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This study investigated the effects of pre-fermentation degree and storage temperature fluctuations on the gas cells, gluten protein, rheological properties of frozen dough, and quality of steamed bread. Three pre-fermentation degrees and four fluctuating temperatures (-10 °C, 0 °C, 10 °C, and 25 °C) were used. The gas cell size increased with the pre-fermentation degree; however, the gas cells merged and ruptured during temperature fluctuations. Sodium dodecyl sulfate extraction protein content and free sulfhydryl content increased by 3.07 % and 33.62 %, respectively, in the medium pre-fermentation group at 25 °C compared with those at -10 °C. The maximum strain of dough increased as pre-fermentation degree and fluctuating temperatures increased. The specific volumes of steamed bread with medium pre-fermentation degree were 1.87 mL/g at -10 °C and 1.47 mL/g at 25 °C. In conclusion, higher temperature fluctuations exceeding the freezing point exacerbated the dough and steamed bread quality, particularly in high pre-fermentation degree dough., 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. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Fresh dough products lead to instability in product quality, high production costs, and more production time, which seriously affects the industrial production of the food industry. The frozen dough technology mitigates the problems of short shelf-life and easy deterioration of quality during storage and transportation. It has shown a series of advantages in large-scale industrialization, high-quality standardization, and chain operation. However, the further development of frozen dough is restricted by the deterioration of the main components (gluten, starch, and yeast) caused by freezing. This review summarizes the main production process of frozen steamed bread and buns, and the deterioration reasons for the main component of frozen dough. The improvement mechanisms of raw ingredients, processing technology, processing equipment, and additives on frozen dough quality were analyzed from the perspective of improving gluten network integrity and yeast freeze tolerance. From prefermented frozen raw to steamed products without thawing has become the preferred production process to improve production efficiency. Wheat flour mixed with other flour can maintain the gluten network continuity of frozen dough. The freeze tolerance of yeast was improved by treatment with yeast suspension, yeast cell encapsulation, screening hybridization, and genetic engineering. Process optimization and new technology-assisted fermentation and freezing effectively reduce freezing damage. Various additives improve the freeze resistance of the gluten-starch matrix by promoting protein cross-linking and inhibiting water migration. In addition, ice structural proteins and ice nucleating agents have been proven to change the growth morphology and formation temperature of ice crystals. More new technologies and additive synergies need to be further explored., (© 2024 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Background: Alopecia significantly affects the mental health and social relationship of women since childbearing age, highlighting the need for a safe, effective, and convenient treatment., Methods: The authors have conducted a prospective self-controlled trial involving 15 female patients at childbearing age with alopecia. These patients received a subcutaneous scalp injection of platelet-rich plasma once every 4 weeks for 3 treatments in total. Outcome measurements were included below: changes in hair density (hair/cm 2 ), hair follicle density (hair follicle/cm 2 ), and overall photographic assessment (improved or not) at 4, 12, and 24 weeks right after the first treatment., Results: Comparing the photographs taken before and after the intervention, 67% of patients' hair density increased from 151 ± 39.82 hairs/cm 2 (preintervention) to 170.96 ± 37.14 hairs/cm 2 (at 24-week follow-up), representing an approximate increase of 19 hairs/cm 2 . Meanwhile, hair follicle density increased by approximately 15 follicles/cm 2 after 24 weeks since the first treatment, rising from 151.04 ± 41.99 follicles/cm 2 to 166.72 ± 37.13 follicles/cm 2 . The primary adverse reactions observed were local swelling and pain due to injections., Conclusion: Local injection of nonactivated platelet-rich plasma with low leukocytes concentration could be an effective strategy to alleviate alopecia symptoms in female patients., (Copyright © 2024 by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Inc. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The study of the changes in rheological properties and components during the processing of Chinese traditional handmade hollow dried noodle (HHDN) is essential to explaining the excellent quality of HHDN. The dynamic oscillation frequency sweep, stress relaxation, and uniaxial extension characteristics of the dough after kneading, stretching, and resting were investigated at six sampling points during the processing of HHDN. The result showed that stretching led to an increase in G' and G 0 , and a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in extensibility from 131.02 mm to 57.99 mm. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was used to observe the microstructure of the gluten network, which was destroyed during stretching and restored during resting. Studies of changes in components showed that the stretching process resulted in a decrease in GMP content from 3.24 (g/100 g) to 3.18 (g/100 g), and the resting process resulted in β-sheets decreasing significantly (P < 0.05). The degree of starch pasting increased significantly (P < 0.05) after stretching. The results of the correlation analysis showed that components changes were highly correlated with the rheological properties during the processing of HHDN., 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.)

Background: The Oka varicella vaccine strain remains neurovirulent and can establish lifelong latent infection, raising safety concerns about vaccine-related herpes zoster. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of a skin-attenuated and neuro-attenuated varicella vaccine candidate (v7D vaccine)., Methods: We did this randomised, double-blind, controlled, phase 2a clinical trial in Jiangsu, China. Healthy children aged 3-12 years with no history of varicella infection or vaccination were enrolled and randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) to receive a single subcutaneous injection of the v7D vaccine at 3·3 log 10 plaque forming units (PFU; low-dose v7D group), 3·9 log 10 PFU (medium-dose v7D group), and 4·2 log 10 PFU (high-dose v7D group), or the positive control varicella vaccine (vOka vaccine group). All the participants, laboratory personnel, and investigators other than the vaccine preparation and management staff were masked to the vaccine allocation. The primary outcome was assessment of the geometric mean titres (GMTs) and seroconversion rates of anti-varicella zoster virus immunoglobulin G (IgG) induced by different dose groups of v7D vaccine at 0, 42, 60, and 90 days after vaccination in the per-protocol set for humoral immune response analysis. Safety was a secondary outcome, focusing on adverse events within 42 days post-vaccination, and serious adverse events within 6 months after vaccination. This study was registered on Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000034434., Findings: On Aug 18-21, 2020, 842 eligible volunteers were enrolled and randomly assigned treatment. After three participants withdrew, 839 received a low dose (n=211), middle dose (n=210), or high dose (n=210) of v7D vaccine, or the vOka vaccine (n=208). In the per-protocol set for humoral immune response analysis, the anti-varicella zoster virus IgG antibody response was highest at day 90. At day 90, the seroconversion rates of the low-dose, medium-dose, and high-dose groups of v7D vaccine and the positive control vOka vaccine group were 100·0% (95% CI 95·8-100·0; 87 of 87 participants), 98·9% (93·8-100·0; 87 of 88 participants), 97·8% (92·4-99·7; 91 of 93 participants), and 96·4% (89·8-99·2; 80 of 83 participants), respectively; the GMTs corresponded to values of 30·8 (95% CI 26·2-36·0), 31·3 (26·7-36·6), 28·2 (23·9-33·2), and 38·5 (31·7-46·7). The v7D vaccine, at low dose and medium dose, elicited a humoral immune response similar to that of the vOka vaccine. However, the high-dose v7D vaccine induced a marginally lower GMT compared with the vOka vaccine at day 90 (p=0·027). In the per-protocol set, the three dose groups of the v7D vaccine induced a similar humoral immune response at each timepoint, with no statistically significant differences. The incidence of adverse reactions in the low-dose, medium-dose, and high-dose groups of v7D vaccine was significantly lower than that in the vOka vaccine group (17% [35 of 211 participants], 20% [41 of 210 participants], and 13% [27 of 210 participants] vs 24% [50 of 208 participants], respectively; p=0·025), especially local adverse reactions (10% [22 of 211 participants], 14% [30 of 210 participants] and 9% [18 of 210 participants] vs 18% [38 of 208 participants], respectively; p=0·016). None of the serious adverse events were vaccine related., Interpretation: The three dose groups of the candidate v7D vaccine exhibit similar humoral immunogenicity to the vOka vaccine and are well tolerated. These findings encourage further investigations on two-dose vaccination schedules, efficacy, and the potential safety benefit of v7D vaccine in the future., Funding: The National Natural Science Foundation of China, CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences, the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and Beijing Wantai., Translation: For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests J-ZJ, J-LH, and X-ZY are employees of and have stock options in Beijing Wantai. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

