesion and invasion, cell viability, inflammation, apoptosis in A. baumannii infected A549 cells, to evaluate the effects of ΔabaI in a zebrafish model. We found the group infected with ΔabaI increased cell viability, reduced adhesion and invasion, cell injury, inflammatory cytokine production and apoptosis. By RNA-Seq, we explored the possibility that abaI stimulated A549 cells inflammation by A. baumannii infection via TLR4/MAPK signaling pathway. In addition, the ΔabaI significantly reduced pathogenicity and recruitment to neutrophils in zebrafish. These observations suggest that abaI plays a major role in A. baumannii infection.

Health-promoting compounds in Amomum villosum Lour and Amomum tsao-ko: Fruit essential oil exhibiting great potential for human health.

The Zingiberaceae family serves as a diverse repository of bioactive phytochemicals, comprising approximately 52 genera and 1300 species of aromatic perennial herbs distinguished by their distinct creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes. Amomum villosum Lour. and Amomum tsao-ko Crevost & Lemaire., are the important plants of family Zingiberaceae that have been widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of many ailments. The Amomum species are employed for their aromatic qualities and are valued as spices and flavorings. In the essential oils (EOs) of Amomum species, notable constituents include, camphor, methyl chavicol, bornyl acetate, trans-p-(1-butenyl) anisole, α-pinene, and ß-pinene. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to present an overview of pharmacological studies pertaining to the extracts and secondary metabolites isolated from both species. The foremost objective of review is not only to increase the popularity of Amomum as a healthy food choice but also to enhance its status as a staple ingredient for the foreseeable future. RESULT: We endeavored to gather the latest information on antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer, antiobesity, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties of plants as well as their role in neuroprotective diseases. Research conducted through in-vitro studies, animal model, and compounds analysis have revealed that both plants exhibit a diverse array health promoting properties. CONCLUSION: the comprehensive review paper provides valuable insights into the diverse range of bioactive phytochemicals found in A. villosum and A. tsao-ko, showcasing their potential in preventing diseases and promoting overall human well-being. The compilation of information on their various health-enhancing properties contributes to the broader understanding of these plants and their potential applications in traditional medicine and beyond.

Generation and characterization of PBMCs-derived human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line SDQLCHi050-A from a healthy donor.

The human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line SDQLCHi050-A was derived from the PBMCs of a healthy 5-year-old male child. The karyotyping, pluripotency, and trilineage differentiation characteristics were verified in the SDQLCHi050-A line.

AI-Enabled Soft Sensing Array for Simultaneous Detection of Muscle Deformation and Mechanomyography for Metaverse Somatosensory Interaction.

Motion recognition (MR)-based somatosensory interaction technology, which interprets user movements as input instructions, presents a natural approach for promoting human-computer interaction, a critical element for advancing metaverse applications. Herein, this work introduces a non-intrusive muscle-sensing wearable device, that in conjunction with machine learning, enables motion-control-based somatosensory interaction with metaverse avatars. To facilitate MR, the proposed device simultaneously detects muscle mechanical activities, including dynamic muscle shape changes and vibrational mechanomyogram signals, utilizing a flexible 16-channel pressure sensor array (weighing ≈0.38 g). Leveraging the rich information from multiple channels, a recognition accuracy of ≈96.06% is achieved by classifying ten lower-limb motions executed by ten human subjects. In addition, this work demonstrates the practical application of muscle-sensing-based somatosensory interaction, using the proposed wearable device, for enabling the real-time control of avatars in a virtual space. This study provides an alternative approach to traditional rigid inertial measurement units and electromyography-based methods for achieving accurate human motion capture, which can further broaden the applications of motion-interactive wearable devices for the coming metaverse age.

PMI-controlled mannose metabolism and glycosylation determines tissue tolerance and virus fitness.

Host survival depends on the elimination of virus and mitigation of tissue damage. Herein, we report the modulation of D-mannose flux rewires the virus-triggered immunometabolic response cascade and reduces tissue damage. Safe and inexpensive D-mannose can compete with glucose for the same transporter and hexokinase. Such competitions suppress glycolysis, reduce mitochondrial reactive-oxygen-species and succinate-mediated hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, and thus reduce virus-induced proinflammatory cytokine production. The combinatorial treatment by D-mannose and antiviral monotherapy exhibits in vivo synergy despite delayed antiviral treatment in mouse model of virus infections. Phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) knockout cells are viable, whereas addition of D-mannose to the PMI knockout cells blocks cell proliferation, indicating that PMI activity determines the beneficial effect of D-mannose. PMI inhibition suppress a panel of virus replication via affecting host and viral surface protein glycosylation. However, D-mannose does not suppress PMI activity or virus fitness. Taken together, PMI-centered therapeutic strategy clears virus infection while D-mannose treatment reprograms glycolysis for control of collateral damage.

Geographic differences and variation of functional components of brown rice in 690 mini-core collections from global germplasms.

Objective: To understand the geographic differences and variations in the functional components of brown rice cores collected from global rice germplasms. Methods: Four functional components, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), resistant starch (RS), total flavonoids, and alkaloids, in brown rice from 690 mini-core collections from 31 countries from five continents and the International Rice Research Institute, were analyzed using a spectrophotometry colorimetric method, and the results were statistically validated. Conclusion: The highest average amounts of functional components were obtained in Asian germplasms, except for GABA, and total flavonoids were highest in brown rice from Europe and Oceania, followed by Asia. The highest coefficient of variation for GABA was observed in Asia; that for RS and total flavonoids was observed in Africa, followed by Asia; and that for alkaloids was observed in America, followed by Asia. Overall, Asian countries were the most prominent and representative zones with the highest genotypic potential for functional components of brown rice. Forty-one rice accessions with enriched functional components originated mostly from biodiversity-rich areas in China, followed by those in the Philippines. Late sowing favored the enrichment of these components in brown rice. The current study provides a reference for rice breeding with enriched functional constituents, and guidelines for screening functional rice that could be used for human chronic disease research.