The enhancement of flowery-like aroma in green tea under optimized processing conditions by sensory-directed flavor analysis.

Flowery-like aroma are positive contributors to green tea. Here, the optimal processing conditions for green tea with flowery-like aroma were designed using spreading time, fixation time and drying temperature as three factors designed by response surface methodology (RSM), and the response value of aroma sensory evaluation score. The volatiles in batches of tea samples were analyzed by GC-MS. The optimal quality was obtained with a flowery-like aroma by RSM under a spreading time of 8.97 h, fixation time of 162.3 s, and drying temperature of 103.32 °C. GC-O and odor activity values further revealed floral-like volatiles, including decanal, linalool oxide, ß-lonone, geraniol, (Z)-jasmone, linalool, nonanal, and benzeneacetaldehyde. The recombination of these floral volatiles confirmed the consistency with the floral green tea. Furthermore, the extending spreading duration (8-10 h), reducing fixation duration (160-190 s), and increasing drying temperature (100-115 °C) promote their accumulation in green tea. This study provides new perspectives for the precise enhancement of floral odorants for green tea.

Ultrasound and clinical factors predicting central lymph node metastases in patients with unilateral multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study involving a large dataset of unilateral multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma (UM-PTC) sought to identify factors that predict central lymph node metastases (CLNM) in patients. METHODS: We identified a cohort of 158 patients who underwent cervical ultrasonography followed by UM-PTC diagnosis based on postoperative pathology. The relationship between CLNM and UM-PTC clinical ultrasound features was evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the ability of total tumor diameter (TTD) to predict CLNM. RESULTS: Among the 158 UM-PTC patients, the incidence of CLNM was 29.7% (47/158). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that a number of similarity of sonographic features (NSSF) ≥4 (odds ratio [OR] = 11.335, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.95-32.50, p = 0.000), microcalcifications (OR = 3.54, 95% CI: 1.30-9.70, p = 0.014), a TTD of ≥2 cm (OR = 4.48, 95% CI: 1.62-12.34, p = 0.004), number of nodules ≥3 (OR = 13.17, 95% CI: 3.24-53.52, p = 0.000), and Lateral cervical lymph node metastasis (LLNM) (OR = 5.57, 95% CI: 1.59-19.48, p = 0.007) were independently associated with CLNM in UM-PTC. ROC curve analysis revealed that the TTD cut-off of 1.795 cm had a sensitivity of 0.723 and a specificity of 0.676 for predicting CLNM. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with UM-PTC are at high risk of CLNM. NSSF ≥4, microcalcifications, TTD of ≥2 cm, LLNM, and a number of nodules ≥3 were independently associated with CLNM. Our data show that ultrasound may guide surgical decisions in the treatment of UM-PTC.

A Rapid On-Line Evaluation (ROLE) Protocol in the Diagnostic Performance Improvement in Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Tissue Acquisition for Solid Pancreatic Lesions.

We assessed the rapid on-line evaluation (ROLE) protocol as a modification to the conventional rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) in the diagnostic performance improvement in endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition (EUS-TA) for solid pancreatic lesions. This single-center, retrospective study involved consecutive patients with solid pancreatic lesions undergoing EUS-TA at Peking University First Hospital between October 2017 and March 2021. Among 137 patients enrolled, 75 were in the ROLE group and 62 were in the non-ROSE group. The diagnostic yield (97.3% vs. 85.5%, p = 0.023), accuracy (94.7% vs. 82.3%, p = 0.027), and sensitivity (95.7% vs. 81.1%, p = 0.011) were significantly higher in the ROLE group compared to the non-ROSE group. However, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and area under the curve (AUC) showed no significant differences (all p-values > 0.05). Additionally, there was a noteworthy reduction in the number of needle passes required in the ROLE group compared to the non-ROSE group (two vs. three, p < 0.001). In a subgroup analysis, fine needle biopsy (FNB) combined with ROLE demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy compared to FNB with non-ROSE (100% vs. 93.1%, p = 0.025). Compared with the non-ROSE protocol, the ROLE protocol might improve the diagnostic performance of EUS-TA for solid pancreatic lesions, and potentially reduce the number of needle passes requirement.

An elderly low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma patient with early postoperative recurrences and metastases: a case report and literature review.

