546 research outputs found
Prediction of tannin content and quality parameters in astringent persimmons from visible and near-infrared spectroscopy
IntroductionTannin content and postharvest quality characteristics of persimmon fruit are often determined by the destructive analysis that consumes time, does not allow the acquisition of data from the same fruit continuously, and requires expensive high-performance equipment. This research was done to investigate the potential for non-destructive estimation of astringency and quality parameters in persimmon fruit based on visible/near-infrared (VNIR) spectra.MethodsVNIR spectra readings, the reference tannin content, and quality parameters were measured from fruits of āCheongdo-Bansiā and āDaebongā persimmon cultivars at harvest and throughout the ripening/deastringency period. The spectra readings from half of the total fruit were utilized for the calibration set, while the other half readings were used for the prediction set. To develop models correlating the spectra data to the measured reference parameters data, the partial least square regression (PLSR) method was utilized.Results and discussionIn the case of āDaebongā, the coefficients of determination (R2) between VNIR spectra and the actual measured values of TSS, firmness, simple sugars, and tannin content were (0.95, 0.94, 0.96, and 0.96) and (0.93, 0.89, 0.96, and 0.93), for the calibration and prediction sets, respectively. Similarly, the R2-values of (0.86, 0.93, 0.79, and 0.81) and (0.83, 0.91, 0.75, and 0.75) were recorded in āCheongdo-Bansiā for the calibration and prediction sets, respectively. Additionally, the acquired data were divided into two sets in a 3:1 ratio to develop predictive models and to validate the models in multiple regressions. PLSR models were developed in multiple regression to estimate the tannin content of both cultivars from firmness and simple sugars with R2-values of 0.83 and 0.79 in āCheongdo-Bansiā for the calibration and prediction sets, respectively, whereas, R2-values of 0.80 and 0.84 were recorded in āDaebongā for the calibration and prediction sets, respectively. The overall findings of this study showed the possibility of using VNIR spectra for the prediction of postharvest quality and tannin contents from intact persimmon fruit with quick, chemical-free, and low-cost assessment methods. Also, the multiple regression using physicochemical parameters could fairly predict the tannin content in persimmon fruit though destructively but save time and low-cost
Clinical Efficacy of Primary Tumor Volume Measurements: Comparison of Different Primary Sites
ObjectivesThe purpose of study was to determine the clinical efficacy of primary tumor volume measurements of different primary sites in the oropharynx compared to the oral cavity.MethodsA retrospective analysis of 85 patients with oral cavity or oropharynx cancer. The tumor area was manually outlined from axial magnetic resonance (MR) series. The software calculated the tumor volumes, automatically. The values of the primary tumor volumes were then subdivided into separate groups (ā¤3,500 mm3, >3,500 mm3).ResultsThe prognostic indicators were the cT and cN (oral cavity); age, primary site, cT, cN, and primary tumor volume (oropharynx) on the univariate analysis. There was no significant prognostic factor for oral cavity cancer on the multivariate analysis. Primary site, cN, and primary tumor volume were independent prognostic indicators for oropharynx cancer by multivariate analysis.ConclusionPrimary tumor volume measurement is a reliable way to stratify outcome, and make up for the weak points in the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system with oropharynx cancer
Radish microgreens produced without substrate in a vertical multi-layered growing unit are rich in nutritional metabolites
Growing microgreens on trays without substrate in a vertical multilayered growing unit offers several advantages over traditional agriculture methods. This study investigated the yield performance and nutritional quality of five selections of radish microgreens grown in sprouting trays, without a substrate using only water, in an indoor multilayer cultivation system using artificial light. Various parameters were measured, including fresh weight, dry matter, chlorophyll, minerals, amino acids, phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, vitamin C, glucosinolates, and antioxidant activity with four different in vitro assays. After ten days, the biomass had increased by 6-10 times, and the dry matter varied from 4.75-7.65%. The highest yield was obtained from āAsia redā, while the lowest was from āKoregon redā. However, āKoregon redā and āAsia redā had the highest dry matter. āAsia redā was found to have the highest levels of both Chls and vitamin C compared to the other cultivars, while āKoregon redā exhibited the highest levels of total phenolics and flavonoids. Although variations in the levels of individual glucosinolates were observed, there were no significant differences in the total content of glucosinolates among the five cultivars. āAsia purpleā had the highest anthocyanin content, while āAsia green 2ā had the lowest. The K, Mg, and Na concentrations were significantly highest in āAsia green 2ā, and the highest Ca was recorded in āAsia purpleā. Overall, āAsia purpleā and āKoregon redā were the best cultivars in terms of nutritional quality among the tested radish microgreens. These cultivars exhibited high levels of dry weight, total phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, essential and total amino acids, and antioxidant activities. Moreover, the implementation of this vertical cultivation method for microgreens, which relies solely on water and seeds known for their tall shoots during the sprouting could hold promise as a sustainable approach. This method can effectively be utilized for cultivar screening and fulfilling the nutritional and functional needs of the population while minimizing the environmental impacts associated with traditional agriculture practices
The Benefits and Risks of Prophylactic Central Neck Dissection for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Prospective Cohort Study
