Fermentation of tomato juice improves \u3cem\u3ein vitro\u3c/em\u3e bioaccessibility of lycopene

The impact of fermentation (Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 9763) on the bioaccessibility of lycopene in a model tomato juice was examined. The physicochemical and structural properties of the tomato tissue were determined after fermentation and the bioaccessibility of lycopene was monitored using a simulated gastrointestinal tract. A lycopene concentration of 45.1 mg/100 g was obtained under optimal fermentation conditions. The cell walls of the tomato cells were hydrolyzed and disrupted by fermentation. Cell disruption decreased the pectin content and reduced the tissue fragment size, thereby reducing gravitational separation and facilitating lycopene release. The lycopene bioaccessibility in the tomato juices increased in the following order: unfermented (8.5%) \u3c fermented (11.4%) \u3c unfermented-emulsified (13.6%) \u3c fermented-emulsified (22.7%). These effects were attributed to a combination of greater tomato tissue disruption and enhanced mixed micelle formation. Our results may be useful for the development of functional foods and beverages with improved health benefits

Improving Lens Flare Removal with General Purpose Pipeline and Multiple Light Sources Recovery

When taking images against strong light sources, the resulting images often contain heterogeneous flare artifacts. These artifacts can importantly affect image visual quality and downstream computer vision tasks. While collecting real data pairs of flare-corrupted/flare-free images for training flare removal models is challenging, current methods utilize the direct-add approach to synthesize data. However, these methods do not consider automatic exposure and tone mapping in image signal processing pipeline (ISP), leading to the limited generalization capability of deep models training using such data. Besides, existing methods struggle to handle multiple light sources due to the different sizes, shapes and illuminance of various light sources. In this paper, we propose a solution to improve the performance of lens flare removal by revisiting the ISP and remodeling the principle of automatic exposure in the synthesis pipeline and design a more reliable light sources recovery strategy. The new pipeline approaches realistic imaging by discriminating the local and global illumination through convex combination, avoiding global illumination shifting and local over-saturation. Our strategy for recovering multiple light sources convexly averages the input and output of the neural network based on illuminance levels, thereby avoiding the need for a hard threshold in identifying light sources. We also contribute a new flare removal testing dataset containing the flare-corrupted images captured by ten types of consumer electronics. The dataset facilitates the verification of the generalization capability of flare removal methods. Extensive experiments show that our solution can effectively improve the performance of lens flare removal and push the frontier toward more general situations.Comment: ICCV 202

1-(4-Amino­phen­yl)-3-[2-(trifluoro­meth­yl)phen­yl]prop-2-en-1-one

The title compound, C16H12F3NO, a derivative of biologically active chalcones, comprises two benzene rings and a central –CH=CH—C(=O)– unit. The dihedral angle between the two rings is 10.9 (1)° and the mol­ecule adopts an E configuration about the central olefinic bond. The crystal structure is stabilized by inter­molecular N—H⋯O and N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds

Recent progress in DNA methyltransferase inhibitors as anticancer agents

DNA methylation mediated by DNA methyltransferase is an important epigenetic process that regulates gene expression in mammals, which plays a key role in silencing certain genes, such as tumor suppressor genes, in cancer, and it has become a promising therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Similar to other epigenetic targets, DNA methyltransferase can also be modulated by chemical agents. Four agents have already been approved to treat hematological cancers. In order to promote the development of a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor as an anti-tumor agent, in the current review, we discuss the relationship between DNA methylation and tumor, the anti-tumor mechanism, the research progress and pharmacological properties of DNA methyltransferase inhibitors, and the future research trend of DNA methyltransferase inhibitors

