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.

Endoscopic endonasal surgery of Rathke's cleft cysts-- preoperative imaging evaluation, personalized removal and multilevel sellar floor reconstruction.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) for Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs) and the advantages of detailed preoperative imaging evaluation, intraoperative personalized removal and multilevel sellar floor reconstruction. METHODS: The clinical data of 43 patients with RCCs who were treated by EES in the neurosurgery department of affiliated hospital of Jiangnan University and Wuxi No.2 People's Hospital from January 2018 to January 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The effectiveness of EES for RCCs was analyzed by imaging information, surgical procedures, symptom improvement and complications. RESULTS: All 43 RCCs were completely removed by EES, and all clinical symptoms improved to varying degrees. Postoperative relief of headache was achieved in 23 out of 26 patients (88.5 %); there was improvement in 10 out of 13 patients with visual field disorders (76.9 %) and in 8 out of 10 patients with endocrine abnormalities (80 %). New hormonal deficiency was discovered in 7 of all the patients postoperatively. There were 8 patients with postoperative diabetes insipidus and 1 patient with cerebrospinal fluid leakage. The incidence of new hormonal dysfunction and postoperative DI in expanded EES (33.3 %, 33.3 %) was higher than it in conventional EES (4 %, 8 %) (P < 0.05). The average follow-up time was 29.1 ± 14.8 months, and there were no deaths or infections. Three patients presented with cyst recurrence on MRI. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical manifestations and imaging characteristics of RCCs are variable, and a detailed preoperative review of the imaging is helpful for the development of surgical plans. RCCs can be treated more safely and thoroughly with less trauma and complications by intraoperative personalized removal and multilevel sellar floor reconstruction. The high incidence of new hormonal dysfunction and postoperative DI may be related to the disturbance of the pituitary stalk. EES has unique advantages and high clinical application value for the treatment of RCCs.

Synergistic effects of MFG-E8 and whey protein on mitigating d-galactose-induced sarcopenia through PI3K/AKT/PGC-1α and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways.

Milk fat globule epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8) and whey protein have emerged as promising bionutrient supplements for enhancing skeletal muscle mass and function. In the present study, aging-related sarcopenia rat model was employed to elucidate the effects of the combined administration of MFG-E8 and whey protein on the catabolism and anabolism of gastrocnemius protein. Combined intervention led to notable enhancements in the antioxidative stress status and mitochondrial biogenesis capacity of gastrocnemius muscle fibers in the aging rats, concomitant with a significant inhibition of lipid accumulation. Moreover, the synergistic effect of MFG-E8 and whey protein was found to exert modulatory effects on key signaling pathways, including PI3K/Akt/PGC-1α pathway and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways in the gastrocnemius muscle of the aging rats. Specifically, this combined intervention was observed to promote mitochondrial biogenesis and regulate the expression of protein anabolism and catabolism-related regulators, thereby facilitating the alleviation of mitochondrial oxidative stress and enhancing biogenesis in gastrocnemius tissues. The findings of our study provide compelling evidence for the potential of MFG-E8 as a promising dietary supplement with antisarcopenic properties to ameliorate muscle protein metabolism disorders and mitigate mitochondrial-mediated myoblast apoptosis induced by oxidative stress.

Equity Lens Protocol: Reflecting on Harms From the COVID-19 Response and Mitigation Strategies Implemented in a Local Public Health System.

This report describes an Equity Lens Protocol and its use to guide partners' systematic reflection on harms and mitigation strategies of the COVID-19 response in a local public health system. This process evaluation tool is based on the Guidance document for assuring an equitable response to COVID-19 prepared by the Pan American Health Organization. We used a participatory approach to engage public health partners in systematically reflecting on harms, mitigation strategies, and lessons learned and implications for practice. Outputs from using this tool included identified: (a) specific harms (e.g., loss of income and challenges to learning) related to particular COVID-19 response measures (e.g., home confinement and school closure) and (b) mitigation strategies implemented to reduce harms. In response to the protocol's guiding questions, partners also identified lessons learned and practice recommendations for strengthening equity work in public health responses (e.g., an equitable response requires an investment in people, structures, and relationships before a crisis). This report-and accompanying protocol-illustrates use of a practical method for systematic reflection on public health responses through an equity lens.

