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Introduction: Distinguishing and categorizing the origin of garlic are highly significant, considering its widespread use as a flavoring agent. With billions of dollars annually in global trade, garlic is frequently susceptible to fraudulent practices. Methodology: Paper spray ionization mass spectrometry (PS‐MS) was employed to quickly analyze garlic samples from distinct geographic origins: China and Brazil. The so‐generated PS‐MS data were treated with metabolomic multivariate approaches, and the garlic samples from these different geographic regions were easily discriminated. Results: Brazilian garlic was characterized to contain higher levels of amino acids, such as arginine, proline, and valine, and organosulfur compounds, such as allicin, alliin, and l‐γ‐glutamil‐S‐allyl‐l‐cysteine, compared to Chinese garlic. The PS‐MS data were treated employing multivariate approaches, typically used in the metabolomics field, and this protocol was promptly able to discern among both types of samples. Conclusion: Hence, this combined strategy holds promise not only as an effective tool for the authentication of the geographical origin of garlic but also as a powerful means for biomarker discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six peptide toxins (Magi 1–6) were isolated from the Hexathelidae spider Macrothele gigas. The amino acid sequences of Magi 1, 2, 5 and 6 have low similarities to the amino acid sequences of known spider toxins. The primary structure of Magi 3 is similar to the structure of the palmitoylated peptide named PlTx-II from the North American spider Plectreurys tristis (Plectreuridae). Moreover, the amino acid sequence of Magi 4, which was revealed by cloning of its cDNA, displays similarities to the Na+ channel modifier δ-atracotoxin from the Australian spider Atrax robustus (Hexathelidae). Competitive binding assays using several 125I-labelled peptide toxins clearly demonstrated the specific binding affinity of Magi 1–5 to site 3 of the insect sodium channel and also that of Magi 5 to site 4 of the rat sodium channel. Only Magi 6 did not compete with the scorpion toxin LqhαIT in binding to site 3 despite high toxicity on lepidoptera larvae of 3.1 nmol/g. The Kis of other toxins were between 50 pM for Magi 4 and 1747 nM for Magi 1. In addition, only Magi 5 binds to both site 3 in insects (Ki=267 nM) and site 4 in rat brain synaptosomes (Ki=1.2 nM), whereas it showed no affinities for either mammal binding site 3 or insect binding site 4. Magi 5 is the first spider toxin with binding affinity to site 4 of a mammalian sodium channel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

1. A new diagonal etectrophoretic technique for determining the order of the lysine-containing tryptic peptides of a protein is described. The protein is converted into its trifluoracetyl derivative, digested enzymatically (or chemically), and the resulting peptides separated by paper electrophoresis. The paper is then treated with ammonia vapour, which re-exposes the ε-amino groups of the lysine residues, and submitted to a second electrophoresis at right angles to the first direction. Peptides containing lysine residues, together with the N-terminal peptide of the protein, are found to lie off a diagonal formed by all other peptides, whence they may be readily purified. A study of these peptides enables the order of the lysine-containing tryptic peptides in the protein to be deduced. 2. The technique has been successfully tested with insulin. 3. When the method was applied to porcine pepsin, the four tryptic peptides isolated were easily ordered and the carboxyl-terminal sequence of the protein shown to be Arg-Gln-Tyr-TyrThr-Val-Phe-Asp-Arg-Ala-Asn-Asn-Lys-Val-Gly-Leu-Ala-Pro-Val-Ala. The thee basic ammo acid residues in the molecule are thus found clustering towards the C-terminus of the polypeptide chain. 4. A common ancestral gene for porcine pepsin and bovine (calf) rennin is suggested by the close homology between the C-terminal sequents of the two proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lawsone is a 2‐substituted‐1,4‐naphthoquinone derivative, which has been proposed as an alternative to the reagents currently used for fingermark detection on porous surfaces. 2‐substituted‐anthraquinones, which contain an additional conjugated benzene ring, have a similar chemical structure to that of lawsone. In this study, a new series of 2‐substituted‐1,4‐naphthoquinones and 2‐substituted‐1,4‐anthraquinones were synthesized and completely characterized by1H NMR,13C NMR, IR, and HPLC‐TOF/MS analyses. All newly synthesized 2‐substituted‐1,4‐quinones were investigated for their ability to develop latent fingermarks on porous surfaces, and this ability was compared with that of lawsone. Each fingermark developed was graded using an established method; thus, quantitative data were attributed to each fingermark. It has been demonstrated that the 1,4‐quinones react with amino acids present in latent fingermarks on selected paper surfaces to produce faint yellow‐orange impressions, which exhibit strong photoluminescence when illuminated with a forensic light source at 440 nm and observed through a red filter. None of the compounds caused background darkening. The results obtained were generally similar to those of lawsone, however, 8‐dibromo‐2‐(propylamino)naphthalene‐1,4‐dione and 5,8‐dibromo‐2‐(propylthio)naphthalene‐1,4‐dione yielded better results for copier paper and colored (blue) copier paper used in this analysis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the role of 1,4‐anthraquinone derivatives as potential fingermark development reagents. The results indicate that 1,4‐quinones have a potential to be used as reagents for enhancement of latent fingermarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular biological studies confirmed that two glutamate dehydrogenase isozymes (hGDH1 and hGDH2) of distinct genetic origin are expressed in human tissues. hGDH1 is heat-stable and expressed widely, whereas hGDH2 is heat-labile and specific for neural and testicular tissues. A selective deficiency of hGDH2 has been reported in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia. We have identified an amino acid residue involved in the different thermal stability of human GDH isozymes. At 45°C (pH 7.0), heat inactivation proceeded faster for hGDH2 (half life=45 min) than for hGDH1 (half-life=310 min) in the absence of allosteric regulators. Both hGDH1 and hGDH2, however, showed much slower heat inactivation processes in the presence of 1 mM ADP or 3 mM L-Leu. Virtually most of the enzyme activity remained up to 100 min at 45°C after treatment with ADP and L-Leu in combination. In contrast to ADP and L-Leu, the thermal stabilities of the hGDH isozymes were not affected by addition of substrates or coenzymes. In human GDH isozymes, the 443 site is Arg in hGDH1 and Ser in hGDH2. Replacement of Ser by Arg at the 443 site by cassette mutagenesis abolished the heat lability of hGDH2 with a similar half-life of hGDH1. The mutagenesis at several other sites (L415M, A456G, and H470R) having differences in amino acid sequence between the two GDH isozymes did not show any change in the thermal stability. These results suggest that the Ser443 residue plays an important role in the different thermal stability of human GDH isozymes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Societal Impact Statement: The world is increasingly looking to plant‐based sources to meet its protein needs. Multiple factors are driving this