Research on electron beam irradiation in the multiscale structure of starch and its related applications: A review.

Electron beam irradiation (EBI), as a typical "green" emerging technology, can effectively alter the functional properties of starch by influencing its microstructure. This alteration enables starch to meet the current demands of consumers and the market for "health food." This paper reviews studies on modifying various starches using EBI and describes the changes in microstructure, physicochemical properties, and functional properties induced by this method. Additionally, the effects of EBI on starch-containing food products are discussed, along with issues to be addressed and research gaps in the synergistic treatment of modified starch. It is noted that the source, irradiation dose, and irradiation time all influence the effectiveness of starch modification. Given the characteristics of EBI technology, integrating physical, chemical, and biological modification methods can optimize the modification process and enhance efficiency. This technology can potentially diversify modified starch varieties and expand their applications. Furthermore, there remains significant research potential in producing modified starch using EBI technology and applying it to the food industry.

The Effect of Maltose on Structural, Physicochemical, and Digestive Properties of Lentil Starch under Electron Beam Irradiation.

This study investigated the effects of electron beam irradiation (EBI) on the structural, physicochemical, and functional properties of lentil starch with varying maltose content. EBI did not significantly disrupt the starch's surface structure or cause amorphization of starch and maltose crystals, but it significantly reduced the intensity of starch's XRD peaks. The presence of maltose intensified internal growth ring damage, leading to more cross-link and rearrangement between short chains, improving short-range ordering of lentil starch and enhancing starch's solubility and thermal stability. Additionally, adding maltose that EBI then treats can lead to an increased content of slowly digestible starch in samples.

Nuclear alpha-synuclein accelerates cell senescence and neurodegeneration.

BACKGROUND: The progression of Parkinson's disease (PD) is related to ageing. The accumulation of nuclear alpha-synuclein (α-syn) may accelerate the occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases, but its role in PD remains poorly understood. METHODS: In the present study, α-syn expression was specifically targeted to the nucleus by constructing an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector in which a nuclear localization sequence (NLS) was added to the α-syn coding sequence. Virus-mediated gene transfer, behavioural tests, RNA-Seq, immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and quantitative real-time PCR were then performed. RESULTS: In vivo experiments using a mouse model showed that nuclear α-syn increased the severity of the PD-like phenotype, including the loss of dopaminergic neurons concomitant with motor impairment and the formation of α-syn inclusions. These nuclear inclusions contained α-syn species of high molecular weights and induced strong transcriptional dysregulation, especially induced high expression of p21 and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP)-related genes. In addition, the transcriptional alterations induced by nuclear α-syn were associated with gliosis, inflammation, oxidative and DNA damage, and lysosomal dysfunction, and they eventually accelerated neuronal loss and neurodegeneration. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that nuclear α-syn plays a crucial role in PD pathogenesis.

Effect of pretreatment with electron beam irradiation on the deacetylation efficiency of konjac glucomannan and its structural, physicochemical and gel properties.

Due to its emulsifying and thickening properties, konjac glucomannan (KGM) is widely used in the food, medicine, and materials industries. Nevertheless, its high viscosity and significant water absorption limit its application range. Therefore, electron beam (e-beam) irradiation pretreatment was carried out to improve the deacetylation efficiency of KGM, and the physicochemical and gel properties of KGM were investigated. The results show that e-beam irradiation and deacetylation decrease the water absorption, solubility, transparency, molecular weight, and viscosity of KGM. Conversely, the moisture content, thermal stability, and water-binding capacity increase. FTIR and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed no significant changes in the chemical and crystalline structure of KGM before and after modification. However, modification weakens the intermolecular interaction of KGM hydrosols, which affects their rheology. Furthermore, deacetylation improves the mechanical properties and water retention capacity of KGM gels. Overall, the e-beam irradiation pretreatment provides a method to increase the efficiency of KGM deacetylation and improve the physical and chemical properties of KGM, thus expanding its potential applications in the food and chemical industries, among others.

Effect of electron beam irradiation pretreatment and different fatty acid types on the formation, structural characteristics and functional properties of starch-lipid complexes.

The effects of different electron beam irradiation doses (2, 4, 8 KGy) and various types of fatty acids (lauric acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid) on the formation, structure, physicochemical properties, and digestibility of starch-lipid complex were investigated. The complexing index of the complexes was higher than 85 %, indicating that the three fatty acids could easily form complexes with starch. With the increase of electron beam irradiation dose, the complexing index increased first and then decreased. The highest complexing index was lauric acid (97.12 %), stearic acid (96.80 %), and oleic acid (97.51 %) at 2 KGy radiation dose, respectively. Moreover, the microstructure, crystal structure, thermal stability, rheological properties, and starch solubility were analyzed. In vitro digestibility tests showed that adding fatty acids could reduce the content of hydrolyzed starch, among which the resistant starch content of the starch-oleic acid complex was the highest (54.26 %). The lower dose of electron beam irradiation could decrease the digestibility of starch and increase the content of resistant starch.