Novel antioxidant peptides from MFGM protein Hydrolysates: Separation, identification and effects on Dexamethasone-induced mitochondrial dysfunction.

Milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) protein is a complex milk protein system with antioxidant property, which can alleviate skeletal muscle dysfunction caused by oxidative stress. In this study, peptide products of MFGM protein obtained through in vitro digestion were isolated and purified, and the composition and antioxidant activities of MFGM peptides (MFGMP) were identified and assessed using LC-MS/MS combined with molecular docking and in vitro approach. Three novel antioxidant peptides TGIIT, YAR and YYK were identified from MFGMPF1, among which TGIIT and YAR exhibited excellent antioxidant effects and protected dexamethasone (Dex)-induced L6 cells by enhancing mitochondrial function and biogenesis involving modulating Sirt-1/PGC-1α signaling pathway. Furthermore, YAR and TGIIT also significantly decreased expression of pro-apoptotic factors such as cyt-c, cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-9. Therefore, YAR and TGIIT, two novel antioxidant peptides, are expected to be utilized in functional food or medicine, providing an emerging role of MFGMP in maintaining anti-oxidant/oxidant status.

Predicting IDH Mutation Status in Low-Grade Gliomas Based on Optimal Radiomic Features Combined with Multi-Sequence Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

The IDH somatic mutation status is an important basis for the diagnosis and classification of gliomas. We proposed a "6-Step" general radiomics model to noninvasively predict the IDH mutation status by simultaneously tuning combined multi-sequence MRI and optimizing the full radiomics processing pipeline. Radiomic features (n = 3776) were extracted from multi-sequence MRI (T1, T2, FLAIR, and T1Gd) in low-grade gliomas (LGGs), and a total of 45,360 radiomics pipeline were investigated according to different settings. The predictive ability of the general radiomics model was evaluated with regards to accuracy, stability, and efficiency. Based on numerous experiments, we finally reached an optimal pipeline for classifying IDH mutation status, namely the T2+FLAIR combined multi-sequence with the wavelet image filter, mean data normalization, PCC dimension reduction, RFE feature selection, and SVM classifier. The mean and standard deviation of AUC, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.873 ± 0.05, 0.876 ± 0.09, 0.875 ± 0.11, and 0.877 ± 0.15, respectively. Furthermore, 14 radiomic features that best distinguished the IDH mutation status of the T2+FLAIR multi-sequence were analyzed, and the gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) features were shown to be of high importance. Apart from the promising prediction of the molecular subtypes, this study also provided a general tool for radiomics investigation.

Detection and Molecular Identification of Salmonella Pathogenic Islands and Virulence Plasmid Genes of Salmonella in Xuzhou Raw Meat Products.

ABSTRACT: Virulence genes expressed in Salmonella are a primary contributing factor leading to the high morbidity and mortality of salmonellosis in humans. The pathogenicity of Salmonella is mainly determined by the specific virulence factors that it carries. These factors also confer greater virulence and play a role in infection of a host and transmission of disease, and most Salmonella enterica can cause cross-infections between humans and animals. In this study, 265 samples in total were collected from a farmer's market and two supermarkets in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, China, including 205 pork samples and 60 chicken samples. The suspected Salmonella isolates were isolated and identified using microbiological and molecular methods, and the confirmed isolates were used for serovar analysis and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The virulence genes of Salmonella pathogenic islands (SPIs) and Salmonella virulence plasmids (Spv) in Salmonella-positive isolates were subsequently detected. Salmonella was isolated from 29.0% of samples, and all isolates were confirmed by PCR targeting the stn gene. Among the Salmonella isolates, resistance was most frequently observed against ciprofloxacin (84.4%), followed by tetracycline (71.4%) and streptomycin (68.8%). Resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (6.3%) and aztreonam (5%) was less commonly detected. The presence of the following virulence genes was determined by specific PCRs: hilA (SPI-1), sifA (SPI-2), misL (SPI-3), siiE (SPI-4), sopB (SPI-5), and spvC. The detection rate for SPI-1 to SPI-5 was 93.5, 87.0, 97.4, 97.4, and 97.4%, respectively. In addition, the detection rate of the spvC gene was 96.1%. Except for sopB (94.7%), all isolates of the dominant serovar S. enterica subsp.. enterica serovar Enteritidis contained all virulence genes from SPI-1 to SPI-5. This study demonstrated the epidemiological status of Salmonella in raw meat products in Xuzhou, and the complex antibiotic resistance and high isolation rate of virulence genes observed reveal many potential risks of which the findings presented herein will provide orientation to improve public health safeguards.

