Diagnostic, monitoring, and prognostic value of combined detection of cerebrospinal fluid heparin-binding protein, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, and procalcitonin for post-neurosurgical intracranial infection.

OBJECTIVE: Intracranial infection is a common complication after neurosurgery and can increase the length of hospital stay, affect patient prognosis, and increase mortality. We aimed to investigate the value of the combined detection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) heparin-binding protein (HBP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and procalcitonin (PCT) for post-neurosurgical intracranial infection. METHODS: This study assessed the diagnostic values of CSF HBP, IL-6, IL-10, PCT levels, and combined assays for post-neurosurgical intracranial infection with the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve by retrospectively analysing biomarkers of post-neurosurgical patients. RESULTS: The CSF HBP, IL-6, IL-10, and PCT levels were significantly higher in the infected group than the uninfected group and the control group (P < 0.001). The indicators in the groups with severe intracranial infections were significantly higher than those in the groups with mild intracranial infections (P < 0.001), and the groups with poor prognoses had significantly higher indexes than the groups with good prognoses. According to the ROC curve display, the AUC values of CSF HBP, IL-6, IL-10, and PCT were 0.977 (95 % CI 0.952-1.000), 0.973 (95 % CI 0.949-0.998), 0.884 (95 % CI 0.823-0.946), and 0.819 (95 % CI 0.733-0.904), respectively. The AUC of the combined test was 0.996 (95 % CI 0.989-1.000), which was higher than those of the four indicators alone. CONCLUSION: The combined detection can be an important indicator for the diagnosis and disease monitoring of post-neurosurgical intracranial infection.

Hypoglycemic Effects of Gynura divaricata (L.) DC Polysaccharide and Action Mechanisms via Modulation of Gut Microbiota in Diabetic Mice.

Aiming to provide a basis for the application of Gynura divaricata (L.) DC polysaccharide (GDP) in functional foods, the hypoglycemic effects of GDP, and action mechanisms, were investigated. Results showed that GDP effectively inhibited α-glucosidase and remarkably increased the glucose absorption, glycogen content, and pyruvate kinase and hexokinase activities of insulin-resistant HepG2 cells, indicating its potent in vitro hypoglycemic effect. In streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetes mice, GDP significantly improved various glycolipid metabolism-related indices in serum and liver, e.g., fasting blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance, glycosylated serum protein content, serum insulin level, antioxidant enzyme activities, TG, TC, LDL-C, and HDL-C levels, and hepatic glycogen content, and recovered the structure of gut microbiota to the normal level. It was also found that GDP significantly affected the expression of related genes in the PI3K/Akt, AMPK, and GS/GSK-3ß signaling pathways. Therefore, GDP regulates blood glucose possibly by directly inhibiting α-glucosidase, exerting antioxidant activity, and regulating intestinal microbiota.

Identification and validation of key miRNAs and a microRNA-mRNA regulatory network associated with liver cancer.

MiRNAs play crucial regulatory roles in the growth and development of tumor cells by serving as carriers of post-transcriptional regulatory information derived from genes. Investigating the potential function and clinical significance of miRNA-mediated mRNA regulatory networks in liver cancer can offer novel insights and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of this disease. We identified 300 differentially expressed miRNAs, and five miRNAs were identified to be correlated with overall survival and could be used as an independent prognostic. GO enrichment analysis mainly included carboxylic acid biosynthesis, organic acid biosynthesis, peroxisomal membrane, microsomal membrane, DNA binding, C-acyltransferase activity, etc. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the pathways of target genes related to liver cancer were mainly focused on butyric acid metabolism and partial amino acid metabolism. Eight of the top 10 HUB genes were associated with prognosis, and the expression of four genes was positively correlated with prognosis, of which ABAT, BHMT, and SHMT1 were target genes of hsa-miR-5003-3p. MiR-5003-3p inhibits ABAT/BHMT/SHMT1 expression, thereby promoting liver cancer development. Overall, our study provides new ideas for the treatment of liver cancer, and these five miRNAs may be independent prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for liver cancer patients. And miR-5003-3p may be a critical factor in the mechanism of liver cancer development.

Identification and anti-oxidative potential of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM)-derived bioactive peptides released through in vitro gastrointestinal digestion.

