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Background The aim of this study was to determine the factors influencing viral shedding time (VST) in non-severe paediatric infection with SARS-CoV-2).Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from 240 non-severe paediatric infection with the SARS-CoV-2. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors associated with VST.Results Two hundred and forty patients were included in the study. The median duration of VST was 10 days (IQR, 8–13 days). Compared with patients aged 12 years (aHR: 2.180; 95% CI 1.071 to 4.439) had shorter VST. Non-leucopenia patients (aHR: 1.431; 95% CI 1.005 to 2.038) also had a lower VST.Discussion The results of this study show that children aged

Introduction Very preterm (VPT) infants may experience varying degrees of neurodevelopmental challenges. Lack of early markers for neurodevelopmental disorders may delay referral to early interventions. The detailed General Movements Assessment (GMA) could help us to identify early markers for VPT infants at risk of atypical neurodevelopmental clinical phenotype in the very early stage of life as soon as possible. Preterm infants with high risk of atypical neurodevelopmental outcomes will have the best possible start to life if early precise intervention in critical developmental windows is allowed.Methods and analysis This is a nationwide, multicentric prospective cohort study that will recruit 577 infants born

Continuous cropping (CC) restricts the development of the medicinal plant cultivation industry because it alters soil properties and the soil microbial micro-ecological environment. It can also lead to reductions in the chemical contents of medicinal plants. In this study, we intercropped continuously cropped Pogostemon cablin (patchouli) with turmeric or ginger. High-throughput sequencing was used to study the soil bacteria and fungi. Community composition, diversity, colony structure, and colony differences were also analyzed. A redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to study the interactions between soil physical and chemical factors, and the bacteria and fungi. The correlations between the soil community and the soil physical and chemical properties were also investigated. The results showed that intercropping turmeric and ginger with patchouli can improve soil microbial abundance, diversity, and community structure by boosting the number of dominant bacteria, and by improving soil bacterial metabolism and the activities of soil enzymes. They also modify the soil physical and chemical properties through changes in enzyme activity, soil pH, and soil exchangeable Ca (Ca). In summary, turmeric and ginger affect the distribution of dominant bacteria, and increase the contents of the active ingredient in patchouli. The results from this study suggested that the problems associated with continuously cropping patchouli can be ameliorated by intercropping it with turmeric and ginger.

To explore models to improve HIV testing, linkage to care and treatment among men who have sex with men (MSM) in cooperation with community-based organizations (CBOs) in China.We introduced a new model for HIV testing services targeting MSM in six cities in 2013.These models introduced provision of rapid HIV testing by CBO staff and streamlined processes for HIV screening, confirmation of initial reactive screening results, and linkage to care among diagnosed people. We monitored attrition along each step of the continuum of care from screening to treatment and compared program performance between 2012 and 2013. According to the providers of two rapid tests (HIV screening), four different services delivery models were examined in 2013: Model A = first screen at CDC, second at CDC (Model A = CDC+CDC), Model B = first and second screens at CBOs (Model B = CBO+CBO), Model C = first screen at CBO, second at Hospital (Model C = CBO+Hosp), and Model D = first screen at CBO, second at CDC (Model D = CBO+CDC). Logistic regressions were performed to assess advantages of different screening models of case finding and case management.Compared to 2012, the number of HIV screening tests performed for MSM increased 35.8% in 2013 (72,577 in 2013 vs. 53,455 in 2012). We observed a 5.6% increase in proportion of cases screened reactive receiving HIV confirmatory tests (93.9% in 2013 vs. 89.2% in 2012, χ2 = 48.52, p

While the HIV epidemic varies greatly by region and population group throughout China, the HIV incidence among men who have sex with men (MSM) continues to rise at an alarmingly fast pace. We seek to analyze the risk factors associated with HIV infection among MSM recruited from different channels in large urban centers across China, in an attempt to shed light on the design of future targeted intervention strategies.A total of 33,684 MSM from 14 cities and one province were recruited from July to December 2011. Demographic (e.g. age, marital status, education) and behavioral (e.g. condom use, HIV testing history) data were collected using information collection cards. Blood samples were also collected to test for HIV and Syphilis.Participants were recruited from five different channels, and all demonstrated distinct characteristics. The overall rate of positive HIV screening was 6.27% and the rate of syphilis infection was 6.50%. Participants recruited from bathhouses had the highest HIV (11.80%) and syphilis infection rates (11.20%). Participants who were infected with syphilis had the highest HIV-positive screening rate (13.75%; 95% CI OR, 2.33-3.06). living in the southwest region of the country (11.64%; OR=2.76, 95%CI OR 2.19-3.47), Being >20 years of age (P

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of offering HIV counseling and testing in community health centers (CHCs) and to provide evidence for the HIV/AIDS response in China. METHODS: Forty-two CHCs were selected from the eight cities that participated in the study. Rapid testing was mainly provided to: clients seeking HIV testing and counseling (HTC); outpatients with high-risk behavior of contracting HIV; inpatients and outpatients of key departments. Aggregate administrative data were collected in CHCs and general hospitals and differences between the two categories were compared. RESULTS: There were 23,609 patients who underwent HIV testing, accounting for 0.37% of all estimated clinic visits at the 42 sites (0.03%-4.35% by site). Overall, positive screening prevalence was 0.41% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.33%-0.49%, range 0.00%-0.98%), which is higher than in general hospitals (0.17%). The identification efficiency was 0.22% (95% CI: 0.16%-0.27%) in pilot CHCs, 3.5 times higher than in general hospitals (0.06%) (Chi square test = 95.196, p