Background: Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (LGFMS) is a rare type of soft tissue sarcoma that often involves the deep soft tissue of the extremities and trunk in young and middle-aged adults. It is uncommon in the elderly. Here we discuss a case of LGFMS in an elderly patient who had recurrence and metastasis within 2 years of resection of the primary tumor. Case report: A 71-year-old LGFMS patient was presented with a mass in the left forearm accompanied by pain and numbness from the left upper arm to fingers. The patient subsequently underwent 3 surgical resections, although she had 3 recurrences within 6 months after the initial diagnosis. Considering the malignant biological behavior of the tumor, an amputation at 5 cm above the elbow was eventually performed. However, recurrence in the extremity of the stump and chest wall metastasis were observed 2 years after amputation. Then resection of the metastases, radiotherapy and particle implantation therapy were performed. The patient is currently undergoing follow-up and has no evidence of recurrence. Conclusion: In our case, multiple early postoperative recurrences may be associated with a positive margin at initial operation. The patient underwent a total of 5 operations including local resection of the primary tumor, twice wide resections, amputation and metastatic surgery with 4 early postoperative recurrences and metastases within 4 years, suggesting that LGFMS may have highly invasive biological behavior. Our case demonstrated that early aggressive surgical treatment is recommended for LGFMS patients with a positive margin at initial operation and patients who had recurrence even after wide resection rather than local resection. Further research is needed to develop more effective treatment options for rapidly progress and highly aggressive LGFMS.

Gut Microecology May Be Involved in the Pathogenesis of Hashimoto Thyroiditis by Reducing Production of Hydrogen Sulfide.

CONTEXT: Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is related to intestinal microbiota alteration, but the causal relationship remains unclear. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a microbiota-derived metabolite. We speculated that abnormal intestinal microbiota might limit H2S production capacity, promoting HT pathogenesis. OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to illustrate that the intestinal microbiota plays important roles in HT pathogenesis via microbiota-derived H2S levels. METHODS: We collected feces from HT patients and healthy donors for fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Thirty-six female CBA/J mice were randomly assigned to 4 groups: experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) group, EAT + Healthy group, EAT + HT group, and EAT + HT + H2S group. 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing was performed to examine gut microbiota alterations and the H2S production pathway. Serum TgAb and H2S levels were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and H2S-selective sensors, respectively. T-cell subpopulations in the spleen were detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The gut microbiota was different after FMT among the EAT, EAT + Healthy, and EAT + HT groups. The thyroiditis score assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining was higher in the EAT + HT group than that in the EAT and EAT + HT + H2S groups. Helper T (Th1) and Th17 cell differentiation ratios were increased in the EAT + HT group compared to the other 3 groups. Serum H2S levels were decreased and the dissimilatory sulfate reduction (DSR) pathway was attenuated in the EAT + HT group compared to the EAT + Healthy group. CONCLUSION: H2S alleviated thyroiditis severity and related immune disorders, which were aggravated by the FMT from HT patients. The attenuated DSR pathway in the gut microbiota from HT patients might be involved in thyroiditis pathogenesis.

Sensomics-Assisted Characterization of Fungal-Flowery Aroma Components in Fermented Tea Using Eurotium cristatum.

Fermented tea (FT) using a single Eurotium cristatum strain can produce a pleasant fungal-flowery aroma, which is similar to the composite aroma characteristic of minty, flowery, and woody aromas, but its molecular basis is not yet clear. In this study, solvent-assisted flavor evaporation and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactometry were applied to isolate and identify volatiles from the FT by E. cristatum. The application of an aroma extract dilution analysis screened out 43 aroma-active compounds. Quantification revealed that there were 11 odorants with high odor threshold concentrations. Recombination and omission tests revealed that nonanal, methyl salicylate, decanoic acid, 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, α-terpineol, phenylacetaldehyde, and coumarin were the major odorants in the FT. Addition tests further verified that methyl salicylate, 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, and coumarin were the key odorants for fungal-flowery aroma, each corresponding to minty, woody, and flowery aromas, respectively. 4-Methoxybenzaldehyde and coumarin were newly found odorants for fungal-flowery aroma in FT, and 4-methoxybenzaldehyde had not been reported as a tea volatile compound before. This finding may guide future industrial production optimization of FT with improved flavor.

Bifunctional CoFe/HZSM-5 catalysts orient CO2 hydrogenation towards liquid hydrocarbons.

