Hepalatide ameliorated progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in mice

BACKGROUND

No FDA-approved medications are available for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The present study aimed to assess the effects of Hepalatide, a sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) receptor-binding agent, on metabolic and histopathologic changes of a mouse model of NASH caused by high fat/calorie diet plus high fructose/glucose in drinking water (HFCD-HF/G) for 16 weeks.

METHODS

Male mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: controls (normal diet), HFCD-HF/G group, HFCD-HF/G plus low or high dose of Hepalatide (20 or 60 mg/kg, LH or HH, s.c. from 9 to 16 weeks).

RESULTS

Compared to HFCD-HF/G-fed mice, serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels in mice fed HFCD-HF/G plus LH or HH were decreased. The treatment with Hepalatide decreased serum alanine aminotransferase levels significantly. Liver histology and TUNEL staining showed that Hepalatide remarkably attenuated inflammation, hepatocellular steatosis and apoptosis. Hepalatide treatment decreased fasting blood glucose, serum insulin and HOMA insulin resistance index in the HH group. Moreover, Masson's staining, semi-quantitative score of fibrosis, and hydroxyproline content demonstrated that Hepalatide mitigated fibrotic progression in this murine NASH model. Additionally, most components of liver and few serum bile acids were increased in mice treated with HH.

CONCLUSION

Hepalatide effectively alleviated the pathological process, metabolic profile, hepatocellular steatosis and injury, insulin resistance, halted hepatic fibrotic progression in a mouse model of NASH, most likely through the increase of serum bile acids.

Genomic Insights Into Sugar Adaptation in an Extremophile Yeast Zygosaccharomyces rouxii

The osmotolerant Zygosaccharomyces rouxii is known for its trait to survive in extreme high sugar environments. This ability determines its role in the fermentation process and leads to yeast spoilage in the food industry. However, our knowledge of the gene expression in response to high sugar stress remains limited. Here, we conducted RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) under different sugar concentrations of the spoilage yeast, Z. rouxii, which exhibit extremely high tolerance to sugar stress. The obtained differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are significantly different to that of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is sensitive to extreme high sugar stress. Most of the DEGs participated in the “glucan synthesis,” “transmembrane transport,” “ribosome,” etc. In this work, we also demonstrated that the gene ZYRO0B03476g (ZrKAR2) encoding Kar2p can significantly affect the growth of Z. rouxii under high sugar stress. In addition, we combined with a previous study on the genome sequence of Z. rouxii, indicating that several gene families contain significantly more gene copies in the Z. rouxii lineage, which involved in tolerance to sugar stress. Our results provide a gene insight for understanding the high sugar tolerance trait, which may impact food and biotechnological industries and improve the osmotolerance in other organisms.

Association of microRNA biosynthesis genes XPO5 and RAN polymorphisms with cancer susceptibility: Bayesian hierarchical meta-analysis

XPO5/RAN-GTP complex mediates the nuclear transport of pre-miRNAs in the miRNA processing system, its altered expression is indicated to be correlated with cancer risk. Several studies have inspected the association between XPO5 or RAN polymorphisms and the risk of various cancers, but the findings remain controversial. A Bayesian hierarchical meta-analysis was carried out to review and analyze the effect of XPO5 and RAN polymorphisms on cancer risk. The association was estimated by calculating the logarithm of odds ratio (Log OR) and 95% credible interval (95% CrI). The expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis was used for in silico functional validation of the identified significant susceptibility loci. Consequently, 38 case-control studies (from 27 citations) with 27,459 cancer cases and 25,151controls were included in the meta-analysis of the five most prevalent SNPs (rs11077 A/C, rs2257082 G/A, rs3803012 A/G, rs14035 C/T, rs3809142 C/T). In the XPO5 gene rs11077 SNP, the minor C allele significantly increased the risk of cancer (Log OR = 0.120, 95% CrI = 0.013, 0.241), and a strong association between rs11077 SNP and cancer risk was also found in the dominant model (CC + AC vs. AA: Log OR = 0.132, 95% CrI = 0.009, 0.275). In addition, the minor GG genotype allele of the RAN gene rs3803012 SNP significantly increased the cancer risk (Log OR = 0.707, 95% CrI = 0.059, 1.385). Statistically significant associations between rs3803012 SNP and cancer risk were also observed in the recessive model (GG vs. AG + AA: Log OR = 0.708, 95% CrI = 0.059, 1.359). Furthermore, the eQTL analysis revealed that rs11077 SNP was significantly correlated with XPO5 mRNA expression, which provided additional biological basis for the observed positive association. Our results suggest that XPO5 rs11077 may be a possible functional susceptibility locus for cancer risk.

Temporal modulation of host aerobic glycolysis determines the outcome of Mycobacterium marinum infection

Macrophages are the first-line host defense that the invading Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) encounters. It has been recently reported that host aerobic glycolysis was elevated post the infection by a couple of virulent mycobacterial species. However, whether this metabolic transition is required for host defense against intracellular pathogens and the underlying mechanisms remain to be further investigated. A pathogenic mycobacterial species, M. marinum, is genetically close to Mtb and was utilized in this study. Through analyzing cellular carbon metabolism of RAW 264.7 (a murine macrophage-like cell line) post M. marinum infection, a strong elevation of glycolysis was observed. Next, three glycolysis inhibitors were examined for their ability to inhibit mycobacterial proliferation inside RAW264.7 macrophages. Among them, a glucose analog, 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) displayed a protective role against mycobacterial infection. Treatment with 2-DG at concentrations of 0.5 or 1 mM significantly induced autophagy and decreased the phagocytosis of M. marinum by macrophages. Moreover, 2-DG pre-treatment exerted a significantly protective effect on zebrafish larvae by limiting the proliferation of M. marinum, and such effect was correlated to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) as the 2-DG pre-treatment increased the expression of TNF-α in both mouse peritoneal macrophages and zebrafish. On the contrary, the 2-DG treatment post infection did not restrain proliferation of M. marinum in WT zebrafish, and even accelerated bacterial replication in TNF-α^-/- zebrafish. Together, modulation of glycolysis prior to infection boosts host immunity against M. marinum infection, indicating a potential intervention strategy to control mycobacterial infection.

Assessment of chemical composition and sensorial properties of ciders fermented with different non-Saccharomyces yeasts in pure and mixed fermentations

This work presents the attempt to enhance the flavor complexity of cider fermented by different non-Saccharomyces species. Pichia kluyveri and Hanseniaspora vineae pure cultures were used as reference ciders. Mixed cultures between all 4 species gave 5 fermentations, where Hanseniaspora uvarum or Torulaspora quercuum were included for apple juice fermentation. Chemical composition and sensorial properties of all ciders were studied. The results indicated that the growth of P. kluyveri and H. vineae were interreacted and also affected by H. uvarum and T. quercuum. H. vineae was more capable of consuming sugar than P. kluyveri. Ciders from the single culture fermentation with P. kluyveri (Pk), as well as from mixed fermentation with P. kluyveri and H. uvarum (Pk-Hu), had high residual sugar, sugar/acid ratio, and glucose-fructose consumption ratio. Large shifts in the consumption and production of organic acids and polyphenols among all ciders were observed. The calculation of the relative odor activity value (rOAV) showed that 17 volatile compounds had an rOAV >1 in at least one sample, and acetate esters and ethyl esters were the groups with the highest number of volatile compounds of importance to the cider aroma. Among these 17 compounds, 3-methylbutyl acetate, 2-methylbutyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, and β-damascenone exhibited high rOAVs in some ciders and might contribute fruity, floral, and sweet features to the cider aroma. Besides, the tropical fruity aroma from 3-methylbutyl acetate was only perceived in Pk and Pk-Hu. The partial least squares regression (PLSR) analysis revealed that acetate esters contributed positively to the roasted and cooked odor of all ciders. This is the first study evaluating simultaneous fermentation of two non-Saccharomyces yeasts to produce cider, which provides new insights into cider production.