In this study, the protein structural, foaming, and air-water interfacial properties in dough liquor (DL) ultracentrifugated from buckwheat sourdough with different concentrations of an alkali (1.0-2.5% of sodium bicarbonate) were investigated. Results showed that the alkali led to the cross-linking of protein disulfide bonds through the oxidation of free sulfhydryl groups in DL. The alterations in protein secondary and tertiary structures revealed that the alkali caused the proteins in DL to fold, decreased the hydrophobicity, and led to a less flexible but compact structure. The alkali accelerated the diffusion of proteins and decreased the surface tension of DL. In addition, the alkali notably improved the foam stability by up to 34.08% at 2.5% concentration, mainly by increasing the net charge, reducing the bubble size, and strengthening the viscoelasticity of interfacial protein films. Quantitative proteomic analysis showed that histones and puroindolines of wheat and 13S globulin of buckwheat were closely related to the changes in the alkali-induced foaming properties. This study sheds light on the mechanism of alkali-induced improvement in gas cell stabilization and the buckwheat sourdough steamed bread quality from the aspect of the liquid lamella.

To overcome the problem that takeaway noodles possessed poor immersion resistance, in this study noodles were prepared from post-ripened wheat flour, and changes in textural properties, protein components, and water status of noodles were determined. The firmness and tensile distance of noodles were gradually increased by 7.40%-35.88% when wheat flour was post-ripened for 20-40 d. Afterwards, noodle textural qualities were slightly decreased. Compared with control groups, contents of glutenin macropolymer (GMP) and disulfide bonds were significantly (p<0.05) increased and protein network was also more compact, whereas the Glutenin/Gliadin ratio and free sulfhydryl groups content were significantly (p<0.05) reduced. Contents of sodium dodecyl sulfate extractable protein (SDSEP) were reduced by 3.22%-6.23%. Meanwhile, the decrease in A 23 indicated that wheat flour post-ripening limited water-absorbing capacity of noodles during immersion. In conclusion, wheat flour post-ripening promoted the immersion resistance of noodles by inducing protein cross-linking, and the best post-ripening time was 20-40 d., 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.)

This study investigated the effects of ethanol (0 %∼6%) on the dough mechanical properties and quality characteristics of fresh noodles and elucidated the relationship between the above changes and physicochemical, structural, and molecular properties of gluten. Ethanol reduced the water absorption (from 59.00 % to 52.33 %), stability time (from 8.17 min to 3.33 min) and viscoelasticity of dough, and increased the development time, weakening degree and compliance. Ethanol also decreased the fracture stress of dough sheet, and increased fracture elongation and adhesiveness (from 46.15 g·s to 75.88 g·s). Ethanol decreased the noodles' hardness (from 5347.41 g to 4442.34 g), break force, tensile distance, and water absorption, while cooking loss was increased. SEM and CLSM showed that ethanol destroyed the compactness of internal structure and inhibited the formation of gluten network in noodles. According to the results of SE-HPLC and RP-HPLC, ethanol dissolved part of the gliadin and inhibited the polymerization of protein., 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.)

Background: The effect of radiotherapy waiting time after last induction chemotherapy (IC-RT) on prognosis of patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC) needs further discussion., Methods: Three hundred and six patients with LANPC diagnosed pathologically by induction chemotherapy (IC) and radiotherapy (RT) from 2013 to 2018 were selected for this study., Results: The IC-RT was a risk factor for the post-treatment progression of LANPC (OR = 1.017 95%CI: 1.003-1.031), For patients with LANPC, the IC-RT > 40 days significantly reduced 5-year PFS (70% vs. 55%; p = 0.0012), 5-year OS (84% vs. 73%; p = 0.028), 5-year DMFS (80% vs. 66%; p = 0.003), 5-year LRFS (77% vs. 67%; p = 0.012). Indicating that patients with stage IVa who IC-RT > 40 days were found to be a significant predictor of aggravated PFS (HR = 2.69; 95%CI: 1.57-4.6), OS (HR = 2.55; 95%CI: 1.29-5.03), DMFS (HR = 3.07; 95%CI: 1.64-5.76) and LRFS (HR = 2.26; 95%CI: 1.21-4.21)., Conclusion: The prognosis of patients will be adversely affected if the IC-RT exceeds 40 days, especially for stage IVa patients., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

In this study, black highland barley semi-dried noodles (BHBSNs) were adjusted to acidic pH (5.0, 4.5, 4.0) with an acidity regulator (monosodium fumarate) for obtaining low glycemic index (GI) BHBSNs, and the changes in the in vitro starch digestion, free phenolic content, and α-amylase activity in BHBSNs were investigated. The estimated glycemic index (eGI) of BHBSNs decreased from 59.23 to 52.59, 53.89 and 53.61, respectively, as the pH was adjusted from 6.0 to 5.0, 4.5, 4.0. As the pH of BHBSNs decreased, the equilibrium hydrolysis (C ∞ ) decreased, and kinetic coefficient (k) decreased and then increased. Compared to the control, the pH of the digestive fluid decreased during digestion with decreasing pH, and the α-amylase inhibition of BHBSNs with pH 5.0, 4.5, and 4.0 increased by 56.54 %, 75.18 %, and 107.98 %, respectively. In addition, as the pH of BHBSNs decreased, the free phenolic content and the content of released phenolics during digestion increased. Pearson correlations analysis showed that the increase in α-amylase inhibition and phenolic release during digestion induced by acidic pH was negatively correlated with the eGI and C ∞ of BHBSNs. This study indicated that acidic pH condition could modulate starch digestion for preparing low GI BHBSNs., 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 B.V. All rights reserved.)

Highland barley is a type of grain with slow-digesting characteristics. It is worth exploring the impact of non-starch components on starch digestion. In this study, four varieties of highland barley were used to investigate the impacts of endogenous polyphenols (EP) on the relationship between starch structure, physicochemical properties, and the time course digestibility of highland barley noodles. The results showed that EP removal decreased the proportion of long-chain amylopectin and disrupted the crystalline structure, while increasing the short-range ordered structure in the residue. Significant correlations indicated that these structural changes make starch more susceptible to thermal degradation and digestion, causing a 12.60%-52.00% increase in rapidly digestible starch (RDS) and a 12.70%-25.22% decrease in resistant starch (RS). These results revealed the internal factors that affect the slow digestion characteristics of highland barley noodles from the perspective of EP and provide important reference values for a slow digestion diet., 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.)

This study investigated the effects of dough proofing degree (1.1, 1.3, 1.5, and 1.7 mL/g) and carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC-Na) on the quality of frozen dough steamed bread (FDSB). As the dough proofing degree was increased from 1.1 to 1.7 mL/g, the specific volume of FDSB initially increased and then decreased, with the maximum at 1.3 mL/g, and then dramatically decreased at 1.5 and 1.7 mL/g, accompanied by a harder texture and secession of crust and crumb, which were the detrimental effects brought by over-proofing. The optimal amount of CMC-Na effectively alleviated the deterioration associated with over-proofing, and the proofing tolerance of FDSB was increased from 1.3 mL/g to 1.7 mL/g. Fermentation analysis showed that CMC-Na significantly improved the extensibility and gas-holding capacity of the dough by increasing the maximum height of the dough (H m ) and the emergence time (T 1 ) of H m . Frequency sweep tests indicated that CMC-Na improved the plasticity of proofed dough by increasing loss factor tan δ. Significant reductions were found in peak viscosity and complex modulus G* in pasting properties tests and temperature sweep measurements, respectively, suggesting that CMC-Na influenced starch gelatinization and dough stiffening during steaming, which promoted the extension of the network structure, thus facilitating gas expansion and diffusion. These property changes theoretically explained the improvement in the proofing tolerance of FDSB by CMC-Na.

