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Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of clinicopathological characteristics and computed tomography (CT) morphological features in predicting lymph node metastasis (LNM) for patients with T1 colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: A total of 144 patients with T1 CRC who underwent CT scans and surgical resection were retrospectively included in our study. The clinicopathological characteristics and CT morphological features were assessed by two observers. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to identify significant LNM predictive variables. Then a model was developed using the independent predictive factors. The predictive model was subjected to bootstrapping validation (1000 bootstrap resamples) to calculate the calibration curve and relative C-index. Results: LNM were found in 30/144 patients (20.83%). Four independent risk factors were determined in the multiple logistic regression analysis, including presence of necrosis (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 10.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.96–54.3, p = 0.004), irregular outer border (adjusted OR = 5.94, 95% CI 1.39–25.45, p = 0.035), and heterogeneity enhancement (adjusted OR = 7.35, 95% CI 3.11–17.38, p = 0.007), as well as tumor location (adjusted ORright-sided colon = 0.05 [0.01–0.60], p = 0.018; adjusted ORrectum = 0.22 [0.06–0.83], p = 0.026). In the internal validation cohort, the model showed good calibration and good discrimination with a C-index of 0.89. Conclusions: There are significant associations between lymphatic metastasis status and tumor location as well as CT morphologic features in T1 CRC, which could help the doctor make decisions for additional surgery after endoscopic resection. Key Points: • LNM more frequently occurs in left-sided T1 colon cancer than in right-sided T1 colon and rectal cancer. • CT morphologic features are risk factors for LNM of T1 CRC, which may be related to fundamental biological behaviors. • The combination of tumor location and CT morphologic features can more effectively assist in predicting LNM in patients with T1 CRC, and decrease the rate of unnecessary extra surgeries after endoscopic resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), an economically significant species in the Rhamnaceae family, is a popular fruit tree in Asia. The sugar and acid concentrations in jujube are considerably higher than those in other plants. Due to the low kernel rate, it is extremely difficult to establish hybrid populations. Little is known about jujube evolution and domestication, particularly with regard to the role of the sugar and acid components of jujube. Therefore, we used cover net control as a hybridization technique for the cross-breeding of Ziziphus jujuba Mill and ‘JMS2’ and (Z. acido jujuba) ‘Xing16’ to obtain an F1 population (179 hybrid progeny). The sugar and acid levels in the F1 and parent fruit were determined by HPLC. The coefficient of variation ranged from 28.4 to 93.9%. The sucrose and quinic acid levels in the progeny were higher than those in the parents. The population showed continuous distributions with transgressive segregation on both sides. Analysis by the mixed major gene and polygene inheritance model was performed. It was found that glucose is controlled by one additive-dominant major gene and polygenes, malic acid is controlled by two additive-dominant major genes and polygenes, and oxalic acid and quinic acid are controlled by two additive-dominant-epistatic major genes and polygenes. The results of this study provide insights into the genetic predisposition and molecular mechanisms underlying the role of sugar acids in jujube fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that chlorphoxim is a broad‐spectrum and high‐effective pesticide. With the wide use in agricultural practice, chlorphoxim residue is also frequently detected in water, but its potential toxicity to aquatic life is still unclear. In this study, zebrafish is used as a model to detect the toxicity of chlorphoxim. Our results showed that exposure of high concentration of chlorphoxim at 96 h post‐fertilization (hpf) resulted in a high mortality and pericardium edema rate, a low hatchability rate and heart rate. The nervous system damage, swimming behavior alteration and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition were measured in zebrafish embryos after a 6 days post‐fertilization (dpf) of chlorphoxim exposure. The expression of neural‐related genes is abnormal in zebrafish embryos. Chlorphoxim exposure significantly increases oxidative stress in zebrafish embryos by inhibiting antioxidant enzyme (SOD and CAT) and activating reactive oxygen species (ROS). As expected, chlorphoxim exposure induces apoptosis by enhancing the expression of apoptotic genes (Bax, Bcl2, and p53). Astaxanthin (ATX), an effective antioxidant, was found to be able to rescue the neurotoxicity of chlorphoxim through relieving oxidative stress and apoptosis. Altogether, the results showed that chlorphoxim exposure led to severe neurotoxicity to zebrafish embryos, which was contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of the safety use of the organophosphorus pesticide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroponic and aquaponic farming is becoming increasingly popular as a solution to address global food security. Plants in hydroponic systems are grown hydroponically under controlled environments and are considered to have fewer food safety concerns than traditional field farming. However, hydroponics and aquaponics might have very different sources of microbial food safety risks that remain under-examined. In this study, we investigated the microbiomes, microbial hazards, and potential bacterial transmission routes inside two commercial hydroponic and aquaponic farming systems using 16S-ITS-23S rRNA sequencing and a hydroponic food safety practice survey. The hydroponic farming system microbiome was analyzed from the fresh produce, nutrient solution, tools, and farmworkers. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes were the main components of hydroponic/aquaponic farming systems, with Pseudomonas being the most abundant genus in fresh produce samples. We further identified the presence of multiple spoilage bacteria and potential human, plant, and fish pathogens at the subspecies level. Spoilage Pseudomonas spp. and spoilage Clostridium spp. were abundant in the hydroponic microgreen farm and aquaponic lettuce farm, respectively. Moreover, we demonstrated the mapping of Escherichia coli 16s-ITS-23s rRNA sequence reads (∼2,500 bp) to small or large subunit rRNA databases and whole-genome databases to confirm pathogenicity and showed the potential of using 16s-ITS-23s rRNA sequencing for pathogen identification. With the SourceTracker and overlapping amplicon sequence variants, we predicted the bidirectional transmission route between plants and the surrounding environment and constructed the bacteria transmission map, which can be implemented in future food safety risk control plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive worldwide spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is fueling the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the first whole-genome sequence was published in January 2020, a growing database of tens of thousands of viral genomes has been constructed. This offers opportunities to study pathways of molecular change in the expanding viral population that can help identify molecular culprits of virulence and virus spread. Here we investigate the genomic accumulation of mutations at various time points of the early pandemic to identify changes in mutationally highly active genomic regions that are occurring worldwide. We used the Wuhan NC_045512.2 sequence as a reference and sampled 15 342 indexed sequences from GISAID, translating them into proteins and grouping them by month of deposition. The per-position amino acid frequencies and Shannon entropies of the coding sequences were calculated for each month, and a map of intrinsic disorder regions and binding sites was generated. The analysis revealed dominant variants, most of which were located in loop regions and on the surface of the proteins. Mutation entropy decreased between March and April of 2020 after steady increases at several sites, including the D614G mutation site of the spike (S) protein that was previously found associated with higher case fatality rates and at sites of the NSP12 polymerase and the NSP13 helicase proteins. Notable expanding mutations include R203K and G204R of the nucleocapsid (N) protein inter-domain linker region and G251V of the viroporin encoded by ORF3a between March and April. The regions spanning these mutations exhibited significant intrinsic disorder, which was enhanced and decreased by the N-protein and viroporin 3a protein mutations, respectively. These results predict an ongoing mutational shift from the spike and replication complex to other regions, especially to encoded molecules known to represent major β-interferon antagonists. The study provides valuable information for therapeutics and vaccine design, as well as insight into mutation tendencies that could facilitate preventive control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive worldwide spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is fueling the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the first whole-genome sequence was published in January 2020, a growing database of tens of thousands of viral genomes has been constructed. This offers opportunities to study pathways of molecular change in the expanding viral population that can help identify molecular culprits of virulence and virus spread. Here we investigate the genomic accumulation of mutations at various time points of the early pandemic to identify changes in mutationally highly active genomic regions that are occurring worldwide. We used the Wuhan NC_045512.2 sequence as a reference and sampled 15 342 indexed sequences from GISAID, translating them into proteins and grouping them by month of deposition. The per-position amino acid frequencies and Shannon entropies of the coding sequences were calculated for each month, and a map of intrinsic disorder regions and binding sites was generated. The analysis revealed dominant variants, most of which were located in loop regions and on the surface of the proteins. Mutation entropy decreased between March and April of 2020 after steady increases at several sites, including the D614G mutation site of the spike (S) protein that was previously found associated with higher case fatality rates and at sites of the NSP12 polymerase and the NSP13 helicase proteins. Notable expanding mutations include R203K and G204R of the nucleocapsid (N) protein inter-domain linker region and G251V of the viroporin encoded by ORF3a between March and April. The regions spanning these mutations exhibited significant intrinsic disorder, which was enhanced and decreased by the N-protein and viroporin 3a protein mutations, respectively. These results predict an ongoing mutational shift from the spike and replication complex to other regions, especially to encoded molecules known to represent major β-interferon antagonists. The study provides valuable information for therapeutics and vaccine design, as well as insight into mutation tendencies that could facilitate preventive control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Queen bee larvae (QBL), by‐products of royal jelly processing, was enzymatically hydrolyzed to produce bioactive peptides. Five enzymes were firstly used to obtain hydrolysates which were evaluated for their antioxidative performances. QBL hydrolyzed by pepsin, showing the highest antioxidant resistance, were prepared and isolated by ultrafiltration using different molecular weight cutoffs of <1, 1–5, 5–10, and >10 kDa. Then, hydrolysate III (MW 1–5 kDa) with the highest activity was purified through continuous chromatography. Antioxidant capacities of active peak 3 (P3) to DPPH, hydroxyl, superoxide, ABTS, oxygen radical absorbance capacity radicals assay were 74.31%, 82.44%, 74.53%, 78.81%, and 1,074 μM TE/g, respectively. Finally, the most potent antioxidant hydrolysate was determined through a high‐speed amino acid analyzer. The results of the QBLH for in vitro antioxidant assays have indicated that P3 is a good antioxidative peptide due to its high percentage of hydrophobic amino acids and has vast prospects for future development and application. Practical applications: QBL has been used as a traditional medicine for several millennia in China due to its rich nutrition and potent effect in improving human immunity, however, the utilization of QBL resources industry is rather low. This article evaluated the antioxidant activities of queen bee larvae using DPPH, hydroxyl, superoxide, ABTS, ORAC radicals assay, respectively. This article indicates that high antioxidant amino acid residues can be obtained from QBL through simple processing methods (enzymatic hydrolyzing and membrane isolating). Our study could arouse a great interest among researchers to develop a new series of QBL products with high efficient antioxidant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sun-drying is a low-cost, low-technology fish preservation method frequently employed in developing areas. However, the process promotes lipid oxidation and its associated undesired flavours and odours. This study investigated low-technology solutions for impact on lipid oxidation and sensory attributes of oven-dried omena fish ( Rastrineobola argentea). Two oven-drying conditions and four doses of clove water extract 'dip' pretreatments were studied in a complete factorial design. Lipid oxidation in dried fish was assessed by TBARS, peroxide value and fatty acid analysis by GC- FID. Results showed that soaking in 10 g L−1 clove water extract for 1 h and oven-drying at 150 °C × 30 min significantly reduced TBARS and peroxide values in omena fish by 77% and 79%, respectively, and polyene index showed improved retention of long-chain polyunsaturated fats, compared to original drying condition. Lastly, panellists of a triangle test were able to discriminate between biscuits made with the modified and original dried fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]