PPARß/δ as a promising molecular drug target for liver diseases: A focused review.

Various liver diseases pose great threats to humans. Although the etiologies of these liver diseases are quite diverse, they share similar pathologic phenotypes and molecular mechanisms such as oxidative stress, lipid and glucose metabolism disturbance, hepatic Kupffer cell (KC) proinflammatory polarization and inflammation, insulin resistance, and hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and proliferation. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ß/δ (PPARß/δ) is expressed in various types of liver cells with relatively higher expression in KCs and HSCs. Accumulating evidence has revealed the versatile functions of PPARß/δ such as controlling lipid homeostasis, inhibiting inflammation, regulating glucose metabolism, and restoring insulin sensitivity, suggesting that PPARß/δ may serve as a potential molecular drug target for various liver diseases. This article aims to provide a concise review of the structure, expression pattern and biological functions of PPARß/δ in the liver and its roles in various liver diseases, and to discuss potential future research perspectives.

Integrated transcriptome and microbiome analyses of residual feed intake in ducks during high production period.

Residual feed intake (RFI) is a crucial parameter for assessing the feeding efficiency of poultry. Minimizing RFI can enhance feed utilization and reduce costs. In this study, 315 healthy female ducks were individually housed in cages. Growth performance was monitored during the high laying period, from 290 to 325 d of age. The cecal transcriptome and microbiome of 12 ducks with high RFI and 12 with low residual feed intake (LRFI) were analyzed. Regarding growth performance, the LRFI group exhibited significantly lower RFI, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and feed intake (Fi) compared to the HRFI group (p < 0.01). However, there were no significant differences observed in body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), and egg mass (EML) between the groups (p > 0.05). Microbiome analysis demonstrated that RFI impacted gut microbial abundance, particularly affecting metabolism and disease-related microorganisms such as Romboutsia, Enterococcus, and Megamonas funiformis. Transcriptome analysis revealed that varying RFI changed the expression of genes related to glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism, including APOA1, G6PC1, PCK1, and PLIN1. The integrated analysis indicated that host genes were closely linked to the microbiota and primarily function in lipid metabolism, which may enhance feeding efficiency by influencing metabolism and maintaining gut homeostasis.

New evidence for gut-muscle axis: Lactic acid bacteria-induced gut microbiota regulates duck meat flavor.

The interaction between gut microbiota and muscles through the gut-muscle axis has received increasing attention. This study attempted to address existing research gaps by investigating the effects of gut microbiota on meat flavor. Specifically, lactic acid bacteria were administered to ducks, and the results of e-nose and e-tongue showed significantly enhanced meat flavor in the treatment group. Further analyses using GC-MS revealed an increase in 6 characteristic volatile flavor compounds, including pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, 1-octen-3-ol, 2,3-octanedione, and 2-pentylfuran. Linoleic acid was identified as the key fatty acid that influences meat flavor. Metagenomic and transcriptomic results further confirmed that cecal microbiota affects the duck meat flavor by regulating the metabolic pathways of fatty acids and amino acids, especially ACACB was related to fatty acid biosynthesis and ACAT2, ALDH1A1 with fatty acid degradation. This study sheds light on a novel approach to improving the flavor of animal-derived food.

Develop a radiomics-based machine learning model to predict the stone-free rate post-percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