This study investigated the stability of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) protein under simulated gastrointestinal conditions using an in vitro enzymatic digestion method. The optimal hydrolysis conditions were determined by monitoring the changes in particle size and zeta-potential of MFGM protein hydrolysates over time. Furthermore, the distribution of small molecular weight peptides with antioxidant activity was explored through DEAE-52 combined with in vitro cell experiments. Two novel antioxidant peptides (TGIIT and IITQ) were identified based on molecular docking technology and evaluated their potential scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS+) radicals. TGIIT and IITQ also demonstrated remarkable abilities in promoting mitochondrial biogenesis and activating Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway, which can effectively counteract skeletal muscle dysfunction induced by oxidative stress. Thus, MFGM-derived antioxidant peptides have the potential to be employed in food to regulate muscle protein metabolism and alleviate sarcopenia.

Compensating losses in polariton propagation with synthesized complex frequency excitation.

Surface plasmon polaritons and phonon polaritons offer a means of surpassing the diffraction limit of conventional optics and facilitate efficient energy storage, local field enhancement and highsensitivity sensing, benefiting from their subwavelength confinement of light. Unfortunately, losses severely limit the propagation decay length, thus restricting the practical use of polaritons. While optimizing the fabrication technique can help circumvent the scattering loss of imperfect structures, the intrinsic absorption channel leading to heat production cannot be eliminated. Here, we utilize synthetic optical excitation of complex frequency with virtual gain, synthesized by combining the measurements made at multiple real frequencies, to compensate losses in the propagations of phonon polaritons with dramatically enhanced propagation distance. The concept of synthetic complex frequency excitation represents a viable solution to the loss problem for various applications including photonic circuits, waveguiding and plasmonic/phononic structured illumination microscopy.

Molecular typing and characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from burn wound infections in Fujian, China.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is the most common causative agent of burn wound infection, that often leads to high morbidity and mortality. However, there is not enough knowledge about the molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of S. aureus isolates from burn wound infections in Fujian, China. Methods: Between 2016 and 2021, 90 S. aureus isolates were collected from burn wound infections in Fujian, China, including 59 methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains and 31 methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) strains. These were investigated for molecular characteristics, virulence genes, biofilms, and antimicrobial susceptibility. All the isolates were genotyped by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing, agr typing, and SCCmec typing. Conventional PCR was performed for the detection of virulence genes. Biofilm formation capacity was assessed by tissue culture plate assay (TCP). The antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates was evaluated using the dilution method. Results: In total, 37 sequence types (ST) and 34 Staphylococcal protein A (spa) types (including a new type named spa-t20720) were identified based on multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and spa typing, respectively. CC8-ST239-t030-agrI-SCCmecIII (57.6%,34/59) and CC7-ST7-t091-agrI (16.1%, 5/31) represented the main clone of MRSA and MSSA isolates, respectively. Antibiotic susceptibility testing identified a significant difference in resistance rates between ST239 and non-ST239 isolates (p < 0.05). Twelve virulence genes were detected, of which the most common were icaA and icaD (both 100%), followed by icaB and icaC (both 96.7%), icaR (95.6%), lukED (81.1%), lukAB (62.2%), pvl (50%), hlgBC (26.7%), and eta (4.4%). Moreover, lukAB, hlgBC, agrI, and agrIII were significantly correlated with burn severity (p < 0.05). MRSA isolates were less likely, compared with MSSA isolates, to carry pvl, lukAB, and hlgBC (p < 0.05). A new spa type, t20720, was identified that contains pvl, lukED, lukAB, hlgBC, icaA, icaB, icaC, icaD, and icaR genes and has strong biofilm formation ability. Conclusion: CC8-ST239-t030-agrI-SCCmecIII and CC7-ST-7-t091-agrI were the prevalent molecular signatures of MRSA and MSSA isolates from burn wound infections in Fujian, China, respectively. The newly identified spa-t20720 isolate, which carries a wide range of virulence genes and has strong biofilm formation ability, requires special clinical attention.

