The Cryoprotective Effect of an Antifreeze Collagen Peptide Complex Obtained by Enzymatic Glycosylation on Tilapia.

Antifreeze peptides have become effective antifreeze agents for frozen products, but their low quantity of active ingredients and high cost limit large-scale application. This study used the glycosylation of fish collagen peptides with glucosamine hydrochloride catalyzed by transglutaminase to obtain a transglutaminase-catalyzed glycosylation product (TGP) and investigate its antifreeze effect on tilapia. Compared with the blank group, the freshness (pH value of 6.31, TVB-N value of 21.7 mg/100 g, whiteness of 46.28), textural properties (especially hardness and elasticity), and rheological properties of the TGP groups were significantly improved. In addition, the protein structures of the samples were investigated using UV absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the tertiary structure of the TGP groups changed to form a dense polymer. Therefore, this approach can reduce the denaturation and decomposition of muscle fibers and proteins in fish meat more effectively and has a better protective effect on muscle structure and protein aggregation, improving the stability of fish meat. This study reveals an innovative method for generating antifreeze peptides by enzymatic glycosylation, and glycosylated fish collagen peptide products can be used as new and effective green antifreeze agents in frozen foods.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum FRT4 attenuates high-energy low-protein diet-induced fatty liver hemorrhage syndrome in laying hens through regulating gut-liver axis.

BACKGROUND: Fatty liver hemorrhage syndrome (FLHS) becomes one of the most major factors resulting in the laying hen death for caged egg production. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (Lp. plantarum) FRT4 on FLHS model in laying hen with a focus on liver lipid metabolism, and gut microbiota. RESULTS: The FLHS model of laying hens was established by feeding a high-energy low-protein (HELP) diet, and the treatment groups were fed a HELP diet supplemented with differential proportions of Lp. plantarum FRT4. The results indicated that Lp. plantarum FRT4 increased laying rate, and reduced the liver lipid accumulation by regulating lipid metabolism (lipid synthesis and transport) and improving the gut microbiota composition. Moreover, Lp. plantarum FRT4 regulated the liver glycerophospholipid metabolism. Meanwhile, "gut-liver" axis analysis showed that there was a correlation between gut microbiota and lipid metabolites. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that Lp. plantarum FRT4 improved the laying performance and alleviated FLHS in HELP diet-induced laying hens through regulating "gut-liver" axis. Our findings reveal that glycerophospholipid metabolism could be the underlying mechanism for the anti-FLHS effect of Lp. plantarum FRT4 and for future use of Lp. plantarum FRT4 as an excellent additive for the prevention and mitigation of FLHS in laying hens.

Optimization of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Production by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum FRT7 from Chinese Paocai.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a widely available non-protein amino acid whose physiological importance goes beyond its role as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in mammals. The GABA synthesis ability of ten strains of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum was screened. They produced GABA ranging from 48.19 ± 3.44 to 100.75 ± 1.63 mg/L at 24 h-cultivation. Among them, Lp. plantarum FRT7 showed the highest GABA production. Therefore, FRT7 was chosen for GABA yield optimization. A one-factor-at-a-time strategy analysis of the GABA yield of FRT7 was performed, including the culture temperature, incubation time, inoculum volume, initial pH, the initial amount of monosodium glutamate (MSG), and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) concentration, based on which the response surface methodology (RSM) was performed. After being cultured in an MRS culture medium supplemented with 3% MSG and 2 mmol/L of PLP at 40 °C with an initial pH of 7.0 for 48 h, the GABA reached a maximum yield of 1158.6 ± 21.22 mg/L. The results showed the experimental value of the GABA yield was in good agreement with the predicted values. Furthermore, the results from the RSM also indicated that the initial MSG addition, PLP concentration, and incubation time were significant variables. These results suggest that Lp. plantarum FRT7 has the potential to be a health-beneficial probiotic with commercial capabilities.

Environmental risk assessment near a typical spent lead-acid battery recycling factory in China.