Radiomics and machine learning have been extensively utilized in the realm of urinary stones, particularly in forecasting stone treatment outcomes. The objective of this study was to integrate clinical variables and radiomic features to develop a machine learning model for predicting the stone-free rate (SFR) following percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). A total of 212 eligible patients who underwent PCNL surgery at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University were included in a retrospective analysis. Preoperative clinical variables and non-contrast-enhanced CT images of all patients were collected, and radiomic features were extracted after delineating the stone ROI. Univariate analysis was conducted to identify clinical variables strongly correlated with the stone-free rate after PCNL, and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm (lasso regression) was utilized to screen radiomic features. Four supervised machine learning algorithms, including Logistic Regression, Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT), were employed. The clinical variables with strong correlation and screened radiomic features were integrated into the four machine learning algorithms to construct a prediction model, and the receiver operating curve was plotted. The area under the receiver operating curve (AUC), the accuracy rate, the specificity, etc., were used to evaluate the predictive performance of the four models. After analyzing postoperative statistics, the stone-free rate following the procedure was found to be 70.3% (n = 149). Among the various clinical variables examined, factors, such as stone number, stone diameter, stone CT value, stone location, and history of stone surgery, were identified as statistically significant in relation to the stone-free rate after PCNL. A total of 121 radiomic features were extracted, and through lasso regression, 7 features most closely associated with the stone-free rate post-PCNL were identified. The predictive accuracy of different models (Logistic Regression, RF, XGBoost, and GBDT) for determining the stone-free rate after PCNL was evaluated, yielding accuracies of 78.1%, 76.6%, 75.0%, and 73.4%, respectively. The corresponding area under the curve AUC (95%CI) were 0.85 (0.83-0.89), 0.81 (0.76-0.85), 0.82 (0.78-0.85), and 0.77 (0.73-0.81), positioning these models among the top performers in logistic regression prediction. In terms of predictive importance scores, the key factors identified by the logistic regression model were number of stone, zone percentage, stone diameter, and surface area. Similarly, the RF model highlighted number of stone, stone CT value, stone diameter, and surface area as the top predictors. Among the four machine learning models, the logistic regression model demonstrated the highest accuracy and discrimination ability in predicting the stone-free rate following PCNL. In comparison to XGBoost and GBDT, RF also exhibited superior accuracy and a certain level of discrimination ability. However, based on the performance of all four models, logistic regression is more likely to aid in clinical decision-making by assisting clinicians in diagnosing PCNL in patients. This enables us to effectively predict the presence of residual stones post-surgery and ultimately select patients who are suitable candidates for PCNL.

Effects of coated sodium butyrate on the growth performance, serum biochemistry, antioxidant capacity, intestinal morphology, and intestinal microbiota of broiler chickens.

Introduction: This study examined the impact of adding coated sodium butyrate (CSB) to the diet on the growth performance, serum biochemistry, antioxidant capacity, intestinal morphology, and cecal microbiota of yellow-feathered broiler chickens. Methods: In this study, 240 yellow-feathered broiler chickens at 26 days old were divided into two groups: the control group (CON group) received a standard diet, and the experimental group (CSB group) received a diet with 0.5 g/kg of a supplement called CSB. Each group had 6 replicates, with 20 chickens in each replicate, and the experiment lasted for 36 days. Results: Compared to the CON group, the CSB group showed a slight but insignificant increase in average daily weight gain during the 26-62 day period, while feed intake significantly decreased. The CSB group exhibited significant increases in serum superoxide dismutase, catalase, and total antioxidant capacity. Additionally, the CSB group had significant increases in total protein and albumin content, as well as a significant decrease in blood ammonia levels. Compared to the CON group, the CSB group had significantly increased small intestine villus height and significantly decreased jejunal crypt depth. The abundance of Bacteroidetes and Bacteroides in the cecal microbiota of the CSB group was significantly higher than that of the CON group, while the abundance of Proteobacteria, Deferribacteres, and Epsilonbacteraeota was significantly lower than that of the CON group. Conclusion: These results suggest that adding CSB to the diet can improve the growth performance and antioxidant capacity of yellow-feathered broiler chickens while maintaining intestinal health.

NLRP3 inflammasome activation triggers severe inflammatory liver injury in N, N-dimethylformamide-exposed mice.

N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) is a widely utilized chemical solvent with various industrial applications. Previous studies have indicated that the liver is the most susceptible target to DMF exposure, whereas the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the role of NLRP3 inflammasome in DMF-induced liver injury in mice by using two NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors, Nlrp3-/- mice, Nfe2l2-/- mice, and a macrophage-depleting agent. RNA sequencing revealed that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and NLRP3 inflammasome-associated pathways were activated in the mouse liver after acute DMF exposure, which was validated by Western blotting. Interestingly, DMF-induced liver injury was effectively suppressed by two inflammasome inhibitors, MCC950 and Dapansutrile. In addition, knockout of Nlrp3 markedly attenuated DMF-induced liver injury without affecting the metabolism of DMF. Furthermore, silencing Nfe2l2 aggravated the liver injury and the NLRP3 inflammasome activation in mouse liver. Finally, the depletion of hepatic macrophages by clodronate liposomes significantly reduced the liver damage caused by DMF. These results suggest that NLRP3 inflammasome activation is the upstream molecular event in the development of acute liver injury induced by DMF.

The clinical study of urinary flow parameters after drag-and-bond anastomosis for ileal orthotopic neobladder reconstruction.