Subtyping Salmonella isolated from pet dogs with multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs).

Salmonella, as a zoonotic pathogen, has attracted widespread attention worldwide, especially in the transmission between household pets and humans. Therefore, we investigated the epidemic distribution of dog Salmonella from pet hospitals and breeding base in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, and used multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) to subtype Salmonella isolates. From April 2018 to November 2019, a total of 469 samples were collected from pet hospitals and breeding base, including 339 dog samples and 60 cat samples. S. Kentucky (40.74%) was the most prevalent serotype, but other, such as S. Typhimurium (18.52%) and S. Indiana (18.52%), were also widespread. Eight different sequence type (ST) patterns were identified by MLST and ST198 was the highest proportion of these isolates. CRISPRs analysis showed that 9 different Kentucky CRISPR types (KCTs) was identified from ST198. 48 spacers including 29 (6 News) for CRISPR1 and 19 (4 News) for CRISPR2 that proved the polymorphic of Salmonella genes in samples from different sources. The analysis demonstrated that the common serotypes were widely present in pet hosts in the same area. This analysis shows that CRISPR genes have better recognition ability in the same serotype, which has a positive effect on the traceability of Salmonella and the prevention and treatment of salmonellosis.

Heron-mouth neuroendoscopic sheath-assisted neuroendoscopy plays critical roles in treating hypertensive intraventricular hemorrhage.

INTRODUCTION: Neuroendoscopy is widely applied for treating hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage. AIM: To explore the effects of heron-mouth neuroendoscopic sheath-assisted neuroendoscopy on treatment of hypertensive intraventricular hemorrhage. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A type of heron-mouth neuroendoscopic sheath combining the advantages of minimally invasive columnar endoscopic sheath and open operation methods was designed. The end of sheath catheter could be dilated if necessary, without increasing risk of cortex injury. Heron-mouth neuroendoscopic sheath-assisted neuroendoscopy was applied in treatment of hypertensive intraventricular hemorrhage. A total of 19 patients with hypertensive intraventricular hemorrhage were selected and divided into an external ventricular drainage + urokinase group and a neuroendoscopy group. Hematoma clearance rate, surgical time, ventricular drainage time, intracranial infection, hydrocephalus and Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) at 3 months after the operation were compared between two groups. RESULTS: Hematoma clearance rate, ventricular drainage time, mortality rate and GOS at 3 months after surgery in the neuroendoscopy group were significantly better compared to those in the external ventricular drainage + urokinase group (p < 0.05). Postoperative complications, including intracranial infection hydrocephalus and pulmonary infection in the neuroendoscopy group, were less numerous compared to those in the external ventricular drainage + urokinase group, but without statistical significance (p > 0.05). However, surgical time was significantly longer in the neuroendoscopy group compared to that in the external ventricular drainage + urokinase group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in incidence rate of hydrocephalus between the two groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical effects of heron-mouth neuroendoscopic sheath-assisted neuroendoscopy were better than those of external ventricular drainage combining urokinase dissolution in treating hypertensive intraventricular hemorrhage.

Isolation and Identification of Salmonella in Pork.

Salmonella is considered as one of the most important foodborne zoonotic pathogens that can cause several foodborne diseases and is commonly associated with consumption of meats. Contaminated pork and pork products are major sources of human Salmonella infections in many countries. It is important to investigate and monitor the epidemiology of Salmonella in pork for public health and pork productivity. Here, we describe the method for isolation and identification of Salmonella from pork.

Prevalence and Drug Resistance of Salmonella in Dogs and Cats in Xuzhou, China.