A joint access control and subchannel allocation (JACSA) scheme is proposed in this paper for femtocell-based machine-to-machine (M2M) network to provide better communication services. As short-range and cost-beneficial eNodeBs, femtocells can improve indoor coverage and data transmission, and can further be used for M2M communication. There are two challenges for femtocell network, access control and truth-telling. Femtocell machine-type communication devices (FMD) select femtocell access points (FAPs) according to the reported channel capacities, while the true values are private information of each femtocell. Therefore, selfish FAPs have incentive to report larger capacities to win greater opportunity to be selected. To solve the aforementioned two problems, a JACSA scheme based on the Arrow-d'Aspremont-Gerard-Varet (AGV) is proposed both in open access and hybrid access scenarios, and formula derivations are given. We prove that, compared with the optimal subchannel allocation (OSA) scheme, JACSA scheme has the feature of achieving near optimal performances with much lower computational complexity. Furthermore, we compare the allocation results for open access and hybrid access in the proposed JACSA scheme. Finally, simulations are performed, and the results verify the availability of our proposed scheme.

In order to explore the properties differences of rice protein peptides prepared using different enzymatic hydrolysis routes of double enzymes, rice protein was enzymatically hydrolyzed by trypsin (A) and alkaline protease (B) according to different enzymatic hydrolysis routes to obtain five rice protein peptides (A1B1, A1B2, A2B1, A1*B2, A2B1*). The properties of protein peptides including the hydrolysis, basic components, amino acid composition, microstructure, secondary structure, molecular weight distribution, flavor and antioxidant activity in vitro were analyzed. The results indicated that the protein content of A2B1 group was the highest, reaching 90.69% and the peptide content was 72.73%. The hydrolysis degree of five rice protein peptides was greater than 17.60%, the degree of hydrolysis was relatively high, and the microstructure changed from irregular block to sphere. The A1B2 group and A1*B2 group had thicker spheroid walls, A2B1 group and A2B1* group had thinner spheroid walls, and A1B1 group was spheroid fragments. The essential amino acid content of five rice protein peptides was lower than that of rice protein, and the A1B2 group had the highest essential amino acid content. The secondary structure coexisted with a variety of conformations, and the secondary structures of five rice protein peptides were mainly β-turn, and it accounted for 44.62%~47.18%. Most of the enzymatic hydrolysates of five rice protein peptides were polypeptides with low molecular weight, and the polypeptides with molecular weight less than 5 kDa accounted for 92.09%~93.71%. A1B2 samples had the strongest umami and the weakest astringency, and A2B1 samples had the weakest saltiness and bitterness. Compared with A1B1, A1B2 and A1*B2, A2B1 and A2B1* groups had stronger antioxidant activity. Taking together, the quality of A2B1 group was the best based on the evaluation of basic components, peptide content, amino acid composition, flavor and antioxidant activity.

Rice protein peptide has been widely concerned by researchers at home and abroad, because of its high nutritional value, high digestibility, hypoallergenicity and various physiological regulation functions. Based on the research progress of rice protein peptides in recent years, this paper reviews the preparation methods, separation and purification techniques and bitter taste improvement strategies of rice protein peptides. And summarizes the biological activities of rice protein peptides such as antioxidant, blood pressure lowering, immunomodulatory and hypoglycemic activities, introduces its application prospect in the field of food, and prospects the future research direction. The aim is to provide theoretical basis for the development and practical production of rice protein peptide.

In order to solve the problems of flesh loss in the process of navel orange juice extraction and poor suspension stability of navel orange juice, this study used an industrial-scale microfluidizer system (ISMS) to prepare whole-flesh Gannan navel orange pulp, achieving ultra-fine pulp of Gannan navel orange. The effects of different ISMS processing pressures (0, 60, 90, and 120 MPa) on the physicochemical properties (particle size distribution, rheological properties, micro morphology, suspension stability, color, pH) and nutritional qualities (soluble solids, VC, carotenoids, limonin, naringin content) of Gannan navel orange pulp was investigated. The results showed that the particle size of whole-flesh Gannan navel orange pulp gradually decreased, and D[3,2] decreased from 59.77 μm to 26.47 μm when the ISMS pressure increased from 0 MPa to 120 MPa. The pulp particles were refined and dispersed more evenly. In addition, the apparent viscosity of orange pulp gradually increased, and the consistency coefficient K increased from 0.126 to 0.165. Compared with whole-flesh Gannan navel orange pulp without ISMS processing, when the ISMS processing pressure was 90 MPa, the instability index of navel orange pulp was the smallest, decreasing from 0.504 to 0.374, and the precipitation weight ratio was the highest, increasing from 40.80% to 59.48%, indicating that the suspension stability of the whole-flesh Gannan navel orange pulp was the best at this time. In addition, after ISMS processing, the C* of the whole flesh Gannan navel orange pulp gradually increased, and the overall color of the navel orange pulp became more saturated. Moreover, ISMS processing did not affect its pH and total soluble solid content. With the increase of ISMS processing pressure, the VC content in navel orange pulp increased by 11%, the total carotenoid content increased by 15%, and the limonin content increased by 10% after ISMS processing, but the naringin content remained was not changed. In summary, in order to preserve as much nutrients as possible, 120 MPa was chosen as the optimal pressure. This study shows that ISMS can produce whole-flesh Gannan navel orange pulp with good suspension stability and nutritional quality at the industrial level, providing a new pulping route for the navel orange industry.

