Kernel Nutrient Composition and Antioxidant Ability of Corylus spp. in China

Hazelnut (Corylus) is an important woody oil tree species in economic forests. China, as one of the original countries of native Corylus species, had 8 species and 2 varieties. However, little information is available on the hazelnut nutritional quality of these Chinese Corylus species. In this study, four main wild Corylus species (C. heterophylla Fisch., C. mandshurica Maxim., C. kweichowensis Hu., and C. yunnanensis Franch.) originating in China and one main cultivar of hybrid hazelnut (Corylus heterophylla Fisch. × C. avellana L.) cv. ‘Dawei’ from China were used to analyze the basic nutritional composition (content of oil, fatty acid, protein, saccharide, aminao acid, vitamin C, tocopherol, total phenols, and total flavonoids) and antioxidant ability. The results showed that oil content ranged from 52.97 to 60.88 g/100 g DW and highly unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) content was over 91%. Oleic was the most dominant UFA in these hazelnut kernels, and the relative content was ranging from 71.32 to 85.19%. Compared with other four hazelnut kernels, C. heterophylla Fisch. was the lowest oil content of hazelnut with lower oleic acid content and higher linoleic acid content, obviously. The total protein content ranged from 13.15 to 18.35 g/100 g DW, and all amino acids were detected as hydrate amino acids, but Tryptophan, an essential amino acid, was not detected as free amino acid in these hazelnut kernels. Kernel of C. heterophylla Fisch. was with the highest content of protein and amino acid. Saccharose was the most essential and abundant disaccharide in the hazelnut kernels. C. mandshurica Maxim. was the highest saccharide content among these hazelnut kernels. α-tocopherol was the main type of tocopherol found in the hazelnut kernels. Wild hazelnut kernels generally had higher bioactivity substance content (vitamin C, total tocopherol, total phenol and total flavonoid) and antioxidant capacity. Compared to the four wild hazelnut kernels, the hybrid hazelnut cv. ‘Dawei’ had higher content of oil, oleic acid, α-tocopherol and sugar. Overall, there were great differences in the nutritional composition of different hazelnut species. Wild species are a good source of breeding materials because of their own characteristics in nutrition composition, and the hybrid hazelnut cv. ‘Dawei’ with good quality has the value of commercial promotion

The complete chloroplast genomes of three Betulaceae species: implications for molecular phylogeny and historical biogeography

Background Previous phylogenetic conclusions on the family Betulaceae were based on either morphological characters or traditional single loci, which may indicate some limitations. The chloroplast genome contains rich polymorphism information, which is very suitable for phylogenetic studies. Thus, we sequenced the chloroplast genome sequences of three Betulaceae species and performed multiple analyses to investigate the genome variation, resolve the phylogenetic relationships, and clarify the divergence history. Methods Chloroplast genomes were sequenced using the high-throughput sequencing. A comparative genomic analysis was conducted to examine the global genome variation and screen the hotspots. Three chloroplast partitions were used to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference approaches. Then, molecular dating and biogeographic inferences were conducted based on the whole chloroplast genome data. Results Betulaceae chloroplast genomes consisted of a small single-copy region and a large single copy region, and two copies of inverted repeat regions. Nine hotspots can be used as potential DNA barcodes for species delimitation. Phylogenies strongly supported the division of Betulaceae into two subfamilies: Coryloideae and Betuloideae. The phylogenetic position of Ostryopsis davidiana was controversial among different datasets. The divergence time between subfamily Coryloideae and Betuloideae was about 70.49 Mya, and all six extant genera were inferred to have diverged fully by the middle Oligocene. Betulaceae ancestors were probably originated from the ancient Laurasia. Discussions This research elucidates the potential of chloroplast genome sequences in the application of developing molecular markers, studying evolutionary relationships and historical dynamic of Betulaceae.It also reveals the advantages of using chloroplast genome data to illuminate those phylogenies that have not been well solved yet by traditional approaches in other plants

Adequate vitamin D level associated with reduced risk of sporadic colorectal cancer

PurposeThe effect of vitamin D level pertinent to colorectal cancer incidence, progression, or mortality risk is complicated, and study findings are mixed. Therefore, we evaluated whether serum vitamin D [25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25(OH)D] is associated with the incidence of sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC).MethodsThis study is a retrospective analysis of the relationship between serum 25(OH)D level and the risk of CRC. Age, sex, body mass index, history of polyp, disease conditions (i.e., diabetes), medications, and other eight vitamins were used as confounding factors. A total of 389 participants were enrolled in this study, including comprising 83 CRC patients without a family history and 306 healthy controls, between January 2020 and March 2021 at the Department of Colorectal Surgery and Endoscope Center at the Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Adjusted smoothing spline plots, subgroup analysis, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were conducted to estimate the relative risk between serum 25(OH)D and sporadic CRC risk.ResultsAfter fully adjusting the confounding factors, it was found that circulating 25(OH)D played a protective role in patients with CRC (OR = 0.76 [0.63, 0.92], p = 0.004) and that an adequate vitamin D level was significantly associated with a reduced CRC risk compared to vitamin D deficiency or sufficiency (OR = 0.31 [0.11, 0.9], p = 0.03). According to this study, statins did not affect the potential protective effects of vitamin D (OR = 1.02 [0.97, 1.08], p = 0.44) and may account for the inverse association between serum 25(OH)D and colorectal cancer.ConclusionAn adequate level of serum 25(OH)D was associated with a reduced CRC risk, especially for the elderly. The finding on the absence of protective effect of vitamin D in the statin use subgroup, suggests it may be one of the substantial contributing confounders, and warrants further investigation