progression, ranging from nutritional and ethical considerations to climate change and population growth. As a pulse crop, lentil is ideal to help meet this change in demand. However, plant‐based proteins have limiting amino acids and lower protein digestibility compared to animal‐based proteins. This research identifies genetic markers that can be used to accelerate breeding of protein quality traits in lentil to ultimately help meet the rising demand in high‐quality plant‐based protein and bolster global food and nutritional security. Summary: Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) contains ~25% high‐quality protein in addition to high concentrations of prebiotic carbohydrates and micronutrients, such as folate, iron, zinc, and selenium. As animal‐based protein's economic and environmental costs rise, plant‐based protein sources, such as lentil, will become increasingly important to global food systems. Consequently, evaluating and targeting protein quality traits for genomic‐assisted breeding is a valuable objective for lentil breeding programs.A diversity panel of 183 breeding lines was analyzed for protein quality traits, including amino acids and protein digestibility. Genotyping‐by‐sequencing (GBS) data were used to assess population structure and conduct genome‐wide association studies (GWAS). Genes in local linkage disequilibrium (LD) with significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were identified and categorized by homology.Protein quality traits showed a wide range of variation. Repeatability estimates were low to moderate across traits. Twelve traits were strongly correlated with each other (r >.7). Admixture analysis identified six ancestral subpopulations, which also demonstrated clustering in principal component analysis. Ten different traits had significant SNP associations; two loci were shared across multiple traits. Twenty‐seven candidate genes, including glutathione S‐transferase, protease family, and gibberellin 2‐beta‐dioxygenase genes, were identified.This paper identifies SNP markers associated with lentil protein quality traits. Once validated, these SNPs could accelerate lentil protein quality breeding efforts. By targeting lentil's limiting amino acids (methionine and cysteine) and protein digestibility through marker‐assisted selection, the nutritional value of lentil's protein content could be increased without the need to alter total protein content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Maize grain is deficient in lysine. While the opaque2 mutation increases grain lysine, o2 is a transcription factor that regulates a wide network of genes beyond zeins, which leads to pleiotropic and often negative effects. Additionally, the drastic reduction in 19 kDa and 22 kDa alpha‐zeins causes a floury kernel, unsuitable for agricultural use. Quality protein maize (QPM) overcame the undesirable kernel texture through the introgression of modifying alleles. However, QPM still lacks a functional o2 transcription factor, which has a penalty on non‐lysine amino acids due to the o2 mutation. CRISPR/cas9 gives researchers the ability to directly target genes of interest. In this paper, gene editing was used to specifically target the 19 kDa alpha zein gene family. This allows for proteome rebalancing to occur without an o2 mutation and without a total alpha‐zein knockout. The results showed that editing some, but not all, of the 19 kDa zeins resulted in up to 30% more lysine. An edited line displayed an increase of 30% over the wild type. While not quite the 55% lysine increase displayed by QPM, the line had little collateral impact on other amino acid levels compared to QPM. Additionally, the edited line containing a partially reduced 19 kDa showed an advantage in kernel texture that had a complete 19 kDa knockout. These results serve as proof of concept that editing the 19 kDa alpha‐zein family alone can enhance lysine while retaining vitreous endosperm and a functional O2 transcription factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pea plants (Pisum sativum L. cv. Melbourne Market), each with a single developing pod, were pulse-fed with [14C]homoserine supplied through the cut stem at stages of pod development ranging from 12 to 21 d after full blossom. The pods were removed after 24 h and the hulls and seed components were frozen for later analysis. Except at the youngest stage, or unless the pod had been enclosed in foil to prevent the development of chloroplasts, the seeds received a higher proportion of total label in the fruit (about 60 %). The distribution of label in soluble metabolites of the hull, seedcoats, embryo sac liquid and embryo was determined by paper chromatography and radioautography. The results indicate turnover of homoserine within the hull, and confirm that the seedcoats are responsible for a shift in metabolism leading to secretion of threonine into the embryo sac instead of homoserine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a list of papers to be published in forthcoming issue of the "British Journal of Haematology." Some of them are: "Pancytopenia in Hereditary Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia," "Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Relapsing With Solid Hepatic Tumours After Bone Marrow Transplantation," "Inhibitors in Congenital Coagulation Disorders," "The Role of Granulocyte Transfusions in Neutropenic Patients," "TAFI Polymorphisms at Amino Acids 147 and 325 are not Risk Factors for Cerebral Infarction."

This article presents information on forthcoming papers to be published in coming issues of the periodical "European Journal of Biochemistry." Some of the papers are: "Localization of Histone HS in the Subunit Organization of Chromatin Using ImmunoeIectron Microscopy"; "Presence of an Amino Acid Oxidase in Photosystem II of Anacystis nidutans"; "Aldoximes: Active-Site Probes of Alcohol Dehydrogenases"; and "Quinone Reductases of Higher Plants."

The article presents the forthcoming papers that will be published in the "European Journal of Biochemistry." Some of these articles to be published are "Purification and Characterization of Thermus Caldophilus GK24 DNA Polymerase," by J.H. Park, J.S. Kim, S.-T. Kwon and D.-S. Lee, "Lactotransferrin Binding to Its Platelet Receptor Inhibits Platelet Aggregation," by B. Leveugle, J. Mazurier, D. Legrand, C. Mazurier, J. Montreuil and G. Spik and "Does Escherichia Coli Possess a Second Critrate Synthase Gene?," by A.J. Patton, D.W. Hough, P. Towner and M.J. Danson.

The article presents information on several research papers related to biochemistry that would be published in coming issues of the European Journal of Biochemistry. Some of the research topics include: differentiation of ovine brown adipocyte precursor cells in a chemically defined serum-free medium; production and purification of recombinant human interleukin-6 secreted by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae; binding of sugar phosphates, inositol phosphates and phosphorylated amino acids to actin; etc.

The article presents information on the forthcoming papers and articles that will be published by the "European Journal of Biochemistry." Some of them are Ionic-strength-dependent substrate inhibition of the lysis of Micrococcus luteus by hen egg-white lysozyme by I. M.A. Verhamme, G. W. K. van Dedem and A. R. Lauwers, A maximum of two tryptophan residues in gene-32 protein from phage T4 undergo stacking interactions with single-stranded polynucleotides, Cell-cycle-related metabolic and enzymatic events in proliferating rat thymocytes.