In recent years, environmental pollution and public health incidents caused by the recycling of spent lead-acid batteries (LABs) has becoming more frequent, posing potential risk to both the ecological environment and human health. Accurately assessing the environmental risk associated with the recycling of spent LABs is a prerequisite for achieving pollution control. In this study, a spent LABs recycling factory in Chongqing was investigated through on-site investigation, sample analysis. Exposure assessment and health risk assessment were also conducted. The results showed that: firstly, Pb and As concentrations exceeding the standard limit values were found in the environmental air and vegetables near the spent LABs recycling factory. Secondly, exposure assessment results showed that total average daily exposure to hazardous substances for children (3.46 × 10-2 mg/kg) is higher than for adults (4.80 × 10-2 mg/kg). The main exposure pathways for Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Hg are ingestion of vegetables, while those for Cd, As, and Sb are through inhalation. Thirdly, health risk assessment results indicate that environmental exposure poses unacceptable non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk to both adults and children near the spent LABs recycling factory, with children facing higher risk than adults. Pb and As are the main contributors to non-carcinogenic risk, and Ni and As are the main contributors to unacceptable carcinogenic risk. In particular, As, has a greater contribution to total carcinogenic risk index through inhalation than vegetable ingestion. Overall, vegetable ingestion and inhalation are the main exposure pathways for non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk. Consequently, future risk assessment should focus on the impact of hazardous substances on children, as well as the health risk associated with ingestion of vegetables and inhalation. Our findings will provide basic information for proposing measures of environmental risk prevention during the recycling of spent LABs, for example, controlling of As in exhaust gas emissions.

Dietary Bacillus licheniformis shapes the foregut microbiota, improving nutrient digestibility and intestinal health in broiler chickens.

Bacillus licheniformis is considered a potential alternative to antibiotic growth promoters of animal growth and health. However, the effects of Bacillus licheniformis on the foregut and hindgut microbiota, and their relationships with nutrient digestion and health, in broiler chickens remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to identify the effects of Bacillus licheniformis BCG on intestinal digestion and absorption, tight junctions, inflammation, and the fore- and hind-gut microbiota. We randomly assigned 240 1-day-old male AA broilers into three treatment groups: CT (basal diet), BCG1 (basal diet + 1.0 × 108 CFU/kg B. licheniformis BCG), and BCG2 (basal diet + 1.0 × 109 CFU/kg B. licheniformis BCG). On day 42, the jejunal and ileal chyme and mucosa were subjected to analysis of digestive enzyme activity, nutrient transporters, tight junctions, and signaling molecules associated with inflammation. The ileal and cecal chyme were subjected to microbiota analysis. Compared with the CT group, the B. licheniformis BCG group showed significantly greater jejunal and ileal α-amylase, maltase, and sucrase activity; moreover, the α-amylase activity in the BCG2 group was higher than that in the BCG1 group (P < 0.05). The transcript abundance of FABP-1 and FATP-1 in the BCG2 group was significantly greater than that in the CT and BCG1 groups, and the GLUT-2 and LAT-1 relative mRNA levels were greater in the BCG2 group than the CT group (P < 0.05). Dietary B. licheniformis BCG resulted in significantly higher ileal occludin, and lower IL-8 and TLR-4 mRNA levels than observed in the CT group (P < 0.05). B. licheniformis BCG supplementation significantly decreased bacterial community richness and diversity in the ileum (P < 0.05). Dietary B. licheniformis BCG shaped the ileac microbiota by increasing the prevalence of f_Sphingomonadaceae, Sphingomonas, and Limosilactobacillus, and contributed to nutrient digestion and absorption; moreover, it enhanced the intestinal barrier by increasing the prevalence of f_Lactobacillaceae, Lactobacillus, and Limosilactobacillus. Dietary B. licheniformis BCG decreased microbial community diversity by diminishing Desulfovibrio, Alistipes, Campylobacter, Vibrio, Streptococcus, and Escherichia coli-Shigella levels, and down-regulating inflammatory associated molecule expression. Therefore, dietary B. licheniformis BCG contributed to digestion and absorption of nutrients, enhanced the intestinal physical barrier, and decreased intestinal inflammation in broilers by decreasing microbial diversity and optimizing the microbiota structure.

Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) seed oil supplementation attenuates immunological stress and inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide-challenged laying hens.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of PUFA-enriched rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) seed oil (RSO) supplementation in diets on the productive performance, plasma biochemical parameters, immune response, and inflammation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged laying hens. Two hundred and forty 25-wk-old Lohmann Brown laying hens were randomly divided into 5 treatments, each including 4 replicates with 12 birds per replicate. The control group and LPS-challenged group were fed a corn-soybean-basal diet; 3 RSO-supplemented groups were fed experimental diets containing 1, 2, and 4% RSO for a feeding period of 4 wk. On the 15, 18, 21, 24, and 27 d of the RSO supplementation period of 4 wk, hens were injected intraperitoneally with LPS at 1 mg/kg body weight (challenge group and RSO-supplemented groups) or with the same amount of saline (control group). The results showed that the addition of RSO promoted laying performance by increasing egg production, total egg weight, daily egg mass, and feed intake in comparison to the LPS-challenged laying hens (P < 0.05). In addition, compared with laying hens stimulated with LPS, the analysis of blood cell and plasma parameters revealed that hens in RSO-supplemented groups had significantly lower levels (P < 0.05) of white blood cells (WBC), lymphocytes (LYM), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity, immunoglobulin A (IgA), triiodothyronine (T3), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Further, RSO supplementation significantly reduced the mRNA expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) of the ileum, spleen, and liver in LPS-challenged laying hens (P < 0.05), suggesting that the anti-inflammatory mechanism of RSO is related to the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. In conclusion, RSO supplementation in diets could improve laying performance, attenuate immunological stress, and inhibit the inflammatory response in LPS-challenged laying hens, especially at the dietary inclusion of 4% RSO. This study will provide an insight into the application of RSO to positively contribute to overall health and welfare in laying hens.

Metabolomic Characteristics of Liver and Cecum Contents in High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obese Mice Intervened with Lactobacillus plantarum FRT10.

Obesity has become a major social problem related to health and quality of life. Our previous work demonstrated that Lactobacillus plantarum FRT10 alleviated obesity in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice by alleviating gut dysbiosis. However, the underlying functions of FRT10 in regulating liver and cecum contents metabolism remain unknown. Liver and cecum contents metabonomics combined with pathway analysis based on ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS) were performed to evaluate the alterations of metabolic profiles between obese control mice and obese mice in FRT10-treated groups. The orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) score plots showed that there were significant differences in cecum contents and liver markers between experimental groups. In total, 26 potential biomarkers were identified in the liver and 15 in cecum contents that could explain the effect of FRT10 addition in HFD-fed mice. In addition, gut-liver axis analysis indicated that there was a strong correlation between cecum contents metabolites and hepatic metabolites. The mechanism of FRT10 against obesity might be related to the alterations in glycerophospholipid metabolism, primary bile acid biosynthesis, amino metabolism, and purine and pyrimidine metabolism. Studies on these metabolites could help us better understand the role of FRT10 in obesity induced by HFD.

Lactobacillus plantarum FRT4 alleviated obesity by modulating gut microbiota and liver metabolome in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

