Two-stage cultivation strategies for optimal production of Ganoderma pellets with potential application in the vegan food industry.

The vegan food industry is gaining popularity nowadays. Ganoderma sp. is mainly used in the health and food industries as a medicinal, edible mushroom with high nutritional potential. Through two-stage cultivation methods, the study optimized the production of mycelial pellets for vegetarian food. When soybean powder was used as an alternative to egg yolk powder to meet vegetarian requirements, the number of pellets increased from 1100 to 1800 particles/dL, however, the pellet diameter reduced up to 22% (3.2-2.6 mm). The culture was expanded to the second stage using the Taguchi method coupled with Plackett-Burman Design and quantification by ImageJ software for enlarging pellets size. The optimal conditions were 10 mL of the first-stage broth inoculum, yeast powder (0.5 g/dL), glucose (0.5 g/dL), and MgSO4 (0.2 g/dL) at 100 rpm in the dark for 7 days. In 500 mL pilot scale production, the biomass yield was 0.31 g/dL and 3400 mycelium pellets/dL with a 5.2 mm diameter with appearance characteristics suitable for direct development as food. The study may help to develop a novel pellet food of filamentous fungi for the vegetarian market. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-023-05719-x.

Jeongeupia chitinilytica sp. nov., a chitinolytic bacterium isolated from soil.

A novel bacterium, designated strain Jchi(T), was isolated from soil in Taiwan and characterized using a polyphasic approach. Cells of strain Jchi(T) were aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, motile and rod-shaped. They contained poly-ß-hydroxybutyrate granules and formed dark-yellow colonies. Growth occurred at 20-37 °C (optimum between 25 and 30 °C), at pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum between pH 7.0 and pH 8.0) and with 0-2 % NaCl (optimum between 0 and 1 %). Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain Jchi(T) belonged to the genus Jeongeupia and that its closest neighbour was Jeongeupia naejangsanensis BIO-TAS4-2(T) (98.0 % sequence similarity). The major fatty acids (>10 %) of strain Jchi(T) were summed feature 3 (comprising C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C16 : 0 and C18 : 1ω7c. The major cellular hydroxy fatty acid was C12 : 0 3-OH. The isoprenoid quinone was Q-8 and the genomic DNA G+C content was 66.1 mol%. The polar lipid profile consisted of a mixture of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylserine and two unidentified phospholipids. The DNA-DNA relatedness value between strain Jchi(T) and J. naejangsanensis BIO-TAS4-2(T) was about 41.0 %. On the basis of the genotypic and phenotypic data, strain Jchi(T) represents a novel species in the genus Jeongeupia, for which the name Jeongeupia chitinilytica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Jchi(T) ( = BCRC 80367(T)  = KCTC 23701(T)).

Innovative Approaches to Fungal Food Production: Mycelial Pellet Morphology Insights.

Mycelia products enhance edible mushrooms in alignment with future sustainability trends. To meet forthcoming market demands, the morphology of mycelial pellets was optimized for direct consumption. Among ten commercial edible mushrooms in Taiwan, Pleurotus sp. was selected for its rapid growth and was identified via an internal transcribed spacer sequence. A combination of Plackett-Burman design and Taguchi's L9(34) orthogonal table revealed the optimal formula as potato dextrose broth (2.4%), olive oil (2%), calcium carbonate (0.5%), yeast extract (0.75%), and soy flour (0.5%). This led to a biomass increase to 19.9 ± 1.1 g/L, resulting in a 2.17-fold yield increase. To refine morphology, image processing by ImageJ quantified spherical characteristics. The addition of 0.2 to 1.0% Tween 80 enhanced pellet compaction by over 50%. Dilution of the medium improved uniformity (0.85) and conversion rate (42%), yielding mycelial pellets with 2.10 ± 0.52 mm diameters and a yield of 15.1 ± 0.6 g/L. These findings provide an alternative evaluation and application of edible mycelial pellets as future food.

Chitinivorax tropicus gen. nov., sp. nov., a chitinolytic bacterium isolated from a freshwater lake.

A facultatively anaerobic, chitinolytic bacterium, strain KL-9(T), was isolated from a freshwater lake in Taiwan and characterized by using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Cells of strain KL-9(T) were gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile by means of a single polar flagellum and non-spore-forming. Growth occurred at 15-40 °C (optimum, 30-37 °C), at pH 7.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 8.0) and with 0-1.0 % NaCl (optimum, 0 %). The predominant fatty acids were summed feature 3 (comprising C(16 : 1)ω7c and/or C(16 : 1)ω6c) and C(16 : 0). The major isoprenoid quinone was Q-8. The DNA G+C content of strain KL-9(T) was 64.6 mol%. The polar lipid profile consisted of a mixture of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine and several uncharacterized phospholipids and aminolipids. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain KL-9(T) formed a distinct lineage with respect to closely related genera within the class Betaproteobacteria, being most closely related to members of the genera Leeia, Chitinimonas, Silvimonas and Andreprevotia. Levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with respect to the type strains of type species of these genera were below 91 %. On the basis of genotypic and phenotypic data, strain KL-9(T) is thus considered to represent a novel species of a new genus within the class Betaproteobacteria, for which the name Chitinivorax tropicus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Chitinivorax tropicus is KL-9(T) ( = BCRC 80168(T) = LMG 25530(T)).

Improving antigenicity of the recombinant hepatitis C virus core protein via random mutagenesis.

In order to enhance the sensitivity of diagnosis, a recombinant clone containing domain I of HCV core (amino acid residues 1 to 123) was subjected to random mutagenesis. Five mutants with higher sensitivity were obtained by colony screening of 616 mutants using reverse ELISA. Sequence analysis of these mutants revealed alterations focusing on W(84), P(95), P(110), or V(129). The inclusion bodies of these recombinant proteins overexpressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) were subsequently dissolved using 6 M urea and then refolded by stepwise dialysis. Compared to the unfolded wild-type antigen, the refolded M3b antigen (W(84)S, P(110)S and V(129)L) exhibited an increase of 66% antigenicity with binding capacity of 0.96 and affinity of 113 µM(-1). Moreover, the 33% decrease of the production demand suggests that M3b is a potential substitute for anti-HCV antibody detection.

Pilot-Scale Production of Chito-Oligosaccharides Using an Innovative Recombinant Chitosanase Preparation Approach.

For pilot-scale production of chito-oligosaccharides, it must be cost-effective to prepare designable recombinant chitosanase. Herein, an efficient method for preparing recombinant Bacillus chitosanase from Escherichia coli by elimination of undesirable substances as a precipitate is proposed. After an optimized culture with IPTG (Isopropyl ß-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside) induction, the harvested cells were resuspended, disrupted by sonication, divided by selective precipitation, and stored using the same solution conditions. Several factors involved in these procedures, including ion types, ionic concentration, pH, and bacterial cell density, were examined. The optimal conditions were inferred to be pH = 4.5, 300 mM sodium dihydrogen phosphate, and cell density below 1011 cells/mL. Finally, recombinant chitosanase was purified to >70% homogeneity with an activity recovery and enzyme yield of 90% and 106 mg/L, respectively. When 10 L of 5% chitosan was hydrolyzed with 2500 units of chitosanase at ambient temperature for 72 h, hydrolyzed products having molar masses of 833 ± 222 g/mol with multiple degrees of polymerization (chito-dimer to tetramer) were obtained. This work provided an economical and eco-friendly preparation of recombinant chitosanase to scale up the hydrolysis of chitosan towards tailored oligosaccharides in the near future.

Innovative mycoremediation technique for treating unsterilized PCDD/F-contaminated field soil and the exploration of chlorinated metabolites.

Mycoremediation of unsterilized PCDD/F-contaminated field soil was successfully demonstrated by solid-state fermentation coupled with Pleurotus pulmonarius utilizing a patented incubation approach. The experiments were carried out in four setups with two as controls. The contaminated soil was homogenously mixed with solid inocula, 1:0.5 dry w/w, resulting in an initial concentration of 4432 ± 623 ng WHO-TEQ kg-1. After a 30-day incubation under controlled conditions, the overall removal (approx. 60%) was non-specific. The removal was attributed to degradation by extracellular ligninolytic enzymes and uptake into the fruiting tissue (~110 ng WHO-TEQ kg-1 of mushroom). Furthermore, less recalcitrant chlorinated metabolites were found, implying ether bond cleavage and dechlorination happened during the mycoremediation. These metabolites resulted from the complex interaction between P. pulmonarius and the indigenous microbes from the unsterilized soil. This study provides a new step toward scaling up this mycoremediation technique to treat unsterilized PCDD/F-contaminated field soil.

White rot fungus Pleurotus pulmonarius enhanced bioremediation of highly PCDD/F-contaminated field soil via solid state fermentation.

This study was performed to evaluate the use of white rot fungus, Pleurotus pulmonarius, to treat polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) in contaminated soil using solid state fermentation (SSF). The soil was collected from a long-closed pentachlorophenol plant in southern Taiwan. The non-sterilized soil with a total PCDD/F concentration of 14,000 ±â€¯2400 ng I-TEQ kg-1 was mixed directly with the solid fungal inocula at dry w/w ratio of 1:1.4 (ratio-adjusted test) and incubated at 26 ±â€¯2 °C in a controlled environment. The highest PCDD/F decomposition was observed during the mycelium colonization. Pearson correlation coefficient (r) studied during this period (35 days) indicated that laccase had no significant correlation (r = -0.53), while manganese peroxidase had a strong positive correlation (r = 0.88) with PCDD/F decomposition efficiency. After 72 days, the more toxic congeners, tetra- and penta-CDD/Fs were removed to non-detectable levels. Meanwhile, the removal efficiencies of hexa-, hepta-, and octa-CDD/Fs were >80%, >97%, and >90%, respectively. The simultaneous degradation of low and high chlorinated DD/Fs suggested that overall removal was nonspecific. The overall PCDD/F removal was 96%, and the residual concentration (276 ng I-TEQ kg-1) was below the regulatory control limit (1000 ng I-TEQ kg-1). In conclusion, this study shows that P. pulmonarius via SSF can successfully remediate the PCDD/F-contaminated field soil. Furthermore, this SSF technique overcame the well-known intractability of PCDD/F biodegradation in non-sterilized soil, making it promising for actual field application.

Reduction of chromate from electroplating wastewater from pH 1 to 2 using fluidized zero valent iron process.

Fluidized zero valent iron (ZVI) process was conducted to reduce hexavalent chromium (chromate, CrO(4)(2-)) to trivalent chromium (Cr(3+)) from electroplating wastewater due to the following reasons: (1) Extremely low pH (1-2) for the electroplating wastewater favoring the ZVI reaction. (2) The ferric ion, produced from the reaction of Cr(VI) and ZVI, can act as a coagulant to assist the precipitation of Cr(OH)(3(s)) to save the coagulant cost. (3) Higher ZVI utilization for fluidized process due to abrasive motion of the ZVI. For influent chromate concentration of 418 mg/L as Cr(6+), pH 2 and ZVI dosage of 3g (41 g/L), chromate removal was only 29% with hydraulic detention time (HRT) of 1.2 min, but was increased to 99.9% by either increasing HRT to 5.6 min or adjusting pH to 1.5. For iron species at pH 2 and HRT of 1.2 min, Fe(3+) was more thermodynamically stable since oxidizing agent chromate was present. However, if pH was adjusted to 1.5 or 1, where chromate was completely removed, high Fe(2+) but very low Fe(3+) was present. It can be explained that ZVI reacted with chromate to produce Fe(2+) first and the presence of chromate would keep converting Fe(2+) to Fe(3+). Therefore, Fe(2+) is an indicator for complete reduction from Cr(VI) to Cr(III). X-ray diffraction (XRD) was conducted to exam the remained species at pH 2. ZVI, iron oxide and iron sulfide were observed, indicating the formation of iron oxide or iron sulfide could stop the chromate reduction reaction.

Simultaneous removal of NO and SO2 by high-temperature fluidized zero-valent iron processes.

A new approach to simultaneously remove nitrogen monoxide (NO) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) by zero valent iron (ZVI) was investigated. Three different parameters, temperature, flux, and ZVI dosage, were tested in fluidized ZVI column studies containing 500 ppmv of NO and SO2, respectively. Under the ZVI dosage of 0.5 g at flux of 0.6 L/cm2 x min for temperature 573 K, there is neither NO nor SO2 reduction. For 623 K and 673 K, complete removal for NO and > 90% removal for SO2 were achieved. For temperatures of 723 K and 773 K, 100% removal was achieved for both NO and SO2. The amounts of NO or SO2 reduction (as milligrams of NO or SO2 per gram ZVI) increased as temperature increased, and linearities were observed with both correlation coefficients > 0.97. Compared with NO, SO2 had earlier breakthrough because of a slower diffusion rate and less reactivity but higher mass reduction because of a higher molecular weight for SO2 (64 g/mol for SO2 and 30 g/mol for NO). At same temperature, both NO and SO2 reductions (as milligrams of NO or SO2 per gram of ZVI) were constant regardless of either flux or ZVI dosage variation, but breakthrough time was affected by both flux and ZVI dosage. A parameter weight of ZVI/flux (W/F) was developed to represent these two parameters at the same time to assess the breakthrough time of NO and SO2. Higher breakthrough time was achieved for higher W/F value. Moreover, interestingly, longer breakthrough time and more NO and SO2 mass reduction were achieved for combined NO and SO2 than individual NO or SO2 treated by ZVI, and both oxidation and reduction reactions occurred instead of a reduction reaction only. Chemical reactions among ZVI/NO, ZVI/ SO2, and ZVI/NO/SO2 were also proposed and verified by X-ray diffraction analyses.

Bostrycin production by agro-industrial residues and its potential for food processing.

Bostrycin, a red antibacterial agent produced by Nigrospora sp. no. 407, is considered for meat processing. To optimize production, the culture conditions of submerged fermentation (SmF) and solid-state fermentation (SSF) were investigated. The optimal SmF conditions were a medium containing 1.0% cane molasses and incubation at 30 °C and 150 rpm for 6 days. In SSF, other than bostrycin, less pigment was produced and the optimal ratio of bagasse to water was 1:2 for 10 days. The production and recovery rate of bostrycin by SmF were 120 mg/L and 40%, respectively. Bostrycin exhibited thermostable, pH-dependent color change and dose-dependent antibacterial activity against Clostridium botulinum. Bostrycin-modified meat turned strong red for at least 24 h and could not be removed by washing; bostrycin maintained its antibacterial activity with a bacteriostasis rate of 91% on Staphylcoccus aureus. This is an easy and inexpensive means of acquiring bostrycin from molasses and sugarcane.

Maximum contrast beamformer for electromagnetic mapping of brain activity.

Beamforming technique can be applied to map the neuronal activities from magnetoencephalographic/electroencephalographic (MEG/EEG) recordings. One of the major difficulties of the scalar-type MEG/EEG beamformer is the determination of accurate dipole orientation, which is essential to an effective spatial filter. This paper presents a new beamforming technique which exploits a maximum contrast criterion to maximize the ratio of the neuronal activity estimated in a specified active state to the activity estimated in a control state. This criterion leads to a closed-form solution of the dipole orientation. Experiments with simulation, phantom, and finger-lifting data clearly demonstrate the effectiveness, efficiency, and accuracy of the proposed method.

Mechanisms of NOx removal from flue gas by zero valent iron.

Chemical reaction between nitric oxide (NO) andzero valent iron (ZVI) was studied in a packed-bed column process with high temperatures based on ZVI strong reducing abilities. For six controlled temperatures of 523-773 K and 400 ppm of NO (typical flue gas temperature and concentration), under short empty bed contacttime ([EBCT] 0.0226-0.0679 sec), NO was completely removed for temperature of 573-773 K but not for 523 K. Break-through curves were conducted for the five working temperatures, and the results indicated that NO reductions by ZVI were varied from 2 to 26.7 mg NO/g ZVI. Higher temperature and longer EBCT achieved better NO removal efficiency. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) were conducted to analyze the crystal structure and oxidation state of the reacted ZVI. Three layers of iron species were detected by XRD: ZVI, Fe3O4, and Fe2O3. ZVI was the most prevalent species, and Fe3O4 and Fe2O3 were less from the XRD analysis. By ESCA, the oxidation state on the reacted ZVI surface was determined, and the species was identifled as Fe2O3, which is the most oxidizing species for iron. Therefore, three layers from the ZVI core to the ZVI surface can be identified: ZVI, Fe3O4, and Fe2O3. Combining the results from XRD and ESCA, the mechanisms for ZVI and NO can be proposed as two consecutive reactions from lower oxidation state (ZVI) in the core to higher oxidation state on the iron surface (Fe2O3): 3Fe + 4NO<--(high temperature)-->Fe3O4 + 2N2 (A1), 4Fe3O4 + 2NO<--(high temperature)-->6Fe2O3 + N2* (A2) Because there was only <5% ZVI used to remove NO comparing to theoretical ZVI used based on the proposed stoichiometry, it can be concluded that the heterogeneous reaction only occurred on the ZVI surface instead of on bulk of the ZVI.

