Effects of stress on sleep quality: multiple mediating effects of rumination and social anxiety.

BACKGROUND: In contemporary society, with the accelerated pace of work and life, more and more people feel different degrees of stress. Long-term stress may not only lead to insomnia, but also to mental health problems (e.g., anxiety and depression), which has a significant impact on people's quality of life and mental health. OBJECTIVE: This study primarily investigates the mechanism through which stress affects sleep quality among college students. METHODS: We conducted research on 1653 Chinese college students using four scales with high reliability and validity: stress, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, social anxiety, and rumination. RESULTS: The study found: (1) Stress can significantly and positively predict sleep quality and rumination; (2) Rumination can positively predict social anxiety; (3) Social anxiety can positively predict sleep quality; (4) Stress can affect sleep quality through social anxiety and rumination separately, and stress can also affect sleep quality through the chained mediation of rumination and social anxiety. CONCLUSION: This study reveals the relationship and mechanisms between stress and sleep quality. It not only deepens the research on the impact of stress on sleep quality but also provides theoretical support and new methods for mental health professionals to help clients improve their sleep quality. In practice, in addition to using some common psychological intervention methods to help individuals reduce stress, we should pay more attention to how to help clients reduce rumination and social anxiety, This is significant in improving the quality of an individual's sleep.

Exopolysaccharides of Paenibacillus polymyxa: A review.

Paenibacillus polymyxa (P. polymyxa) is a member of the genus Paenibacillus, which is a rod-shaped, spore-forming gram-positive bacterium. P. polymyxa is a source of many metabolically active substances, including polypeptides, volatile organic compounds, phytohormone, hydrolytic enzymes, exopolysaccharide (EPS), etc. Due to the wide range of compounds that it produces, P. polymyxa has been extensively studied as a plant growth promoting bacterium which provides a direct benefit to plants through the improvement of N fixation from the atmosphere and enhancement of the solubilization of phosphorus and the uptake of iron in the soil, and phytohormones production. Among the metabolites from P. polymyxa, EPS exhibits many activities, for example, antioxidant, immunomodulating, anti-tumor and many others. EPS has various applications in food, agriculture, environmental protection. Particularly, in the field of sustainable agriculture, P. polymyxa EPS can be served as a biofilm to colonize microbes, and also can act as a nutrient sink on the roots of plants in the rhizosphere. Therefore, this paper would provide a comprehensive review of the advancements of diverse aspects of EPS from P. polymyxa, including the production, extraction, structure, biosynthesis, bioactivity and applications, etc. It would provide a direction for future research on P. polymyxa EPS.

Assessing inter- and intra-examiner reliability of orthodontists in devising incisor position objectives on cephalograms: a comparative study between senior and junior practitioners.

BACKGROUND: Effective orthodontic treatment planning hinges on accurately defining incisor position objectives (IPO) in cephalograms. The purpose of this study was to estimate the inter-examiner and intra-examiner reliability of different orthodontists in devising IPOs on cephalograms. METHODS: Ten orthodontists, who were divided into to the senior group (N = 5) and the junior group (N = 5) based on their clinical experience, formulated IPOs for 60 pre-treatment cephalograms twice with an interval of 2 weeks, utilizing SmartOrtho software. The type and magnitude of movement were read directly in the software. A paired t-test assessed the absolute differences between the first and second IPO devising within each group and between the senior and junior groups in each time's IPO devising. The intra-examiner and inter-examiner reliabilities were calculated. RESULTS: There were significant differences in all types of upper incisor movement and lower incisor protrusion/retraction movement between the first and second IPO devising of the senior group. The junior group exhibited significant differences in the twice the upper incisor extrusion/intrusion movement and upper incisor torque movement devising. Additionally, significant differences in all types of incisor movement between the senior and junior groups in each time's IPO devising. Intra-examiner reliabilities were excellent for both two groups and moderate for the junior group in most types of incisor movement, respectively. The inter-examiner reliability between the two groups ranged from moderate to good across different types of incisor movement. CONCLUSIONS: Among orthodontists, both senior and junior practitioners displayed the best inter-examiner reliability in lower incisor extrusion/intrusion movement. In terms of intra-examiner reliability, senior orthodontists had better intra-examiner reliability in upper incisor position objectives devising than the junior orthodontists. Furthermore, senior orthodontists tended to adopt a more recessive, intrusive, and lingually torqued incisor position approach compared to junior orthodontists.