Background: Obesity has become a global epidemic recognized by the World Health Organization. Probiotics supplementation has been shown to contribute to improve lipid metabolism. However, mechanisms of action of probiotics against obesity are still not clear. Lactobacillus plantarum FRT4, a probiotic previously isolated from a kind of local yogurt, had good acid and bile salt tolerance and lowered cholesterol in vitro. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of L. plantarum FRT4 on serum and liver lipid profile, liver metabolomics, and gut microbiota in mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). Design: Mice were fed with either normal diet or HFD for 16 weeks and administered 0.2 mL of 1 × 109 or 1 × 1010 CFU/mL dosage of L. plantarum FRT4 during the last 8 weeks of the diet. Cecal contents were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Hepatic gene expression and metabolites were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and metabolomics, respectively. Results: L. plantarum FRT4 intervention significantly reduced the HFD-induced body weight gain, liver weight, fat weight, serum cholesterol, triglyceride, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in the liver (P < 0.05). Liver metabolomics demonstrated that the HFD increased choline, glycerophosphocholine, and phosphorylcholine involved in the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway. All these changes were reversed by FRT4 treatment, bringing the levels close to those in the control group. Further mechanisms showed that FRT4 favorably regulated gut barrier function and pro-inflammatory biomediators. Furthermore, FRT4 intervention altered the gut microbiota profiles and increased microbial diversity. The relative abundances of Bacteroides, Parabateroides, Anaerotruncus, Alistipes, Intestinimonas, Butyicicoccus, and Butyricimonas were significantly upregulated. Finally, Spearman's correlation analysis revealed that several specific genera were strongly correlated with glycerophospholipid metabolites (P < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings suggested that L. plantarum FRT4 had beneficial effects against obesity in HFD-induced obese mice and can be used as a potential functional food for the prevention of obesity.

Severe choline deficiency induces alternative splicing aberrance in optimized duck primary hepatocyte cultures.

OBJECTIVE: Choline deficiency, one main trigger for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is closely related to lipid metabolism disorder. Previous study in a choline-deficient model has largely focused on gene expression rather than gene structure, especially sparse are studies regarding to alternative splicing (AS). In modern life science research, primary hepatocytes culture technology facilitates such studies, which can accurately imitate liver activity in vitro and show unique superiority. Whereas limitations to traditional hepatocytes culture technology exist in terms of efficiency and operability. This study pursued an optimization culture method for duck primary hepatocytes to explore AS in choline-deficient model. METHODS: We performed an optimization culture method for duck primary hepatocytes with multi-step digestion procedure from Pekin duck embryos. Subsequently a NAFLD model was constructed with choline-free medium. RNA-seq and further analysis by rMATS were performed to identify AS events alterations in choline-deficency duck primary hepatocytes. RESULTS: The results showed E13 (embryonic day 13) to E15 is suitable to obtain hepatocytes, and the viability reached over 95% by trypan blue exclusion assay. Primary hepatocyte retained their biological function as well identified by Periodic Acid-Schiff staining method and Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity assay, respectively. Meanwhile, genes of alb and afp and specific protein of albumin were detected to verify cultured hepatocytes. Immunofluorescence was used to evaluate purity of hepatocytes, presenting up to 90%. On this base, choline-deficient model was constructed and displayed significantly increase of intracellular triglyceride and cholesterol as reported previously. Intriguingly, our data suggested that AS events in choline-deficient model were implicated in pivotal biological processes as an aberrant transcriptional regulator, of which 16 genes were involved in lipid metabolism and highly enriched in glycerophospholipid metabolism. CONCLUSION: An effective and rapid protocol for obtaining duck primary hepatocytes was established, by which our findings manifested choline deficiency could induce the accumulation of lipid and result in aberrant AS events in hepatocytes, providing a novel insight into various AS in the metabolism role of choline.

Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Rubber Seed Oil in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced RAW 267.4 Macrophages.

Rubber seed oil (RSO) is a typical PUFA-enriched plant oil, but it has not been widely used as a healthy edible oil resource due to the lack of understanding of its nutritional values, health biological effects, and action mechanisms. This work was conducted to characterize the basic physicochemical properties, evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and explore the involved mechanisms of RSO in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. In the present study, the basic physicochemical parameters of RSO indicated that RSO has good qualities as a potential edible plant oil resource. In LPS-induced macrophages, RSO supplementation displayed a significant antioxidant effect by decreasing ROS and MDA levels as well as elevating T-AOC. In addition, RSO supplementation showed an anti-inflammatory effect by reducing the production of NO, IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α while promoting the production of IL-10. Moreover, RSO supplementation decreased the mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-1ß, TNF-α, iNOS, and MCP-1 genes while increasing the mRNA expression of the IL-10 gene. Furthermore, RSO supplementation increased Nrf2 protein expression and up-regulated antioxidant genes (HO-1 and NQO-1), which was accompanied by the decrease in TLR4 protein expression and NF-κB p65 phosphorylation as well as IκBα phosphorylation. This study provided some insight into the applications of RSO as a healthy edible oil resource.

