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Objective: This study aimed to develop an auric-lowering peptide of skipjack byproducts (SPBp) with Xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibition activity and improve the utilization rate of byproducts of skipjack. Methods: Based on the response surface methodology, several parameters affecting this process were investigated, including protease types and enzymatic dosages, pH, temperature, time and their interactions on the content of amino-nitrogen, solid content and XOD inhibition activity. Results: The results showed that trypsin was the best protease. The optimal process parameters were as follows: the dosage of the enzyme was 4%, pH 8.0, temperature 55 ℃, time 5 h, solid-liquid ratio 1∶3 （g/mL）. Under the control of the optimal conditions, the solid content was 4.12%; XOD inhibition activity was 43.941%, which were all in good agreement with the predicted values. SPBp-XOIP showed strong radical scavenging activity against hydroxyl and DPPH radicals with ED50 values of 6.0 mg/mL and 10.0 mg/mL, respectively. Conclusion: The meat of Skipjack has the potential to prepare XOD inhibitory peptides, which can be used as dietary function factors in antioxidant stress and prevention of hyperuricemia.

A degrading enzyme PADE produced during the degradation of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) by the laboratory screening bacteria M19 was selected as the subject in this study. Thin layer chromatography and fluorescence spectrum analysis were performed to analyze possible structural changes of products in the AFB1 degradation solution. Mass spectrometric were further used to detect the AFB1 degradation products.The results of thin layer chromatography showed that no new fluorescent absorbent substance was detected in the organic phase degradation solution, and no absorbent substance was detected in the aqueous phase degradation solution, indicating that the degradation product did not have fluorescence absorption. The fluorescence spectrum detection results showed that the fluorescence of the AFB1 degradation product was decreased obviously. The mass spectrometry results showed that a substance P with a mass-to-charge ratio of 227.18 was found. Based on all the results, it can be concluded that the lactone bond was broken during the degradation of AFB1, and a degradation product P with a molecular weight of 226 was generated. The molecular formula was C14H10O3 as analyzed by Xcalibur software. The degradation pathway was hypothesized.

Ultrafine bainitic steels, which are derived from nanostructured carbide-free bainitic steels, exhibit a remarkable combination of ultra-high strength and toughness together with excellent wear resistance. Their excellent integrated mechanical properties has made ultrafine bainitic steels a popular choice for application as wear-resistant parts. In this study, a 0.7-C low alloy ultrafine bainitic steel was designed, and the effects of different austempering temperatures on the bainitic transformation kinetics, microstructure, and dry sliding wear resistance of ultrafine bainitic steels were studied. Dilatometry, two-body abrasion testing, optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, laser-scanning confocal microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectrometry were used to study the abovementioned effects. Meanwhile, the wear performance and wear mechanism under two-body abrasion of ultrafine baintic steels with different austempering temperatures were also studied. The results demonstrate that the microstructures of ultrafine bainitic steel produced at different austempering temperatures comprise both lamellar bainitic ferrite and film-like and blocky retained austenite. With increasing austempering temperature, the transformation rate of bainite increases, and the incubation period and phase transformation completion time of bainite significantly reduce; in addition, the bainitic ferrite plates are more coarsened, the volume fraction of retained austenite increases, and the hardness decreases. Moreover, when the ultrafine bainitic steel is subjected to the twobody abrasion test, the wear surface is mainly featured by furrows and grooves, and the predominant wear mechanism is micro-cutting. Furthermore, the wear resistance of ultrafine bainite post austempering at different temperatures is better than that of tempered martensite; this wear resistance increases with decreasing isothermal temperatures. Ultrafine baintic steel post austempering at 250℃ possesses the best wear resistance, and the relative wear resistance is 1.28 times higher than that of tempered martensitic steel; this is attributed to the refined microstructure and the transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) effect of ultrafine bainitic steel.

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a typical malignancy in a background of chronic inflammation. Th17 cells (a major source of IL-17) constitute crucial components of infiltrating inflammatory/immune cells in HCC and can amplify inflammatory response via binding to interleukin-17 receptor (IL-17R). Thus, we investigated the expression and clinical significance of IL-17 and IL-17 receptor family cytokines in HCC. Methods The expression and prognostic value of IL-17 and IL-17R (A-E) were examined in 300 HCC patients after resection. Six Th17 associated cytokines in serum (n = 111) were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Phenotypic features of IL-17+ CD4+ T cells were determined by flow cytometry analysis. Results High expression of intratumoral IL-17 and IL1-7RE were significantly associated with poorer survival (p = 0.016 and

Human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) has multiple immune regulatory functions including the induction of immune tolerance in malignancies. The roles of HLA-G have not been investigated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study is aimed to evaluate the role of HLA-G as prognostic factor for NPC patients as well as its role in the immune regulation. Western assays showed high HLA-G expression in NPC cell lines, but low in the immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cell line NP69. HLA-G protein was further detected in 79.2% of 552 NPC specimens with immunohistochemistry (IHC), but not in normal nasopharyngeal epithelium tissue. Moreover, high expression of HLA-G predicted poor survival of NPC patients and positively correlated with tumor N classification and recurrence or metastasis. Multivariate analysis indicated that HLA-G was an independent and unfavorable prognostic factor. Furthermore, the presence of CD68+macrophages and IL-10 were also examined, which are two prognostic markers of NPC and important factors for regulating immune surveillance. The correlations of HLA-G with these two immune factors were revealed in NPC tissues. Taken together, our results suggest that HLA-G is an independent biomarker for NPC prognosis, and HLA-G might contribute to NPC progression, which might jointly regulate immune surveillance in NPC together with macrophages and IL-10.