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Two-molecule theory refers to a class of microscopic, self-consistent field theories for the radial distribution function in classical molecular liquids. The version examined here can be considered as one of the very few formally derived closures to the reference interaction site model (RISM) equation. The theory is applied to polyethylene liquids, computing their equilibrium structural and thermodynamic properties at melt densities. The equation for the radial distribution function, which is represented as an average over the accessible states of two molecules in an external field that mimics the effects of the other molecules in the liquid, is computed by Monte Carlo simulation along with the intramolecular structure function. An improved direct sampling algorithm is utilized to speed the equilibration. Polyethylene chains of 24 and 66 united atom CH2 units are studied. The results are compared to full, many-chain molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and self-consistent polymer-RISM (PRISM) theory with the atomic Percus-Yevick (PY) closure under the same conditions. It is shown that the two-molecule theory produces results that are close to those of MD and is thus able to overcome defects of PRISM-PY theory and predict more accurate liquid structure at both short and long ranges. Predictions for the equation of state are also discussed., (© 2024 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.)

Buckwheat sprouts are rich in pectic polysaccharides, which possess numerous health-improving benefits. However, the precise structure-activity relationship of pectic polysaccharides from Tartary buckwheat sprouts (TP) is still scant, which ultimately restricts their applications in the food industry. Hence, both ultrasound-assisted Fenton treatment (UAFT) and mild alkali treatment (MATT) were utilized for the modification of TP, and then the effects of physicochemical characteristics of original and modified TPs on their bioactivities were assessed. Our findings reveled that the UAFT treatment could precisely reduce TP's molecular weight, with the levels decreased from 8.191 × 10 4 Da to 0.957 × 10 4 Da. Meanwhile, the MATT treatment could precisely reduce TP's esterification degree, with the values decreased from 28.04 % to 4.72 %. Nevertheless, both UAFT and MATT treatments had limited effects on the backbone and branched chain of TP. Moreover, our findings unveiled that the UAFT treatment could notably promote TP's antioxidant, antiglycation, and immunostimulatory effects, while remarkedly reduce TP's anti-hyperlipidemic effect, which were probably owing to that the UAFT treatment obviously reduced TP's molecular weight. Additionally, the MATT treatment could also promote TP's immunostimulatory effect, which was probably attributed to that the MATT treatment significantly decreased TP's esterification degree. Interestingly, the MATT treatment could regulate TP's antioxidant and antiglycation effects, which was probably attributed to that the MATT treatment simultaneously reduced its esterification degree and bound phenolics. Our findings are conducive to understanding TP's structure-activity relationship, and can afford a scientific theoretical basis for the development of functional or healthy products based on TPs. Besides, the UAFT treatment can be a promising approach for the modification of TP to improve its biological functions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is regarded as one of the main global health problems. Accumulated evidence indicates that fruit-derived polyphenols can lower the risk of ALD, this attributed to their strong antioxidant capacities. Thinned immature kiwifruits (TIK) are the major agro-byproducts in the production of kiwifruits, which have abundantly valuable polyphenols. However, knowledge about the protective effects of polyphenol-enriched extract from TIK against ALD is still lacking, which ultimately restricts their application as value-added functional products. To promote their potential applications, phenolic compounds from TIK and their corresponding mature fruits were compared, and their protective effects against ALD were studied in the present study. The findings revealed that TIK possessed extremely high levels of total phenolics (116.39 ± 1.51 mg GAE/g DW) and total flavonoids (33.88 ± 0.59 mg RE/g DW), which were about 7.4 times and 4.8 times greater than those of their corresponding mature fruits, respectively. Furthermore, the level of major phenolic components in TIK was measured to be 29,558.19 ± 1170.58 μg/g DW, which was about 5.4 times greater than that of mature fruits. In particular, neochlorogenic acid, epicatechin, procyanidin B1, and procyanidin B2 were found as the predominant polyphenols in TIK. In addition, TIK exerted stronger in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects than those of mature fruits, which was probably because of their higher levels of polyphenols. Most importantly, compared with mature fruits, TIK exhibited superior hepatoprotective effects on alcohol-induced liver damage in mice. The administration of polyphenol-enriched extract from TIK (YK) could increase the body weight of mice, reduce the serum levels of ALP, AST, and ALT, lower the levels of hepatic TG and TC, and diminish lipid droplet accumulation and hepatic tissue damage. In addition, the treatment of YK could also significantly restore the levels of antioxidant enzymes (e.g., SOD and CAT) in the liver and lower the levels of hepatic proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α), indicating that YK could effectively ameliorate ALD in mice by reducing hepatic oxidative stress and hepatic inflammation. Collectively, our findings can provide sufficient evidence for the development of TIK and their extracts as high value-added functional products for the intervention of ALD.

Discarded unripe kiwifruits (DUKs) are regarded as the major agro-byproducts in the production of kiwifruits, which have abundantly valuable secondary metabolites. Nevertheless, owing to the limited knowledge about the differences in phytochemicals and bioactivity between DUKs and mature kiwifruits, the utilization of DUKs in the food industry remains scarce. Hence, to promote their food applications, the phenolic compounds and bioactivity of discarded unripe, mature, and overripe fruits from three red-fleshed kiwifruit cultivars were studied and compared. The results revealed that the levels of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and total procyanidins in kiwifruits varied significantly by maturity stage. In addition, our findings demonstrated that DUKs possessed much higher contents of valuable phenolic compounds (e.g., chlorogenic acid (CHA), neochlorogenic acid (NCHA), gallic acid (GA), protocatechuic acid (PA), procyanidin B1 (ProcB1), procyanidin B2 (ProcB2), procyanidin C1 (ProcC1), quercetin 3-O-glucoside (QueG), and quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside (QueR)) than mature and overripe kiwifruits. Furthermore, DUKs exerted much stronger in vitro antioxidant capacity, inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase, and anti-inflammatory activity than mature and overripe kiwifruits, which were mainly attributed to their higher contents of total polyphenols and individual phenolic components, such as GA, CHA, NCHA, PA, ProcB1, ProcB2, ProcC1, and QueR. Overall, these findings provide sufficient evidence for the development and utilization of DUKs in the food/functional food industry.