Converting CO2 to liquid (C5+) hydrocarbons remains a significant hurdle. Our study shows that CoFe/HZSM-5 boosts C5+ selectivity to 73.4%, up from 59% for Fe/HZSM-5. This study highlights the pivotal roles of zeolite acidity and catalyst proximity in this improvement. These insights pave the way for more effective CO2 utilization.

Effects of different over-fired drying methods on the aroma of Lu'an Guapian tea.

Over-fired drying, a crucial process in the production of Lu'an Guapian (LAGP) tea, greatly enriches the tea's aroma. In this study, the aroma compounds of LAGP tea processed through pulley charcoal drying (PCD), roller drying (RD), roller-conveyor drying (RCD), and hot air drying (HD) were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A subsequent analysis of aroma extraction dilution analysis and odor activity values revealed that (E)-ß-ionone, dimethyl sulfide, (E,E)-2,4-heptadienal, geraniol, linalool, benzeneacetaldehyde, coumarin, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethyl-pyrazine, indole, hexanal, (Z)-jasmone, and (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol were the key contributors to the samples' aroma variation. Moreover, a quantitative descriptive analysis and aroma recombination and omission experiments analysis revealed that (E)-ß-ionone is the most critical contributor to the formation of floral aroma in tea processed using PCD, whereas (E,E)-2,4-heptadienal is responsible for the more pronounced fresh aroma in tea processed using HD. In addition, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethyl-pyrazine contributes to the formation of a roasted aroma in tea processed using RD and RCD. The study results provide a theoretical basis for choosing the processing method, especially for drying, to obtain high-quality LAGP tea.

Enhanced YOLOv5 network-based object detection (BALFilter Reader) promotes PERFECT filter-enabled liquid biopsy of lung cancer from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF).

Liquid biopsy of cancers, detecting tumor-related information from liquid samples, has attracted wide attentions as an emerging technology. Our previously reported large-area PERFECT (Precise-Efficient-Robust-Flexible-Easy-Controllable-Thin) filter has demonstrated competitive sensitivity in recovering rare tumor cells from clinical samples. However, it is time-consuming and easily biased to manually inspect rare target cells among numerous background cells distributed in a large area (Φ ≥ 13 mm). This puts forward an urgent demand for rapid and bias-free inspection. Hereby, this paper implemented deep learning-based object detection for the inspection of rare tumor cells from large-field images of PERFECT filters with hematoxylin-eosin (HE)-stained cells recovered from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). CenterNet, EfficientDet, and YOLOv5 were trained and validated with 240 and 60 image blocks containing tumor and/or background cells, respectively. YOLOv5 was selected as the basic network given the highest mAP@0.5 of 92.1%, compared to those of CenterNet and EfficientDet at 85.2% and 91.6%, respectively. Then, tricks including CIoU loss, image flip, mosaic, HSV augmentation and TTA were applied to enhance the performance of the YOLOv5 network, improving mAP@0.5 to 96.2%. This enhanced YOLOv5 network-based object detection, named as BALFilter Reader, was tested and cross-validated on 24 clinical cases. The overall diagnosis performance (~2 min) with sensitivity@66.7% ± 16.7%, specificity@100.0% ± 0.0% and accuracy@75.0% ± 12.5% was superior to that from two experienced pathologists (10-30 min) with sensitivity@61.1%, specificity@16.7% and accuracy@50.0%, with the histopathological result as the gold standard. The AUC of the BALFilter Reader is 0.84 ± 0.08. Moreover, a customized Web was developed for a user-friendly interface and the promotion of wide applications. The current results revealed that the developed BALFilter Reader is a rapid, bias-free and easily accessible AI-enabled tool to promote the transplantation of the BALFilter technique. This work can easily expand to other cytopathological diagnoses and improve the application value of micro/nanotechnology-based liquid biopsy in the era of intelligent pathology.

Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) as a Predictor in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome and Heart Failure.

Purpose: There is a lack of research on nutritional status and poor prognosis in patients with metabolic syndrome and heart failure. This study evaluated the relationship between nutritional status as defined by the PNI and adverse outcomes in patients with metabolic syndrome and heart failure. Methods: A total of 1048 heart failure patients with metabolic syndrome admitted to the Heart Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2015 to December 2019 were consecutively. PNI was used to assess their nutritional status. Results: A total of 51.0% of the patients were in the nonmalnutrition group (PNI≥45), 27.9% were in the mild malnutrition group (40≤PNI<45), and 21.1% of patients were in the malnutrition group (PNI<40). At 36 months of follow-up, after adjusting for other confounding factors, malnutrition (PNI<40) was independently associated with all-cause death (HR: 1.787, 95% CI: 1.451-2.201, P<0.001) and cardiovascular death (HR: 1.837, 95% CI: 1.467-2.301, P<0.001). PNI showed additional prognostic predictive value when included in the established risk factor model, both for all-cause death (AUC: 0.620, 95% CI: 0.579-0.661, P<0.001) and cardiovascular death (AUC: 0.596, 95% CI: 0.555-0.636, P<0.001). Conclusion: In patients with metabolic syndrome and heart failure, malnutrition assessed by PNI is an independent predictor for all-cause death and cardiovascular death, and PNI is negatively correlated with the occurrence of adverse outcomes.

Metabolomics analysis reveals the mechanism underlying the improvement in the color and taste of yellow tea after optimized yellowing.

In this study, an optimized yellowing process for yellow tea (YT) was developed by response surface methodology. The results showed that increasing the yellowing temperature from 20 °C to 34 °C, increasing the relative humidity from 55% to 67%, and reducing the yellowing time from 48 h to 16 h, caused a 40.5% and 43.2% increase in the yellowness and sweetness of YT, respectively, and improved the consumer acceptability by 36.8%. Moreover, metabolomics was used to explore the involved mechanisms that resulted in the improved YT quality. The optimized yellowing promoted the hydrolysis of 5 gallated catechins, 6 flavonoid glycosides, theogallin and digalloylglucose, resulting in the accumulation of 5 soluble sugars and gallic acid. Meanwhile, it promoted the oxidative polymerization of catechins (e.g., theaflagallin, δ-type dehydrodicatechin and theasinensin A), but decelerated the degradation of chlorophylls. Overall, this optimized yellowing process could serve as a guide to a shorter yellowing cycle.

Metabolite analysis and sensory evaluation reveal the effect of roasting on the characteristic flavor of large-leaf yellow tea.

Roasting is essential for processing large-leaf yellow tea (LYT). However, the effect of the roasting on the metabolic and sensory profiles of LYT remains unknown. Herein, the metabolomics and sensory quality of LYT at five roasting degrees were evaluated by liquid/gas chromatography mass spectrometry and quantitative descriptive analysis. A higher degree of roasting resulted in a significantly stronger crispy rice, fried rice, and smoky-burnt aroma (p < 0.05), which is closely associated with heterocyclic compound accumulation (concentrations: 6.47 ± 0.27 - 1065.00 ± 5.58 µg/g). Amino acids, catechins, flavonoid glycosides and N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone-substituted flavan-3-ol varied with roasting degree. The enhancement of crispy-rice and burnt flavor coupled with the reduction of bitterness and astringency. Correlations analysis revealed the essential compounds responsible for roasting degree, including 2,3-diethyl-5-methylpyrazine, hexanal, isoleucine, N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone-substituted flavan-3-ol (EPSF), and others. These findings provide a theoretical basis for improving the specific flavors of LYT.

Effect of high-intensity ultrasonic time on structural, mechanical, and physicochemical properties of ß-conglycinin (7S)- Transglutaminase (TGase) composite edible films.

The ß-conglycinin (7S) was pre-treated with high-intensity ultrasonic (HIU) and subsequently formed into composite edible films with the transglutaminase (TGase) method. Effects of HIU pretreatment time (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 min) on the conformation of 7S and structural and application properties of 7S-TGase films were evaluated. The analysis of 7S conformation results revealed that HIU pretreatment for 0-10 min significantly dissociated the 7S, exposed internal hydrophobic groups of protein, increased its intermolecular hydrogen bonds, and altered the protein secondary and tertiary structure. The structural properties of films were evaluated by SEM, XRD, and ATR-FTIR. SEM showed that HIU reduced film wrinkles and cracks and improved unevenness. XRD and ATR-FTIR indicated that the film obtained an enlarged crystallinity, and the amide I and amide II regions of films were peak-shifted which is usually associated with the formation of covalent bonds. Notably, analysis of intermolecular force showed that HIU facilitated the formation of hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions, and ε-(γ-glutamyl) lysine bonds in 7S-TGase films. The above structural changes in 7S and films were beneficial for the application properties of films. Results indicated that 10 min HIU pretreatment effectively improved the mechanical properties and water resistance, reduced water vapor permeability and oxygen permeability, and decreased the opacity of 7S-TGase films. However, the color of the film was not affected by the HIU, with an overall bright and yellowish color.