1. The purification of a halidohydrolase from cell-free extracts of Pseudomonas dehalogenans NCIB 9061 grown on glucose and monochloroacetate as carbon source, is described. 2. This enzyme catalyses the hydrolysis of some 2-halogen substituents on aliphatic carboxylic acids, releasing a halide ion and a hydrogen ion and causing inversion of the configuration. 3. The molecular weight as determined by chromatography on Sephadex G-100 was about 15000. 4. The optimum activity was at pH 9.4. Activity was rapidly and irreversibly lost below PH6.0. 5. The amino acid composition of the purified enzyme in its native state and after photooxidation in the presence of methylene blue is presented. 6. The variation of the kinetic parameters, V and Km between pH 7.0 and pH 10.0 suggest that a group with a pKa of about 7.8 is involved in its base form in the catalytic reaction. 7. The enzyme is rapidly inactivated by reaction with iodine and upon photooxidation in the presence of methylene blue, but the effect of thiol reagents suggests that a thiol group is not directly responsible for catalysis. 8. It is suggested that a histidine residue is implicated in the catalytic reaction and a mechanism is proposed which is consistent with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 18-amino acid cytolytic lipodepsipeptide tolaasin, produced in culture by virulent strains of Pseudomonas tolaasii, is the causal agent of the brown blotch disease of the cultivated mushroom. Tolaasin has a sequence of D-amino acids in its N-terminal region, then alternates L- and D-amino acids, and bears a C-terminal lactone macrocycle composed of 5-residues. The solution structure of tolaasin in sodium dodecyl sulfate was studied by 2D-NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulated annealing calculations. Tolaasin forms an amphipathic left-handed α-helix in the regionDPro2-DalloThr14 comprising the sequence of seven D-amino acids and the adjacent L-D-L-D-D-region. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first recognized example of a left-handed α-helix including both D- and L-amino acids. The lactone macrocycle adopts a “boat-like” conformation and is shifted from the helical axis as to form a “golf-club” overall conformation. These structural features will be of importance in understanding, and preventing, tolaasin's role in the bacterial colonization of the host plant, and its toxic action on cells. Furthermore, the observed antimicrobial activity together with the potential resistance to enzymatic degradation and the increased antigenicity (both due to the presence of L- and D-amino acids) strongly suggests for tolaasin a potential role as a template model for the design of new therapeutic antibacterial molecules. Proteins 2003;52:534–543. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Luminescent carbon nanoparticles, such as carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and graphene quantum dots (GQDs), are increasingly utilized for sarcosine detection due to their exceptional water permeability, sustained luminescence, and biocompatibility. Sarcosine as a biomarker holds significance for therapeutic purposes and disease identification. Carbon‐based sensors offer eco‐friendliness, recyclability, and affordability, making them sustainable for sensing applications across various domains. Despite the widespread use of standard sensors for sarcosine measurement, they face limitations. This paper presents a focused review of recent developments in biosensors utilizing luminescent carbon quantum dots and graphene quantum dots for sarcosine detection. Key processes are characterized by their selectivity and sensitivity to different forms of sarcosine and interfering substances like metallic ions and amino acids. The significant reaction mechanisms and detection methods for sarcosine are outlined and compared. Additionally, the challenges in developing functionalized CQDs and GQDs for further investigation are explored. In summary, luminescent carbon nanoparticles offer a promising avenue for sarcosine detection, addressing limitations of standard sensors through their cost‐effectiveness, sensitivity, and rapid response, thus holding potential for diverse sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amines, crucial components in various industries, play a pivotal role in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and specialty chemicals. Recognizing the environmental impact of conventional methods for their preparation, our study centers on the utilization of abundantly available natural molecules, specifically amino acids, as precursors for short chain amine synthesis. This paper focuses on the biocatalyst, L‐valine decarboxylase from Streptomyces viridifaciens (VlmD), delving into the substrate scope, catalytic activity, and cost‐effective scalability of an enzymatic process for amine synthesis. Additionally, we investigate the feasibility of immobilizing VlmD, aiming to pave the way for its effective use in industrial applications. Our study exploits the SpinChem system and provides a comprehensive understanding of the potential and limitations of this biocatalyst. Notably, our yields for key amines (8.42 g ⋅ d−1 for isobutylamine, 5.23 g ⋅ d−1 for isoamylamine, 5.16 g ⋅ d−1 for (S)‐2‐methylbutylamine, 3.78 g ⋅ d−1 for 3‐(methylthio)propylamine, and 10.52 g ⋅ d−1 for (R)‐1‐amino‐2‐propanol) demonstrate the process efficiency and potential for industrial scalability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents articles for publication in future issues of the "European Journal of Biochemistry". Chemical structure of the lipopolysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae strain; Progression of mammalian DNA replication intermediates to mature chromatin; Purification, characterization and induction of phenylalanine ammonia lyase in Phaseolus vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different smoking methods on sensory properties, free amino acids (FAAs) and volatile compounds (VCs) of bacon. Descriptive analysis was performed using a highly trained panel (n = 9) to evaluate four bacons in sextuplicate. VCs of bacons were analyzed using solid‐phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). RESULTS: Bacons were significantly different in sensory properties (P < 0.05). Wood smoked bacon (WSB) had a higher smoky and fatty aroma, liquid smoked bacon (LSB) had a higher red color intensity and yellow color intensity, and paper smoked bacon (PSB) had an outstanding texture. Different smoking methods resulted in an increase in total FAAs content, of which paper smoking was significantly higher than the others (P < 0.05). Also, a total of 59 volatile flavor compounds were identified for bacons, aldehydes were the most abundant groups of compounds. Principal component analysis (PCA) can effectively separate the bacons that underwent different smoking methods. CONCLUSION: The aldehydes and hydrocarbons with high content in PSB improved the overall taste intensity. The color in the sensory attributes was more obvious after LSB processing. The phenols and aromatic hydrocarbons in WSB contributed significantly to the pleasant properties (smoky, fatty). © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary:Transcription factors containing a conserved DNA-binding domain similar to that of the proto-oncogenec-mybhave been identified in nearly all eukaryotes. MYB-related proteins from plants generally contain two related helix-turn-helix motifs, the R2 and R3 repeats. It was estimated thatArabidopsis thalianacontains more than 100R2R3-MYBgenes. The few cases where functional data are available suggest an important role of these genes in the regulation of secondary metabolism, the control of cell shape, disease resistance, and hormone responses. To determine the full regulatory potential of this large family of regulatory genes, a systematic search for the function of all genes of this family was initiated.Sequence data for more than 90 differentA. thaliana R2R3-MYBgenes have been obtained. Sequence comparison revealed conserved amino acid motifs shared by subgroups ofR2R3-MYBgenes in addition to the characteristic DNA-binding domain. No significant clustering of the genes was detected, although they are not uniformly distributed throughout theA. thalianagenome.R2R3-MYBgene expression levels were determined under more than 20 different growth conditions including hormone treatment, infection with pathogens and various stress conditions.MYBgenes are specifically expressed in different tissues and physiological conditions, indicating the potential for involvement in various regulatory processes. The sequence and expression data together with the map positions of nearly allMYBgenes inA. thalianaprovide a substantial basis for further studies of this important group of transcription factors.