Search

Colitis is an inflammatory intestinal disease that lasts for a long time, has an unknown cause, and occurs repeatedly. It is usually accompanied by symptoms such as intestinal cell damage, intestinal immunity, and abnormal intestinal flora. Numerous studies have shown that dietary fiber, as a prebiotic, its metabolites can selectively improve the composition of the intestinal flora, which in turn improves the level of intestinal short-chain fatty acids, reduces the expression of inflammatory factors, and enhances the function of the intestinal immune barrier, thereby improving the inflammatory response of the organism. This anti-inflammatory effect of dietary fiber through its metabolites provides new research ideas to assist in the treatment of colitis. This paper outlines the pathogenesis of colitis, and the mechanism of interaction between dietary fiber and its metabolites with intestinal flora, inflammatory factors and immune cells, aiming to provide theoretical basis for the alleviation of colitis by dietary fiber and the development of functional foods.

Abstract Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Wilson’s disease (WD) are both systemic diseases that can affect multiple organs in the body. The coexistence of SLE and WD is rarely encountered in clinical practice, making it challenging to diagnose. Case report We present the case of a 9-year-old girl who initially presented with proteinuria, haematuria, pancytopenia, hypocomplementemia, and positivity for multiple autoantibodies. She was diagnosed with SLE, and her blood biochemistry showed elevated liver enzymes at the time of diagnosis. Despite effective control of her symptoms, her liver enzymes remained elevated during regular follow-up. Laboratory tests revealed decreased serum copper and ceruloplasmin levels, along with elevated urinary copper. Liver biopsy revealed chronic active hepatitis, moderate inflammation, moderate-severe fibrosis, and a trend towards local cirrhosis. Genetic sequencing revealed compound heterozygous mutations in the ATP7B gene, confirming the diagnosis of SLE with WD. The girl received treatment with a high-zinc/low-copper diet, but her liver function did not improve. Upon recommendation following multidisciplinary consultation, she underwent liver transplantation. Unfortunately, she passed away on the fourth day after the surgery. Conclusions SLE and WD are diseases that involve multiple systems and organs in the body, and SLE complicated with WD is rarely encountered in the clinic; therefore, it is easy to misdiagnose. Because penicillamine can induce lupus, it is not recommended. Liver transplantation is indicated for patients with liver disease who do not respond to medical treatment with WD. However, further research is needed to determine the optimal timing of liver transplantation for patients with SLE complicated with WD.

To solve the problem that hawthorn wine tends to lose its color and quality during storage, this experiment established the simulation system, and three acids with strong co-color ability were selected from eight phenolic and organic acids. The effects of the three phenolic and organic acids on the simulated system (0~30 d) and fermented hawthorn wine (storage time 0~120 d) were evaluated comprehensively by using the CIELab color system, and determining the chromatic colors, polyphenols, anthocyanins, and flavonoids. The results showed that different phenolic acids and organic acids had different cochromatic effects. Different phenolic and organic acid treatments in the CIELab color system in the simulated system showed good effects on the L*, a*, b*, C*ab and hab as well as on the chromatic hue of the wine. The total phenolic content of the wine was increased by 18.00% and 20.88% for ferulic acid and vanillic acid treatment, respectively, compared to the control group. The content of anthocyanin in the simulated system treated with p-hydroxybenzoic acid and vanillic acid increased by 17.27% and 15.74%, respectively, compared with the control group. During storage of fermented hawthorn wine, para-hydroxybenzoic acid could significantly improve the chromaticity (P

Abstract Psoriasis is an immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease, involving a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Previous studies have demonstrated that genetic factors play a major role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. However, non-genetic factors are also necessary to trigger the onset and recurrence of psoriasis in genetically predisposed individuals, which include infections, microbiota dysbiosis of the skin and gut, dysregulated lipid metabolism, dysregulated sex hormones, and mental illness. Psoriasis can also be induced by other environmental triggers, such as skin trauma, unhealthy lifestyles, and medications. Understanding how these triggers play a role in the onset and recurrence of psoriasis provides insights into psoriasis pathogenesis, as well as better clinical administration. In this review, we summarize the triggers for the onset and recurrence of psoriasis and update the current evidence on the underlying mechanism of how these factors elicit the disease. Video Abstract