In order to solve the problem of rancidity of rice polishing powder and improve its physicochemical properties, the effects of twin-screw extrusion under different extrusion temperatures on the storage stability and nutritional properties of rice polishing powder were studied. Under the optimum extrusion temperature, the rice polishing powder (SR-1, SR-2, SR-3, and SR-4) with different particle sizes was prepared by low temperature impact mill (LTIM) under different air classifier speeds (300, 600, 1200, and 1800 r/min). The effects of the air classifier speed on volatile aroma compounds and physicochemical properties of rice polishing powder were studied. The results showed that the lipase activity of rice polishing powder decreased significantly from 12.94 mg/g to 2.18 mg/g after extrusion treatment. Stored at the 150th day, the fatty acid value of untreated rice polishing powder was 255.57 mg KOH/100 g, while the fatty acid value of the extruded sample was only 121.90 mg KOH/100 g. After extrusion treatment, dietary fiber, γ-aminobutyric acid, and γ-oryzanol in rice polishing powder were also well retained. LTIM promoted the release of volatile aroma compounds in rice polishing powder, and SR-3 had the highest concentration. Based on the partial least square discriminant, 9 differentially labeled components were screened according to the importance projection of variables, and it was confirmed that SR-3 had the strongest flavor. With the decrease of particle size, the specific surface area of rice polishing powder gradually increased, and the bulk density showed a decreasing trend. The whiteness index increased significantly from 66.08 to 76.61. Water absorption ability and solubility increased significantly from 1.77 g/g and 24% to 2.37 g/g and 31%, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that LTIM destroyed hydrogen bonds in starch particles, resulting in more free hydroxyl group exposure. The results can provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the processing of high-quality rice polishing powder.

In order to develop novel food 3D printing material, the effects of different temperatures (25, 30, 35, 40 ℃) on the rheological properties, 3D printing performance and structural properties of the composite plant protein-based ink were investigated with the soybean protein-isolated, gluten and rice protein (SPI-WG-RP) composite paste as the research object. The results showed that SPI-WG-RP inks exhibited shear thinning (R2≥0.98) at all temperatures, which was feasible for 3D printing. The increase of printing temperature reduced the yield stress and viscosity of SPI-WG-RP compound plant protein-based ink. When the temperature reached 40 ℃, the extrusion recovery property of protein-based ink material was the best (>62.79%). SPI-WG-RP ink had excellent self-supporting behavior. In addition, the increase in printing temperature promoted the tight connection between the three proteins, and the sample microstructure was more dense and uniform at 40 ℃, which improved the 3D printing performance to a certain extent. This study provides a theoretical basis for the preparation of plant protein-based ink with good printing performance, which is conducive to expanding the application of 3D printing technology in the field of plant protein.

Psidium guajava: is a tropical tree that is widely used in traditional medicine, especially for treating diarrhea. While P. guajava has been the subject of numerous reviews, none have specifically examined its ethnobotany, pharmacology, and phytochemistry in relation to its antidiarrheal activity. This review aims to summarize the evidence of effectiveness and safety of P. guajava in the treatment of diarrhea. Literature searches were conducted through Web of Science, PubMed, and ScienceDirect by using keywords “Psidium guajava” and “diarrhea” in October 2022. A total of 189 studies were included in this review. P. guajava is widely used in traditional medicine in 44 countries. Decoction and oral were the most represented method of preparation and administration, respectively, while leaves represented the most frequently cited part of the plant. Around 27 antidiarrheal or antibacterial compounds have been isolated and identified, including benzophenone glycosides, terpenes, polysaccharides, phenols, and flavonoids. This article presents ethnobotanical and pharmacological evidence for the efficacy of P. guajava leaves in the treatment of diarrhea and provides reference information for further investigation of this plant. However, despite the large number of publications on the topic, there are still some questions to answer: are quercetin and its glycosides the only ones to act as antidiarrheal agents? What is the mechanism of action of P. guajava antidiarrheal compounds? are the use of guava leaves safe in all types of populations including children, and at what dosage? To answer these questions, more complete phytochemical studies and systematic clinical trials are needed.