Effect of amylose partial extraction on citrate esterification of potato starch and its role in structure and physicochemical modification.

This study examines the impact and influence of amylose on the starch esterification reaction through partial extraction of amylose. Citric acid was added for the esterification reaction, and then the esterified starches' multiscale structure, physicochemical, and functional properties were evaluated. As the extraction time of amylose increased, the amylose content in the starch decreased. Higher concentrations of citric acid will lead to samples with a higher degree of substitution, with DS rising from 0.203 % (0 h) to 0.231 % (3.5 h) at CA3 treatment. While removing amylose had minimal effects on the crystal structure of starch granules, it did decrease the ratio of A and B1 chains and the molecular weight of amylose. Acid hydrolysis exacerbated these changes upon the addition of citric acid. Furthermore, removing amylose followed by citrate esterification resulted in lower pasting viscosity, enthalpy of gelatinization (from 13.37 J to 2.83 J), and degree of short-range ordering. Also, digestion shows a decrease caused by the increasing content of slow-digesting starch. The presence of amylose in starch granules does affect the formation of starch esters, and removing it before esterification modification may improve production efficiency and reduce costs to some extent.

Investigation of the role of sodium chloride on wheat starch multi-structure, physicochemical and digestibility properties during X-ray irradiation.

In this paper, different NaCl content was added to wheat starch and then subjected to X-ray irradiation to investigate the effect of salt on starch modification by irradiation. The results showed that the degradation of wheat starch intensified with the increase in irradiation dose. When irradiated at the same dose, wheat starch with sodium chloride produced shorter chains, lower molecular weight and amylose content, and higher crystallinity, solubility, and resistant starch than wheat starch without sodium chloride. The energy generated by X-rays dissociating sodium chloride caused damage to the glycoside bonds of the starch molecule. With a further increase in the mass fraction of NaCl, the hydrogen bonds of the starch molecules were broken, and the double helix structure was depolymerized, which exacerbated the extent of irradiation-modified wheat starch. At the same time, starch molecules will be rearranged to form a more stable structure.

Investigating the relationship between intracranial atherosclerotic plaque remodelling and diabetes using high-resolution vessel wall imaging.

BACKGROUND: Intracranial atherosclerosis, a leading cause of stroke, involves arterial plaque formation. This study explores the link between plaque remodelling patterns and diabetes using high-resolution vessel wall imaging (HR-VWI). AIM: To investigate the factors of intracranial atherosclerotic remodelling patterns and the relationship between intracranial atherosclerotic remodelling and diabetes mellitus using HR-VWI. METHODS: Ninety-four patients diagnosed with middle cerebral artery or basilar artery atherosclerosis were enrolled. Their basic clinical data were collected, and HR-VWI was performed. The vascular area at the plaque (VAMLN) and normal reference vessel (VAreference) were delineated and measured using image postprocessing software, and the Remodelling index (RI) was calculated. According to the value of the RI, the patients were divided into a positive remodelling (PR) group, intermediate remodelling (IR) group, negative remodelling (NR) group, PR group and non-PR (N-PR) group. RESULTS: The PR group exhibited a higher prevalence of diabetes and serum cholesterol levels than the IR and NR groups [45.2%, 4.54 (4.16, 5.93) vs 25%, 4.80 ± 1.22 and 16.4%, 4.14 (3.53, 4.75), respectively, P < 0.05]. The diabetes incidence was also significantly greater in the PR group than in the N-PR group (45.2% vs 17.5%, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the PR group displayed elevated serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels compared to the N-PR group [1.64 (1.23, 2.33) and 4.54 (4.16, 5.93) vs 4.54 (4.16, 5.93) and 4.24 (3.53, 4.89), P < 0.05]. Logistic regression analysis revealed diabetes mellitus as an independent influencing factor in plaque-PR [odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 3.718 (1.207-11.454), P < 0.05]. CONCLUSION: HR-VWI can clearly show the morphology and signal characteristics of intracranial vascular walls and plaques. Intracranial atherosclerotic plaques in diabetic patients are more likely to show PR, suggesting poor plaque stability and a greater risk of stroke.

