Highly regioselective biotransformation of ginsenoside Rg1 to 25-OH derivatives of 20(S/R)-Rh1 by Cordyceps Sinensis.

25-OH ginsenosides are potent and rare prodrugs in natural sources. However current strategies for such modification always end up in undesirable side products and unsatisfied yield that hinders them from further applications. Herein, ginsenoside Rg1 was thoroughly converted into 20(S/R)-Rh1 and 25-OH-20(S/R)-Rh1 by Cordyceps Sinensis in an optimum medium. The chemical correctness of either 25-OH-20(S/R)-Rh1 epimers was validated by LC-IT-TOF-MSn and 13C NMR spectrometry. The biocatalytic pathway was established as Rg1 â†’ 20(S/R)-Rh1 â†’ 25-OH-20(S/R)-Rh1. The molar bioconversion rate for total 25-OH-20(S/R)-Rh1 was calculated to be 82.5%, of which S-configuration accounted for 43.2% while R-configuration 39.3%. These two 25-OH derivatives are direct hydration products from 20(S/R)-Rh1 without other side metabolites, suggesting this is a highly regioselective process. In conclusion, this biocatalytic system could be harnessed to facilitate the preparation of diversified 25-OH ginsenosides with high yields of the target compound and simple chemical background in the reaction mixture.

Adsorption and desorption characteristics of ginsenosides from Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer on middle-pressure chromatogram isolated gels.

Four types of middle-pressure chromatogram isolated gels are evaluated for adsorption or desorption characteristics of ginsenosides from Panax ginseng. Among them, SP207SS and SP2MGS were selected for dynamic investigations based on their static adsorption or desorption capacity of total ginsenoside. Their adsorption kinetics was better explained by pseudosecond-order model and isotherms were preferably fitted to Langmuir model. Dynamic breakthrough experiments indicated an optimum sample loading speed of 4 bed volume/h for either SP207SS or SP2MGS. Desorption speed was determined to be 2 bed volume/h according to desorption amount of total ginsenoside in their effluents. Eight ginsenosides were identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadropole-mass spectrometry in total ginsenoside extract and different fractions during stepwise dynamic elution. For SP207SS, 27.62% of loaded ginsenosides was detected in 40% ethanol fraction, while 59.12% of them were found in 60% ethanol fraction. As on SP2MGS, the number went to 53.71 and 44.43%, respectively. Recovery rate of ginsenosides were calculated to 78.65% for SP207SS and 89.53% for SP2MGS, respectively. Intriguingly, content of Rg1 and Re in 40% ethanol fraction from SP207SS became 20.1 and 18.6 times higher than that in total ginsenoside extract by one-step elution, which could be leveraged for the facile enrichment of these two ginsenosides from natural sources.

Perceptions and Acceptability of Receiving SMS Self-care Messages in Chinese Patients With Heart Failure: An Inpatient Survey.

BACKGROUND: Self-care is critical for postdischarge heart failure (HF) patients. Short message service (SMS) is a promising way to promote HF self-care. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate knowledge status in Chinese HF patients, as well as the acceptance of SMS as a way to improve self-care. METHODS: A survey using a self-developed questionnaire was conducted in patients with decompensated HF 2 days before discharge. RESULTS: A total of 540 patients completed the survey. Among them, only 69.8% and 63.3% of patients were aware of their HF status and medication regimen, respectively. A total of 95.6% patients were willing to receive SMS. Patient himself/herself, caregiver, or both patient and caregiver were almost equally selected as the preferred receiver of SMS. Educational and/or reminder SMS was considered "very helpful" by 50.2% of the patients as a way of promoting self-care, similar to that of telephone education and brochure education. "Take your medicine", "avoid getting flu," and "keep follow-up" were regarded as the most important self-care contents, whereas "weigh yourself every day" and "restrict fluid intake" were considered the least important. CONCLUSION: As a way of promoting HF self-care, SMS intervention combining educational and reminder function might be well accepted by HF patients in China. The status of HF, medication, weight control, and fluid restriction should be emphasized during the practice. Caution should be drawn as the survey was not tested elsewhere. Further clinical trials would be conducted to examine the effect of SMS intervention on self-care behaviors and outcomes of HF patients.

Learning needs of Chinese patients before undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention.

Abstract This study aimed to determine the learning needs of Chinese patients going for elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), in order to design nurse-led education programs. A self-administered survey was completed by a total of 395 patients prior to the procedure. Face-to-face communication was chosen by 343 (86.8%) patients as the most preferred way of education. Doctor-in-charge was ranked as the most wanted educator by 372 (94.2%) patients, including 191 (45.4%) patients who chose both doctor-in-charge and nurse-in-charge. Interventional cardiologist was preferred by patients with higher education more than those with lower education (63.6 vs. 48.1%, P < 0.05). Learning items such as self-rescue on heart attack, efficiency of PCI and post-procedural medication were regarded as the most important, which could be affected by age, gender and educational level. These findings would help to develop patient preferred programs that involve brief communications with doctors and more structured education activities led by nurses.