AIM: To assess the viability of this procedure in laparoscopic radical cystectomy with ileal orthotopic neobladder reconstruction, the objective of this study is to examine the relationship between urinary flow parameters of urethral drag-and-bond anastomosis in the reconstruction of the ileal orthotopic neobladder. METHODS: 36 patients with bladder cancer underwent laparoscopic radical cystectomy with ileal orthotopic neobladder reconstruction at Jiangxi provincial people's hospital between June 2016 and January 2021,16 patients underwent intermittent urethral anastomosis, while 20 patients underwent neobladder-urethral drag-and-bond anastomosis. The maximum bladder capacity, residual urine output, maximum urinary flow rate, and outlet morphology of the new bladder neck were all monitored throughout postoperative follow-up regularly. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the urethral drag-and-bond anastomosis group (group A) and the conventional anastomosis group (group B) at 3 months and 12 months after surgery, and the maximum bladder capacity (3 months, 488.35 ± 51.56 ml vs 481.06 ± 40.61 ml, t = -0.462, P = 0.647; 12 months, 496.35 ± 51.09 ml vs 476.56 ± 56.33 ml, t = -1.103, P = 0.278), residual urine output (3 months, 44.15 ± 24.12 ml vs 38.69 ± 21.82 ml, t = -0.704, P = 0.486;12 months, 49.65 ± 26.95 ml vs 36.75 ± 21.96 ml, t = -1.546, P = 0.131) and maximum urine flow rate (3 months, 12.36 ± 2.63 ml/s vs 13.60 ± 2.82 ml/s, t = 1.361, P = 0.182;12 months, 12.18 ± 3.14 ml/s vs 11.13 ± 3.01 ml/s, t = -1.004, P = 0.322) of the two groups were not significant (P > 0.05). The new bladder outlet morphology was not distorted in group A patients, the continuity was good, and there were fewer associated complications. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in postoperative urodynamic parameters between the urethral drag-and-bond anastomosis group and the conventional anastomosis group, and the postoperative new bladder outlet was in good shape, with clinical significance.

Multi-modal molecular determinants of clinically relevant osteoporosis subtypes.

Due to a rapidly aging global population, osteoporosis and the associated risk of bone fractures have become a wide-spread public health problem. However, osteoporosis is very heterogeneous, and the existing standard diagnostic measure is not sufficient to accurately identify all patients at risk of osteoporotic fractures and to guide therapy. Here, we constructed the first prospective multi-omics atlas of the largest osteoporosis cohort to date (longitudinal data from 366 participants at three time points), and also implemented an explainable data-intensive analysis framework (DLSF: Deep Latent Space Fusion) for an omnigenic model based on a multi-modal approach that can capture the multi-modal molecular signatures (M3S) as explicit functional representations of hidden genotypes. Accordingly, through DLSF, we identified two subtypes of the osteoporosis population in Chinese individuals with corresponding molecular phenotypes, i.e., clinical intervention relevant subtypes (CISs), in which bone mineral density benefits response to calcium supplements in 2-year follow-up samples. Many snpGenes associated with these molecular phenotypes reveal diverse candidate biological mechanisms underlying osteoporosis, with xQTL preferences of osteoporosis and its subtypes indicating an omnigenic effect on different biological domains. Finally, these two subtypes were found to have different relevance to prior fracture and different fracture risk according to 4-year follow-up data. Thus, in clinical application, M3S could help us further develop improved diagnostic and treatment strategies for osteoporosis and identify a new composite index for fracture prediction, which were remarkably validated in an independent cohort (166 participants).

The impact of preoperative biliary drainage on postoperative healthcare-associated infections and clinical outcomes following pancreaticoduodenectomy: a ten-year retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is a complex procedure and easily accompanied by healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). This study aimed to assess the impact of PBD on postoperative infections and clinical outcomes in PD patients. METHODS: The retrospective cohort study were conducted in a tertiary hospital from January 2013 to December 2022. Clinical and epidemiological data were collected from HAIs surveillance system and analyzed. RESULTS: Among 2842 patients who underwent PD, 247 (8.7%) were diagnosed with HAIs, with surgical site infection being the most frequent type (n = 177, 71.7%). A total of 369 pathogenic strains were detected, with Klebsiella pneumoniae having the highest proportion, followed by Enterococcu and Escherichia coli. Although no significant association were observed generally between PBD and postoperative HAIs, subgroup analysis revealed that PBD was associated with postoperative HAIs in patients undergoing robotic PD (aRR = 2.174; 95% CI:1.011-4.674; P = 0.047). Prolonging the interval between PBD and PD could reduce postoperative HAIs in patients with cholangiocarcinoma (≥4 week: aRR = 0.292, 95% CI 0.100-0.853; P = 0.024) and robotic PD (≤2 week: aRR = 3.058, 95% CI 1.178-7.940; P = 0.022). PBD was also found to increase transfer of patients to ICU (aRR = 1.351; 95% CI 1.119-1.632; P = 0.002), extended length of stay (P < 0.001) and postoperative length of stay (P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: PBD does not exhibit a significant association with postoperative HAIs or other outcomes. However, the implementation of robotic PD, along with a suitable extension of the interval between PBD and PD, appear to confer advantages concerning patients' physiological recuperation. These observations suggest potential strategies that may contribute to enhanced patient outcomes.