Objective The clinical characteristics, genetic mutation spectrum, treatment strategies and prognoses of 15 children with Dent disease were retrospectively analyzed to improve pediatricians’ awareness of and attention to this disease.Methods We analyzed the clinical and laboratory data of 15 Chinese children with Dent disease who were diagnosed and treated at our hospital between January 2017 and May 2023 and evaluated the expression of the CLCN5 and OCRL1 genes.Results All 15 patients were male and complained of proteinuria, and the incidence of low-molecular-weight proteinuria (LMWP) was 100.0% in both Dent disease 1 (DD1) and Dent disease 2 (DD2) patients. The incidence of hypercalciuria was 58.3% (7/12) and 66.7% (2/3) in DD1 and DD2 patients, respectively. Nephrocalcinosis and nephrolithiasis were found in 16.7% (2/12) and 8.3% (1/12) of DD1 patients, respectively. Renal biopsy revealed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in 1 patient, minimal change lesion in 5 patients, and small focal acute tubular injury in 1 patient. A total of 11 mutations in the CLCN5 gene were detected, including 3 missense mutations (25.0%, c.1756C > T, c.1166T > G, and c.1618G > A), 5 frameshift mutations (41.7%, c.407delT, c.1702_c.1703insC, c.137delC, c.665_666delGGinsC, and c.2200delG), and 3 nonsense mutations (25.0%, c.776G > A, c.1609C > T, and c.1152G > A). There was no significant difference in age or clinical phenotype among patients with different mutation types (p > 0.05). All three mutations in the OCRL1 gene were missense mutations (c.1477C > T, c.952C > T, and c.198A > G).Conclusion Pediatric Dent disease is often misdiagnosed. Protein electrophoresis and genetic testing can help to provide an early and correct diagnosis.

Abstract Background Joubert syndrome (JS) is a rare genetically heterogeneous primary ciliopathy characterized by a pathognomonic cerebellar and brainstem malformation, the “molar tooth sign”, and variable organ involvement (such as eye, kidney, liver, and skeleton). Here, we present a case of JS in a Chinese boy. Case presentation An 11-year-old Chinese boy presented with neonatal asphyxiation and hypoxia, strabismus, subsequent developmental delay, ataxia and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Routine blood tests showed severe anemia, increasing blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, elevated parathyroid hormone, hypocalcemia, hypokalemia and metabolic acidosis. Urine tests showed mild proteinuria. Ultrasound showed two small kidneys. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed dysplasia of the cerebellar vermis and extension of the upper cerebellar feet with the “molar tooth sign”. Genetic analysis showed novel compound heterozygous mutations in the RPGRIP1L gene [p.L447fs*7(p.Leu447fsTer7) and p.G908V (p.Gly908Val)]. Conclusion In the present study, we identified novel compound heterozygous mutations in the RPGRIP1L gene in a Chinese boy. The clinical and genetic findings of this study will expand the understanding of JS.

Dietary fiber can be fermented and utilized by gut microbiota to reshape the gut microbiota, thereby alleviating constipation. This experiment mainly studied the physicochemical functions of hawthorn soluble dietary fiber (HSDF)and its effect and mechanism in alleviating constipation in mice. Forty-five mice were divided into blank control group C, model group M, positive control HS group, low-dose LHSDF group (1 g/kg/bw), and high-dose HHSDF group (2 g/kg/bw). The mice were modeled at a dose of 10 mg/kg/bw of loperamide hydrochloride for 7 days, while the remaining groups were orally administered an equal amount of distilled water and test samples. After continuous gavage for 45 days we performed a bowel movement test, and then continued gavage for 7 days and performed a small intestine propulsion test and indicator testing. The results showed that HSDF is mainly composed of galacturonic acid, belonging to the type I crystal structure, with a loose surface resembling a snowflake, a small molecular weight, and strong water-holding and antioxidant abilities. Animal experiments showed that compared with group M, HSDF significantly upregulated AQP3 and AQP8 by 52.67% and 164.54%, respectively, and downregulated AQP9 protein expression by 45.88%, thereby promoting intestinal peristalsis. It can also alleviate constipation by increasing the levels of excitatory hormones such as MTL, GAS, and SP in the gastrointestinal tract, and reducing the levels of inhibitory hormones such as SS, NO, and MDA. In addition, HSDF can reduce the levels of inflammatory factors such as IL-6 and PL-1 β, increase the content of various short-chain fatty acids, alleviate intestinal inflammation, maintain intestinal integrity, and promote defecation. It can also promote the growth of probiotics such as Bacteroides, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, and alter the diversity of gut microbiota.

