Preparation of quinoa bran dietary fiber-based zinc complex and investigation of its antioxidant capacity in vitro

In order to improve the economic utilization of quinoa bran and develop a safe and highly available zinc ion biological supplement. In this study, a four-factor, three-level response surface optimization of quinoa bran soluble dietary fiber (SDF) complexation of zinc was studied. The effect used four factors on the chelation rate was investigated: (A) mass ratio of SDF to ZnSO4.7H2O, (B) chelation temperature, (C) chelation time, and (D) pH. Based on the results of the single-factor test, the four-factor three-level response surface method was used to optimize the reaction conditions. The optimal reaction conditions were observed as mentioned here: the mass ratio of quinoa bran SDF to ZnSO4.7H2O was 1, the reaction temperature was 65°C, the reaction time was 120 min, and the pH of the reaction system was 8.0. The average chelation rate was 25.18%, and zinc content is 465.2 μg/g under optimal conditions. The hydration method rendered a fluffy quinoa bran SDF structure. The intramolecular functional groups were less stable which made the formation of the lone pairs of electrons feasible to complex with the added divalent zinc ions to form a quinoa bran soluble dietary fiber-zinc complex [SDF-Zn(II)]. The SDF-Zn(II) chelate had higher 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ABTS+, hydroxyl radical scavenging ability, and total antioxidant capacity. Therefore, metal ion chelation in dietary fiber is of biological importance

Toward Real-time Simulation of Blood-Coil Interaction during Aneurysm Embolization

International audienceOver the last decade, remarkable progress has been made in the field of endovascular treatment of aneurysms. Technological advances continue to enable a growing number of patients with cerebral aneurysms to be treated with a variety of endovascular strategies, essentially using detachable platinum coils. Yet, coil embolization remains a very complex medical procedure for which careful planning must be combined with advanced technical skills in order to be successful. In this paper we propose a method for computing the complex blood flow patterns that take place within the aneurysm, and for simulating the interaction of coils with this flow. This interaction is twofold, first involving the impact of the flow on the coil during the initial stages of its deployment, and second concerning the decrease of blood velocity within the aneurysm, as a consequence of coil packing. We also propose an ap- proach to achieve real-time computation of coil-flow bilateral influence, necessary for interactive simulation. This in turns allows to dynamically plan coil embolization for two key steps of the procedure: choice and placement of the first coils, and assessment of the number of coils neces- sary to reduce aneurysmal blood velocity and wall pressure

Biochemical and Structural Properties of Cyanases from Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa

Cyanate is toxic to all organisms. Cyanase converts cyanate to CO2 and NH3 in a bicarbonate-dependent reaction. The biophysical functions and biochemical characteristics of plant cyanases are poorly studied, although it has been investigated in a variety of proteobacteria, cyanobacteria and fungi. In this study, we characterised plant cyanases from Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa (AtCYN and OsCYN). Prokaryotic-expressed AtCYN and OsCYN both showed cyanase activity in vitro. Temperature had a similar influence on the activity of both cyanases, but pH had a differential impact on AtCYN and OsCYN activity. Homology modelling provided models of monomers of AtCYN and OsCYN, and a coimmunoprecipitation assay and gel filtration indicated that AtCYN and OsCYN formed homodecamers. The analysis of single-residue mutants of AtCYN indicated that the conserved catalytic residues also contributed to the stability of the homodecamer. KCNO treatment inhibited Arabidopsis germination and early seedling growth. Plants containing AtCYN or OsCYN exhibited resistance to KCNO stress, which demonstrated that one role of cyanases in plants is detoxification. Transcription level of AtCYN was higher in the flower than in other organs of Arabidopsis. AtCYN transcription was not significantly affected by KCNO treatment in Arabidopsis, but was induced by salt stress. This research broadens our knowledge on plant detoxification of cyanate via cyanase

Evaluation and Improvement of Pumping Well Operating Conditions in an Oil Field Block Based on Grey Correlation Analysis

The "Oil and Gas Water Well Production Data Management System Database" provides great assistance for oilfield production, monitoring, and management. However, due to the harsh conditions of oil field wells and the lack of some test data, traditional management methods are no longer suitable for present condition. At the same time, optimization analysis for a single oil well has a high cost and low efficiency, and it is difficult to achieve the modern management goal of large-scale pumping well groups. In this paper, the grey correlation method is used to analyze the direct correlation between the influencing factors and the system efficiency, surface equipment driving efficiency, and wellbore lifting efficiency, and the improvement method against factors with strong correlation is prioritized. A multi-node evaluation index system for pumping well systems and corresponding improvement methods were constructed, and evaluation software was compiled. This technology considers the running condition of the pumping unit in one oil field block, and selects the oil wells to be improved according to the evaluation index, and puts forward the targeted improvement methods according to the common problems of the oil well. This paper provides a set of reliable technical methods for the efficient management of the oil well in the oil field block

