Efficient production and skincare activity evaluation of schizophyllan, a ß-glucan derived from Schizophyllum commune NTU-1.

Schizophyllan (SPG), a ß-glucan produced by the fungus Schizophyllum commune, possesses a ß-(1 â†’ 3)-linked backbone with single ß-(1 â†’ 6)-linked glucose side chains at approximately every third residue. In this study, we screened SPG-producing strains of S. commune from different provinces in China. A candidate strain (NTU-1) with a high SPG yield was chosen, and the fermentation conditions were optimized. The optimal carbon and nitrogen sources were sucrose (40 g/L) and yeast extract (20 g/L), respectively. The optimal conditions for pH and temperature were 5.0 and 28 °C, respectively. Inclusion of 0.2 mg/L of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in the medium further increased the SPG concentration. In a 5-L bioreactor, the fermentation cycle was reduced from the initial seven days to five days, and the concentration of SPG obtained was 21.3 g/L, which is the highest reported to date. In addition, we evaluated the bioactivity of the SPG prepared using strain NTU-1. The results showed that SPG had certain characteristics of anti-oxidation, anti-photoaging, and inhibition of melanin production, making it a promising reagent for skin care.

The association between obesity and problematic smartphone use among school-age children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study in Shanghai.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to investigate the association between content-based problematic smartphone use and obesity in school-age children and adolescents, including variations in the association by educational stage and sex. METHODS: Two-stage non-probability sampling was used to recruit 8419 participants from nineteen primary schools, five middle schools, and thirteen high schools in Shanghai in December 2017. Obesity was identified by body mass index (BMI), which was obtained from the school physical examination record, while problematic smartphone use was measured by the Revised Problematic Smartphone Use Classification Scale as the independent variable. RESULTS: The rates of obesity varied with educational stages, while problematic smartphone use increased with educational stages. Male students reported higher obesity rates (37.1%vs19.4%, P < 0.001) and greater problematic smartphone use scores (25.65 ± 10.37 vs 22.88 ± 8.94, P < 0.001) than female students. Problematic smartphone use for entertainment (smartphone users addicted to entertainment games, music, videos, novels and other applications) was positively associated to obesity status for primary school [odds ratio (OR), 1.030; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.005-1.057] and high school students (OR, 1.031; 95% CI, 1.004-1.059). For female students, problematic smartphone use for entertainment was positively associated with obesity status (OR, 1.046; 95% CI, 1.018-1.075). CONCLUSIONS: Problematic smartphone use may be associated with obesity in children and adolescents. The association differed based on the educational stage and sex, and the difference possessed dimensional specificity.

How COVID-19 lockdown and reopening affected daily steps: evidence based on 164,630 person-days of prospectively collected data from Shanghai, China.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 lockdowns may lead to physical inactivity, a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases. This study aims to determine: 1) the trajectory in daily step counts before, during and after the lockdown in China, and 2) the characteristics associated with the trajectories. METHODS: From December 2019 to July 2020, smartphone-based step counts were continuously collected in 815 Chinese adults residing in Shanghai over 202 days across three phases: before, during, and after the lockdown. Participant characteristics were reported, and height, weight and body composition measured before the lockdown. A 'sharp' regression discontinuity design with cluster robust standard errors was used to test the effect of the lockdown and reopening on daily steps and a linear mixed model was used to examine the characteristics associated with trajectories during the observed period. RESULTS: Based on 164,630 person-days of data, we found a sharp decline in daily step counts upon the lockdown (24/01/2020) by an average of 3796 (SE = 88) steps, followed by a significant trend of increase by 34 steps/day (SE = 2.5; p < .001) until the end of the lockdown (22/03/2020). This increasing trend continued into the reopening phase at a slower rate of 5 steps per day (SE = 2.3; p = 0.029). Those who were older, married, university educated, insufficiently active, had an 'at risk' body composition, and those in the control group, were slower at recovering step counts during the lockdown, and those who were older, married, without university education and with an 'at risk' body composition recovered step counts at a slower pace after the reopening. CONCLUSIONS: Despite later increases in step counts, COVID-19 lockdown led to a sustained period of reduced physical activity, which may have adverse health implications. Governments and health professionals around the world should continue to encourage and facilitate physical activity during the pandemic.

Effects of new dock-less bicycle-sharing programs on cycling: a retrospective study in Shanghai.

OBJECTIVES: To examine (1) the effect of new dock-less bicycle-sharing programmes on change in travel mode and (2) the correlates of change in travel mode. DESIGN: A retrospective natural experimental study. SETTING: 12 neighbourhoods in Shanghai. PARTICIPANTS: 1265 respondents were recruited for a retrospective study in May 2017. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of cycling before and after launch of dock-less bicycle-sharing programme. RESULTS: The proportion of participants cycling for transport increased from 33.3% prior to the launch of the bicycle-sharing programmes to 48.3% 1 year after the launch (p<0.001). Being in the age group of 30-49 years (OR 2.28; 95% CI 1.30 to 4.00), living within the inner ring of the city (OR 2.27; 95% CI 1.22 to 4.26), having dedicated bicycle lanes (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.68) and perceiving riding shared bicycles as fashionable (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.76) were positively associated with adopting cycling for transport. Access to a public transportation stop/station (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.99) was inversely correlated with adopting cycling for transport. CONCLUSIONS: Dock-less bicycle sharing may promote bicycle use in a metropolitan setting. Findings from this study also highlight the importance of cycling-friendly built environments and cultural norms as facilitators of adopting cycling.

Galectin-3 Inhibition Is Associated with Neuropathic Pain Attenuation after Peripheral Nerve Injury.

Neuropathic pain remains a prevalent and persistent clinical problem because it is often poorly responsive to the currently used analgesics. It is very urgent to develop novel drugs to alleviate neuropathic pain. Galectin-3 (gal3) is a multifunctional protein belonging to the carbohydrate-ligand lectin family, which is expressed by different cells. Emerging studies showed that gal3 elicits a pro-inflammatory response by recruiting and activating lymphocytes, macrophages and microglia. In the study we investigated whether gal3 inhibition could suppress neuroinflammation and alleviate neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury. We found that L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) increases the expression of gal3 in dorsal root ganglions at the mRNA and protein level. Intrathecal administration of modified citrus pectin (MCP), a gal3 inhibitor, reduces gal3 expression in dorsal root ganglions. MCP treatment also inhibits SNL-induced gal3 expression in primary rat microglia. SNL results in an increased activation of autophagy that contributes to microglial activation and subsequent inflammatory response. Intrathecal administration of MCP significantly suppresses SNL-induced autophagy activation. MCP also inhibits lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced autophagy in cultured microglia in vitro. MCP further decreases LPS-induced expression of proinflammatory mediators including IL-1ß, TNF-α and IL-6 by regulating autophagy. Intrathecal administration of MCP results in adecreased mechanical and cold hypersensitivity following SNL. These results demonstrated that gal3 inhibition is associated with the suppression of SNL-induced inflammatory process andneurophathic pain attenuation.