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Objective Hypertension is one of the leading causes of human death and disability. MTHFR and MTRR regulate folate metabolism and are closely linked to hypertension, although the relationship is inconsistent among different ethnic groups. The present study aims to investigate the effects of MTHFR C677T (rs1801133), MTHFR A1298C (rs1801131), and MTRR A66G (rs1801394) polymorphisms on hypertension susceptibility in the Bai nationality of the Yunnan Province, China. Methods This case–control study included 373 hypertensive patients and 240 healthy controls from the Chinese Bai population. The genotyping of MTHFR and MTRR gene polymorphisms was carried out by using the KASP method. The effects of genetic variations of MTHFR and MTRR genes on hypertension risk were evaluated with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results The present study revealed that the CT and TT genotypes and T allele of MTHFR C677T locus were considerably associated with an increased risk of hypertension. In addition, MTHFR A1298C locus CC genotype could significantly increase the hypertension risk. The T-A and C–C haplotypes of MTHFR C677T and MTHFR A1298C could increase the risk of hypertension. Further stratified analysis by risk rank of folate metabolism indicated that people with poor utilization of folic acid were more prone to develop hypertension. In the hypertension group, the MTHFR C677T polymorphism was significantly associated with fasting blood glucose, fructosamine, apolipoprotein A1, homocysteine, superoxide dismutase, and malondialdehyde levels. Conclusion Our study suggested that genetic variations of MTHFR C677T and MTHFR A1298C were significantly associated with susceptibility to hypertension in the Bai population from Yunnan, China.

To compare the effects of different drying methods on the solid spice of sweet potato, the fresh sweet potato was taken as the research object, and infrared drying, freeze drying, microwave vacuum drying and vacuum drying were carried out after baking. The volatile/semi volatile components of the solid spice of sweet potato were analyzed and detected by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), principal component analysis was used to explore the impact of different drying methods on volatile/semi volatile components, and scanning electron microscopy was used to explore the impact of different drying methods by its surface structure. The results showed that the content of volatile/semi-volatile substances in dried sweet potato solid flavor from high to low was vacuum drying, microwave vacuum drying, infrared drying and freeze drying, and the highest content was 128.87 μg/g, the main flavor substances include octyl p-methoxycinnamate, palmitoleic acid, geranyl linalool, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, (9Z)-octadec-9,17-dialdehyde. Compared with the other three drying methods, the surface structure of vacuum dried solid spice had more water evaporation channels and holes, and the structural density was moderate, which had a positive impact on the adsorption capacity and volatile flavor of solid spice. In conclusion, vacuum drying was applicable to the drying and preparation of sweet potato solid spice, which laid a theoretical foundation for the development and application of sweet potato solid spice.

ABSTRACT: An acidic extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) was gained from Stropharia rugosoannulata fermentation broth by the alcohol precipitate method. Sulfated derivative of EPS (S-EPS) was gained by chlorosulfonic acid-pyridine method and the conditions were as follows: pyridine as the reaction solvent, temperature 80 °C, and reaction time 90 min. The chemical structure and chain conformation of EPS and S-EPS were characterized by FT-IR, NMR and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) coupled with multi-angle laser light scattering (MALLS) detection. FT-IR spectra indicated the sulfated group was linked to the polymer. The EPS mainly consists of mannose, glucose and glucuronic acid, and the glycosidic bond type is mainly (1→4)-linked and (1→6)-linked. C6 and C2 were substituted by sulfate groups. The EPS was degraded into smaller molecular weight (Mw) polysaccharides with the larger molecular size (Rg) after sulfation and S-EPS has better hydrophilicity. Moreover, the sulfated derivative S-EPS was found to have a better scavenging ability on hydroxyl radicals than EPS. It proved that the chemical modification of S. rugosoannulata polysaccharides by sulfation effectively enhanced their antioxidant activity.