In order to explore the thermal protective effects of different proteins on betanin and clarify its protective mechanism, two animal proteins-lactoferrin and β-lactoglobulin, and two plant proteins-rice protein and soybean protein isolate were used. The formation and interaction mechanism of protein-betanin complex were characterized from turbidity, UV spectrum, particle size, and molecular simulation. The results showed that all the four proteins could improve the thermal stability of betanin, the protective effect was: Lactoferrin>soy protein isolate>β-lactoglobulin≈rice protein. The improvement of the thermal stability of proteins to betanin was related to the formation of protein-betanin complex. The results of turbidity, UV spectrum and particle size experiments suggested that the affinity of betanin with lactoferrin, β-lactoglobulin and soy protein isolate was higher than that of rice protein, which might be caused by the low solubility and tight structure of rice protein. In addition, the results of interaction and molecular docking showed that lactoferrin and betanin were mainly bound through hydrogen bond and electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bond played a dominant role in the interaction between β-lactoglobulin and betanin, the main interaction between rice protein and betanin was hydrophobic interaction, and soy protein isolate bound to betanin mainly by hydrogen bond and electrostatic interaction. This study provides a theoretical basis for protein-natural pigment interaction and the research of protection of betanin.

As a natural flavoring agent, vanilla essential oil has a special aroma and flavor, but its volatility and instability limit its value. Therefore, in this study, vanilla essential oil was compounded with cinnamon essential oil to prepare nano-emulsions (composite nano-emulsions called C/VT and C/VM), and the stability of the composite essential oil emulsions was investigated. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the nano-emulsions were spherical in shape and some flocs were observed in C/VM and C/VT. The results showed that the average droplet sizes of C/VM and C/VT increased only by 14.99% and 15.01% after heating at 100 °C for 20 min, and the average droplet sizes were less than 120 nm after 24 days of storage at 25 °C. Possibly due to the presence of reticulated flocs, which have a hindering effect on the movement of individual droplets, the instability indices of C/VM and C/VT were reduced by 34.9% and 39.08%, respectively, in comparison to the instability indices of C/VM and C/VT. In addition, the results of antioxidant experimental studies showed that the presence of composite essential oil flocs had no significant effect on the antioxidant capacity. These results indicate that the improved stability of the composite essential oil nano-emulsions is conducive to broadening the application of vanilla essential oil emulsions.

Whole sesame milk was prepared using white sesame as raw materials by industry-scale microfluidizer system without filtration process, and the optimum pressure was determined by using the apparent stability and particle size as evaluation indexes. The amount of compound stabilizer (xanthan gum, sucrose ester and monoglyceride) was studied by using the instability index, apparent stability and particle size as evaluation indexes. Ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization and aseptic filling were carried out for the whole sesame milk prepared under the appropriate technology, and the storage stability of the final product was studied. Based on the results of apparent stability and particle size, it was found that with the increase of industry-scale microfluidizer treatment pressure, the stability of the sample was improved gradually, and the particle size of the sample was decreased gradually. The sample showed the beat stability and the minimum particle size of D[4,3] of 68.17 μm when the pressure treatment was 120 MPa. According to the results of instability index, apparent stability and particle size, the optimal dosage of compound stabilizer was determined as follows: 0.09% of xanthan gum, 0.13% of compound emulsifier (sucrose ester:monoglyceride=8:2). The whole sesame milk produced by this formula process showed no precipitation and stratification within 70 days at 4 ℃, and the instability index did not change significantly, and the total number of bacterial colonies met the Agriculture standards of other vegetable protein drinks. According to the shelf life calculation, the shelf lives of the whole sesame milk product were 5 months and 2 months under the condition of cold storage (4 ℃) and room temperature (25 ℃), respectively. In summary, this process could be used to prepare a filtering free whole sesame milk beverage with good product stability.

The effects of deacidification, decolorization and deodorization at different temperatures on the content of squalene, sterols and volatile organic compounds in pressed camellia oil were investigated. The results showed that the content of squalene in crude camellia oil was 127.46 mg/kg, and after deacidification decolorization, and deodorization at 150 oC, content of squalene was decreased to 105.82, 89.52 and 79.79 mg/kg, respectively. Meanwhile, content of squalene was decreased with the increase of deodorization temperature (150~240 ℃). When the deodorization temperature was increased to 210 ℃, content of squalene was decreased by 53.70%. Subsequently, content of squalene was not change significantly after deodorization temperature was elevated to 240 ℃. The content of total sterols in crude camellia oil was 3074.24 mg/kg. After deacidification, content of total sterols was decreased (14.2%), but it was increased after decolorization (13.2%). With the increasing of refining degree, δ-7-oat sterol was disappeared, and β-sitosterol was formed. In addition, the content of δ-5,23-soybean sterol was substantially changed. Deodorization process and the increasing of deodorization temperature evidently reduced the types of volatile organic compounds in camellia oil, and the quantity and relative percentage content of acids, alcohols and esters were greatly decreased.