The aim of this study was to explore the lipid-lowering effect of naringenin and the underlying mechanism in high-fat-diet-fed SD rats and 3T3-L1 cells. In this study, SD rats were divided into the normal chow diet group (NCD), high fat diet group (HFD), three treatment groups feeding high-fat diet with naringenin (100, 200, 400 mg/kg) for 12 weeks. Results indicated that naringenin treatment decreased total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and the non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) levels in serum. Naringenin also alleviated hepatic steatosis and reduced the adipocyte size in the epididymis in high-fat-diet-induced SD rats. In addition, naringenin (25−75 µg/mL) decrease TG and TC levels in 3T3 mature adipocytes. The molecular mechanism of naringenin in the treatment of obesity were predicted by using network pharmacology. Real-time PCR analysis results showed that naringenin regulated the expression of lipid metabolism genes. Meanwhile, naringenin increased the AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) activity and the expression of AMPK phosphorylated protein in 3T3 mature adipocytes. And the inhibitory effect of naringenin on lipid accumulation in 3T3 adipocytes was abolished by Compound C. Molecular docking results indicated that naringenin could bind to AMPK protein. These results indicated naringenin reduced lipid accumulation through AMPK pathway.

Abstract In this study, we investigated the nephroprotective effects of Umbelliferone (UMB) against cisplatin‐induced acute kidney injury (AKI). C57BL/6J mice were treated with cisplatin via a single intraperitoneal injection (25 mg/kg) with or without UMB (40 mg/kg/day) by gavage. Renal function, apoptosis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and mitochondrial function were analyzed to evaluate kidney injury. In vitro, human proximal tubule epithelial cells were treated with cisplatin, with or without UMB, for 24 h. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were performed to explore the mechanisms underlying the nephroprotective effects of UMB. Cisplatin‐induced renal dysfunction, including increases in blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and renal tubular injury indices (NGAL and KIM‐1), were significantly attenuated by UMB treatment, along with renal phenotypic changes and renal tubular injury, as evidenced by improved renal histology. Moreover, NRF2 was activated by UMB pretreatment, along with the inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammatory response, as evidenced by decreased levels of antioxidant genes and inflammatory cytokines in cisplatin‐induced AKI. Our results demonstrate that UMB can protect against cisplatin‐induced nephrotoxicity, which is mediated by the NRF2 signaling pathway via antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities, suggesting the clinical potential of UMB for the treatment of AKI.

Kidney injury leads to fibrosis during the progression of chronic kidney disease. Here the authors report that the DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) drives chronic kidney disease progression in a study with male mice, potentially via TAF7/RAPTOR/mTORC1 signaling.

In order to improve the stability and bioavailability, hawthorn polyphenols microcapsules were prepared by spray drying using β-cyclodextrin. Whey protein isolate and gum Arabic as concentrations wall materials, and hawthorn polyphenols as the core material. The particle size, microscopic appearance, stability, sustained release and antioxidant properties of the microcapsules were analyzed. The results showed that core-to-wall-material ratio was 1:3 (v/v), air inlet temperature was 165 ℃ and emulsification time was 11.4 min as the optimum preparation process. Under all conditions optimized, the encapsulation rate was 94.45%±1.03% and the drug loading was 17.99%±0.20% of hawthorn polyphenol microcapsules, which average particle size was 6.77 μm, the microcapsules gained complete particles and spherical structure. The microcapsules showed well stability in gastric juice and well release performance in intestinal juice. The release rates of hawthorn polyphenols and hawthorn polyphenol microcapsules after 2 h of simulated gastric juice digestion were 13.38% and 9.75%, respectively, and 6 h after intestinal juice digestion were 95.99% and 72.53%, respectively. The oxidations resistance and stabilities were improved obviously after encapsulation. The IC50 values of hawthorn polyphenols for DPPH, OH, O2− free radical scavenging rates were 12.669 μg/mL and 1.131, 0.581 mg/mL, respectively, and the hawthorn polyphenol microcapsules were 0.939 μg/mL and 0.129, 0.546 mg/mL, respectively. After 10 days of light exposure, the retention rates of hawthorn polyphenols and hawthorn polyphenols microcapsules were 64.99% and 86.74%, respectively. The retention rates at 80°C were 70.77% and 88.77%, respectively, and the retention rates of hawthorn polyphenols and hawthorn polyphenols microcapsules stored without packaging for 28 days were 73.48% and 91.15%, respectively. These above results indicated that microcapsule technology could improve the stability, sustained release and antioxidant activities of hawthorn polyphenols, and could be used as an effective method to improve the processing stability of hawthorn polyphenols.