Summary: Background: Pegmolesatide, a synthetic peptide-based erythropoietin (EPO) receptor agonist, is being evaluated as an alternative to epoetin alfa for treating anemia of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Chinese dialysis patients. There is a critical need for a long-acting, cost-effective erythropoiesis-stimulating agent that does not produce EPO antibodies. Methods: A randomized, open-label, active-comparator, non-inferiority phase three trial was conducted at 43 dialysis centers in China between May 17th, 2019, and March 28th, 2022. Eligible patients aged 18–70 years were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive pegmolesatide once every four weeks or epoetin alfa one to three times per week, with doses adjusted to maintain a hemoglobin level between 10.0 and 12.0 g/dL. The primary efficacy endpoint was the mean change in hemoglobin level from baseline to the efficacy evaluation period in the per-protocol set (PPS) population. Non-inferiority of pegmolesatide to epoetin alfa was established if the lower limit of the two-sided 95% confidence interval for the between-group difference was ≥ −1.0 g/dL. Safety assessment included adverse events and potential anaphylaxis reactions. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03902691. Findings: Three hundreds and seventy-two patients were randomly assigned to the pegmolesatide group (248 patients) or the epoetin alfa group (124 patients). A total of 347 patients (233 in the pegmolesatide group and 114 in the epoetin alfa group) were included in the PPS population. In the PPS, the mean change (standard deviation, SD) in hemoglobin level from baseline to the efficacy evaluation period was 0.07 (0.92) g/dL in the pegmolesatide group and −0.22 (0.97) g/dL in the epoetin alfa group. The between-group difference was 0.29 g/dL (95% confidence interval: 0.11–0.47), verifying non-inferiority of pegmolesatide to epoetin alfa. Adverse events occurred in 231 (94%) participants in the pegmolesatide group and in 110 (89%) in the epoetin alfa group. Hypertension was the most common treatment-related adverse event. No fatal cases of anaphylaxis or hypotension were reported. Interpretation: Monthly subcutaneously injection of pegmolesatide was as effective and safe as conventional epoetin alfa administrated one to three times a week in treating anemia in Chinese dialysis patients. Funding: The study was supported by Hansoh Medical Development Group.

In this study, Perilla frutescens essential oil (PEO) loaded microcapsules (PEOM) were successfully prepared and their thermal stability, temperature-responsive releasing effect, antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity, and preservation of peach were systematically investigated. PEOM showed excellent encapsulation efficiency (91.5%) with a core-shell ratio of 1.4:1 and exhibited high thermal stability, indicating that PEOM could effectively maintain PEO release rate. In vitro assays indicated that the optimal kinetic model for PEO release fitted well with first order with a diffusion mechanism. A high level of antioxidant and antibacterial activity of PEOM was maintained. In addition, owing to its sustained release, PEOM could prolong the shelf life of peaches significantly. Therefore, PEOM has potential application and development prospects in the field of food preservation.

Similar to the enzymatic process, there might also be an active fragment in polysaccharides, how to obtain is important for investigating the bioactivity and pharmacological mechanism of polysaccharides. Presently, a Gynostemma pentaphyllum endophytic fungus Chaetomium globosum CGMCC 6882 polysaccharide [Genistein Combined Polysaccharide (GCP)] was degraded by ultrasonic treatment, two polysaccharide fragments of GCP-F1 and GCP-F2 were obtained. Physicochemical results showed that GCP-F1 and GCP-F2 had the same monosaccharide composition of arabinose, galactose, glucose, xylose, mannose, and glucuronic acid as compared to GCP with slightly different molar ratios. However, weight-average molecular weights of GCP-F1 and GCP-F2 decreased from 8.093 × 104 Da (GCP) to 3.158 × 104 Da and 1.027 × 104 Da, respectively. In vitro scavenging assays illustrated that GCP-F1 and GCP-F2 had higher antioxidant activity against 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, superoxide anions, and hydroxyl radical than GCP, the order was GCP < GCP-F1 < GCP-F2. Meanwhile, antibacterial tests showed that ultrasonic degradation increased the antibacterial activity of GCP-F1 as compared to GCP, but GCP-F2 almost lost its antibacterial activity with further ultrasound treatment. Changes in the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of GCP-F1 and GCP-F2 might be related to the variation of their molecular weights.

Saline water irrigation has been widely used for crop production where agriculture is short of freshwater. However, information about the response of soil respiration to saline water irrigation is limited. To identify the effect of saline water irrigation on soil respiration, the experiment based on long-term saline water irrigation cotton fields (since 2006) was conducted in the Heilonggang area in 2021. Five salinity levels in irrigation water were tested (3.4 [S1], 7.1 [S2], 10.6 [S3], 14.1 [S4], and 17.7 dS m−1 [S5]), and deep ground water (1.3 dS m−1) was used as the control (CK). After 15 years of saline water irrigation, we monitored soil physicochemical properties and soil respiration. In addition, we developed a structural equation model of the relationship between them. The results demonstrated that saline water irrigation significantly reduced soil water-stable aggregate content and porosity by 4.42–45.33% and 6.52–14.10%, respectively, and attenuated soil cellulase, α-glucosidase, and alkaline phosphatase activity. Soil respiration under saline water irrigation was significantly reduced by 5.28–33.08%. Moreover, saline water irrigation with salinity below 10.6 dS m−1 had no significant effect on cotton yield. Moreover, soil salinity (62%), water-stable aggregate content (46%), and soil porosity (25%) had significant effects on soil respiration, and soil porosity had a significant positive effect on soil alkaline phosphatase activity according to the structural equation model. Overall, saline irrigation with salinity below 10.6 dS m−1 can alleviate water shortages and reduce soil carbon emissions without affecting cotton yield in the study area.

The accumulated helium atoms mitigate the physical properties of nuclear waste forms through long-time radionuclide decay and thus cause the safety concern. In this work, first-principles calculations were carried out to investigate the effects of helium atoms on the structural, electronic, and mechanical properties of La2Sn2O7 pyrochlore. He atoms cause small volume swelling but no significant influence on its mechanical properties. The formation energy analysis suggests that octahedral interstitial sites are preferred. He interstitial may drive phase change from pyrochlore to the fluorite structure. The local electronic properties have also been analyzed to assess the impact of He clusters. The minimum energy pathway for helium to migration is identified as via O-O interstitial sites with a barrier of 1.39 eV. This work might offer a theoretical foundation for the He damage of the nuclear waste forms.

Abstract Background Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a common complication in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, and parathyroidectomy (PTX) is an effective treatment intervention of SHPT. However, the curative impact of PTX on left ventricular function still remains incompletely understood. To evaluate the impact of parathyroidectomy on left ventricular function in ESRD patients, we conducted this retrospective study. Methods Between Oct 1, 2010 and Oct 1, 2016, ESRD patients presented with SHPT who underwent parathyroidectomy were enrolled. We retrospectively collected the ultrasonic cardiogram parameter pre- and 1-year post-PTX, and analyzed the influence factor for the overturn of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and the improvement of ejection fraction% (EF%). Results In all the patients (135), the main ultrasonic cardiogram parameter dramatically improved after PTX. Compared with pre-PTX, the left ventricular mass (LVM) (172.82 (135.90, 212.91) g vs. 192.76 (157.56, 237.97) g, p

In this study, the authors developed pectin‐stabilised selenium nanoparticles (pectin‐SeNPs) for curcumin (Cur) encapsulation and evaluated their physicochemical properties and biological activities. Results showed that pectin‐SeNPs and Cur‐loaded pectin‐SeNPs (pectin‐SeNPs@Cur) exhibited monodisperse and homogeneous spherical structures in aqueous solutions with mean particle sizes of ∼61 and ∼119 nm, respectively. Cur was successfully encapsulated into pectin‐SeNPs through hydrogen bonding interactions with an encapsulation efficiency of ∼60.6%, a loading content of ∼7.4%, and a pH‐dependent and controlled drug release in vitro. After encapsulation was completed, pectin‐SeNPs@Cur showed enhanced water solubility (∼500‐fold), dispersibility, and storage stability compared with those of free Cur. Moreover, pectin‐SeNPs@Cur possessed significant free radical scavenging ability and antioxidant capacity in vitro, which were stronger than those of pectin‐SeNPs. Antitumour activity assay in vitro demonstrated that pectin‐SeNPs@Cur could inhibit the growth of HepG2 cells in a concentration‐dependent manner, and the nanocarrier pectin‐SeNPs exhibited a low cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cells. Therefore, the results suggested that pectin‐SeNPs could function as effective nanovectors for the enhancement of the water solubility, stability, and in vitro bioactivities of hydrophobic Cur.

Abstract In this study, the effects of Tween 40 and ethanol supplementation on the secretion, structure and antioxidant activities of exopolysaccharide (EPS) from Inonotus rickii were investigated. It was observed that Tween 40 and ethanol displayed a stimulatory effect on EPS secretion. The EPSs obtained by the addition of Tween 40 (EPS-T), ethanol (EPS-E) and control (EPS-C) were purified by Sepharose CL-6B gel chromatography and molecular weights of EPS-T, EPS-E and EPS-C were estimated to be 22.1, 30.0, and 40.5 kDa, respectively. Monosaccharide composition analysis indicated that EPS-T, EPS-E and EPS-C were mainly composed of mannose and glucose. Furthermore, EPS-E exhibited better OH• and DPPH scavenging activities than those of EPS-C and EPS-T, which might be associated with its molecular characterization.

A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study was performed to investigate the effects of helium (He) on the mechanical properties of nanocrystalline body-centered cubic iron (BCC Fe). Simulated X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to explore the relationship between the generation of cracks and the change of the crystal structure in nanocrystalline BCC Fe during tensile deformation. It is observed that the peak stress and the elastic modulus decrease with increasing concentration of He atoms, which are introduced into the grain boundary (GB) region of nanocrystalline Fe. The generation and connection of intergranular cracks are enhanced by He atoms. Significant peak separation, which is associated with the generation of cracks, is found in the simulated XRD patterns of nanocrystalline Fe during the tensile process. The lower diffraction angle of the {211}′ peak suggests a more serious lattice distortion during loading. For all nanocrystalline Fe deformed to 6% strain, the degree and fraction of the lattice distortion increases with the increasing loading stress.

This study focused on the modification of lentinan (LNT) and its degradation product, dLNT, through the nitric acid-sodium selenite method, resulting in the synthesis of 4 distinct seleno-polysaccharide (Se-LNTs). The selenium moiety was found to be connected to the C6 position of LNT in the form of selenate. The selenization process led to a notable reduction in molecular weight and an augmentation in chain rigidity. As the molecular weight decreased and chain rigidity increased, the cellular uptake of Se-LNT diminished. Additionally, the uptake pathway transitioned from macropinocytosis to caveolin-mediated endocytosis (CVME). In vitro cell experiments showed that all four Se-LNTs showed obvious anti-tumor activity, and Se-LNT-2 had higher selenium content and cellular uptake rate, showing better inhibitory effect. Furthermore, Se-LNTs were observed to induce a substantial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HCT116 cells. The excessive ROS levels triggered mitochondrial peroxidation damage, escalating mitochondrial inner membrane permeability. This cascade event eventually led to the activation of caspase-3, ultimately leading to apoptosis in HCT116 cells and substantiating the anti-tumor effects of Se-LNTs. The comprehensive investigation into the structural modifications, cellular uptake mechanisms and biological activities of Se-LNTs underscores their potential as promising agents for anti-tumor applications.

Essential oils generally derived from one or more plant parts have been used throughout history for many great applications. In this study, the flue-cured tobacco flower buds were subjected to hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus (4 h). The essential oil was characterized by means of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The yield of the oil was 0.57% (w/w). After identification of the components, 34 volatile compounds were identified, which contained 55.0% of the oil. β-Cembrenediol (12.24%), carotol (8.55%), isolimonene (7.37%), thunbergol (4.88%) and 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (4.09%) were the major constituents of the oil. The essential oil was also tested for antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The essential oil was particularly active against Bacillus subtilis, with the lowest Minimal Inhibitory Concentration and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration value (7 and 7 mg/mL). Furthermore, the essential oil and its main compounds showed a strong potent OH scavenging effect, when compared to butylated hydroxytoluene as a positive control. In conclusion, the tobacco flower bud oil is a potential source of novel antioxidant and antimicrobial agents.

In this study, the effects of the addition of Tween 80 and acetone on secretion, structure and antioxidant activities of Lentinus tigrinus exopolysaccharides (EPS) were investigated. It was found that Tween 80 and acetone displayed a stimulatory effect on EPS secretion. The EPS obtained by the addition of Tween 80 (EPS-T), acetone (EPS-A) and control (EPS-C) were purified by Sepharose CL-6B gel filtration chromatography and molecular mass of purified fractions was estimated to be 22.1, 137 and 12 kDa, respectively. Monosaccharide composition analysis indicated that EPS-T, EPS-A and EPS-C were mainly composed of glucose and mannose. Congo Red test indicated that EPS-T and EPS-A had a highly ordered conformation of triple helix, while EPS-C had a random coil conformation. Furthermore, EPS-A exhibited higher DPPH scavenging and antiproliferative activities than EPS-C and EPS-T, which might be attributed to the molecular mass.

ABSTRACT A soil isolate, Penicillium janthinellum sw09 has been found to produce significant amounts of an extracellular pectinase subsequently characterized as exo-polygalacturonase (exo-PG). By optimizing growth conditions, P. janthinellum sw09 produced high amount of exo-PG (16.54 units/mL). The crude enzyme was purified by gel filtration chromatography and two exo-PG activity peaks (designated as PGI and PGII) were revealed. On SDS-PAGE analysis, purified PGII using DEAE-Sepharose FF column, was found to be a single band with a molecular mass of 66.2 kDa. The purified PGII exhibited maximal activity at the temperature of 45 oC and pH 5.0. The stability profiles show that PGII is more stable in the pH range of 4.0-8.0 and below 60 oC. The Km and Vmax for the enzyme was 1.74 mg/mL and 18.08 μmol/ (mL•min), respectively. Due to this enzymatic characterization, this pectinase is an attractive candidate for applications in degradation of pectin.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of cigarette smoke on the production and characterization of exopolysaccharides (EPSs) produced by Bifidobacterium. Cigarettes of Shanhua brand (nicotine: 1.1 mg, tar: 11 mg) were utilized to prepare a cigarette smoke condensate (CSC). The standard strain of Bifidobacterium animalis was cultured in MRS media under anaerobic addition of CSC. The results showed that CSC significantly decreased the growth of B. animalis as well as EPSs and acetic acid production. Furthermore, two EPSs fractions (Fr-I and Fr-II) were isolated and purified for chemical and molecular determination. By comparison with control, CSC was found to be of great impact on EPSs carbohydrate composition. The molecular weight mass of Fr-I changed from 3.33×105 g/mol (without CSC) to 2.99×105 (with CSC). In conclusion, in vitro studies revealed that CSC was directly able to affect the production of metabolites for B. animalis, which could be an essential factor in certain pathological disorders.

ABSTRACT The effect on different three carbon source (i.e. glucose, fructose and sucrose) on production, chemical characterization and antioxidant activity of exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by Phellinus vaninii Ljup was investigated in this study. Amongst carbon sources examined, glucose and sucrose were favorable for the mycelia growth, while the maximum EPS yield was achieved when sucrose was employed. The predominant carbohydrate compositions in EPSs identified were gluconic acid, glucose, mannose and galactose acid. Then, FT-IR spectral analysis revealed prominent characteristic groups in EPSs. EPSs molecule exist as nearly globular shape form in aqueous solution. The variation also affects antioxidant activities by investigated by using hydroxyl and DPPH radical scavenging assay. Sucrose was best carbon source from the viewpoint of antioxidant activity due to the relatively high contents of galactose in the EPS with moderate molecular weight and polydispersity.

This study evaluated the chemical and volatile composition of hawthorn wines fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae A3.12 with and without pulp contact and pectase treatment during fermentation. The results indicated that the addition of pectase was in favor of pH decrease and clarification. The pectase-treated wines had significantly higher concentrations of acetic acid, ethyl octanoate, and isoamyl acetate than the non-enzyme-treated wines. Furthermore, the nonextracted wines had significantly higher concentrations of isoamyl alcohol, phenylethyl alcohol, ethyl lactate, and isoamyl acetate than the extracted wines. The first principal component separated the wine from the nonextracted juice with pectase from other samples based on the higher concentrations of isoamyl acetate (0.14 μg/g), diethyl butanedioate (0.07 μg/g), 2-phenylethyl acetate (0.23 μg/g), and acetoin (1.47 μg/g). The wine from nonextracted pulpy juice with pectase was significantly more aromatic than the others and 26.2% of the consumers were found to be willing to purchase this product.

Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) is caused by transcriptional repression of the nuclear FXN gene encoding the essential mitochondrial protein frataxin. Based on the hypothesis that the acetylation state of the histone proteins is responsible for gene silencing in FRDA, previous work in our lab identified a first generation of HDAC inhibitors (pimelic o-aminobenzamides), which increase FXN mRNA in lymphocytes from FRDA patients. Importantly, these compounds also function in a FRDA mouse model to increase FXN mRNA levels in the brain and heart. While the first generation of HDAC inhibitors hold promise as potential therapeutics for FRDA, they have two potential problems: less than optimal brain penetration and metabolic instability in acidic conditions. Extensive optimization focusing on modifying the left benzene ring, linker and the right benzene ring lead to a novel class of HDAC inhibitors that have optimized pharmacological properties (increased brain penetration and acid stability) compared to the previous HDAC inhibitors. This article will describe the chemical synthesis and pharmacological properties of these new HDAC inhibitors.

ABSTRACT A simple and sensitive method for simultaneous determination of furan and vinyl acetate (VA) in vapor phase of mainstream cigarette smoke with cold trap and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed. A Cambridge filter pad (CFP) was placed in front of the impingers of smoking machine to remove the particle phase from cigarette smoke. Furan and VA in vapor phase of mainstream cigarette smoke were collected in two impingers connected in series by filled with methanol at -78°C. The solutions were added with deuterium-labeled furan-d4 and VA-d6 as internal standards and analyzed by GC-MS. The results showed that the calibration curves for furan and VA were linear (r2 > 0.9995) over the studied concentration range. The intra- and inter-day precision values for furan and VA were

Compared with peppermint oil, natural peppermint has more ingredients, a layered fragrance, and a green colour. It has been widely used as a nutritional additive, herbal tea, food flavouring or colouring. In this work, the retention of volatile flavour compounds of peppermint powders was enhanced by propylene glycol, a reagent that enhances hydrogen bonds and moisture absorption. The levels of influence of propylene glycol content on the retention of different volatile flavour compounds, moisture absorption and water distribution were evaluated by GC–MS, dynamic water absorption instrument (DVS), and low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF‐NMR), respectively. GC–MS analysis showed that the volatile substances of peppermint powders (PMs) without propylene glycol were reduced to 22 kinds after storage for 90 days, and the total amount of volatile substances remained at 40.94%; PG2 with 2% propylene glycol had the best flavour retention. After 90 days of storage, the residual percentage of volatile flavour compounds of PG2 was approximately 72.56%, which was significantly increased compared with that of PM. The DVS results suggested that all the peppermint powders adopted a type III moisture absorption isotherm, and they all had multilayer adsorbed water. PG2 had the best moisture retention capacity and the highest hygroscopic hysteresis, while PG4 with a high propylene glycol content had a relatively poor moisture retention capacity. Similarly, LF‐NMR analysis showed that PG2 had a higher proportion of bound water and lower relaxation times T21 and T22 under different humidity conditions, indicating that it had the strongest water binding capacity. The correlation analysis showed that there was a significant positive correlation between the residual volatile compounds of peppermint powders and the peak area of bound water A21. The higher the proportion of strongly bound water in peppermint particles was, the more residual volatile substances were identified in peppermint particles. These results show that peppermint particles supplemented with propylene glycol can significantly improve the flavour retention ability of peppermint powders. In short, the results could be applied to the storage stability and quality control of peppermint products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]