INTRODUCTION: Salmonellosis is a zoonotic disease, and Salmonella spp. can sometimes be found in dogs and cats, posing a risk to human health. In this study, the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of faecal Salmonella were investigated in pet dogs and cats in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Faecal samples from 243 dogs and 113 cats, at seven pet clinics, were tested between March 2018 and May 2019. Each Salmonella isolate was characterised using serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility tests. RESULTS: The prevalence of Salmonella was 9.47% in dogs and 1.77% in cats. Among the 25 isolates, eight serotypes of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica were detected, S. Kentucky (n = 11), S. Indiana (n = 5), and S. Typhimurium (n = 4) predominating. S. Derby, S. Toucra, S. Sandiego, S. Newport, and S. Saintpaul all occurred singly. The 23 Salmonella strains found in dogs were from seven different serovars, while the two strains in cats were from two. The highest resistance rates were found for tetracycline (92%), azithromycin (88%), cefazolin (84%), nalidixic acid (80%), ampicillin (80%), ceftriaxone (80%), and streptomycin (76%). Resistance to three or more antimicrobial agents was detected in 24 (96%) isolates. Most of the S. Kentucky and S. Indiana isolates were multi-drug resistant to more than 11 agents. CONCLUSION: The carriage rate was far higher in dogs than in cats from Xuzhou. Some isolated strains were highly resistant to antimicrobials used to treat infections in humans and pets, which may raise the risk of humans being infected with multi-drug resistant Salmonella via close contact with pets.

Characterisation and functional analysis of canine TLR5.

In this study, we characterised the single exon TLR5 gene of the Chinese rural dog. Sequence analysis revealed a 2577 nucleotide-long open reading frame of canine TLR5, encoding an 858 amino acid-long protein. The putative amino acid sequence of canine TLR5 consisted of a signal peptide sequence, 15 LRR domains, a LRR C-terminal domain, a transmembrane domain and an intracellular Toll-IL-1 receptor domain. The amino acid sequence of the canine TLR5 protein shared 95.4% identity with vulpine, 72.2% with feline and 64.7% with human TLR5. Plasmids expressing canine TLR5 and NF-κB-luciferase were constructed and transfected into HEK293T cells. Expression was confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence assay. These HEK293T cells transfected with the canine TLR5- and NF-κB-luciferase plasmids significantly responded to flagellin from Salmonella enteritidis serovar Typhimurium, indicating that it is a functional TLR5 homolog. In response to stimulation with Salmonella enteritidis, the level of TLR5 mRNA significantly increased over the control in PBMCs at 4 h. The levels of IL-8, IL-6 and IL-1ß also increased after exposure. The highest levels of TLR5, IL-8 and IL-1ß expression were detected at 8, 4 and 12 h after stimulation, respectively. These results imply that the expression of canine TLR5 may participate in the immune response against bacterial pathogens.

Measurement of α-dicarbonyl compounds in human saliva by pre-column derivatization HPLC.

Background α-Dicarbonyl compounds (α-DCs) have been detected in body fluids including plasma and urine and elevation of this sort of compounds in vivo has been associated with the development of many kinds of chronic diseases. However whether α-DCs are present in human saliva, and if their presence/absence can be related with various chronic diseases is yet to be determined. Methods In this study, a pre-column derivatization HPLC-UV method was developed to measure 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), glyoxal (GO), methylglyoxal (MGO), diacetyl (DA), and pentane-2,3-dione (PD) in human saliva employing 4-(2,3-dimethyl-6-quinoxalinyl)-1,2-benzenediamine (DQB) as a derivatizing reagent. The derivatization of the α-DCs is fast and the conditions are facile. The method was evaluated and the results show that it is suitable for the quantification of α-DCs in human saliva. Results In the measurements of these α-DCs in the saliva of 15 healthy subjects and 23 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, we found that the concentrations of GO and MGO in the saliva of the diabetic patients were significantly higher than those in healthy subjects. As far as we know, this is the first time that salivary α-DC concentrations have been determined and associated with T2DM. Conclusions The developed method would be useful for the measurement of the salivary α-DC levels and the data acquired could be informative in the early screening for diabetes.

Bearing Fault Diagnosis Based on a Hybrid Classifier Ensemble Approach and the Improved Dempster-Shafer Theory.