Interactive Blood-Coil Simulation in Real-time during Aneurysm Embolization

International audienceOver the last decade, remarkable progress has been made in the field of endovascular treatment of aneurysms. Technological advances continue to make it possible for a growing number of patients with cerebral aneurysms to be treated with a variety of endovascular strategies, essentially using detachable platinum coils. Yet, coil embolization remains a very complex medical procedure for which careful planning must be combined with advanced technical skills in order to be successful. In this paper, we describe a complete process for patient-specific simulations of coil embolization, from mesh generation with medical datasets to computation of coil-flow bilateral influence. We propose a new method for simulating the complex blood flow patterns that take place within the aneurysm, and for simulating the interaction of coils with this flow. This interaction is twofold, first involving the impact of the flow on the coil during the initial stages of its deployment, and second concerning the decrease of blood velocity within the aneurysm, as a consequence of coil packing. We also propose an approach to achieve real-time computation of coil-flow bilateral influence, necessary for interactive simulation. This in turns allows to dynamically plan coil embolization for two key steps of the procedure: choice and placement of the first coils, and assessment of the number of coils necessary to reduce aneurysmal blood velocity and wall pressure. Finally, we provide the blood flow simulation results on several aneurysms with interesting clinical characteristics both in 2D and 3D, as well as comparisons with a commercial package for validation. The coil embolization procesure is simulated within an aneurysm, and pre- and post-operative status is reported

Arabidopsis Putative Deacetylase AtSRT2 Regulates Basal Defense by Suppressing PAD4, EDS5 and SID2 Expression

The silent information regulator protein (Sir2) and its homologs are NAD+-dependent deacetylase enzymes that play important roles in a variety of physiological processes. However, the functions of the Sir2 family in plants are poorly understood. Here, we report that Arabidopsis AtSRT2, a homolog of yeast Sir2, negatively regulates plant basal defense against the pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (PstDC3000). In response to PstDC3000 infection, the expression of AtSRT2 was down-regulated in a salicylic acid (SA)-independent manner. In addition, knock-out of AtSRT2 (srt2) enhanced resistance against PstDC3000 and increased expression of pathogenesis-related gene 1 (PR1). Conversely, overexpression of AtSRT2 resulted in hypersusceptibility to PstDC3000 and impaired PR1 induction. Consistent with this phenotype, expression of PAD4, EDS5 and SID2, three essential genes in the SA biosynthesis pathway, were increased in the srt2 mutant and decreased in AtSRT2-overexpressing plants. Taken together, these results demonstrate that AtSRT2 is a negative regulator of basal defense, possibly by suppressing SA biosynthesis

β-Glucan Oligosaccharide Enhances CD8+ T Cells Immune Response Induced by a DNA Vaccine Encoding Hepatitis B Virus Core Antigen

DNA vaccination can induce specific CD8+ T cell immune response, but the response level is low in large mammals and human beings. Coadministration of an adjuvant can optimize protective immunity elicited by a DNA vaccine. In this study, we investigated the effect of a synthetic glucohexaose (β-glu6), an analogue of Lentinan basic unit, on specific CD8+ T cell response induced by a DNA vaccine encoding HBcAg (pB144) in mice. We found that β-glu6 promoted the recruitment and maturation of dendritic cells, enhanced the activation of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells and increased the number of specific CD8+/IFN-γ+ T cells in lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues in mice immunized by pB144. Immunization with pB144 and β-glu6 increased the anti-HBc IgG and IgG2a antibody titer. These results demonstrate that β-glu6 can enhance the virus-specific CTL and Th1 responses induced by DNA vaccine, suggesting β-glu6 as a candidate adjuvant in DNA vaccination

Effect and Process Conditions of Cold Plasma Combined withL-Glutamic Acid and Salt Stress on Germination and Enrichment ofγ-Aminobutyric Acid in Adzuki Bean

This study aimed to investigate the effect of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) treatment combined with salt stress on the enrichment of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in adzuki beans after germination. The effect of CAPP voltage, frequency, and duration of treatment of seeds, on their GABA content during germination was investigated using adzuki beans as raw material. In addition, the method of germination using L-glutamic acid (L-Glu) combined with salt stress was used to investigate the effect of single factors (germination time and concentrations of CaCl2, L-Glu, and NaCl) on enrichment of GABA. The optimal process conditions for enrichment of GABA using response surface optimization experiments were also determined. The results showed that the treatment of seeds with CAPP technology had a beneficial effect on their germination and enrichment of GABA. The CAPP treatment was more effective under the following conditions: voltage of 90 kV, frequency of 120 Hz, and duration of 20 min. When the germination time was 58 h and the CaCl2, L-Glu, and NaCl concentrations were 4.4 mmol/L, 3.2 mg/mL, and 66 mmol/L, respectively, the GABA content of germinated adzuki beans was 160.23±2.91 mg/100 g, which was 7.12 times higher than that of ungerminated adzuki beans. This method is efficient, reliable, cost-effective, and provides a technical reference for the industrial production of GABA-rich foods