Effects of a 12-week exercise-based intervention on weight management in overweight or obese breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer survivors face dual challenges: long-term sequelae of treatment and the risk of recurrent disease. Furthermore, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle can complicate both challenges. We aimed to assess the effect of a 12-week exercise-based weight-management program in overweight/obese breast cancer survivors. METHODS: A two-arm, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted among 60 overweight/obese, stage 0-III breast cancer survivors. During the 12-week program, the intervention group received weekly information support, fortnightly exercise prescriptions, including aerobic and resistance exercises to perform at home, and one dietary instruction. The control group received information support about weight management and exercise. Weight, body composition, and physical fitness data were collected at baseline, postintervention, and the 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: The intervention group showed significant improvements in body weight and all adiposity indices, including body mass index, waist circumference, and %body fat, in comparison with baseline (P < 0.001) and the control group (P < 0.05). Both groups showed no significant changes in fat-free mass during the 6-month period (P > 0.05). International Physical Activity Questionnaire scores and left grip strength increased significantly in the intervention group in comparison with the baseline (P < 0.01) and the control group (P < 0.05). Right grip strength, lower-body strength, and aerobic endurance showed no significant intergroup differences (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A combination of exercise prescription and weight-loss interventions yielded clinically meaningful weight loss in overweight/obese breast cancer survivors. These findings may facilitate the incorporation of home-based exercise and weight management into breast cancer treatment and survivorship care.

Efficient degradation of imidacloprid by surface discharge cold plasma: Mechanism of interaction between ROS and molecular structure and evaluation of residual toxicity.

Incorrect use of neonicotinoid pesticides poses a serious threat to human and pollinator health, as these substances are commonly present in bee products and even drinking water. To combat this threat, the study developed a new method of degrading the pesticide imidacloprid using surface discharge cold plasma oxidation technology. The study showed that this method achieved a very high efficiency of imidacloprid degradation of 91.4%. The main reactive oxygen species (H2O2, O3, ·OH, O2-, 1O2) effectively participated in the decomposition reaction of imidacloprid. Reactive oxygen species were more sensitive to the structure of the nitroimine group. Density functional theory (DFT) further explored the sites of reactive oxygen species attack on imidacloprid and revealed the process of energy change of attacking imidacloprid. In addition, a degradation pathway for imidacloprid was proposed, mainly involving reactive oxygen species chemisorption, a ring-opening intermediate, and complete cleavage of the nitroimine group structure. Model predictions indicated that acute oral and developmental toxicity were significantly reduced after cold plasma treatment, as confirmed by insect experiments. Animal experiments have shown that plasma treatment reduces imidacloprid damage to mice hippocampal tissue structure and inhibits the reduction of brain-derived neurotrophic factor content, thus revealing the detoxification mechanism of the body.

Electrohydrodynamic drying of citrus (Citrus sinensis L.) peel: Comparative evaluation on the physiochemical quality and volatile profiles.

Based on the concept of circular economy, citrus peel was considered a valuable source of bioactive compounds for high-value foods. Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) drying is a novel technology appropriated for the dehydration of heat-sensitive products such as citrus peel. In current work, EHD drying of citrus peel was performed based on alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) sources at various voltage levels (9, 18, 27, 36, and 45 kV). The effect of EHD on drying characteristics, water retention capacity, enzyme inactivation, phytochemical contents (phenolic compounds and carotenoids), and volatile compounds of citrus peel were evaluated and compared. Results showed that the drying time in the AC electric field was shorter compared to DC electric field at the same applied voltages due to the polarization layer formed by unipolar charges. The applied voltage determined electric field strength as well as the degree of tissue collapse and cell membrane rupture. EHD elucidated the transformation and degradation of phytochemicals including phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and volatile composition in proportion to the applied voltage. The findings indicate that EHD drying with AC improves drying behaviors, inactivates enzymes, and retains the phytochemical properties of citrus peel.

Post-harvest ripening affects drying behavior, antioxidant capacity and flavor release of peach via alteration of cell wall polysaccharides content and nanostructures, water distribution and status.