Thinned unripe kiwifruits (TUK) are considered the major agro by-products in kiwifruit production. To promote their potential applications, polyphenols and biological effects of unripe fruits from nine commercial kiwifruit cultivars were compared. Our findings showed that TUK were rich in bioactive polyphenols, which varied greatly by different cultivars. Indeed, catechin, epicatechin, procyanidin PB1, procyanidin B2, protocatechuic acid, neochlorogenic acid, and gallic acid were measured as the major phenolic components in most TUK, with the highest levels observed in 'Hongao' and 'Cuiyu' cultivars. Furthermore, TUK exerted strong in vitro antioxidant capacities, inhibitory effects on digestive enzymes, and anti-inflammatory activities. Particularly, their stronger antioxidant effects and inhibitory effects on digestive enzymes were probably attributed to their higher contents of phenolic compounds, especially procyanidin B2. Collectively, our findings reveal that TUK are potential resources of valuable polyphenols, which can be exploited as natural antioxidants and natural inhibitors of α-glucosidase and α-amylase., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Background: This study evaluates the long-term stability and clinical outcomes of the reverse palatal pedicle graft (RPPG) technique in treating maxillary molar palatal recessions over a 3 to 4-year follow-up period., Methods: Three patients with palatal recession defects on maxillary molars were treated using the RPPG technique. Clinical parameters including recession depth, probing depth, and clinical attachment levels (CALs) were recorded at baseline, 2 months, and 3-4 years postoperatively. Healing outcomes, tissue perfusion, and soft tissue thickness were assessed through clinical examination, cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), and ultrasonography., Results: All patients demonstrated significant CAL gain and partial root coverage. The RPPG technique resulted in significant improvements in attachment gain (41%-67%) and root coverage (44%-83%). In addition, a CBCT scan of one grafted site at a 4-year follow-up (Case 1) demonstrates a gain in soft tissue thickness and partial root coverage. Ultrasound imaging of another grafted site at a 4-year follow-up (Case 2) demonstrates a gain in soft tissue thickness and adequate graft perfusion. The outcomes suggest stable graft sites with some evidence of creeping attachment., Conclusion: The RPPG technique provides a viable option for treating maxillary molar palatal recessions, demonstrating promising long-term stability and clinical improvements. Further studies with larger sample sizes and frequent follow-ups are needed to better understand the dynamics of creeping attachment and refine clinical guidelines for palatal grafting., Key Points: The reverse palatal pedicle graft (RPPG) is a surgical technique providing a viable solution for the treatment of maxillary molar palatal root coverage for a single recession site with 3-4 years of follow-up demonstrating a degree of predictability. Clinical indications for the application of the RPPG technique include severe palatal recession with little to no interproximal attachment loss (RT1 or RT2), palatal root sensitivity, and a sufficient amount of keratinized tissue on the palatal aspect of adjacent teeth. The main limitations of the application of the RPPG technique include its ability to treat only one isolated recession site, the inability for coronal advancement of the flap, and the quality and thickness of the autogenous graft being patient-dependent., Plain Language Summary: This study explores the reverse palatal pedicle graft (RPPG) technique, a method used to treat gum recession in the palate around the upper posterior teeth. The research followed three patients over a period of 3-4 years after they underwent the RPPG procedure. This technique involves using a piece of tissue from the roof of the mouth and repositioning it to cover the receded gum area. All patients showed significant improvement in gum attachment and coverage of the exposed roots. The grafts remained stable, and there was continued growth of the gum tissue, further covering the exposed roots over time. These promising results suggest that RPPG could be a reliable and effective option for treating severe gum recession on the roof of the mouth. However, further studies with larger patient groups are needed to confirm these findings and refine the technique., (© 2024 The Author(s). Clinical Advances in Periodontics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Academy of Periodontology.)

The exchange of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) facilitates the spread of functional traits including antimicrobial resistance within bacterial communities. Tools to spatially map MGEs and identify their bacterial hosts in complex microbial communities are currently lacking, limiting our understanding of this process. Here we combined single-molecule DNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with multiplexed ribosomal RNA-FISH to enable simultaneous visualization of both MGEs and bacterial taxa. We spatially mapped bacteriophage and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) plasmids and identified their host taxa in human oral biofilms. This revealed distinct clusters of AMR plasmids and prophage, coinciding with densely packed regions of host bacteria. Our data suggest spatial heterogeneity in bacterial taxa results in heterogeneous MGE distribution within the community, with MGE clusters resulting from horizontal gene transfer hotspots or expansion of MGE-carrying strains. Our approach can help advance the study of AMR and phage ecology in biofilms., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Aims: The aim of this experimental in vivo pilot study was to evaluate the effect of the local delivery of pamidronate within a collagen membrane on the changes in the buccal soft and hard tissue dimensions at the time of immediate implant placement and whether this effect was influenced by the placement of bone substitutes., Methods: In six beagle dogs, the distal roots of the third and fourth premolars were extracted, and immediate implants were placed. Treatment groups were randomly allocated to each socket: (i) covering the buccal bone with pamidronate-soaked collagen membrane (BP group), (ii) filling the gap defect with synthetic bone substitute (BS group), (iii) filling the gap defect with synthetic bone substitute and covering the buccal bone with pamidronate soaked collagen membrane (BP/BS group), (iv) no treatment (control group). Intraoral scanning was performed immediately after the surgery and at 20 weeks. Histomorphometric and micro-computed tomography (CT) outcomes were evaluated at 20 weeks., Results: The micro CT analysis demonstrated that the BP group showed no apparent difference in vertical bone level with residual mesial root area, while control group showed significant buccal bone resorption at the implant site. The histomorphometric analysis demonstrated that the vertical bone level of buccal plate was significantly differed between the BP and control group (0.34 ± 0.93 and 1.27 ± 0.56 mm, respectively; p = .041). There was no statistically significant difference in the horizontal ridge width (HRW 1, 2, 3) among the groups. Also, the thickness, height and buccal contours of the soft tissue did not reveal significant changes among the groups., Conclusion: The local delivery of pamidronate to the outer surface of the buccal wall at the time of immediate implant placement effectively limits buccal bone resorption. The results from the present investigation should be interpreted with caution, as well as its clinical translatability. Further investigation is needed to understand the pamidronate binding and releasing kinetic, as well as the ideal carrier of this drug for its topical application., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Periodontal Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Researchers are increasingly interested in discovering new pancreatic lipase inhibitors as anti-obesity ingredients. Medicine-and-food homology plants contain a diverse set of natural bioactive compounds with promising development potential. This study screened and identified potent pancreatic lipase inhibitors from 20 commonly consumed medicine-and-food homology plants using affinity ultrafiltration combined with spectroscopy and docking simulations. The results showed that turmeric exhibited the highest pancreatic lipase-inhibitory activity, and curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin were discovered to be potent pancreatic lipase inhibitors within the turmeric extract, with IC 50 values of 0.52 ± 0.04, 1.12 ± 0.05, and 3.30 ± 0.08 mg/mL, respectively. In addition, the enzymatic kinetics analyses demonstrated that the inhibition type of the three curcuminoids was the reversible competitive model, and curcumin exhibited a higher binding affinity and greater impact on the secondary structure of pancreatic lipase than found with demethoxycurcumin or bisdemethoxycurcumin, as observed through fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism. Furthermore, docking simulations supported the above experimental findings, and revealed that the three curcuminoids might interact with amino acid residues in the binding pocket of pancreatic lipase through non-covalent actions, such as hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking, thereby inhibiting the pancreatic lipase. Collectively, these findings suggest that the bioactive compounds of turmeric, in particular curcumin, can be promising dietary pancreatic lipase inhibitors for the prevention and management of obesity.