Lei's formula (LSF), a traditional Chinese herbal remedy, is recognized for its remarkable clinical effectiveness in treating osteoarthritis (OA). Despite its therapeutic potential, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying LSF's action in OA have remained enigmatic. Existing research has shed light on the role of the mTOR signaling pathway in promoting chondrocyte senescence, a central factor in OA-related cartilage degeneration. Consequently, targeting mTOR to mitigate chondrocyte senescence presents a promising avenue for OA treatment. The primary objective of this study is to establish LSF's chondroprotective potential and confirm its anti-osteoarthritic efficacy through mTOR inhibition. In vivo assessments using an OA mouse model reveal substantial articular cartilage degeneration. However, LSF serves as an effective guardian of articular cartilage, evidenced by reduced subchondral osteosclerosis, increased cartilage thickness, improved surface smoothness, decreased OARSI scores, elevated expression of cartilage anabolic markers (Col2 and Aggrecan), reduced expression of catabolic markers (Adamts5 and MMP13), increased expression of the chondrocyte hypertrophy marker (Col10), and decreased expression of chondrocyte senescence markers (P16 and P21). In vitro findings demonstrate that LSF shields chondrocytes from H 2 O 2 -induced apoptosis, inhibits senescence, enhances chondrocyte differentiation, promotes the synthesis of type II collagen and proteoglycans, and reduces cartilage degradation. Mechanistically, LSF suppresses chondrocyte senescence through the mTOR axis, orchestrating the equilibrium between chondrocyte anabolism and catabolism, ultimately leading to reduced apoptosis and decelerated OA cartilage degradation. LSF holds significant promise as a therapeutic approach for OA treatment, offering new insights into potential treatments for this prevalent age-related condition.

Introduction: Despite the clinical value of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), restricted comprehension of its toxicity limits the secure and efficacious application. Previous studies primarily focused on exploring specific toxicities within CHM, without providing an overview of CHM's toxicity. The absence of a quantitative assessment of focal points renders the future research trajectory ambiguous. Therefore, this study aimed to reveal research trends and areas of concern for the past decade. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on publications related to CHM and toxicity over the past decade from Web of Science Core Collection database. The characteristics of the publication included publication year, journal, institution, funding, keywords, and citation counts were recorded. Co-occurrence analysis and trend topic analysis based on bibliometric analysis were conducted on keywords and citations. Results: A total of 3,225 publications were analyzed. Number of annal publications increased over the years, with the highest number observed in 2022 (n = 475). The Journal of Ethnopharmacology published the most publications (n = 425). The most frequently used toxicity classifications in keywords were hepatotoxicity (n = 119) or drug-induced liver injury (n = 48), and nephrotoxicity (n = 40). Co-occurrence analysis revealed relatively loose connections between CHM and toxicity, and their derivatives. Keywords emerging from trend topic analysis for the past 3 years (2019-2022) included ferroptosis, NLRP3 inflammasome, machine learning, network pharmacology, traditional uses, and pharmacology. Conclusion: Concerns about the toxicity of CHM have increased in the past decade. However, there remains insufficient studies that directly explore the intersection of CHM and toxicity. Hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity, as the most concerned toxicity classifications associated with CHM, warrant more in-depth investigations. Apoptosis was the most concerned toxicological mechanism. As a recent increase in attention, exploring the mechanisms of ferroptosis in nephrotoxicity and NLRP3 inflammasome in hepatotoxicity could provide valuable insights. Machine learning and network pharmacology are potential methods for future studies., 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 © 2024 Zhu, Wu, Bian, Han, Fang, Ge, Wang and Xie.)

The high sensitivity to color browning during room-temperature storage was a significant factor in limiting the development of fresh spinach noodles (FSN). The practice of humidity-controlled heat treatment (HCHT) at varying temperatures, relative humidity, and time was carried out to limit enzyme activity and improve the quality of FSN. Results showed that HCHT could maximize the color preservation of fresh spinach noodle quality while effectively inactivating polyphenol oxidase and the yeasts, and mold count in FSN during storage was almost undetectable after mild conditions (80 °C). The hardness and chewiness of HCHT noodles were significantly increased, but the free sulfhydryl content was reduced. At 80 °C, 90 %, 5 min, protein structural aggregation was found in the microstructure of HCHT fresh spinach noodles. HCHT also caused partial gelatinization, as evidenced by the decrease in starch gelatinization enthalpy from 5.49 to 4.77 J/g, although the gelatinization degree of FSN was comparatively low., 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 Author(s).)

Zearalenone (ZEN) is well known as a kind of endocrine disruptor whose exposure is capable of causing reproductive toxicity in animals. Cyanidin-3- O -glucoside (C3G) is a derivative of cyanidin and owns multiple biofunctions, and prior efforts have suggested that C3G has therapeutic actions for reproductive diseases. In this article, a ZEN exposure model during primordial follicle assembly was constructed using the in vitro culture platform of neonatal mouse ovaries. We investigated the protective effect of C3G on ZEN-induced ovarian toxicity during primordial follicle assembly in mice, as well as its potential mechanism. Interestingly, we observed that C3G could effectively protect the ovary from ZEN damage, mainly by restoring primordial follicle assembly, which upregulated the expression of LHX8 and SOHLH1 proteins and relieved ZEN-induced DNA damage. Next, to explore the mechanism by which C3G rescued ZEN-induced injury, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). The bioinformatic analysis illustrated that the rescue pathway of C3G was associated with p53-Gadd45a signaling and cell cycle. Then, western blotting and flow cytometry results revealed that C3G restored the expression levels of cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) and cyclin D2 (CCND2) and regulated the ovarian cell cycle to normal. In conclusion, our findings manifested that C3G could alleviate ZEN-induced primordial follicle assembly impairment by restoring the cell cycle involved in p53-GADD45a signaling.