Chitosan/Alginate Nanoparticles for the Enhanced Oral Antithrombotic Activity of Clam Heparinoid from the Clam Coelomactra antiquata.

Chitosan/alginate nanoparticles (DG1-NPs and DG1/Cur-NPs) aiming to enhance the oral antithrombotic activity of clam heparinoid DG1 were prepared by ionotropic pre-gelation. The influence of parameters, such as the concentration of sodium alginate (SA), chitosan (CTS), CaCl2, clam heparinoid DG1, and curcumin (Cur), on the characteristics of the nanoparticles, were investigated. Results indicate that chitosan and alginate can be used as polymer matrices to encapsulate DG1, and nanoparticle characteristics depend on the preparation parameters. Nano-particles should be prepared using 0.6 mg/mL SA, 0.33 mg/mL CaCl2, 0.6 mg/mL CTS, 7.2 mg/mL DG1, and 0.24 mg/mL Cur under vigorous stirring to produce DG1-NPS and DG1/Cur-NPS with small size, high encapsulation efficiency, high loading capacity, and negative zeta potential from approximately -20 to 30 mV. Data from scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, and differential scanning calorimetry analyses showed no chemical reaction between DG1, Cur, and the polymers; only physical mixing. Moreover, the drug was loaded in the amorphous phase within the nanoparticle matrix. In the acute pulmonary embolism murine model, DG1-NPs enhanced the oral antithrombotic activity of DG1, but DG1/Cur-NPs did not exhibit higher antithrombotic activity than DG1-NPs. Therefore, the chitosan/alginate nanoparticles enhanced the oral antithrombotic activity of DG1, but curcumin did not further enhance this effect.

Serum Metabolomics Analysis for Biomarkers of Lactobacillus plantarum FRT4 in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice.

Lactobacillus plantarum is considered a potential probiotic supplementation for treating obesity. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is poorly understood. Our previous study displayed that L. plantarum FRT4 alleviated obesity in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) through ameliorating the HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis. To explore the roles of FRT4 in obesity prevention, in this study, we investigated changes in serum metabolomic phenotype by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF/MS) and analyzed the pathway of HFD-fed Kunming female mice orally administered with FRT4 for eight weeks. Using orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), metabolite patterns with significant changes were observed. 55 metabolites including phosphatidylcholine, lysophophatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, serotonin, indole-3-methyl aceta, indole-3-carbinol, indole-5,6-quino, 11,12-DHET, prostaglandin B2, leukotriene B4, and 3-hydroxybenzoic acid were identified as potential biomarkers associated with obesity, which were mainly involving in glycerophospholipid metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, and arachidonic acid metabolism. Perturbations of 14 biomarkers could be regulated by FRT4 intervention. These metabolites may serve as valuable biomarkers to understand the mechanisms by which intake of diets containing FRT4 contributes to the treatment or prevention of obesity. Thus, FRT4 can be a promising dietary supplement for the prevention of HFD-induced obesity.

Antithrombotic Activity of Heparinoid G2 and Its Derivatives from the Clam Coelomactra antiquata.

Clam heparinoid G2 (60.25 kDa) and its depolymerized derivatives DG1 (24.48 kDa) and DG2 (6.75 kDa) prepared from Coelomactra antiquata have been documented to have excellent fibrinolytic and anticoagulant activity. In this study, to further explore the antithrombotic activity of G2, DG1 and DG2, azure A, sheep plasma, and clot lytic rate assays were used to determine their anticoagulant and thrombolytic activity in vitro. The results indicated that the anticoagulant titer of G2 was approximately 70% that of heparin and the thrombolytic activity of DG2 was greater than G2, DG1, and heparin activities. Moreover, in a carrageenan-induced venous thrombosis model, oral administration of G2 and DG1 each at 20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg for 7 days significantly reduced blacktail thrombus formation, increased tissue-type plasminogen activator, fibrin degradation products, and D-dimer levels, decreased von Willebrand factor and thromboxane B2 levels, and restored phylum and genus abundance changes of intestinal bacteria. DG2 had no antithrombotic effect. At 20 mg/kg, G2, DG1, and heparin had comparable antithrombotic activities, and DG1 at 40 mg/kg had more muscular antithrombotic activity than G2. Thus, DG1 could be an antithrombotic oral agent owing to its more robust antithrombotic activity and lower molecular weight.

