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Objective: Improve the quality of dried okra products. Methods: The rehydration ratio, shrinkage rate, vitamin C content, drying time and sensory score were used to analyze the effects of different pretreatment methods on the quality of dried okra products, and the coefficient of variation method was used for comprehensive weighted evaluation. Results: The results showed that blanching and ultrasonic pretreatment can significantly increase the rehydration ratio of the dried sample （P＜0.05）. The shrinkage rate was most affected by blanching. The vitamin C content of the pretreatment group was lower than that of the control group, and the ultrasound treatment group had the least loss. The blanching and ultrasonic pretreatment can shorten the drying time, and sensory scores of samples pretreated by ultrasound and color protection were significantly higher than those pretreated by blanching （P＜0.05）. The comprehensive evaluation by the coefficient of variation method showed that the quality of the okra pretreated by ultrasonic was the best, followed by the color protection treatment, and the blanching treatment had the lowest comprehensive score. When the ultrasonic pretreatment temperature was 20 ℃, the comprehensive score of the dried sample obtained was the highest, which was 0.907. Conclusion: The research showed that the ultrasonic pretreatment was a better pretreatment method with hot air drying of okra.

In this study, we observed the effects of Langxue Jie on neurological function score, cerebral edema, cerebral infarction area, cell morphology and oxidative stress indexes of cerebral ischemia rats, and explored its brain protection effect. The middle cerebral artery embolization (MCAO) model of rats was established by the method of thread embolization. The rats were randomly divided into six groups, and the neurological deficit score (mNSS) of rats was recorded for 14 consecutive days. TTC staining was used to determine the volume of cerebral infarction. The water content of brain tissue was determined (%). SOD, CAT, GSH-Px and MDA oxidative stress indexes were detected in serum of rats. Compared with Sham, the cerebral tissue water content, cerebral infarction area and neurological function score in model group were higher, and the activities of SOD, GSH-Px and CAT, indicators of oxidative stress, were decreased with significant differences (P0.05). It is concluded that Longxue Jie can reduce the water content of brain tissue, reduce the area of cerebral infarction, improve cell morphology, reduce oxidative stress response and therefore improve nerve injury, and produce brain protection.

Species delimitation remains a challenge worldwide, especially in highly diverse tropical and subtropical regions. Here, we use an integrative approach that combines morphology, phylogenomics, and species distribution modeling (SDM) to clarify the cryptic differentiation within the enigmatic hemiparasitic love vine Cassytha filiformis (Lauraceae) in China and adjacent regions. We generated complete plastid genomes and nuclear ribosomal sequences for diverse samples from across the species range and compared results with previously published plastid data, recovering two well‐supported monophyletic clades. Further, the analysis revealed significant differences in two morphological characters and SDM, indicating distinct environmental factors influencing their distributions. Fossil‐calibrated analyses to estimate the origins and diversification patterns for the cryptic species gave divergence age estimates corresponding to the Oligo‐Miocene; a period of new ecological opportunities associated with the prevailing East Asian monsoon. Multivariate analyses support the conclusion that southern China and adjacent regions have a different, previously unknown, cryptic lineage of C. filiformis. Our study highlights the importance of using multivariate approach to characterize plant species, as well as the significant role that past climatic changes have played in driving speciation in parasitic plants in tropical and subtropical zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morchella spp. (true morels) are precious edible mushrooms consumed around the world, with a delicious taste, rich nutritional value, and unique healthcare effects. Various fungi and bacteria have been reported to colonize the ascocarps of Morchella, damaging their fruiting bodies and leading to serious economic losses in cultivation. The species identification of these colonizing organisms is crucial for understanding their colonization mechanisms on morels. Slime molds, which have characteristics of both "fungi" and "animals", can occasionally colonize crops and edible fungi. However, there have been no reports of dictyostelid cellular slime molds (dictyostelids) colonizing plants and fungi to date. In this study, we discovered that dictyostelids colonized the surface of one wild ascoma of Morchella in the forest of Chongqing, China, with the tissues being black and rotten. Macro- and micro-morphological observations, along with molecular phylogenetic analyses, identified the specimens investigated in this study as Dictyostelium implicatum and Morchella sp. Mel-21. The results provide new knowledge of dictyostelid colonization on organisms and contribute to the diversity of species colonizing true morels. Moreover, this is also the first report of dictyostelids distributed in Chongqing, China. This study enhances our insights into the life history and potential ecological significance of dictyostelids and updates their distribution area in China. Further research will be conducted to uncover the mechanisms behind the colonization observed in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative prediction of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) is crucial for improving the prognosis of patients with cervical cancer. Purpose: To evaluate the value of preoperative amide proton transfer (APT) imaging combined with serum CA125 levels for predicting LVSI in cervical cancer. Material and Methods: This retrospective study included 80 patients with cervical cancer who underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging, including APT imaging. Serum CA125 levels were measured using a fully automated immunoassay analyzer and chemiluminescence method. The presence of LVSI was determined based on the pathological results after surgery. Results: Among the 40 patients who met the requirements, 29 had postoperative pathological confirmation of LVSI, while 11 did not. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) of preoperative APT and CA125 levels predicting LVSI were 0.889 and 0.687, respectively. When the APT value was 2.9%, the corresponding Youden index was the highest (0.702), with a sensitivity of 79.3% and specificity of 90.9%. When the critical value of the preoperative serum CA15 level was 25.3 u/mL, the corresponding Youden index was the highest (0.508), with a sensitivity of 69.0% and a specificity of 81.8%. The sensitivity and specificity of preoperative APT imaging combined with serum CA125 in predicting LVSI were 82.7% and 100%, respectively, with a Youden's index of 0.828 and an AUC of 0.923. Conclusion: The combination of preoperative APT imaging and serum CA125 levels is valuable for predicting LVSI in cervical cancer. Diagnostic efficacy is highest when the APT value is >2.9% and the serum CA125 level is >25.3 u/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]