Background: An Escherichia coli-produced human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and 18 bivalent vaccine (Cecolin) was prequalified by WHO in 2021. This study aimed to compare the immunogenicity of the E coli-produced HPV 9-valent vaccine Cecolin 9 (against HPV 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58) with Gardasil 9., Methods: This was a randomised, single-blind trial conducted in China. Healthy non-pregnant women aged 18-26 years, who were not breastfeeding and with no HPV vaccination history, were enrolled in the Ganyu Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, China). Women were stratified by age (18-22 years and 23-26 years) and randomly assigned (1:1) using a permutated block size of eight to receive three doses of Cecolin 9 or Gardasil 9 at day 0, day 45, and month 6. All participants, as well as study personnel without access to the vaccines, were masked. Neutralising antibodies were measured by a triple-colour pseudovirion-based neutralisation assay. The primary outcomes, seroconversion rates and geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) at month 7, were analysed in the per-protocol set for immunogenicity (PPS-I). Non-inferiority was identified for the lower limit of the 95% CI of the GMC ratio (Cecolin 9 vs Gardasil 9) at a margin of 0·5 and a seroconversion rate difference (Cecolin 9-Gardasil 9) at a margin of -5%. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04782895) and is completed., Findings: From March 14 to 18, 2021, a total of 553 potential participants were screened, of which 244 received at least one dose of Cecolin 9 and 243 received at least one dose of Gardasil 9. The seroconversion rates for all HPV types in both groups were 100% in the PPS-I, with the values of the lower limits of 95% CIs for seroconversion rate differences ranging between -1·8% and -1·7%. The GMC ratios of five types were higher than 1·0, with the highest ratio, for HPV 58, at 1·65 (95% CI 1·38-1·97), and those of four types were lower than 1·0, with the lowest ratio, for HPV 11, at 0·79 (0·68-0·93). The incidence of adverse reactions in both groups was similar (43% [104/244] vs 47% [115/243])., Interpretation: Cecolin 9 induced non-inferior HPV type-specific immune responses compared with Gardasil 9 and is a potential candidate to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer by allowing for global accessibility to 9-valent HPV vaccinations, especially in low-income and middle-income countries., Funding: National Natural Science Foundation, Fujian Provincial Natural Science Foundation, Xiamen Science and Technology Plan Project, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences of China, and Xiamen Innovax., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests F-ZZ, Q-FZ, and X-MY report being current employees of Xiamen Innovax. GS and H-RP report being current employees of and have stock options in Xiamen Innovax. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The Escherichia coli-produced human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/18 bivalent vaccine (Cecolin) has received prequalification by the World Health Organization based on its high efficacy and good safety profile. We aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of the second-generation nonavalent HPV 6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58 vaccine (Cecolin 9) through the randomized, blinded phase 2 clinical trial. Eligible healthy women aged 18-45 years were randomly (1:1) allocated to receive three doses of 1.0 mL (270 µg) of Cecolin 9 or placebo with a 0-1-6-month schedule. The primary endpoint was the seroconversion rate and geometric mean titer of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) one month after the full vaccination course (month 7). The secondary endpoint was the safety profile including solicited adverse reactions occurring within 7 d, adverse events (AEs) occurring within 30 d after each dose, and serious adverse events (SAEs) occurring during the 7-month follow-up period. In total, 627 volunteers were enrolled and randomly assigned to Cecolin 9 (n = 313) or placebo (n = 314) group in Jiangsu Province, China. Almost all participants in the per-protocol set for immunogenicity (PPS-I) seroconverted for nAbs against all the nine HPV types at month 7, while two failed to seroconvert for HPV 11 and one did not seroconvert for HPV 52. The incidence rates of total AEs in the Cecolin 9 and placebo groups were 80.8% and 72.9%, respectively, with the majority of them being mild and recovering shortly. None of the SAEs were considered related to vaccination. In conclusion, the E. coli-produced 9-valent HPV (9vHPV) vaccine candidate was well tolerated and immunogenic, which warrants further efficacy studies in larger populations., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Feng-Zhu Zheng and Qiu-Fen Zhang report being either current employees of Xiamen Innovax; Guang Sun report being current employees of and have stock options in Xiamen Innovax. All other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a widespread and transgenerational toxicant that can cause serious reproductive health risks, which poses a potential threat to global agricultural production and human health; its estrogenic activity can lead to reproductive toxicity through the induction of granulosa cell apoptosis. Herein, comparative transcriptome analysis, single-cell transcriptome analysis, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) combined with gene knockout in vivo and RNA interference in vitro were used to comprehensively describe the damage caused by ZEN exposure on ovarian granulosa cells. Comparative transcriptome analysis and WGCNA suggested that the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase 7 (MAP2K7)/ AKT serine/threonine kinase 2 (AKT2) axis was disordered after ZEN exposure in porcine granulosa cells (pGCs) and mouse granulosa cells (mGCs). In vivo gene knockout and in vitro RNA interference verified that TNF-α-mediated MAP2K7/AKT2 was the guiding signal in ZEN-induced apoptosis in pGCs and mGCs. Moreover, single-cell transcriptome analysis showed that ZEN exposure could induce changes in the TNF signaling pathway in offspring. Overall, we concluded that the TNF-α-mediated MAP2K7/AKT2 axis was the main signaling pathway of ZEN-induced apoptosis in pGCs and mGCs. This work provides new insights into the mechanism of ZEN toxicity and provides new potential therapeutic targets for the loss of livestock and human reproductive health caused by ZEN., 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.)

Objective: To compare the safety and clinical efficacy of endoscopic and surgical treatment of patients with delayed iatrogenic bile duct injury (DBDI) with severity (SG) grade 1 to 2. Methods: The clinical data of 129 patients with SG grade 1 to 2 DBDI who received endoscopic or surgical treatment in the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from November 2007 to November 2021 were retrospectively collected. There were 46 males and 83 females,aged ( M (IQR)) 54(22)years(range: 21 to 82 years). The baseline data of the two groups were matched 1∶1 by propensity score matching(caliper value was 0.2). Independent sample t test,rank sum test, χ 2 test or Fisher exact probability test were used to analyze the data of the two matched groups. Results: There were 48 patients in each of the endoscopic treatment and surgical groups after matching,and there was no difference in general information between the two groups(both P >0.05). The bile duct injury-repair interval and intraoperative anesthesia complications were not statistically significant between the two groups after matching(all P >0.05). Compared with the surgical group, patients in the endoscopic treatment group had significantly shorter operative time(50 (30) minutes vs. 185 (100) minutes, Z =7.675, P <0.01) and postoperative hospital stay(5 (5) days vs. 12 (7) days, Z =5.848, P <0.01).For safety,there was no statistical difference in the incidence of immediate postoperative complications between the two groups with Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications<Ⅲ;the incidence of serious postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications≥Ⅲ) was significantly higher in the surgical group than in the endoscopic treatment group( P =0.012). The incidence of long-term postoperative complications was not statistically different between the two groups(28.1% vs. 20.7%, P =0.562). In terms of efficacy,the postoperative liver function indexes of patients in both groups improved significantly compared with the preoperative period and returned to normal or near normal levels; the postoperative infection indexes of both groups showed an increasing trend,but were within the normal range. Of the 96 patients in both groups,61 obtained follow-up,and the follow-up time was (89.4±48.0)months(range: 3 to 165 months),and there was no statistical difference between the two groups( P =0.079). The probability of excellent long-term follow-up (78.1% vs. 86.2%) was not statistically different between the two groups( P =0.412).In patients with Strasberg-Bismuth type E1,the probability of excellent long-term follow-up was higher in the endoscopic treatment group compared with the surgical group(13/14 vs. 2/5, P =0.037). Conclusions: For DBDI patients with SG grade 1 to 2 and bile duct continuity,endoscopy can be used as the first deterministic treatment. The advantages of endoscopic therapy compared to surgery are the lower incidence of postoperative serious complications,and the shorter duration of surgery and postoperative hospital stay.

Most patients with pancreatic cancer are already in the late stages of the disease when they are diagnosed, and pancreatic cancer is a deadly disease with a poor prognosis. With the advancement of research, immunotherapy has become a new focus in the treatment of tumors. To the best of our knowledge, there is currently no reliable diagnostic or prognostic marker for pancreatic cancer; therefore, the present study investigated the potential of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α kinase 2 (EIF2AK2) as a predictive and diagnostic marker for pancreatic cancer. Immunohistochemical staining of clinical samples independently verified that EIF2AK2 expression was significantly higher in clinically operated pancreatic cancer tissues than in adjacent pancreatic tissues., and EIF2AK2 expression and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using downloadable RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genomic Tumor Expression Atlas. In addition, Gene Ontology/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses and immune cell infiltration were used for functional enrichment analysis of EIF2AK2-associated DEGs. The clinical importance of EIF2AK2 was also determined using Kaplan-Meier survival, Cox regression and time-dependent survival receiver operating characteristic curve analyses, and a predictive nomogram model was generated. Finally, the functional role of EIF2AK2 was assessed in PANC-1 cells using a short hairpin RNA-EIF2AK2 knockdown approach, including CCK-8, wound healing assay, cell cycle and apoptosis assays. The findings suggested that EIF2AK2 may have potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for patients with pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, EIF2AK2 may provide a new therapeutic target for patients with pancreatic cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © Du et al.)