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess early wound healing expression of local angiogenic biomarkers following connective tissue graft (CTG) at dental implant sites., Methods: Twenty-eight subjects with single dental implants exhibiting a soft tissue dehiscence were included and randomly treated with CTG, either with coronally advanced flap (CAF) or with tunnel technique (TUN). Peri-implant crevicular fluid (PICF) was collected at the midfacial and midlingual aspect of the implant sites at baseline and at 3, 7, 14, 30, and 90 days after the surgical intervention. The expression of angiogenin (ANG), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was investigated over a period of 3 months. Patient-reported outcomes, clinical measurements, and ultrasonography scans at multiple time points were also evaluated., Results: The longitudinal regression revealed a significant difference in the expression of VEGF and TIMP-2 between CAF- and TUN-treated sites over 3 months (p = .033 and p = .004, respectively), whereas no significant differences were observed for ANG, FGF-2 and PDGF between the two groups. At 7 days, a direct correlation was observed between ANG levels and ultrasonographic color velocity in the CAF group (p < .001) and between ANG levels and ultrasonographic color power in the TUN group (p = .028). VEGF levels and ultrasonographic mean perfused area of the CTG were significantly correlated at the 7-day time point (p < .001 for both CAF and TUN). The expression of VEGF at 7 days was directly associated with mucosal thickness gain at 1 year (p < .001 for both groups). Early TIMP-2 expression showed an inverse correlation with time to recovery (p = .002). TIMP-2 levels at 3 months exhibited inverse correlations with mean dehiscence coverage (p = .004) and the rate of complete dehiscence coverage (p = .012)., Conclusion: PICF biomarkers can be used to monitor early wound healing events following soft tissue grafting at implant sites. VEGF and TIMP-2 showed correlations with the 1-year clinical and volumetric outcomes, as well as with post-operative patient-reported outcomes and Doppler Ultrasonographic tissue perfusion-related parameters., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Periodontal Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Microbiome dysbiosis has largely been defined using compositional analysis of metagenomic sequencing data; however, differences in the spatial arrangement of bacteria between healthy and diseased microbiomes remain largely unexplored. In this study, we measured the spatial arrangement of bacteria in dental implant biofilms from patients with healthy implants, peri-implant mucositis, or peri-implantitis, an oral microbiome-associated inflammatory disease. We discovered that peri-implant biofilms from patients with mild forms of the disease were characterized by large single-genus patches of bacteria, while biofilms from healthy sites were more complex, mixed structures. Based on these findings, we propose a model of peri-implant dysbiosis where changes in biofilm spatial architecture allow the colonization of new community members. This model indicates that spatial structure could be used as a potential biomarker for community stability and has implications in diagnosis and treatment of peri-implant diseases. These results enhance our understanding of peri-implant disease pathogenesis and may be broadly relevant for spatially structured microbiomes.

Pectic polysaccharides are one of the most vital functional ingredients in quinoa microgreens, which exhibit numerous health-promoting benefits. Nevertheless, the detailed information about the structure-function relationships of pectic polysaccharides from quinoa microgreens (QMP) remains unknown, thereby largely restricting their applications as functional foods or fortified ingredients. Therefore, to unveil the possible structure-function relationships of QMP, the mild alkali de-esterification was utilized to modify QMP, and then the correlations of esterification degrees of native and modified QMPs to their biological functions were systematically investigated. The results showed that the modified QMPs with different esterification degrees were successfully prepared by the mild alkali treatment, and the primary chemical structure (e.g., compositional monosaccharides and glycosidic linkages) of the native QMP was overall stable after the de-esterified modification. Furthermore, the results revealed that the antioxidant capacity, antiglycation effect, prebiotic potential, and immunostimulatory activity of the native QMP were negatively correlated to its esterification degree. In addition, both native and modified QMPs exerted immunostimulatory effects through activating the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. These results are conducive to unveiling the precise structure-function relationships of QMP, and can also promote its applications as functional foods or fortified ingredients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn) leaf has abundant rhamnogalacturonan-I enriched pectic polysaccharides, which exert various health-promoting effects. Nevertheless, the potential relationship between the chemical structure and the biological function of pectic polysaccharides from Tartary buckwheat leaves (TBP) remains unclear. Therefore, to bridge the gap between the chemical structure and the biological function of TBP, the impacts of ultrasound-assisted Fenton degradation (UFD) and mild alkaline de-esterification (MAD) on structural properties and biological effects of TBP were systematically studied. Compared with the native TBP (molecular mass, 9.537 × 10 4  Da), the molecular masses of degraded TBPs (TBP-MMW, 4.811 × 10 4  Da; TBP-LMW, 2.101 × 10 4  Da) were significantly reduced by the UFD modification, while their primary chemical structures were overall stable. Besides, compared with the native TBP (esterification degree, 22.73 %), the esterification degrees of de-esterified TBPs (TBP-MDE, 14.27 %; TBP-LDE, 6.59 %) were notably reduced by the MAD modification, while their primary chemical structures were also overall stable. Furthermore, the results revealed that both UFD and MAD modifications could significantly improve the antioxidant, antiglycation, and immunostimulatory effects of TBP. Indeed, TBP's biological effects were negatively correlated to its molecular mass and esterification degree, while positively linked to its free uronic acids. The findings demonstrate that both UFD and MAD modifications are promising techniques for the structural modification of TBP, which can remarkedly promote its biological effects. Besides, the present results are conducive to better understanding TBP's structure-bioactivity relationship., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Despite the various treatments proposed with barrier membranes, one of the main challenges for guided bone regeneration (GBR) is maintaining space for large defects and ensuring an adequate blood supply. The presented feasibility case series aims to introduce an original titanium frame (TF) design, customized for each defect, as a modification of well-known principles and materials for GBR to achieve an enhanced and more predictable horizontal and vertical bone augmentation. Three patients with significant horizontal defects were treated with pre-trimmed TFs to create needed space, and then a 50/50 mixture of autograft and bovine xenograft was placed and covered with a collagen membrane. After 8 months of healing, the sites were reopened, and the titanium screws were removed with the frame. An average of 8.0 ± 1.0 mm of horizontal and 3.0 ± 0.0 mm of vertical bone gain were achieved at the time of reentry and implant placement surgery. Bone core biopsy sample was obtained during the implant placement. Histomorphometric analysis revealed that 42.8% of the sample was new vital bone, 18.8% was residual bone graft particles, and 38.4% was bone marrow-like structures. After 3 to 4 months from implant placement, the implants were restored with provisional crowns and then finalized with zirconia screw-retained crowns. This case series suggests that GBR utilizing TFs with or without collagen membranes can be considered a suitable approach for horizontal and vertical bone augmentation. However, based on only three reported cases, the results should be carefully interpreted.