Prevalence of cerebral palsy comorbidities in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to comprehensively understand the comorbidity of cerebral palsy (CP) in China. Methods: We searched through databases in both Chinese and English until December 2022 to gather cross-sectional studies on the comorbidity of CP in China. After two reviewers independently screened the articles, collected the data, and assessed the bias risk, a meta-analysis was conducted using the Stata 17.0 software. Results: A total of 73 articles were included. Of these, 16 articles reported total comorbidity, with a prevalence of 79.7% (95% CI: 73.8-85.7%); 56 articles reported epilepsy, with a prevalence of 17.9% (95% CI: 15.4-20.4%); 48 articles reported intellectual disability, with a prevalence of 58.0% (95% CI: 51.8-64.3%); 32 articles reported speech disorders, with a prevalence of 48.0% (95% CI: 41.6-54.4%); 41 articles reported hearing disorders, with a prevalence of 17.2% (95% CI: 13.0-21.4%); and 35 articles reported vision disorders, with a prevalence of 23.1% (95% CI: 16.3-29.8%). The topographical type of CP was the primary source of heterogeneity in the prevalence of epilepsy. Diagnostic criteria for CP, clinical type of CP, GMFCS, publishing time, and topographical type of CP were the primary sources of heterogeneity in the prevalence of intellectual disability. Clinical type of CP and topographical type were the primary sources of heterogeneity in the prevalence of speech disorders. Finally, the region was the primary source of heterogeneity in the prevalence of hearing disorders. Conclusion: The prevalence of comorbidities in CP is high in China. Comorbidities are related to the characteristics, severity, and risk factors of brain insult and have a particular relationship with regional economic development and medical and health levels.

Prevalence and related factors of epilepsy in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To study the worldwide prevalence and associated factors of epilepsy in children and adolescents with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and to analyze the differences between various subgroups. Method: We identified all potential studies on the prevalence of epilepsy in children and adolescents with CP from PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase. The search time was from the establishment of the database to November 2022. Randomized effects meta-analysis models were used to calculate the prevalence of epilepsy in CP. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were utilized to further explore heterogeneity between articles and prevalence disparities between subgroups. The funnel plot and Egger's test were used to investigate potential publication bias. Results: Seventy-two articles, comprising 53,969 children and adolescents with CP, were included in this study. The results indicated a total epilepsy prevalence of 38.0% (95% CI: 34.8%-41.2%) in CP. The prevalence of epilepsy was 46.4% (95% CI: 41.4%-51.5%) in clinical sample-based studies and 31.6% (95% CI: 28.7%-34.5%) in population-based studies. Meta-regression demonstrated that the sample source, neonatal seizure, family history of epilepsy, EEG or cranial imaging abnormalities, intellectual/cognitive impairment, and topographical types of CP were heterogeneous contributors to the epilepsy prevalence in CP. Conclusion: Approximately one-third of children and adolescents with CP have epilepsy, and the sample source can significantly impact the total prevalence of epilepsy. Neonatal seizures, family history of epilepsy, EEG abnormalities, cranial imaging abnormalities, severe intellectual disability, and quadriplegia may be contributing factors to epilepsy comorbid in CP. Further study is required to verify the strength of these associations with epilepsy. This study aids in identifying the clinical characteristics of young people with CP at risk of developing epilepsy, which may assist clinicians in the early prevention and diagnosis of epilepsy within this population.Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=367766, identifier CRD42022367766.

Pickering emulsions stabilized by soybean protein isolate/chitosan hydrochloride complex and their applications in essential oil delivery.

In this work, fabrication of soybean protein isolate (SPI)/chitosan hydrochloride (CHC) composite particles stabilized O/W Pickering emulsions using soybean oil as an oil phase was optimized by examining the effects of pH, SPI/CHC mass ratio, SPI/CHC composite particle concentration and oil phase fraction on the stability of the emulsions. The results showed that under the conditions of SPI/CHC mass ratio 1:1, pH 4 and particle concentration 2 %, the SPI/CHC composite particles could stabilize the emulsions with oil phase fraction up to 80 %. At an oil phase fraction of 60 %, the emulsions had a minimum particle size. The microstructure, storage and oxidation stabilities and rheological properties of the emulsions were determined. Using this SPI/CHC composite particle-stabilized Pickering emulsion template, citrus essential oil (CEO) Pickering emulsion (CEOP) was prepared. CEOP was found to markedly inhibit two food-related microorganisms, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. In addition, the CEOP emulsion dilution (containing 4500 µL CEO/L) not only improved the water solubility of CEO, but also effectively retarded the browning and bacterial growth of fresh-cut apple. The SPI/CHC-stabilized Pickering emulsion template constructed in this work provides a promising alternative for the delivery of antimicrobial essential oils in the food industry.