The Identification and Comparative Analysis of Non-Coding RNAs in Spores and Mycelia of Penicillium expansum.

Penicillium expansum is the most popular post-harvest pathogen and causes blue mold disease in pome fruit and leads to significant economic losses worldwide every year. However, the fundamental regulation mechanisms of growth in P. expansum are unclear. Recently, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have attracted more attention due to critical roles in normalizing gene expression and maintaining cellular genotypes in organisms. However, the research related to ncRNAs in P. expansum have not been reported. Therefore, to provide an overview of ncRNAs on composition, distribution, expression changes, and potential targets in the growth process, a comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed on spores and mycelia of P. expansum in the present study. A total of 2595 novel mRNAs, 3362 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), 10 novel microRNAs (miRNAs), 86 novel small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and 11,238 circular RNAs (circRNAs) were predicted and quantified. Of these, 1482 novel mRNAs, 5987 known mRNAs, 2047 lncRNAs, 40 miRNAs, 38 novel siRNAs, and 9235 circRNAs were differentially expressed (DE) in response to the different development stages. Afterward, the involved functions and pathways of DE RNAs were revealed via Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database enrichment analysis. The interaction networks between mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs were also predicted based on their correlation coefficient of expression profiles. Among them, it was found that miR168 family members may play important roles in fungal growth due to their central location in the network. These findings will contribute to a better understanding on regulation machinery at the RNA level on fungal growth and provide a theoretical basis to develop novel control strategies against P. expansum.

Relative anchorage loss under reciprocal anchorage in mandibular premolar extraction cases treated with clear aligners.

OBJECTIVES: To compare mandibular relative anchorage loss (RAL) under reciprocal anchorage between first and second premolar extraction cases in bimaxillary protrusion mild crowding cases treated using clear aligner therapy (CAT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult patients who met the following criteria were included: treated using CAT with bilateral mandibular premolar extractions and space closure using intra-arch reciprocal anchorage. RAL was defined as the percent molar mesial movement relative to the sum of molar mesial plus canine distal movement. Movements of the mandibular central incisor (L1), canine (L3), and first molar (L6) were measured based on superimposition of the pre- and post-treatment dentition and jaw models. RESULTS: Among the 60 mandibular extraction quadrants, 38 had lower first premolar (L4) and 22 had lower second premolar (L5) extracted. L6 mesial movement was 2.01 ± 1.11 mm with RAL of 25% in the L4 extraction group vs 3.25 ± 1.19 mm with RAL of 40% in the L5 extraction group (P < .001). Tooth movement efficacy was 43% for L1 occlusogingival movement, 75% for L1 buccolingual inclination, 60% for L3 occlusogingival movement, and 53% for L3 mesiodistal angulation. L1 had unwanted extrusion and lingual crown torquing whereas L3 had unwanted extrusion and distal crown tipping, on which the power ridges or attachments had little preventive effect. CONCLUSIONS: The average mandibular reciprocal RAL is 25% or 40% for extraction of L4 or L5, respectively, in CAT cases. A RAL-based treatment planning workflow is proposed for CAT extraction cases.

Effects of cereal grain cell wall composition and structure on starch digestion.