Dietary exposure assessment of aflatoxins of residents in Guangxi

Objective To evaluate the exposure of aflatoxins and their potential health risks of residents in Guangxi. Methods The concentration data of aflatoxins from food safety monitoring in Guangxi in 2013-2017 and the food consumption data from nutrition and health investigation in 2012 were obtained. Based on deterministic assessment model and margin of exposure (MOE), the dietary exposure to projected risks for liver cancer was calculated. Results The average dietary exposure and the highly exposure (P95) of aflatoxins B1 (AFB1) were 10.38 and 25.49 ng/kg BW, respectively. The MOE values were 16 and 7, the average risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was 0.37 cases/105 people, and the risk for HCC in highly exposed was 0.92 cases/105 people. It was indicated that the main dietary sources of AFB1 were vegetable oil (mainly peanut oil), which was contributed more than 72.17%. Assuming that the standard limit was strictly implemented, the average exposure of AFB1 was 5.13 ng/kg BW, with a 50.58% reduction. Conclusion It should be paid more attention to the potential health risks caused by dietary exposure of AFB1 of residents in Guangxi, especially the low age group and vegetable oils

Application of a modified U-shaped forearm flap for the repair of small and medium-sized defects in the oral and maxillary areas

Objective To evaluate the applicability of a modified U-shaped forearm flap for the repair of small- and medium-sized defects in the oral and maxillary areas to provide a reference for clinicians. Methods This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee, and informed consent was obtained from the patients. Ten patients with small- and medium-sized defects in the oral and maxillary areas underwent surgical repair using modified U-shaped forearm flaps. There were 8 males and 2 females aged 43-72 years. The donor site was apposed primarily after harvesting the modified U-shaped forearm skin flap. The flaps ranged from 6 cm × 4 cm to 8 cm × 5 cm in size. Six months after the operation, hand movements (finger extension, fist clenching, wrist rotation upward and wrist rotation downward), the forearm donor site, hand sensations and the satisfaction score for the postoperative quality of the scar at the donor site were evaluated (0 to 10; 0: very unattractive, 10: very satisfactory). Results A total of 10 patients with modified U-shaped forearm flaps survived. One patient developed venous crisis 24 hours after surgery and survived after surgical exploration. Delayed healing occurred at the donor site of the forearm in 1 patient, and the wounds at the donor site of the forearm in the other patients all healed in the first stage. One patient presented with dysesthesia in the hand 2 weeks after surgery and recovered within 3 months. Six months after surgery, all patients had no limited hand movement and no paresthesia at the forearm donor site or hand. The patients were basically satisfied with the appearance of the donor site,and the average satisfaction score of the subjective questionnaire was 8.4 points. Conclusion Modified U-shaped forearm flaps can directly close forearm donor site wounds, which avoids surgical trauma to the secondary donor site and significantly reduces related complications. Modified U-shaped forearm flaps provide an alternative to conventional forearm flaps for the repair of small- and medium-sized defects in the oral and maxillary areas

The association between dietary inflammatory index and cognitive function in adults with/without chronic kidney disease

Background and aimsCognitive impairment (CI) is a prevalent condition in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), who face an elevated risk of developing cognitive decline. The fundamental mechanism underlying CI is linked to chronic inflammation, which can be gauged by the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII). The DII is categorized into anti-inflammatory diets with lower scores and pro-inflammatory diets with higher scores. Specifically, pro-inflammatory diets may contribute to chronic inflammation. However, the correlation between the inflammatory potential of diet and cognitive function in patients with CKD has not been explored. This study aims to investigate the connection between the inflammatory potential of diet and cognitive function in individuals with or without chronic kidney disease.MethodsData from the 2011–2012 and 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were utilized. Participants under the age of 60 or lacking DII, CI, CKD, and other essential data were excluded. DII was computed based on a 24-h dietary recall interview for each participant. Cognitive performance was evaluated using three cognitive tests: the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD) test, the Animal Fluency Test (AFT), and the Digital Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). Logistic regression analysis and subgroup analysis were conducted to assess the independent relationship between DII score and CI in the CKD and non-CKD populations.ResultsThe study included a total of 2069 subjects, with CI prevalence ranging from 21.4 to 23.5%. Multiple regression models showed that after adjusting for all covariates of the three cognitive function tests, higher DII scores were significantly associated with increased risk of CI (CERAD OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.1 ~ 1.26, AFT OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.08 ~ 1.23, DSST OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.11 ~ 1.28). Subgroup analysis indicated that the effect of DII score on CI remained consistent in all subgroups (p > 0.05).ConclusionHigher DII scores were associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment in people with or without CKD, suggesting that consuming a pro-inflammatory diet may contribute to the impairment of the cognitive function