NiFe-layered double hydroxide/CoP2@MnP heterostructures of clustered flower nanowires on MXene-modified nickel foam for overall water-splitting.

Exploiting efficient and economical electrocatalysts is indispensable to promoting the sluggish kinetics of overall water-splitting. Herein, we designed a phosphate reaction and two-step hydrothermal method to construct a 3D porous clustered flower-like heterogeneous structure of NiFe-layered double hydroxide (NiFe) and CoP2@MnP (CMP) grown in-situ on MXene-modified nickel foam (NF) substrate (denoted as NiFe/CMP/MX), with favorable kinetics. Density functional theory calculations (DFT) demonstrate that the self-driven transfer of heterojunction charges causes electron redistribution of the catalyst, and optimizes the electron transfer rate of the active site and the d-band center near the Fermi level, thereby reducing the adsorption energy of H and O reaction intermediates (H*, OH*, OOH*). As expected, the combination of CMP and NiFe with naturally conductive MXene forms a strong chemical and electron synergistic effect, which enables the synthesized NiFe/CMP/MX heterogeneous structure exhibits good activity for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with a low overpotential of 200 mV and 126 mV at 10 mA cm-2, respectively. Furthermore, the overpotential of 1.58 V is enough to drive a current density of 10 mA cm-2 in a two-electrode configuration, which is better than noble metals (RuO2(+)//Pt/C(-)) (1.68 V).

Hypolipidemic Activity and Mechanism of Action of Sargassum fusiforme Polysaccharides.

Sargassum fusiforme polysaccharide (SFP) is a kind of biologically active macromolecule with biological functions. In this study, oxidative stress and high-fat HepG2 cell models were established to investigate its lipid-lowering activity and mechanism of action. It was found that SFP and its two isolated fractions had antioxidant effects on the cells. It was also found the polysaccharides decreased the content of total cholesterol and total triglyceride in the high-fat cells. RT-qPCR assays revealed that the three polysaccharides down-regulated the mRNA expression level of ACC, PPARγ, and SREBP-2. It could be concluded that the hypolipidemic effect of SFPs is achieved via multiple pathways, including the regulation on the expression level of lipid metabolism-related key enzymes and factors, and binding with bile acids. The hypolipidemic effect of SFPs could be partially due to their antioxidant activity. SFPs developed in the present work have potential as ingredients of functional foods with hypolipidemic effect.

Soybean protein isolate/chitosan complex-rutin microcapsules.

Rutin is a flavonoid polyphenol with excellent biological activity, but due to its instability and poor water solubility, the utilization rate is reduced in vivo. Preparation of rutin microcapsules from soybean protein isolate (SPI) and chitosan hydrochloride (CHC) by composite coacervation can improve this restriction. The optimal preparation conditions were as follows: the volume ratio of CHC/SPI 1:8, pH 6, and total concentration of CHC and SPI 2 %. The rutin encapsulation rate and loading capacity of the microcapsules were 90.34 % and 0.51 % under optimal conditions. The SPI-CHC-rutin (SCR) microcapsules had a gel mesh structure and good thermal stability, and the system was stable and homogeneous after 12 d storage. During in vitro digestion, the release rates of SCR microcapsules in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids were 16.97 % and 76.53 %, respectively, achieving a targeted release of rutin in intestinal fluids; and the digested products were found to exhibit superior antioxidant activity to that of free rutin digests, indicating a good protection of microencapsulation on the bioactivity of rutin. Overall, SCR microcapsules developed in this study effectively enhanced the bioavailability of rutin. The present work provides a promising delivery system for natural compounds with low bioavailability and stability.

CD44 Drives M1 Macrophage Polarization in Diabetic Retinopathy.