IntroductionArabinoxylan (AX) is a versatile polysaccharide that shows various effects in modulating gut microbiota and health. The influence of arabinoxylan carbohydrate structural feature and feruloylation on fermentability and the effect of modulation of gut microbiota of AX was not clear.MethodsArabinoxylans from rice bran and corn bran (RAX and CAX), and their deferulyolated counterpart dRAX and dCAX were fermented using an in vitro fermentation model. Structural information was determined based on monosaccharide composition. Gas production of fermentation products, SCFAs production, pH change, and microbiota change were measured.ResultsRAX and dRAX posessed lower A/X ratio compared with CAX and dCAX. The gas and total SCFAs production were lower in RAX and dRAX, and the butyrate production were higher in RAX and dRAX compared with CAX and dCAX. Butyrate production was lower at dRAX compared to RAX. On the other hand, butyrate production was higher in dCAX than in CAX. The microbiota shift were different for the four fibers.DiscussionThe AXs from rice have a higher A/X ratio than the AXs from maize, suggesting more branching and a more complex side chain. The structural difference was crucial for the difference in fermentation pattern. Different Bacteroides species are responsible for the utilization of rice AXs and corn AXs. Although feruloylation had a minor effect on the overall fermentation pattern, it significantly affected butyrate production and alpha diversity. dRAX promoted less butyrate than RAX, which is associated with a significantly lower amount of Faecalibacterium prausnitzi. dCAX promoted more butyrate than CAX, which may be associated with a lower amount of Bacteroides ovatus and a higher amount of Blautia in dCAX compared to CAX. The effects of feruloylation on the fermentation pattern and the resulted microbiota shift of AX varied depending on the carbohydrate structure.

Rice bran, rich in feruloyl arabinoxylan, is a good source of feruloyl oligosaccharides (FOs). To prepare FOs, bran was often hydrolyzed by amylase and protease to remove starch and protein and then hydrolyzed by xylanase, which was time-consuming and had a low yield. To solve the above problems, enzymatic extrusion was used to treat rice bran, and the effects of traditional hydrolysis, a combination of traditional extrusion and hydrolysis (extrusion-hydrolysis) and enzymatic extrusion on the yield of FOs were investigated and compared in this study. It was found that traditional extrusion and enzymatic extrusion significantly increased the yield of FOs. Particularly, the yield of FOs resulting from enzymatic extrusion was increased to 5.78%, while the yield from traditional hydrolysis was 4.23%. Microscopy analysis showed that extrusion damaged the cell wall of bran, which might increase the accessibility of xylanase to arabinoxylan and the yield of FOs. Spectroscopy analysis suggested that FOs obtained by different pretreatments had similar structures. It was obvious that enzymatic extrusion saved the time for removal of starch and protein and increased the yield of FOs. In addition, the highest yield of FOs was found at the moisture content of 30% and the screw speed of 50 rpm. This study provided an efficient method for the preparation of FOs that is suitable for industrial production.

BackgroundPost-stroke depression (PSD), a common neuropsychiatric comorbidity after stroke, has a negative impact on the functional recovery and quality of life of survivors. It lacks effective therapeutic drugs with good curative effects and few adverse reactions. Preliminary experiments have shown that the optimized acupuncture and moxibustion treatment (OAMT), including acupuncture, moxibustion, and auricular intradermal acupuncture, improved depressive symptoms and neurological deficits in patients with PSD. However, the evidence for its effectiveness is still insufficient. Hence, we designed this study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the OAMT in the treatment of PSD and to explore its possible mechanism from the perspective of executive functions.Methods/DesignThis is a randomized controlled trial, which comprises a total of 134 patients with PSD. Participants are randomized into intervention group and control group at a 1:1 ratio. All treatments are given five times per week for 4 weeks. The primary outcome is the severity of depression, which is evaluated by the Hamilton Depression Scale-17 (HAMD-17) and the Beck Depression Rating Scale (BDI). Secondary outcomes are executive abilities, which are measured by several neuropsychological tests, including the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT), the Trial Making Test (TMT), the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), and the Matrix Reasoning Test (MRT). All outcomes have been evaluated at baseline and weeks 4, 8, 12, and 20. At the same time, functional MRI (fMRI) is used to measure the functional connectivity in the cognitive control network (CCN) at baseline and 4 weeks after intervention.DiscussionThis study aims to provide high-quality evidence for the efficacy and safety of the OAMT for treating PSD. In addition, this trial is the first trial to explore if the improvement condition of depression in the OAMT group is related to the improvement of executive functions and the favorable changes in the structure.Clinical Trial RegistrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry, identifier: ChiCTR2100048431.

Background: The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of kinesiology tape (KT) on lower limb muscle activation during computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) tasks and ankle kinesthesia in individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI).Methods: Thirty-five men with CAI participated in this study. The experimental procedure followed a repeated measures design. Muscle activation of lower extremity and ankle kinesthesia of participants were measured using four taping treatments, namely, KT, athletic tape (AT), sham tape (ST), and no tape (NT) in a randomized order. Muscle activation was assessed using surface electromyography (sEMG) synchronized with CDP tests from seven lower extremity muscles of the unstable limb. Ankle kinesthesia was measured by using a threshold to detect the passive motion direction of the unstable ankle. Parameters were analyzed by using a one-way repeated measures ANOVA and followed by pairwise comparisons with a Bonferroni correction.Results: No significant difference was observed among different taping treatments for the majority of parameters during CDP. Except for condition 4 with open eyes, sway-referenced surface, and fixed surround in the sensory organization test (SOT), gastrocnemius medialis root mean square (RMS) was 28.19% lower in AT compared with NT (p = 0.021, 95% CI = 0.002–0.039), while gastrocnemius lateralis RMS was 20.25% lower in AT compared with KT (p = 0.038, 95% CI = 0.000–0.021). In forward-small sudden translation from motor control test (MCT), for peroneal longus (PL), RMS was 24.04% lower in KT compared with ST (p = 0.036, 95% CI = 0.000–0.018). In toes-down sudden rotation from adaption test (ADT), for PL, RMS was 23.41% lower in AT compared with ST (p = 0.015, 95% CI = 0.002–0.027). In addition, no significant difference was observed for a threshold to the detection of passive motion direction among different taping treatments.Conclusion: This study indicated that KT had minimal effect on the muscle activation of the unstable lower limb during static stance, self-initiated, and externally triggered perturbation tasks from CDP and ankle kinesthesia among individuals with CAI, suggesting that the benefit of KT was too small to be clinically worthwhile during application for CAI.