Objectives. This study evaluated the benefits of performing prophylactic central neck dissection (CND) with total thyroidectomy (TT) in management of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients who were clinically node-negative at presentation. Methods. A total of 257 patients with stage T1 or T2 PTC and without preoperative evidence of lymph node involvement (N0) were enrolled in this prospective study. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups: (1) a total thyroidectomy (TT) group (n=104) or (2) a TT plus CND group (n=153). The two groups were compared for their perioperative data, complication rates, disease recurrence rates, and clinical outcomes. Results. The two groups of patients were similar in age, sex ratio, follow-up duration, and tumor size (P=0.227, 0.359, 0.214, and 0.878, resp.). The two groups showed similar rates of disease recurrence (3.9% in the TT group versus 3.3% in the TT plus CND group); however, complications occurred more frequently in the TT plus CND group; especially transient hypocalcemia (P=0.043). Conclusions. Patients treated with TT plus CND had a higher rate of complications with similar recurrence rate. We believe that CND may not be routinely recommended when treating patients with PTC
High Extracellular Calcium Increased Expression of Ank, PC-1 andOsteopontin in Mouse Calvarial Cells
In the process of bone remodeling, mineral phase of bone
is dissolved by osteoclasts, resulting in elevation of calcium
concentration in micro-environment. This study was performed
to explore the effect of high extracellular calcium
(Ca
2+
e) on mineralized nodule formation and on the expression
of progressive ankylosis (Ank), plasma cell membrane
glycoprotein-1 (PC-1) and osteopontin by primary cultured
mouse calvarial cells. Osteoblastic differentiation and mineralized
nodule formation was induced by culture of mouse
calvarial cells in osteoblast differentiation medium containing
ascorbic acid and Ī²-glycerophosphate. Although Ank, PC-1
and osteopontin are well known inhibitors of mineralization,
expression of these genes were induced at the later stage of
osteoblast differentiation during when expression of osteocalcin,
a late marker gene of osteoblast differentiation, was
induced and mineralization was actively progressing. High
Ca
2+
e (10 mM) treatment highly enhanced mRNA expression
of Ank, PC-1 and osteopontin in the late stage of osteoblast
differentiation but not in the early stage. Inhibition of p44/42
MAPK activation but not that of protein kinase C suppressed
high Ca
2+
e-induced expression of Ank, PC-1 and
osteopontin. When high Ca
2+
e (5 mM or 10 mM) was present
in culture medium during when mineral deposition was
actively progressing, matrix calcifiation was significantly
increased by high Ca
2+
e. This stimulatory effect was abolished
by pyrophosphate (5 mM) or levamisole (0.1-0.5 mM), an
alkaline phosphatase inhibitor. In addition, probenecid (2mM),
an inhibitor of Ank, suppressed matrix calcification in both
control and high Ca
2+
e-treated group, suggesting the possible
role of Ank in matrix calcification by osteoblasts. Taken
together, these results showed that high Ca
2+
e stimulates expression of Ank, PC-1 and osteopontin as well as matrix
calcification in late differentiation stage of osteoblasts and
that p44/42 MAPK activation is involved in high Ca
2+
e-
induced expression of Ank, PC-1 and osteopontin
Assessment of Soil Washing for Simultaneous Removal of Heavy Metals and Low-Level Petroleum Hydrocarbons Using Various Washing Solutions
Bench-scale soil washing experiments were conducted for simultaneous removal of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn) and low-level petroleum hydrocarbon contaminants from soils. Various washing solutions including hydrochloric acid (HCl), nitric acid (HNO3), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), tartaric acid (C4H6O6) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (C10H16N2O8, EDTA) were used. The concentration of the washing solutions ranged from 0.1 to 3M with a liquid-to-solid ratio of 10. The soil washing results showed that hydrochloric acid (HCl) was the best washing solution at 3M for heavy metal removal. Other washing solutions also showed a significant removal of heavy metals, except for sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) exhibited the worst performance among all washing solutions used with respect to Pb removal. 1M HCl and HNO3were sufficient for effective Pb and Cu removal, and all of the tested washing solutions at a concentration of 0.1M produced results compliant with the Korean warning standard for Zn removal. In the case of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), tartaric acid (C4H6O6) produced the highest removals at all concentration levels compared with other washing solutions. More specifically, TPH removal efficiencies exceeded 33 and 82 % at the lowest (0.1M) and highest (3M) tartaric acid (TA) concentrations, respectively. Overall, TA could be a viable washing solution for the removal of both heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn) and TPH from contaminated soils
The Expression of Matrix Metalloprotease 20 is Stimulated by Wild Type but not by 4 bp- or 2 bp- Deletion Mutant DLX3
Mutations in DLX3 are associated with both autosomal
dominant hypoplastic hypomaturation amelogenesis
imperfecta (ADHHAI) and tricho-dento-osseous (TDO)
syndrome. ADHHAI is caused by a c.561_562delCT (2bpdel
DLX3) mutation whereas TDO syndrome is associated
with a c.571_574delGGGG (4bp-del DLX3) mutation.
However, although the causal relationships between DLX3
and an enamel phenotype have been established, the
pathophysiological role of DLX3 mutations in enamel
development has not yet been clarified. In our current study,
we prepared expression vectors for wild type and deletion
mutant DLX3 products (4bp-del DLX3, 2bp-del DLX3) and
examined the effects of their overexpression on the
expression of the enamel matrix proteins and proteases.
Wild type DLX3 enhanced the expression of matrix
metalloprotease 20 (MMP20) mRNA and protein in murine
ameloblast-like cells. However, neither a 4bp-del nor 2bpdel
DLX3 increased MMP20 expression. Wild type DLX3,
but not the above DLX3 mutants, also increased the activity
of reporters containing 1.5 kb or 0.5 kb of the MMP20
promoter. An examination of protein stability showed that
the half-life of wild type DLX3 protein was less than 12 h
whilst that of both deletion mutants was longer than 24 h.
Endogenous Dlx3 was also found to be continuously
expressed during ameloblast differentiation. Since
inactivating mutations in the gene encoding MMP20 are
associated with amelogenesis imperfecta, the inability of
4bp-del or 2bp-del DLX3 to induce MMP20 expression
suggests a possible involvement of such mutations in the enamel phenotype associated with TDO syndrome or
ADHHAI
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