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dried blood spots (DBS), created by applying and drying a whole blood sample onto filter paper, provide a simple and minimally invasive procedure for collecting, transporting, and storing blood. Because DBS are ideal for use in field and resource‐limited settings, we aimed to develop a simple and accurate DBS‐based approach for assessing mercury (Hg) exposure and dietary carbon sources for landlocked Arctic char, a sentinel fish species in the Arctic. We collected liquid whole blood (from the caudal vein), muscle, liver, and brains of Arctic char (n = 36) from 8 lakes spanning a Hg gradient in the Canadian High Arctic. We measured total Hg concentrations ([THg]) of field‐prepared DBS and Arctic char tissues. Across a considerable range, [THg] of DBS (0.04–3.38 μg/g wet wt) were highly correlated with [THg] of all tissues (r2 range = 0.928–0.996). We also analyzed the compound‐specific carbon isotope ratios (expressed as δ13C values) of essential amino acids (EAAs) isolated from DBS, liquid whole blood, and muscle. The δ13C values of 5 EAAs (δ13CEAAs; isoleucine [Ile], leucine [Leu], phenylalanine [Phe], valine [Val], and threonine [Thr]) from DBS were highly correlated with δ13CEAAs of liquid whole blood (r2 range = 0.693–0.895) and muscle (r2 range = 0.642–0.881). The patterns of δ13CEAAs of landlocked Arctic char were remarkably consistent across sample types and indicate that EAAs are most likely of algal origin. Because a small volume of blood (~50 µL) dried on filter paper can be used to determine Hg exposure levels of various tissues and to fingerprint carbon sources, DBS sampling may decrease the burdens of research and may be developed as a nonlethal sampling technique. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:893–903. © 2020 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the construction of racemic and enantiopure (D‐ and L‐) fluorene and fluorenone‐based novel unnatural amino acid derivatives. The Pd(II)‐catalyzed bidentate directing group‐aided arylation of prochiral β‐C(sp3)‐H bonds in racemic, enantiopure carboxamides of amino acids with iodofluorenes was reported. The construction of novel examples of fluorene and fluorenone motifs containing amino acids comprising of norvaline, leucine, phenylalanine, norleucine, 2‐aminooctanoic acid derivatives having the anti‐stereochemistry (with good enantiopurity) was accomplished. The construction of bis fluorenyl alanine scaffolds and fluorenyl motif‐containing non‐α‐amino acid (aminoalkanoic acid) derivatives was also reported. Examples of removal of the directing group (8‐aminoquinoline) and phthalimide‐protecting group present in the fluorenyl‐based unnatural amino acid derivatives have been shown. Accordingly, fluorene motif‐based amino acid esters and free amino group‐containing unnatural amino acid derivatives were synthesized. The stereochemistry of the major (anti) diastereomers obtained via the prochiral β‐C(sp3)‐H arylation of norvaline, leucine, phenylalanine, norleucine, 2‐aminooctanoic acid derivatives was ascertained from the X‐ray structure of a representative compound. Fluorene‐ and fluorenone‐based motifs are vital skeletons in materials and medicinal chemistry research. Accordingly, this work is a contribution towards enriching the library of fluorene and fluorenone unnatural amino acid scaffolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic‐resistant strains are an emerging threat to public health. The usage of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is one of the promising approaches to solve this problem. For the development of new AMPs, it is necessary to have reliable prediction methods. Recently, deep learning approaches have been used to predict AMP. In this paper, we want to compare simple and complex methods for these purposes. We used the BERT transformer to create sequence embeddings and the multilayer perceptron (MLP) and light attention (LA) approaches for classification. One of them reached about 80 % accuracy and specificity in benchmark testing, which is on par with the best available methods. For comparison, we proposed a simple method using only the amino acid composition of proteins or peptides. This method has shown good results, at the level of the best methods. We have prepared a special server for predicting the ability of AMPs by amino acid composition: http://bioproteom.protres.ru/antimicrob/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the amino acid chiral ionic liquid (AACIL) was prepared with L‐phenylalanine and imidazole. It was characterized by CD, FT‐IR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectrum. The chiral recognition sensor was constructed with AACIL and Cu(II), which exhibited different chiral visual responses (solubility or color difference) to the enantiomers of glutamine (Gln) and phenylalanine (Phe). The effects of solvent, pH, time, temperature, metal ions, and other amino acids on visual chiral recognition were optimized. The minimum concentrations of Gln and Phe for visual chiral recognition were 0.20 mg/ml and 0.28 mg/ml, respectively. The mechanism of chiral recognition was investigated by FT‐IR, TEM, SEM, TG, XPS, and CD. The location of the host‐guest inclusion or molecular placement has been conformationally searched based on Gaussian 09 software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two new amino acid imidazole ionic liquids IL‐3 and IL‐4 were synthesized for the first time, and their separation performance as the stationary phase for capillary gas chromatography (GC) was tested. The statically coated IL‐3 and IL‐4 capillary columns exhibited moderate to high polarity, and achieved the column efficiency of 2242 plates/m and 2487 plates/m respectively determined by n‐octanol at 120 °C. Importantly, the IL‐3 and IL‐4 columns exhibited excellent separation capability for analytes with varying polarity, including n‐alkanes, arenes, esters, alcohols, bromoalkanes, halogenobenzenes, and halogenated anilines. In addition, the IL‐3 and IL‐4 columns presented high selectivity and separation capability for positional, structural and cis‐/trans‐isomers. In particular, they showed high separation performance of the chloroaniline, bromaniline, iodoaniline and xylidine isomers as an important environmental pollutant. The IL‐3 and IL‐4 columns displayed advantageous resolving capability over the commercial HP‐35 column for aromatic amine isomers, and the separation performance of IL‐4 with long carbon chain was better than that of IL‐3. Moreover, it was applied to determine isomer impurities in real samples, and showing huge potential in GC applications. This work demonstrates the potential of the amino acid imidazole ionic liquids as a new type of stationary phase in GC separations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RaTG13, MP789, and RmYN02 are the strains closest to SARS‐CoV‐2, and their existence came to light only after the start of the pandemic. Their genomes have been used to support a natural origin of SARS‐CoV‐2 but after a close examination