BACKGROUND: Wheat is an important food crop, and its characteristics vary depending on the region of cultivation; different environments have varying effects on the composition of the grains. We previously reported the effects of environmental factors on wheat grain cell wall composition and structure. The variations in the structure of aleurone cell walls between different wheat samples were examined to determine the effects of aleurone cell walls on grain starch digestion properties. Ten different varieties of wheat grains with different aleurone cell wall structure and composition constituted a simple research system used to investigate their effect on the starch digestion of bread. RESULTS: The aleurone cell wall thickness ranged from 3.05 µm to 4.67 µm, and the arabinose to xylose ratio of water-extractable arabinoxylan was in the range 0.79-0.97. With the increase in arabinoxylans content or cell wall thickness, the total digestibility of starch within the bread decreased; this phenomenon may be related to the changes in the interaction between polysaccharides and starch granules in this process. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that the wheat cell wall structure has a great impact on starch hydrolysis, indicating that the change in the digestibility of starch in flour and bread may be a result of changes in the cell wall structure leading to different combinations, thus affecting digestibility. The present study showed that the cell wall combines the starch granules during the bread-making process; thus, the diffusion of enzymes through the cell wall was hindered. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Calcium Enrichment in Edible Mushrooms: A Review.

Calcium is one of the essential minerals that enhances various biological activities, including the regulation of blood pressure, the prevention of osteoporosis and colorectal adenomas. Calcium-enriched edible mushrooms can be considered as one of the important daily sources of calcium in foods. Calcium accumulation in edible mushrooms is an effective way to enhance its activities because the organic state of calcium metabolites in edible mushrooms can be formed from the original inorganic calcium. The main calcium sources for calcium-enriched edible mushrooms' cultivation are CaCO3, CaCl2 or Ca(NO3)2. The growth and metabolic process of edible mushrooms are significantly influenced by calcium enrichment. Generally, Ca at low levels is good for the production of edible mushrooms, whereas the reverse phenomenon for the growth of edible mushrooms at high Ca contents is observed. In addition, metabolites, for example, phenolics, flavonoids, polysaccharides, enzymes, minerals, etc., are improved when edible mushrooms are enriched at a moderate level of calcium. This review summarized the literature regarding the influence of calcium enrichment on edible mushrooms' growth and major metabolites. Furthermore, the mechanisms of calcium enrichment in edible mushrooms were highlighted. Understanding calcium-enriched mechanisms in edible mushrooms would not only be beneficial to manipulate the cultivation of edible mushrooms having excellent biological activities and high levels of active Ca, but it would also contribute to the applications of calcium enrichment products in food industries.

Polyketides as Secondary Metabolites from the Genus Aspergillus.

Polyketides are an important class of structurally diverse natural products derived from a precursor molecule consisting of a chain of alternating ketone and methylene groups. These compounds have attracted the worldwide attention of pharmaceutical researchers since they are endowed with a wide array of biological properties. As one of the most common filamentous fungi in nature, Aspergillus spp. is well known as an excellent producer of polyketide compounds with therapeutic potential. By extensive literature search and data analysis, this review comprehensively summarizes Aspergillus-derived polyketides for the first time, regarding their occurrences, chemical structures and bioactivities as well as biosynthetic logics.

Achieved intrusion amount of the maxillary incisors and the influencing factors in clear aligner extraction cases / 口腔疾病防治

Objective @#To investigate the achieved intrusion amount of the maxillary incisors and the influencing factors in clear aligner cases treated with extraction of premolars. @*Methods @#This study has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee, and informed consent has been obtained from patients. Thirty adult female patients who underwent extraction of the bilateral maxillary first premolars followed by clear aligner therapy were included. CBCT data before and after treatment were obtained, and three-dimensional reconstruction with registration alignment was performed. A spatial coordinate system was established, and the achieved intrusion amount was measured, followed by calculation of the intrusion efficacy. The factors related to the achieved intrusion amount were investigated through multiple linear regression analysis.@*Results @#The overall efficacy of maxillary incisor intrusion was 54%, with the maxillary central incisors (48%) lower than the lateral incisors (59%), which was statistically significant (P<0.001). Regression analysis showed that the designed intrusion amount and the stepwise intrusion design were positively correlated with the achieved intrusion amount. The designed retroclination amount and use of class Ⅱ intermaxillary elastics were negatively correlated with the achieved intrusion amount. The initial overbite, overjet, crowding, upper central incisor inclination, amount of the first series of aligners, canine attachment type, posterior teeth attachment type and bite ramps had no significant correlation with the achieved intrusion amount.@*Conclusion@# In maxillary first premolar extraction cases treated with clear aligners, the upper central incisors have lower efficacy of intrusion movement than the lateral incisors. The achieved intrusion amount of maxillary incisors was influenced by multiple factors, which should be considered comprehensively for better vertical control in such cases.