Structure-Dependent Inhibition of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia by Polyphenol and Its Impact on Cell Membrane

As natural occurring antimicrobial substances, phenolic compounds have been used to inhibit various bacteria. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia 4–1, a strain isolated from food, exhibited spoilage potential in vitro with proteolysis and lipolysis at 25°C. The present study evaluated the antibacterial properties of 13 polyphenols on S. maltophilia 4–1, and selected 6 compounds (ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, (−)-epigallocatechin, and phloretin) for binary combination treatments. The results revealed that antibacterial activities of polyphenols were structure-dependent, and cinnamic acid showed strong inhibitory effects, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.125 mg/mL. Importantly, we did not observe any obvious synergistic effects across all binary combinations. The antibacterial mechanism of cinnamic acid was related to membrane damage, caused by the loss of cell membrane integrity and alteration of cell morphology. These findings suggest that cinnamic acid is a promising candidate for the control of spoilage bacteria in food.

Transverse effect of superradiation due to nonlinear effect in Rb atomic medium

We report on the investigation on the transverse effect of superradiation (SR) in Rb atomic medium by analyzing and comparing the diffraction patterns in the far-field under the circumstances that Gaussian and Bessel beam are taken as the excitation respectively. It is found that Gaussian SR shows a ring-pattern and its beam profile is closely dependent on the incident power and position of the sample cell. The experimental results are in good agreement with the simulations using semi-classical theory of SR together with spatial self-phase modulation (SPM), indicating that the transverse effect of SR is mainly attributed to its propagation in the nonlinear medium. By contrast, the beam profile of Bessel SR is hardly influenced by the input power thanks to its non-diffraction property. The comparison further confirms that the transverse effect of the SR is the result of the nonlinear effect for SR. This work provides useful information in understanding the physics behind the transverse effect of SR, which would be of significance in the applications of SR, such as enhancement on the beam quality and efficiency of the SR sources.

Regression-based machine-learning approaches to predict task activation using resting-state fMRI

Resting‐state fMRI has shown the ability to predict task activation on an individual basis by using a general linear model (GLM) to map resting‐state network features to activation z‐scores. The question remains whether the relatively simplistic GLM is the best approach to accomplish this prediction. In this study, several regression‐based machine‐learning approaches were compared, including GLMs, feed‐forward neural networks, and random forest bootstrap aggregation (bagging). Resting‐state and task data from 350 Human Connectome Project subjects were analyzed. First, the effect of the number of training subjects on the prediction accuracy was evaluated. In addition, the prediction accuracy and Dice coefficient were compared across models. Prediction accuracy increased with the training number up to 200 subjects; however, an elbow in the prediction curve occurred around 30–40 training subjects. All models performed well with correlation matrices, which displayed correlation between actual and predicted task activation for all subjects, exhibiting a strong diagonal trend for all tasks. Overall, the neural network and random forest bagging techniques outperformed the GLM. These approaches, however, require additional computing power and processing time. These results show that, while the GLM performs well, resting‐state fMRI prediction of task activation could benefit from more complex machine learning approaches.

Plasma-Exposure-Induced Mobility Enhancement of LiTFSI-Doped Spiro-OMeTAD Hole Transport Layer in Perovskite Solar Cells and Its Impact on Device Performance

2,2',7,7'-Tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenyl-amine)-9,9'-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD) film currently prevails as hole transport layer (HTL) employed in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the standard preparation method for spin-coated, Lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfony) imide (LiTFSI)-doped, spiro-OMeTAD HTL depends on a time-consuming and uncontrolled oxidation process to gain desirable electrical conductivity to favor device operation. Our previous work demonstrated that ~10 s oxygen or oxygen containing gas discharge plasma exposure can oxidize spiro-OMeTAD HTL effectively and make PSCs work well. In this communication, hole-only devices are fabricated and in-situ current density-voltage measurements are performed to investigate the change in hole mobility of LiTFSI-doped spiro-OMeTAD films under plasma exposure. The results reveal that hole mobility values can be increased averagely from ~5.0 × 10^-5 cm²V^-1s^-1 to 7.89 × 10^-4 cm²V^-1s^-1 with 7 s O₂ plasma exposure, and 9.33 × 10^-4 cm²V^-1s^-1 with 9 s O₂/Ar plasma exposure. The effects on the photovoltaic performance of complete PSC devices are examined, and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) is used for a diagnostic to explain the different exposure effects of O₂ and O₂/Ar plasma. High efficiency, fine controllability and good compatibility with current plasma surface cleaning techniques may make this method an important step towards the future commercialization of photovoltaic technologies employing spiro-OMeTAD hole transport material.

Two linked TBXT (brachyury) gene polymorphisms are associated with the tailless phenotype in fat-rumped sheep

T‐box transcription factor T (TBXT), encoding the brachyury protein, is an embryonic nuclear transcription factor involved in mesoderm formation and differentiation. Previous studies indicate that TBXT mutations are responsible for the tailless or short‐tailed phenotype of many vertebrates. To verify whether the tailless phenotype in fat‐rumped sheep is associated with TBXT mutations, exon 2 of the TBXT gene for 301 individuals belonging to 13 Chinese and Iranian sheep breeds was directly sequenced. Meanwhile, 380 samples were used to detect the genotypes of the candidate variations by mapping to their reads databases in the Sequence Read Archive repository of GenBank. The results showed that one missense mutation, c.334G>T (GGG>TGG) with a completely linked synonymous variant c.333G>C (CCG>CCC) was found to be associated with the ‘tailless’ characteristic in typical fat‐rumped sheep breeds. The c.334G>T transversion led to the conversion of glycine to tryptophan at the 112th amino acid in the T‐box domain of the brachyury protein. In addition, crossbreeding experiments for long‐tailed and tailless sheep showed that CT/CT allele of nucleotides (nt) 333 and 334, a recessive mutation, would cause sheep tails to be shorter, suggesting that these two linked variants at nucleotides 333 and 334 in TBXT are probably causative mutations responsible for the tailless phenotype in sheep.

Transcriptomic Analysis of the Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Antibacterial Activity of IONPs@pDA-Nisin Composites toward Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris

A simple and no-drug resistance antibacterial method was developed by the synthesis of heat-stable and pH-tolerant nisin-loaded iron oxide nanoparticles polydopamine (IONPs@pDA) composites. The composites had a crystal structure and diameters of 25 ± 3 nm, with a saturation magnetization ( M_s) of 43.7995 emu g^-1. Nisin was successfully conjugated onto the IONPs@pDA nanoparticles, as evinced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. The novel synthesized material showed good performance in reducing Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris, a common food spoilage bacterium that represents a significant problem for the food industry. Treatment of A. acidoterrestris cells with composites resulted in membrane damage, as observed by live/dead staining and scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses. Further, the composites exhibited highly efficient antibacterial activity against cells in only 5 min. Transcriptomic sequencing of culture RNA pools after exposure to composites resulted in a total of 334 differentially expressed genes that were primarily associated with transcriptional regulation, energy metabolism, membrane transporters, membrane and cell wall syntheses, and cell motility. Thus, these results suggested that changes in transcriptional regulation caused by aggregated composites on target cells led to major changes in homeostasis that manifested by decreased energy metabolism, pore formation in the membrane, and repressed cell wall synthesis. Concomitantly, cell motility and sporulation activities were both repressed, and finally, intracellular substances flowed out of leaky cells. The proposed biocontrol method represents a novel means to control microorganisms without inducing drug resistance. Further, these results provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the antibacterial activity of composites against microorganisms.

Identification of Novel Circulating miRNA Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Dysplasia

BACKGROUND

Circulating miRNAs have been identified as diagnostic biomarkers for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but their efficacy in discovering early-stage ESCC is still unsatisfying. Esophageal squamous dysplasia (ESD) is the precursor lesion of ESCC. Notably, little is known about the role(s) of circulating miRNAs in identifying ESD. In this study, we, therefore, aimed to identify serum miRNAs as novel diagnostic markers for detecting ESD and ESCC.

METHODS

The genome-wide miRNA expression was profiled in 104 (52 ESCC and 52 controls) serum samples using microarray. Seven candidate miRNAs from the microarray assay were evaluated for their diagnostic performance in another cohort of 266 participants (96 ESCC, 92 ESD, and 78 healthy controls).

RESULTS

The serum levels of miR-16-5p, miR-197-5p, miR-451a, and miR-92a-3p were associated with ESCC; the biomarker based on the panel of these four miRNAs could efficiently distinguish patients with ESCC from the controls [AUC = 0.856; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.794-0.905; P < 0.001]. The serum levels of miR-16-5p, miR-320c, miR-638, and miR-92a-3p were significantly higher in patients with ESD than in controls, and this four-miRNA signature could efficiently differentiate patients with ESD from the controls (AUC = 0.842; 95% CI, 0.778-0.893; P < 0.001). In addition, compared with serum carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 199, miRNA-based panels had a better diagnostic performance in distinguishing patients with ESCC and ESD from healthy controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study identified two novel panels of circulating miRNAs with high efficiency in detecting ESCC and ESD, suggesting that circulating miRNAs, in particular the combination of them, might serve as noninvasive biomarkers for the early detection of ESCC.

IMPACT

This study suggests the feasibility of using circular miRNA-based blood tests to aid in the detection of ESD and ESCC.

Time Trends of Gastrointestinal Cancers Incidence and Mortality in Yangzhong From 1991 to 2015: An Updated Age-Period-Cohort Analysis

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are the common cause of morbidity and mortality in China which seriously threaten people's health and lives. The aim of this study was to describe the temporal trend in the epidemiology of GI cancers from 1991 to 2015, with an emphasis on the effects of age, period and cohort in Yangzhong City, Jiangsu province, a high-risk area of GI cancers in China. Methods: Our study extracted cases of gastric cancer, esophageal cancer and colorectal cancer diagnosed from 1991 to 2015 from Yangzhong Cancer Registry. Age-standardized rates (ASRs) were calculated and joinpoint regression was used to compute the estimated annual percent changes. Age-period-cohort (APC) model was performed to investigate the independent effects of age, calendar period, and birth cohort. Results: Between 1991 and 2015, 18,006 new cases and 10,262 deaths were registered with GI cancers in Yangzhong. The age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) of gastric cancer decreased in both sexes during the study period. And the incidence rates of esophageal cancer stabilized at first then continued to decline, the turning point was in 2005 for men and 2001 for women. Changes in the mortality rates of gastric cancer and esophageal cancer showed significant declined trends around 2000-2010 in both genders. The incidence rates of colorectal cancer increased steadily during the entire study period, and the increase was more pronounced in the mortality rates of men. The results of APC analysis suggest that general decreases in incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer and gastric cancer might be caused by the downward trend of the period and cohort effects, while the increases in colorectal cancer might be caused by the uptrend of the period effects. Conclusions: The incidence and mortality rates of esophageal and gastric cancers showed a downward trend and colorectal cancer was on the rise as a whole in Yangzhong City. The different burden of gastrointestinal cancer indicating heterogeneous risk factors exist and may have contributed to these temporal variations.

An evidence-based approach to assess the accuracy of intravoxel incoherent motion imaging for the grading of brain tumors

BACKGROUND

Differentiation of high-grade gliomas (HGGs) and low-grade gliomas (LGGs) is an important clinical problem because treatment strategies vary greatly. This study was performed to investigate the potential diagnostic value of incoherent intravoxel motion imaging (IVIM) to distinguish HGG from LGG by meta-analysis.

METHODS

A computerized search of the literature was performed using the free-access PubMed database, Web of Science, and Chinese biomedical database, and relevant articles until September 18, 2018 that used IVIM to distinguish HGG from LGG were included. All analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.3 and Stata. Mean difference (MD) at 95% confidence interval (CI) of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), diffusion coefficient value (D), perfusion fraction value (f), and perfusion coefficient value (D*) were summarized.

RESULTS

Nine studies were used for general data pooling. In the tumor parenchyma (TP) regions, subgroup analysis revealed D* in HGG is higher than in LGG (MD = 1.19, P = .002), and D in HGG is lower than in LGG (MD = -1.06, P = .001). However, no significant difference in f (MD = 0.89, P = .056) was detected between HGG and LGG. In the white matter regions, HGG had higher D* (MD = 0.76, P = .04) compared with LGG, while no marked differences between the D value (P = .07) and f (P = .09) values.

CONCLUSION

The present meta-analysis shows that the ADC, D, and D* values derived from IVIM may be useful in differentiating HGG from LGG. Considering the small sample of this study, we need to be cautious when interpreting the results of this study. Other prospective and large-sample randomized controlled trials were needed to establish the value of IVIM in differentiating HGG from LGG.

Chondroblastoma Of The Lumbar Vertebra

Chondroblastoma is an uncommon and benign bone tumour. No more than 10 cases of lumbar chondroblastoma have been reported in the past 20 years. To describe the clinical presentations and radiological features of a rare case of chondroblastoma of the lumbar spine, this study reports one case involving the third lumbar vertebrae. A 22-year-old female presented with left lower back pain and numbness. CT revealed tumour infiltration of the third lumbar vertebrae and left psoas major displacement, which was found to be a chondroblastoma by surgery. Lumbar chondroblastomas are very rare which seem to be aggressive on imaging findings; with soft tissue extension, thin sclerotic rim and bony destruction. When encountering a vertebral lesion that seems to be aggressive on imaging findings, we must be aware of the possibility of chondroblastoma.

Characterization of a murine nonalcoholic steatohepatitis model induced by high fat high calorie diet plus fructose and glucose in drinking water

There are varieties of murine models of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with different pathophysiologic characteristics. For preclinical assessment, a standardized model would allow comparisons of various pharmacotherapeutic candidates in efficacy, pharmacokinetics, pharmaco-metabolism, and adverse effects under a same system. The present study aims to characterize murine NASH models by comparing end-points of major abnormalities. NASH was induced by feeding high fructose/glucose in drinking water (HF/G), high-fat/calorie diet (HFCD), and in combination (HFCD-HF/G) in mice for 8 or 16 weeks. HF/G feeding caused a minimal fat accumulation and increase in free fatty acids (FFA). In contrast, HFCD-HF/G feeding resulted in a remarkable increase in body weight, subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue, macrosteatosis with a nearly seven-fold increase in triglyceride and FFA content, accompanied with marked hepatocellular injury, inflammatory responses, fibrosis, and insulin resistance, and represented as typical NASH in histopathology, metabolic, and adipokine profiles in a progressive manner. Meanwhile, mice fed HFCD displayed significant steatosis, necroptosis, fibrosis, insulin resistance, metabolic, and adipokine profiles, and the extent is less than those fed HFCD-HF/G. Significant MCP-1, CCR-2, and NLRP-1/3 activation were found in mice fed HFCD and HFCD-HF/G for 16 weeks, whereas gene expression of CPT-1 and ACOX-1 was down-regulated in these two groups in comparison to the controls. Nuclear receptors, such as SREBP-1c, FXR, LXR-α, PPAR-α, and PPAR-γ, were strikingly elevated in the HFCD-HF/G group. In conclusion, feeding HFCD-HF/G resulted in a reliable NASH model in mice with remarkable necroptosis, steatosis, fibrosis, and insulin resistance as well as a disordered profile of lipid metabolism and adipokine, and HFCD caused significant NASH features in histopathology and metabolic profiles only at a late stage. Whereas HF/G feeding barely led to minimal fat accumulation, some changes at molecular levels and metabolic disturbance in mice.

Effective Adsorption of Patulin from Apple Juice by Using Non-Cytotoxic Heat-Inactivated Cells and Spores of Alicyclobacillus Strains

Patulin (PAT) is a major threat to many food products, especially apple and apple products, causing human health risks and economic losses. The aim of this study was to remove PAT from apple juice by using the heat-inactivated (HI) cells and spores of seven Alicyclobacillus strains under controlled conditions. The HI cells and spores of seven strains adsorbed PAT effectively, and the HI cells and spores of Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius DSM 451 (A51) showed maximum PAT adsorption capacity of up to 12.621 μg/g by HI cells and 11.751 μg/g by HI spores at 30 °C and pH 4.0 for 24 h. Moreover, the PAT adsorption process followed the pseudo-first order kinetic model and the Freundlich isotherm model; thermodynamic parameters revealed that PAT adsorption is a spontaneous exothermic physisorption process. The results also indicated that PAT adsorption is strain-specific. The HI cells and spores of Alicyclobacillus strains are non-cytotoxic, and the bioadsorption of PAT did not affect the quality of the juice. Furthermore, the cell wall surface plays an important role in the adsorption process.

Fourier Transform Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Chemometrics To Predict Zygosacchromyces rouxii in Apple and Kiwi Fruit Juices

This study investigated the capability of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict the concentration of Zygosaccharomyces rouxii in apple and kiwi fruit juices. The yeast was inoculated in fresh kiwi fruit juice ( n = 68), reconstituted kiwi juice ( n = 85), and reconstituted apple juice ( n = 64), followed by NIR spectra collection and plate counting. A principal component analysis indicated direct orthogonal signal correction preprocessing was suitable to separate spectral samples. Parameter optimization algorithms increased the performance of support vector machine regression models developed in a single variety juice system and a multiple variety juice system. Single variety juice models achieved accurate prediction of Z. rouxii concentrations, with the limit of quantification at 3 to 15 CFU/mL ( R² = 0.997 to 0.999), and the method was also feasible for Hanseniaspora uvarum and Candida tropicalis. The best multiple variety juice model obtained had a limit of quantification of 237 CFU/mL ( R² = 0.961) for Z. rouxii. A Bland-Altman analysis indicated good agreement between the support vector machine regression model and the plate counting method. It suggests that NIRS can be a high-throughput method for prediction of Z. rouxii counts in kiwi fruit and apple juices.

LPS inactivation by a host lipase allows lung epithelial cell sensitization for allergic asthma

This study provides strong evidence that intestinal commensal LPS desensitizes lung epithelial cells and therefore diminishes allergic responses to inhaled allergens. A host lipase, acyloxyacyl hydrolase (AOAH), prevents the desensitization by inactivating commensal LPS.

Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease primarily mediated by Th2 immune mechanisms. Numerous studies have suggested that early life exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is negatively associated with allergic asthma. One proposed mechanism invokes desensitization of lung epithelial cells by LPS. We report here that acyloxyacyl hydrolase (AOAH), a host lipase that degrades and inactivates LPS, renders mice more susceptible to house dust mite (HDM)–induced allergic asthma. Lung epithelial cells from Aoah^−/− mice are refractory to HDM stimulation, decreasing dendritic cell activation and Th2 responses. Antibiotic treatment that diminished commensal LPS-producing bacteria normalized Aoah^−/− responses to HDM, while giving LPS intrarectally ameliorated asthma. Aoah^−/− mouse feces, plasma, and lungs contained more bioactive LPS than did those of Aoah^+/+ mice. By inactivating commensal LPS, AOAH thus prevents desensitization of lung epithelial cells. An enzyme that prevents severe lung inflammation/injury in Gram-negative bacterial pneumonia has the seemingly paradoxical effect of predisposing to a Th2-mediated airway disease.