all of them exhibit several issues. We specifically address the presence in RmYN02 and closely related RacCSxxx strains of a claimed natural PAA/PVA amino acid insertion at the S1/S2 junction of their spike protein at the same position where the PRRA insertion in SARS‐CoV‐2 has created a polybasic furin cleavage site. We show that RmYN02/RacCSxxx instead of the claimed insertion carry a 6‐nucleotide deletion in the region and that the 12‐nucleotide insertion in SARS‐CoV‐2 remains unique among Sarbecoviruses. Also, our analysis of RaTG13 and RmYN02's metagenomic datasets found unexpected reads which could indicate possible contamination. Because of their importance to inferring SARS‐CoV‐2′s origin, we call for a careful reevaluation of RaTG13, MP789 and RmYN02 sequencing records and assembly methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, l‐lysine (Lys), l‐glutamate (Glu), and l‐glutamine (Gln) grafted‐chitosan (CS) polymers (AA‐g‐CS) are prepared by the one‐pot method using EDC/NHS as coupling agents. The introduction of AA into the backbone structure of CS improves its solubility in the pH range of 6.0–7.0. Moreover, AA‐g‐CS/glycerophosphate hydrogel (AA‐g‐CS/GP hydrogel) prepared by physical cross‐linking has better thermosensitivity and can achieve the sol–gel transition in very short order. AA‐g‐CS/GP hydrogel has a dense three‐dimensional network structure, conducing to the loading of the hydrophobic drugs, and its pore size and pore wall are affected by Lys, Glu, and Gln. Berberine hydrochloride (BBH) is encapsulated within the three‐dimensional mesh of the hydrogel. And the addition of BBH has no significant effect on the structure of AA‐g‐CS/GP hydrogel. The optimal parameters for AA‐g‐CS/GP hydrogel loaded BBH (BBH@AA‐g‐CS/GP hydrogel) are the concentration of AA‐g‐CS is 4.5% and the volume ratio of AA‐g‐CS/GP is 1.4/0.6. It is shown that BBH@Lys‐g‐CS/GP hydrogel, BBH@Glu‐g‐CS/GP hydrogel, and BBH@Gln‐g‐CS/GP hydrogel have better‐sustained release effect. Moreover, the sustained release of BBH@Lys‐g‐CS/GP hydrogel is the best, and the cumulative release rate is about 56% in 24 h. Therefore, AA‐g‐CS/GP thermosensitive hydrogel is expected to be an excellent vehicle for sustained release of drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) has received both local and international recognition due to its expanding production capacity, trading, and nut utilization. The cashew apple, which forms about 90% of the total fruit weight, is left on the farmers' fields as agricultural waste owing to limited knowledge of its health benefits, a lack of technical know‐how and processing equipment, and its high perishability and astringent taste. Numerous studies have been conducted exploring the nutrients and contribution of the apple to human nutrition. This paper reviewed recent articles on the nutritional composition and health benefits of cashew apples for easy accessibility and readership. Cashew apple contains good amounts of vitamin C, sugars (fructose and sucrose), fibers, flavonoids, carotenoids, total polyphenols, volatile components, flavanols, amino acids, and minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, sodium, and iron, which are good for maintaining strong immunity, scavenging free radicals, neuropathic functioning, cardiac functioning, and maintenance of body and skin integrity. Cashew apple is associated with weight loss, and is good for diabetic patients due to its high content of flavonoids (myricetin and quercetin). Consumption of cashew apple and its value‐added products confer good health, therapeutic effects in the management of diabetics and cardiovascular diseases, and also ensure food and nutrition security. It is hoped that this review will contribute significantly to the expanding body of knowledge aimed at promoting cashew apple utilization globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1,2‐indanedione is used for latent fingerprint visualization on porous surfaces. In this paper, fluorescence spectra of 1,2‐indanedione after reacting with 21 individual amino acids present in latent fingerprints residue were measured in water‐methanol solutions. The fluorescence intensity depends on the amino acid used, while the fluorescence peak does not change much. The concentration of amino acids in fingerprint residue in females is almost the double of their concentration in males. This property combined with fluorescence of 1,2‐indanedione‐amino acids compounds is used for gender determination, by comparing the fluorescence intensity peaks in the same experimental conditions. In this preliminary study, the fluorescence signal from the samples representing females was almost two times the signal for samples representing males. In addition to the reduction by almost 50% of the number of suspects in a criminal research case, these results could be helpful in gaining some knowledge about the papillary residue composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthetic therapeutic peptides are a complex and popular class of pharmaceuticals. In recent years, peptides with proven therapeutic activity have gained significant interest in the market. The determination of synthetic peptide enantiomeric purity plays a critical role in the evaluation of the quality of the medicine. Since racemization is one of the most common side reactions occurring in AAs or peptides, enantiomeric impurities such as D‐isomers can form during the peptide synthesis or can be introduced from the starting materials (e.g., AAs). The therapeutic effect of a synthetic or semi‐synthetic bioactive peptide molecule depends on its AA enantiomeric purity and secondary/tertiary structure. Therefore, the enantiomeric purity determination for synthetic peptides is supportive for interpreting unwanted therapeutic effects and determining the quality of synthetic peptide therapeutics. However, enantiomeric purity analysis encounters formidable analytical challenges during chromatographic separation, as D/L isomers have identical physical–chemical properties except stereochemical configuration. To ensure peptides AA stereochemical configuration whether in the free or bound state, sensitive and reproducible quantitative analytical method is mandatory. In this regard, numerous analytical techniques were emerged for the quantification of D‐isomeric impurities in synthetic peptides, but still, very few reports are available in the literature. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the importance, regulatory requirements, and various analytical methods used for peptide enantiomeric purity determination. In addition, we discussed the available literature in terms of enantiomeric impurity detection, common hydrolysis procedural aspects, and different analytical strategies used for sample preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, a biosensor is proposed with a split gate dielectric modulated bottom gate top contact organic thin‐film transistor. A cavity is marked below gate metal for enhancing sensitivity in biomedical applications. The organic thin‐film transistors‐based biosensors have shown applications over advanced biosensing platforms due to their intrinsic ability to transfer and amplify received biological signals into respective electrical signals. Immobilizing the biomolecules inside the cavity generates changes in surface potential. The analysis is carried out via different performance metrics that directly affect device electrical characteristics such as a change in spacer length applied voltages (Vgs and Vds) as well as channel material. After modeling, the device output characteristics are compared corresponding to simulated outcomes that validated our results. The proposed model structure is categorized by dividing it into different sections. Each categorized section's surface potential is further evaluated via 1‐ and 2‐dimensional Poisson's equation. The simulations to recreate biomolecules in terms of dielectric