Chemical Characterization and Immunomodulatory Activity of Fucoidan from Sargassum hemiphyllum.

Fucoidan is a sulfated algal polyanionic polysaccharide that possesses many biological activities. In this paper, a fucoidan (SHF) polysaccharide was extracted from Sargassum hemiphyllum collected in the South China Sea. The SHF, with a molecular weight of 1166.48 kDa (44.06%, w/w), consisted of glucose (32.68%, w/w), galactose (24.81%, w/w), fucose (20.75%, w/w), xylose (6.98%, w/w), mannose (2.76%, w/w), other neutral monosaccharides, and three uronic acids, including glucuronic acid (5.39%, w/w), mannuronic acid (1.76%, w/w), and guronuronic acid (1.76%, w/w). The SHF exhibited excellent immunostimulatory activity. An immunostimulating assay showed that SHF could significantly increase NO secretion in macrophage RAW 264.7 cells via upregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) levels based on both gene expression and protein abundance. These results suggest that SHF isolated from Sargassum hemiphyllum has great potential to act as a health-boosting ingredient in the pharmaceutical and functional-food fields.

The pathology, phylogeny, and epidemiology of Echinococcus ortleppi (G5 genotype): a new case report of echinococcosis in China.

BACKGROUND: Cystic echinococcosis (CE), caused by the larval stage of the complex Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.), is a zoonotic parasitic disease with a high social burden in China. E. ortleppi is a species (formerly genotype 5 of E. granulosus s.l.) with unique epidemic areas (tropical areas), transmission patterns (mainly cattle origin), and pathological characteristics (large and small hook lengths) compared to other species that cause CE. A 19-year-old female patient in an area with no history of echinococcosis in Guizhou Province, China, was diagnosed with E. ortleppi infection in 2019. This study is to understand the source of this human E. ortleppi infection. METHODS: We performed computer tomography (CT) scans, surgical operation, morphological sectioning, molecular diagnosis, phylogenetic analyses, and epidemiological investigation in Anshun City, Guizhou Province, China in 2019. RESULTS: The patient presented with intermittent distension and pain in the upper abdomen without other abnormal symptoms. Routine blood examination results were normal. However, abdominal CT revealed a fertile cyst with a diameter of approximately 8 cm, uniform density, and a clear boundary, but without an evident cyst wall in the right lobe of the liver. The cyst was fertile, and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the isolates represented a new E. ortleppi genus haplotype. A result of 10‒14 years incubation period with indigenous infection was considered available for the case through the epidemiological survey. CONCLUSIONS: CE due to E. ortleppi infection can be confused with other diseases causing liver cysts, resulting in misdiagnosis. A transmission chain of E. ortleppi may exist or existed in the past in the previously considered non-endemic areas of echinococcosis in southwestern China.