Bearing fault diagnosis of a rotating machine plays an important role in reliable operation. A novel intelligent fault diagnosis method for roller bearings has been developed based on a proposed hybrid classifier ensemble approach and the improved Dempster-Shafer theory. The improved Dempster-Shafer theory well considered the combination of unreliable evidence sources, the uncertainty information of basic probability assignment, and the relative credibility of the evidence on the weights in the process of decision making under the framework of fuzzy preference relations, which can effectively deal with conflicts of the evidences and then well improve the diagnostic accuracy for the hybrid classifier ensemble. The effectiveness of the improved Dempster-Shafer theory has been verified via a numerical example. In addition, deep neural networks, a support vector machine, and extreme learning machine techniques have been utilized in the single-stage classification based on singular spectrum entropy, power spectrum entropy, time-frequency entropy, and wavelet packet energy spectrum entropy in this work. Performances of the proposed hybrid ensemble classifier has been demonstrated on a bearing test-rig, compared with the original Dempster-Shafer theory. It can be found that the overall error rate can be greatly reduced with the hybrid ensemble classifier and the improved Dempster-Shafer theory.

Molecular mechanism of SSFA2 deletion inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting cell apoptosis in glioma.

Gliomas are the most common primary brain malignant tumors in humans. Glioblastoma multiforme(GBM) is the most malignant intracranial tumor with a relatively poor prognosis. There promote us to find effective anti-cancer therapies to reduce cancer mortality. By using bioinformatic analysis, we found SSFA2 as a gene with elevated expression in the glioma tissues. We detected the expression of SSFA2 in glioma tissues and in the glioma cell lines, as well as in normal brain tissues. SSFA2 expression was higher in glioma tissues, especially in glioblastoma multiforme than normal brain tissues. Subsequently, we found that down-regulate SSFA2 in glioma cell lines can regulate the cell cycle to reduce the proliferation ability and induce the early apoptosis rate in shSSFA2 cells relative to control cells. Moreover, we found that down-regulate SSFA2 in glioma cell line U87(shSSFA2-U87) inhibited the growth effectiveness compared to the control cell line U87. These result reveals us that SSFA2 may act as oncogene to promote the progression of glioma. For further research specific mechanisms of SSFA2 in gliomas, we used the gene chip to detect the downstream gene in U87. We found that 30 genes also may be as target gene of SSFA2, and we testify the protein expression by western-blot. The result reveal that IL1A, IL1B and CDK6 as target gene of SSFA2 to regulate the progression of glioma. These finding suggest that SSFA2 could be a new therapeutic target for gliomas.

A Highly Selective and Sensitive Colorimetric Probe for Cu2+ Determination in Aqueous Media Based on Derivative of Tryptanthrin.

A new colorimetric probe, based on tryptanthrin derivative (TR-A), has been successfully synthesized. The probe shows good selectivity and sensitivity for Cu2+ over 12 competing metal ions in a 10 mM Tris-HCl buffer solution (pH 5.5). A significant peak at 623nm appears in the UV-Vis absorption of TR-A-Cu2+, and a noteworthy color change is observed with the naked eye from aquamarine blue to light orange. The interaction of TR-A and Cu2+ are proven to form a 1:1 binding stoichiometry; this identifying is expected to be completed within 1 min. The probe with a limit of detection (16 nM, R2 = 0.9934) shows excellent potential to determine Cu2+ in analysis systems.

Polymorphisms of 23 Y-chromosome STR Loci in A Han Population in Jiangsu Province.

Objective To investigate the polymorphisms of 23 Y-STR loci in a Han population in Jiangsu province. Methods Blood samples were collected from 4821 unrelated healthy Han males in Jiangsu province. DNA templates were amplified by PowerPlex Y23 kit,and the amplification products were detected by 3500xL genetic analyzer. Then,we calculated the allele frequencies and gene diversities respectively,as well as the haplotype frequencies and haplotype diversities. Results The gene diversity of these 23 Y-STR loci ranged 0.4099-0.9696. A total of 4781 haplotypes were detected,of which 4743 were found once. The haplotype diversity was 0.99999812. Conclusion The 23 Y-STR loci used in this study are highly polymorphic in Han individuals in Jiangsu province and therefore suitable for population genetic study and forensic individual identification.