Impacts of ultrasound-assisted Fenton degradation and alkaline de-esterification on structural properties and biological effects of pectic polysaccharides from Tartary buckwheat leaves.

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn) leaf has abundant rhamnogalacturonan-I enriched pectic polysaccharides, which exert various health-promoting effects. Nevertheless, the potential relationship between the chemical structure and the biological function of pectic polysaccharides from Tartary buckwheat leaves (TBP) remains unclear. Therefore, to bridge the gap between the chemical structure and the biological function of TBP, the impacts of ultrasound-assisted Fenton degradation (UFD) and mild alkaline de-esterification (MAD) on structural properties and biological effects of TBP were systematically studied. Compared with the native TBP (molecular mass, 9.537 × 104 Da), the molecular masses of degraded TBPs (TBP-MMW, 4.811 × 104 Da; TBP-LMW, 2.101 × 104 Da) were significantly reduced by the UFD modification, while their primary chemical structures were overall stable. Besides, compared with the native TBP (esterification degree, 22.73 %), the esterification degrees of de-esterified TBPs (TBP-MDE, 14.27 %; TBP-LDE, 6.59 %) were notably reduced by the MAD modification, while their primary chemical structures were also overall stable. Furthermore, the results revealed that both UFD and MAD modifications could significantly improve the antioxidant, antiglycation, and immunostimulatory effects of TBP. Indeed, TBP's biological effects were negatively correlated to its molecular mass and esterification degree, while positively linked to its free uronic acids. The findings demonstrate that both UFD and MAD modifications are promising techniques for the structural modification of TBP, which can remarkedly promote its biological effects. Besides, the present results are conducive to better understanding TBP's structure-bioactivity relationship.

Pectic polysaccharides from Tartary buckwheat sprouts: Effects of ultrasound-assisted Fenton treatment and mild alkali treatment on their physicochemical characteristics and biological functions.

Buckwheat sprouts are rich in pectic polysaccharides, which possess numerous health-improving benefits. However, the precise structure-activity relationship of pectic polysaccharides from Tartary buckwheat sprouts (TP) is still scant, which ultimately restricts their applications in the food industry. Hence, both ultrasound-assisted Fenton treatment (UAFT) and mild alkali treatment (MATT) were utilized for the modification of TP, and then the effects of physicochemical characteristics of original and modified TPs on their bioactivities were assessed. Our findings reveled that the UAFT treatment could precisely reduce TP's molecular weight, with the levels decreased from 8.191 × 104 Da to 0.957 × 104 Da. Meanwhile, the MATT treatment could precisely reduce TP's esterification degree, with the values decreased from 28.04 % to 4.72 %. Nevertheless, both UAFT and MATT treatments had limited effects on the backbone and branched chain of TP. Moreover, our findings unveiled that the UAFT treatment could notably promote TP's antioxidant, antiglycation, and immunostimulatory effects, while remarkedly reduce TP's anti-hyperlipidemic effect, which were probably owing to that the UAFT treatment obviously reduced TP's molecular weight. Additionally, the MATT treatment could also promote TP's immunostimulatory effect, which was probably attributed to that the MATT treatment significantly decreased TP's esterification degree. Interestingly, the MATT treatment could regulate TP's antioxidant and antiglycation effects, which was probably attributed to that the MATT treatment simultaneously reduced its esterification degree and bound phenolics. Our findings are conducive to understanding TP's structure-activity relationship, and can afford a scientific theoretical basis for the development of functional or healthy products based on TPs. Besides, the UAFT treatment can be a promising approach for the modification of TP to improve its biological functions.

Efficient and Selective Extraction of Rhamnogalacturonan-I-Enriched Pectic Polysaccharides from Tartary Buckwheat Leaves Using Deep-Eutectic-Solvent-Based Techniques.