Metabolomic signatures for liver tissue and cecum contents in high-fat diet-induced obese mice based on UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of obesity is increasing worldwide, and it is a risk factor for diabetes, dyslipidemia, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Our previous study had demonstrated that high-fat diet induced increased weight gain, fat weight, serum cholesterol, triglyceride, and ATL levels in liver, and influenced the diversity and composition of cecal microbiota in mice. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the roles of the gut microbially derived metabolites and liver metabolites between the obese and lean mice, focusing on their association with the progression of obesity induced by high-fat diet (HFD). METHODS: An obesity model in mice was established with HFD for 16 weeks. Cecal contents and liver tissues metabolomics based on ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analyses (OPLS-DA) was performed to identify the alterations in metabolites associated with obese mice. RESULTS: Obese and lean groups were clearly discriminated from each other on OPLS-DA score plot and major metabolites contributing to the discrimination were mainly involved in glycerophospholipid metabolism, primary bile acid biosynthesis, and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids pathways. HFD-induced alterations of 19 metabolites in liver and 43 metabolites in cecum contents were identified as potential biomarkers related to obesity. Specifically, chenodeoxycholic acid, taurochenodeoxycholate, and tauroursodeoxycholic acid in liver were elevated 35.94, 24.36, and 18.71-fold, respectively. PI(P-16:0/18:1(9Z)), PG(19:0/16:0), PS(P-16:0/20:2(11Z,14Z)), PI(22:1(11Z)/12:0), and PE(21:0/0:0) in cecum were enhanced 884, 640.96, 226.63, 210.10, 45.13-fold in comparison with the lean mice. These metabolites were the most important biomarkers for discriminating between the obese and lean mice. In addition, cecum contents metabolites were strongly correlated with hepatic metabolites through gut-liver axis analysis. CONCLUSIONS: HFD increased lipid profiles (i.e. glycerophospholipids, PC, PE, PI, PG, and PS) and total bile acid (primary and secondary bile acid) in liver and cecum, suggesting that they may play an important role in the progression of obesity. These metabolites can be used to better understand obesity and related disease induced by HFD. Furthermore, the level alterations of these metabolites can be used to assess the risk of obesity and the therapeutic effect of obesity management.

Clinical characteristics, rates of blindness, and geographic features of PACD in China.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the rates of blindness with the demographics and clinical characteristics of patients with primary angle-closure disease (PACD) to provide a comprehensive epidemiologic reference in China. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted in the Chinese Glaucoma Study Consortium database, which is a national multicenter glaucoma research alliance of 111 hospitals participating between December 21, 2015 and September 9, 2018. The diagnosis of PACD was made by qualified physicians through examination. Comparison of sex, age, family history, subtypes of PACD, and blindness were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 5762 glaucoma patients were included, of which 4588 (79.6%) had PACD. Of PACD patients, 72.1% were female with the sex ratio (F/M) of 2.6, and the average age of patients was 63.8±9.3 years with the majority between 60 and 70 years. Additionally, 30% of these patients had low vision in one eye, 8.8% had low vision in both eyes, 1.7% had blindness in one eye, and 0.3% had blindness in both eyes. There were statistical differences with regards to age between male and female patients with PACD, with male patients being older on average. Primary angle-closure glaucoma was more commonly diagnosed in males (60%) compared to females (35.9%), whereas acute primary angle closure (APAC) was more commonly diagnosed in females (54.3%) compared to males (37.7%). The visual acuity in APAC patients was lower and the rate of low vision and blindness was higher than other subtypes. CONCLUSION: PACD was the major type of glaucoma in Chinese hospitals. There were more female patients with PACD, mostly between 60 and 70 years old, with higher rates of APAC in women. APAC resulted in the worst visual outcomes of all PACD subtypes.

Lactobacillus plantarum FRT10 alleviated high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice through regulating the PPARα signal pathway and gut microbiota.

Previous studies showed that probiotics supplementation contributed to alleviate obesity. This work was to assess the efficacy of Lactobacillus plantarum FRT10 from sour dough in alleviating obesity in mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD), and the underlying mechanisms focusing on modulation of the gut microbiota profile. Kunming mice were fed with a regular diet (CT), a high-fat diet (HFD), and two HFDs containing low and high doses of L. plantarum FRT10 for 8 weeks. The physiological and biochemical modulations in liver were analyzed. Cecal contents were analyzed by high-throughput 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. FRT10 supplementation significantly reduced body weight gain, fat weight, and liver triacylglycerols (TGs) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) concentrations (P < 0.05). FRT10 significantly ameliorated the HFD-induced gut dysbiosis, as evidenced by increased abundance of microbes, including Butyricicoccus, Butyricimonas, Intestinimonas, Odoribacter, and Alistipes, and decreased abundance of Desulfovibrionaceae, Roseburia, and Lachnoclostridium. Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Akkermansia were markedly increased after FRT10 intervention. In addition, real-time quantitative PCR revealed that FRT10 upregulated the mRNA expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1α (CPT1α), and downregulated the mRNA expression levels of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP-1) and TG-synthesizing enzyme diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) in liver. These findings suggested that FRT10 had anti-obesity effects in obese mice partly related to the activation of PPARα/CPT1α pathway. FRT10 can be considered a single probiotic agent for preventing HFD-induced obesity in humans and animals.