One-Dimensional Covalent Organic Framework-Based Multilevel Memristors for Neuromorphic Computing.

Memristors are essential components of neuromorphic systems that mimic the synaptic plasticity observed in biological neurons. In this study, a novel approach employing one-dimensional covalent organic framework (1D COF) films was explored to enhance the performance of memristors. The unique structural and electronic properties of two 1D COF films (COF-4,4'-methylenedianiline (MDA) and COF-4,4'-oxydianiline (ODA)) offer advantages for multilevel resistive switching, which is a key feature in neuromorphic computing applications. By further introducing a TiO2 layer on the COF-ODA film, a built-in electric field between the COF-TiO2 interfaces could be generated, demonstrating the feasibility of utilizing COFs as a platform for constructing memristors with tunable resistive states. The 1D nanochannels of these COF structures contributed to the efficient modulation of electrical conductance, enabling precise control over synaptic weights in neuromorphic circuits. This study also investigated the potential of these COF-based memristors to achieve energy-efficient and high-density memory devices.

Adiabat-to-Diabat Angle in Seam Space: Renner-Teller-Type and Pseudo-Jahn-Teller-Type Problems.

In this study, we examine the adiabat-to-diabat (ATD) angles for trajectories in 2-dimensional vibrational subspace of the seam space of two degenerate states. In circulating around the tangential touching degeneracy center, the ATD angle is changed by 2 π ${2\pi }$ or 0, similar to the Renner-Teller problem and the pseudo-Jahn-Teller problem, respectively. These ATD angle profiles may be indistinguishable from those of circulating multiple conical intersections or a pseudo-Jahn-Teller center. Methods to discern those seemingly indistinguishable cases are proposed. A sharp zigzag variation of the ATD angle is seen as a feature for trajectories that graze a pseudo-Jahn-Teller-type tangential touching center, in contrast to the monotonic steep variation for grazing a conical intersection or a Renner-Teller-type tangential touching center.

Feasibility and safety of robotic liver resection for huge (≥10 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma in a single centre: A propensity score-matched single-surgeon study.

BACKGROUND: The applicability of robot-assisted resection for huge hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of ≥10 cm remains contentious with limited available data. METHODS: This retrospective analysis involved 337 patients who underwent robotic liver resection for HCC by a single surgeon. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to compare perioperative indicators between patients with regular and huge HCC. RESULTS: The regular HCC group exhibited a shorter median operative duration than the huge HCC group. The IWATE criteria revealed higher scores in the huge HCC group than in the regular HCC group. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in Pringle time, drainage tube removal, duration of hospital stays, blood loss volume, blood product transfusion, margin status, conversion rate to open surgery, bile leakage, in-hospital mortality, and reoperation rate. CONCLUSION: Robotic liver resection is feasible for huge HCC, with effective perioperative risk management potentially improving outcomes for subsequent minimally invasive surgeries.

Extraction-free, immuno-RPA-CRISPR/Cas13a-based one-pot detection of glypican-3 directly from extracellular vesicles.