Summary: Smart wearable sensors are electronic devices worn on the body that collect, process, and transmit various physiological data. Compared to traditional devices, their advantages in terms of portability and comfort have made them increasingly important in the medical field. This review takes a unique clinical physician’s standpoint, diverging from conventional sensor-type-based classifications, and provides a comprehensive overview of the diverse clinical applications of wearable sensors in recent years. In this review, we categorize these applications according to different diseases, encompassing skin diseases and injuries, cardiovascular diseases, abnormal human motion, as well as endocrine and metabolic disorders. Additionally, we discuss the challenges and perspectives hindering the development of sensors for clinical use, emphasizing the critical need for interdisciplinary collaboration between medical and engineering professionals. Overall, this review would serve as an important reference for the future direction of sensor devices in clinical use.

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics, treatment protocol and prognosis of children with anti-complement factor H (CFH) autoantibody (Ab)-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).Methods Clinical data of 8 patients with anti-CFH Ab-associated HUS who were admitted to Shandong Provincial Hospital from January 2011 to December 2020 were collected retrospectively.Results The age at disease onset ranged between 5.83 and 13.5 years, with a male: female ratio of 1.67:1. The time of onset was distributed from May to June and November to December. Digestive and upper respiratory tract infections were common prodromal infections. Positivity for anti-CFH Ab and reduced C3 levels were observed among all patients. Heterozygous mutation of the CHFR5 gene (c.669del A) and homozygous loss of the CFHR1 gene [loss2(EXON:2-6)] were found in two patients. All patients received early treatment with plasma exchange and corticosteroid therapy. Six patients were given immunosuppressive agents (cyclophosphamide and/or mycophenolate mofetil) for persistent proteinuria. The follow-up period was 12–114 months. Four of 8 patients achieved complete remission, 3 achieved partial remission, and 1 died. Relapse occurred in two patients.Conclusion Children with anti-CFH Ab-associated HUS were mainly school-aged and predominantly male, with onset times of summer and winter. Digestive and upper respiratory tract infections were common prodromal infections. Plasma exchange combined with methylprednisolone pulse therapy in the acute phase and cyclophosphamide or mycophenolate mofetil treatment for maintenance can be utilized in children with anti-CFH Ab-associated HUS if eculizumab is not available.

ObjectiveTo summarize the clinical features, diagnosis and enzyme replacement therapy(ERT) of Fabry disease (FD) in children.MethodsThe clinical data, laboratory tests, genetic variations and treatment of 10 FD children diagnosed in Shandong Provincial Hospital from September 2020 to June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.ResultsAmong the 10 cases from 6 families, 7 patients were boys of 4 to 13 years of age, and 3 were girls of 12 to 15 years of age. There were 7 symptomatic patients, including 6 boys and 1 girl. All 7 patients presented with acral neuralgia. Five patients had little or no sweating. Five patients presented with cutaneous angiokeratoma. Two patients had abdominal pain. One patient developed joint symptoms. Four patients had corneal opacity. One patient had hearing loss; one patient had short stature. One patient had mild proteinuria and 1 patient had dysplasia of the right kidney with decreased eGFR (55.28 ml/min.1.73 m2). The left ventricular mass index was slightly elevated in 1 patient. Three patients had mild obstructive ventilatory dysfunction; a small amount of effusion in the intestinal space of the lower abdomen or mild fatty liver was found in 2 patients. Partial empty sella turcica in 1 patient. A total of 6 GLA gene variants were detected in 10 children, among which C.1059_1061delGAT (p.met353del) was a newly discovered mutation. Five children received ERT, of which 4 were treated with agalsidase beta and 1 was treated with agalsidase alpha. Only 1 patient had anaphylaxis. Lyso-GL-3 levels decreased significantly in the first 3 months of ERT initiation and remained relatively stable thereafter in 3 patients. The Lyso-GL-3 level was decreased, but renal impairment continued to progress in 1 patient treated with agalsidase alpha.ConclusionThe clinical manifestations of FD in childhood are diverse, and it is necessary to make a definite diagnosis by combining family history, enzyme activity, biomarkers, gene testing and other indicators. Pedigree screening and high-risk population screening are helpful for early identification, early diagnosis and early treatment. No serious adverse reactions were found during the short-term treatment with agalsidase alpha and beta.