Despite aging is closely linked to increased aneuploidy in the oocytes, the mechanism of how aging affects aneuploidy remains largely elusive. Here, we applied single-cell parallel methylation and transcriptome sequencing (scM&T-seq) data from the aging mouse oocyte model to decode the genomic landscape of oocyte aging. We found a decline in oocyte quality in aging mice, as manifested by a significantly lower rate of first polar body exclusion (P < 0.05), and dramatically increasing aneuploidy rate (P < 0.01). Simultaneously, scM&T data suggested that a large number of differential expression genes (DEGs) and differential methylation regions (DMRs) were obtained. Next, we identified strong association of spindle assembly and mitochondrial transmembrane transport during oocyte aging. Moreover, we verified the DEGs related to spindle assembly (such as Naip1, Aspm, Racgap1, Zfp207) by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and checked the mitochondrial dysfunction by JC-1 staining. Pearson correlation analysis found that receptors for mitochondrial function were strongly positively correlated with abnormal spindle assembly (P < 0.05). In conclusion, these results suggested that the mitochondrial dysfunction and abnormal spindle assembly of aging oocytes ultimately may lead to increased oocyte aneuploidy., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The effect and mechanism of sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) on polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymatic browning in yellow alkaline noodles (YAN) were investigated. The browning degree and PPO activity in YAN or PPO solutions decreased with the SHMP concentrations increased. Variations in pH values (pH 7-8.5) adjusted by HCl or acetic acid slightly affected the PPO activity, but SHMP inhibited PPO activity more pronounced. The inhibition of SHMP on PPO activity was irreversible. SHMP formed coordinate covalent bonds with Cu 2+ to make PPO inactive. HPLC analysis revealed that SHMP reduced the browning products and led to the color of PPO-catechol systems being lightened. Furthermore, SHMP inhibited browning by hampering the auto-oxidization of intermediate products due to the change in pH value. Besides, the HPLC chromatogram, UV-vis spectrum, and mass spectrometry revealed that SHMP could convert melanin (m/z 248.97, 723.5, and 836.58) to light-colored substances (m/z 137.11)., 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.)

In this study, the effects of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) on the microbial stability and quality properties of fresh wet noodles were evaluated. The addition of COS prolonged the shelf-life of fresh wet noodles at 4 °C by 3-6 days and effectively inhibited the growth of acidity value. However, the presence of COS increased the cooking loss of noodles significantly (P < 0.05) and decreased the hardness as well as tensile strength significantly (P < 0.05). The enthalpy of gelatinization (ΔH) was decreased by COS in the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Meanwhile, the addition of COS decreased the relative crystallinity of starch (from 24.93 % to 22.38 %) without changing the type of X-ray diffraction pattern, revealing that COS weakened the structural stability of starch. In addition, COS was observed to impair the development of compact gluten network by confocal laser scanning micrographs. Further, the free-sulfhydryl groups content and sodium dodecyl sulphate-extractable protein (SDS-EP) values of cooked noodles increased significant (P < 0.05), confirming the obstruction on the polymerization of gluten proteins during the hydrothermal process. Although COS adversely affected the quality of noodles, it was outstanding and feasible for the preservation of fresh wet noodles., 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.)

Background: Cattle (Bos taurus) are a major large livestock, however, compared with other species, the transcriptional specificity of bovine oocyte development has not been emphasised., Results: To reveal the unique transcriptional signatures of bovine oocyte development, we used integrated multispecies comparative analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to perform bioinformatic analysis of the germinal follicle (GV) and second meiosis (MII) gene expression profile from cattle, sheep, pigs and mice. We found that the expression levels of most genes were down-regulated from GV to MII in all species. Next, the multispecies comparative analysis showed more genes involved in the regulation of cAMP signalling during bovine oocyte development. Moreover, the green module identified by WGCNA was closely related to bovine oocyte development. Finally, integrated multispecies comparative analysis and WGCNA picked up 61 bovine-specific signature genes that participate in metabolic regulation and steroid hormone biosynthesis., Conclusion: In a short, this study provides new insights into the regulation of cattle oocyte development from a cross-species comparison., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Sorbitol is commonly used in semi-dried noodles for holding water, thus extending the shelf life. This research analyzed the effect of sorbitol on the in vitro starch digestibility in semi-dried black highland barley noodles (SBHBN). In vitro starch digestion revealed that the hydrolysis extent and digestive rate decreased with increasing sorbitol addition, although its inhibition abated when added >2 %. Compared with the control, adding 2 % of sorbitol lowered the equilibrium hydrolysis (C ∞ ) significantly (P < 0.05) from 75.18 to 66.57 % and decreased the kinetic coefficient (k) significantly (P < 0.05) by 20.29 %. Adding sorbitol increased the tightness of microstructure, relative crystallinity, V-type crystal, molecular structure order, and hydrogen bond strength of starch in cooked SBHBN. Meanwhile, gelatinization enthalpy change (ΔH) of starch in raw SBHBN was increased by adding sorbitol. In addition, the swelling power and amylose leaching in SBHBN added with sorbitol were reduced. Pearson correlations analysis observed significant (P < 0.05) correlations among short-range ordered structure, ΔH, and related in vitro starch digestion indexes of SBHBN after being added with sorbitol. These results revealed that sorbitol might form hydrogen bonds with starch, making it a potential additive to lower the eGI in starchy foods., 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.)

This study investigated the heat-induced interactions between wheat and buckwheat proteins by heating wheat proteins, buckwheat albumin, globulin, and mixtures of wheat flour with buckwheat albumin/globulin at 50, 65, 80, 95, and 100 °C. The results showed that the cross-linking reactions of wheat glutenin with buckwheat albumin and globulin initiated at 80 and 95 °C, respectively. Buckwheat albumin decreased the extractability of α-gliadin by 35 % at 95 °C and 5.9 % at 100 °C. The linkage of buckwheat globulin to wheat glutelin prevented part of the wheat gliadin from linking to glutelin, resulting in the extractability of α- and γ-gliadin increased by 8.6 % and 11 % at 95 °C, respectively. The chemical forces results indicated that interactions between wheat and buckwheat proteins were primarily driven by disulfide bonds and hydrophobic interactions. This study provides a theoretical basis for better regulating the wheat-buckwheat protein network to improve the quality of buckwheat-enriched 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 © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In order to reveal the complex mechanism governing the mitotic/meiotic switch in female germ cells at epigenomic and genomic levels, we examined the chromatin accessibility (scATAC-seq) and the transcriptional dynamics (scRNA-seq) in germ cells of mouse embryonic ovary between E11.5 to 13.5 at single-cell resolution. Adopting a strict transcription factors (TFs) screening framework that makes it easier to understand the single-cell chromatin signature and a TF interaction algorithm that integrates the transcript levels, chromatin accessibility, and motif scores, we identified 14 TFs potentially regulating the mitotic/meiotic switch, including TCFL5, E2F1, E2F2, E2F6, E2F8, BATF3, SP1, FOS, FOXN3, VEZF1, GBX2, CEBPG, JUND, and TFDP1. Focusing on TCFL5, we constructed Tcfl5 +/- mice which showed significantly reduced fertility and found that decreasing TCFL5 expression in cultured E12.5 ovaries by RNAi impaired meiotic progression from leptotene to zygotene. Bioinformatics analysis of published results of the embryonic germ cell transcriptome and the finding that in these cells central meiotic genes (Stra8, Tcfl5, Sycp3, and E2f2) possess open chromatin status already at the mitotic stage together with other features of TCFL5 (potential capability to interact with core TFs and activate meiotic genes, its progressive activation after preleptotene, binding sites in the promoter region of E2f2 and Sycp3), indicated extensive amplification of transcriptional programs associated to mitotic/meiotic switch with an important contribution of TCFL5. We conclude that the identified TFs, are involved in various stages of the mitotic/meiotic switch in female germ cells, TCFL5 primarily in meiotic progression. Further investigation on these factors might give a significant contribution to unravel the molecular mechanisms of this fundamental process of oogenesis and provide clues about pathologies in women such as primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) due at least in part to meiotic defects., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Thermal processing has been applied to the property modification of the pure Tibetan Qingke (TQ) starch, but few studies attempt to elucidate the changes in physicochemical properties of in-kernel starches under whole TQ kernels thermal processing. In this study, the molecular, structural, and digestive characteristics of SUTQ, SHTQ, SMTQ, and SBTQ (starches isolated from unprocessed, heat fluidized, microwave irradiated, and baked TQ, respectively) were measured to elucidate the effects of different thermal treatments on the in-kernel starch. After TQ thermal treatments, the amylose/amylopectin ratio increased to 0.71, 0.64, and 0.68 for SHTQ, SMTQ, and SBTQ, respectively, while the molecular weight of in-kernel starches decreased by 39.29 %-82.14 %. Furthermore, the damage degree of starch surface morphology ranked as: SHTQ > SBTQ > SMTQ. The entanglement action between protein network resulting from protein polymerization and gelatinized starch aggregations exhibited most obvious in SHTQ. Moreover, the increased fluorescence intensity, newly formed dark color rings, and disrupted Maltese cross were observed in SHTQ, SMTQ, and SBTQ, and their variation trends were consistent with the damage degree of starch surface morphology. SHTQ, SMTQ, and SBTQ showed the decreased relative crystallinity (1.79 %, 15.98 %, and 14.64 %), short-range order (0.64, 0.81, and 0.80), and double helix structures (0.48, 0.61, and 0.58) and increased degree of gelatinization (100 %, 38 %, and 45.51 %), which partially transformed slowly digested starch into rapidly digested starch. In particularly, the formation of more ordered structures (V-type crystalline and interaction between protein and starch) induced by heat fluidization treatment provided the greatest thermal stability and highest resistant starch content (42.1 %) for SHTQ. Heat fluidization was a promising thermal processing for the development of TQ or TQ starch-based functional foods., 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.)

In the present work, the Pickering emulsions with enhanced oxidation stability were fabricated using gliadin (G)/arabinoxylan nanoparticles (GANPs). The influence of different G/AX ratios on the properties of GANPs and corresponding physicochemical characteristics of Pickering emulsions were investigated. Results indicated that the droplet size and ζ-potential of Pickering emulsions declined with the decrease of G/AX ratios. Pickering emulsion with the smallest G/AX ratio (1:4) exhibited excellent oxidative and coalescence stability due to the formation of viscoelastic gel network, which was supported by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images. Furthermore, the increase of salt ions in a lower concentration (0-0.2 M) was conducive to the flocculation of the droplets, while further increasing the NaCl concentration impaired the emulsion stability. Such elements revealed that G/AX complex is a promising stabilizer of Pickering emulsions with prominent antioxidant activity, which have favorable potential applications in protecting the functional properties of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Mongolian horses have been bred and used for labor and transport for centuries. Nevertheless, traits of testicular development in Mongolian horses have rarely been studied; particularly, studies regarding the transcriptional regulation characteristics of testicular development are lacking. In this paper, transcription specificity during testicular development in Mongolian horses is highlighted via a multispecies comparative analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Interestingly, the results showed that most genes were up-regulated in the testes after sexual maturity, which is a phenomenon conserved across species. Moreover, we observed nine key genes involved in regulating Mongolian horse testicular development. Notably, unique transcription signatures of testicular development in Mongolian horses are emphasized, which provides a novel insight into the mechanistic study of their testicular development., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The effects of freeze-thaw cycles (0-8) on the quality of frozen raw noodles (FRN) were investigated. Three types of wheat flour with different protein contents were used to prepare FRN. Freeze-thaw treatment decreased the break force and increased the tensile distance of FRN with higher protein content. More mobile water and less compact microstructure were detected in FRN. Freeze-thaw cycles exerted negative effects on the cooking and texture performance of FRN indicated by increases in the cooking loss (CL) and broken noodle (BN) percentage and decreases in the hardness and chewiness. After four freeze-thaw cycles, FRN with lower protein content exhibited higher CL and BN ratios and less chewiness. The tensile distance and peak force of the gluten isolated from FRN decreased during freeze-thaw cycles, which caused the quality deterioration of FRN. FRN with higher protein content and greater gluten strength demonstrated better resistance to the freeze-thaw treatment., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The impact of freeze-thaw cycles on the physicochemical properties and frying performance of frozen Youtiao dough with chemical leavening agent was investigated. The specific volume of Youtiao made from frozen dough decreased by 66% after 4 freeze-thaw cycles. Meanwhile, the hardness and puncture force showed increasing trends, and the fibrous structure became unclear. The extensibility, storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G'') of frozen Youtiao dough decreased during freeze-thaw cycles, while the creep compliance increased. Changes in rheological properties demonstrated that frozen Youtiao dough was more deformable and its strength was weakened. Moreover, the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) extractable protein and free sulfhydryl content increased, revealing that protein was depolymerized. The loose structure with large pores and fractured protein network were observed by micromorphology. Freeze-thaw cycles had a detrimental effect on the Youtiao quality, which was related to the deterioration of rheological properties and protein structure of frozen Youtiao dough., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To investigate the characteristics and source apportionment of atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Dalian, the concentration level, composition characteristics, reaction activity, and source apportionment of atmospheric VOCs in Dalian were analyzed based on high-resolution online observation VOCs data from June to August 2020. The results showed that the average φ (VOCs) was (10.21±5.71)×10 -9 , in which alkanes accounted for 66.35%, alkenes for 11.89%, alkynes for 7.75%, and aromatics for 14.01%. VOCs and NO x were high at night and low during the day, whereas the change trend of O 3 was opposite. Considering the species activity, it was determined that toluene, ethylene, m/p -xylene, 1-hexene, n -butane, isopentane, n -pentane, and isoprene were the key species affecting atmospheric VOCs in Dalian. Priority control of olefin and aromatic hydrocarbon emissions is the key to improve O 3 pollution in summer in Dalian. By applying the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, six major VOCs sources were extracted, namely traffic sources (26.38%), combustion sources (22.75%), industrial emission sources (17.09%), solvent usage sources (14.59%), natural sources (11.72%), and others (7.47%). The emissions of traffic sources and combustion sources are the key pollution sources for O 3 prevention and control in Dalian in summer.

