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Lettuce is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable, but sometimes for its stem and seeds, and its growth status and quality are evaluated based on its morphological phenotypic traits. However, traditional measurement methods are often labor-intensive and time-consuming due to manual measurements and may result in less accuracy. In this study, we proposed a new method utilizing RGB images and Mask R-Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for estimating lettuce critical phenotypic traits. Leveraging publicly available datasets, we employed an improved Mask R-CNN model to perform a phenotypic analysis of lettuce images. This allowed us to estimate five phenotypic traits simultaneously, which include fresh weight, dry weight, plant height, canopy diameter, and leaf area. The enhanced Mask R-CNN model involved two key aspects: (1) replacing the backbone network from ResNet to RepVGG to enhance computational efficiency and performance; (2) adding phenotypic branches and constructing a multi-task regression model to achieve end-to-end estimation of lettuce phenotypic traits. Experimental results demonstrated that the present method achieved high accuracy and stable results in lettuce image segmentation, detection, and phenotypic estimation tasks, with APs for detection and segmentation being 0.8684 and 0.8803, respectively. Additionally, the R2 values for the five phenotypic traits are 0.96, 0.9596, 0.9329, 0.9136, and 0.9592, with corresponding mean absolute percentage errors (MAPEs) of 0.1072, 0.1522, 0.0757, 0.0548, and 0.0899, respectively. This study presents a novel technical advancement based on digital knowledge for phenotypic analysis and evaluation of lettuce quality, which could lay the foundation for artificial intelligence expiation in fresh vegetable production.

Diabetes mellitus, a group of metabolic disorders characterized by persistent hyperglycemia, affects millions of people worldwide and is on the rise. Dietary proteins, from a wide range of food sources, are rich in bioactive peptides with anti-diabetic properties. Notably, the protective mechanism of the single peptide SWGEDWGEIW (TSP) from soybean peptides (SBPs) on insulin resistance of adipocytes in an inflammatory state was investigated by detecting the lipolysis and glucose absorption and utilization of adipocytes. The results showed that different concentrations of TSP (5, 10, 20 µg/mL) intervention can reduce 3T3-L1 adipocytes’ insulin resistance induced by inflammatory factors in a dose-dependent manner and increase glucose utilization by 34.2 ± 4.6%, 74.5 ± 5.2%, and 86.7 ± 6.1%, respectively. Thus, TSP can significantly alleviate the lipolysis of adipocytes caused by inflammatory factors. Further mechanism analysis found that inflammatory factors significantly reduced the phosphorylation (p-Akt) of Akt, two critical proteins of glucose metabolism in adipocytes, and the expression of GLUT4 protein downstream, resulting in impaired glucose utilization, while TSP intervention significantly increased the expression of these two proteins. After pretreatment of adipocytes with PI3K inhibitor (LY294002), TSP failed to reduce the inhibition of p-Akt and GLUT4 expression in adipocytes. Meanwhile, the corresponding significant decrease in glucose absorption and the increase in the fat decomposition of adipocytes indicated that TSP reduced 3T3-L1 adipocytes’ insulin resistance by specifically activating the p-Akt/GLUT4 signal pathway. Therefore, TSP has the potential to prevent obesity-induced adipose inflammation and insulin resistance.

Candida albicans is the most frequent fungal species responsible for vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), which exhibits distinct genetic diversity that is linked with the clinical phenotype. This study aimed to assess the genotypes and clinical characteristics of different C. albicans isolates from VVC patients. Based on multilocus sequence typing (MLST), clade 1 was identified as the largest C. albicans group, which appeared most frequently in recurrent VVC and treatment failure cases. Further study of antifungal susceptibility demonstrated that MLST clade 1 strains presented significantly higher drug resistance ability than non-clade 1 strains, which result from the overexpression of MDR1. The mRNA and protein expression levels of virulence-related genes were also significantly higher in clade 1 isolates than in non-clade 1 isolates. Proteomic analysis indicated that the protein stabilization pathway was significantly enriched in clade 1 strains and that RPS4 was a central regulator of proteins involved in stress resistance, adherence, and DNA repair, which all contribute to the resistance and virulence of MLST clade 1 strains. This study was the first attempt to compare the correlation mechanisms between C. albicans MLST clade 1 and non-clade 1 strains and the clinical phenotype, which is of great significance for VVC classification and treatment.