Identification of sex pheromone of red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii and exploration of the chemosensory mechanism of their antennae.

Red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, is a globally invasive species, which has caused great damage to biodiversity, agriculture, and fishing. Therefore, the development of effective management methods, such as pheromone control, is necessary for biological control and biodiversity protection. However, the components of P. clarkii sex pheromones have not yet been explored, and the chemosensory mechanism of the P. clarkii antennae after stimulation by sex pheromone also remains unknown. In this study, we isolated and identified the candidate bioactive component of the female P. clarkii sex pheromone using ultrafiltration centrifugation, semi-preparative liquid phase separation and omics technologies and conducted bioassays to determine its attraction ability. Meanwhile, RNA-Seq technology was used to analyze the potential chemosensory mechanism of antennae. Our results indicated that the male P. clarkii were uniaxially attracted to the female crude conditioned water (FCW), medium fraction (MF, isolated by ultrafiltration centrifugation), and preparative fragment 6 of females (PFF6, isolated by semi-preparative liquid phase separation). Metabolomic analysis revealed the presence of 18 differential metabolites between the PFF6 and PFM6 samples, among which 15 were significantly upregulated in the PFF6 sample. Bioassay test also showed that mestranol, especially at concentrations of 10-5-10-2 mol∙l-1, could significantly attract P. clarkii males; therefore, mestranol was identified as the candidate sex pheromone component of P. clarkii females. Furthermore, RNA-Seq results showed that most differentially expressed genes (DEGs) enriched in lipid metabolism and signal transduction pathways were up-regulated in P. clarkii males. In addition, high expressions of Ca2+-binding protein and ion transporting ATPases may enhance the sensitivity of the antennae of P. clarkii males towards sex pheromones. Our study provides data on P. clarkii sex pheromone composition and reveals the molecular mechanism of sex pheromone response in P. clarkii. Moreover, our study provides a referable method for the isolation of candidate bioactive molecules from the P. clarkii sex pheromone.

Benefit of Using Both Ultrasound Imaging and Clinical Information for Predicting Malignant Soft Tissue Tumors.

OBJECTIVE: Ultrasonography (US) is the primary imaging method for soft tissue tumors (STTs), the diagnostic performance of which still requires improvement. To achieve an accurate evaluation of STTs, we built the diagnostic nomogram for STTs using the clinical and US features of patients with STTs. METHODS: A total of 613 patients with 195 malignant and 418 benign STTs were retrospectively recruited. We used a blend of clinical and ultrasonic features, as well as exclusively US features, to develop two distinct diagnostic models for STTs: the clinical-US model and the US-only model, respectively. The two models were evaluated and compared by measuring their areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) and decision curve analysis. The performance of the clinical-US model was also compared with that of two radiologists. RESULTS: The clinical-US model had better diagnostic performance than the model based on US imaging features alone (AUCs of the clinical-US and US-only models: 0.95 [0.93-0.97] vs. 0.89 [0.87-0.92], p < 0.001; IDI of the two models: 0.15 ± 0.03, p < 0.001). The clinical-US model was also superior to the two radiologists in diagnosing STTs (AUCs of clinical-US model and two radiologists: 0.95 [0.93-0.97] vs. 0.79 [0.75-0.82] and 0.83 [0.80-0.85], p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The diagnostic model based on clinical and US imaging features had high diagnostic performance in STTs, which could help identify malignant STTs for radiologists.

Ultrasound features and differential diagnosis for superficial nodular fasciitis.

BACKGROUND: Nodular fasciitis (NF) has nonspecific clinical manifestations and is often misdiagnosed as sarcoma. The investigations of imaging methods for NF were limited. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the ultrasound (US) features of NF, and to evaluate the diagnostic value of US for NF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 61 NF patients were recruited retrospectively, and 551 lesions in the subcutaneous fat layer were included for comparison. We evaluated the ultrasound features of the patients and divided the NF cases into three types. Chi-square test or Fisher exact test were conducted to detect the potential difference in the distributions of three types in the two groups. RESULTS: Among the 61 NF cases, 65.6% were in the upper extremities (n = 40). The proportion of type 1, 2, and 3 were 57.4%, 24.6%, and 18.0%, respectively. NF were significantly more likely locating in the upper extremities than the other soft tissue tumors (p < 0.001). Type 1 and type 2 of sonographic features were significantly more commonly observed in NF than other soft tissue tumors among the three types (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The type 1 and type 2 of US features can help to distinguish NF from other lesions. US has great potential to improve the diagnostic accuracy and reduce the unnecessary surgery.