BACKGROUND: Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) that binds to the cell membrane via glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI). It is not found in healthy adult liver but is overexpressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The protein marker GPC3 on extracellular vesicles (GPC3+ EVs) is also useful for HCC detection. Nevertheless, the absence of practical and dependable quantitative techniques to evaluate EVs proteins prevents their clinical implementation. RESULTS: Here, using an immuno-recombinase polymerase amplification (immuno-RPA) process and dual amplification of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas13a, we firstly create an extraction-free one-pot immuno-RPA-CRISPR (opiCRISPR) for the direct and extremely sensitive detection of EVs proteins. The EVs protein-targeted detection probe is amplified by RPA to generate a long repetitive sequence containing multiple CRISPR RNA (crRNA) targeting barcodes, and the signal is further amplified by the CRISPR-Cas13a side-chain cleavage activity to generate a fluorescent signal. The results show that circulating extracellular vesicle GPC3 (eGPC3) levels are a reliable marker for GPC3 expression in tumor, opening up new avenues for tumor diagnosis. SIGNIFICANCE AND NOVELTY: We created an eGPC3 assay based on the CRISPR-Cas13a system, and successfully study the significance of extracellular vesicle GPC3 markers in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Association between 3D membranous urethral parameters and urinary continence recovery after RARP.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether the urinary continence (UC) recovery after robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) relates to the membranous urethral length (MUL) and the membranous urethral complex volume (MUV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 120 patients who underwent RARP were enrolled according to the different times of UC recovery and examined using prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before surgery. The membranous urethral (MU) parameters were measured using the three-Dimensional (3D) model reconstructed by holographic technology, such as total MUV (tMUV), exposed MUV (eMUV), full MUL (fMUL) and exposed MUL (eMUL). Statistical software SPSS 26.0 was used to analyze the data and compare the MU parameters and baseline data in different groups. RESULTS: Patients with larger tMUV (p = 0.038), eMUV (p = 0.003), longer fMUL (p = 0.025), eMUL (p = 0.044) had better UC after removal of the catheter, and eMUV (OR = 1.002, 95%CI = 1.001-1.004, p = 0.004) was a predictor; the patients with younger age (p = 0.021), lower VPSS score (p = 0.004) and larger eMUV (p = 0.012) and longer eMUL (p = 0.049) had better UC recovery one month after RARP while eMUV (OR = 1.002, 95% CI = 1.000-1.003, p = 0.008) and VPSS score (OR = 0.886, 95% CI = 0.806-0.973, p = 0.011) were independent risk factors; The patients with younger age (p = 0.018), larger tMUV (p = 0.029), eMUV (p = 0.016) had better UC recovery three months after RARP. eMUV (OR = 1.002, 95% CI = 1.000-1.004, p = 0.042) and age (OR = 0.904, 95% CI = 0.818-0.998, p = 0.046) were independent risk factors. CONCLUSION: This clinical study shows that patients with larger MUV and longer MUL can return to UC earlier after surgery. Among that, eMUV is a better predictor.

Histone methyltransferase SETD2 is required for proper hippocampal lamination and neuronal maturation.

Proper formation of the hippocampus is crucial for the brain to execute memory and learning functions. However, many questions remain regarding how pyramidal neurons (PNs) of the hippocampus mature and precisely position. Here we revealed that Setd2, the methyltransferase for histone 3 lysine 36 trimethylation (H3K36me3), is essential for the precise localization and maturation of PNs in the hippocampal CA1. The ablation of Setd2 in neural progenitors leads to irregular lamination of the CA1 and increased numbers of PNs in the stratum oriens. Setd2 deletion in postmitotic neurons causes mislocalization and immaturity of CA1 PNs. Transcriptome analyses revealed that SETD2 maintains the expressions of clustered protocadherin (cPcdh) genes. Together, Setd2 is required for proper hippocampal lamination and maturation of CA1 PNs.

Analysis of Transcriptomic Differences in the Ovaries of High- and Low-Laying Ducks.

The egg-laying performance of Shan Ma ducks (Anas Platyrhynchos) is a crucial economic trait. Nevertheless, limited research has been conducted on the egg-laying performance of this species. We examined routine blood indicators and observed higher levels of metabolic and immune-related factors in the high-egg-production group compared with the low-egg-production group. Furthermore, we explored the ovarian transcriptome of both high- and low-egg-production groups of Shan Ma ducks using Illumina NovaSeq 6000 sequencing. A total of 1357 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, with 686 down-regulated and 671 up-regulated in the high-egg-production (HEP) ducks and low-egg-production (LEP) ducks. Several genes involved in the regulation of ovarian development, including neuropeptide Y (NPY), cell cycle protein-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), and transcription factor 1 (E2F1), exhibited significant differential expressions at varying stages of egg production. Pathway functional analysis revealed that the DEGs were primarily associated with the steroid biosynthesis pathway, and the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway exhibited higher activity in the HEP group compared to the LEP group. This study offers valuable information about and novel insights into high egg production.

Sustainable Electrochemical Activation of Self-Generated Persulfate for the Degradation of Endocrine Disruptors: Kinetics, Performances, and Mechanisms.