Till now, the unprecedented global spread of novel coronavirus disease (nCOVID-19) threatened human health, economy as well as ecosystem services gravely. An efficient disinfection technology is highly demanded. Ultraviolet (UV)/H2O2 process seems like a potential candidate, in which H2O2 is an indispensable oxidant for HO· species production. In this work, UV/H2O2, which coupled with in-situ generated H2O2, was demonstrated as an effective process for disinfection than UV, which would play a significant role in sterilization and disinfection for water treatment. In addition, we investigated the effects of catalyst layer (CL) calcination on the performance of two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for H2O2 generation. It is found that the two-electron ORR activity can be intensified by avoiding calcination of CL, which can be mainly due to much oxygen functional groups (CO and CO) as well as higher conductivity and reaction kinetics.

Ethanol stress to yeast is well recognized and exists widely during the brewing process of alcohol products. Pichia anomala is an important ester-producing yeast in the brewing process of Chinese Baijiu and other alcohol products. Therefore, it is of great significance for the alcohol products brewing industry to explore the effects of ethanol stress on the growth metabolism of P. anomala. In this study, the effects of ethanol stress on the growth, esters production ability, cell membrane integrity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism of P. anomala NCU003 were studied. Our results showed that ethanol stress could inhibit the growth, reduce the ability of non-ethyl ester compounds production and destroy the cell morphology of P. anomala NCU003. The results also showed that 9% ethanol stress produced excessive ROS and then increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, aseorbateperoxidase and glutathione reductase) compared to the control group. However, these increased antioxidant enzyme activities could not prevent the damage caused by ROS to P. anomala NCU003. Of note, correlation results indicated that high content of ROS could promote the accumulation of malondialdehyde content, resulting in destruction of the integrity of the cell membrane and leading to the leakage of intracellular nutrients (soluble sugar and protein) and electrolytes. These results indicated that the growth and the non-ethyl ester compounds production ability of P. anomala could be inhibited under ethanol stress by accumulating excessive ROS and the destruction of cell membrane integrity in P. anomala.

Pectin, a complex hydrocolloid, attracts extensive attention and application stemming from its good emulsification. However, the source of emulsification remains a conundrum. In this experiment, the structures of six kinds of commercial pectin, including LM 101 AS (101), LM 104 AS (104), 121 SLOW SET (121), YM 150 H (150), LM 13 CG (13CG), and β-PECTIN (β-P) were determined, and the effects of pectin structure on emulsion emulsification, rheology and in vitro digestibility were studied. The results showed that the β-P pectin contained a higher content of protein, ferulic acid, and acetyl and had a lower interfacial tension; this pectin-stabilized emulsion exhibited a smaller droplet size and superior centrifugal and storage stability. The results showed that β-P pectin had higher contents of protein, ferulic acid, and acetyl and lower interfacial tension than other pectins, and its stabilized emulsion exhibited smaller droplet size and superior centrifugation and storage stability. Furthermore, the emulsion formed by the pectin with high molecular weight and degree of methoxylation (DM) had a higher viscosity, which can inhibit the aggregation of emulsion droplets to some extent. However, the DM of pectin affected the charge and digestion behavior of pectin emulsion to a great extent. The smaller the DM, the more negative charge the emulsion carried, and the higher the release rate of free fatty acids. The results provided a basis for the rational selection and structural design of the pectin emulsifier.

Summary: The biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles from precious metals has been of wide concern. Their antibacterial activity is a main bottleneck restricting the bacterial activity and reduction performance. Here, bio-electrochemical systems were used to harvest electroactive biofilms (EABs), where bacteria were naturally protected by extracellular polymeric substances to keep activity. The biofilm was further encapsulated with polydopamine (PDA) as additional shield. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were biosynthesized on EABs, whose electroactivity could be fully recovered after Ag+ reduction. The PDA increased bacterial viability by 90%–105%, confirmed as an effective protection against antibacterial activity of Ag+/AgNPs. The biosynthetic process changed the component and function of the microbial community, shifting from bacterial Fe reduction to archaeal methanogenesis. These results demonstrated that the electrochemical acclimation of EABs and encapsulation with PDA were effective protective measures during the biosynthesis of AgNPs. These approaches have a bright future in the green synthesis of nanomaterials, biotoxic wastewater treatment, and sustainable bio-catalysis.