Abstract Background Accurate identification Candida is important for successful therapy and epidemiology study. The aim of research is to study API 20C yeast identification system identification rate by using molecular identification as gold standard and tested the antifungal susceptibility of Candida from patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). Methods In total, 3574 yeast isolates were obtained from patients with VVC. API 20C yeast identification, molecular identification and in vitro antifungal susceptibility were performed. Results C. albicans was the predominant Candida species [2748 isolates, 76.9%] in VVC. The isolates from vaginal samples represented 22 species based on molecular identification. The API 20C system identifies only 11 of the species encountered during the study period. Based on the API 20C system, 3273 (91.78%) isolates were correctly identified to the species level. The correct identification rate of the API 20C system for rare yeast was 15.29% (26/170 isolates). Antifungal susceptibility was tested in a total of 1844 isolates of Candida from patients with VVC. C. albicans was susceptible to most of the tested antifungals. The MICs of azoles for C. glabrata were higher than those for C. albicans. The MICs of echinocandins for C. parapsilosis were higher than those for C. albicans. Conclusions The API 20C yeast identification system can be used to reliably identify the most common Candida species while molecular methods are necessary for the identification of closely related, emerging, and rare yeast species. The results from this study suggest that much of the previous studies on the epidemiology of VVC should be re-thought. C. albicans was susceptible to most of the tested antifungals.

The traditional immersion vacuum cooling of meats can result in product defects. To optimize these processes, different salt ion concentrations in the immersion solution (0%, 3%, 5%, and 7%) were assessed, in relation to the cooling rate, cooling loss rate, color, texture, moisture status, and microstructure of chicken drumsticks. The cooling rate at 5% salt ion concentration was the fastest and most similar to the conventional vacuum cooling method, which can reduce the central temperature of drumsticks from 75 to 25 °C in 15 min. Immersion vacuum cooling did not cause weight loss and the 5% salt ion concentration was the best for weight maintenance, which can increase the weight of drumsticks by 2.3%. The L* and b* values first decreased and then increased with increasing salt ion concentrations, but not significantly. Hardness gradually decreased, whereas the low-field nuclear magnetic data showed that the transverse relaxation time of free water (T22) in the drumsticks increased from 200.01 ms to 237.79 ms with increasing salt ion concentrations. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed irregular and smaller pores between the muscle fibers with increasing salt ion concentrations. The 5% salt ion concentration in the immersion solution during vacuum cooling was optimal as it increased the cooling rate and improved the edible quality without cooling loss. Thus, adjusting the salt ion concentration of the immersion solution is a feasible way to improve economic benefits and quality characteristics of meat products.

Currently, no suitable clinical drugs are available for patients with neurodegenerative diseases complicated by depression. Based on a fusion technique to create effective multi–target–directed ligands (MTDLs), we synthesized a series of (R)–N–(benzo[d]thiazol–2–yl)–2–(1–phenyl–3,4–dihydroisoquinolin–2(1H)–yl) acetamides with substituted benzothiazoles and (S)–1–phenyl–1,2,3,4–tetrahydroisoquinoline. All compounds were tested for their inhibitory potency against monoamine oxidase (MAO) and cholinesterase (ChE) by in vitro enzyme activity assays, and further tested for their specific inhibitory potency against monoamine oxidase B (MAO–B) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). Among them, six compounds (4b–4d, 4f, 4g and 4i) displayed excellent activity. The classical antidepressant forced swim test (FST) was used to verify the in vitro results, revealing that six compounds reduced the immobility time significantly, especially compound 4g. The cytotoxicity of the compounds was assessed by the MTT method and Acridine Orange (AO) staining, with cell viability found to be above 90% at effective compound concentrations, and not toxic to L929 cells reversibility, kinetics and molecular docking studies were also performed using compound 4g, which showed the highest MAO–B and BuChE inhibitory activities. The results of these studies showed that compound 4g binds to the primary interaction sites of both enzymes and has good blood–brain barrier (BBB) penetration. This study provides new strategies for future research on neurodegenerative diseases complicated by depression.