Common and distinct abnormal frontal-limbic system structural and functional patterns in patients with major depression and bipolar disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) are common severe affective diseases. Although previous neuroimaging studies have investigated brain abnormalities in MDD or BD, the structural and functional differences between these two disorders remain unclear. In this study, we adopted a multimodal approach, combining voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and functional connectivity (FC), to study the common and distinct structural and functional alterations in unmedicated MDD and BD patients. The VBM analysis revealed that both the MDD and BD patients showed decreased gray matter volume (GMV) in the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC_L) and right hippocampus (HIP_R) compared with the healthy controls, and the MDD patients showed decreased GMV in the left superior frontal gyrus (SFG_L) and ACC_L compared with the BD patients. Furthermore, we took these clusters as seed regions to analyze the abnormal resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in the patients. We found that both the MDD and BD groups had decreased RSFC between the ACC_L and the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC_L) and that the MDD group had decreased RSFC between the SFG_L and the HIP_L, compared with the healthy controls. Our results revealed that the MDD and BD patients were more similar than different in GMV and RSFC. These findings indicate that investigating the frontal-limbic system could be useful for understanding the underlying mechanisms of these two disorders.

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Both MDD and BD patients had reduced GMV in the ACC_L and HIP_R compared with HC.

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MDD patients had decreased GMV in the ACC_L and SFG_L compared with BD patients.

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Both BD and MDD patients had decreased ACC-OFC RSFC compared with HC.

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The MDD and BD patients were more similar than different in GMV and RSFC.

Can the apparent diffusion coefficient differentiate the grade of endometrioid adenocarcinoma and the histological subtype of endometrial cancer?

Background Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) provides useful information for the identification of benign and malignant uterine lesions. However, the use of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for histopathological grading of endometrial cancer is controversial. Purpose To explore the use of ADC values in differentiating the preoperative tumor grading of endometrioid adenocarcinomas and investigate the relationship between the ADC values of endometrial cancer and the histological tumor subtype. Material and Methods We retrospectively evaluated 98 patients with endometrial cancers, including both endometrioid adenocarcinomas (n = 80) and non-endometrioid adenocarcinomas (n = 18). All patients underwent DWI procedures and ADC values were calculated. The Kruskal-Wallis test and the independent samples Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare differences in the ADC values between different tumor grades and different histological subtypes. Results The mean ADC values (ADCmean) for high-grade endometrioid adenocarcinomas were significantly lower than the values for low-grade tumors (0.800 versus 0.962 × 10^-3 mm²/s) ( P = 0.002). However, no significant differences in ADCmean and minimum ADC values (ADCmin) were found between tumor grades (G1, G2, and G3) of endometrial cancer. Compared with endometrioid adenocarcinomas, the adenocarcinoma with squamous differentiation showed lower ADC values (mean/minimum = 0.863/0.636 versus 0.962/0.689 × 10^-3 mm²/s), but the differences were not significant ( P_mean = 0.074, P_min = 0.441). Moreover, ADCmean for carcinosarcomas was significantly higher than the value for G3 non-carcinosarcoma endometrial cancers (1.047 versus 0.823 × 10^-3 mm²/s) ( P = 0.001). Conclusion The ADCmean was useful for identifying high-grade and low-grade endometrioid adenocarcinomas. Additionally, squamous differentiation may decrease ADCmean and ADCmin of endometrioid adenocarcinoma, and carcinosarcomas showed relatively high ADCmean.