Pea protein (PP) was moderately hydrolyzed using four proteolytic enzymes including flavourzyme, neutrase, alcalase, and trypsin to investigate the influence of the degree of hydrolysis (DH) with 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% on the structural and functional properties of PP. Enzymatic modification treatment distinctly boosted the solubility of PP. The solubility of PP treated by trypsin was increased from 10.23% to 58.14% at the 8% DH. The results of SDS-PAGE indicated the protease broke disulfide bonds, degraded protein into small molecular peptides, and transformed insoluble protein into soluble fractions with the increased DH. After enzymatic treatment, a bathochromic shift and increased intrinsic fluorescence were observed for PP. Furthermore, the total sulfhydryl group contents and surface hydrophobicity were reduced, suggesting that the unfolding of PP occurred. Meanwhile, the foaming and emulsification of PP were improved after enzymatic treatment, and the most remarkable effect was observed under 6% DH. Moreover, under the same DH, the influence on the structure and functional properties of PP from large to small are trypsin, alcalase, neutrase and flavourzyme. This result will facilitate the formulation and production of natural plant-protein-based products using PP.

As a natural pigment with high antioxidative activity, betanin is underutilized owing to less attention. This study aimed to investigate the impact of betanin on pasting, rheology and retrogradation properties of rice, potato and pea starches. Betanin decreased the peak, trough and final viscosity of rice and potato starches, but increased those of pea starch. Rheology measurements implied that betanin had the greatest effect on the hysteresis loops and dynamic modulus of potato starch. Betanin endowed starch pastes with a vivid red appearance and maintained the color of the starch pastes during storage. XRD analysis indicated that betanin weakened the diffraction intensities and reduced the crystallinity of the retrograded starches. Meanwhile, betanin reduced the short-range ordered structure of the retrograde starches. The results of DSC analysis found that betanin significantly depressed the retrogradation enthalpy and retrogradation rate, implying that the long-term retrogradation of starches was delayed. Furthermore, the changed morphology of the retrograded starches was observed. These results suggested that betanin could be applied as an excellent colorant and inhibitor of retrogradation in foods such as bread and pastry products.

Modification of plant-based protein for promoting wide applications is of interest to the food industry. Rice protein from rice residues was modified by homogenization, and its effect on pasting properties (including gelatinization and rheology) of rice starch was investigated. The results showed that homogenization could significantly decrease the particle size of rice protein and increase their water holding capacity without changing their band distribution in SDS-PAGE. With the addition of protein/homogenized proteins into rice starch decreased peak viscosity of paste. The homogenized proteins decreased breakdown and setback value when compared with that of original protein, indicating homogenized protein might have potential applications for increasing the stability and inhibiting short-term retrogradation of starch paste. The addition of protein/homogenized proteins resulted in a reduction in the viscoelasticity behavior of starch paste. These results indicate that homogenization would create a solution to alter the physicochemical properties of plant proteins, and the homogenized proteins may be a potential candidate for development of protein-rich starchy products.

Lipophilic grape seed proanthocyanidin (LGSP) synthesized from GSP and lauric acid exhibits an excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect. However, its anti-cervical cancer activity is still unknown. In this study, the in vitro anti-cervical cancer activity of LGSP on HeLa cell lines was investigated by MTT assay, flow cytometry and Western blot analysis, and its effect was explored by a HeLa-derived xenograft zebrafish model. LGSP exhibited an excellent anti-proliferative effect on HeLa cells by increasing the level of reactive oxygen species, which further induced cell apoptosis and blocked cell cycle progression in the G2/M phase. LGSP-treated HeLa cells showed a reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential, upregulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, release of cytochrome c into the cytoplasm, and activation of cleaved caspase-9/3 and cleavage of PARP, thus indicating that LGSP induced apoptosis through the intrinsic mitochondrial/caspase-mediated pathway. In the zebrafish model, LGSP effectively suppressed the growth of a HeLa xenograft tumor. These data suggest that LGSP may be a good candidate for the prevention or treatment of cervical cancer.

In the food industry, the most prominent and concerned points in the application of dietary fiber are hydration properties and oil absorption capacity. The target of this work was to investigate the impact of a novel industry-scale microfluidizer system (ISMS) on the changing structures and functionalities of pea fiber. Different ISMS treatment intensity (0–120 MPa for one pass and 120 MPa for two passes) was applied to treat pea fiber. ISMS treatment induced the reduction in particle size and the transformation of big compact blocks to loose flakes, and the destruction of the original ordered cellulose structure caused the decline of crystallinity. Meanwhile, the hydration properties of pea fiber were improved, and pre-pulverizer and industry-scale microfluidizer treatment together increased the swelling capacity and water retention capacity of fiber. The oil holding capacity of ISMS-treated fiber was increased to more than double the original one. The elevated functionalities of pea fiber by ISMS treatment could be attributed to loosening structure, exposing more surface area, and disordering the crystalline structure, which increased the sites of water binding and oil adsorption. These findings suggested that ISMS could be applied as an effective industrial technique to the disintegrate structure and improve the functionalities of pea fiber, so as to widen the application of pea fibers in foods.