Borate-fructose complex: A novel mediator for laccase and its new function for fructose determination.

Laccase and borate-fructose complex were investigated by coincidence in a solid-state fermentation of Edenia sp. TS-76 under fructose oxidase screening. Laccase was purified to homogeneity with a 34-fold purification and 32% yield. Fructose had no significant effect on laccase activity, whereas borate reduced laccase activity by 60-90%; conversely, the borate-fructose complex increased laccase activity by nearly fourfold at pH 7.5. The complex caused a shift in the optimal pH for laccase from 5.0 to 7.5 and served as a highly efficient mediator. Borate complexed with fructose provides an alternative, time-saving, and specific method for serum fructose determination.

Obesity and inflammatory biomarkers in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the roles of obesity and inflammatory biomarkers associated with medical complications in women with PCOS. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective, BMI-matched study. A total of 330 patients, including 165 women with PCOS and 165 women without PCOS, were evaluated. The insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index - HOMA) and lipid profiles were assessed. The adiponectin, leptin, ghrelin, resistin, anti-müllerian hormone (AMH), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were also measured. RESULTS: Women with PCOS had significantly higher AMH, fasting insulin, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein levels and lower SHBG levels compared with the controls. There was no difference in the serum obesity and inflammatory biomarkers between the PCOS cases and the controls. After adjusting for BMI and age, IL-6 was positively correlated with HOMA, and SHBG was negatively correlated with HOMA, triglyceride, and LDL. CONCLUSIONS: The serum adipokines levels are not good markers for PCOS. PCOS patients were characterized by their high AMH and low SHBG levels. A low level of SHBG should play an important role in the pathogenesis of the medical complications observed in women with PCOS. Clinical trial registration number NCT01989039.

Continuous production of high-content fructooligosaccharides by a complex cell system.

A complex biocatalyst system with a bioreactor equipped with a microfiltration (MF) module was employed to produce high-content fructooligosaccharides (FOS) in a continuous process initiated by a batch process. The system used mycelia of Aspergillus japonicus CCRC 93007 or Aureobasidium pullulans ATCC 9348 with beta-fructofuranosidase activity and Gluconobacter oxydans ATCC 23771 with glucose dehydrogenase activity. Calcium carbonate slurry was used to control pH to 5.5, and gluconic acid in the reaction mixture was precipitated as calcium gluconate. Sucrose solution with an optimum concentration of 30% (w/v) was employed as feed for the complex cell system, and high-content FOS was discharged continuously from a MF module. The complex cell system was run at 30 degrees C with an aeration rate of 5 vvm and produced more than 80% FOS with the remainder being 5-7% glucose and 8-10% sucrose on a dry weight basis, plus a small amount of calcium gluconate. The system worked for a 7-day continuous production process with a dilution rate of 0.04 h(-1), and the volumetric productivity for total FOS was more than 160 g L(-1) h(-1).

Purification, characterization and cloning of a chitinase from Bacillus sp. NCTU2.

A chitin-degrading Bacillus strain, designated as NCTU2, was screened from soil and identified. An extracellular chitinase was purified to >90% homogeneity from the culture filtrate. The purification involved hydrophobic-interaction and gel-filtration chromatographic separations with a yield of 58%. The purified enzyme (ChiNCTU2) is a monomeric protein with an estimated molecular mass of 36.5 kDa and a pI of 6.3. It is thermally stable at 60 degrees C and pH 6-8 for more than 3 h. The optimal activity is in the range of 50-60 degrees C at pH 7.0. Chitobiose is the predominant product throughout the enzymic hydrolysis of the colloidal chitin, indicating that the purified chitinase is an exo-chitinase. Chito-oligosaccharides [with degree of polymerization (DP) values of 4-6] are good substrates of the purified enzyme, whereas a DP3 oligomer was slowly hydrolysed to form DP1 and DP2 sugars. The first 15 N-terminal amino acids of the enzyme were determined to be ANNLGSKLLVGYWHN, which is highly homologous to that of ChiA from Bacillus cereus. A PCR cloning technique was employed to obtain the corresponding gene from Bacillus NCTU2. The gene sequence was determined to be 1080 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 360 amino acids with the first 27 amino acids as the signal peptide.

Clinical and biochemical characteristics of women with menstrual disturbance.