The effect of four types of phosphate salts (PS) on the shelf-life and quality characteristics of semi-dried noodles, as well as their underlying mechanism were investigated. Microbial analysis showed 0.2% or 0.4% sodium dihydrogen phosphate (MSP) extended the shelf-life of noodles from 3 days to 5 days. Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis revealed PS decreased the mobility of free water in noodles. Cooking and texture analysis showed sodium pyrophosphate (TSPP) increased the cooking loss of noodles, and MSP decreased the tensile force of noodles. Sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP), TSPP, and MSP increased the hardness of noodles, while sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) decreased the hardness. Thermal properties analysis indicated STPP and TSPP increased the gelatinization enthalpy (ΔH) of starch in noodles, while SHMP and MSP decreased the ΔH. Furthermore, confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed SHMP, STPP, and MSP strengthened the gluten network formation, while TSPP weakened the network., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Antimicrobial polycationic peptide ε-poly-l-lysine (ε-PL) enhanced the freeze-thaw tolerance of industrial yeast; the enhancement mechanism of ε-PL on yeast was studied. Results showed that a ε-PL coating was observed in ε-PL-treated yeast. After 4 times of freeze-thaw, the cell viability, glycerol content, and CO 2 production of 0.6 mg/mL ε-PL-treated yeast were higher than those of untreated yeast, specifically, the cell viability of ε-PL-treated yeast was 87.6%, and that of untreated yeast was 68.5%. Metabolomic results showed that the enhancement mechanism of ε-PL on yeast was related to the promotion of cell membrane-related fatty acid synthesis pathways before freeze-thaw treatment, and the promotion of trehalose biosynthesis and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways after freeze-thaw. Furthermore, ε-PL induced inhibition of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, resulting in a longer stationary phase at the beginning of the freeze-thaw and ultimately providing a higher level of freeze-thaw stress tolerance than untreated yeast., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The effect of egg white protein addition on the fibrous structure and protein aggregation of textured wheat gluten (TWG) extrudates was investigated. The hardness, springiness, chewiness, and degree of texturization of TWG significantly increased with the addition of egg white protein. Analysis of morphological characteristics showed a positive effect of egg white protein on the formation of the fibrous structure of TWG. The results of size-exclusion high performance liquid chromatography (SE-HPLC) indicated that the egg white protein improved the degree of wheat gluten aggregation, and the analysis of the protein intermolecular forces proved that disulfide bonds were the main contributor to the cross-linking of protein. In addition, an increase in the β-sheets also indicated an increase in protein aggregation induced by egg white protein. The addition of egg white protein promoted protein interactions and improved the fibrous structure of TWG., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Most of study regarding periampullary diverticulum (PAD) impact on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) therapy for choledocholithiasis based on data from one endoscopy center and lacked to compare the clinical characteristic of choledocholithiasis with PAD from different geographical patients., Aim: To compare the choledocholithiasis clinical characteristics between two regional endoscopy centers and analyze impacts of clinical characteristics on ERCP methods for choledocholithiasis patients with PAD., Methods: Patients seen in two endoscopy centers (The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China, and Kyoto Second Red Cross Hospital, Kyoto, Japan) underwent ERCP treatment for the first time between January 2012 and December 2017. The characteristics of choledocholithiasis with PAD were compared between the two centers, and their ERCP procedures and therapeutic outcomes were analyzed., Results: A total of 829 out of 3608 patients in the Lanzhou center and 241 out of 1198 in the Kyoto center had choledocholithiasis with PAD. Lots of clinical characteristics were significantly different between the two centers. The common bile duct (CBD) diameter was wider, choledocholithiasis size was lager and multiple CBD stones were more in the Lanzhou center patients than those in the Kyoto center patients (14.8 ± 5.2 mm vs 11.6 ± 4.2 mm, 12.2 ± 6.5 mm vs 8.2 ± 5.3 mm, 45.3% vs 20.3%, P < 0.001 for all). In addition, concomitant diseases, such as acute cholangitis, gallbladder stones, obstructive jaundice, cholecystectomy, and acute pancreatitis, were significantly different between the two centers ( P = 0.03 to < 0.001). In the Lanzhou center, CBD diameter and choledocholithiasis size were lower, and multiple CBD stones and acute cholangitis were less in non-PAD patients than those in PAD patients (13.4 ± 5.1 mm vs 14.8 ± 5.2 mm, 10.3 ± 5.4 mm vs 12.2 ± 6.5, 39% vs 45.3%, 13.9% vs 18.5%, P = 0.002 to < 0.001). But all these characteristics were not significantly different in the Kyoto center. The proportions of endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST), endoscopic balloon dilatation (EPBD), and EST+EPBD were 50.5%, 1.7%, and 42.5% in the Lanzhou center and 90.0%, 0.0%, and 0.4% in the Kyoto center, respectively. However, the overall post-ERCP complication rate was not significantly different between the two centers (8.9% in the Lanzhou and 5.8% in the Kyoto. P = 0.12). In the Lanzhou center, the difficulty rate in removing CBD stones in PAD was higher than in non-PAD group (35.3% vs 26.0%, P < 0.001). But the rate was no significant difference between the two groups in Kyoto center. The residual rates of choledocholithiasis were not significantly different between the two groups in both centers. Post-ERCP complications occurred in 8.9% of the PAD patients and 8.1% of the non-PAD patients in the Lanzhou Center, and it occurred in 5.8% in PAD patients and 10.0% in non-PAD patients in the Kyoto center, all P > 0.05., Conclusion: Many clinical characteristics of choledocholithiasis patients with PAD were significantly different between the Lanzhou and Kyoto centers. The patients had larger and multiple stones, wider CBD diameter, and more possibility of acute cholangitis and obstructive jaundice in the Lanzhou center than those in the Kyoto center. The ERCP procedures to manage native duodenal papilla were different depending on the different clinical characteristics while the overall post-ERCP complications were not significantly different between the two centers. The stone residual rate and post-ERCP complications were not significantly different between choledocholithiasis patients with PAD and without PAD in each center., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

To reduce the rehydration time and improve the quality of textured wheat gluten (TWG), the effects of steam pretreatment and water temperature (45 °C, 65 °C, and 85 °C) on the rehydration of TWG were investigated. Four different models were used to describe the rehydration kinetics: Peleg, Weibull, first-order, and exponential association models, with the Weibull model found to give the best fit. High temperature induced deterioration of textural properties and oral processing behavior and increased the rehydration loss ratio, while steam pretreatment reduced these negative changes. Morphological results showed that the surface and cross-sectional structure were conducive to water diffusion with steam pretreatment. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared thermal results indicated that steam pretreatment promoted the diffusion of water and reduced the time required to reach thermal equilibrium. This work provides a fast rehydration method for TWG to help in the future production of high-quality meat analogues., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The effects of insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) and ferulic acid (FA) on steamed bread quality and gluten aggregation properties were investigated. IDF and FA increased the hardness and decreased the specific volume of steamed bread, except for 0.3 g of FA. Compared to the control sample, the hardness of steamed bread with 0.3 g of FA decreased by 36%, and the specific volume increased by 10.91%. FA promoted gluten aggregation through a cross-linking reaction because the sodium dodecyl sulfate extractable protein (SDSEP) of gluten with 1.8 g of FA decreased by 61.32% compared to the control sample under non-reducing condition. The ζ-potential of gluten during the proofing and steaming stages decreased by 46.64% and 68.10% with the increase in IDF, which showed that IDF promoted gluten aggregation by reducing the electrostatic repulsion. Gluten aggregation caused by IDF and FA could be the main reason for steamed bread deterioration., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to investigate the effect of superheated steam treatment (SST) on lipid stability of whole wheat flour (WWF) during storage. After SST, the lipase and peroxidase of WWF were inactivated, and lipoxygenase activity was lower than 5% of its initial value. The total tocopherols decreased slightly in all SST groups, especially it only decreased by 1.1% at 190 °C for 5 s. Furthermore, the increase of fatty acid value in the control group was over 100-fold than that of the SST groups during storage. The unsaturated fatty acids and total tocopherols in WWF decreased gradually, but the decrease was alleviated by SST at 190 °C for 5 s. After storage, the relative content of hexanal and 2-pentylfuran in the SST groups were 4 and 0.3-fold than those in the control group, respectively. Thus, SST may be a potential approach to stabilise the quality of WWF., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Extruded starch could be used as a thickener for food processing due to its pre-gel properties. This study aimed to explore the influence of the addition of extruded endogenous Tartary buckwheat starch (ES) on the process and quality of gluten-free noodles. ES was mixed with Tartary buckwheat flour in different proportions (10-40%) to prepare the blended flour and noodles. When the content of ES was increased, the swelling power of blended flour at 90 °C had no significant changes, and the decrease in peak viscosity of blended flour was reduced. This indicated that the high-content ES could afford better thermal stability for blended flour and inhibit the swelling ability. The higher level of ES was beneficial to the formation and stabilization of dough, and the improvement of noodle tensile strength. Furthermore, there was no difference in cooking loss between noodles with 30% and 40% ES addition. The microstructure and water distribution of the noodles prepared by blended flour indicated that the gel-entrapped structure organized by the higher content ES could be closely related to the above results. In conclusion, higher ES could contribute to improving the processing properties and quality of noodles.

