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This study focuses on understanding the effect of ionic strength on the mechanical and microstructural properties of novel composite gels containing 13% whey protein isolate (WPI) and 4% de-structured waxy potato starch (DWPS). The DWPS is a physically modified waxy potato starch treated at 140 °C for 30 min under constant shear. Thermodynamic incompatibility between WPI and DWPS was observed upon the addition of NaCl (~75 mM) or CaCl2 (10–75 mM). The combined effects of such thermodynamic incompatibility with the changes in protein connectivity induced by varied ionic strength led to the formation of distinctive gel structures (inhomogeneous self-supporting gels with a liquid centre and weak gels with paste-like consistency) that were different from thermodynamic compatible homogeneous self-supporting gels (pure WPI and WPI + maltodextrin gels). At ≥ 250 mM NaCl, instead of a paste-like texture, a recovered soft and creamy self-supporting gel structure was observed when using DWPS. The ability to generate a range of textures in WPI gelation-based foods by using DWPS under different ionic conditions, is a feasible strategy for formulating high-protein foods for dysphagia—aimed to be either thickened fluids or soft solids. Additionally, this acquired knowledge is also relevant when formulating food gels for 3-D printing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers worldwide. Based on clinical data, CRC could be cured by surgery with favorable outcomes if diagnosed at an early stage. The present study aimed to determine whether circ-FMN2, circ-LMNB1, and circ-ZNF609 may serve as potential biomarkers for CRC. Methods: Expression levels of circ-FMN2, circ-LMNB1, and circ-ZNF609 were detected in serum samples from 88 CRC patients and 68 healthy volunteers by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The correlation between circRNA expressions and clinicopathological parameters was analyzed subsequently. The ROC curve analysis and survival curves were calculated and compared in order to explore the diagnostic and prognostic values of circ-RNAs in CRC. Results: The results verified that circ-FMN2, circ-LMNB1, and circ-ZNF609 were significantly elevated in serum samples of CRC patients compared with healthy controls (p < 0.01). Increased circ-FMN2, circ-LMNB1, and circ-ZNF609 expressions were markedly positively correlated with histological grade (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0014, p = 0.0303), lymph nodes metastasis (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p = 0.0093), and TNM stage (p = 0.0055, p = 0.0110, p < 0.000). Meanwhile, the ROC curve analysis verified the diagnostic accuracy of circ-FMN2, circ-LMNB1, and circ-ZNF609 with AUC of 0.9153 (95% CI = 0.8707 ~ 0.9599), 0.9627 (95% CI = 0.9351 ~ 0.9903), and 0.8711 (95% CI = 0.8151 ~ 0.9270), respectively. Furthermore, the CRC patients with high circ-FMN2, circ-LMNB1, and circ-ZNF609 had significantly worse outcomes than those with low expression (p = 0.0267, p = 0.0145, p = 0.0194). Conclusions: The present study elucidated that circ-FMN2, circ-LMNB1, and circ-ZNF609 may function as potential diagnostic and prognostic indicators for CRC detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerobic granulation of activated sludge was successfully achieved in a full-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with 50,000m3 d-1 for treating a town's wastewater. After operation for 337 days, in this full-scale SBR, aerobic granules with an average SVI30 of 47.1 mLg-1, diameter of 0.5 mm, and settling velocity of 42 mh-1 were obtained. Compared to an anaerobic/oxic plug flow (A/O) reactor and an oxidation ditch (OD) being operated in this wastewater treatment plant, the sludge from full-scale SBR has more compact structure and excellent settling ability. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis indicated that Flavobacterium sp., uncultured beta proteobacterium, uncultured Aquabacterium sp., and uncultured Leptothrix sp. were just dominant in SBR, whereas uncultured bacteroidetes were only found in A/O and OD. Three kinds of sludge had a high content of protein in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis revealed that metal ions and some inorganics from raw waste water precipitated in sludge acted as core to enhance granulation. Raw waste water characteristics had a positive effect on the granule formation, but the SBR mode operating with periodic feast-famine, shorter settling time, and no return sludge pump played a crucial role in aerobic sludge granulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]