Tin-lead (Sn-Pb) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have gained interest as candidates for the bottom cell of all-perovskite tandem solar cells due to their broad absorption of the solar spectrum. A notable challenge arises from the prevalent use of the hole transport layer, PEDOT:PSS, known for its inherently high doping level. This high doping level can lead to interfacial recombination, imposing a significant limitation on efficiency. Herein, NaOH is used to dedope PEDOT:PSS, with the aim of enhancing the efficiency of Sn-Pb PSCs. Secondary ion mass spectrometer profiles indicate that sodium ions diffuse into the perovskite layer, improving its crystallinity and enlarging its grains. Comprehensive evaluations, including photoluminescence and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, confirm that dedoping significantly reduces interfacial recombination, resulting in an open-circuit voltage as high as 0.90 V. Additionally, dedoping PEDOT:PSS leads to increased shunt resistance and high fill factor up to 0.81. As a result of these improvements, the power conversion efficiency is enhanced from 19.7% to 22.6%. Utilizing NaOH to dedope PEDOT:PSS also transitions its nature from acidic to basic, enhancing stability and exhibiting less than a 7% power conversion efficiency loss after 1176 h of storage in N 2 atmosphere., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) microgreens are widely consumed as healthy vegetables around the world. Although soluble dietary fibers exist as the major bioactive macromolecules in quinoa microgreens, their structural characteristics and bioactive properties are still unclear. Therefore, the structural characteristics and bioactive properties of soluble dietary fibers from various quinoa microgreens (QMSDFs) were investigated in this study. The yields of QMSDFs ranged from 38.82 to 52.31 mg/g. Indeed, all QMSDFs were predominantly consisted of complex pectic-polysaccharides, e.g., homogalacturonan (HG) and rhamnogalacturonan I (RG I) pectic domains, with the molecular weights ranged from 2.405 × 10 4 to 5.538 × 10 4 Da. In addition, the proportions between RG I and HG pectic domains in all QMSDFs were estimated in the range of 1: 2.34-1: 4.73 (ratio of galacturonic acid/rhamnose). Furthermore, all QMSDFs exhibited marked in vitro antioxidant, antiglycation, prebiotic, and immunoregulatory effects, which may be partially correlated to their low molecular weights and low esterification degrees. These findings are helpful for revealing the structural and biological properties of QMSDFs, which can offer some new insights into further development of quinoa microgreens and related QMSDFs as value-added healthy products., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Tartary buckwheat green leaves are considered to be among the most important by-products in the buckwheat industry. Although Tartary buckwheat green leaves are abundant in pectic polysaccharides, their potential applications in the food industry are quite scarce. Therefore, to promote their potential applications as functional or fortified food ingredients, both deep-eutectic-solvent-assisted extraction (DESE) and high-pressure-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction (HPDEE) were used to efficiently and selectively extract pectic polysaccharides from Tartary buckwheat green leaves (TBP). The results revealed that both the DESE and HPDEE techniques not only improved the extraction efficiency of TBP but also regulated its structural properties and beneficial effects. The primary chemical structures of TBP extracted using different methods were stable overall, mainly consisting of homogalacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) pectic regions. However, both the DESE and HPDEE methods could selectively extract RG-I-enriched TBP, and the proportion of the RG-I pectic region in TBP obviously improved. Additionally, both the DESE and HPDEE methods could improve the antioxidant and anti-glycosylation effects of TBP by increasing its proportion of free uronic acids and content of bound polyphenolics and reducing its molecular weight. Moreover, both the DESE and HPDEE methods could partially intensify the immunostimulatory effect of TBP by increasing its proportion of the RG-I pectic region. These findings suggest that DES-based extraction techniques, especially the HPDEE method, can be promising techniques for the efficient and selective extraction of RG-I-enriched TBP.

Introduction: Over decades, the source-function relationships of bioactive polysaccharides have been progressively investigated, however, it is still unclear how a defined structure may conduce to the bioactivities of polysaccharides., Objectives: To explore the structure-function relationship of fungus polysaccharides, we employed a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model to compare the anti-inflammatory activity of two fungus polysaccharides from Dictyophora indusiata (DIP) and Tremella fuciformis (TFP), which exhibit distinct glycosidic linkages., Methods: The structures of DIP and TFP were characterized through molecular weight detection, molecular morphology analysis, methylation analysis, and NMR analysis. Subsequently, we employed a DSS-induced colitis model to assess the anti-inflammatory efficacy of DIP and TFP. The colitis symptoms, histological morphology, intestinal inflammatory cytokines, and the composition and function of gut microbiota before and after polysaccharides treatment in colitis mice were also investigated., Results: DIP, l,3-β-D-glucan with 1,4-β and 1,6-β-D-Glcp as branched chains, exhibited superior therapeutic effect than that of TFP consisted of a linear 1,3-α-D-mannose backbone with D-xylose and L-fucose in the side chains. Both DIP and TFP relieved DSS-induced colitis in a gut microbiota-dependent manner. Furthermore, metagenomics showed that DIP and TFP could partially reverse the bacterial function in colitis mice. Glycoside Hydrolase 1 (GH1) and GH3 were identified as being involved in hydrolyzing the glucose linkages in DIP, while GH92 and GH29 were predicted to be active in cleaving the α-1,3-linked mannose linkages and the glycosidic bonds of L-fucose residues in TFP., Conclusion: Our findings highlight the pivotal role of glycosidic linkages in anti-inflammatory activities of fungus polysaccharides and would promote the design and discovery of polysaccharides with designated activity to be used as functional foods and/or therapeutics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.)

This study investigated the non-volatile metabolites and antioxidant activity of Douchi, an edible mushroom by-product. A total of 695 non-volatile metabolites were detected using UPLC-MS/MS-based metabolomics analysis, and the greatest impact on metabolite composition was observed during Koji-making and the first 5 days of post-fermentation. Throughout the fermentation process, 366 differential metabolites were identified, with flavonoids being the most prominent followed by amino acids and their derivatives, which were found to be important for the quality of edible mushroom by-product Douchi (EMD). The antioxidant capacity of EMD significantly increased with the longer fermentation time, which might be associated with the conversion of isoflavone glycosides to aglycones, amino acids and their derivatives, free fatty acids, group A saponins, and phenolic acids. These findings suggested that different fermentation phases of EMD significantly affected the non-volatile metabolite profile and antioxidant capacity., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Polysaccharides from Ficus carica L. (FCP) exert multiple biological activities. As a biological macromolecule, the available knowledge about the specific structures and mechanisms of the biological activity of purified 'Brunswick' fig polysaccharides is currently limited. In the present study, chemical purification and characteristics were identified via chemical and instrumental analysis, and then the impact of FCP on immunomodulation activity in vitro and in vivo was examined. Structural characteristics showed that the molecular weight of the FCP sample was determined to be 127.5 kDa; the primary monosaccharides present in the FCP sample were galacturonic acid (GalA), arabinose (Ara), galactose (Gal), rhamnose (Rha), glucose (Glc), and xylose (Xyl) at a ratio of 0.321:0.287:0.269:0.091:0.013:0.011. Based on the investigation of in vitro immunomodulatory activity, FCP was found to stimulate the production of NO, TNF-α, and IL-6, and increased the pinocytic activity of macrophages. Further analysis revealed that FCP activated macrophages by interacting with Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Moreover, the in vivo test results indicate that FCP showed a significant increase in serum pro-inflammatory factors in immunosuppressed mice. Overall, this study suggests that FCP has the potential to be utilized as a novel immunomodulator in the pharmaceutical and functional food industries.