PURPOSE: Diabetic retinopathy is a typical complication of diabetes, which can facilitate the risk of blindness in severe cases. We sought to determine the function of CD44 in inflammatory responses of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs) and macrophage polarization during diabetic retinopathy (DR). METHODS: The hub genes were tested based on two datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Gene Ontology and pathway enrichment analysis was conducted on the base of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The infiltration score and infiltration of the immune cells were assessed, and the link between key genes and macrophages was analyzed. The role of CD44 in HRMECs and macrophage polarization was determined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, western blot, cell counting kit-8, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence. RESULTS: DEGs were enriched in several pathways linked to DR, such as cellular response to retinoic acid, retinol metabolic process, retina homeostasis, PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, and leukocyte transendothelial migration. A total of 144 DEGs were identified by up-regulation both in GSE102485 and GSE160306. Moreover, the infiltration of macrophages was greater in the DR group than that in the control group. We highlighted an obvious increase in the expression of CD44 and CD86 in patients with DR, and distinct positive associations were found between levels of macrophages and levels of CD44 and CD86. Furthermore, CD44 expression was substantially increased in HRMECs under high glucose (HG) conditions and CD44 knockdown markedly inhibited HG-induced inflammatory responses of HRMECs. HG-induced HRMECs remarkably influenced M1 polarization of macrophages, but CD44 knockdown significantly nullified this effect. CONCLUSIONS: CD44 influenced the advancement of DR via meditating M1 polarization of macrophages. Our findings could enhance the understanding of the mechanism of DR, which might offer a therapeutic target for DR patients.

Fabrication of whey protein/pectin double layer microcapsules for improving survival of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus ZFM231.

To improve the viability of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus ZFM231 strain in the gastrointestinal tract and exhibit better probiotic effect, an internal emulsification/gelation technique was employed to encapsulate this strain using whey protein and pectin as wall materials to fabricate the double layer microcapsules. Four key factors affecting the encapsulation process were optimized using single factor analysis and response surface methodology. Encapsulation efficiency of L. rhamnosus ZFM231 reached 89.46 ± 0.82 %, the microcapsules possessed a particle size of 172 ± 1.80 µm and ζ-potential of -18.36 mV. The characters of the microcapsules were assessed using optical microscope, SEM, FT-IR and XRD analysis. It was found that after exposure to simulated gastric fluid, the bacterial count (log (CFU g-1)) of the microcapsules only lost 1.96 units, the bacteria were released readily in simulated intestinal fluid, reaching 86.56 % after 90 min. After stored at 4 °C for 28 days and 25 °C for 14 days, bacterial count of the dry microcapsules decreased from 10.59 to 9.02 and 10.49 to 8.70 log (CFU g-1), respectively. The double layered microcapsules could significantly increase the storage and thermal abilities of bacteria. Such L. rhamnosus ZFM231 microcapsules could find applications as ingredient of the functional foods and the dairy products.

Gender-specific association of SLC19A1 and MTHFR genetic polymorphism with oxidative stress biomarkers and plasma folate levels in older adults.

BACKGROUND: Plasma folate levels are closely related to antioxidant capacity and are regulated by folate pathway gene polymorphism. However, few studies have explored the gender-specific association of folate pathway gene polymorphism with oxidative stress biomarkers. The present study was designed to explore the gender-specific independent and combined impacts of solute carrier family 19 member 1 (SLC19A1) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genetic polymorphisms on oxidative stress biomarkers in older adults. METHODS: A total of 401 subjects were recruited, including 145 males and 256 females. Demographic characteristics of the participants were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire. Fasting venous blood samples were taken for folate pathway gene genotyping, circulating lipids parameters and erythrocyte oxidative stress biomarkers measurement. The difference of genotype distribution and the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was calculated by the Chi-square test. The general linear model was applied to compare the plasma folate levels and erythrocyte oxidative stress biomarkers. Multiple linear regression was used to explore the correlation between genetic risk scores and oxidative stress biomarkers. Logistic regression was used to explore the association of genetic risk scores of folate pathway gene with folate deficiency. RESULTS: The male subjects have lower plasma folate and HDL-C levels than the female ones, and the male carrying MTHFR rs1801133 (CC) or MTHFR rs2274976 (GA) genotypes have higher erythrocyte SOD activity. The plasma folate levels, erythrocyte SOD and GSH-PX activities were negatively correlated with genetic risk scores in the male subjects. A positive correlation between the genetic risk scores and folate deficiency was observed in the male subjects. CONCLUSIONS: There was association between folate pathway gene polymorphism of Solute Carrier Family 19 Member 1 (SLC19A1) and Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) with erythrocyte SOD and GSH-PX activities, and folate levels in male but not in female aging subjects. Genetic variant of genes involved in folate metabolism has strong impact on plasma folate levels in the male aging subjects. Our data demonstrated that there was a potential interaction of gender and its genetic background in affecting the body's antioxidant capacity and the risk of folate deficiency in aging subjects.

