Children's food allergy: Effects of environmental influences and antibiotic use across critical developmental windows.

BACKGROUND: Increasing studies linked outdoor air pollution (OAP), indoor environmental factors (IEFs), and antibiotics use (AU) with the first wave of allergies (i.e., asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema), yet the role of their exposures on children's second wave of allergy (i.e., food allergy) are unknown. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between exposure to OAP and IEFs and childhood doctor-diagnosed food allergy (DFA) during the pre-pregnancy, prenatal, early postnatal, and current periods, and to further explore the effect of OAP and IEFs on DFA in children co-exposed to antibiotics. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study involving 8689 preschoolers was carried out in Changsha, China. Data on the health outcomes, antibiotic use, and home environment of each child were collected through a questionnaire. Temperature and air pollutants data were obtained from 8 and 10 monitoring stations in Changsha, respectively. Exposure levels to temperature and air pollutants at individual home addresses were calculated by the inverse distance weighted (IDW) method. Multiple logistic regression models were employed to assess the associations of childhood DFA with exposure to OAP, IEF, and AU. RESULTS: Childhood ever doctor-diagnosed food allergy (DFA) was linked to postnatal PM10 exposure with OR (95% CI) of 1.18 (1.03-1.36), especially for CO and O3 exposure during the first year with ORs (95% CI) = 1.08 (1.00-1.16) and 1.07 (1.00-1.14), as well as SO2 exposure during the previous year with OR (95% CI) of 1.13 (1.02-1.25). The role of postnatal air pollution is more important for the risk of egg, milk and other food allergies. Renovation-related IAP (new furniture) and dampness-related indoor allergens exposures throughout all time windows significantly increased the risk of childhood DFA, with ORs ranging from 1.23 (1.03-1.46) to 1.54 (1.29-1.83). Furthermore, smoke-related IAP (environmental tobacco smoke [ETS], parental and grandparental smoking) exposure during pregnancy, first year, and previous year was related to DFA. Additionally, exposure to pet-related indoor allergens (cats) during first year and total plant-related allergens (particularly nonflowering plants) during previous year were associated with DFA. Moreover, exposure to plant-related allergy during first and previous year was specifically associated with milk allergy, while keeping cats during first year increased the risk of fruits/vegetables allergy. Life-time and early-life AU was associated with the increased risk of childhood DFA with ORs (95% CI) = 1.57 (1.32-1.87) and 1.46 (1.27-1.67), including different types food allergies except fruit/vegetable allergy. CONCLUSIONS: Postnatal OAP, life-time and early-life IEFs and AU exposure played a vital role in the development of DFA, supporting the "fetal origin of childhood FA" hypothesis.

Inactivation mechanisms on pectin methylesterase by high pressure processing combined with its recombinant inhibitor.

High pressure processing (HPP) juice often experiences cloud loss during storage, caused by the activity of pectin methylesterase (PME). The combination of HPP with natural pectin methylesterase inhibitor (PMEI) could improve juice stability. However, extracting natural PMEI is challenging. Gene recombination technology offers a solution by efficiently expressing recombinant PMEI from Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris. Experimental and molecular dynamics simulation were conducted to investigate changes in activity, structure, and interaction of PME and recombinant PMEI during HPP. The results showed PME retained high residual activity, while PMEI demonstrated superior pressure resistance. Under HPP, PMEI's structure remained stable, while the N-terminus of PME's α-helix became unstable. Additionally, the helix at the junction with the PME/PMEI complex changed, thereby affecting its binding. Furthermore, PMEI competed with pectin for active sites on PME, elucidating. The potential mechanism of PME inactivation through the synergistic effects of HPP and PMEI.

Preparation and Road Performance Study of Rubber-Diatomite Composite-Modified Asphalt Mixture.

To examine the effect mechanism of rubber and diatomite on asphalt as well as the performance of asphalt mixtures for road applications, various composite-modified asphalts are prepared using rubber and diatomite. The performance of modified asphalts with various proportions is analyzed, and the optimal dosage ratio of modifiers is determined via the response surface approach. The microstructure of rubber-diatomite composite-modified asphalt is methodically examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The road performance, aging resistance, and long-term stability of asphalt mixtures are evaluated through Marshall tests, wheel tracking tests, aging wheel tracking tests, freeze-thaw splitting tests, and cyclic freeze-thaw drying aging splitting tests. The obtained results reveal that asphalt with 22% rubber and 4% diatomite exhibits the best overall performance. The composite-modified asphalt essentially demonstrates the physical blending between rubber powder, diatomite, and base asphalt. The asphalt built from them formed a uniform and stable overall structure. Compared with rubber asphalt and rubber-SBS composite-modified asphalt, rubber-diatomite composite-modified asphalt exhibits superior road performance, including better aging resistance and long-term water stability in asphalt mixtures. This study can promote the further extensive application of rubber-diatomite-modified asphalt in road engineering, while providing new ideas for cost-saving and environmentally friendly asphalt modification.