Rett syndrome is an X-linked dominant, postnatal neurological disorder. Approximately 80–90% of classic Rett syndrome patients harbor mutations in the coding region of MECP2. Somatic or germline MECP2 mosaicism is not rare, and paternal germline MECP2 mosaicism occurs in especially high proportions. Here, we report the case of a Chinese girl with Rett syndrome in whom a heterozygous deletion was found in exon 4 of MECP2 using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. To obtain an accurate region of deletion, we narrowed down the deletion region using real-time quantitative PCR, and subsequent long-range PCR was performed to detect the deletion breakpoints. Surprisingly, three DNA bands from long-range PCR products were observed after gel electrophoresis. To exclude somatic mosaicism, we performed T-A cloning and DNA sequencing, the middle DNA band was proved to be a heteroduplex of the PCR product in vitro. Meanwhile, a prenatal diagnosis was performed for the pregnant mother of the patient. Our study showed that the patient was heterozygous for the deletion of 713-base pairs in exon 4 of MECP2 (MECP2: c.441_1153del713), resulting in a frameshift and premature termination of the 487 amino acid protein at the 154th codon. In summary, we reported a novel heterozygous deletion in the MECP2 gene with heteroduplexes of the PCR product in vitro, which can help in the genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis of disorders of MECP2 defects.

Verbal fluency impairment is common in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the effect of drugs on verbal fluency in PD patients has not been comprehensively evaluated. We conducted a network meta-analysis based on four online databases to compare the effect of drugs on verbal fluency in PD patients. This study was performed and reported according to PRISMA-NMA guidelines. In total, 6 out of 3707 articles (three RCTS and three cross-sectional studies) covering eight drug regimens were included (five for letter fluency, five for semantic fluency). In terms of letter fluency, the ranking of the overall efficacy of included drug regimens was: levodopa, levodopa combined with pramipexole, rotigotine, cabergoline, pramipexole, pergolide, but no drug regimen presented a significant advantage over the others. In terms of semantic fluency, the ranking of the overall efficacy of included drug regimens was: rotigotine, levodopa, cabergoline, pergolide, pramipexole, among which, levodopa alone (SMD = 0.93, 95%CI: 0.28–1.59) and rotigotine alone (SMD = 1.18, 95%CI: 0.28–2.09) were statistically superior to pramipexole, while no significant difference was identified between all the other drug regimens. Levodopa and rotigotine seem to be more appropriate choices for PD patients with verbal fluency impairment. Further study is needed to illustrate the efficacy of drugs on verbal fluency in PD patients.

The goal of the investigation was to study the protective effects of the SWGEDWGEIW (the single peptide, TSP) from soybean peptides (SBP) on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced apoptosis together with mitochondrial dysfunction in PC-12 cells and their possible implications to protection mechanism. Meanwhile, the SBP was used as a control experiment. The results suggested that SBP and TSP significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited cellular oxidative damage and ROS-mediated apoptosis. In addition, SBP and TSP also enhanced multiple mitochondrial biological activities, decreased mitochondrial ROS levels, amplified mitochondrial respiration, increased cellular maximal respiration, spare respiration capacity, and ATP production. In addition, SBP and TSP significantly (p < 0.05) raised the SIRT3 protein expression and the downstream functional gene FOXO3a. In the above activity tests, the activity of TSP was slightly higher than that of SBP. Taken together, our findings suggested that SBP and TSP can be used as promising nutrients for oxidative damage reduction in neurons, and TSP is more effective than SBP. Therefore, TSP has the potential to replace SBP and reduce neuronal oxidative damage.

In this study, the influence of Na content of dry-cured beef by partial replacement with KCl, L-lysine, and L-histidine was investigated during processing. Dry-cured beef aged over 57 days, compared to control groups (100% NaCl), salt substituted groups (SS, 39.7% of NaCl, 51.3% of KCl and a blend of 7% L-lysine and 2% L-histidine); had a significant impact on the proteolysis index and total free amino acids, lower activities, and gene levels of cathepsin B and L, as well as reduced contents of protein carbonyls and thiol group. The present study provides a successful strategy for improvement of the perceived saltiness and inhibition of the bitterness, while exhibiting no significant negative effects on color or textural properties.