miR-330-3p alleviates the progression of atherosclerosis by downregulating AQP9.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is the main cause of cardiovascular diseases. However, the role of AQP9 in AS is not well understood. In the present study, we predicted that miR-330-3p might regulate AQP9 in AS through bioinformatics analysis, and we established AS model using ApoE-/- mouse (C57BL/6) with high-fat diet (HFD). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Oil red O staining were used to determine atherosclerotic lesions. CCK8 and Ethyny1-2-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays were used to investigate human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) proliferation after treatment with 100 µg/mL ox-LDL. Wound scratch healing and transwell assays were used to measure the cell invasion and migration ability. Flow cytometry assay was used to determine apoptosis and cell cycle. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to investigate the binding of miR-330-3p and AQP9. We identified that the expression of miR-330-3p in AS mice model decreased while the expression level of AQP9 increased. miR-330-3p overexpression or down-regulation of AQP9 could reduce cell apoptosis, promote cell proliferation, and migration after ox-LDL treatment. Dual-luciferase reporter assay result presented that AQP9 was directly inhibited by miR-330-3p. These results suggest that miR-330-3p inhibits AS by regulating AQP9. miR-330-3p/AQP9 axis may be a new therapeutic target for AS.

Discrepant modulating effects of dietary docosahexaenoic acid on cerebral lipids, fatty acid transporter expression and soluble beta-amyloid levels in ApoE-/- and C57BL/6J mice.

AIMS: The study was designed to explore the role of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) deficiency concomitant with dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) treatment on brain ß-amyloid (Aß) and lipid levels. METHOD: A 5-month dietary DHA intervention was conducted in ApoE-deficient (ApoE-/- ) mice and wild-type C57BL/6J (C57 wt) mice. The Morris water maze test was performed to assess the behaviour of the animals. The cortical contents of soluble Aß1-40 and Aß1-42 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cortical fatty acid levels were detected by gas chromatography. Gene and protein expression of molecules associated with cerebral Aß and lipid metabolism were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Western blot and histological methods. RESULTS: DHA treatment increased the content of cortical DHA and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) but decreased the ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs in ApoE-/- mice; whereas the content of cortical DHA and n-3 PUFAs in C57 wt mice remained unchanged after DHA treatment. Cerebral Fabp5 and Cd36 gene expression were significantly downregulated in DHA-fed C57 wt mice; cerebral Cd36 and Scarb1 gene expression were significantly upregulated, whereas Fabp5 gene expression was downregulated in DHA-fed ApoE-/- mice. In comparison with C57 wt mice, the content of cortical soluble Aß1-42 , total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) increased, whereas the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) decreased in ApoE-/- mice. Interestingly, these differences were significantly reversed by DHA dietary treatment. CONCLUSION: DHA intervention has discrepant impacts on cerebral lipids, fatty acid transporter expression and soluble Aß levels in ApoE-/- and C57 wt mice, suggesting the modifying role of ApoE status on the responses of cerebral lipids and Aß metabolism to DHA treatment.

Purification, physico-chemical properties and antioxidant activity of polysaccharides from Sargassum fusiforme by hydrogen peroxide/ascorbic acid-assisted extraction.

The biological activities of Sargassum fusiforme polysaccharides (SFP) were affected significantly by the extraction method. In order to screen the optimum extraction technology for SFP with high yield and biological activities, six extraction methods, including hot water extraction (HWE), acid-assisted extraction (ACAE), alkali-assisted extraction (ALAE), ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and hydrogen peroxide/ascorbic acid-assisted extraction (HAE) were compared for the preparation of SFP. Based on the yield and in vitro antioxidant activity of the crude polysaccharides obtained by the six extraction methods, HAE was selected for the extraction of SFP. The SFP prepared by HAE (H-SFP) was purified by cellulose DEAE-52 ion-exchange chromatography, obtaining two purified fractions, namely H-SFP3 and H-SFP5. The analyses of their chemical composition, physico-chemical properties and the antioxidant capacity were performed. It was found that the crude SFP and the purified fractions possessed considerable ability to scavenge DPPH, hydroxyl and ABTS•+ radicals. These polysaccharide fractions were also found to effectively reduce the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and increase the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in H2O2-induced oxidative stress RAW264.7 cells. The SFP prepared by the HAE has the potential as a natural non-toxic antioxidant and can be used as an ingredient in functional foods.