Highly catalytic and stable Au@AuPt nanoparticles for visual and quantitative detection of E. coli O157:H7.

A visual and quantitative ELISA-like method for Escherichia coli O157:H7 is developed based on highly catalytic and stable Au@AuPt nanoparticles. The proposed enhanced ELISA method can visually detect 100 CFU mL-1 O157:H7 with high specificity and without the need for strict low-temperature reagent storage, thereby increasing the utility. Moreover, it is applicable to spiked tap water and milk tea samples without additional treatments.

A Novel Strategy to Improve Cloud Stability of Orange-Based Juice: Combination of Natural Pectin Methylesterase Inhibitor and High-Pressure Processing.

This study investigated the prospect of producing cloud-stable orange-based juice by combining high-pressure processing (HPP) with a natural kiwifruit pectin methylesterase inhibitor (PMEI) during chilled storage. Kiwifruit is rich in a PMEI, which greatly improves the cloud loss caused by the pectin methylesterase (PME) demethylation of pectin. The results show that the cloud loss of orange juice occurred after 3 days, while the orange-kiwifruit mixed juice and kiwifruit puree were cloud stable during 28 days' storage. Although, the kiwifruit puree contained larger particles compared to the orange juice, its higher viscosity and solid-like behavior were dominant, improving the cloud stability of the juice systems. In addition, the particle size distribution and rheological properties were highly related to PME activity, PMEI activity, and pectin characterization. The kiwifruit PMEI showed higher resistance to HPP and storage time than PME. More water-solubilized pectin fractions with a high molecular mass were found in the kiwifruit puree, leading to its high viscosity and large particle size, but a more chelator-solubilized pectin fraction with a low esterification degree was observed in the orange juice, resulting in its cloud loss. In general, the outcome of this work provides a novel strategy to improve the cloud stability of orange-based juices using natural PMEIs and nonthermal processing technologies.

Cholesterol and its reciprocal association with prion infection.

Prion diseases are incurable, infectious and fatal neurodegenerative diseases that affect both humans and animals. The pathogenesis of prion disease involves the misfolding of the cellular prion protein, PrPC, to a disease-causing conformation, PrPSc, in the brain. The exact mechanism of conversion of PrPC to PrPSc is not clear; however, there are numerous studies supporting that this process of misfolding requires the association of PrPC with lipid raft domains of the plasma membrane. An increase in the cellular cholesterol content with prion infection has been observed in both in vivo and in vitro studies. As cholesterol is critical for the formation of lipid rafts, on the one hand, this increase may be related to, or aiding in, the process of prion conversion. On the other hand, increased cholesterol levels may affect neuronal viability. Here, we discuss current literature on the underlying mechanisms and potential consequences of elevated neuronal cholesterol in prion infection and advancements in prion disease therapeutics targeting brain cholesterol homeostasis.

Role of pectin characteristics in orange juice stabilization: Effect of high-pressure processing in combination with centrifugation pretreatments.

"High-pressure processing (HPP) plus" combined technologies are applied to overcome the limitation of single HPP and to produce juices with more stable quality during storage. This research explored the potential of HPP in combination with centrifugation to produce cloud stable orange juice during refrigerated storage. The results indicated that HPP combined processing technology significantly improved the cloud stability of orange juice, which was related to removed large particles, reduced viscosity, decreased protein contents, and inactivated pectin methylesterase activity induced by centrifugation (P < 0.05). Besides, chelator solubilized pectin (CSP) decreased but water solubilized pectin (WSP) maintained in the juice after centrifugation. During storage, the conversion of pectin fraction from WSP to CSP, resulting in sedimentation appeared in centrifugation treated orange juice when stored for 28 days. In general, pectin characteristics changes and pectin fractions conversion were the main driving forces affecting cloud stability of orange juice pasteurized by HPP in combination with centrifugation and during chilled storage.

Effect of centrifugal pre-treatment on flavor change of cloudy orange juice: Interaction between pectin and aroma release.

Cloud loss of orange juice could be effectively inhibited by centrifugal treatment, but it can induce flavor changes, which become a new challenge for the industry. This work aims to investigate the effect of centrifugation on flavor changes in orange juice and explore its possible mechanism. Taste- and aroma-related attributes were analyzed, and pectin was characterized. Results indicated that pH (4.00), total soluble solid (9.67 °Brix), titratable acidity (0.42%), sucrose (44%), fructose (29%), and glucose (27%) were less affected by centrifugation (P > 0.05). However, aroma compounds significantly changed (P < 0.05), where terpenes and alcohols tended to be distributed in pulp and serum after centrifugation, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis showed that aroma compound distribution induced by centrifugation was highly related to chelator-solubilized pectin fraction and sodium carbonate-solubilized pectin fraction (|R| > 0.9). In general, centrifugation clearly changed aroma of orange juice, which was mainly affected by pectin characteristics.