The antibacterial activity and mechanism of ginkgolic acid C15:1.

BACKGROUND: The present study investigated the antibacterial activity and underlying mechanisms of ginkgolic acid (GA) C15:1 monomer using green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled bacteria strains. RESULTS: GA presented significant antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria but generally did not affect the growth of Gram-negative bacteria. The studies of the antibacterial mechanism indicated that large amounts of GA (C15:1) could penetrate GFP-labeled Bacillus amyloliquefaciens in a short period of time, and as a result, led to the quenching of GFP in bacteria. In vitro results demonstrated that GA (C15:1) could inhibit the activity of multiple proteins including DNA polymerase. In vivo results showed that GA (C15:1) could significantly inhibit the biosynthesis of DNA, RNA and B. amyloliquefaciens proteins. CONCLUSION: We speculated that GA (C15:1) achieved its antibacterial effect through inhibiting the protein activity of B. amyloliquefaciens. GA (C15:1) could not penetrate Gram-negative bacteria in large amounts, and the lipid soluble components in the bacterial cell wall could intercept GA (C15:1), which was one of the primary reasons that GA (C15:1) did not have a significant antibacterial effect on Gram-negative bacteria.

Enzyme activity and thermostability of a non-specific nuclease from Yersinia enterocolitica subsp. palearctica by site-directed mutagenesis

Background: To identify the critical amino acid residues that contribute to the high enzyme activity and good thermostability of Yersinia enterocolitica subsp. palearctica (Y. NSN), 15 mutants of Y. NSN were obtained by site-directed mutagenesis in this study. And their enzyme activity and thermostability were assayed. Effect of several factors on the enzyme activity and thermostability of Y. NSN, was also investigated. Results: The results showed that the I203F and D264E mutants retained approximately 75% and 70% enzyme activity, respectively, compared to the wild-type enzyme. In addition to the I203F and D264E mutants, the mutant E202A had an obvious influence on the thermostability of Y. NSN. According to the analysis of enzyme activity and thermostability of Y. NSN, we found that Glu202, Ile203 and Asp264 might be the key residues for its high enzyme activity and good thermostability. Conclusions: Among all factors affecting enzyme activity and thermostability of Y. NSN, they failed to explain the experimental results well. One reason might be that the enzyme activity and thermostability of Y. NSN were affected not only by a single factor but also by the entire environment.

Allergic identification for ginkgo kernel protein in guinea pigs.

Ginkgo biloba L. can cause allergic reactions when consumed. In this paper, an allergy test to guinea pig was investigated. Guinea pigs were sensitized with 50 mg/mL of ginkgo kernel protein orally on days 1, 3, and 5, and intraperitoneally challenged with 100mg/mL of the protein on day 7 after the last sensitization. The volume of sensitization and challenge was 0.20mL/100 g weight. The results showed the average allergy grade for guinea pigs reached four and the allergy rate was 100%. The immunoglobulin G and E levels in sera were significantly higher than those in the controls. Footpads swelled distinctly, and the passive cutaneous allergy test manifested a positive response. There were inflammatory changes in the lungs and intestines. In conclusion, the present results may indicate that gingko kernel protein has an allergenic capacity.

Soy Protein Isolate-Alginate Microspheres for Encapsulation ofEnterococcus faecalis HZNU P2

