Preparation of Redispersible Chitin Nanofibers and Its Application in Stabilizing Pickering Emulsion

Chitin nanofibers (ChNFs) with both amino and carboxyl groups were obtained by carboxymethylation of partially deacetylated chitin (DE-chitin) with chloroacetic acid. ChNFs could be dispersed again in deionized water after drying and removing the dispersing medium. The aspect ratio of ChNFs had little change before and after dispersion. Further, ChNFs could effectively stabilize oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsions. The emulsion (comprising 10% oil) stabilized with ChNFs at concentrations greater than 0.5% was stabile for 90 days. In addition, ChNFs could stabilize the emulsion in a wide pH range (3–11). Overall, ChNFs is expected to be used as a novel Pickering stabilizer to protect and deliver pH-sensitive active substances in the field of food biology

Association of atopy with disease severity in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia

BackgroundMycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) is common among children, but the impact of atopy on MPP severity in children is unknown. This study investigated whether atopic vs. nonatopic children had greater MPP severity.MethodsRetrospective analysis was conducted on 539 (ages 3–14 years) patients who were hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University for MPP between January 2018 and December 2021, 195 were atopic and 344 were nonatopic. Of them, 204 had refractory MPP, and 335 had general MPP. And of atopic children, 94 had refractory MPP, and 101 had general MPP. Data on demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, clinical treatments were analyzed.ResultsSignificantly more boys with MPP were atopic than nonatopic (P < 0.05). More atopic (than nonatopic) children presented with prolonged fever and hospitalization, severe extra-pulmonary complications, asthma attaking, steroid and oxygen treatment, and increased IgE levels (all P < 0.05). In atopic (vs. nonatopic) children with MPP, the incidence of sputum plugs under the fiberoptic bronchoscopy and lobar pneumonia was significantly increased and required bronchoscopy-assisted and steroid therapy. Compared with nonatopic children, more atopic children developed refractory MPP (P < 0.05). Prolonged fever and hospitalization, severe extra-pulmonary complications, lymphocyte count, procalcitonin and lactate dehydrogenase levels, and percentages of atopy were all significantly higher (P < 0.05) among children with refractory MPP vs. general MPP. Moreover, Prolonged fever and hospitalization, lymphocyte count, procalcitonin and lactate dehydrogenase levels, and the treantment of steroid were all significantly higher (P < 0.05) among atopic children with refractory MPP vs. general MPP. Spearman correlation analysis showed strong associations between atopy and male sex, length of hospital stay, fever duration, IgE level, wheezing, lobar pneumonia, refractory MPP, and treatment with oxygen, hormones or bronchoscopy (P < 0.05).ConclusionsAtopy may be a risk factor for and was positively correlated with the severity of MPP in children

Knee loading repairs osteoporotic osteoarthritis by relieving abnormal remodeling of subchondral bone via Wnt/β-catenin signaling

Osteoporotic osteoarthritis (OPOA) is a common bone disease mostly in the elderly, but the relationship between Osteoporotic (OP) and osteoarthritis (OA) is complex. It has been shown that knee loading can mitigate OA symptoms. However, its effects on OPOA remain unclear. In this study, we characterized pathological linkage of OP to OA, and evaluated the effect of knee loading on OPOA. We employed two mouse models (OA and OPOA), and conducted histology, cytology, and molecular analyses. In the OA and OPOA groups, articular cartilage was degenerated and Osteoarthritis Research Society International score was increased. Subchondral bone underwent abnormal remodeling, the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to osteoblasts and chondrocytes was reduced, and migration and adhesion of pre-osteoclasts were enhanced. Compared to the OA group, the pathological changes of OA in the OPOA group were considerably aggravated. After knee loading, however, cartilage degradation was effectively prevented, and the abnormal remodeling of subchondral bone was significantly inhibited. The differentiation of BMSCs was also improved, and the expression of Wnt/β-catenin was elevated. Collectively, this study demonstrates that osteoporosis aggravates OA symptoms. Knee loading restores OPOA by regulating subchondral bone remodeling, and may provide an effective method for repairing OPOA

High Internal Phase Pickering Emulsion Stabilized by Natural Biomacromolecules and Its Application in Foods

