Highly sensitive detection of CYFRA21-1 with a SERS sensing platform based on the MBs enrichment strategy and antibody-DNA-mediated CHA amplification

Laryngeal carcinoma (LC) is the second most common malignant tumor of the head and neck. Due to its insidious nature, most patients have developed to the middle and late stages by the time they are diagnosed, missing the best treatment period. Thus, early detection, diagnosis and treatment are crucial to improve the prognosis of LC and enhance the quality of life of patients. In this study, a surface-enhanced Raman (SERS) sensing platform was developed by combining the magnetic beads (MBs) enrichment strategy and the antibody-DNA-mediated catalytic hairpin self-assembly (CHA) signal amplification technology. 4-Mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) and hairpin DNA 1 (hpDNA1) were modified onto the surface of gold nanobipyramids (GNBPs) as SERS nanotags. Hairpin DNA 2 (hpDNA2) modified MBs were used as capture nanoprobes. Under the action of CHA and magnet-induced MBs enrichment, GNBPs can be assembled on the surface of MBs, forming high-density “hot spots” for the SERS signal enhancement. The results showed that the SERS sensing platform has the advantages of high sensitivity, high specificity and high reproducibility, with the limit of detection (LOD) low to pg/mL level. The expression level of CYFRA21-1 in serum of LC patients and healthy controls was successfully detected by the SERS sensing platform. The accuracy of the SERS results was verified by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Therefore, this SERS sensor can be used for the detection of CYFRA21-1 in serum, providing a simple and reliable new method for the early diagnosis of LC

Greenhouses for CO2 sequestration from atmosphere

Escalating threat of global warming and the steady growth in world population require the development of transformative greenhouse gas control technologies and food production systems of high energy efficiency, small environmental footprint and low cost. To control the global temperature rise below 2 °C by 2050, global greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut by more than 80%. At the same time, our land needs to be utilized more efficiently and productively in order to produce enough food to feed projected 9 billion people with less available land area for food production in 2050. We propose to develop a modern urban vertical farming system, i.e. greenhouses equipped with a Carbon Enrichment for Plant Stimulation (CEPS) system, to enhance land use efficiency and thus increase food productivity and, at the same time, to sequestrate CO2 from ambient air. The deployment of such a CEPS system will have a potential to remove more than 500 million tonnes CO2 from air annually, and increase the current food productivity by more than 15 times than the open field operation. The deployment of the CEPS technology will also promote locally produced food, benefiting urban economical development and job creation. Keywords: Carbon enrichment for plant stimulation, Greenhouses, Temperature swing adsorption, Sequestration of atmospheric CO

Ameliorative effects of dietary selenium against cadmium toxicity on production performance and egg quality in laying hens

In order to reveal the influences of supplemented dietary selenium (Se) on the suppressive effect of cadmium (Cd) toxicity on performance and egg properties of laying hens, the effects of co-treatment Se and Cd on the performance, egg quality, levels of amino acids and the antioxidant capacity of egg and serum were investigated. A total of 128 31-week-old laying hens were randomly distributed in four treatments, which were fed with the basic diet (0.2 mg/kg Se and 0.08 mg/kg Cd), and the basic diet with Se (1.1 mg/kg Se and 0.08 mg/kg Cd), Cd (0.2 mg/kg Se and 92.1 mg/kg Cd) and Se+Cd for 13 weeks, respectively. Hens supplemented with Cd led to an impairment on production performance and egg quality with decreased egg production (EP), egg mass (EM), feed intake (FI), eggshell color, eggshell thickness, yolk color, albumen height and haugh unit and increased the feed conversion ratio (FCR) (p < 0.05). Cd treatment decreased the contents of cysteine (Cys), histidine (His), lithium (Li), aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), Se, strontium (Sr), stannum (Sn), mercury (Hg) and thallium (Tl) and increased the contents of isoleucine (Ile) and Cd (p < 0.05). Cd destroyed the egg yolk and serum redox states with the increased concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the decreased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) (p < 0.05). The expression levels of ovarian apoptotic genes (protein 53, Caspase9, Cytochrome c and Bcl-2 associated X protein) increased, and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) expression decreased in the Cd group (p < 0.05). Feeding Se significantly alleviated Cd-induced toxicity on performance and egg quality. Se+Cd treatment restored the balance between oxidation and antioxidant systems and modulated the elements' homeostasis and alleviated the changes in apoptotic-related genes expression levels. Se could alleviate the Cd toxicity to laying hens and their eggs but could not counteract all negative effects of Cd

Effects of Acute Cold Stress after Intermittent Cold Stimulation on Immune-Related Molecules, Intestinal Barrier Genes, and Heat Shock Proteins in Broiler Ileum