ABSTRACTIn this work, the mixture of alginate and soy protein isolate used as a wall material was developed to encapsulateEnterococcus faecalis HZNU P2 (E. faecalis HZNU P2). The survival ability in the simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and bile salt solution, storage stability at different temperatures and release properties in the simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) of encapsulated cells were assessed. The results showed that encapsulation could offer sufficient protection toE. faecalis HZNU P2. The viability of encapsulatedE. faecalis HZNU P2 did not decrease in SGF at pH 2.5 or 2.0 after 2 h incubation, while free cells were reduced from 11 to 9.85 log CFU/mL in SGF (pH 2.5) at the same exposure time. Only minor viability of encapsulatedE. faecalis HZNU P2 lost in 1.0 or 2.0% bile salt solution for 1 or 2 h exposure, compared with no survival of freeE. faecalis HZNU P2 under the same conditions. EncapsulatedE. faecalis HZNU P2 was completely released from the microspheres in SIF within 1 h. The viability of encapsulatedE. faecalisHZNU P2 stored for two weeks at 4°C was fully retained. Viabilities of encapsulatedE. faecalis HZNU P2, 9.6 and 9.0 Log CFU/g were obtained at 25 and 37°C after 21 days storage, respectively. However, around 1.0 log CFU/mL of free cells was reduced after two weeks storage at 4°C. EncapsulatedE. faecalis HZNU P2 using soy protein isolate and alginate as wall materials could play an important role in food applications.

Antimicrobial activity and safety evaluation of Enterococcus faecium KQ 2.6 isolated from peacock feces.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this paper was to study antimicrobial activity and safety of Enterococcus faecium KQ 2.6 (E. faecium KQ 2.6) isolated from peacock feces. METHODS: Agar well diffusion method was adopted in antimicrobial activity assay. Disk diffusion test was used to determine the antibiotic resistance. The identification and virulence potential of E. faecium KQ 2.6 were investigated using PCR amplification. RESULTS: The results indicated that cell free supernatant (CFS) of the strain had the good antimicrobial activity against selected gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The biochemical characteristics of antimicrobial substances were investigated. The results indicated that the antimicrobial substances were still active after treatment with catalase and proteinase, respectively. Moreover, the stability of antimicrobial substances did not change after heat treatment at 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80°C for 30 min, respectively. The activity of antimicrobial substances remained stable at 4 and -20°C after long time storage. The antimicrobial activity of CFS was compared with that of the buffer with similar strength and pH. The inhibitory zone of the buffer was apparently smaller than that of CFS, which meant that the acid in CFS was not the only factor that was contributed to antibacterial activity of CFS. The antibiotic resistance and virulence potential were evaluated using disk diffusion test and PCR amplification. The results showed that E. faecium KQ 2.6 did not harbor any tested virulence genes such as gelE, esp, asa1, cylA, efaA and hyl. It was susceptible to most of tested antibiotics except for vancomycin and polymyxin B. CONCLUSION: E. faecium KQ 2.6 may be used as bio-preservative cultures for the production of fermented foods.

Date and their processing byproducts as substrates for bioactive compounds production

Date is the most popular fruit in middle-east countries. However, the date production process is accompanied by a substantial increase of loss during picking, storage, commercialization and conditioning process. Date and their byproducts have many essential elements for the growth of microorganisms. Thus, they can be converted into value-added compounds through biotechnology. In this paper, date and their processing byproducts used as substrates for producing value-added products such as organic acids, exopolysaccharide, antibiotics, date flavored probiotic fermented dairy, bakery yeast, etc, were reviewed.

Activity of encapsulated Lactobacillus bulgaricus in alginate-whey protein microspheres

In this work, alginate-whey protein was used as wall materials for encapsulating Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (L. bulgaricus). The characteristics of encapsulated and free L. bulgaricus showed that the free L. bulgaricus lost viability after 1 min exposure to simulated gastric fluid (SGF) at pH 2.0 and 2.5. However, the viability of encapsulated L. bulgaricus did not decrease in SGF at pH 2.5 for 2 h incubation. The viable numbers of encapsulated L. bulgaricus decreased less than 1.0 log unit for 2 h incubation in SGF at pH 2.0. For bile stability, only 1.2 log units and 2.0 log units viability of the encapsulated L. bulgaricus was lost in 1 and 2% bile for 1 h exposure, respectively, compared with no survival of free L. bulgaricus under the same conditions. Encapsulated L. bulgaricus was completely released from the microspheres in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF, pH 6.8) in 3 h. The viability of the encapsulated L. bulgaricus retained more 8.0 log CFU/g after stored at 4°C for four weeks. However, for free L. bulgaricus, only around 3.0 log CFU/mL was found at the same storage conditions. Results showed that the encapsulation could improve the stability of L. bulgaricus.