In recent years, high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs) has attracted much attention due to its unique organizational properties and has a wide application prospect in the food field. Natural biomacromolecules, active components in organisms, possess good biocompatibility, degradability, no or low toxic effects, which are excellent stabilizers for HIPPEs. In this paper, the potential of natural biomacromolecules to stabilize HIPPEs and recent progress on the application of biopolymer-stabilized HIPPEs in the inhibition of lipid oxidation, as a substitute for trans fatty acids, and in the encapsulation and delivery of nutrients, the 3D printing of foods and encapsulation of probiotics are briefly reviewed in order to provide a reference for the application of HIPPEs stabilized by natural biomacromolecules in foods

PhDHS Is Involved in Chloroplast Development in Petunia

Deoxyhypusine synthase (DHS) is encoded by a nuclear gene and is the key enzyme involved in the post-translational activation of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF5A. DHS plays important roles in plant growth and development. To gain a better understanding of DHS, the petunia (Petunia hybrida) PhDHS gene was isolated, and the role of PhDHS in plant growth was analyzed. PhDHS protein was localized to the nucleus and cytoplasm. Virus-mediated PhDHS silencing caused a sectored chlorotic leaf phenotype. Chlorophyll levels and photosystem II activity were reduced, and chloroplast development was abnormal in PhDHS-silenced leaves. In addition, PhDHS silencing resulted in extended leaf longevity and thick leaves. A proteome assay revealed that 308 proteins are upregulated and 266 proteins are downregulated in PhDHS-silenced plants compared with control, among the latter, 21 proteins of photosystem I and photosystem II and 12 thylakoid (thylakoid lumen and thylakoid membrane) proteins. In addition, the mRNA level of PheIF5A-1 significantly decreased in PhDHS-silenced plants, while that of another three PheIF5As were not significantly affected in PhDHS-silenced plants. Thus, silencing of PhDHS affects photosynthesis presumably as an indirect effect due to reduced expression of PheIF5A-1 in petunia.Significance:PhDHS-silenced plants develop yellow leaves and exhibit a reduced level of photosynthetic pigment in mesophyll cells. In addition, arrested development of chloroplasts is observed in the yellow leaves

Transatmospheric ileal stoma manometry can be applied for the early detection of stoma outlet obstruction

BackgroundStoma outlet obstruction (SOO) is a common complication of diverting ileostomy and usually detected at the advanced stage when the intestine is obviously obstructed. The objective of this study is to explore the efficacy of transatmospheric ileal stoma manometry (TISM) in early detection of SOO before the manifestation of intestinal obstruction.MethodsA single-center prospective study was performed in patients scheduled to undergo reversal ileostomy and laparoscopic anterior rectal resection and diverting ileostomy in Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from 1st July 2022 to 31st December 2022. The stoma pressure was measured by TISM at different time points.ResultsThe mean stoma pressure of the 30 patients before reversal ileostomy was 5.21 cmH2O which was considered as normal standard of stoma pressure, and ranged from 1.2 to 8.56 cmH2O. After excluding two patients with anastomotic leakage, a total of 38 patients who were subjected to laparoscopic anterior rectal resection and diverting ileostomy were further included in this study. The incidence of anastomotic leakage was 5% and that of SOO was 12.5%. The mean postoperative obstruction time was 5.2 (3-7) days and the mean time from elevated stoma pressure to diagnosed as SOO was 2.8 (2-4) days in the five patients who developed SOO. The pressure measured at the third stoma manometry time point (second day after return of gut function) (10.23 vs. 6.04 cmH2O, p<0.001) and the postoperative hospital stay (10 vs. 8.49 days, p=0.028) showed significantly difference between the SOO and non-SOO groups. The pressures measured at the first time point (before return of gut function) (4 vs. 4.49 cmH2O, p=0.585), the second time point (the day of return of gut function) (6.8 vs. 5.62 cmH2O, p=0.123), and the fourth time point (discharge day) (5.88 vs. 5.9 cmH2O, p=0.933) showed no significant difference in both groups.ConclusionTISM can be utilized for early detection of SOO and can be incorporated as a novel diagnostic method together with abdominal CT scan to realize the goal of ERAS

Serum metabolic profiling of rats infected with Clonorchis sinensis using LC-MS/MS method