The high sodium diet is harmful to the human body. In this study, beef was cured with some salt substitutes, namely SS, 39.7% NaCl, 51.3% KCl, 7% L-lysine and 2% L-histidine, in order to reduce the Na content for the final products, and salt substitute effects the physicochemical, lipolytic, and flavor characteristics of dry-cured beef by determining free fatty acids, lipase activity, volatile compounds, and water mobility. The results showed that the lipase activity and unsaturated fatty acids were significantly increased due to the present of L-lysine and L-histidine. In addition, the SS could also enhance the lipoxygenase activity and promoted the lipid oxidation and influenced volatile compounds. The changes of T21 and T22 showed that the water mobility in SS was higher (P < .05) than in the control group. Moreover, the cadaverine, histamine, and tyramine were detected in 57-day dry-cured beef, being below their toxic limits. The present study demonstrated that salt substitute by L-lysine and L-histidine alter the water distribution and mobility, improved the amounts and types of volatile compounds, while had no influence in the quality of product.

The present study was conducted to explore the impact of novel water–oil mixed frying and traditional oil frying methods on the soybean oil quality and formation of trans fatty acids (TFAs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs) in fried duck breast and skin during 60 frying cycles. The acid value of the soybean oil was 2.10 mg/g using the traditional oil frying and 1.08 mg/g using water–oil mixed frying at the 60th frying cycle. The peroxide value of the water–oil mixed fried soybean oil was significantly lower than that of the traditional frying method. Water–oil mixed frying delayed the formation of TFAs in the soybean oil. The traditionally oil fried skin showed increased TFAs (9tC16:1) content from 0.17 to 0.22 mg/g (29.4% increase), while those of the water–oil mixed fried samples increased from 0.16 to 0.20 mg/g (25.00% increase) compared to control. Harman, Norharman and AαC were detected in all the fried samples and PhIP was observed after the 20th frying cycle, while MeAαC was formed only at the 60th frying cycle in traditional fried duck breast. Therefore, it is concluded that the water–oil mixed frying method is more suitable to improve the quality and safety of fried duck skin and breast meat.

Introduction: It is worth to explore a more effective treatment method to minimize the damage for patients during the treatment process. Aim: To explore the method, feasibility and efficacy of B-ultrasound or computed tomography (CT)-guided 3D printing individualized non-coplanar template brachytherapy in the treatment of locally uncontrolled recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Material and methods: Ten patients with locally uncontrolled recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who were treated in our department from August 2021 to February 2023 were collected and treated by 3D printing individualized non-coplanar template brachytherapy under the guidance of B-ultrasound or CT, using the 192Ir high-dose rate afterloading treatment machine of NUCLETRON Technologies GmbH. The radiation source was 192Ir, with a diameter of 0.5 mm, a length of 3.5 mm, a total dose of 10-24 Gy, 5-8 Gy/time, once a week. Results: According to the efficacy evaluation criteria, CT scan was performed after 1-6 months, followed up for 24 months, including CR 40% (4/10), PR 50% (5/10), NC 10% (5/10), PD 0 (0). The total effective rate of CR + PR was 90% (9/10), the 6-month local control rate was 90%, the 12-month local control rate was 80%, the 18-month local control rate was 70%, and the 24-month local control rate was 70%. The overall survival rate at 24 months was 100%. Conclusions: Safe and effective interpolation is used to guide the 3D printing of a single non-coplanar template with B-ultrasound or CT in the radiotherapy of local and uncontrolled recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. According to the guidance of B-ultrasound or CT, the 3D printing individualized non-coplanar template has an obvious healing effect especially in the brachytherapy, and can also protect the functional organs well, with less side effects and fewer complications. Therefore, this method is the most effective for the treatment of locally uncontrolled recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated the effects of soybean oil, water, and 1, 2, and 3% eggplant powder (EP) as substitutes for pork back fat (a decrease from 30% to 15%) on the proximate composition, water- and fat-binding properties, colour, water distribution, texture, and sensory properties of pork sausages. The replacement of fat with soybean oil in sausages decreased the fat and cholesterol proportions and increased the moisture content, but the water- and fat-binding properties, texture properties, and sensory properties became worse. By adding EP, sausages displayed remarkably better water- and fat-binding properties, texture properties, and sensory properties. Moreover, EP addition significantly accelerated T2 relaxation time, increased the immobilised water content, and decreased the free water content of sausages. Sausages with 2% EP had the highest flavour, mouthfeel, and overall acceptability. This work provides theoretical and data support for the preparation of sausages with EP rich in unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) and dietary fibre.