Fatigue is a phenomenon caused by the disorder of energy coordination in the body, and prolonged exercise fatigue will lead to related diseases. Polyphenols have obvious biological activities, such as anti-oxidation, anti-tumor and so on. At present, polyphenols have been proved to have anti-fatigue effect, which can relieve exercise fatigue by regulating the AMPK signaling pathway to regulate oxidative stress, energy metabolism and inflammation, as well as substrate metabolism. In this paper, the generation and mechanism of exercise fatigue, the source of anti-fatigue polyphenols and the action mechanism of anti-fatigue polyphenols are systematically reviewed in order to provide reference for the research and development of anti-fatigue functional foods with polyphenols.

The microbial contamination of food poses a threat to human health. Chestnut shells, which are byproducts of chestnut processing, contain polyphenols that exert various physiological effects, and thus have the potential to be used in food preservation. This study investigates the bacteriostatic effect and mechanism(s) of the action of chestnut shell polyphenols (CSPs) on three food-spoilage bacteria, namely Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fragi, and Escherichia coli. To this end, the effect of CSPs on the ultrastructure of each bacterium was determined using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, gene expression was analyzed using RT-qPCR. Subsequent molecular docking analysis was employed to elucidate the mechanism of action employed by CSPs via the inhibition of key enzymes. Ultrastructure analysis showed that CSPs damaged the bacterial cell wall and increased permeability. At 0.313 mg/mL, CSPs significantly increased the activity of alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase, as well as protein leakage (p < 0.05), whereas the activity of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes, isocitrate dehydrogenase and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, were inhibited (p < 0.05). The expression levels of the TCA-related genes gltA, icd, sucA, atpA, citA, odhA, IS178_RS16090, and IS178_RS16290 are also significantly downregulated by CSP treatment (p < 0.05). Moreover, CSPs inhibit respiration and energy metabolism, including ATPase activity and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis (p < 0.05). Molecular docking determined that proanthocyanidins B1 and C1, the main components of CSPs, are responsible for the antibacterial activity. Therefore, as natural antibacterial substances, CSPs have considerable potential for development and application as natural food preservatives.

This study prepared hawthorn polyphenol microcapsules (HPM) by microencapsulation and revealed that its potential mechanism of action in fatigued mice involves regulation of AMPK signaling pathway and balancing the intestinal microflora. Spray drying process improved thermal stability of hawthorn polyphenol. After HPM treatment, the weight-bearing swimming ability of fatigued mice was significantly improved (p

Castanea mollissima shells are a by-product of Chinese chestnut processing and contain many polyphenols. Macrophage polarization plays an important role in the progression of atherosclerosis (AS). We investigated the action of Castanea mollissima shell polyphenols (CSPs), with proanthocyanidin C1 and proanthocyanidin B1 as the main phenolic components, on macrophages. CSPs (40 μg/mL) significantly decreased inflammatory cytokines secretion in M1-type macrophages (p

Exercise fatigue can exert deleterious effects on the body. This study evaluated the effects and mechanisms by which Lonicera caerulea berry polyphenols extract (LCBP) improved the treadmill endurance of mice. Comparison was performed between the effects at 25°C and low temperatures (-5°C). Energy storage, product metabolism, and other biochemical indices were determined using vitamin C (VC) as a positive control. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed to detect the interaction between different proteins. Dietary supplementation with LCBP significantly prolonged the exhaustion time during treadmill exercise by 20.4% (25 °C) and 27.4% (-5 °C). LCBP significantly regulated the expression of antioxidant and inflammatory proteins, Bcl-2 /Bax apoptosis proteins, and the PKCα -NOx2 / Nox4 pathway proteins, and activated the expression of AMPK-PGC1α -NRF1-TFAM proteins in skeletal muscle mitochondria. The gene and protein expression of miRNA-133a/IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/mTOR in skeletal muscle cells was also activated. Molecular docking confirmed that the main components of LCBP such as cyanidin-3-glucoside, catechin, and chlorogenic acid, have strong binding affinity toward AMPKα. LCBP alleviates exercise fatigue in mice by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis of skeletal muscle cells, enhances mitochondrial biosynthesis and cell proliferation, reduces fatigue, and enhances performance. These effects are also significant in a low-temperature environment (Graphical Abstract). Consequently, these results provide novel insights into the anti- fatigue roles of LCBP in exercise fatigue.