This study presents an electrolysis system utilizing a novel self-circulation process of sulfate (SO42-) and persulfate (S2O82-) ions based on a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode and an activated carbon fiber (ACF) cathode, which is designed to enable electrochemical remediation of environmental contaminants with reduced use of chemical reagents and minimized residues. The production of S2O82- and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the BDD anode and ACF cathode, respectively, is identified as the source of active radicals for the contaminant degradation. The initiator, sulfate, is identified by comparing the degradation efficiency in NaSO4 and NaNO3 electrolytes. Quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy confirmed that the SO4-· and ·OH generated on the ACF cathode are the main reactive radicals. A comparison of the degradation efficiency and the generated S2O82-/H2O2 of the divided/undivided electrolysis system is used to demonstrate the superiority of the synergistic effect between the BDD anode and ACF cathode. This work provides evidence of the effectiveness of the philosophy of "catalysis in lieu of supplementary chemical agents" and sheds light on the mechanism of the generation and transmission of reactive species in the BDD and ACF electrolysis system, thereby offering new perspectives for the design and optimization of electrolysis systems.

Discovery of metabolite biomarkers for odontogenic keratocysts.

INTRODUCTION: Odontogenic keratocysts (OKCs) are locally aggressive and have a high rate of recurrence, but the pathogenesis of OKCs is not fully understood. We aimed to investigate the serum metabolomic profile of OKCs and discover potential biomarkers. METHODS: Metabolomic analysis was performed on 42 serum samples from 22 OKC patients and 20 healthy controls (HCs) using gas chromatography‒mass spectrometry to identify dysregulated metabolites in the OKC samples. LASSO regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to select and validate metabolic biomarkers and develop diagnostic models. RESULTS: A total of 73 metabolites were identified in the serum samples, and 24 metabolites were dysregulated in the OKC samples, of which 4 were upregulated. Finally, a diagnostic panel of 10 metabolites was constructed that accurately diagnosed OKCs (sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 100%, area under the curve of 1.00). CONCLUSION: This study is the first to investigate the metabolic characteristics and potential metabolic biomarkers in the serum of OKC patients using GC‒MS. Our study provides further evidence to explore the pathogenesis of OKC.

Sucrose-phosphate osmotic system improves the quality characteristics of reduced-salt salted egg yolk: Profiling from protein structure and lipid distribution perspective.

This paper was dedicated to the study of the effect of sucrose-phosphate on aspects of physicochemical properties, lipid distribution and protein structure during the picklig of reduced-salt salted egg yolk (SEY). This work constructed a reduced-salt pickling system from a new perspective (promoting osmosis) by using a sucrose-phosphate-salt. Results showed that SEY-28d achieved a desirable salt content (1.07 %), hardness (573.46 g) and springiness (0.65 g). The matured SEY was in excellent quality with orange-red color and loose sandy texture. This was because the lipoprotein aggregated with each other through hydrophobic interaction to form a stable network structure. In addition, the hypertonic environment accelerated salt penetration. These also created good condition for lipid spillage. The results of confocal laser scanning microscope also verified this phenomenon. This work provides important guidance for new reduced-salt curing of traditional pickled foods, deep processing of SEY, and industry development in the field of poultry egg.

Proteomic-metabolomic combination analysis reveals novel biomarkers of meat quality that differ between young and older ducks.

In order to explore the difference and its underlying mechanism between young and older ducks, 60-day-old (D60) and 300-day-old (D300) of young ducks and 900-day-old ducks (D900) of older ducks were selected and studied. HE staining indicated that breast muscle fibers in the D900 group were more inseparable than D60 and D300 groups and the greater redness were showed in D300 and D900 groups. Quantitative proteomic analyses were conducted to further identify differences between young and older ducks that 61 proteins overlapped in the comparative analysis of the D900 vs. D60 and D900 vs. D300 groups. Furthermore, metabolomics analysis from the D900 group showed marked differences from the results of the D60 and D300 groups in 31 unique metabolites. In particular, lower guanosine, hypoxanthine, guanine, and doxefazepam levels indicated the increased nutritional value of older ducks. Integrated proteomics and metabolomics analysis showed that purine metabolism was specifically enriched, indicating that NME3, RRM2B, AMPD1, and AMPD3 might mainly affect meat from older ducks. In conclusion, our results indicated that meat from 900-day-old ducks possessed a unique biochemical signature that could provide candidate biomarkers to distinguish young ducks from older ducks.