Tartary buckwheat green leaves are considered to be among the most important by-products in the buckwheat industry. Although Tartary buckwheat green leaves are abundant in pectic polysaccharides, their potential applications in the food industry are quite scarce. Therefore, to promote their potential applications as functional or fortified food ingredients, both deep-eutectic-solvent-assisted extraction (DESE) and high-pressure-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction (HPDEE) were used to efficiently and selectively extract pectic polysaccharides from Tartary buckwheat green leaves (TBP). The results revealed that both the DESE and HPDEE techniques not only improved the extraction efficiency of TBP but also regulated its structural properties and beneficial effects. The primary chemical structures of TBP extracted using different methods were stable overall, mainly consisting of homogalacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) pectic regions. However, both the DESE and HPDEE methods could selectively extract RG-I-enriched TBP, and the proportion of the RG-I pectic region in TBP obviously improved. Additionally, both the DESE and HPDEE methods could improve the antioxidant and anti-glycosylation effects of TBP by increasing its proportion of free uronic acids and content of bound polyphenolics and reducing its molecular weight. Moreover, both the DESE and HPDEE methods could partially intensify the immunostimulatory effect of TBP by increasing its proportion of the RG-I pectic region. These findings suggest that DES-based extraction techniques, especially the HPDEE method, can be promising techniques for the efficient and selective extraction of RG-I-enriched TBP.

Potential structure-function relationships of pectic polysaccharides from quinoa microgreens: Impact of various esterification degrees.

Pectic polysaccharides are one of the most vital functional ingredients in quinoa microgreens, which exhibit numerous health-promoting benefits. Nevertheless, the detailed information about the structure-function relationships of pectic polysaccharides from quinoa microgreens (QMP) remains unknown, thereby largely restricting their applications as functional foods or fortified ingredients. Therefore, to unveil the possible structure-function relationships of QMP, the mild alkali de-esterification was utilized to modify QMP, and then the correlations of esterification degrees of native and modified QMPs to their biological functions were systematically investigated. The results showed that the modified QMPs with different esterification degrees were successfully prepared by the mild alkali treatment, and the primary chemical structure (e.g., compositional monosaccharides and glycosidic linkages) of the native QMP was overall stable after the de-esterified modification. Furthermore, the results revealed that the antioxidant capacity, antiglycation effect, prebiotic potential, and immunostimulatory activity of the native QMP were negatively correlated to its esterification degree. In addition, both native and modified QMPs exerted immunostimulatory effects through activating the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. These results are conducive to unveiling the precise structure-function relationships of QMP, and can also promote its applications as functional foods or fortified ingredients.

Peg-hole disassembly using active compliance.

When considered in two-dimensional space, a cylindrical peg being withdrawn from a clearance-fit hole can exhibit one of four contact states: no contact, one-point contact, two-point contact and line contact. Jamming and wedging can occur during the two-point contact. Effective control of the two-point contact region can significantly reduce resistance in peg-hole disassembly. In this paper, we explore generic peg-hole disassembly processes with compliance and identify the effects of key parameters including the degree of compliance, the location of the compliance centre and initial position errors. A quasi-static analysis of peg-hole disassembly has been performed to obtain the boundary conditions of the two-point contact region. The effects of key variables on the two-point contact region have been simulated. Finally, peg-hole disassemblies with different locations of compliance centre achieved using active compliance have been experimentally investigated. The proposed theoretical model can be implemented to predict the range and position of the two-point contact region from the perspective of peg-hole disassembly.

Learning Need of Chinese Patients before Undergoing Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Abstract This study aimed to determine the learning needs of Chinese patients going for elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in order to design nurse led education programs. A self-administered survey was completed by a total of 395 patients prior to the procedure. Face-to-face communication was chosen by 343 (86.8%) patients as the most preferred way of education. Doctor-in-charge was ranked as the most wanted educator by 372 (94.2%) patients, including 191 (45.4%) patients who chose both doctor-in-charge and nurse-in-charge. Interventional cardiologist was preferred by patients with higher education more than those with lower education (63.6% vs. 48.1%, p<0.05). Learning items such as self-rescue on heart attack, efficiency of PCI and post-procedural medication were regarded as the most important, which could be affected by age, gender and educational level. These findings would help to develop patient preferred programs that involve brief communications with doctors and more structured education activities led by nurses.

Challenges of identifying asian women for breast cancer screening.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To emphasize the need for multiple data sources to develop a comprehensive list of potential respondents for a study of breast cancer screening behavior among Asian American women. DESIGN: Descriptive, pilot. SETTING: An urban Michigan county. SAMPLE: 616 Chinese women age 40 and older. METHODS: Comparison of multiple data sources, including lists from membership directories of local Chinese organizations, a commercial survey company, health promotion events, and brief telephone interviews. FINDINGS: Of the 616 eligible women, 32% were identified through the membership directories of local Chinese organizations, 28% from a list obtained from the survey company, 22% from telephone directories, 10% from the attendance lists of health promotion events, and 8% from more than one source. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple sources are required to obtain a comprehensive list for specialized populations. Every data source has its advantages and disadvantages. The use of diverse sources helps to offset the limitations of each individual one. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Identifying potential participants from specialized populations represents a major issue for clinicians and researchers in nursing and other health-related disciplines. Strategies exist to facilitate the process.