constant and charge density are done in the Silvaco ATLAS tool. The maximum value of sensitivity of proposed biosensor is around 300 in the case of charged biomolecule detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of water‐soluble hosts for the selective recognition of aromatic amino acids is highly desirable and may serve as a tool to facilitate drug discovery and enable fabrication of sensors for point‐of‐care monitoring in the context of phenylketonuria disease. This paper presents the synthesis and characterization of a water‐soluble molecular cleft which is demonstrated to selectively bind aromatic amino acid guests over other amino acids in aqueous medium, favoring ʟ‐Trp over ʟ‐Phe and ʟ‐Tyr by a factor of approximately five. Host/guest‐interaction forces were studied by 1H‐NMR titrations complemented by fluorescence titrations and isothermal titration calorimetry. The here presented results provide a starting point for future optimizations in our efforts to selectively identify and quantify individual aromatic amino acids in aqueous medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expanding the availability, scope, and limitations of directing groups (DGs) for executing the site‐selective C−H activation and functionalization and substrate scope development are valuable efforts. This paper reports the scope and extension of the utility of the 4‐amino‐2,1,3‐benzothiadiazole (ABTD) directing group in the Pd(II)‐catalyzed arylation of remote sp2/sp3 γ‐C−H bonds of aromatic carboxamides and sp3β‐C−H bonds of amino acid carboxamides. The performance of the ABTD DG in the arylation of remote γ‐C−H bonds of carboxamides and sp3β‐C−H bonds of amino acid carboxamides was compared with other known DGs. For example, we have observed that the mono arylation of the methyl sp3β‐C−H bonds of alanine carboxamide possessing the ABTD DG with iodopyridine yielded the pyridylalanine derivative. Conversely, the same reaction using 8‐AQ DG did not yield the expected pyridylalanine derivative. Furthermore, 2,1,3‐benzothiadiazole moiety‐containing compounds are an important class of molecules in materials chemistry and medicinally relevant molecules. While this work reveals the utility of ABTD as the DG in the Pd(II)‐catalyzed C−H arylation of carboxamides including amino acid derivatives. On the other hand, indirectly the process of ABTD‐aided C−H arylation reactions has enabled to accomplish the synthesis of a library of 2,1,3‐benzothiadiazole moiety containing new carboxamides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent scientific evidence indicates that protein hydrolysates contain bioactive peptides that have potential benefits for human health. However, the bitter‐tasting hydrophobic peptides in protein hydrolysates negatively affect the sensory quality of resulting products and limit their utilization in food and pharmaceutical industries. The approaches to reduce, mask, and remove bitter taste from protein hydrolysates have been extensively reported. This review paper focuses on the advances in the knowledge regarding the structure–bitterness relationship of peptides, the release mechanism of bitter peptides, and the debittering methods for protein hydrolysates. Bitter tastes generating with enzymatic hydrolysis of protein is influenced by the type, concentration, and bitter taste threshold of bitterness peptides. A "bell‐shaped curve" is used to describe the relationship between the bitterness intensity of the hydrolysates and the degree of hydrolysis. The bitter receptor perceives bitter potencies of bitter peptides by the hydrophobicity recognition zone. The intensity of bitterness is influenced by hydrophobic and electronic properties of amino acids and the critical spatial structure of peptides. Compared to physicochemical debittering (i.e., selective separation, masking of bitter taste, encapsulation, Maillard reaction, and encapsulation) and other biological debittering (i.e., enzymatic hydrolysis, enzymatic deamidation, plastein reaction), enzymatic hydrolysis is a promising debittering approach as it combines protein hydrolyzation and debittering into a one‐step process, but more work should be done to advance the knowledge on debittering mechanism of enzymatic hydrolysis and screening of suitable proteases. Further study can focus on combining physicochemical and biological approaches to achieve high debittering efficiency and produce high‐quality products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of functional amino acids during pregnancy has been linked to improved reproduction in mammals. In this context, arginine is a precursor in the synthesis of numerous molecules, such as nitric oxide and polyamines, which play an important role during reproduction. However, contradictory studies are found in the literature, particularly regarding the amount of supplementation and the period of pregnancy in which it is used. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary arginine supplementation for pregnant sows on foetal development via a systematic review. The search for papers was performed during the month of December 2015, in the databases ISI Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, and Sci ELO. From a total of 5675 returned studies, only 13 papers were selected after applying selection criteria. Most (47%) of the studies that evaluated the effects of dietary arginine supplementation on foetal development in pigs used 1% arginine. Supplementation was initiated in the first third of pregnancy in 47% of tests, including in both primiparous and multiparous sows. These studies showed positive results for embryo survival and foetal development, evidenced by the increase in placental weight and the number and weight of piglets born alive. Of all evaluated studies, 53% showed benefits on foetal development. It is concluded that supplementing dietary arginine in gestating sows can benefit embryo survival and foetal development. However, to establish a supplementation plan with this amino acid, aspects related to the period of pregnancy, supplementation levels, and source of arginine must be well defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Garphos with different substituents were employed as chiral extractants to enantioseparate racemic amino acid and mandelic acid. The influences of metal precursors, pH of aqueous solution, Garphos‐metal concentration, extraction temperature, and substituent effect on extraction were investigated. The results indicated that the substituent groups significantly affected the π‐π interaction between extractant and substrate. And the separation factors (α) for Garphos could be remarkably improved by regulating substituent groups. Garphos‐II‐Pd, Garphos‐VI‐Pd, Garphos‐III‐Pd, Garphos‐I‐Cu, Garphos‐VI‐Cu, and Garphos‐V‐Pd were the most efficient extractants for phenylalanine (Phe), homophenylalanine (Hphe), 4‐nitrophenylalanine (Nphe), 3‐chlorophenylglycine (Cpheg), mandelic acid (MA), and 2‐chlormandelic acid (CMA) with α values of 2.40, 2.37, 5.37, 1.59, 5.98, and 3.69, respectively. This work provided an important reference for the design of efficient chiral extractants in future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A core topic of research in prebiotic chemistry is the search for plausible synthetic routes that connect the building blocks of modern life, such as sugars, nucleotides, amino acids, and lipids to 'molecular food sources' that were likely to have been abundant on early Earth. In a recent contribution, Albert Eschenmoser emphasised the importance of catalytic and autocatalytic cycles in establishing such abiotic synthesis pathways. The accumulation of intermediate products furthermore provides additional catalysts that allow pathways to change over time. We show here that generative models of chemical spaces based on graph grammars make it possible to study such phenomena in a systematic manner. In addition to reproducing the key steps of Eschenmoser's hypothesis paper, we discovered previously unexplored potentially autocatalytic pathways from HCN to glyoxylate. A cascade of autocatalytic cycles could efficiently re-route matter, distributed over the combinatorial complex network of HCN hydrolysation chemistry, towards a potential primordial metabolism. The generative approach also has it intrinsic limitations: the unsupervised expansion of the chemical space remains infeasible due to the exponential growth of possible molecules and reactions between them. Here, in particular, the combinatorial complexity of the HCN polymerisation and hydrolysation networks forms the computational bottleneck. As a consequence, guidance of the computational exploration by chemical experience is indispensable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: There is no standardised interventional approach to preventing or treating sarcopenia in older adults in hospital. The aim of this review was to systematically identify and synthesise the effects of nutritional interventions on markers of sarcopenia in hospitalised patients aged 65 years and older. Methods: Four databases were searched using terms for intervention, population and setting. Eligibility screening of title and abstract and then full‐text papers was competed in duplicate, independently. The final included papers were assessed for quality, and outcome data extracted independently and in duplicate. Outcome data were synthesised by meta‐analysis, where possible, or narratively. Results: Seven hundred and thirty‐two articles were screened for eligibility yielding six studies for inclusion. All studies provided oral nutritional support that aimed to increase protein intake ranging from an additional 10 to 40 g/d, each with a unique formulation of amino acids and/or micronutrients; three studies combined nutritional intervention with an enhanced physical activity program. Five studies measured hand grip strength, the mean difference was 1.97 kg (95% CI 0.55‐3.39, P =.006) greater in the intervention group (n = 166) compared with control group (n = 165). Assessment of muscle mass and activities of daily living were heterogeneous and the changes inconsistent between studies. Conclusions: Few studies inform nutritional management of inpatients with sarcopenia or at risk of sarcopenia. High quality, large intervention trials are needed urgently to identify the optimal nutrition and physical activity intervention combinations to manage sarcopenia in older hospitalised adults. These studies need to include outcome measures of physical function and muscle quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Lycium barbarum is a valuable medicinal food, it is unfortunately not easy to store due to its high moisture content. In order to maximize the preservation of the medicinal value of L. barbarum, drying is increasingly used for its storage. Motivated by the need to better understand and improve the drying of L. barbarum, in this study, the VFD (vacuum freeze drying) and HD (hot air drying) are employed as drying processes, and the rehydration ratio, drying time, specific energy consumption, sensory characteristics, moisture ratio, energy consumption, moisture mobility, and amino acids and flavonoids content of dried L. barbarum are comprehensively analyzed. The results show that, after VFD, L. barbarum has lower hardness (71.53 ± 1.68), higher rehydration ratio (1.31 ± 0.02), larger volume, plump, round and smooth surface, and similar color to the fresh L. barbarum. At the same time, compared with the sample after HD, the moisture ratio of L. barbarum after VFD is lower (1.4 ± 0.1), and its content of free water is almost negligible (2.2%). In addition, the amino acids and flavonoids content of L. barbarum after VFD are closer to those of the fresh product (133.7 μmol/g, 5.69 mg/g). Based on the analysis of the drying effect on the physical and chemical properties of L. barbarum, we conclude that VFD is a promising processing technology. However, HD proves to greatly reduce the specific energy consumption and drying time when raising the temperature appropriately, whereas VFD could not achieve the same result by increasing the heating rate of VFD. Practical applications: In this paper, based on the mechanism of different drying methods, the quality of L. barbarum products after drying was compared, and the water distribution in the drying process was analyzed. It is found that using VFD technology to dry L. barbarum can improve the production efficiency of L. barbarum industry and the quality of L. barbarum products. Meanwhile, the research results can provide reference for the optimization of VFD system and the scientific formulation of process parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of growth, development, and reproduction cannot take place in a live body without the presence of amino acids (AAs) since they are necessary for appropriate functioning. Detection of AAs in pharmaceutical and food samples is required to ensure quality, quantity, and efficacy. The AAs generally do not contain chromophores; hence their chromatographic analysis requires derivatization. The research papers published in the last few years were used to compile this manuscript. This manuscript covers various analytical, bioanalytical, and electrochemical approaches used in the identification of AAs. The analytical techniques like high‐performance liquid chromatography, ultra‐performance liquid chromatography, etc., and the hyphenated analytical techniques like liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry, ultra‐performance liquid chromatography‐electrospray tandem mass spectrometry, and hydrophilic interaction ultra‐performance liquid chromatography are also discussed. This manuscript also briefly outlines the electrochemical analytical techniques including sensors and biosensors. This review article will be useful to the researcher working in the area of the development of analytical techniques for the detection of AAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leonurus japonicus Houtt (LJH) is a bulk medicinal material commonly used in clinical practice, but its complex constituents have not been completely understood, posing challenges to pharmacology, pharmacokinetic research, and scientific and rational drug use. As a result, it is critical to develop an efficient and accurate method for classifying and identifying the chemical composition of LJH. In this study, ultra‐performance liquid chromatography‐quadrupole electrostatic field‐orbital trap high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC‐Q‐Orbitrap‐MS) was successfully established, along with two data post‐processing techniques, characteristic fragmentations (CFs) and neutral losses (NLs), to quickly classify and identify the chemical constituents in LJH. As a result, 44 constituents of LJH were identified, including four alkaloids, 20 flavonoids, two phenylpropanoids, 17 organic acids, and one amino acid. The method in this paper enables classification and identification of chemical compositions rapidly, providing a scientific foundation for further research on the effective and toxic substances of LJH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exudation patterns in cowpea and sorghum seed and seedlings were studied using a filter paper technique. Profuse exudation was observed from cowpea seeds but this decreased considerably 2 days after germination. Root tips of primary, lateral, and adventitious roots were found to be the major sites of exudation but the older parts of seedling roots also exuded significant quantities of amino acids. Exudates from the roots of both species enhanced the germination of conidia of four Fusarium species previously isolated from the rhizosphere and rhizoplane. The germ tubes and some conidia were lysed by cowpea exudate in 48 h. Mycelial growth in liquid culture was enhanced in cowpea root exudate medium but was scanty in sorghum exudate; the presence of antifungal substance was suspected in the latter. The significance of the results obtained in relation to microbial root colonization and pathogenesis is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterially synthesized, recombinant-DNA-derived bovine growth hormone (r-bGH), prepared as described in the preceding paper in this journal, has been characterized in comparison with pituitary bovine growth hormone (pit-bGH). The characterization criteria include sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, automated N-terminal sequence analysis, amino acid composition, isoelectric focusing, reverse-phase high- performance liquid chromatography, ultraviolet absorbance, analysis for free protein thiol, sizing by gel filtration, circular dichroism, radioimmunoassay and biological activity in the hypophysectomized rat weight-gain assay. In every respect the r-bGH appears to be virtually identical to pit-bGH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turnip isoperoxidase TP 7 had its hemin group removed and was cleaved by trypsin. The digest was fractionated by gel filtration and high-voltage paper electrophoresis and yielded 24 peptides, which counted for all 296 amino acid residues of the enzyme. Sequence analyses on the tryptic peptides and, when necessary, on their thermolytic derivatives were carried out by manual Edman degradation followed by dansylation or by quantitative amino acid analysis of thiazolinones convened by HI. The four disulfide bridges and the only site of carbohydrate attachment of turnip peroxidase 7 are located. The present analysis of tryptic peptides has been complemented by cyanogen bromide fragments cleaved by chymotrypsin as described in the accompanying paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the venom glands of honey bees fed with different radioactive amino acids, labelled promelittin could be isolated. Extensive analysis of this precursor peptide has led to the conclusion that it contains the entire sequence of melittin, including the C-terminal glutamic acid diamide. At the amino end, promelittin was found to be heterogeneous. As compared to melittin, the main species contains eight additional amino acids. Other species of different chain length are present in varying amounts. The structure of the main component can be formulated as Glu-Pro-Glu-Pro-Asp-Pro-Glu-Ala-melittin(1–26). The methodology used for determining the sequence of radioactive peptides is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a significant and growing burden on global health services, and it is now accepted that impairment of vascular function represents a major preliminary step in the development of CVD. There is considerable interest in identifying both causal factors of impaired vascular function, as well as related nutritional factors that may lower the risk of developing CVD, and food‐derived bioactive peptides and amino acids have emerged as one such area. Dairy foods contain two groups of proteins, whey proteins and caseins, which represent a rich source of bioactive peptides that are released during food processing and/or digestion. These peptides have a number of physiological activities including the potential to reduce blood pressure. Research, including acute and longer‐term randomised controlled trials, animal models and in vitro models has demonstrated the potential impact of dairy proteins on vascular function. The purpose of this paper is to narratively review the evidence, primarily from randomised controlled trials, examining the effects of whey proteins, their peptides and amino acids on vascular function and related issues including blood pressure. In addition, it will explore the potential underlying mechanisms responsible for these effects. It concludes that there is increasing evidence that whey proteins, and notably the bioactive peptides and amino acids released during their digestion, can have beneficial effects on aspects of vascular function and thus contribute to CVD risk reduction. It also highlights a number of beneficial effects of whey proteins including those on blood pressure, arterial stiffness, nitric oxide production and inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The MHC‐peptide interaction has a subtle influence on host resistance to virus. This paper aims to study the relationship between MHC‐peptide interaction and MHC‐related virus‐resistance. Methods: By 3D homology modeling, the structure of chicken BF2 molecule BF2*0201 (PDB code: 4d0d) was studied and compared with the known structures of BF2 molecule BF2*0401 (PDB code: 4e0r) to elucidate the characteristics of BF2*0201‐binding antigenic peptides. Results: The results show that due to the amino acid difference between the two binding groove of 4e0r and 4d0d, the size of the binding groove of the two are 1130 ų and1380 ų respectively, indicating the amino acid species that 4e0r binding peptide has lower selectivity than 4d0d; and because of large side chain conformation of Arg (especially Arg111) of 4e0r replaced by small side chain Tyr111 of 4d0d, the volume of central part of the binding groove of 4d0d is obviously larger than that of 4e0r, indicating that the restrictive of binding antigenic peptides for 4d0d is narrower than that of 4e0r; and on account of the chargeability of the binding groove of the two are different, namely the binding groove chargeability of 4e0r (strong positive polarity) and 4d0d (weak negative polarity). Conclusion: There are generally more peptides presented by the BF2 of B2 haplotype than by that of B4 haplotype, leading to more resistance of B2 than that of B4 to virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several guidance documents support best practices across the stages of the parenteral nutrition (PN) use process to optimize patient safety. The critical step of PN order verification and review by the pharmacist requires a contextual assessment of the compatibility and stability implications of the ordered PN prescription. This article will provide working definitions, describe PN component characteristics, and present a wide‐ranging representation of compatibility and stability concerns that need to be considered prior to preparing a PN admixture. This paper has been approved by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) Board of Directors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Yeast extract (YE) is a kind of umami additives used in fermented condiments, it also has special yeasty flavour (YF), which is not widely accepted by some consumers. In this paper, the technology of mixed microbial transformation was applied to eliminate or cover up YF during mixed fermentation. FG10, which is produced by Hubei Angel Yeast Co. Ltd, is a kind of YE that has the distinctive YF and has been applied to the market. It had good sensory evaluation after 6 h with Saccharomycopsis fibuligera and Lactococcus lactis. At 6 h, compared with single fermentation, the number of bacteria of L. lactis was enhanced by 34.28%, and the number of bacteria of S. fibuligera was reduced by 47.93%. The yeasty flavoured substances propionic acid and butyric acid were completely removed. The result of GC‐MS showed that acetal, phenyl acetaldehyde, 2,4‐dimethylbenzaldehyde, benzaldehyde, isoamyl alcohol, 5‐methyl‐2‐furan methanol, phenylethanol were generated or increased. Furthermore, the amino acids of YE were significantly different after fermentation by different microorganisms (P < 0.05), The flavour compounds and amino acids in YE before and after fermentation had closely correlation (r = 0.94), the consumption of amino acids in mixed fermentation promoted the variety of corresponding flavour compounds, which boosted the formation of free YF YE. In addition, taste substances lactic acid generated 6.27 ± 0.115 g L−1 and nucleotides improved 15.05%, which were beneficial to natural YF free seasoning with YE as raw material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]