Effect of parboiling on in vitro physiological antioxidant capacity of brown rice

Parboiling process has been widely implemented in brown rice processing, but its effect on in vitro physiological antioxidant capacity of brown rice was not known. In this study, an in vitro method simulating the human physiological conditions was used to investigate the effect of parboiling on antioxidant capacity of brown rice in three Bario rice varieties. In this method, bacterial inocula were prepared from rat cecal contents. Results showed that parboiling process gave significant impacts on in vitro physiological antioxidant capacity of brown rice. The process improved total phenolic content at small intestine (Adan Halus), DPPH scavenging activity at both small and large intestines (Adan Halus and Bario Merah) and ferrous ion-chelating activity at large intestine (Bario Hitam). However, changes in antioxidant capacity were variety dependent, possibly due to different bran pigmentation. These suggested that parboiling process could improve physiological antioxidant capacity with in vitro simulation at small and large intestines by selecting a suitable rice variety and parboiled brown rice could offer good antioxidant properties to maintain physiological health

Phenome-wide analysis of Taiwan Biobank reveals novel glycemia-related loci and genetic risks for diabetes

To explore the complex genetic architecture of common diseases and traits, we conducted comprehensive PheWAS of ten diseases and 34 quantitative traits in the community-based Taiwan Biobank (TWB). We identified 995 significantly associated loci with 135 novel loci specific to Taiwanese population. Further analyses highlighted the genetic pleiotropy of loci related to complex disease and associated quantitative traits. Extensive analysis on glycaemic phenotypes (T2D, fasting glucose and Hb

Multiplex assay for detection of Bario rice samples

The present invention provides a four-tube multiplex assay for distinguishing Bario rice from non-Bario rice varieties, said assay comprising the steps of running multiplex PCR with sample using one or more loci of Table 1 and distinguishing the Bario rice from non-Bario rice varieties on the basis of varietal specific multiplex allele profile. The present invention also provides a kit for performing multiplex assay for distinguishing Bario rice from non-Bario rice varieties, which may comprise primers directed to SSR loci, appropriate reagents for PCR and a control DNA template of Bario rice

Ferulic acid, gamma oryzanol and GABA content in whole grain rice and their variation with bran colour

The health advantages of whole grain rice are largely associated with the bioactive food components namely, ferulic acid (FA), gamma oryzanol (GO) and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the germ and bran of grain kernel. This study was aimed to determine the content of these health-promoting compounds among 53 local rice cultivars and their relation to bran colours. There was remarkable amount of health-promoting compounds in the rice collection, especially “Segerit”, “Merah” from Rumah Ulat and “Keladi” from Menitam. FA was the highest with an average of 1034.0 µg/g followed by GO 757.90 µg/g and GABA 191.16 µg/g. Rice with pigmented bran stored more FA and GO than their non-pigmented counterparts. An analysis of variance and Pearson’s student correlation showed that FA responded significantly with rice bran colour (r= 0.75) but no significant relations was found for GO and GABA. This result indicated that bran colour could be a quick indicator of FA content in whole grain rice. Whole grain rice rich in bioactive compounds is a good material for the development of nutraceutical products and functional food

Analysis of Sarawak Bario rice diversity using microsatellite markers

Problem statement: There are numerous claims on varieties of Bario rice cultivars in Sarawak. Many of them might be synonyms or homonyms. This preliminary study was to differentiate Bario Rice cultivars using microsatellite molecular markers. Approach: Microsatellite marker panels distributed on all 12 chromosomes on rice genome were employed to study 8 Bario rice cultivars in Sarawak. Results: Current study indicated that the microsatellite panel were able to differentiate the 8 Bario rice cultivars. A total of 31 alleles were generated at 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci among the cultivars using the selected polymorphic SSR primer pairs with an average of 2.6 alleles per locus. Average PIC value obtained was 0.5204. An UPGMA dendrogram based on SSR polymorphism indicated high variation among the rice varieties with the coefficient ranging from 0.16 and 0.92. Genetic diversity determination using cluster analysis showed differentiation of rice cultivars into 2 major groups and several sub-groups. Conclusion: The SSR markers were useful for differentiating the genotypes and assessment of genetic relationships due to its reproducibility and to multiallelic, codominant and informative properties

Clinical Significance and the Role of Guanylate-Binding Protein 5 in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Guanylate binding protein 5 (GBP5) is the interferon (IFN)-inducible subfamily of guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) and is involved in pathogen defense. However, the role played by GBP5 in cancer development, especially in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), is still unknown. Herein, next-generation sequencing analysis showed that the gene expression levels of GBP5 were significantly higher in OSCC tissues compared with those found in corresponding tumor adjacent normal tissues (CTAN) from two pairs of OSCC patients. Higher gene expression levels of GBP5 were also found in tumor tissues of 23 buccal mucosal squamous cell carcinoma (BMSCC)/14 tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) patients and 30 oral cancer patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database compared with those in CTAN tissues. Immunohistochemical results showed that protein expression levels of GBP5 were also higher in the tumor tissues of 353 OSCC patients including 117 BMSCC, 187 TSCC, and 49 lip squamous cell carcinoma patients. Moreover, TCGA database analysis indicated that high gene expression levels of GBP5 were associated with poor overall survival in oral cancer patients with moderate/poor cell differentiation, and associated with poor disease-free survival in oral cancer patients with moderate/poor cell differentiation and lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, GBP5-knockdowned cells exhibited decreased cell growth, arrest at G1 phase, and decreased invasion/migration. The gene expression of markers for epithelial−mesenchymal transition and cancer stemness was also reduced in GBP5-silenced oral cancer cells. Taken together, GBP5 might be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for OSCC patients, especially for those with poor cell differentiation and lymph node metastasis

Antipsychotics and the Risk of Cerebrovascular Accident: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

Background Studies investigating the association between antipsychotic use and the risk of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) showed inconsistent results. Aim Conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate whether use of antipsychotics is associated with increased risk of CVA. Methods Major electronic databases were searched from 1970 to October 2016 for observational studies investigating the risk of CVA among users of antipsychotics. Pooled estimates of odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained by random effects meta-analysis. Results Of 1171 citations identified, 10 studies were considered eligible. Significant increase in risk of CVA was associated with first-generation antipsychotics (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.24–1.77) but not with second-generation antipsychotics (OR 1.31; 95% CI 0.74–2.30). Use of any antipsychotics in patients with dementia was associated with a low risk of CVA (OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.08–1.26). Conclusions The available evidence suggests use of with first-generation antipsychotics as opposed to second-generation antipsychotics significantly increased the risk of CVA