Liraglutide alleviates myocardial ischemia‒reperfusion injury in diabetic mice.

Diabetic patients are prone to acute myocardial infarction. Although reperfusion therapy can preserve the viability of the myocardium, it also causes fatal ischemia‒reperfusion injury. Diabetes can exacerbate myocardial ischemia‒reperfusion injury, but the mechanism is unclear. We aimed to characterize the effects of liraglutide on the prevention of ischemia‒reperfusion injury and inadequate autophagy. Liraglutide reduced the myocardial infarction area and improved cardiac function in diabetic mice. We further demonstrated that liraglutide mediated these protective effects by activating AMPK/mTOR-mediated autophagy. Liraglutide markedly increased p-AMPK levels and the LC3 II/LC3 I ratio and reduced p-mTOR levels and p62 expression. Pharmacological inhibition of mTOR increased cell viability and autophagy levels in high glucose and H/R-treated H9C2 cells. Overall, our study reveals that liraglutide acts upstream of the AMPK/mTOR pathway to effectively counteract high glucose- and H/R-induced cell dysfunction by activating AMPK/mTOR-dependent autophagy, providing a basis for the clinical prevention and treatment of ischemia‒reperfusion in diabetes.

Effect of High-Intensity Ultrasound Pretreatment on the Properties of the Transglutaminase (TGase)-Induced ß-Conglycinin (7S) Gel.

In this study, we investigated the effects of different high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) pretreatment times (0-60 min) on the structure of ß-conglycinin (7S) and the structural and functional properties of 7S gels induced by transglutaminase (TGase). Analysis of 7S conformation revealed that 30 min HIU pretreatment significantly induced the unfolding of the 7S structure, with the smallest particle size (97.59 nm), the highest surface hydrophobicity (51.42), and the lowering and raising of the content of the α-helix and ß-sheet, respectively. Gel solubility showed that HIU facilitated the formation of ε-(γ-glutamyl)lysine isopeptide bonds, which maintain the stability and integrity of the gel network. The SEM revealed that the three-dimensional network structure of the gel at 30 min exhibited filamentous and homogeneous properties. Among them, the gel strength and water-holding capacity were approximately 1.54 and 1.23 times higher than those of the untreated 7S gels, respectively. The 7S gel obtained the highest thermal denaturation temperature (89.39 °C), G', and G″, and the lowest tan δ. Correlation analysis demonstrated that the gel functional properties were negatively correlated with particle size and the α-helix, while positively with Ho and ß-sheet. By contrast, gels without sonication or with excessive pretreatment showed a large pore size and inhomogeneous gel network, and poor properties. These results will provide a theoretical basis for the optimization of HIU pretreatment conditions during TGase-induced 7S gel formation, to improve gelling properties.

Metabolic Score for Insulin Resistance (METS-IR) Predicts Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Ischemic Cardiomyopathy.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the association between metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR) and adverse cardiovascular events in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: METS-IR was calculated using the following formula: ln[(2 × fasting plasma glucose (mg/dL) + fasting triglyceride (mg/dL)] × body mass index (kg/m2)/(ln[high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mg/dL)]). Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) were defined as the composite outcome of nonfatal myocardial infarction, cardiac death, and rehospitalization for heart failure. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between METS-IR and adverse outcomes. The predictive value of METS-IR was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC), continuous net reclassification improvement (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Results: The incidence of MACEs increased with METS-IR tertiles at a 3­year follow­up. Kaplan‒Meier curves showed a significant difference in event-free survival probability between METS-IR tertiles (P<0.05). Multivariate Cox hazard regression analysis adjusting for multiple confounding factors showed that when comparing the highest and lowest METS-IR tertiles, the hazard ratio was 1.886 (95% CI:1.613-2.204; P<0.001). Adding METS-IR to the established risk model had an incremental effect on the predicted value of MACEs (AUC=0.637, 95% CI:0.605-0.670, P<0.001; NRI=0.191, P<0.001; IDI=0.028, P<0.001). Conclusion: METS-IR, a simple score of insulin resistance, predicts the occurrence of MACEs in patients with ICM and T2DM, independent of known cardiovascular risk factors. These results suggest that METS-IR may be a useful marker for risk stratification and prognosis in patients with ICM and T2DM.