Effect of post-harvest ripening on cell wall polysaccharides nanostructures, water status, physiochemical properties of peaches and drying behavior under hot air-infrared drying was evaluated. Results showed that the content of water soluble pectins (WSP) increased by 94 %, while the contents of chelate-soluble pectins (CSP), Na2CO3-soluble pectins (NSP) and hemicelluloses (HE) decreased during post-harvest ripening by 60 %, 43 %, and 61 %, respectively. The drying time increased from 3.5 to 5.5 h when the post-harvest time increased from 0 to 6 days. Atomic force microscope analysis showed that depolymerization of hemicelluloses and pectin occurred during post-harvest ripening. Time Domain -NMR observations indicated that reorganization of cell wall polysaccharides nanostructure changed water spatial distribution and cell internal structure, facilitated moisture migration, and affected antioxidant capacity of peaches during drying. This leads to the redistribution of flavor substances (heptanal, n-nonanal dimer and n-nonanal monomer). The current work elucidates the effect of post-harvest ripening on the physiochemical properties and drying behavior of peaches.

Effects of hot-air drying temperature on drying characteristics and color deterioration of rape bee pollen.

The effects of different hot-air drying (HAD) temperature (40, 50, 60, and 70 °C) on the drying characteristics, color changes, the contents of α-dicarbonyl compounds (α-DCs), 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) and carotenoids of rape bee pollen were investigated in the study. The results showed that increasing the drying temperature from 40 to 70 °C shortened the drying time by 65 %. HAD caused lower L* and b* values, as well as higher a* values. Browning index and 5-HMF content increased with increasing drying temperature. The relative content of antheraxanthin increased 230 % at 70 °C while lutein and zeaxanthin decreased by 74 and 81 % than that of fresh (non-heated) pollen. The contents of 3-deoxyglucosone, 1-deoxy-2,3-pentosulose, antheraxanthin, and lutein were related to the color deterioration in HAD process in rape bee pollen. This work is of great practical significance to provide scientific basis for quality optimization of bee pollen in the drying process.

Effect of qigong exercise and acupressure rehabilitation program on pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms in patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: There are several effective complementary and integrative therapies for patients with severe COVID-19. The trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and advantages of the qigong exercise and acupressure rehabilitation program (QARP) for treating patients with severe COVID-19. METHODS: A total of 128 patients with COVID-19 aged 20 to 80 years were recruited and randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive QARP plus standard therapies or standard therapies alone. QARP consisted of acupressure therapy and qigong exercise (Liu Zi Jue). The primary outcome was measured with the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale, and the secondary outcomes included the modified Borg dyspnea scale (MBS), fatigue Scale-14 (FS-14), patient health questionnaire-9 scale (PHQ-9), duration of respiratory symptoms, and vital signs. RESULTS: In total, 128 patients completed the clinical trial. The QARP group and standard therapies group showed significant improvements in vital signs (except blood pressure) and clinical scales compared with baseline (p<0.05). The QARP group also showed more significant improvement in the mMRC dyspnea scale (-1.8 [-2.1, -1.6], p=0.018) and modified Borg dyspnea scale (-3.7 [95% confidence intervals (CI) -4.3, -3.1], p=0.045). The duration of cough was 14.3 days (95% CI 12.6, 16.1, p=0.046), and the length of hospital stay was 18.5 days (95% CI 17.0, 20.0, p=0.042) in the QARP group, both of which were significantly reduced compared with the standard therapies group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: QARP plus standard therapies improved lung function and symptoms such as dyspnea and cough in patients with severe COVID-19 and shortened the length of hospital stay. Therefore, QARP may be considered an effective treatment option for patients with severe COVID-19. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Research Information Service Identifier: ChiCTR2000029994.

Acupuncture and related therapies for poststroke insomnia: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare and evaluate the clinical effects on patients with poststroke insomnia of various acupuncture and acupuncture-related therapies. METHODS: In order to analyze the direct and indirect evidence from related studies, we used network meta-analysis (NMA). In order to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture and related therapies in the treatment of poststroke insomnia, 3 English and 4 Chinese databases were searched. After 2 researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the information, and assessed the probability of bias in the included studies, the data was analyzed using Stata15.0 and WinBUGS1.4.3 software. RESULTS: Based on the existing data, the pros and cons of different acupuncture-related therapies are compared extensively, the effectiveness of different acupuncture-related therapies is ranked compared to drugs with hypnotic effect in poststroke insomnia care, and the best methods or combinations of acupuncture intervention are summarized. CONCLUSION: This study will provide new evidence for the safety and effectiveness of acupuncture-related therapies in the treatment of poststroke insomnia, and may be helpful for clinicians, poststroke insomnia patients, and clinical guideline makers to choose the optimal combination of acupuncture for the treatment of poststroke insomnia. REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202120028.

Effects of vacuum-steam pulsed blanching on drying kinetics, colour, phytochemical contents, antioxidant capacity of carrot and the mechanism of carrot quality changes revealed by texture, microstructure and ultrastructure.

An emerging blanching technology, namely vacuum-steam pulsed blanching (VSPB) was employed to blanch the carrots and its effects on blanching efficiency, microstructure and ultrastructure, drying kinetics, colour, texture, phytochemicals (phenolics and ß-carotene) and antioxidant capacity of carrot slices were explored and compared with the traditional hot water blanching. Results showed that both blanching treatments enhanced the drying velocity and shortened the drying time by 25.9% compared with untreated samples. VSPB yielded higher blanching efficiency, better colour (more red and yellow), greater antioxidant capacity and higher preservation of phytochemicals compared with hot water blanched samples. Especially, compared to hot water blanched carrots, the p-hydroxybenzoic acid, ferulic acid, and caffeic acid content of VSPB samples increased of 106.6%, 42.0%, and 19.0%, respectively. Interestingly, the chlorogenic acid content in the blanched carrot increased more than 220 times compared to fresh samples. Ultrastructure and microstructure observation clarify the mechanism of quality enhancement of VSPB.

Effects of high-humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB) pretreatment on the change of antioxidant capacity, the degradation kinetics of red pigment, ascorbic acid in dehydrated red peppers during storage.

Effect of high-humidity hot air impingement blanching on photochemical degradation kinetics (red pigments and ascorbic acid) and antioxidant capacity changes (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydracyl, DPPH and total antioxidant capacity) of red pepper during 6-month storage at ambient temperature in dark was investigated. Ultrastructure of raw and blanched samples was also observed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Blanching followed by drying resulted in 63-85% and 33-59% reduction in red pigment and ascorbic acid content, respectively. The antioxidant capacity of samples was found to increase after drying. After 6-month storage, further breakdown of red pigment and ascorbic acid was observed. The red pigment degradation followed the first-order reaction kinetics; untreated samples displayed the most red pigment loss, while the Weibull model described well the ascorbic acid degradation kinetics. Ultrastructure observations explained why over-blanching can cause serious phytochemical degradation. The current findings indicate proper blanching pretreatment prevents phytochemicals degradation of dried pepper during storage.

Effect of high-humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB) on drying and quality of red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.).

Effects of high-humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB) under different times (30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, and 240s) on drying characteristics and quality attributes of red peppers in terms of surface colour, red pigment content, microstructure and texture were investigated. Results showed that polyphenol oxidase (PPO) residual activity of the samples decreased with increasing blanching time; it was decreased to 7% after 120s. A first-order fraction model described PPO inactivation well. Suitable HHAIB time can reduce drying time extensively. Pepper surface colour was influenced by different treatments. In terms of red pigment content, there was no significant difference for blanching time under 120s, whereas over blanching (blanching time ⩾150s) can significantly reduce the red pigment content. Microstructure observations indicate that superficial micro-cracks occur, which explain, why HHAIB enhances drying rate. The firmness, hardness, and gumminess of the samples decreased with increase of HHAIB time.

[Endoscopic mucosal resection in the treatment of 2609 cases with colorectal polyps].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the safety and effectiveness of endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) in the treatment of colorectal polyps. METHOD: EMR was applied in the treatment of colorectal polyps. RESULTS: A total of 3578 polyps in 2609 patients were all completely resected except 2 cases and the integrated rate of samples was 99.6%. Intra- and post-operation complications occurred in 22 cases(0.8%), including 7 intraoperative bleeding, 5 postoperative bleeding, and 10 thermal burn, which were cured by symptomatic treatment. A total of 1530 (58.6%) cases were followed-up with 3-12 months and no relapse was found in former place of excision. CONCLUSION: EMR can be applied in resection of colorectal polyps effectively and safely.

(E)-2-[2-(3-Fluoro-phen-yl)ethen-yl]quinolin-8-yl acetate.

In the crystal of the title compound, C(19)H(14)FNO(2), the mol-ecules are linked by C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds in translational chains along the b axis. The dihedral angles formed by the quinoline system with the fluoro-benzene ring and the acet-oxy group are 8.15 (3) and 77.42 (4)°, respectively.