OBJECTIVE: Menstrual irregularity is one of the major complaints in women of reproductive age. The aim of this study was to evaluate the complications in women with different menstrual disturbances. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study. A total of 576 women were screened first, and 470 women were included later [257 women with oligo/amenorrhea (149 hyperandrogenic and 108 nonhyperandrogenic women) and 213 normocyclic controls]. Endocrine and metabolic parameters and insulin resistance were compared among different menstrual patterns. RESULTS: The average duration of menstrual cycle length was positively correlated with age, levels of androgens and prolactin, lipid profiles, and the parameters of insulin resistance. Hyperandrogenic women with amenorrhea had higher levels of androgens and more lipid profiles disorders than hyperandrogenic women with oligomenorrhea. However, nonhyperandrogenic women with amenorrhea had a degree of insulin resistance and metabolic disturbance similar to that of nonhyperandrogenic women with oligomenorrhea. Interestingly, for women with normal prolactin levels, serum prolactin levels were significantly lower in amenorrhea than oligomenorrhea in both hyperandrogenic and nonhyperandrogenic groups. CONCLUSION: The degree of menstrual disturbances does not correlate with the severity of insulin resistance and metabolic disturbances in women without excess levels of androgen. For women with normal prolactin levels, amenorrheic patients had significantly lower serum prolactin levels than oligomenorrheic patients.

Catalytic function of a newly purified exo-ß-D-glucosaminidase from the entomopathogenic fungus Paecilomyces lilacinus.

An entomopathogenic fungus, Paecilomyces lilacinus, was found to grow on chitosanase-detecting plates. Besides an endo-chitosanase, an exo-ß-D-glucosaminidase was purified by cation-exchange chromatography from this microorganism cultivated in M9 minimal media containing 0.5% chitosan as the sole carbon source. The molecular weight of the enzyme is 95kDa; the optimum pH and temperature for activity are 6.0 and 45°C, respectively. The purified exo-ß-D-GlcNase promotes the hydrolysis of 95% deacetylated chitosan from its non-reducing end and liberates 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose (GlcN) as the sole product; however, 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose (GlcNAc) was not detected when chitin was used as the substrate. The cleavage pattern confirmed using real-time mass spectrometry shows that exo-ß-D-glucosaminidase cleaves the glycosidic bonds between GlcN-GlcN and GlcN-GlcNAc but not between GlcNAc-GlcN or GlcNAc-GlcNAc. In the presence of a 10% solution of various alcohols, many alkyl-ß-D-glucosaminides were obtained, indicating that exo-ß-D-glucosaminidase is a retaining enzyme.

Hyperhomocysteinaemia is associated with biochemical hyperandrogenaemia in women with reproductive age.

OBJECTIVE: Hyperhomocysteinaemia is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the relationship between hyperhomocysteinaemia and factors related to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study. Three hundred and thirty-nine women were included; of these, 84 had hyperhomocysteinaemia (homocysteine>12.4 µmol/l) and 255 had normal homocysteine levels. Homocysteine, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, insulin resistance, metabolic disturbance and PCOS-related disturbance were evaluated. The clinical and biochemical characteristics of women with hyperhomocysteinaemia and normal homocysteine levels, including insulin resistance, metabolic disturbance and PCOS-related disturbance, were compared. RESULTS: Correlation was found between serum homocysteine level and serum total testosterone level and diastolic blood pressure. No correlation was found between serum homocysteine level and age, body mass index, insulin resistance and lipid profile. Women with hyperhomocysteinaemia had a significantly higher risk for biochemical hyperandrogenaemia and higher serum total testosterone levels than women with normal homocysteine levels. The prevalence rates of PCOS, oligo-amenorrhoea, polycystic ovary morphology and metabolic disturbance did not differ between the two groups. The parameters of insulin resistance and lipid profiles were similar between the two groups, and signs of clinical hyperandrogenism (hirsutism and the modified Ferriman-Gallwey score) did not differ between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis found a significant association between hyperandrogenaemia and hyperhomocysteinaemia (odds ratio 2.24, 95% confidence interval 1.26-4.01). CONCLUSIONS: For women with PCOS, an elevated serum total testosterone level is the main factor associated with hyperhomocysteinaemia. The association between biochemical hyperandrogenism and hyperhomocysteinaemia may contribute to cardiovascular risk for women with PCOS.