Association of cluster determinant 36, scavenger receptor class B type 1, and major facilitator superfamily domain containing the 2a genetic polymorphism with serum lipid profile in aging population with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Lipid metabolism disorder commonly happens in subjects with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) which may be linked to genetic variants of lipid metabolism-related genes. However, few studies have explored the relationship between lipid metabolism-related gene polymorphism and serum lipid profile in aging subjects with T2DM. The present study was designed to explore the impact of genetic polymorphism of cluster determinant 36 (CD36) (rs1049673, rs1054516, rs2151916), scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SCARB1) (rs5888), and major facilitator superfamily domain containing the 2a (MFSD2A) (rs12083239, rs4233508, rs12072037) on the relationship between circulating lipids in aging subjects with T2DM. Methods: 205 T2DM patients and 205 age and gender matched control subjects were recruited. Information on demographic characteristics was collected by using a self-administered questionnaire. Fasting venous blood samples were taken for lipid-related gene genotyping and serum lipid profile measurement. The Chi-square test was used to compare percentage differences and to calculate P-value for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Logistic regression and multiple linear regression were used to explore the risk or correlation between variables, and general linear model (GLM) was used to compare the means of serum lipids between the groups. Results: In T2DM group, CD36 rs1054516 and MFSD2A rs12072037 were correlated with serum TC level. In control group, CD36 rs1049673 was correlated with serum HDL-C level. Meanwhile, T2DM subjects with MFSD2A rs12083239 (CG), MFSD2A rs4233508 (TT), and MFSD2A rs12072037 (AA) had higher TG level than control subjects. T2DM subjects with CD36 rs1049673 (CG, GG), CD36 rs1054516 (CT), CD36 rs2151916 (TT, CT), SCARB1 rs5888 (GG), MFSD2A rs12083239 (GG, CG), MFSD2A rs4233508 (TT), and MFSD2A rs12072037 (CA, AA) had lower HDL-C level than control subjects. T2DM subjects with MFSD2A rs12072037 (AA) had lower LDL-C level than control subjects. In dominant model, major genotype (GG) of SCARB1 gene was associated with the risk of T2DM (OR = 0.636, P = 0.032). Conclusion: The genetic polymorphism of CD36 (rs1049673, rs1054516, rs2151916), SCARB1 (rs5888), and MFSD2A (rs12083239, rs4233508, rs12072037) were associated with serum lipids in T2DM subjects. The SCARB1 rs5888 major genotype (GG) was a protective factor for T2DM. Large scale cohort study is required to determine the relationship between lipid metabolism-related gene polymorphism, serum lipid profile and T2DM in aging subjects.

Recent advances in cobalt-based catalysts for efficient electrochemical hydrogen evolution: a review.

Hydrogen (H2) is a new type of renewable energy that can meet people's growing energy needs and is environmentally friendly. In order to improve the industrial application prospects and electrochemical performance of hydrogen evolution catalysts, extensive research on transition metal materials has been carried out. Among the many catalytic materials, cobalt is an element with potential for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) due to its abundant reserves, low cost, and small energy barrier for H adsorption. This review classifies the latest research on cobalt-based catalysts according to the types of compound, including cobalt-based sulfides, phosphides, carbides, borides, oxides, etc., and summarizes the latest research progress of cobalt-based compound catalysts in acidic and alkaline media. Strategies to tune the properties of cobalt-based compound catalysts for high catalytic activity for HER are focused on, including structural engineering, defect engineering, and doping, etc. The advantages and limitations of each modified approach are reviewed. Not only that, but also the catalytic activity and advantages of the catalyst are evaluated by using density functional theory (DFT) calculation-related descriptors, activity evaluation parameters, etc. Finally, limitations and challenges of cobalt-based materials for HER are presented, as well as prospects for future research. This paper aims to understand the chemical and physical factors that affect cobalt-based catalysts, and to find directions for future research on cobalt-based catalysts.