Free radicals are ubiquitous in roasted foods. In this work, lipid-derived carbon-centered alkyl radical formation was first studied in roasted meat by electron spin resonance (ESR). The influence of antioxidants on the inhibition of free radicals was investigated. The results showed that the high temperature, high heat transfer rate, and high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content resulted in high radical content in roasted meat, while the high water content in meat retarded radical formation. The 0.03% addition of tea polyphenols (TPP) significantly reduced radical formation during roasting (p < 0.05), whereas the 0.03% rosemary extract (RE) had no significant inhibitory effect (p > 0.05). These results suggested that water retention and the addition of TPP would decrease radical generation during the roasting of meat.

Tamarix has been widely used as barbecue skewers to obtain a good taste and a unique flavor of roast lamb in China. Many flavonoids have been identified from Tamarix, which is an important strategy employed to reduce the formation of heterocyclic amines (HAs) in roast meat. Isorhamnetin, hispidulin, and cirsimaritin from Tamarix ramosissima bark extract (TRE) effectively inhibit the formation of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b] pyridine (PhIP), the most abundant HAs in foods, both in roast lamb patties and in chemical models. According to the results of the GC-MS analysis, TRE and the three flavonoids significantly reduced the contents of phenylacetaldehyde, an important intermediate involved in PhIP formation at three levels. A subsequent ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) analysis revealed that these flavonoids trapped phenylacetaldehyde by forming interaction adducts. The formation of three postulated adducts, 8-C-(E-phenylethenyl)isorhamnetin, 6-C-(E-phenylethenyl)isorhamnetin and 8-C-(E-phenylethenyl)hispidulin, in the chemical models and roast lamb patties was further confirmed by a TOF-MS/MS analysis. Our results demonstrate that TRE and the corresponding flavonoids trap phenylacetaldehyde to form adducts and thus inhibit PhIP formation, suggesting their great potential beneficial effects on human health.

This paper describes the design and synthesis of a series of chalcone derivatives based on naringenin as the lead compound. The compounds were evaluated for their activities against AChE and BuChE using principles of new drug design. The intermediate benzopyran-3-formaldehyde was synthesized from commercial ortho-hydroxybenzaldehyde and acrolein using K2CO3 as a catalyst. The target compounds were obtained through the Claisen-Schmidt reaction of benzopyran-3-formaldehyde and substituted acetophenone. The inhibitory effects of the chalcone compounds against AChE and BuChE were determined using Ellman’s method. Eight compounds showed certain inhibitory activities against AChE and BuChE, with compound 2d exhibiting higher activity against cholinesterase. Molecular docking studies revealed that 2d had a significant interaction with AChE and BuChE. This study suggested that chalcone compounds, including coumarin, might provide a potential pathway for discovering new anti-AD precursors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a natural potential resource, Tamarix ramosissima has been widely used as barbecue skewers for a good taste and unique flavor. The polyphenolics in the branch bark play a key role in the quality improvement. The purposes of the present work were to explore the polyphenolic composition of T. ramosissima bark extract and assess their potential antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Hispidulin and cirsimaritin from T. ramosissima bark extract were first identified in the Tamarix genus reported with UPLC-MS analysis. Isorhamnetin (36.91 μg/mg extract), hispidulin (28.79 μg/mg extract) and cirsimaritin (13.35 μg/mg extract) are rich in the bark extract. The extract exhibited promising antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 117.05 μg/mL for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 151.57 μg/mL for hydroxyl radical scavenging activities, as well as excellent reducing power with an EC50 of 93.77 μg/mL. The bark extract showed appreciable antibacterial properties against foodborne pathogens. Listeria monocytogenes was the most sensitive microorganism with the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 5 mg/mL and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) value of 10 mg/mL followed by S. castellani and S. aureus among the tested bacteria. The T. ramosissima bark extract showed significantly stronger inhibitory activity against Gram-positive than Gram-negative bacteria. Nevertheless, this extract failed to show any activity against tested fungi. Overall, these results suggested that T. ramosissima shows potential in improving food quality due to its highly efficacious antioxidant and antibacterial properties.