Combination drug therapy has become an effective strategy to control inflammation. Lipophilic grape seed proanthocyanidin (LGSP) and camellia oil (CO) have been independently investigated to show anti-inflammatory effects, but their synergistic anti-inflammatory effects are unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the synergistic anti-inflammatory effects of LGSP and CO. The anti-inflammatory activity of LGSP and CO individual or in combination on RAW264.7 cells was detected by MTT assay, Griess reagent, RT-PCR, 2′,7′-dichlorfluoroescein diacetate and Western blot analysis. The combined treatment of LGSP with CO (20 μg/mL and 1 mg/mL) synergistically suppressed the production of NO, TNF-α, IL-6 and ROS. Further studies showed that the synergistic effect was attributed to their suppression of the activation of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. Overall, our findings demonstrate the potential synergistic effect between LGSP and CO in LPS-induced inflammation.

Traditional aerogels lack specific functional groups for the adsorption of Pb2+, which results in a low adsorption capacity and limits the application scope. Novel porous pectin-based aerogels (PPEAs) were prepared by incorporating polyethylenimine (PEI) using ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE) as a cross-linker for the removal of Pb2+ from water. The cross-linking mechanism, morphology, mechanical strength, thermal stability, adsorption properties, and mechanism of the aerogels were investigated. The aerogels possessed several desirable features, such as a large maximum Pb2+ adsorption capacity (373.7 mg/g, tested at pH 5.0), ultralight (as low as 63.4 mg/cm3), high mechanical strength (stress above 0.24 MPa at 50% strain), and easy recyclability. Meanwhile, the equilibrium adsorption data was well described by the Langmuir–Freundlich (Sips) model and the kinetic adsorption process was well fitted using the pseudo-second-order model. The donor groups, such as -NH2, and oxygen-containing functional groups were responsible for the Pb2+ adsorption, which was confirmed by the FTIR and XPS analysis. The excellent characteristics mean that PPEAs are highly effective adsorbents in the remediation of lead-containing wastewater.

The effects of three types of polymeric proanthocyanidins (PPC) with different degrees of polymerization (DP), namely PPC1 (DP = 6.39 ± 0.13), PPC2 (DP = 8.21 ± 0.76), and PPC3 (DP = 9.92 ± 0.21), on the physicochemical characteristics and in vitro starch digestibility of potato starch were studied. PPC addition (5%, w/w) increased the gelatinization temperature and decreased some viscosity indices of potato starch, including the peak, trough, breakdown, and setback viscosities. Starch-PPC pastes showed reduced thixotropy and improved stability and gelling properties compared to starch paste. The three types of proanthocyanidins all showed evident inhibitory effects on the digestion and retrogradation of potato starch, including short-term and long-term retrogradation. Among the three, PPC with a lower DP had stronger effects on the starch short-term retrogradation and gelling performance, whereas larger PPC molecules exhibited a greater impact on starch recrystallization and digestive characteristics. The research consequences were conducive to explore the application of functional PPC in starch-based food processing.

The planting area of macadamia in China accounted for more than one third of the world’s planted area. The lipid compositions, minor components, and antioxidant capacities of fifteen varieties of macadamia oil (MO) in China were comparatively investigated. All varieties of MO were rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, mainly including oleic acid (61.74–66.47%) and palmitoleic acid (13.22–17.63%). The main triacylglycerols of MO were first time reported, including 19.2–26.1% of triolein, 16.4–18.2% of 1-palmitoyl-2,3-dioleoyl-glycerol, and 11.9–13.7% of 1-palmitoleoyl-2-oleoyl-3-stearoyl-glycerol, etc. The polyphenol, α-tocotrienol and squalene content varied among the cultivars, while Fuji (791) contained the highest polyphenols and squalene content. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated the polyphenols and squalene content positively correlated with the antioxidant capacity. This study can provide a crucial directive for the breeding of macadamia and offer an insight into industrial application of MO in China.

Protein–polyphenol interactions influence emulsifying properties in both directions. Puerarin (PUE) is an isoflavone that can promote the formation of heat-set gels with whey protein isolate (WPI) through hydrogen bonding. We examined whether PUE improves the emulsifying properties of WPI and the stabilities of the emulsions. We found that forming composites with PUE improves the emulsifying properties of WPI in a concentration-dependent manner. The optimal concentration is 0.5%, which is the highest PUE concentration that can be solubilized in water. The PUE not only decreased the droplet size of the emulsions, but also increased the surface charge by forming composites with the WPI. A 21 day storage test also showed that the maximum PUE concentration improved the emulsion stability the most. A PUE concentration of 0.5% improved the stability of the WPI emulsions against environmental stress, especially thermal treatment. Surface protein loads indicated more protein was adsorbed to the oil droplets, resulting in less interfacial WPI concentration due to an increase in specific surface areas. The use of PUE also decreased the interfacial tension of WPI at the oil–water interface. To conclude, PUE improves the emulsifying activity, storage, and environmental stability of WPI emulsions. This result might be related to the decreased interfacial tension of WPI–PUE composites.