[Effects of 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine on the carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer in mouse and the in vivo expression of p16/CDKN(2) mRNA].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects and relationship of specific demethylation agent 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR) on colorectal cancer (CRC) induced by 1, 2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) in mouse and the in vivo expression of cyclin-dependent kinases inhibitor p16/CDKN(2) mRNA. METHODS: A total of 40 male KM mice were randomized into 2 groups and CRC was induced by a 22-week injection of DMH. One group was interfered by specific DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-Aza-CdR. Another 10 the same source male KM mice were induced by a 22-week injection of saline as none induced cancer control group (negative control group). All mice were sacrificed to examine for colorectal neoplasm. Immunohistochemical staining was used to assess the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The expression of p16/CDKN(2) mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization. RESULTS: The average numbers of neoplasm was higher in the DMH group (7.6 ± 3.1) than that of the group DMH + 5-Aza-CdR (3.4 ± 1.8, P < 0.05). Immunohistochemical staining showed there was a significant elevation of PCNA in the group DMH (16/19) as compared with that in the group DMH + 5-Aza-CdR (11/19, P < 0.05). In situ hybridization revealed that the level of tumor suppressor gene p16/CDKN(2) mRNA was significantly lower in the group DMH than that in the group DMH + 5-Aza-CdR. CONCLUSION: The specific demethylation agent 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine may inhibit the carcinogenesis of CRC. Its mechanism may be related with a high expression of p16/CDKN(2) mRNA.

[SNC19/ST14 gene transfection and expression influence the biological behavior of colorectal cancer cells].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of SNC19/ST14 gene transfection and expression into colorectal cancer cells on biological behavior. METHODS: The recombination vector pSecTag2a-SNC19/ST14 was constructed, and transfected into the RKO colorectal cancer cell line by liposome. The transfected cell was screened by real time PCR, Western Blot and Immunohistochemical technique. The population doubling time (T(D)) and cell cycle of the transfected cell were analyzed by MTT assay and flow cytometer. Rhodamine-labeled Phallodin was used to label the cell cytoskeletal protein-F-actin, and the F-actin distribution was observed by confocal scanning microscope. The adhesion ability of the transfected cell to extracellular matrix (ECM) was measured by MTT assay. RESULTS: The full length Open Reading Frame (ORF) of SNC19/ST14 gene was inserted into the vector pSecTag2a, and transfected into RKO cells, and expressed successfully. The changes of F-actin organization took place in transfected cell. The Adherence ability of the transfected cell to ECM was decreased, but the proliferation ability was not significantly changed except highly expressing of the SNC19/ST14, and not the cell cycle and the apoptosis. CONCLUSION: SNC19/ST14 gene was successfully expressed into the RKO cell line, and could influence on the cell cytoskeletal protein (F-actin) organization and on cell adherence ability to ECM, but could not make the cell cycle, apoptosis and proliferation ability change significantly.

[The study of 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine on transcription regulation of p16/CDKN2 gene demethylation in RKO human colorectal cell line].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the transcription regulation of DNA 5'CpG island demethylation on p16/CDKN2 tumor suppressor gene and effects of growth on RKO human colorectal cancer cell line. METHODS: RKO cell line was exposed to the specific demethylating agent, 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine, for seventy-two hours to detect whether the silencing of p16/CDKN2 cell cycle regulatory gene could be reversed. Methylation-specific PCR (MSP), T-A cloning and sequence analysis were evaluated for methylation status. Growth speed, expression of DNA methyltransferase mRNA, p16/CDKN2 mRNA and protein were determined by MTT assay, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry and western blot. RESULTS: (1) All cytosines in CpG dinucleotides in untreated RKO cells with 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine remain as C, while all cytosines in treated RKO cells have been converted to thymidine. (2) RKO cell line after treatment with three different concentration 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine grew slowly and double time increased to 1.49, 1.64, 1.87-times respectively. (3) The expression of RKO cell p16/CDNK2 gene mRNA treated with 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine increased to 4.89, 16.91, 19.97-times respectively, but the expression of DNA methyltransferase mRNA was inhibited. (4) Immunohistochemistry and western blot indicated that 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine could increase the p16/CDKN2 gene protein expression. CONCLUSION: DNA promoter hypermethylation is associated with p16/CDKN2 gene silence in RKO human colorectal cancer cell line. 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine may effectively cause demethylation and inhibit the growth of tumor cell by reactivating the gene transcription silenced by aberrant hypermethylation.