BackgroundClonorchiasis is an important foodborne parasitic disease. The omics-based-techniques could illuminate parasite biology and further make innovations in the research for parasitic diseases. However, knowledge about the serum metabolic profiles and related metabolic pathways in clonorchiasis is very limited.MethodsA untargeted ultra-high performance liquid tandem chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) was used to profile the serum metabolites of rats at both 4 and 8 weeks post infection (wpi) with Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis). Additionally, multivariate statistical analysis methods were employed to identify differential metabolites. Next, serum amino acids and phosphatidylcholines (PCs) levels were determined by targeted metabolomics analysis.ResultA total of 10530 and 6560 ions were identified in ESI+ and ESI− modes. The levels of phosphatidylcholines, glycerophosphocholine and choline were significantly changed, with the shift in lipid metabolism. Significant changes were also observed in amino acids (isoleucine, valine, leucine, threonine, glutamate and glutamine). Targeted analysis showed that BCAAs (isoleucine, valine, leucine) levels significantly increased at 4 wpi and decreased at 8 wpi; threonine was increased at 8 wpi, whereas glutamate and glutamine showed a decreasing trend at 8 wpi. Additionally, the level of 17 PCs were significantly changed in infected rats. Marked metabolic pathways were involved in clonorchiasis, including glycerophospholipid metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, histidine metabolism and pyrimidine metabolism.ConclusionThese results show that C. sinensis infection can cause significant changes in the rat serum metabolism, especially in amino acids and lipids. The metabolic signature together with perturbations in metabolic pathways could provide more in depth understanding of clonorchiasis and further make potential therapeutic interventions

Comparative analysis of bile metabolic profile in patients with biliary obstruction complicated by Clonorchis sinensis infection

BackgroundClonorchiasis is an important foodborne parasitic disease. However, eggs of Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) cannot be detected in feces during biliary obstruction. Moreover, many diseases can cause biliary obstruction, such as gallstones, adenocarcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma and Ascaris lumbricoides infection. Therefore, it is of great significance to distinguish between patients of biliary obstruction and biliary obstruction with C. sinensis infection.MethodsA total of 48 biliary obstruction patients were enrolled, including 23 infected with C. sinensis (C. sinensis) (OB+C.s) and 25 non-infected subjects (OB). The bile samples were collected by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and analyzed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF MS). Additionally, multivariate statistical analysis methods were employed to identify differential metabolites. Next, bile amino acid levels were determined by targeted metabolomics analysis.ResultA total of 146 and 132 significant metabolites were identified in electrospray ionization (ESI)+ and ESI− modes, respectively. The levels of amino acids (asparagine, glutamate, ornithine) and polyamines (spermidine and spermine) were significantly changed. Targeted analysis showed that the levels of amino acids (such as L-arginine, L-glutamine, L-lysine, L-propionic, and L-tyrosine) were lower in OB+C.s patients compared to those in OB patients. Marked metabolic pathways were involved in “Glutathione metabolism”, “Caffeine metabolism”, “Alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism”, “Arginine and proline metabolism”, “Purine metabolism”, “Beta-Alanine metabolism”, and “D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism”.ConclusionThese results show that there were significant differences between OB+C.s and OB patients, especially in amino acids. The metabolic signature and perturbations in metabolic pathways may help to better distinguish OB+C.s and OB patients

Studies on the Detection, Expression, Glycosylation, Dimerization, and Ligand Binding Properties of Mouse Siglec-E

© 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. Published in the U.S.A. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)CD33-related Siglecs are a family of proteins widely expressed on innate immune cells. Binding of sialylated glycans or other ligands triggers signals that inhibit or activate inflammation. Immunomodulation by Siglecs has been extensively studied, but relationships between structure and functions are poorly explored. Here we present new data relating to the structure and function of Siglec-E, the major CD33-related Siglec expressed on mouse neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells. We generated nine new rat monoclonal antibodies specific to mouse Siglec-E, with no cross-reactivity to Siglec-F. Although all antibodies detected Siglec-E on transfected human HEK-293T cells, only two reacted with mouse bone marrow neutrophils by flow cytometry and on spleen sections by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, whereas all antibodies recognized Siglec-E-Fc on immunoblots, binding was dependent on intact disulfide bonds and N-glycans, and only two antibodies recognized native Siglec-E within spleen lysates. Thus, we further investigated the impact of Siglec-E homodimerization. Homology-based structural modeling predicted a cysteine residue (Cys-298) in position to form a disulfide bridge between two Siglec-E polypeptides. Mutagenesis of Cys-298 confirmed its role in dimerization. In keeping with the high level of 9-O-acetylation found in mice, sialoglycan array studies indicate that this modification has complex effects on recognition by Siglec-E, in relationship to the underlying structures. However, we found no differences in phosphorylation or SHP-1 recruitment between dimeric and monomeric Siglec-E expressed on HEK293A cells. Phylogenomic analyses predicted that only some human and mouse Siglecs form disulfide-linked dimers. Notably, Siglec-9, the functionally equivalent human paralog of Siglec-E, occurs as a monomer.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio