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Aging involves cognitive decline and prominent alterations in brain activity. Electroacupuncture (EA), a traditional Chinese medicine approach, is demonstrated to be effective in improving cognitive function of older adults. However, the specific neural mechanism underlying this modulation effect remains unclear. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate whether EA could improve cognitive performance of community-dwelling older adults and whether these potential improvements are associated with the EA-induced brain functional connectivity alterations. Thirty healthy older adults were recruited and randomly assigned to the EA group and the control group. Behaviorally, we observed an EA-induced improvement in cognitive performance of older adults in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. On a neural perspective, the EA intervention significantly increased the functional connectivity within the default mode network. Moreover, we found a positive association between the improvement in delayed memory performance and the alterations in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex-hippocampal formation connectivity in the EA group. This study extends previous findings by showing that healthy older adults exhibit neural plasticity manifested as increased functional connectivity after EA sessions, which could induce therapeutic effects in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of Tween 20 on the emulsification and gelation properties of peanut protein isolates (PPI) were investigated. The functional properties of different peanut protein products, including PPI, Tween 20‐assisted aqueous extraction peanut proteins (TPP), and their transglutaminase‐modified products (TG‐TPP), were then compared. The results indicate that the addition of Tween 20 to the PPI resulted in higher emulsifying activity index (EAI) and emulsion stability index (ESI) values than PPI without Tween 20; however, the emulsions produced by the PPI–Tween 20 mixtures were easier to destabilize during storage. As the amount of Tween 20 was increased, both the surface hydrophobicity and gel strength of the PPI–Tween mixtures significantly decreased. TPP (containing approximately 11% Tween 20) exhibited significantly different functional properties from PPI. Compared with PPI, TPP had higher EAI and ESI values but a weaker heat‐induced gelation ability. The protein solubility of TPP was markedly higher than that of PPI. Modification of TPP with transglutaminase (TGase) significantly enhanced their gelation and oil‐binding properties but reduced the protein solubility and ESI value. The remarkable improvement in the gelation ability of TG‐TPP was mainly attributed to the formation of high‐molecular‐weight protein aggregates and their conformational changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Armadillo (ARM)-repeat protein is involved in many biological processes, including cell-cell adhesion and the Wnt signaling pathway. However, the function of ARM-repeat protein in Bombyx mori has not been completely clarified. In this study, a gene encoding ARM-repeat protein was identified, which has an open reading fragment of 1923 bp, encoding a predicted 641 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of approximately 71.2 kDa. BmARM-like mRNA showed highest expression in hemolymph, significantly high expression levels in 4th instar, moth, and egg, stable high expression levels in the early embryonic development, relatively high expression levels in the 1st day and 5th day of the pupa stage, and highest expression levels in the molting stage. What's more, BmARM-like protein could be detected by immunofluorescence in all analyzed tissues, including head, midgut, hemolymph, fat body, testis and ovary. More importantly, the relatively high expression level of BmARM-like mRNA were observed in BC9 (near-isogenic line) following BmNPV infection as compared to P50 (susceptible strain), which was further validated in the midgut of A35 (resistant strain). The expression levels of BmARM-like protein showed similar trends with transcriptional levels in the midgut following BmNPV infection. Based on the analysis above, we speculated that BmARM-like is involved in response against BmNPV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferritins are conserved iron-binding proteins that are primarily involved in iron storage, detoxification and the immune response. Despite the importance of ferritin in organisms, little is known about their roles in the eri-silkworm (Samia cynthia ricini). We previously identified a ferritin heavy chain subunit named ScFerHCH in the S. c. ricini transcriptome database. The full-length S. c. ricini ferritin heavy chain subunit (ScFerHCH) was 1863 bp and encoded a protein of 231 amino acids with a deduced molecular weight of 25.89 kDa. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that ScFerHCH shared a high amino acid identity with the Bombyx mori and Danaus plexippus heavy chain subunits. Higher ScFerHCH expression levels were found in the silk gland, fat body and midgut of S. c. ricini by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting. Injection of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was associated with an upregulation of ScFerHCH in the midgut, fat body and hemolymph, indicating that ScFerHCH may contribute to the host's defense against invading pathogens. In addition, the anti-oxidation activity and iron-binding capacity of recombinant ScFerHCH protein were examined. Taken together, our results suggest that the ferritin heavy chain subunit from eri-silkworm may play critical roles not only in innate immune defense, but also in organismic iron homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hispanic Americans comprise the largest and fastest-growing ethnic minority in the USA. In Houston, Texas, 44% of the population is of Hispanic descent, with the majority being Mexican Americans (78%). This population is under-represented in health-related research despite their high prevalence of obesity and diabetes, which may predispose them to cancer and other chronic conditions. Recognizing the need for a greater research effort into the health risks of Hispanic Americans, the population-based Mexican American (Mano a Mano) Cohort study was launched in 2001. This is an open cohort with enrolment ongoing to 2019, and as of 30 June 2014, 23 606 adult participants from over 16 600 households were enrolled. Bilingual interviewers elicit information in person on demographics, acculturation, lifestyle, occupation, medical history, family cancer history, self-reported and measured height and weight, and other exposures. Urine, blood and saliva samples have been collected at baseline from 43%, 56% and 63% of participants, respectively. DNA samples are available for about 90% of participants. Incident cancers and other chronic diseases are ascertained through annual telephone re-contact and linkage to the Texas Cancer Registry and/or medical records. Molecular data such as genetic ancestry markers, blood telomere length and HbA1c, a marker of impaired glucose tolerance, are available for a substantial proportion of the participants. Data access is provided on request [manoamano@mdanderson.org]. For further information please visit [www.mano-mano.us]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters belong to a superfamily of genes involved in the transport of specific molecules across lipid membranes, as well as insecticide resistance, present in all living organisms. In this study, we combined the Cnaphalocrocis medinals transcriptome database with a bioinformatics approach to identify four C. medinals ABCs (CmABCs), including CmABCG1, CmABCG4, CmABCC2 and CmABCC3. Tissue expression analysis showed that these genes had a tissue-specific expression pattern. CmABCG1 had significantly higher expression in the haemolymph and head compared to the other tissues. The expression of CmABCG4, CmABCC2 and CmABCC3 was highest in the midgut, followed by expression in the fat body. The developmental stage expression analysis showed that CmABCG1, CmABCG4, CmABCC2 and CmABCC3 were mainly expressed in adults. The transcription of CmABCG1, CmABCG4 and CmABCC2 was significantly induced by chlorpyrifos. Taken together, the results of our study provided useful information for understanding of the detoxification system of C. medinalis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Micro-milling is widely used in aerospace and precision optical part manufacturing. Residual stress is an important index of surface integrity, which signally affects the performance of the micro-parts. This paper presents an analytical model to predict micro-milling residual stresses considering tool edge radius, material strengthening effects, and initial stress. A micro-milling cutting force prediction model is proposed, in which tool edge radius and material strengthening effects are taken into account. The imaginary heat source is utilized to estimate the temperature distribution in the workpiece. This model considers the prediction results of cutting force and temperature as thermomechanical loads experienced by the workpiece. Also, the effect of initial stress is taken into account during the estimation of residual stresses. After loading, unloading, and stresses release, the results of residual stresses in micro-milling are finally obtained. Both the micro-milling cutting force and residual stresses prediction results are validated by NAK80 steel on a three-axis ultra-precision machine. The predicted results capture the experiment results well in terms of distribution and value. Finally, the model is analyzed and discussed. The influences of tool edge radius, rake angle, feed per tooth, and spindle speed on residual stresses are preliminarily explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]