Plant polysaccharides, as significant functional macromolecules with diverse biological properties, are currently receiving increasing attention. Drying technologies play a pivotal role in the research, development, and application of various foods and plant polysaccharides. The chemical composition, structure, and function of extracted polysaccharides are significantly influenced by different drying technologies (e.g., microwave, infrared, and radio frequency) and conditions (e.g., temperature). This study discusses and compares the principles, advantages, disadvantages, and effects of different drying processes on the chemical composition as well as structural and biological properties of plant polysaccharides. In most plant-based raw materials, molecular degradation, molecular aggregation phenomena along with intermolecular interactions occurring within cell wall components and cell contents during drying represent primary mechanisms leading to variations in chemical composition and structures of polysaccharides. These differences further impact their biological properties. The biological properties of polysaccharides are determined by a combination of multiple relevant factors rather than a single factor alone. This review not only provides insights into selecting appropriate drying processes to obtaining highly bioactive plant polysaccharides but also offers a fundamental theoretical basis for the structure-function relationship of these compounds.

Buckwheat green leaves are commonly consumed as functional tea materials due to their various beneficial effects. Although buckwheat green leaves have abundant soluble dietary fibers (SDFs), the information about their structural properties and functional properties remains unknown, largely hindering their applications as functional/health products. Hence, to enhance the usage and application of SDFs from buckwheat green leaves as value-added health products, the structures and biological activities of SDFs derived from different buckwheat green leaves were investigated and compared. Results revealed that SDFs derived from Tartary buckwheat green leaves (TBSDF) and common buckwheat green leaves (CBSDF) were rich in complex pectic-polysaccharides, mainly composing of homogalacturonan (HG) and rhamnogalacturonan I (RG I) pectic domains. Besides, TBSDF had higher proportion of RG I pectic domains than that of CBSDF. Furthermore, the existence of a high content of complex pectic-polysaccharides in TBSDF and CBSDF could contribute to their various biological activities, such as antioxidant, antiglycation, fat/bile acid binding, anticancer, and prebiotic effects. These results can provide some new insights into further development of buckwheat green leaves and related SDFs as value-added health products., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To promote the potentially industrial applications of thinned unripe kiwifruits, two deep eutectic solvent-based methods, including deep eutectic solvent-assisted extraction (DAE) and microwave-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction (MDE), were optimized for the extraction of polysaccharides from thinned unripe kiwifruits (YKP). Results showed that the yields of YKP-D prepared by DAE and YKP-DM prepared by MDE were extremely higher than YKP-H prepared by hot water extraction. Furthermore, YKP-H, YKP-D, and YKP-DM were mainly composed of pectic polysaccharides, including homogalacturonan (HG) and rhamnogalacturonan I (RG I) domains. Besides, both YKP-D and YKP-DM exhibited stronger antioxidant, anti-glycosylation, and immunomodulatory effects than those of YKP-H, and their higher contents of uronic acids and bound polyphenols as well as lower molecular weights could partially contribute to their bioactivities. Overall, these results revealed that the developed MDE method could be utilized as a promising method for highly efficient extraction of YKP with superior beneficial effects., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

The stability of coal pillar is extremely important to the control of rock strata movement and surface subsidence. It is of great significance for mining design to analyze the stability and failure characteristics of coal and rock pillars left after mining and to study the failure characteristics and rheological properties of coal and rock with different shapes. In this paper, based on uniaxial compression and rheological tests on rock samples, the rheological properties of rock samples with different shapes were discussed by using the nonlinear theoretical mechanics and damage theory, and the rheological mechanical characteristics of coarse yellow sandstone samples under the action of different free surface areas and the same loading contact area were investigated by means of experimental research, theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. The following conclusions were drawn: the failure characteristics and dynamic change process of rock samples with different shapes under the same loading contact area are obtained by uniaxial compression test and multi-stage rheological loading. The uniaxial compressive strengths of rock samples with the same loading contact surface area and different free surface areas are inversely proportional to their free surface areas. For the round sample, the stress level in the rheological test is obviously lower than the instantaneous peak uniaxial compression strength, while for the other samples, the stress level in the rheological test is close to the instantaneous peak uniaxial compression strength. For rock all these samples, both the ratio of steady-state rheological time to final failure time and the deformation degree decrease with the increase of free surface area., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Although quinoa is nutritious, its high fat content and lipase activity make it easily oxidized during storage. Meanwhile, quinoa's lipid composition and changes during storage are still unknown. Therefore, we stored fresh quinoa flour at low temperature and low humidity (LL), normal temperature and normal humidity (NN), and high temperature and high humidity (HH) conditions for 120 days to assess its oxidative stability and to monitor the changes in lipid composition. Herein, the contents of fatty acids, the peroxide values, the malondialdehyde values, and the lipase activity in quinoa flour during storage are determined to evaluate its oxidation stability. At LL and NN conditions, the contents of fatty acids, the peroxide values, the malondialdehyde values, and the lipase activity changed slowly. They were 3 (LL) and 5 times (NN), 2.7 (LL) and 4.7 times (NN), 1.4 (LL) and 2.3 times (NN), and 1.5 (LL) and 1.6 times (NN) the initial content at storage up to 120 d. However, with the prolongation of storage time under HH conditions, they all increased significantly to 8, 6.6, 3, and 2 times the original content. Moreover, during the storage of quinoa under LL, NN, and HH conditions for 120 days, we continuously monitored the lipid composition of quinoa grains with UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS. We identified a total of 14 subclasses of 229 lipids, including 90 significantly different lipid species. PCA and PLS-DA showed that quinoa lipids in HH conditions changed significantly with prolonged storage; among these, the TG and DG classes were the most susceptible to oxidation, which could distinguish fresh quinoa from oxidized quinoa. Simultaneously, we also found that lipase activity has a significant impact on lipid metabolism through correlation analysis, which also indicates that enzyme inactivation treatment can slow down lipid hydrolysis and oxidation during storage. To explore the mechanism of these changes, we also identified twelve important lipid metabolism pathways during quinoa storage. In conclusion, our study advances knowledge of the storage stability and lipid oxidation mechanisms of quinoa and provides a theoretical basis for setting the shelf life of quinoa.

Partial extraction therapy (PET) is a group of surgical techniques that preserve the periodontium and peri-implant tissues during restorative and implant therapy by conserving a portion of the patient's own root structure to maintain the blood supply, derived from the periodontal ligament complex. PET includes the socket shield technique (SST), proximal shield technique (PrST), pontic shield technique (PtST), and root submergence technique (RST). Although their clinical success and benefits have been demonstrated, several studies report possible complications. The focus of this article is to highlight management strategies for the most common complications associated with PET, including internal root fragment exposure, external root fragment exposure, and root fragment mobility.

Fruit thinning is a common practice employed to enhance the quality and yield of kiwifruits during the growing period, and about 30-50% of unripe kiwifruits will be thinned and discarded. In fact, these unripe kiwifruits are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, the applications of thinned young kiwifruits and related bioactive compounds in the food and functional food industry are still limited. Therefore, to promote the potential applications of thinned young kiwifruits as value-added health products, the extraction, characterization, and evaluation of beneficial effects of phenolic compounds from thinned young fruits of red-fleshed Actinidia chinensis cv 'HY' were examined in the present study. A green and efficient ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction (UADE) method for extracting phenolic compounds from thinned young kiwifruits was established. A maximum yield (105.37 ± 1.2 mg GAE/g DW) of total phenolics extracted from thinned young kiwifruits by UADE was obtained, which was significantly higher than those of conventional organic solvent extraction (CSE, about 14.51 ± 0.26 mg GAE/g DW) and ultrasound-assisted ethanol extraction (UAEE, about 43.85 ± 1.17 mg GAE/g DW). In addition, 29 compounds, e.g., gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, catechin, epicatechin, procyanidin B1, procyanidin B2, quercetin-3-rhamnoside, and quercetin-3- O -glucoside, were identified in the kiwifruit extract by UPLC-MS/MS. Furthermore, the contents of major phenolic compounds in different kiwifruit extracts prepared by conventional organic solvent extraction (EE), ultrasound-assisted ethanol extraction (UEE), and ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction (UDE) were compared by HPLC analysis. Results revealed that the content of major phenolics in UDE (about 15.067 mg/g DW) was significantly higher than that in EE (about 2.218 mg/g DW) and UEE (about 6.122 mg/g DW), suggesting that the UADE method was more efficient for extracting polyphenolics from thinned young kiwifruits. In addition, compared with EE and UEE, UDE exhibited much higher antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as well as inhibitory effects against α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase, which were closely associated with its higher content of phenolic compounds. Collectively, the findings suggest that the UADE method can be applied as an efficient technique for the preparation of bioactive polyphenolics from thinned young kiwifruits, and the thinned young fruits of red-fleshed A. chinensis cv 'HY' have good potential to be developed and utilized as functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Partial extraction therapy (PET) is a set of surgical techniques that preserve a portion of the patient's own root structure to maintain blood supply derived from the periodontal ligament complex in order to maintain the periodontium and peri-implant tissues during restorative and implant therapy. PET includes the socket shield technique (SST), proximal shield technique (PrST), pontic shield technique (PtST), and root submergence technique (RST). In a traditional hybrid technique, total extraction and full-arch dental implant therapy often require significant bone reduction and palatal/lingual implant placement. In addition, postextraction preservation of the ridge architecture is a major challenge. This case series demonstrates the use of a combination of PET techniques with digital implant planning and guided implant surgery to achieve highly esthetic outcomes in full-arch implant therapy.

Pisum sativum L., commonly referred to as dry, green, or field pea, is one of the most common legumes that is popular and economically important. Due to its richness in a variety of nutritional and bioactive ingredients, the consumption of pea has been suggested to be associated with a wide range of health benefits, and there has been increasing focus on its potential as a functional food. However, there have been limited literature reviews concerning the bioactive compounds, health-promoting effects, and potential applications of pea up to now. This review, therefore, summarizes the literature from the last ten years regarding the chemical composition, physicochemical properties, processing, health benefits, and potential applications of pea. Whole peas are rich in macronutrients, including proteins, starches, dietary fiber, and non-starch polysaccharides. In addition, polyphenols, especially flavonoids and phenolic acids, are important bioactive ingredients that are mainly distributed in the pea coats. Anti-nutritional factors, such as phytic acid, lectin, and trypsin inhibitors, may hinder nutrient absorption. Whole pea seeds can be processed by different techniques such as drying, milling, soaking, and cooking to improve their functional properties. In addition, physicochemical and functional properties of pea starches and pea proteins can be improved by chemical, physical, enzymatic, and combined modification methods. Owing to the multiple bioactive ingredients in peas, the pea and its products exhibit various health benefits, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-renal fibrosis, and regulation of metabolic syndrome effects. Peas have been processed into various products such as pea beverages, germinated pea products, pea flour-incorporated products, pea-based meat alternatives, and encapsulation and packing materials. Furthermore, recommendations are also provided on how to better utilize peas to promote their development as a sustainable and functional grain. Pea and its components can be further developed into more valuable and nutritious products.

Introduction: China is one of the major producers and exporters of various kinds of citrus fruits. As one of China's major citrus planting bases, Sichuan has a citrus planting area that exceeds 400,000 hectares. Meanwhile, citrus cultivation has become one of the important agricultural pillar industries in the region. Citrus fruits are reported to show various health-promoting effects, especially antioxidant activity. However, reports on the functional, nutritional and qualitative characteristics of different citrus varieties in Sichuan are still scarce., Methods: The quality attributes (color parameters, shape, and size), juice properties (titratable acids and total soluble sugar), mineral elements, and health-promoting nutritional and functional components (protein, carbohydrates, fat, dietary fiber, ascorbic acid, phenolic acids, and flavonoids), as well as antioxidant properties of 10 typical citrus varieties cultivated in Sichuan, were systematically investigated and analyzed., Results and Discussion: Significant differences among different citrus varieties were found. In particular, the total soluble sugar content of Mingrijian was higher than that of other citrus, suggesting its potential for fresh consumption and food processing. Moreover, a total of five flavonoids and nine phenolic acids were identified and quantified. Yuanhong, with higher contents of ascorbic acid and phenolic acids, was considered to be a valuable variety with excellent antioxidant capacity and can be used for value-added processing in the food industry. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster heatmap analysis suggested that there were significant differences among the 10 citrus varieties. Correlation analysis confirmed the significant contribution of ascorbic acid and phenolic acids to antioxidant capacity in citrus. The results can provide some references for the cultivation and selection of nutritious citrus fruits., Competing Interests: D-GZ was employed by the Pujiang Yuanxiang Modern Agriculture Limited Company. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Guo, Zheng, Wu, Du, Gao, Ayyash, Zeng, Li, Liu and Gan.)

Dictyophora indusiata is one of the most famous edible mushrooms in China. D. indusiata polysaccharide (DP) has attracted increasing attention because of its multiple beneficial effects. In this study, the in vitro simulated digestion and microbial fermentation were designed to reveal the potential catabolic property of DP and its impacts on the modulation of gut microbial composition. The results showed that the reducing sugar content, total polysaccharides content, molecular weight, and rheological property of DP were not significantly altered under in vitro simulated digestive conditions. However, the molecular weight, apparent viscosity, and total polysaccharides content of indigestible DP (DPI) significantly decreased during in vitro fecal fermentation, and the reducing sugar content and the release of free monosaccharides notably increased, suggesting that DP could be degraded and used by gut microbiota. Additionally, the relative abundances of several beneficial bacteria, such as Bacteroides , Catenibacterium , Parabacteroides , and Megamonas , increased significantly, indicating that DP can regulate the composition and abundance of gut microbiota. Moreover, DP could also promote the production of SCFAs, thus changing the acid-base environment of the large intestine. The results of this study are beneficial for deeply clarifying the catabolic behavior of DP in the gastrointestinal tract, which can provide a theoretical basis for developing microbiota-directed products based on DP.

Given the complexities of communication within health systems, we investigated how the implementation of secure messaging in addition to traditional paging would impact hospital communication. This study was implemented at Grady Health System (GHS), a large safety net academic hospital system in metro Atlanta that includes inpatient and ambulatory settings. GHS uses Epic Electronic Health Record (EHR), and secure messaging was performed using Epic Haiku Platform. To assess states of communication, we implemented pre- and post-surveys. The secure messaging data tracked from 2018 to 2022 demonstrated a rise in usage from 9,378 chats per month when it went live in August 2018 to greater than 200,000 monthly messages during the pandemic when social distancing measures were enacted. Monthly usage peaked in March 2022 with 378,932 messages. Pre-and-post survey questions using a Likert scale (1-4) showed increased agreement in the ability to reach all team members through secure chat amongst healthcare workers. Within our unit staff, communication improved by being more rapid and reliable, as the Likert scale means increased from 2.18 pre-survey to 2.63 post survey. Pre-and-post survey analysis indicates improved satisfaction across GHS stakeholders with the implementation of secure chat in addition to the existing direct-paging system. Next steps could include exchanging digital media through secure messaging to facilitate faster diagnosis and treatment of certain medical conditions. Secure messaging integrated within the EHR (including mobile devices) enhances communication between healthcare team members in a HIPAA-compliant way reducing the number of pages and phone calls., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Oral lichen planus (OLP) and recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) are common chronic inflammatory conditions, manifesting as painful oral lesions that negatively affect patients' quality of life. Current treatment approaches are mainly palliative and often ineffective due to inadequate contact time of the therapeutic agent with the lesions. Here, we developed the Dental Tough Adhesive (DenTAl), a bioinspired adhesive patch with robust mechanical properties, capable of strong adhesion against diverse wet and dynamically moving intraoral tissues, and extended drug delivery of clobetasol-17-propionate, a first-line drug for treating OLP and RAS. DenTAl was found to have superior physical and adhesive properties compared to existing oral technologies, with ~2 to 100× adhesion to porcine keratinized gingiva and ~3 to 15× stretchability. Clobetasol-17-propionate incorporated into the DenTAl was released in a tunable sustained manner for at least 3 wk and demonstrated immunomodulatory capabilities in vitro , evidenced by reductions in several cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, MCP-5, MIP-2, and TIMP-1. Our findings suggest that DenTAl may be a promising device for intraoral delivery of small-molecule drugs applicable to the management of painful oral lesions associated with chronic inflammatory conditions.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs), known as histone acetylation erasers, function crucially in plant growth and development. Although there are abundant reports focusing on HDACs of Arabidopsis and illustrating their important roles, the knowledge of HDAC genes in Tartary buckwheat (Polygonales Polygonaceae Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn) is still scarce. In the study, a total of 14 HDAC genes were identified and divided into three main groups: Reduced Potassium Dependency-3/His-52 tone Deacetylase 1 (RPD3/HDA1), Silent Information Regulator 2 (SIR2), and the plant-53 specific HD2. Domain and motif composition analysis showed there were conserved domains and motifs in members from the same subfamilies. The 14 FtHDACs were distributed asymmetrically on 7 chromosomes, with three segmental events and one tandem duplication event identified. The prediction of the cis -element in promoters suggested that FtHDACs probably acted in numerous biological processes including plant growth, development, and response to environmental signals. Furthermore, expression analysis based on RNA-seq data displayed that all FtHDAC genes were universally and distinctly expressed in diverse tissues and fruit development stages. In addition, we found divergent alterations in FtHDACs transcript abundance in response to different light conditions according to RNA-seq and RT-qPCR data, indicating that five FtHDACs might be involved in light response. Our findings could provide fundamental information for the HDAC gene family and supply several targets for future function analysis of FtHDACs related with light response of Tartary buckwheat.

Kiwifruit is very popular for its unique flavor and nutritional value, and for its potential health benefits, which are closely related to its richness in a variety of natural antioxidant substances, in which polyphenolics play a non-negligible role. This study investigated changes in the fruit quality, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant potential of Chinese red-fleshed kiwifruit "Hongshi No. 2" during postharvest ripening at room temperature (20 ± 1 °C). Results showed that the weight loss rate slowly increased, the firmness rapidly decreased, and the soluble solid concentration gradually increased during the postharvest ripening of red-flesh kiwifruit. In addition, the total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid (TFC), and total proanthocyanidin (TPAC) contents gradually increased during postharvest ripening. The most abundant phenolic compounds in kiwifruit throughout postharvest ripening were catechin (CC), proanthocyanidin B1 (PB1), and proanthocyanidin B2 (PB2). Furthermore, the methanolic extracts of red-flesh kiwifruit exhibited remarkable antioxidant activities throughout postharvest ripening stages. Indeed, some phenolic compounds showed good correlations with antioxidant activities; for instance, chlorogenic acid (CHL) showed a significantly positive correlation with ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and isoquercitrin (IS) showed a significantly negative correlation with DPPH free radical scavenging ability. The findings from this study are beneficial to better understanding the quality profile of red-flesh kiwifruit "Hongshi No. 2" during postharvest ripening.

Quinoa leaf is consumed as a promising value-added vegetable in the diet. Although quinoa leaf is rich in soluble dietary fibers, the knowledge regarding their chemical structures and biological activities is still limited, which astricts their application in the functional food industry. Thus, to improve the precise use and application of soluble dietary fibers (SDFs) isolated from quinoa leaves in the food industry, the physicochemical structures and bioactivities of SDFs isolated from different quinoa leaves were systematically investigated. Results indicated that quinoa leaves were rich in SDFs, ranging from 3.30 % to 4.55 % (w/w). Quinoa SDFs were mainly composed of acidic polysaccharides, such as homogalacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan I, which had the molecular weights in the range of 4.228 × 10 4 -7.059 × 10 4 Da. Besides, quinoa SDFs exerted potential in vitro antioxidant activities, lipid and bile acid-adsorption capacities, immunoregulatory activities, and prebiotic effects, which might be partially associated with their molecular mass, content of uronic acid, and content of bound polyphenol. Collectively, these findings are beneficial to better understanding the chemical structures and bioactivities of SDFs extracted from different quinoa leaves, which can also provide a scientific basis for developing quinoa SDFs into functional foods in the food industry., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Tea, as a beverage, has been reputed for its health benefits and gained worldwide popularity. Tea polyphenols, especially catechins, as the main bioactive compounds in tea, exhibit diverse health benefits and have wide applications in the food industry. The development of tea polyphenol-incorporated products is dependent on the extraction, purification, and identification of tea polyphenols. Recent years, many green and novel extraction, purification, and identification techniques have been developed for the preparation of tea polyphenols. This review, therefore, introduces the classification of tea and summarizes the main conventional and novel techniques for the extraction of polyphenols from various tea products. The advantages and disadvantages of these techniques are also intensively discussed and compared. In addition, the purification and identification techniques are summarized. It is hoped that this updated review can provide a research basis for the green and efficient extraction, purification, and identification of tea polyphenols, which can facilitate their utilization in the production of various functional food products and nutraceuticals.