Pollution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in common used mineral oils and their transformation during oil regeneration.

The pollution characteristic of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in common used mineral oils, semi-refined oils, refined oils and solid wastes produced during the used mineral oil regeneration process was analyzed. The results showed that total PAHs content in six common used mineral oils was as follows: used engine oil>used quenching oil>used casting oil>used hydraulic oil>used antirust oil>used industrial lubricating oil. Furthermore, this order was dependent on the source of PAHs and oil working temperatures. Additionally, total PAHs content in regenerated oils was as follows: semi-refined oil>refined oil>crude oil, which was related to the catalytic cracking process of crude oil and adsorption refining process of semi-refined oil. The ranking of total PAHs content in regenerated wastes varied depending on the regeneration technology used as follows: waste adsorption sand>acid sludge>waste clay>precipitation sludge>cracked residue. In all types of used mineral oils and regenerated wastes, the maximum and minimum proportions of the total PAHs content were composed of 2-3 ring-PAHs and 5-6 ring-PAHs, respectively. The majority of PAHs in the used mineral oils entered into regenerated wastes during regeneration process, while a small number remained in the regenerated oil.

Association between Genetic Polymorphisms of the Beta Adrenergic Receptor and Diurnal Intraocular Pressure in Chinese Volunteers and Glaucoma Patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between genetic polymorphisms of the beta adrenergic receptor (ADR) and diurnal intraocular pressure (IOP) in Chinese healthy volunteers, normal tension glaucoma (NTG) patients, and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients. METHODS: Fifty healthy volunteers (control group), 55 untreated NTG patients, and 55 untreated POAG patients were recruited. IOP of both eyes was measured at 3-hour intervals from 0600 to 2400 hours. For control group, IOP data from the eye with better mean deviation (MD) of visual field was used for statistical analysis. For glaucoma patients, IOP data from the eye with a greater visual field defect was used for statistical analysis. Genetic polymorphisms of ADR were determined by direct DNA sequencing. The relationship between IOP and genetic polymorphisms was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: R16G (A/G), L84L (G/A), and R175R (C/A) in ß2-ADR showed significantly different allele in the three groups (p = 0.005, p = 0.045, and p = 0.045, respectively). For the POAG group, C/C of R389G (C/G) in ß1-ADR had a significantly lower diurnal mean IOP (p < 0.001), peak IOP (p = 0.010), trough IOP (p < 0.001), and larger IOP range (p = 0.047) than G carriers; C/C of R389G (C/G) in ß1-ADR and G carriers had parallel diurnal IOP curves but significantly different diurnal IOP levels (p = 0.001); C/C of Q27E (C/G) in ß2-ADR had a significantly higher diurnal mean IOP (p = 0.045) than G carriers; G/G of L84L (G/A) in ß2-ADR had a significantly higher diurnal mean IOP (p = 0.044) than A carriers; C/C of R175R (C/A) in ß2-ADR had a significantly higher diurnal mean IOP (p = 0.044) than A carriers; T/T of W64R (T/C) in ß3-ADR had a significantly smaller IOP range (p = 0.001) than C carriers. CONCLUSION: Certain polymorphisms of ß2-ADR showed significantly different genotype frequencies in healthy volunteers untreated NTG patients, and POAG patients. Polymorphisms of the ß-ADR gene may alter the untreated IOP level of POAG patients.