ε-poly-L-lysine treated yeast (PTY) helps to enhance the freeze-thaw tolerance of frozen dough. This study explored the effect of PTY on the aggregation and the gas-retention of frozen dough after steaming for 2, 5, 10, and 20 min. Gas-cell images showed that PTY reduced the loss of gas-retention ability caused by 4 times of freeze-thaw. The results of sodium dodecyl sulfate extractability and subunit distribution of gluten showed that, after the same heat time, frozen dough with PTY has higher degree of covalent crosslinking with better aggregation ability of α-, γ-gliadin, and low molecular weight glutenin subunits than frozen dough with yeast. Chemical analysis and chain morphology results demonstrated that the levels of acidity, NH 2 , and free sulfhydryl in dough were decreased, and the protein molecules aggregated into longer chains when using PTY instead of yeast, indicating that PTY reduced acid-mediated hydrolysis and increased the disulfide bonds-mediated gluten polymerization., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Long non-coding RNAs have important roles in the occurrence and progression of various cancers. However, the molecular mechanism of lncRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC) is not well illustrated. Thus, we used bioinformatics methods to find potential lncRNAs associated with CRC progression, and chose SH3PXD2A-AS1 as a candidate for further analysis. The roles of SH3PXD2A-AS1 in CRC cells were determined by CCK-8, transwell invasion, wound healing and flow cytometry assays. Besides, we established the CRC tumor models in nude mice to study the effect of SH3PXD2A-AS1 on the tumor growth. Based on the ceRNA hypothesis, we used miRDB and miRTarBase websites to identify the SH3PXD2A-AS1-related ceRNA regulatory network, and measured the roles of this network in CRC cells. The results revealed that the expression profiles of SH3PXD2A-AS1 from GEO and TCGA databases showed an aberrant high level in CRC tissues compared with colorectal normal tissues. SH3PXD2A-AS1 over-expression was also found in CRC cells. SH3PXD2A-AS1 knockdown inhibited the CRC cellular proliferation, invasion and migration but induced apoptosis. Besides, SH3PXD2A-AS1 knockdown also suppressed the growth of CRC tumors. Furthermore, SH3PXD2A-AS1 could function as a ceRNA of miR-330-5p. Additionally, UBA2 was proved to be a target gene of miR-330-5p. Moreover, SH3PXD2A-AS1 knockdown downregulated UBA2 expression through sponging miR-330-5p to inactivate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thereby inhibiting the cell growth and promoting apoptosis. Therefore, the SH3PXD2A-AS1/miR-330-5p/UBA2 network could regulate the progression of CRC through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. These findings offer new sights for understanding the pathogenesis of CRC and provide potential biomarkers for CRC treatment., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

This study investigated the influence of NaHCO 3 on the water state, gluten polymerization, microstructure and quality of frozen steamed bread dough during freeze-thaw cycles. Results showed that the steamed bread made from alkaline (0.4% NaHCO 3 ) frozen dough possessed a larger specific volume and smaller hardness after 4 freeze-thaw cycles, than the non-alkaline dough group. The addition of NaHCO 3 slowed the increase of freezable water content and water mobility of dough during freeze-thaw cycles, and the high amount of NaHCO 3 (0.4%-1%) showed the great effect. Compared with non-alkaline dough, the sodium dodecyl sulfate extractable protein proportion and free sulfhydryl level of alkaline dough increased less after freeze-thaw cycles, indicating a strengthened freeze-thaw tolerance of alkaline dough. Based on microstructure image and corresponding protein network analysis (PNA) results, the protein area and total protein length in alkaline dough remained at a higher level than non-alkaline group after 4 freeze-thaw cycles., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The lack of gluten in Tartary buckwheat has always been the main limiting factor of their development. This paper explored how to improve the processing quality of gluten-free Tartary buckwheat noodles (GF-TBNs) by introducing extruded starch into Tartary buckwheat flour (TBF) and the underlying mechanism was also elucidated. Extruded Tartary buckwheat starch (ETBS) was obtained under different extrusion conditions. The thermal properties, molecular weight, and viscosity of ETBS were examined to determine the key parameters closely related to the water distribution and rheological properties of the dough sheet, and tensile properties of GF-TBNs. The results showed that ETBS with a low molecular weight and high viscosity contributed greatly to the GF-TBNs with good tensile properties. It is proposed that ETBS with a low molecular weight and high viscosity might form a gel-entrapped network inside GF-TBNs, which was confirmed by the morphology of GF-TBNs., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated the changes of lipids during the industrial preparation of noodle dough and dried noodles, including the hydration, sheeting, and drying processes. The results showed that industrial processing markedly influenced the stability of lipids during the preparation of dried noodles. The contents of total free fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and free lipids were reduced, while peroxide values increased during the hydration and sheeting processes, showing the instability of lipids. The increase in lipid oxidation may have been due to the activation of lipoxygenase. Although its activity declined by 45.7% in the hydration process compared to that of the native wheat flour (198.5 ± 20.4 U/g/min), the residue activity should have been high enough to oxidize lipids. Interestingly, lipase activity remained relatively stable. In addition, an obvious increase of carbon-centered free radicals was observed during the entire processing. In conclusion, the industrial processing, especially the hydration process, markedly changed the lipid profile and promoted lipid oxidation during the preparation of dried noodles. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The present study showed the positive relationship between endogenous lipid degrading enzymes and the degradation of lipids and elucidated the role of industrial processing on lipid stability in noodle dough and dried noodles. The results of the present study will also help us to understand more about the sensory quality of dried noodles during preparation, as well as to develop high quality of wheat-based food products., (© 2021 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Dried whole wheat noodles (DWWN) are a kind of nutritious convenience food with broad market prospects. However, due to the presence of high content of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) and lipid degrading enzymes, the shelf life and edible quality of DWWN are easily affected. This study explored the effect of superheated steam treatment (SST-155 °C-10 s, SST-170 °C-10 s, SST-190 °C-5 s) on the lipid stability of DWWN. The lipase, lipoxygenase and peroxidase of the DWWN treated with superheated steam were completely passivated during storage. After 12 weeks of storage, the fatty acid value of DWWN increased by 35.1, 17.9, 15.9, 24.6 mg NaOH/100 g in the groups of control, SST-155 °C-10 s, SST-170 °C-10 s, SST-190 °C-5 s, respectively; whereas the content of UFAs decreased by 13.5%, 6.8%, 5.4%, and 2.7%, respectively. The content of 2-pentylfuran in the SST-155 °C-10 s, SST-170 °C-10 s, SST-190 °C-5 s group was 0.7, 0.6, and 0.4-fold than that of the control group, respectively. In addition, the total tocopherol and total volatile compounds of the SST-190 °C-5 s group were 2.4 and 0.7-fold than that of the control group, respectively. Therefore, SST should be a new technology that can improve the lipid stability of DWWN.