Multicellular spheroids made of stem cells can act as building blocks that fuse to capture complex aspects of native in vivo environments, but the effect of hydrogel viscoelasticity on cell migration from spheroids and their fusion remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of viscoelasticity on migration and fusion behavior of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) spheroids using hydrogels with a similar elasticity but different stress relaxation profiles. Fast relaxing (FR) matrices were found to be significantly more permissive to cell migration and consequent fusion of MSC spheroids. Mechanistically, inhibition of ROCK and Rac1 pathways prevented cell migration. Moreover, the combination of biophysical and biochemical cues provided by fast relaxing hydrogels and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) supplementation, respectively, resulted in a synergistic enhancement of migration and fusion. Overall, these findings emphasize the important role of matrix viscoelasticity in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine strategies based on spheroids., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (© 2022 The Authors. Bioengineering & Translational Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers.)

Although sweet tea is rich in bioactive polysaccharides, the knowledge regarding their structures, bioactivities, and gut microbial metabolism is still limited. Therefore, in order to promote the application of sweet tea polysaccharide (STP) in the food industry, the pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) of STP was optimized, and its structural properties and biological effects as well as microbial fermentation characteristics were investigated. The maximum extraction yield (4.64 % ± 0.03 %) of STP extracted by PHWE was obtained under the optimal conditions. Both homogalacturonan and arabinogalactan might exist as major polysaccharide fragments in STP. Additionally, STP exerted obviously in vitro antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and immunostimulatory effects, which might be related to its chemical properties, such as uronic acids, conjugated polyphenolics, and esterification degree. Furthermore, STP could be consumed by intestinal microbiota, and its fermentability was about 54 % at the end stage of fecal fermentation. Indeed, STP could modulate the microbial composition via improving the growth of several beneficial microbes, causing the release of beneficial short-chain fatty acids. Collectively, the findings indicate that the PHWE is an efficient method for extracting bioactive polysaccharides from sweet tea, and results can also provide a scientific basis for developing STP into functional foods or functional ingredients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of ultrasound assisted H 2 O 2 /ascorbic acid reaction on the structural characteristic and immunostimulatory activity of a β-D-glucan isolated from D. indusiata, so as to reveal its potential structure-immunostimulatory activity relationship. A purified β-D-glucan, named as DP, was quickly isolated from D. indusiata, and further identified as a 1,3-β-D-glucan with 1,6-β-D-Glcp as branched chains, which exhibited a rigid rod chain conformation in 0.9 % (w/v) of NaCl solution. Furthermore, results showed that the primary structure of DP was overall stable after the degradation by ultrasound assisted H 2 O 2 /ascorbic acid reaction. However, the molar mass and chain conformation of DP obviously changed. In addition, DP and its degraded products exerted remarkable immunostimulatory activity in vitro and in vivo, which could activate the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway through toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Indeed, the immunostimulatory activity of DP was closely-correlated to its molar mass and chain conformation. An appropriate degradation of molar mass could promote its immunostimulatory activity. While the transformation of chain conformation from rigid rod to random coil could cause the significant decrease of its immunostimulatory activity. These findings are beneficial to better understanding the structure-immunostimulatory activity relationship of β-D-glucans from edible mushrooms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Pectic-polysaccharides are considered as one of the most abundant bioactive components in okra, which possess various promising health-promoting effects. However, the knowledge regarding the structure-bioactivity relationship of okra pectic-polysaccharides (OPP) is still limited. In this study, effects of various degrees of esterification (DEs) on in vitro antioxidant and immunostimulatory activities of OPP were analyzed. Results displayed that OPP with high (42.13%), middle (25.88%), and low (4.77%) DE values were successfully prepared by mild alkaline de-esterification, and their primary chemical structures (compositional monosaccharide and glycosidic linkage) and molecular characteristics (molecular weight distribution, particle size, and rheological property) were overall stable. Additionally, results showed that the notable decrease of DE value did not significantly affect antioxidant activities [2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging abilities as well as ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP)] of OPP, suggesting that the DE was not closely related to its antioxidant activity. In fact, the slight decrease of antioxidant activity of OPP after the alkaline de-esterification might be attributed to the slight decrease of uronic acid content. Nevertheless, the immunostimulatory effect of OPP was closely related to its DE, and a suitable degree of acetylation was beneficial to its in vitro immunostimulatory effect. Besides, the complete de-acetylation resulted in a remarkable reduction of immune response. The findings are beneficial to better understanding the effect of DE value on antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities of OPP, which also provide theoretical foundations for developing OPP as functional foods or health products., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Li, Li, Wang, He, Hu, Wu and Zou.)

Theabrownins (TBs) in dark tea have received increasing attention for their multiple health benefits. In this study, ultrasound assisted extraction with deep eutectic solvent (UAE-DES) was developed for the extraction of TBs from Kangzhuan dark tea (KZDT). The highest yield (12.59%) of TBs was obtained using UAE-choline (ChCl)/malic acid (MA) with a liquid to solid ratio of 20:1 (v/w), ultrasonic power of 577 W, ultrasonic time of 25 min, and water content of 30%. TBs were further eluded by silica gel to obtain six theabrownine fractions (TBFs), namely, TBFs1, TBFs2, TBFs3, TBFs4, TBFs5, and TBFs6. LC-MS/MS revealed that flavonoids, terpenes, phenolic acids, alkaloids, lipids, and amino acids are the leading components of TBFs. The TBFs4, with the DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP values of 45.08 ± 0.42 μM Ascorbic acid/g DW, 178.52 ± 0.29 μM Trolox/g DW, and 370.85 ± 6.00 μM Fe(II)/g DW, respectively, showed the highest antioxidant activity among all the TBFs. Overall, this study first provided the evidence that UAE-ChCl/MA combining with silica gel was effective to extract TBs from KZDT, and the 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin-6-glucoside and neohesperidin were found as the leading compounds in the TBFs, providing a guidance for the chemical research and further utilization of dark tea and its TBs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Authors.)