Biosurfactant production from Pseudomonas taiwanensis L1011 and its application in accelerating the chemical and biological decolorization of azo dyes.

Dye dispersion and the interaction efficiency between azoreductases and dye molecules are rate-limiting steps for the decolorization of azo dyes. In this study, a biosurfactant-producing strain, Pseudomonas taiwanensis L1011, was isolated from crude oil. To increase the yield of the biosurfactant BS-L1011 from P. taiwanensis L1011, culture conditions were optimized including temperature, initial pH, carbon source, nitrogen source and C/N ratio. A maximum yield of 1.12g/L of BS-L1011 was obtained using D-mannitol as carbon source and yeast extract/urea as compound nitrogen source with C/N ratio of 10/4, pH 7.0 and 28°C. BS-L1011 exhibited a low critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 10.5mg/L and was able to reduce the surface tension of water to 25.8±0.1 mN/m. BS-L1011 was stable over a wide range of temperatures, pH values and salt concentrations. The biosurfactant is reported for the first time to accelerate chemical decolorization of Congo red by sodium hypochlorite, and biological decolorization of Amaranth by Bacillus circulans BWL1061, thus showing a potential in the treatment of dyeing wastewater.

Human amniotic epithelial cells combined with silk fibroin scaffold in the repair of spinal cord injury.

Treatment and functional reconstruction after central nervous system injury is a major medical and social challenge. An increasing number of researchers are attempting to use neural stem cells combined with artificial scaffold materials, such as fibroin, for nerve repair. However, such approaches are challenged by ethical and practical issues. Amniotic tissue, a clinical waste product, is abundant, and amniotic epithelial cells are pluripotent, have low immunogenicity, and are not the subject of ethical debate. We hypothesized that amniotic epithelial cells combined with silk fibroin scaffolds would be conducive to the repair of spinal cord injury. To test this, we isolated and cultured amniotic epithelial cells, and constructed complexes of these cells and silk fibroin scaffolds. Implantation of the cell-scaffold complex into a rat model of spinal cord injury resulted in a smaller glial scar in the damaged cord tissue than in model rats that received a blank scaffold, or amniotic epithelial cells alone. In addition to a milder local immunological reaction, the rats showed less inflammatory cell infiltration at the transplant site, milder host-versus-graft reaction, and a marked improvement in motor function. These findings confirm that the transplantation of amniotic epithelial cells combined with silk fibroin scaffold can promote the repair of spinal cord injury. Silk fibroin scaffold can provide a good nerve regeneration microenvironment for amniotic epithelial cells.

Perillaldehyde, a Promising Antifungal Agent Used in Food Preservation, Triggers Apoptosis through a Metacaspase-Dependent Pathway in Aspergillus flavus.

In the present study, we provide detailed insights into perillaldehyde (PAE)'s mechanisms of action on Aspergillus flavus and offer evidence in favor of the induction of an apoptosis-like phenotype. Specifically, PAE's antifungal mode of action was investigated through the detection of mitochondrial membrane potential (MtΔψ) and phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure, as well as intracellular Ca2+ level, reactive oxygen species accumulation, and metacaspase activation. This was done by way of fluorometry, measuring DNA fragmentation, and condensation by fluorescent microscopy. Furthermore, we searched for phenotypic changes characteristic of apoptosis by transmission electron microscopy and flow cytometry, determining the amount of cytochrome c released using Western blotting. Results indicated that cultivation of A. flavus in the presence of PAE caused depolarization of MtΔψ, rapid DNA condensation, large-scale DNA fragmentation, and an elevation of intracellular Ca2+ level. The percentage of early apoptotic cells with exposure of PS were 27.4% and 48.7%, respectively, after 9 h incubations with 0.25 and 0.5 µL/mL of PAE. The percentage of stained cells with activated intracellular metacaspases exposed to PAE at concentrations of 0.25 and 0.5 µL/mL compared with control subjects were increased by 28.4 ± 3.25% and 37.9 ± 4.24%, respectively. The above results has revealed that PAE induces fungal apoptosis through a caspase-dependent mitochondrial pathway. In all, our findings provide a novel mechanism for exploring a possible antifungal agent used in food preservation.