Abstract Background Extracting relations between bio-entities from biomedical literature is often a challenging task and also an essential step towards biomedical knowledge expansion. The BioCreative community has organized a shared task to evaluate the robustness of the causal relationship extraction algorithms in Biological Expression Language (BEL) from biomedical literature. Method We first map the sentence-level BEL statements in the BC-V training corpus to the corresponding text segments, thus generating hierarchically tagged training instances. A hierarchical sequence labeling model was afterwards induced from these training instances and applied to the test sentences in order to construct the BEL statements. Results The experimental results on extracting BEL statements from BioCreative V Track 4 test corpus show that our method achieves promising performance with an overall F-measure of 31.6%. Furthermore, it has the potential to be enhanced by adopting more advanced machine learning approaches. Conclusion We propose a framework for hierarchical relation extraction using hierarchical sequence labeling on the instance-level training corpus derived from the original sentence-level corpus via word alignment. Its main advantage is that we can make full use of the original training corpus to induce the sequence labelers and then apply them to the test corpus.

Chestnut is popular worldwide for its unique flavor, high eating quality and nutrition. Here, we evaluated the influence of phosphorylation and acetylation on the structural, physicochemical and functional properties of chestnut starch. Scanning electron micrographs showed the agglomeration of starch granules and the appearance of numerous dents on the starch granule surface under phosphorylation and acetylation. X-ray diffractograms confirmed that the modification treatments did not affect the C-type crystal pattern, but reduced the relative crystallinity of the chestnut starch, particularly phosphorylation. Moreover, modification improved the paste transparency of the starch. Differential scanning calorimeter analysis revealed that the gelatinization temperature and enthalpy of the starch decreased with the increasing substitution degree, particularly in phosphorylated starch. The Rapid Visco Analyser analysis demonstrated that phosphorylation could greatly improve the pasting properties of chestnut starch. In addition, phosphorylated and acetylated starch had a smaller amount of slowly digested starch and a larger amount of resistant starch relative to native chestnut starch. In conclusion, the functional and physicochemical properties of chestnut starch can be significantly improved through phosphorylation and acetylation, demonstrating its great application potential as a food additive.

A wild Lonicera caerulea berry extract rich in polyphenols (LCBP) is widely used as a food supplement and additive. The main active components are cyanidin-3-glucoside, (+)-catechin, and chlorogenic acid. The aim of this study was to examine the hypocholesterolemic effects of LCBP in high cholesterol diet (HCD)-induced hypercholesterolemia in Sprague Dawley rats and the associated changes in cholesterol metabolism. Rats were fed an HCD with or without LCBP (75, 150, and 300 mg/kg body weight) for 12 weeks. LCBP at 150 and 300 mg/kg was effective for reducing cholesterol accumulation (p

Seven varieties of Chinese dwarf cherries were evaluated and compared with respect to their weight, diameter, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, color, polyphenol contents, ascorbic acid levels, anthocyanin profiles, enzymatic activity, and antioxidant capacity. The fruits are rich in phenolic content (339.07–770.30 mg/100 g fresh weight). Nine anthocyanins were obtained from fruits after chromatographic separation and their structures analyzed using HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Cyanidin-3-glucoside was the major anthocyanin with 50.36–78.39% concentration. Three anthocyanins were reported for the first time in these cherries. They exhibit low polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activities, but their superoxide dismutase activity is high (572.75–800.17 U/g FW). The highest amounts of soluble solid content (15.67 Brix %), total titratable acid (1.90%), ascorbic acid (18.47 mg/100 g FW), and total anthocyanin (152.66 mg/100 g FW) were observed. Three methods (DPPH-scavenging ability, oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay, and cellular antioxidant activity assay) were employed to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of the phenolic extracts of these cherries. Number 5 has the highest values of ORAC and CAA of 205.68 μmol TE/g DM and 99.67 μmol QE/100 g FW, respectively.

In this study, we analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome of the spike-topped apple snail, Pomacea diffusa Blume, 1957 (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae). The mitochondrial genome of P. diffusa was 16,373 bp, consisting 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs, and 22 tRNAs and a non-coding region with a 12 bp repeat unit. There were 29 mitochondrial genes of P. diffusa are distributed on the H-strand, and the other eight tRNA genes encoded on the L-strand. The average AT content of 13 protein-coding genes was 68.7%. A phylogenetic analysis showed that there was a close relationship between P. diffusa and invasive apple snail species, Pomacea canaliculata and Pomacea aff. maculata.