Affirmative action in education and Black Economic Empowerment in the workplace in South Africa since 1994: policies, strengths and limitations

This paper explains the concepts of Affirmative Action (AA) and Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and the policies developed in post-Apartheid South Africa. It compares it to similar policies adopted in different contexts in Malaysia, India and the U.S.A. It explains and critiques the South African policies on AA and BEE, its history since 1994 and how class has replaced race as the determinant of who succeeds in education and the workplace. It analyses why these policies were essential to address the massive racial divide in education and the workplace at the arrival of democracy in 1994, but also why it has been controversial and racially divisive. The strengths and limitations of these policies are juxtaposed, the way it has benefitted the black and white elites, bolstered the black middle-class but has had little success in addressing the education and job futures of poor, working class black citizens in South Africa. The views of a number of key social analysts in the field are stated to explain the moral, racial, divisive aspects of AA in relation to the international experience and how South Africa is grappling with limited success to bridge the divide between the rich and poor

Physical simulation and numerical simulation of flash butt welding for innovative dual phase steel DP590: a comparative study

In this study, the microstructure and performance of newly designed dual-phase steel (DP590) after joining by flash butt welding (FBW) for vehicle wheel rims was analysed and compared by two simulations, i.e., physical simulation and numerical simulation, due to the high acceptance of these two methodologies. Physical simulation is regarded as a thermal–mechanical solution conducted by the Gleeble 3500 simulator and which can distribute the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the obtained weld joint into four typical HAZs. These are coarse-grained HAZ, fine-grained HAZ, inter-critical HAZ and sub-critical HAZ. A combination of ferrite and tempered martensite leads to the softening behaviour at the sub-critical HAZ of DP590, which is verified to be the weakest area, and influences the final performance due to ~9% reduction of hardness and tensile strength. The numerical simulation, relying on finite element method (FEM) analysis, can distinguish the temperature distribution, which helps us to understand the relationship between the temperature distribution and real microstructure/performance. Based on this study, the combination of physical and numerical simulations can be used to optimise the flash butt welding parameters (flash and butt processes) from the points of temperature distribution (varied areas), microstructure and performance, which are guidelines for the investigation of flash butt welding for innovative materials

Case report: Late in-stent thrombosis in a patient with vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia after stent-assisted coil embolization due to the discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy

Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBD) is a rare type of cerebrovascular disorder with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Due to the distinct pathological characteristics that fragmented internal elastic lamina and multiple dissections, VBD is difficult to treat and cured. Stent-assisted coil embolization is one of the main treatment modalities for such lesions. However, the duration of healing remained questionable, and there were no effective measures for evaluating endothelial coverage. Before complete endothelial coverage, the discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy may lead to fatal in-stent thrombosis; however, continued antiplatelet therapy could also result in bleeding complications. Thus, we present an autopsy case of late in-stent thrombosis due to the discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy and systematically review the literature to provide a reference for endovascular treatment and antiplatelet regimen of VBD

HECT, UBA and WWE domain containing 1 represses cholesterol efflux during CD4+ T cell activation in Sjögren’s syndrome

Introduction: Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by exocrine gland dysfunction, leading to loss of salivary function. Histological analysis of salivary glands from SS patients reveals a high infiltration of immune cells, particularly activated CD4+ T cells. Thus, interventions targeting abnormal activation of CD4+ T cells may provide promising therapeutic strategies for SS. Here, we demonstrate that Hect, uba, and wwe domain containing 1 (HUWE1), a member of the eukaryotic Hect E3 ubiquitin ligase family, plays a critical role in CD4+ T-cell activation and SS pathophysiology.Methods: In the context of HUWE1 inhibition, we investigated the impact of the HUWE1 inhibitor BI8626 and sh-Huwe1 on CD4+ T cells in mice, focusing on the assessment of activation levels, proliferation capacity, and cholesterol abundance. Furthermore, we examined the therapeutic potential of BI8626 in NOD/ShiLtj mice and evaluated its efficacy as a treatment strategy.Results: Inhibition of HUWE1 reduces ABCA1 ubiquitination and promotes cholesterol efflux, decreasing intracellular cholesterol and reducing the expression of phosphorylated ZAP-70, CD25, and other activation markers, culminating in the suppressed proliferation of CD4+ T cells. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of HUWE1 significantly reduces CD4+ T-cell infiltration in the submandibular glands and improves salivary flow rate in NOD/ShiLtj mice.Conclusion: These findings suggest that HUWE1 may regulate CD4+ T-cell activation and SS development by modulating ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux and presents a promising target for SS treatment