Ultrasound Assessment of Entheseal Sites and Anterior Chest Wall in Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: The study was designed to evaluate entheseal sites and anterior chest wall (ACW) of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) using ultrasound (US) and investigate the correlation between disease activity and US score. METHODS: This prospective cross-sectional study included 104 patients with AS and 50 control subjects. Each patient underwent US scanning of 23 entheses and 11 sites of the ACW. The US features, including hypoechogenicity, thickness, erosion, calcification, bursitis, and Doppler signal, were evaluated. Disease activity was assessed based on C reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), disease activity score-C reactive protein (ASDAS-CRP), and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). RESULTS: The most commonly involved entheses on US were the Achilles tendon (AT) and quadriceps tendon (QT). The most involved site of ACW was the sternoclavicular joint (SCJ). Compared with the control group, significant differences were observed in the AS group in the rates of US enthesitis and ACW in AT (P = .01), SCJ (P = .00), and costochondral joint (CCJ) (P = .01). Patients with high or very high disease activity had a higher erosion score (P = .02). The erosion score was weakly positively associated with CRP, ESR, BASDAI, ASDAS-CRP, and ASDAS-ESR (correlation coefficient: 0.22-0.45). CONCLUSIONS: The most commonly involved entheseal sites on US were AT and QT, while the site of ACW was SCJ. The US assessment of AS should take the ACW into account. High disease activity might indicate erosion in AS.

The extraction and identification of active components of the sex pheromones of Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri.

In this study, we extracted and identified the active components of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri sex pheromones to provide a basis for further development of sex attractants. Under laboratory conditions, mating activity in D. citri started 3 d after emergence, which peaked at 6-7 d, and mating activity had no obvious peak during the observed period 7:00-21:00 h. Additionally, D. citri males were attracted to the emanations from conspecific females, especially to the n-hexane extracts of the pheromone. A total of 17 compounds were identified from the n-hexane extracts of female and male D. citri by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Among them, 13 compounds were identified from the female D. citri n-hexane extracts, of which 7 (dichloromethane, acetic acid, toluene, butyl acetate, ethyl carbamoylacetate, α-pinene, and 1-nonanal) were not found in the male D. citri n-hexane extracts. In addition, a total of 33 compounds were identified from the solid phase microextraction (SPME) volatiles of the male and female D. citri adults. Among these, 17 compounds were identified from the female D. citri volatiles, of which 6 (cycloheptatriene, 5-methyl-2-phenylindole, 1-dodecanol, cis-11-hexadecena, dodecyl aldehyde, and nerylacetone) were not identified in the volatiles of the D. citri males. It was found that males were significantly attracted to 0.1-10 µL/mL acetic acid and 1-nonanal with the selection rates ranging from 62.04%-70.56% and 62.22%-67.22%, respectively. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that acetic acid and 1-nonanal might be the active compounds of the female D. citri sex pheromones.

Comparative mitogenome analysis and phylogenetic inference of the genus Ultragryllacris (Orthoptera: Gryllacrididae).

The genus Ultragryllacris is mainly distributed in China and Thailand, and the type species Ultragryllacris pulchra Gorochov & Dawwrueng, 2015 includes four subspecies. Up to now, these subspecies were identified mainly based on their morphological characteristics, and no study on the molecular identification of subspecies and phylogenetic analyses has been reported. Here we obtained three mitogenomes of U. pulchra rubricapitis and one mitogenome of Homogryllacris yunnana and reconstructed the relationship of Ultragryllacris among genera. Species identification was performed with ABGD, jMOTU, and NJ tree based on cox1 (658 bp) and cob (550 bp) genes. The mitogenomes of U. pulchra rubricapitis and H. yunnana were 15558-16625 bp and 16209 bp in length, respectively. Most of the PCGs started with the typical ATN codons and terminated with complete TAA/TAG. Four mitogenomes showed positive AT skews and negative GC skews. Besides, the phylogenetic tree of BI and ML revealed that Ultragryllacris was a monophyletic group. One geographical population of Ultragryllacris pulchra rubricapitis was described and illustrated.

In vitro antifungal activity of lasiodiplodin, isolated from endophytic fungus Lasiodiplodia pseudotheobromae J-10 associated with Sarcandra glabra and optimization of culture conditions for lasiodiplodin production.

A macrolide antibiotic, lasiodiplodin was isolated from the endophytic fungus (EF) Lasiodiplodia pseudotheobromae J-10 associated with the medicinal plant Sarcandra glabra. In vitro antifungal assay demonstrated the inhibitory activity of lasiodiplodin against the growth of six phytopathogenic fungi, with the IC50 values ranging between 15.50 and 52.30 µg/mL. The highest antifungal activities were recorded against Exserohilum turcicum, Colletotrichum capsici, and Pestalotiopsis theae, with IC50 values of 15.50, 15.90, and 17.55 µg/mL, respectively. The underlying mechanism of the antifungal activity of lasiodiplodin against E. turcicum included the alteration of its colony morphology and disturbance of its cell membrane integrity. In addition, the optimization of L. pseudotheobromae J-10 culture conditions increased lasiodiplodin yield to 52.33 mg/L from 0.59 mg/L at pre-optimization. This is the first report on the isolation and identification of antifungal compound from the EF L. pseudotheobromae J-10 associated with S. glabra, as well as on the optimization of L. pseudotheobromae J-10 culture conditions to increase lasiodiplodin yield. The results of this study support that lasiodiplodin is a natural compound with high potential bioactivity against phytopathogens, and provide a basis for further study of the EF associated with S. glabra.

The NEDD8-activating enzyme inhibitor MLN4924 reduces ischemic brain injury in mice.

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown and inflammation occurring at the BBB have a key, mainly a deleterious role in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke. Neddylation is a ubiquitylation-like pathway that is critical in various cellular functions by conjugating neuronal precursor cell-expressed developmentally down-regulated protein 8 (NEDD8) to target proteins. However, the roles of neddylation pathway in ischemic stroke remain elusive. Here, we report that NEDD8 conjugation increased during acute phase after ischemic stroke and was present in intravascular and intraparenchymal neutrophils. Inhibition of neddylation by MLN4924, also known as pevonedistat, inactivated cullin-RING E3 ligase (CRL), and reduced brain infarction and improved functional outcomes. MLN4924 treatment induced the accumulation of the CRL substrate neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1). By using virus-mediated NF1 silencing, we show that NF1 knockdown abolished MLN4924-dependent inhibition of neutrophil trafficking. These effects were mediated through activation of endothelial P-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and blocking antibodies against P-selectin or anti-ICAM-1 antibodies reversed NF1 silencing-induced increase in neutrophil infiltration in MLN4924-treated mice. Furthermore, we found that NF1 silencing blocked MLN4924-afforded BBB protection and neuroprotection through activation of protein kinase C δ (PKCδ), myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate (MARCKS), and myosin light chain (MLC) in cerebral microvessels after ischemic stroke, and treatment of mice with the PKCδ inhibitor rottlerin reduced this increased BBB permeability. Our study demonstrated that increased neddylation promoted neutrophil trafficking and thus exacerbated injury of the BBB and stroke outcomes. We suggest that the neddylation inhibition may be beneficial in ischemic stroke.

Hippocampal alpha-synuclein mediates depressive-like behaviors.

Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) which encoded by SNCA plays a critical role in the neurotransmission, vesicle dynamics, and neuroplasticity. Alteration to SNCA expression is associated with major depressive disorder. However, the pathogenic mechanism of SNCA in depression remains unknown. Herein, we reported that SNCA was up-regulated in the peripheral blood of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients and the depressive mice. Chronic restraint stress (CRS) also up-regulated the SNCA expression in the hippocampus. Moreover, over-expression of SNCA in the hippocampus triggered spontaneous depressive-like behaviors under the non-stressed conditions in mice, and knockout of SNCA could reverse CRS-induced depressive-like behaviors. SNCA led to synapse loss and neuronal cell death in the hippocampus possibly via complement-mediated microglial engulfment and inflammation, and thus contributed to the pathogenesis of depressive disorder. Overall, hippocampal SNCA and complement system are involved in the pathogenesis of depressive disorder and it provides a new perspective for the occurrence of depressive disorder.

New additions to the Chinese Agraeciini Redtenbacher, 1891 (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae) with report the complete mitochondrial genome of Palaeoagraecia brunnea Ingrisch, 1998.

This paper reports one newly recorded species and one new species from China, namely Anelytra (Lichnofugia) symfioma (Ingrisch, 1998) and Liara (Liara) shii Liu Bian sp. nov. All the species of Agraeciini Redtenbacher, 1891 from China are listed. The examined specimens are deposited in Guangxi Normal University. The complete mitochondrial genome of Palaeoagraecia brunnea Ingrisch, 1998 was 15984 bp and consisted of 37 genes and a control region. The A + T content of the mitogenome was as high as 70.2%. Most protein-coding genes started with the codon ATN and ended with typical stop codons TAA. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitogenomes suggested that Palaeoagraecia brunnea and the genus Pseudorhynchus had the closest genetic relationship.