Na doping into Li-rich layered single crystal nanoparticles for high-performance lithium-ion batteries cathodes.

Lithium-rich layered manganese-based cathodes (LRLMOs) with first-class energy density (∼1000 W h kg-1) have attracted wide attention. Nevertheless, the weak cycle stability and bad rate capability obstruct their large-scale commercial application. Here, single crystal Li1.2-xNaxNi0.2Mn0.6O2(x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15) nanoparticles are designed and successfully synthesized due to the single crystal structure with smaller internal stress and larger ionic radius of Na. The synergistic advantages of single crystal structure and Na doping are authenticated as cathodes for Li ion batteries (LIBs), which can consolidate the crystallographic structure and be benefit for migration of lithium ion. Among all the Na doping single crystals, Li1.1Na0.1Ni0.2Mn0.6O2cathode possesses supreme cycling life and discharge capacity at large current density. To be more specific, it exhibits a discharge capacity of 264.2 mAh g-1after 50 charge and discharge cycles, higher than that of undoped material (214.9 mAh g-1). The discharge capacity of Li1.1Na0.1Ni0.2Mn0.6O2cathode at 10 C (1 C = 200 mA g-1) is enhanced to 160.4 mAh g-1(106.7 mAh g-1forx = 0 sample). The creative strategy of Na doping single crystal LRLMOs might furnish an idea to create cathode materials with high energy and power density for next generation LIBs.

Evaluation of quality changes of differently formulated cloudy mixed juices during refrigerated storage after high pressure processing.

Cloudy fruit and vegetable mixed juice (MJ) pasteurized by high pressure processing (HPP) showed an increasing market demand. However, browning, sedimentation, and flavor changes of HPP juice during storage have been a great challenge for the beverage industry. The aim of this work was to investigate quality changes of HPP MJs during storage and to explore the potential to create the shelf-stable MJs with fresh-like organoleptic quality through HPP. In the work, commercial MJ1 (orange, mango, and kiwifruit) and MJ2 (carrot and pineapple) were formulated and their quality changes during storage were investigated. The results indicated no visible color changes and sedimentation were observed in MJ1 and MJ2 during refrigerated storage (90 days). However, sucrose decreased as glucose and fructose increased; a large number of aldehydes and alcohols decreased but some terpenoids increased during storage. In general, blending proper fruit and vegetable to produce MJs combing with HPP could maintain high cloud and color stability, but sugars and volatiles clearly changed during storage.

Redox-Sensitive Cysteines Confer Proximal Control of the Molecular Crowding Barrier in the Nuclear Pore.

The nuclear pore complex forms a highly crowded selective barrier with intrinsically disordered regions at the nuclear membrane to coordinate nucleocytoplasmic molecular communications. Although oxidative stress is known to alter the barrier function, the molecular mechanism underlying this adaptive control of the nuclear pore complex remains unknown. Here we uncover a systematic control of the crowding barrier within the nuclear pore in response to various redox environments. Direct measurements of the crowding states using a crowding-sensitive FRET (Förster resonance energy transfer) probe reveal specific roles of the nuclear pore subunits that adjust the degree of crowding in response to different redox conditions, by adaptively forming or disrupting redox-sensitive disulfide bonds. Relationships between crowding control and the barrier function of the nuclear pore are investigated by single-molecular fluorescence measurements of nuclear transport. Based on these findings, we propose a proximal control model of molecular crowding in vivo that is dynamically regulated at the molecular level.

Prolines in the α-helix confer the structural flexibility and functional integrity of importin-ß.

The karyopherin family of nuclear transport receptors is composed of a long array of amphiphilic α-helices and undergoes flexible conformational changes to pass through the hydrophobic crowding barrier of the nuclear pore. Here, we focused on the characteristic enrichment of prolines in the middle of the outer α-helices of importin-ß. When these prolines were substituted with alanine, nuclear transport activity was reduced drastically in vivo and in vitro, and caused a severe defect in mitotic progression. These mutations did not alter the overall folding of the helical repeat or affect its interaction with cargo or the regulatory factor Ran. However, in vitro and in silico analyses revealed that the mutant lost structural flexibility and could not undergo rapid conformational changes when transferring from a hydrophilic to hydrophobic environment or vice versa. These findings reveal the essential roles of prolines in ensuring the structural flexibility and functional integrity of karyopherins.