Synthesis, antibacterial activity, antibacterial mechanism and food applications of ZnO nanoparticles: a review.

Bacterial contamination reduces the shelf-life of foods and presents serious risks to human health. Nanotechnology provides the opportunity for the development of new antibacterial agents. Nano-inorganic metal oxides have shown the potential to reduce bacterial contamination of foods. When the particle size of materials decreases from the micrometre to the nanometre range, nano-functional properties such as diffusivity, mechanical strength, chemical reactivity and biological properties are improved. Significantly, ZnO has been used in many applications with particular success. Many studies have shown that ZnO nanoparticles have enhanced antibacterial activity. This review discusses the main synthetic methods, antibacterial activity, antibacterial mechanisms and food applications of ZnO nanoparticles.

Production of a new non-specific nuclease from Yersinia enterocolitica subsp. palearctica: optimization of induction conditions using response surface methodology.

A new non-specific nuclease from Yersinia enterocolitica subsp. palearctica (Y. NSN) was expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL 21 StarTM (DE3)plysS. Induction conditions, including isopropyl-ß-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG) concentration, cell density (OD600), induction time and induction temperature, were optimized using response surface methodology. Statistical analysis of the results revealed that induction temperature and all the quadratic terms of variables had significant effects on enzyme activity of Y. NSN. The optimal induction conditions were as follows: 1.5 mmol/L IPTG, OD600 of 0.80, induction time of 20.5 h, and induction temperature of 32 °C. Under the optimized conditions, the highest enzyme activity could be obtained.

Bioinformatics analysis of a non-specific nuclease from Yersinia enterocolitica subsp. palearctica.

In this paper, the physical and chemical characteristics, biological structure and function of a non-specific nuclease from Yersinia enterocolitica subsp. palearctica (Y. NSN) found in our group were studied using multiple bioinformatics approaches. The results showed that Y. NSN had 283 amino acids, a weight of 30,692.5 ku and a certain hydrophilic property. Y. NSN had a signal peptide, no transmembrane domains and disulphide bonds. Cleavage site in Y. NSN was between pos. 23 and 24. The prediction result of the secondary structure showed Y. NSN was a coil structure-based protein. The ratio of α-helix, ß-folded and random coil were 18.73%, 16.96% and 64.31%, respectively. Active sites were pos. 124, 125, 127, 157, 165 and 169. Mg(2+) binding site was pos. 157. Substrate binding sites were pos. 124, 125 and 169. The analysis of multisequencing alignment and phylogenetic tree indicated that Y. NSN shared high similarity with the nuclease from Y. enterocolitica subsp. enterocolitica 8081. The enzyme activity results showed that Y. NSN was a nuclease with good thermostability.

Date fruit: chemical composition, nutritional and medicinal values, products.

Date fruit has served as a staple food in the Arab world for centuries. Worldwide production of date fruit has increased almost threefold over the last 40 years, reaching 7.68 million tons in 2010. Date fruit can provide many essential nutrients and potential health benefits to the consumer. Date fruit goes through four ripening stages named kimri, khalal, rutab and tamer. The main chemical components of date fruit include carbohydrates, dietary fibre, enzymes, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins, phenolic acids and carotenoids. The chemical composition of date fruit varies according to ripening stage, cultivar, growing environment, postharvest conditions, etc. The nutritional and medicinal activities of date fruit are related to its chemical composition. Many studies have shown that date fruit has antioxidant, antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anticancer and immunostimulant activities. Various date fruit-based products such as date syrup, date paste, date juice and their derived products are available. Date by-products can be used as raw materials for the production of value-added products such as organic acids, exopolysaccharides, antibiotics, date-flavoured probiotic-fermented dairy produce, bakery yeasts, etc. In this paper the chemical composition and nutritional and medicinal values of date fruit as well as date fruit-based products are reviewed.