Cold stress will have a negative impact on animal welfare and health. In order to explore the effect of intermittent cold stimulation training on the cold resistance of broilers. Immune-related and intestinal barrier genes were detected before and after acute cold stress (ACS), aiming to find an optimal cold stimulation training method. A total of 240 1-day-old Ross broilers (Gallus) were divided into three groups (G1, G2, and G3), each with 5 replicates (16 chickens each replicate). The broilers of G1 were raised at normal temperature, while the broilers of G2 and G3 were treated with cold stimulation at 3 °C lower than the G1 for 3 h and 6 h from 15 to 35 d, respectively, at one-day intervals. At 50 d, the ambient temperature for all groups was reduced to 10 °C for six hours. The results demonstrated that before ACS, IL6, IL17, TLR21, and HSP40 mRNA levels in G3 were apparently down-regulated (p IL8 and Claudin-1 mRNA levels were significantly up-regulated compared with G1 (p IL2, IL6, and IL8 expression levels in G3 were lower than those in G2 (p Claudin-1, HSP90 mRNA levels, HSP40, and HSP70 protein levels were increased in G3 (p TLR5, Mucin2, and Claudin-1 in G2 and IL6, IL8, and TLR4 in G3 were down-regulated after ACS, while IL2, IL6, and IL17 mRNA levels in G2 and HSP40 protein levels in G3 were up-regulated after ACS (p < 0.05). Comprehensive investigation shows that cold stimulation at 3 °C lower than the normal feeding temperature for six hours at one day intervals can enhanced immune function and maintain the stability of intestinal barrier function to lessen the adverse effects on ACS in broilers

Short- and Long-Term Effects of Wholegrain Oat Intake on Weight Management and Glucolipid Metabolism in Overweight Type-2 Diabetics: A Randomized Control Trial

Glycemic control and weight reduction are primary goals for the management of overweight and obese type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Effective management cannot be achieved without an appropriate diet. Our study aimed to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of oat intake and develop a reasonable dietary plan for overweight T2DM patients. A randomized control trial, registered under ClinicalTrials.gov (Identification code: NCT01495052), was carried out among adult T2DM patients. A subgroup of 298 overweight subjects was selected and received a 30-day centralized intervention and 1-year free-living follow-up. Participants were randomly allocated to one of the following four groups. The usual care group (n = 60) received no intervention; the healthy diet group (n = 79) received a low-fat and high-fiber diet (“healthy diet”); the 50 g-oats group (n = 80) and 100 g-oats group (n = 79) received the “healthy diet” with the same amount of cereals replaced by 50 g and 100 g oats respectively. Anthropometric, blood glycemic and lipid variables were measured. For the 30-day intervention, significant differences in the changes of FPG (fasting plasma glucose), PPG (postprandial plasma glucose), HbA1c (glycosylated hemoglobin), HOMA-IR (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance), TC (total cholesterol), TG (total triglycerides), and LDL-c (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) were observed among the four groups. Compared to the healthy diet group, the 50 g-oats group had a bigger reduction in PPG (mean difference (MD): −1.04 mmol/L; 95% CI: −2.03, −0.05) and TC (MD: −0.24 mmol/L; 95% CI: −0.47, −0.01); the 100 g-oats group had a bigger reduction in PPG (MD: −1.48 mmol/L; 95% CI: −2.57, −0.39), HOMA-IR (MD: −1.77 mU·mol/L2; 95% CI: −3.49, −0.05), TC (MD: −0.33 mmol/L; 95% CI: −0.56, −0.10) and LDL-c (MD: −0.22 mmol/L; 95% CI: −0.41, −0.03). In the 1-year follow-up, greater effects in reducing weight (MD: −0.89 kg; 95% CI: −1.56, −0.22), HbA1c (MD: −0.64%; 95% CI: −1.19, −0.09) and TG (MD: −0.70 mmol/L; 95% CI: −1.11, −0.29) were observed in the 100 g-oats group. In conclusion, short- and long-term oat intake had significant effects on controlling hyperglycemia, lowering blood lipid and reducing weight. Our study provided some supportive evidence for recommending oat as a good whole grain selection for overweight diabetics

The Effects of Intensive Nutrition Education on Late Middle-Aged Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: Many patients with type 2 diabetes find it difficult to maintain good glycemic control. Undesirable glycemic control occurs greatly due to deficiencies of nutritional knowledge and difficulty in obtaining dietary prescriptions. The late middle-aged and elder individuals are the main populations that are affected by type 2 diabetes. The main purpose of this study was to investigate whether intensive nutrition education would make benefits for late middle-aged patients with type 2 diabetes. Method: 196 patients between 50 to 65 years old meeting type 2 diabetes criteria and eligible for the program were included in a single-blinded, 30-day centralized management of an education program in China. Participants in the program were randomly divided into a usual nutrition education group or an intensive nutrition education group. The usual nutrition education group was used as a control group and received only basic health advice and principles of diabetic diets at the beginning and the end of the study. Participants in the intensive nutrition education group were arranged to receive intensive nutritional lectures about diabetes for 30 days. The primary outcomes were the changes in weight, body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h postprandial plasma glucose (PG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total glycerin (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c). Results: After 30 days of intervention, FPG, PG, and HbA1c in the treatment group decreased significantly than the control group (p &lt; 0.05). HbA1c reduced significantly by 0.6% in the intervention group. No significant differences in the change of blood lipids were observed between groups. However, TG, TC, and HDL-c made improvements compared with the baseline in the experimental group. Both groups had a reduction in weight and BMI within groups, especially in intensive nutrition education group. However, there was no statistical significance between groups. Conclusions: Intensive nutrition education has significant effects on blood glucose control in late middle-aged adults with type 2 diabetes. Intensive education can cultivate good diet habits and increase physical activity, which are important for diabetes patients in the short and long terms. These findings may contribute to improving education methodology and nutrition therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes