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The effects of lyophilized tamarillo powder (TP) on the physicochemical, antioxidant, sensory, and starch digestibility characteristics of steamed breads were studied. The TP was used to substitute 5–20% of wheat flour to make steamed breads, assigned as T5, T10, T15, and T20, respectively. The results showed that TP is rich in dietary fiber (36.45%). Its extract is rich in bioactive components, including phenolic compounds (28.90 mg GAE/g extract), ascorbic acid (3.25 mg/g extract), total anthocyanins (316.35 μg C3GE/g extract), and total carotenoids (12.68 μg βCE/g extract) and has good antioxidant capacity. As the level of TP increased, the color of steamed breads became darker, redder, and yellower; the texture became harder, and the overall consumption preference decreased. However, their bioactive components content and antioxidant activity increased. The starch hydrolysis percentage of T5 (43.82%), T10 (41.57%), T15 (37.41%), and T20 (35.63%) at 180 min was significantly lower than that of the control (49.80%) (p < 0.05). The in vitro predicted glycemic index (80.02) of T20 was categorized as a medium-GI food when bread was used as the reference. On a nine-point hedonic test, control and T5 had the highest overall preference scores (7.1–7.4). The T20 supplemented with extra 15–20% water improved its volume and specific volume, and the overall preference scores (7.4–7.5) were not significantly different from the control (p > 0.05). Overall, a partial replacement of wheat flour with TP in steamed bread making could be developed as a new type of medium-GI value food containing more bioactive components and effective antioxidant capacity.

Background The cytotoxin-associated gene A protein (CagA), an effector protein of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), was the first identified bacterium oncoprotein. Based on its sequence characteristics, H. pylori has been classified into East Asian and Western strains. We hypothesized that the differences in structure of CagA and proteomic profiles between East Asian and Western H. pylori strains are the primary cause of the differential clinical outcomes of H. pylori infection. Results In this study, we isolated 27 H. pylori strains from gastric mucosa of Chinese patients with gastric diseases and revealed that the Western CagA has more variation in its EPIYA motifs than East Asian CagA. This result was further confirmed via analyzing the CagA sequences of 150 H. pylori strains from GenBank. More importantly, we detected the deletion or partial deletion of 13 amino acids in CagA in all East Asian strains but not in Western strains. iTRAQ -based proteomic analysis showed that the CagA protein related to cytotoxicity was highly expressed in Western strains, while urease-associated proteins UreA and UreH, flagellin related proteins FlaA, FlgE and FlhA, and cell division proteins FtsZ and FtsI were highly expressed in East Asian strains. These proteins were associated with the colonization, motility, and viability potential of H. pylori in the human stomach and were clustered into an interaction network. Conclusions This study provides significant, unreported differential sequences of CagA and proteomic profiles between East Asian and Western H. pylori, which maybe serves as promising new targets to ascertain the pathogenesis of H. pylori.

Objective To explore the effects of cathepsin B(CTSB)on the activation of nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich-repeat-containing family and pyrin domain-containing 3(NLRP3)inflammasome via transient receptor potential mucolipin-1(TRPML1)in cell oxidative stress model and specific gene silencing cell model. Methods BV2 cells cultured in vivo were treated separately or simultaneously with hydrogen peroxide(H

Bread is one of the most popular foods worldwide. Aerial parts of sweet potato (SP) are rich in dietary fiber and phytochemicals. The SP powder (cv. Simon No.1) was used to substitute 5%, 10%, and 15% (w/w) of flour to produce breads. Crude protein, fat, ash and dietary fiber of SP powder were higher than those of flour. Total phenols, caffeoylquinic acid derivatives and antioxidant properties of SP were higher than those of flour. Crude protein, fat, ash, h, ΔE values, hardness, gumminess, chewiness, total phenols, and antioxidant properties of baked breads increased with increased SP powder level, while volume, specific volume, water activity, crust L*, a* values, crumb L*, WI values, cohesiveness, springiness, and resilience showed a reverse trend. The hedonic sensory results of control and 5–10% substituted breads were comparable. Overall, SP bread could be developed as a novel food with more functional components and effective antioxidant activity.

To reveal the molecular mechanism of deficit in learning and memory induced by chronic fluorosis, the expression of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) and oxidative stress were investigated. Sixty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided randomly into two groups (30 cases in each), i.e., the control group (0.5 ppm fluoride in drinking water) and the fluoride group (50 ppm fluoride) for 10 months of treatment. The pups born from SD mothers with or without chronic fluorosis were selected at postnatal days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28 for experiments (10 for each age). Spatial learning and memory were evaluated by Morris water maze test. The expressions of M1 and M3 mAChRs at the protein and mRNA levels were determined by Western blotting and real-time PCR, respectively. In addition, the contents of (·)OH, H2O2, O2(·-) and malondialdehyde (MDA), and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in brains were quantitated by biochemical methods. Our results showed that as compared to controls, the abilities of learning and memory were declined in the adult rats and the offspring rats of postnatal day 28 in the fluoride groups; the expressions of both M1 and M3 mAChRs were significantly reduced at protein and mRNA levels; and the levels of (·)OH, H2O2, O2(·-) and MDA were significantly increased, while the activities of SOD and GSH-Px decreased. Interestingly, the decreased protein levels of M1 and M3 mAChRs were significantly correlated with the deficits of learning and memory and high level of oxidative stress induced by chronic fluorosis. Our results suggest that the mechanism for the deficits in learning and memory of rats with chronic fluorosis may be associated with the decreased expressions of M1 and M3 in mAChRs, in which the changes in the receptors might be the result of the high level of oxidative stress occurring in the disease.

An early-maturity indica rice variety Zhefu 49, whose grain quality and starch structure are sensitive to environmental temperature, was subjected to different temperatures (32°C for high temperature and 22°C for optimum temperature) at the grain filling stage in plant growth chambers, and the different expressions of three isoform genes ( SBEI, SBEIII and SBEIV ) encoding starch branching enzyme (SBE) in the endosperms were studied by the real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR) method. Effects of high temperature on the SBE expression in developing rice endosperms were isoform-dependent. High temperature significantly down-regulated the expressions of SBEI and SBEIII , while up-regulated the expression of SBEIV . Compared with SBEIV and SBEIII , the expression of SBEI gene in Zhefu 49 rice endosperms was more sensitive to temperature variation at the grain filling stage. This study indicates that changes in weather/climate conditions especially temperature stress influence rice grain formation and its quality as evidenced by isoform expression.

Under mean daily temperature of 32°C (high temperature) and 22°C (normal temperature) controlled in growth chambers, the expression responses of 8 soluble starch synthase (SSS) isoform genes involving starch synthesis metabolism in rice ( Oryza sativa L.) endosperms were detected using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR). The expression patterns of SSS genes under high temperature stress were isoform-dependent, in which some isoform genes, such as SSS IIb, SSS IIc, SSS IIIb, and SSS IVa, were up-regulated with relatively high expression levels, and other genes, such as SSS IIa and SSS IIIa, showed down-regulated patterns with relatively low expression levels. SSS I and SSS IIIa were highly expressed in rice endosperms during the whole filling period in both temperature treatments, implying that they are the major isoform genes of SSS. The expressions of SSS IIb, SSS IIIa, and SSS IVa genes were much more sensitive to high temperature stress than those of SSS I, SSS IIc, SSS IIIb, and SSS IVb.

To identify the effects of grain phytic acid (PA) mutant on rice (Oryza sativa L.) grain filling and grain weight, the accumulating patterns of grain PA, total starch contents and also in relation with the carbohydrate translocation in different organs (leaf, culm, and sheath), and the activities of some enzymes involved in starch synthesis metabolism were investigated using 2 early indica genotypes differing in grain PA content-namely Xieqingzao and its low PA mutant (Os-lpa1). Compared with Xieqingzao, os-lpa1 had higher starch content and more carbohydrate accumulations in flag leaf, culm, and sheath, but much lower activities of ADPG pyrophosphorylase (ADPG-Ppase) and starch phosphorylase (SPase) in grains at filling stage, leading relatively decreasing grain weight, low grain starch accumulation and poor plumpness for os-lpa1. The activities of phosphate synthase (SP) and fructose biphosphorylase (FBPase) in sheath were generally lower at filling stage for os-lpa1 than those for Xieqingzao, despite relatively high starch content and sucrose accumulations in culm and sheath being shown for os-lpa1, implying that an obstacle of carbohydrate translocation from culm and sheath to grain at rice filling stage could be caused by grain PA mutagenesis, which might be one of major reasons for its poor plumpness and the reducing yield levels of os-lpa1.

The variation of amylose content (AC) among grains within a panicle and its relation to panicle morphology were investigated using 44 japonica rice cultivars differing in grain density (GD), panicle bending degree (BD) and palatability. Morphological traits of the rice panicle were poorly associated with mean grain AC on the average of the whole panicle, but closely related to AC variation and spatial distribution within a panicle, with the compact-panicle cultivars (GD>6.5 grain/cm and BD 70°). The extent of AC differences among the rachides within a panicle was also cultivar-dependent, and greater differences were found between middle and top rachides for the compact-panicle cultivars, and between middle and bottom rachides for the loose-panicle cultivars. The difference in spatial distribution of AC variation between Bing110 (a compact-panicle cultivar) and XS11 (a loose-panicle cultivar) indicated that grains with low AC were principally distributed on interior rachis of middle branches for Bing110, but on bottom-rachis for XS11. Such a distribution is basically associated with the difference in the timing procedure of floret initiation and development, and final grain weight.

To sum up the nursing experience of the first case of severe craniocerebral injury undergoing craniotomy operation in The 251st Hospital of People's Liberation Army, providing a reference base for future care and support, and to improve the base level of care treatment in patients with traumatic brain injury

The effect of grain position within a panicle on chalky occurrence, and its relation to phytic acid and protein content, were studied using 6 Japonica rice cultivars with compact panicles and through leaf and floret removal treatments to alter source-sink ratio. There were significant differences in total chalky grain (TCG), white core grain (WCG), white belly grain (WBG), and WCG/WBG among grains within a panicle, with the top and primary rachides having higher WBG than the bottom and secondary rachides. Alteration of source-sink ratio had a remarkable influence on chalky grain occurrence and its positional distribution within a panicle, and the extent of the influence varied greatly with cultivars. In comparison with WCG, WBG occurrence was more susceptible to the alteration of source-sink ratio. No significant correlation was found between chalky percentage and phytic acid and protein contents for the grains in the different positions within a panicle. Chalky occurrence had little effect on the nutritional quality.